THIRD POV

Harry's dominants' eyes darkened as they thought of what the repercussions could be for not marking their mate before the school year. There was no way they were going to push it on Harry, but they knew it it would make protecting him so much easier. Sure, their gifts would hold their magic signature, which would throw off the scent for a bit, but that wouldn't last very long with the pure enormity of his magic. Severus noticed the fidgeting of the house elf and nodded at Sissy, allowing her to pop away. "Precious, when a mated couple first meet, they usually do not court each other, they matk them. Marking someone is like a claim, stating that that person is mated, but to do it is usually a very intimate affair, and-" Harry shrunk back down and dropped his stance, hugging himself. "I-I don't think I cou- could handle that right now..." Draco swept over with a sad smile, hugging Harry to his chest. "It's alright Petit, we were afraid that you would react this way. We agreed to not push you if you didn't feel ready." Tom and Severus surrounded Harry and Draco, comforting their submissive as best they could. "The only problem is that your scent will pull in all the students that gained dominant creature inheritances over the summer and haven't found their mate, or don't have one. There is no need to fret as because of you being a fully submissive creature and lord of three-fourths of the castle, I'm sure Hogwarts will have prepared a room for you, along with many secret passages. She knows how to sense these kinds of situations." Severus nodded along as Harry felt his worry increase even with the reassurance of his king. Not only was he the 'boy-who-lived' but now he was an unmated submissive that registered as a delicious meal to all open dominants? Small tears grew in Harry's eyes as he thought of someone trying to rape him in Hogwarts. Surely Dumbledore- no, that manipulator wouldn't care. How would Hogwarts help him though? "Is Hogwarts sentient?" Tom nodded, while Draco seemed to be curious as well. "I haven't been to see her in a long time, but can't you just feel the walls breathing? Did you ever wonder why the ways of the castle always changed? She has always been a mischievous castle." Severus lightly rested a hand on Tom's shoulder as he sadly looked into his dominant's eyes. "Animus, Hogwarts stopped living the year Harry came. I don't know how the bumbling fool did it, but Hogwarts is currently in a coma-like sleep." Tom furrowed his brow in anger before gently kissing Draco and Harry's foreheads. Tom gave Severus a quick hug and kiss on the cheek before stalking out of the room, but stopped just as he left the double doors, sticking his head back in. "Sorry, I'm going to the library. Hogwarts was never meant to be put to sleep, she was made by the founders' to always watch over the children! I will have to research this, but it shouldn't take me too long. I refuse to let my mates go back into such dangerous territory. I have a few of Salazar's journals, I believe I shall find the answer in there." And with that, Tom was gone. The mates were a little sad to see their dominant go, but knowing he was going to find a better way to protect them helped quell the negative feelings inside. "Seeing as we need to leave in a few days, why don't we make sure everything is packed? It just wouldn't do for Draco to forget something and be unable to fix his hair." Draco gasped when he saw something dangerous glint mischievously in Severus' eyes as Harry giggled. A small smirk played on the vampire's lips as he suddenly, but gently, took hold of his two submissives and ran them to where their rooms were located. Draco and Harry's giggles could be heard as they moved swiftly through the mansion-home. Sadly, as all things do, the ride ended quickly and the submissives were placed in front of their empty trunks, told to pack. Severus chuckled at their pouts and puppy eyes, but relented. Making sure there were charms and protections placed on all of their belongings just in case Dumbledore tried to tamper with Draco or Harry, Severus helped put everything they would need neatly into their trunks.

The rest of the few days up until the beginning of the school year were spent being together and remembering their roles. Harry enjoyed the fact that he got to talk a bit more with Sissy and didn't have to worry about his metamorphmagus ability with his glamour bracelet on, but he secretly agonized over his nightmares, Hogwarts, and how he would play his role. Sure, Hogwarts wasn't much of a problem anymore- thanks to Tom- but what if he did something wrong? The main dominant had triumphantly appeared to his mates a couple hours after he left with a delicately worn black journal, pointing to a page full of scrolling parseltongue. Tom had easily explained it and all Harry had to do was call up his house magicks to command Hogwarts to wake up and continue her duty to the original founders. What if the goblins had made a mistake though? Tom, Severus, and Draco had reminded him that goblins didn't make mistakes, but they were living beings, and all beings made mistakes at one point or another. And, as an added negative, if he wasn't an heir, he wouldn't be able to have a separate room to be safe from other dominants- which would mean he would have to find a way to hide his nightmares again. A couple had gotten caught sleeping together in the boys dorm behind silencio'd curtains, and Professor Flitwick shut that down with a few non-silencing charms. Harry was only lucky he had been having a rather mild nightmare when Professor McGonagall had awoken everyone in his dorm room, though he had seemed to remember that it was indeed Ron and Hermione who had been caught together. How would Harry be able to face them and pretend to still be their friend?
Draco and Severus were also dreading having to keep their vicious personas up against their cute little submissive. The dominants in them were strongly against it, but had only conceded with the fact that, in the long run, their submissive would be safe. Plus, there would barely be any time from them to be together, but at least they would be able to communicate using the mirrors. The rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin was about to get a whole lot bigger.

Tom had a grim expression engraved on his face as he stepped through the green flames of the floo and onto the platform of nine and three-quarters. This would be the last time he would hold his mates for quite a while, unless he pulled Severus back to him with the excuse of the dark mark. Dumbledore would be within easy reaching distance of his submissives, and it made the snake in him hiss. The only thing that could keep him going was the warmth of the mirror in his pocket and the tracking spells placed all over his mates. "Animus, we will be okay. Dumbledore can't do much now that we are fully aware of his tricks, and Draco, Harry, and I will watch out for one another. If not either of them, I will contact you every night using the mirrors as well." Tom sighed and covertly grabbed Severus' hand, glad for the man's flowing robes. "I know Love, but I can't help but feel as if I should trap you all in a room and hoard you forever like the treasure you are." A small smile briefly tugged at Severus' lips, but the cold scowl was back in an instant. "I would agree with you, but some things are out of our hands. I-" The whistle of the crimson express blew sharply, cutting off Severus' sentence. Placing a quick kiss on Tom's cheek, Severus dropped his hand and grabbed the shoulders of Draco and Harry, careful of Selene and Calli. "Stay safe Tom, and we will as well." A nod and suspiciously glossy eyes came from Tom before the dark Potions Master swept his other mates onto the train, scowling at all students who dared to stare. Harry and Draco cast a sad look at each other as the three males got ready to push their acting abilities to the very limit.