A voice like tiny bells called to him in the depths of the sea of darkness he floated in. Slowly it pulled him toward it. He didn't fight. It seemed familiar, almost like it was his reflection in the mirror calling to him – although that didn't really make sense, since he couldn't really see...

Harry opened his eyes slowly and had to blink several times to bring the dimly lit room into focus. A snowy hand came into his line of sight and gently caressed his face.

"Harry?"

He opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out.

"Hush, Luv." Lucius' voice wrapped around his mind like a warm flannel, "You were badly injured, don't force yourself to speak."

Harry tried to turn his head, wanting to see his mates' faces, but it wouldn't move. He tried to move his hands and nothing, then his feet and still nothing.

A panicked squeak finally escaped him and Lucius moved into his vision, concern stamping his features.

"Shhh, My Love. It's alright. The paralysis is only temporary. Now that you are awake it should pass in a few days."

The Gryffindor tried to blink away his tears but they escaped anyway, sliding slowly down his cheeks.

"Oh, Harry." Tom's voice was so sad. The bed dipped on his right and his Drake sat facing him, their hips touching. Tom then took Harry's limp hand into his own and lifted it to his lips. The younger man closed his eyes in relief – he could feel the gentle pressure, the soft skin of his mate's mouth. "Trust in us Luv, and relax. Let us take care of you and you concentrate on taking care of our baby."

Lucius had crawled onto the bed, mirroring Tom's position on the bed, and taken his other hand before the meaning of those words sunk in.

Harry's eyes went wide.

His mates chuckled.

"Harry Potter – I think you will continue to confound us all the rest of our days," Tom mused.

Unable to respond in any other way, Harry stuck his tongue out.

Tom swooped down and sucked the offending appendage into his mouth. The kiss was like nothing they had ever shared before. Harry could feel his mate's pain and fear...and relief. He couldn't move into the kiss the way he wanted, so he had to rely on his lips and tongue to reassure the older man – even if he wasn't sure about anything himself.

He gasped, silently, when he felt Lucius join the fray. The blonde went for Harry's neck – Harry's highly sensitive neck; licking, sucking, and biting.

Harry's eyes rolled back in his head as Tom released his mouth, letting him gasp for air, and began licking and nibbling his way down the younger man's body, pushing away the heavy blankets as he went.

Merlin he wanted them, but he couldn't tell them...

"We can feel you Harry," Lucius breathed into his ear, "feel what you need." Teeth tugged his ear lobe, "And what our mate needs, we must provide."

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When he woke again his mates were fully dressed once again and sitting in a pair of wing chairs next to his bed, talking quietly. He tried to turn his head, but again nothing happened, although a raspy sound of disgust managed to emerge drawing the two Slytherins' attention.

"Welcome back, Luv," Lucius purred, "you were out for almost twenty-four hours this time." The blonde stood and came to the bed, running his hands over Harry's forehead and cheeks. "I was beginning to think we had finished what the explosion started."

Harry frowned.

Tom circled the bed and sat so that tonight he was on Harry's left while Lucius sat on the right.

"Can you say my name Luv," Lucius asked.

It took a few tries but he finally managed to whisper the blonde's name.

"Good Harry," Tom praised.

Harry rolled his eyes.

Lucius chuckled, "Can you remember what happened at the Dursley's?"

"The spiders...tried to warn me about something."

"But you don't know what?"

"No."

"There was an explosion Harry," Tom explained, "the authorities say there was a gas leak."

The Gryffindor's eyes went wide.

"The D-Dursley's?"

The Slytherins each took one of his hands into their own.

"They are dead," Lucius said softly.

Harry closed his eyes and struggled to control his breathing.

"Was it really an accident," he asked, his whispering voice ragged now.

Tom's concerned voice answered, "We don't believe so."

Taking a deep breath, Harry opened his eyes, "Who could have done it?"

"You know I set up several of the Death Eaters to fall into Ministry hands, but what I didn't tell you is that some of their names never made it into the Daily Prophet. I didn't think anything of it at the time, believing that Fudge was interrogating them...but now it is likely they escaped – that they were the ones to cause the explosion."

