'Oh, Master Harry, Master Draco! Oh no! Oh no! And I is bringing you breakfast and now it is being ruined,' wailed Letty. 'And the room, what is happened to the room, what will Ossy say? Oh, Ossy!' she snapped away only to return a few moments later with Ossy and Ammy by her side.
Draco had rolled off Harry, mortified, and Harry pulled the throw from the foot of the broken bed, wrapping it around his waist as he stood up. 'I'll sort it out,' he said. 'I'm responsible for the mess.'
'No, Master Harry,' Ossy was horrified. He kept tugging on his ears in distress.
'Yes. It won't take me long and Draco was suggesting updating. But, more than that, I need to make the room safe for us for if my magic gets out of control again.'
'Master Harry's accidental magic is being very bad, sir. You is needing help with it. But you is bonded with Master Draco now so perhaps this is helping. I is going to get Miss Hermione and Miss Pansy after you is having breakfast. They is helping too.'
'Hermione's at work...' Harry muttered; not entirely sure he liked the way his life was being arranged for him without any say by a House-Elf. He'd been through that before in the second year at school and it hadn't been very enjoyable or successful back then.
'Yes, Master Harry, but she is coming here straight away to be help with you. She will be coming. It is being most urgent. But first you must be showering and be walking Mr Hercules and not being like a teenage boy loafing in a smelly bed and messy room all day.' The elf wrinkled his nose. 'We is fixing you both a new breakfast, you is eating it in the breakfast room,' and he snapped his fingers to vanish away the mess the dropped tray had made, because that obviously made a world of difference in the middle of the mayhem. The elves disappeared hurriedly as Harry scowled.
'I'M TWENTY-TWO, YOU KNOW,' he shouted into thin air. 'I'm not loafing about like a teenage boy,' he muttered.
When Harry turned around, Draco was laughing.
'What?'
'Honestly! Your face! Quit sulking, Potter and go and get in the shower. I'm going to design your new bedroom for you...'
'...for us. Apparently we're in this together, as a couple, with immediate effect. There's no escaping now, Malfoy!'
'Merlin-help-me! Yes, I realise. And do you really think I'm going anywhere after having just found my soulmate? So, stop being grumpy with your lot, you'll ruin a perfect morning. Come on, I need to go to work. I have patients to see but you can get it sorted by the time I'm back,' he got out of bed and crossed the room to Harry.
Harry couldn't help his gaze roving across Draco's naked body. It was all flat plains and angles and dips and sharpness and solid muscles. He loved it.
Draco wended his arms around Harry's waist, 'and stop looking at me like that! Go and get in the shower, H. It sounds like we've got a long day ahead of us.' He kissed Harry on the lips, a peck, that both dismissed Harry and left him wanting more. 'Go on, chip-chop!' he smirked and slapped Harry's arse.
Hermione was already at the Ministry in a breakfast meeting with Kingsley Shacklebolt when a distressed House-Elf in a smart sage-green livery with a golden phoenix crest on the chest appeared beside her, much to both her and Kingsley's surprise.
The elf rang its hands anxiously, bowing low before saying, 'apologies Miss Granger, but you is needed most urgently when your meeting with the important Minister is finished. I is needing your help with Master Harry. I is waiting outside to take you.' The elf pointed vaguely at the door from the meeting room before tugged on its ears, nearly painfully.
Hermione furrowed her brow, confused by the arrival. Clearly 'Master Harry' could only mean Harry, but...
'Oh,' she said, 'you must be from Beaumont Hall.'
'Yes, Miss Granger, I is Ossy, I is in charge of the Hall and all things Potter for many, many years, right back to before Mistress Euphemia and Master Fleamont's time.'
'And Harry, is he okay, is he hurt or in danger?'
'No, Miss... and yes...' The elf frowned. 'Master Harry's magic is being very bad and I is knowing you is researching it with Miss Parkinson. Beaumont Hall is having a very many books, Miss. I is thinking the answer is there. This is happening before with the Potters, long ago. But I is never seeing it. And I is not hearing of it being like this. I is believing it is very bad for Master Harry.' Ossy's voice had dropped to a whisper as he tugged on his ears again.
'You had better go then, Ms Granger,' Kingsley rumbled in his deep velvet voice. He sounded concerned, if not a little bemused, by Ossy's appearance. 'Was there anything else to cover?'
'No, Minister,' she said, standing up and packing away her paperwork. 'The Statute on the De-classification of Magical Creatures can wait until next week.'
