The Owl's Nest

When Severus emerged from his lab, he expected to see his mate lounged somewhere in the room with his homework strewn about him in a mess. Instead, he found Harry kneeling quietly in front of the coffee table, one parchment and book laid out on it and a quill in his hand. He watched as Harry dipped the quill and wrote something down on the parchment, running one finger form the other hand down a page of the book, as if to make sure he wrote the right thing. Severus made a small noise and Harry immediately looked up.

"Is it time to go to dinner now, sir?"

Severus nodded. "Indeed Mr. Potter. One hopes that you will attend to your meal with at least half the decorum you appear to have put into your homework. Come now, put your work away and join me."

Severus moved over to the door, straightening the sleeves of his robe as he waited for his small mate. Less than two minutes later, Harry approached, shyly placing a hand on his arm.

"I'm ready, sir."

"Very well. You will be eating with me at the staff table unless you ask otherwise beforehand. Now come."

Severus grasped the small hand in his own, leading his mate through the halls of the dungeons and ignoring the stares of his surprised snakes. The Slytherins were raised to understand how special a creature bond was and would ignore his actions toward the Boy-Who-Lived if they knew what was good for him.

Only one Slytherin seemed upset by the way Severus pulled his mate through the hall, although he quickly masked his jealousy with a sneer. Severus took note of it as something he would have to investigate in the future.

As they entered the hall, Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley stood as if to approach the boy at his side. Potter shook his head slightly and followed his mate to the Head Table, waiting for instructions as to where he was meant to sit.

"Next to me, idiot boy, now. Don't make me look foolish."

Harry looked on both sides of his mate, noticing the professors sitting in each chair. Rather than ask one to move, he kneeled next to his mate's chair and waited for his mate to give him permission to eat. He wasn't sure why Severus had been ordering him around so much lately, but he knew that he would obey whatever his mate told him to do.

"Eat, Potter. The last thing we need is for the Prophet to decry me for allowing you to starve our child."

'So Severus knows about the baby.' Harry was morose as he grabbed a small piece of meat and a scoop of vegetables, setting them on the plate in his lap. He ate slowly, never looking up from his plate. His mate didn't acknowledge him, so he figured he must have been doing what Severus wanted, finally.

When Severus stood to leave the Great Hall, Harry stood as well, walking behind his mate. Ron and Hermione met him at the door.

"Hey mate, wanna come study with us?"

Harry looked to Severus for permission.

"You may go to the library, but remember that you are not allowed in the Gryffindor Common Room. I expect you back in my rooms by curfew. Now go."

Harry flashed a smile at his mate before taking off with his friends. At least Severus wasn't forbidding him from seeing them!

SSHP

"Albus I don't know what to do. No matter how much I goad the boy, he bends to my will, even if it is ridiculous. Harry Potter seems to have a broken spirit."

Albus frowned, pulling a Sherbet Lemon out of his pocket and popping it into his mouth. Severus sneered at the sight of the candy.

"Well my boy, I'd say your methods aren't working on your mate then. Perhaps you should try a different approach. Have you tried to be kind to the poor boy? He must be terrified. He didn't even know he had creature blood until his birthday and now he's mated to his surly Potions Master and pregnant on top of it. He needs someone to keep his spirits up, not tear them down."

Severus thought about it for a moment. True, Harry had no clue that he could even have the possibility of a creature inheritance. But why had the inheritance taken the headstrong Gryffindor and turned him into a spineless Hufflepuff?

"Albus, he's a Veela, yes, but why is he so bloody submissive? The Veela I've seen in France weren't nearly as compliant as the boy is being."

Albus sighed. "That, my friend, is something I'm afraid I must take the credit for. Harry's Muggles weren't a very loving family for the boy. They terrified him into submission. I suspect he sees you on the same plain. He's frightened that if he doesn't do everything exactly how you want it, you'll desert him. Harry fears being alone, and his Veela wouldn't survive losing you. So, rather than risk it by being himself, he's ensuring that he keeps you happy."

"He was abused, Albus? And you let me treat him the way I did for all those years? Have you no common sense man? I could've destroyed everything that makes Mr. Potter the Gryffindor he is. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go find my foolish mate and make this right."

Severus set down his untouched teacup and left the Headmaster's office, completely missing the twinkle in those infernal blue eyes.

SSHP

Hermione stared over at her friend, watching as he practically shrank into his wings, the only part of his upper body that she could see was his unruly hair. He'd been sitting there, studying a Potions text that was meant for seventh years since they'd entered the library.

"Harry, why are you studying next year's text?"

"Memorized this years."

"You memorized it? Why on earth would you do that, mate?"

Harry looked up at Ron and shrugged. "Severus loves potions."

The way he said it made Hermione smile sadly. She doubted even Harry realized how in tuned to the older man he had become. Everything he did lately was something meant to please his mate. It hurt her to see.

"Harry, what happened? What changed when you went to the Burrow over Christmas?"

Harry blushed and looked up guiltily, dropping the quill he'd been chewing on.

"I overheard Fleur telling Bill that she was his mate. And she said something else," he looked down at the Potions text again. "She said that if she didn't do everything in her power to make him happy then his magic would reject her Veela and she would die. I don't want to die."

Harry looked down with tears in his eyes and thought of his dark mate. How could he ever make Severus happy? He knew it was only a matter of time before Severus rejected him and he died. Looking back at Hermione, he choked back a sob.

"He's going to reject me and I'll die."

"You foolish, insolent boy."