"Who?"

Tom didn't answer.

"Who!" Harry demanded.

"Bellatrix...and Wormtail," the older brunette finally admitted.

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Tom was shocked when Harry's eyes slit, like a snakes, just as Lucius' had a few months ago. A sharp pain in his hand made him cry out. Looking down he found his young mate's hands tipped in thick claws and his own hand bleeding.

Instantly his cry seemed to calm Harry's anger, but the look of horror on his mates face when he saw the blood was not exactly an improvement.

"Shhh Harry, it was an accident," he soothed.

Tears filled the teens emerald eyes, "I hurt you."

Lucius pulled his wand and healed both Slytherins hands before summoning a damp cloth to clean them up. Once the blood was gone Tom lay down and wrapped the younger man in his arms, Lucius quickly doing the same.

"Easy Luv. You couldn't have known and you didn't mean for it to happen."

"But it did."

"Things happen Harry," Lucius whispered, "things no one can foresee and no one can prevent."

Harry didn't respond, but the tears continued.

"If you must blame yourself for such a small thing, then you must place the Dursley's deaths at Tom's feet for not making sure Bella and Peter were taken care of," Lucius said harshly.

Harry made a strangled noise and Tom couldn't prevent his own growl.

"I must be punished for letting you be harmed, for allowing you to go to that thrice damned house and so must Dumbledore for sending you back there, again and again," Lucius continued.

"Nooo," Harry moaned.

The blonde moved up until he was nearly nose to nose with their mate.

"Do you blame Tom?"

"No." Harry's voice was weak.

"Do you blame me?"

"No."

Ever so softly the blonde placed a kiss on the distraught teens forehead, "If, My Love, you cannot blame men like Tom and myself for such large transgressions, then you most certainly cannot blame yourself; not for those minor scratches and not for the deaths that have marred you time in this world thus far. You have been neither negligent nor malicious in either thought or deed."

The bed shifted and Tom was shocked to realize that it was Harry's body relaxing back into the bed. The boy sniffed softly.

"Go to sleep, My Love. Nothing can hurt us here," Lucius whispered.

"I want to go home," Harry mumbled.

"Soon, Darling. Soon."

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Harry had been asleep for two full days and Lucius had finally 'ejected' the Dark Lord from their temporary quarters on the morning of the third day – bodily.

The blonde understood his Drake's frustration. Both Pomphrey and the specialist from St. Mungo's had examined Harry and both said the same thing – it was a miracle the Gryffindor was alive and they had no real idea of what to expect in his recovery. What little they could gather from various Potions studies and reports documenting the spontaneous muscle regeneration of certain magical creatures indicated that everything was fine. Harry's long periods of sleep, or mini-hibernations mimicked those observed in some of the larger Dragon species when injured.

Dr. Merriweather could not account for the paralysis but he theorized it was to be expected given the sheer amount of damage Harry had suffered. It was a very good sign that while he couldn't yet move, the teen could feel, as proved by their activities the first night Harry woke.

Pomphrey was still angry about that little piece of information.

And Tom...Lucius set his glass of bourbon down on the side table and contemplated Harry's hairless face. The blonde only hoped Harry woke again soon or he was going to have to Petrificus Totalus his Drake. The man was practically climbing he wall in his anxiety – unwilling to believe in the theories offered by Pomphrey and Merriweather.

Harry's head turned, his face scrunching up as he decided whether or not to wake up.

Finally his eyes opened and Lucius stifled his relieved laughter when one of Harry's hands slowly reached up and scrubbed his face.

"Welcome back Beautiful," Lucius murmured as he settled on the bed facing the Gryffindor. The blonde had just picked up a bowl of soup for Harry to eat when Tom burst into the room.

Immediately the agitated brunette swooped down and kissed their drowsy mate.

Lucius sighed and waited...and waited...finally he tugged on his Drake's hair.

"Forgive me for interrupting, My Lord, but Harry needs to eat and I'm sure the baby would enjoy something other than nutrition potions as well."

The taller Slytherin pulled back, his cheeks red in embarrassment.