'Of course,' he said, smiling. 'Please keep me posted. Perhaps if Harry would arrange the Wards and send me the details, I might call in and see what this is all about. I have no doubts you'll get to the bottom of it all though.' He shooed her away with a dismiss of his hand. 'You'd best hurry, take the time you need. We'll class it as Ministry business, seeing as it's Harry Potter we're talking about. I don't want to be losing my next Head of the Auror Department. Good ones are few and far between.'
'Thank you, Kingsley,' she said with a smile, grateful that her boss was who he was. She imagined Cornelius Fudge would never have been so accommodating. Though she was also aware that Kingsley probably didn't want to be losing the Golden Boy to any sort of mis-adventure while he was Minister. It wouldn't do his reputation or his popularity any favours. 'I believe the Unspeakables were looking into his rogue magic too.'
Kingsley's voice rumbled as he spoke, 'yes, call them in if you need to. Unspeakable Rambures was heading up the investigation.'
She clutched her bag to her chest and took the elf's hand.
'We is also going to get Miss Parkinson too.'
And they whipped away in a smooth twist that was far more fluid and far less gut-wrenching than any Wizarding form of Disapparation.
She was expecting to land in Grimmauld Place so to say she was surprised that Ossy took her to the Lovegoods' strange house outside Ottery St Catchpole would have been an understatement. Not least because the elf Apparated them straight into Luna's bedroom where the two women were in bed, asleep. Luna was spooning Pansy, both in peaceful slumber.
Hermione immediately backed out of the bedroom, knowing like she was intruding on something very personal, but as she reached the door, Luna opened her eyes and smiled welcomingly at Hermione.
'Hello, Hermione,' she said quietly, bringing her hand up to stroke Pansy's normally smooth black hair which tousled and knotting from clearly moving about in her sleep. Luna seemed totally unsurprised that Hermione and a strange House-Elf had just appeared in her bedroom. 'Is it Harry?' she said softly, her Celtic accent giving a beautiful gentle lilt to her words.
'This is Ossy,' Hermione said quietly and the House-Elf bowed.
Luna sat up in bed, the duvet falling away to reveal pretty pale-pink satin pyjamas with a cherry-tree blossom pattern. She patted the bed next to her, indicating that she wanted Hermione to sit there.
Pansy turned over, snuggling in against Luna's lap but didn't open her eyes, Luna continued to card her fingers through Pansy's long hair and the other woman smiled contentedly.
Hermione sat cautiously on the edge of the bed.
'I'm sorry to intrude,' Hermione felt the need to whisper. 'I didn't exactly realise that Ossy would bring me straight into your bedroom...'
'It's no matter,' said Luna.
'Hmmm, who are you talking to Luna?' Pansy murmured sleepily.
'Pansy darling,' said Luna softly. 'You need to wake up, Hermione is here about Harry, she needs our help.'
Pansy's eyelids snapped open and she looked at Hermione with wide eyes and immediate fear.
'I don't really know what's going on. Ossy, Harry's House-Elf from Beaumont Hall appeared at the Ministry while I was in a meeting with the Minister. It seems to be an emergency. He said Harry needs our help, it's to do with our research, Pansy, and his magic. Ossy wants to take us to Beaumont Hall to look at the books there. I didn't even know Harry was going there.'
Pansy was already pushing back the bedding, like Luna, she wore satin pyjamas, but hers were navy blue. 'I'll get my things together,' she said, worry etched across her face.
'I'll wait outside,' Hermione said. 'Erm, your father...?' she looked at Luna.
'Oh, don't mind him. He's probably busy with the printing press anyway, but you can wait on the landing if you don't want to go near the noise. We'll be five minutes.'
'Breakfast is waiting for you at the Hall, Miss Luna and Miss Parkinson. We is waiting for you out there,' Ossy indicated to the door.
When they landed in the breakfast room at Beaumont, it caused a surprise for Harry, Draco and Teddy who were sitting at the table, discussing their plans for the day.
'Aunty Mione!' exclaimed Teddy and Hercules, utterly unperturbed, rushed to greet Pansy.
Hermione was taken aback by the appearance of two pure white Kneazles who came and wound around her legs in a friendly fashion. It seemed everyone was already settled in. Harry immediately stood up and rounded the table to give Hermione a hug and the three women barely had time to take in their surroundings before Ossy was ushering them to sit at the table too for some breakfast.
'Ossy appeared, against all propriety, during a meeting with the Minister, and demanded my presence, claiming it was an emergency,' she whispered. 'He appears to like delivering me straight into others' private rooms without notice,' she grumbled.
