Feathered families

Part 6/?

[Two days later, early morning] (some graphic sex references below)

Long fingers gently massaged before harshly pressing the lower belly of the passive animal before him as the mate hovered nearby. Severus was greatly surprised by how much mated life had calmed the rambunctious Sirius down. When Severus had done a standard physical of the young Gryffe less than six months ago, Sirius had been squirming so much he’d been sorely tempted to cast a binding spell on it. Now Sirius had not let out so much as a trill. If Severus hadn’t tested the Gryffe’s urine himself, he would have thought the submissive behavior was the result of a pregnancy.

“Tell me about Sirius’s eat habits,” Severus demanded as he moved lower to the sex organs. He ignored the familiar blue eyes watching his every move. There was something off about this situation, but the feeling may have originated from the fact Severus had known Sirius before he was mated. Behavior in a majority of magical creatures was known to change when the animal mated.

“He and my other Gryffe, James, are fed fresh fruit and vegetables by my house-elves at least three times a day,” Lord Riddle stated.

“Any meat?”

“No.”

“My research has recently revealed to me that Gryffes in the wild scavenge for meat for their diet. It’s easier on the digestion,” Severus mentioned. “It will not have much impact but it will be good for your pets’ overall health.”

“I shall instruct the house-elves to introduce meat into their diet,” Lord Riddle agreed, his tone slightly harsh.

Severus couldn’t locate any abnormalities on the Gryffe’s outer sex organs so he gently maneuvered the long legs up so he could inspect the rectum and womb. “My Lord, if you would, please hold Sirius still while I inspect his womb and sex organs,” Severus asked as he slipped on a lubricated glove.

Lord Riddle complied and Severus gently forced his hand into the hot channel as Sirius squawked. While the channel showed evidence of regular activity, there was nothing else that could account for the Gryffe’s infertility. The womb area was also clear.

Severus gently withdrew his hand and discarded the glove, doing his best to ignore the tears trailing down the cheeks of the face of the Gryffe he had been examining for several years. “My Lord, unfortunately I can detect no abnormalities. Did the previous Mediwizard state the same?”

“Yes,” Lord Riddle answered, his voice revealing a slight undertone of frustration.

Severus considered another possibility. “It could just be a matter of chromosomal incompatibility. However, I would need a semen sample from you both to determine this. Did your previous Mediwizard do any such test?”

“No, Mediwizard Bertuer only tested Sirius’s sperm.”

‘Bertuer?’ Severus tried to place the name but failed. “Then, it would be advisable to do such a test now. I could take it now, if you like.”

Lord Riddle nodded. “The sooner we find out the problem, the sooner I can have my heir.” Lord Riddle then to Severus’s slight embarrassment, he began to unbutton his robes.

Severus turned his back to the Minister to retrieve two sample cups from his bag and place the labels on them. “Would you like me to step out of the room while you give the samples?” he asked with his back still towards the two. Severus would rather not see the Minister masturbating himself and his pet.

“If you would,” Lord Riddle replied, although his tone was even as if he was apathetic either way as Severus handed him the two sample cups.

Just before Severus left the room to give the two their privacy, Lord Riddle called out behind him, “This may take awhile.” Severus really wished he did not have that image in his head. “If you would like to examine James in the meantime, he is down the hall in my bedroom. I will join you when I finish. ” The small trills of Sirius began to sound at his back as he did as suggested. Severus really, really wished he did not have that image in his head.

Severus had heard Harry greatly resembled his Layer but he hadn’t expected him to be almost a clone of James. Both Gryffes had pale skin, short shaggily arranged head feathers, and plump deep-red lips. Both were also thin. The only differences Severus could detect were the younger Gryffe’s high cheekbones and their eye colors.

A house-elf dressed in a tan and brown striped pillowcase was trying to feed the reluctant Gryffe grapes and talking soothingly to it. “Yous needs to eat more.” The house-elf then seemed to realize another was in the room and turned to Severus. “Yous the Mediwizard?”

“Correct,” Severus stated as he dug into his bottomless bag for another sample cup. “Please assist me by holding this cup.”

Tears welled up in the house-elf’s eyes. “Yous said please… yous so kind…”

“The cup,” Severus reminded, cutting off the house-elf’s speech of gratitude before it could ramble on and try his patience.

The Gryffe watched Severus wearily as he approached the transfigured table where the Gryffe was tied down and started his examination by gently pressing down on the Gryffe’s bladder to get a urine sample adding more and more pressure gradually. Several agitated squawks erupted from the Gryffe’s mouth. Seconds later the sound of liquid hitting glass was heard.

Severus ceased adding pressure when the cup was halfway full. The stream of urine stopped almost immediately.

Severus put a quarter of the urine sample into a medium-sized vial of indicator potion and watched as the potion went from a deep blue to a bright purple- Positive. Severus gently prodded the Gryffe’s lower abdomen just as Lord Riddle entered the room, samples clutched in his hands. There they were- three small lumps.

“Where do you want… Severus?”

“Congratulations, my lord, you are to be a father again.”

----

(late morning)

Hagrid had just finished grooming Orion the centaur’s coat when he went to check on the augureys, the common green phoenixes Lucius’s Irish grandmother bred, in the barn. As always, Hagrid ignored the area in the back where Regulus’s nest was located while he cleaned up the droppings. Gryffes liked their privacy and unless you wanted to be a perspective mate it was best to stay clear… not that Hagrid wouldn’t love to be a Gryffe’s mate as no witch or giantess would want him because of his ‘size’ but Mr. Lucius had already said Regulus was reserved for Mediwizard Snape for when he was ready for a ‘snot-nosed brat’ of his own.

