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“What do you think about a contained heart-cry?” Harry asked his Alpha one night, snuggling closer into his side as they lay in bed, close to falling asleep. It had been nice to be finally bonded, to have the steady presence and support of an Alpha beside him, but it felt like all too soon, his magic was demanded that he find more Bonded.
He was on the Hunt again.
“The ones they do on stage, I mean,” he clarified after a moment, when his Alpha hadn’t said anything. “During the first week of the Hunt.”
“…for a Beta?” His Alpha’s voice was sleep-heavy and slow—Harry had spoken just a few minutes before the man had fallen asleep.
“Is that even allowed?”
“Yes,” his Alpha said after a moment. “It is. It’s less commonly done than a heart-cry for an Alpha, but there’s been Submissives who have found a Beta that way.”
Harry made a pleased noise, and then repeated the sound when he felt warm lips brush against his forehead in the dark.
“We’ll talk about it more in the morning, if that’s what you still want,” his Alpha promised. “But for now, go to sleep.”
Harry hummed happily and tried to oblige, but in all reality, he didn’t get that much sleep that night, his mind too busy trying to figure out all the possibilities.
“So why a contained heart-cry?” his Alpha asked in the morning, after they’d both had their morning tea and were much more awake.
Harry shrugged. “Beats going through favors,” he remarked idly, waving a hand at the rather large stack. “Everyone’s given me advice and suggestions on what to look for, but I still don’t have the first idea about how to start sorting them or replying.”
His Alpha hummed. “Now give me two more reasons,” he said. When Harry whined, he smiled fondly. “We’ve talked about this, dear heart. When you want to make decisions as large as this one, you should have at least three good reasons for taking a certain path.”
Harry rolled his eyes. He wasn’t quite certain he had agreed to that rule, but he was willing to indulge his Alpha on certain matters.
“It’s quicker than meeting a bunch of Betas and having to suffer through several meetings before figuring out we’re not compatible or how to tell them to piss off politely so they’re not offended,” he said. “And before you say that sometimes it’s better to be patient and to be absolutely sure, I’ve heard other Submissives talking. They say that magic and instinct help determine compatibility when you choose that route, so it’s not like the one I choose will be horribly mismatched to us.”
“…wasn’t what I was going to say,” his Alpha returned. Harry gave him a Look. “At least, it wasn’t the first thing,” he amended. “I was going to discuss the ‘piss off politely’ remark first.”
Harry sniffed haughtily. “We’re not, because I could have said the other thing that came to mind and you would have liked that even less.”
They shared a laugh.
“And three, well…” Harry blushed, a faint pink tinge showing up across his cheekbones and the bridge of his nose. “It seems kind of romantic, a public courtship. Letting magic do the picking and trusting in it, knowing that whoever gets close enough will work for you.”
“Three good reasons, my dear heart,” his Alpha said, leaning over and pecking him on the nose. Harry’s blush deepened, but he let out a quiet purr.
“So that’s a yes then?” he asked, just to make sure.
“We’ll get the paperwork from City Hall tomorrow, if you’re still sure that’s how you want to do things.”
Harry’s purr grew louder.
Less than a week later, Harry stood on stage, in front of the Royals and what felt like most of Nevarah. It was a bit nerve-wracking, but it wasn’t any worse than the first task of the Triwizard Tournament.
At least this time, he wanted to be there.
He took a deep breath before he began.
Unlike most Submissives, he didn’t have a particular talent to show off, to attract the attention he desired. He just had the strength of his magic and his dragon form.
His Alpha had assured him that would be enough on its own to draw attention—lots of it.
“Hailing from the ranks of the Nameless, Harry Potter will now be presented as an available Submissive for a formal, public courting. Unlike the others here today, he is looking for a Beta, for he has already found an Alpha. He has requested this of his own accord and we are happy to assist him. We also look forward to seeing this young Submissive and his future Circle. May the courting be blessed and their triad strong and unbreakable,” Prince Raspen announced, the Royal chosen to speak for the Nameless that day, since they had no Royals of their own.
Harry nodded when Prince Raspen turned and he moved toward the center of the stage, careful not to step on the elaborate robes and finery he had been dressed in for this. That had been the worst part, but his Alpha had brooked no arguments. A public courtship was all about making an impression, he reminded Harry, and most of the Submissives taking part in the process were from High Noble families, so there were certain expectations that surrounded everything.
It was a small compromise so Harry didn’t complain about dressing up even more than usual—much.
He waited for the applause to die down before he took the piece of bonding jewelry that he’d selected earlier in the week for his future Beta from the waiting attendant. It was a simple thing, a golden pendant in the design of a modified Deathly Hallows symbol. Where the sigil for the Elder Wand had been, he’d replaced it with a lightning bolt.