Luna and Pansy were already seating themselves as yet another elf appeared and began offering teas and coffees.
'They're all free elves before you ask and I swear,' Harry muttered, pulling her away from Teddy's keen ears, 'I've never felt so far from an emergency in my life and you'd think I've quite a lot of experience in dealing with emergencies. You know, I've never felt happier and calmer than I have for a long time and my magic feels so much more stable, yet that damned elf seems to think I'm in mortal danger or something because apparently my excess magic is becoming more dangerous.'
Hermione's eyes immediately drifted to Draco who was in his work polo shirt and the brown dragonhide trousers that Harry had drooled over. She understood why he drooled.
'Why are you here at Beaumont?'
'Draco suggested coming here last night in the aftermath of what happened with Pansy. He didn't want to go straight home and Luna had whisked Pansy off so we came here to see it. It seems we've moved in, just like that. It's all utterly ridiculous and overwhelming. And a horrible, disordered mess that I can't cope with. Our lives now appeared to be controlled by House-Elves and Ossy is in charge of everything, including me. He and you should get on well. He's bossy,' Harry teased and she rolled her eyes. 'And he thinks the answer to everything lies in the books here.'
'What books?' Harry could see the excitement in her eyes already.
'Come and see...'
Draco stood too, following them both up to the hall's gallery, partly because he wanted to watch the interactions between Harry and Hermione even though he knew he had no reason to be worried really.
'Oh. My. Word!' Hermione exclaimed; her eyes widened with wonder as she took in all the books lining the gallery. 'Can I move in?' she absentmindedly as she wandered towards the shelves.
Harry spluttered with laughter when Draco gave him a death glare.
'What?' she asked, confused.
'Nothing. This isn't even half of them,' Harry answered but he was watching Draco, smirking with amusement, his eyes glistening. He reached out for Draco's hand, pulling him closer against him. 'You're jealous,' he whispered in Draco's ear.
'You're mine now, Potter, and don't you forget it,' Draco growled quietly in his ear.
'Oh, I won't,' he replied.
Teddy had run through, 'can I go out in the garden, Da?'
'You need to get dressed first and didn't Mrs Stockton ask you to do a drawing project to do for the summer holidays?'
'Oh, Da...'
'Tell you what, why don't you stick to exploring the house this morning and we'll go outside together this afternoon.'
'Yes!!!' shouted Teddy, charging off. 'Will you take me swimming in the lake, Da?'
'We'll see...' Harry grimaced.
Hermione only half-listened as she perused the shelves excitedly. She couldn't help herself as she ran a finger over the spines. 'Oh my god! Harry? Are these catalogued? You've got first editions of Goshawk's Book of Spells and Lima's Most Macabre Monstrosities. This is amazing.'
'Are you going to tell her about the book you flung across our bedroom this morning with your uncontrollable magic, or shall I?' Draco drawled languidly, not missing the perfect chance to openly stake a very possessive claim.
'I didn't mean to,' Harry complained.
She looked at them both quizzically and then squealed and threw herself into Harry's arms. 'At last!' she exclaimed in realisation of what Draco was referring to. 'And?'
'And what?'
She thumped Harry's arm lightly. 'Well?'
'What?' Harry was grinning inanely.
'...yes,' drawled Draco, putting on a suitable sneer to match his bored tone. 'What Potter means to say is yes, we're soulmates... and...' His lips twitched as he tried to control his happiness. 'It was something else. Not Potter obviously...'
Mione raised a knowing eyebrow.
'His ego is big enough as it is without being told he's spectacular in the sack,' Draco drawled in a monotone voice, though he was keen to let her know that Harry was definitely his. He idly picked a piece of invisible lint from his polo shirt as he feigned nonchalance about it all. 'The Soulmate Magic was... remarkable... indescribable... but his normal magic is wild and he trashed the room because he's out of control. So, now he's going to leave us and fix it all while I get to know his bestfriend better before I go to work and then I can help you with your research later when I get back...'
Mione squealed, she actually squealed. And hugged Harry, and hugged Draco too, much to his surprise, and twirled on the spot in uncontained excitement, she grinned wildly at them and declared, 'can I be a bridesmaid?'
'MIONE!' Harry exclaimed, blushing wildly.
Draco felt a little flushed too but also delighted. He couldn't deny how genuine her reaction was.
'But surely you're going to get married now,' she said excitedly.