As he worked, Hagrid was surprised by the noise coming from Regulus’s nest. Normally the Gryffe was so silent he could be right behind Hagrid as he worked and Hagrid would not know.

Hagrid was just about to leave when he heard a high-pitched trill, too high a pitch for Regulus and that didn’t come from your average augurey. Curious, Hagrid opened the large stall’s gate to reveal Regulus in human form playing some type of strange game with a tiny Gryffe in his bird form.

Of course, when the child spotted Hagrid he hid behind Regulus, who gave Hagrid a warning squawk.

“Don’t ye worry wee wan. I won’t hurt ye.”

The little one remained in his bird form which was so similar to Regulus’s in coloring and proportion that if Hagrid didn’t know any better, he’d say Regulus had somehow managed to hide an egg. But that wasn’t possible… so the little one had to be Draco’s Gryffe.

“So yer Laird Riddle’s bairn?” Not that Hagrid expected the child to answer him, but Hagrid was one of the few firmly believed Gryffes and a lot of other magical creatures could understand you on some level.

“Talking to Gryffes, Hagrid?” came a feminine voice behind him.

“Ah ken Ah keek a fool,” Hagrid answered with a slight blush.

Narcissa laughed. “Then we all look like fools then. Merlin knows Lucius talks to them whenever he sees them and I’m here to visit my Gryffe cousin.”

Regulus was nuzzling the now human child as Hagrid stood aside for Narcissa to enter with some blankets.

“Ah’ll be gettin’ back ta ma chores now.”

----

Harry had secured his little arms as tight around his Adopter as possible when the Wizard woman came into the nest, afraid she would take him from his Adopter like she took him from his Fertilizer.

“It’s okay little one,” Regulus said as his fingers preened Harry’s unruly feathers. “Narcissa won’t take you from me.”

“Sorry to intrude Regulus, but fall has just begun and the nights will begin to be colder so I brought you some blankets,” Narcissa said as she laid her burden next to the nest. Then, against her better judgment she reached down to pet Harry, only to be met with an angry, low squawk.

“No.”

Immediately, she stood up and backed away. Everyone knew a Gryffe could be highly dangerous when provoked. “Alright, I will not touch your hatchling.” Then she left and shut the stall door behind her.

“See Harry, you’re safe.”

----
(noon)

As always, Remus’s desk and reception area was impeccably organized and straightened when Severus arrived through the floo for lunch. And, as always, Remus was there in a chair by the fireplace to greet him with a nice cup of rich, hot chocolate in a large mug. It didn’t matter to either of them that outside it was warm, chocolate was always the beverage of choice.

Severus gave just the tiniest hint of a smile as he sank into the chair across from Remus and took a sip.

“So, how did it go?” Remus inquired.

“One is pregnant with his second clutch- three eggs from what I was able to feel.”

Remus smiled brightly. “That’s good news. And the other?”

“No. I’m going to have to run some diagnostics after lunch on the semen samples to see if there is an incompatibility.” Severus set his mug down and looked at his secretary, taking in the vibrant and flushed skin. “You may go home after lunch, if you wish, the first night of full-moon is tonight correct?”

Remus’s smile dropped. “Yes. Thank you.” Severus knew Remus hated being reminded of what he was, but Severus knew his friend needed to rest before night came.

Deciding to move on to another topic of conversation, Severus inquired, “So has Lucius contacted you about Arthur?”

A deep blush encased the werewolf’s face. “Yes… but I am not cut out to be a father or Fertilizer. You remember what happened with Peter…. Besides what about my… problem?”

Severus sighed. “Peter was not your fault. The Gryffe might have been part of Albus’s last clutch but even his Fertilizer Grindlewald thought there was something wrong with him. Why he was placed at St. Mungos’s hybrid department before I was assigned him? The Gryffe destroyed your eggs not because there was something wrong with them but because there was something wrong with him.”

“But my…”

“Remus, you never attacked Peter while in your wolf form.”

“But that was because I knew Peter. Plus, he didn’t have cubs with someone else’s scent all over them,” Remus stated. “I doubt my wolf will tolerate another person’s kids running around.”

Remus took a deep gulp of his chocolate. “Why are you pressing this anyway? You haven’t even mated with Regulus yet.”

“I’m not pressing, I’m just making conversation,” Severus corrected as he reclaimed his mug. “As for Regulus… it’s complicated.”

Remus rolled his eyes just as a timer rang to signal whatever was in the tiny workplace’s kitchen was ready.

----
Severus had sterilized his hands and the environment of his work bench in his chaotically organized laboratory before setting out various indicator potions on hand and setting some cauldrons brewing. It was nearly nightfall by the time he had everything ready to test his samples. One row for the Gryffe, one row for the Fertilizer, and a small row for them together.

It was a very long tedious task to go through each and every indicator potion with two sperms, observe if there any color change at all. For verification, Severus waited an hour to make sure there was no color change.

An hour later, Severus returned to find the only color change occurring in the small row and one indicator in the Fertilizer’s row. For further verification, Severus took what remained of Lord Riddle’s sample and another vial of the same indicator. The answer was the same- Lord Riddle suffered from necrospermia.

Necrospermia is the presence of dead or motionless sperm in his ejaculation. It was usually caused by a problem with either shortage of nutrients for the sperm or a problem with the epididymis, the area where sperm matures. And from how dark the color change in the indicator, there was a very large amount of dead sperm in the sample.

It was a wonder Lord Riddle could father any children at all.


To be continued

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a/n: Sorry for the wait! Hope this chapter was worth it. Thank you everyone for all your great reviews!