He’d hated it at first. That symbol had caused so much chaos and pain during his last year on Earth. But he was allowed to wear it, since he was in possession of one of the three Hallows, and he’d been forced to accept that it was his mark when that was the symbol that had formed inside of his Alpha’s claim mark, when they’d finally reached that point.
The attendant looped it over his head, arranging it so the pendant hung in the center of his chest, available to all. Then they stepped back, and the courtship began. Glowing runes showing charms activated for safety—both for him and his potential suitors—decorated the surface of the stage. There were a series of circles set inside of each other, each progressively larger to house the ones inside of it.
Harry stood in the very center, in the smallest circle.
He waited for a moment, drawing his magic around him, until silence fell over the stadium.
When it was quiet enough and he was struggling to keep his magic contained for much longer, he tossed it out—out to the public and any potential Bonded waiting in the stands.
It cast itself over the entire stadium and Harry blinked—that was much further than he’d expected it to go.
So he was more powerful than he knew, like his Alpha always claimed.
His magic settled in the air, stirring up and broadcasting his emotions of sincerity and hope to the watching public. As it settled, his wings rose up, passing through the cloth of his dress robes, and he started to morph into a halfling form that would show off his Silverwing attributes.
And then he threw back his head and screeched to the skin, a heart-cry long enough that it made every bone in his body rattle—maybe even made his soul rattle a bit as well.
As the cry echoed in the stadium, Harry settled back to watch. Submissives were allowed to give a heart-cry up to three times, but he’d already decided that he wouldn’t cry more than once.
He didn’t think he would be interested in anyone that wouldn’t come immediately when called. It was too risky, given how much of a trouble magnet he was on most days.
Dozens took flight, aiming straight for the stage where Harry waited. He took the opportunity to look at and appreciate all the lovely colors and wings of all sizes and types, some with scales and some with feathers.
The vast majority were Betas, but a few Alphas tried their luck. The safety requirements Harry had in place ensured that those few didn’t even reach the stage, but were rather flung right back to where they had emerged from.
One dragel immediately struck his fancy, a Beta that bore the colors of white, gold, and silver. Harry wasn’t quite sure what it was, because there were other, more colorful dragels approaching him, vying for his attention, but something about that one Beta stood out.
A nearly invisible wall of magic sprung to life at the far perimeter of the stage, having been infused with Harry’s magic and what he desired and expected of a Beta. All of his potential suitors had to pass through the barrier, the first step in the courting process.
Part of Harry settled when a large group of Betas were refused further entry, having not met his requirements. He’d known that there was little to no risk—there’d never been an incident with a public courtship before—but it was nice to see visible proof of all the safety measures in place.
If a Beta wasn’t compatible for him or his magic, they wouldn’t be able to get close enough.
He’d put several tests in place, and he kept an eye on those who managed to progress through all of them—the number of possible Betas passing through each magical barrier got smaller and smaller after each test.
To his immense pleasure, the Beta marked by white, silver, and gold was one of the few who managed to pass each test.
In the end, there were three who stood at the final barrier, waiting for Harry to make his decision.
Three possible Betas, all who would be suitable and compatible for Harry.
Harry studied all three of them.
One was Shadow, one was Fire, and the third was the one who’d caught his attention at the very beginning.
He was tall, with honey-gold hair and golden eyes. His expression was gentle, his eyes warm and friendly.
They were eyes that held unconditional acceptance, very similar to his Alpha’s eyes. They seemed to see Harry for himself, not for his magic or his status as a Silverwing or the scar on his forehead.
That was the deciding factor.
Harry let him through the final barrier and smiled hesitantly as the other man slowly and deliberately approached.
“Hello,” the man said. “I’m Ariki Deveraine.”
“Hello,” Harry returned. “I’m Harry.”
Ariki smiled softly. “It’s very nice to meet you, Harry.”
They stared at each other for a minute, before Harry remembered something important—the key next step in this whole process.
He blushed softly as he pulled the pendant over his neck and offered it to Ariki.
“It’s just me and my Alpha currently,” Harry murmured, green eyes glancing off to the side to where his Alpha was waiting with the Pareya who were supervising the courtship and waiting to whisk the triad off to a more private location once a claim was made. “I’m not from Nevarah originally, so I don’t have much to offer in terms of assets or connections. All I can offer is myself.” He offered up the pendant to the Beta.
“And that’s more than enough,” Ariki murmured.
As he took the pendant from Harry’s hands, he carefully turned Harry’s wrist so the underside was facing up and lifted it to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss there.
Harry’s heart sang at the gesture and he felt something rise up in him, something that he’d only felt once before, right before he’d bonded to his Alpha.
Shift. Twist. Click.