'But it's only day one,' Harry said in a sing-song voice, a broad grin on his face in a way that reached all the way to his eyes so they sparkled with excitement.
'But you've been living together for months so you know you're compatible in life as well as in bed...' she smirked evilly.
Draco thought of Harry saying he thought Hermione got off on a bit of homoeroticism and decided Harry was right. He was also sure he'd never seen Harry so happy, never while they were at school anyway. He couldn't deny he also felt the buzz of excitement at the thought of them getting married.
'Well, you'll have to best woman,' Harry said, ignoring her tease, though Draco felt Harry's magic spike briefly.
Her grin grew even wider, 'can I still wear a big floofy dress?'
'So long as it has pockets for the ring and your speech.'
'Or an amazing ivory jumpsuit...' she said. 'I saw just the one in a magazine at the dentists...'
'Or a dress with a train, someone needs to wear a train, it's a wedding! And it's certainly not going to me...'
They both turned and looked at Draco expectantly but Harry's shoulders were shaking and Hermione soon started giggling until they both burst into fits of laughter.
'...Potter, stop exciting your friend, we're not planning a wedding just because we've slept together the once,' Draco scorned.
'But it was pretty spectacular!'
'Chip-chop!' Draco turned Harry away on the spot by his shoulders and gave him a little prod in the small of his back to send him on his way. Though he did catch Harry by his hips before he'd taken one step away and dragged him back to give him a quick peck on the cheek.
'Don't miss me too much,' he said sarcastically.
'Oh god! You're both adorable,' Mione gushed. 'Who would have thought at school?'
'It would never've happened, Potter was lost somewhere between a jock and a dork at school,' Draco smirked evilly.
'So everyone keeps telling me,' Harry grumbled.
Draco smiled fondly and Mione giggled in delight.
'Still,' Harry smirked wickedly, 'I always say you've got to watch out for the quiet ones...'
Draco gave him a hard slap on the arse to send him packing and three door handles shot out of the doors off the Great Hall.
'Control, Potter, or Ossy will be stringing you up by your pants in the dungeons.'
'We've got dungeons?' Harry beamed roguishly and made a run for it before Draco could scold him again.
'I believe they're the wine cellar now,' Draco called after Harry before turning to Hermione, 'oh Salazar, what have I got myself into... you should have warned me...'
'You've always known, Draco, more than anyone. You really don't expect your life with Harry to be simple?'
Draco couldn't prevent the fond smile, mostly at the thought of his life with Harry, that sounded good.
He turned to see Pansy and Luna at the doorway to the staircase watching the exchange too. Draco found it amusing that they all had insanely inane grins on their faces. He didn't like to admit they mirrored how he felt.
'Hermione's right,' Pansy said. 'You two are sickeningly cute. What a turnaround for our icy Slytherin Prince.'
'Shut it, Pans!' he said threateningly but couldn't hold it together before smiling too. 'My father will be turning in his grave.' He strode over to Pansy and gave her a big hug. 'How are you doing, darling?' Despite the trauma, he thought she was looking better in herself, she looked less drawn and lifeless and like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She also seemed to glow and he wondered if he showed the same sort of aura, if it was an aftermath of Soulmate Magic.
She looked temporarily shocked as if she'd forgotten all that had gone on at the Ministry the day before. 'I'm good,' she said quietly. 'Luna's helping.'
'I want to hear all about it.'
'Dray-darling,' she drawled. 'We'll swap details later; we all want to know what you two have got up to but we need to hear what's happening with Harry's magic and what we can do.'
Harry found Ossy in the middle of the bedroom looking at it in despair. If he'd had hair, he would have been pulling it, instead he kept tugging his large ears.
'Ossy, I'm afraid there's three more door handles in the hall that need repairing,' he ventured, slightly nervously.
'You is a very bad man, Master Harry. Very bad!' and he snapped away with a loud 'crack!' to express his disapproval.
Harry wasn't going to let a grumpy House-Elf dampen his mood. He was fairly sure he needed to show Ossy he meant no disrespect to the old house and he was fairly certain that Ossy's concerns about Harry's accidental magic were only amplified by Ossy's need to look after the property and not see it destroyed by Harry on his first night.
He set too with tidying.
Draco had described very specifically how he thought the room should be and Harry decided it would be a good exercise to change everything using the build-up of magic he was already feeling despite his morning's 'exercise'. Harry just couldn't help what the blond man did to him!
Perhaps Ossy was right, he mused. Perhaps it was a little out of control and dangerous.
***