"Of course, Lucius."

The blonde merely snorted and carefully began spooning the soup into a wide-eyed Harry's mouth.

"I would like to keep our Egg-Bearer awake for more than an hour or two tonight. There will be no emotional upheavals and no sexual acrobatics. Do you hear me Tom?"

Tom gave a low growl in answer and Lucius glared at the older man until the brunette backed down.

After Harry managed to get down a little over half of the soup and another nutrition potion, Lucius leaned forward and said, "Now I think we need to talk about the spiders, Luv."

"I thought you said no emotional upheavals," Tom muttered.

Lucius growled, "You are trying my patience today, My Drake."

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Harry was fascinated to watch the byplay between the two men. He'd never seen Lucius be so combative with their mate before. Up to now, Tom had been the dominate personality in their relationship and with the exception of Harry's rebellion at Easter and their fight over his stay with the Dursleys, Harry and Lucius had followed Tom's lead in virtually everything. To see them this way frightened him...

As soon as he realized his fear, he found both his mates burying their faces into his neck. He had a permanent bite mark on each side of his throat from the night his mates had fully claimed him and now those highly sensitive scars seemed to help dissipate his fear as his Slytherins lay gentle kisses on the marks.

"Do not fear Luv, Lucius is merely asserting his authority over our little family. As our Nest Guard he is responsible for our health and happiness in the home, especially yours My Love. The explosion and the baby have...excited his instincts; both our instincts if I am honest."

"If you don't mind your tongue Tom, I'll show you excited."

The two men lifted their heads from Harry's throat and growled at each other. Suddenly Tom grabbed the hair at the back of Lucius' head and jerked the man into a searing kiss.

Harry watched, wide-eyed once again, as the two men attacked each others mouths, each vying for control of the kiss until finally the blonde submitted. The kiss continued for a few moments more before Tom finally pulled away.

"I think you'll mind my tongue for me."

"Yes," Lucius murmured before blinking open his eyes. After a moment he pulled back and glared half-heartedly.

Harry decided to intervene before this very slight upheaval turned into full on 'sexual acrobatics'.

"Spiders?"

Lucius shook his head and then cleared his throat. Sitting up he smoothed his hair, "Spiders. Yes. You mentioned that spiders at the Dursley's acted peculiarly on several occasions."

"Yes, they used to play with me when I was younger and before the explosion...I think they tried to warn me."

"Warn you? How? Tom asked.

"They kept running back and forth on the window sill and waving their legs at the outside. One was in my hand..."

"What did the spiders look like?"

Harry noticed that Lucius was looking at the wall above the headboard but the brunette could not see what had captured the mans attention.

"Just regular house spiders I suppose, small and black."

Tom spoke again after a moment, "You said one was in you hand during the explosion – do you know what happened to it?"

Harry shook his head, "No. I remember wanting to protect her..."

"You knew it was female?"

"Yes, I always seem to know."

Lucius reached up and pulled something from the wall. The blonde then held out his hand, "Is this the spider that tried to warn you?"

Harry considered the tiny creature in his mate's hand – it was the right size, maybe the same size as the pad of his thumb, and female, but it wasn't black. The little spider was bright metallic silver –

"Hello, Master Harry," a chime-like voice called out.

Harry blinked.

"Did you just say hello to me?"

"Yes, Master Harry," the little voice answered.

"Are you the same spider that tried to warn me at the Dursley's?"

"I tried to tell you about the bad air, yes. I am sorry that my brothers and I were not faster –"

"No! No. Not your fault at all – wait. Did you see any strange people in the basement before the fire?"

"I don't know of this basement, my family lived in the Master's small place. We were going to move our family to the Master's large place but the Master was only there during mating time."

"Um yeah...sorry about that...I had school."

"Oh we were happy for Master. We hoped Master was not hurt in the new place. We hoped Master would find a mate." The little voice turned sly on that last word making Harry grin.

"I did, two actually, and I will have a baby soon."

The spider did a little hop in Lucius' hand.

"I am very happy for you Master."

Harry held his hand out and the spider crawled onto it. Carefully cradling it he asked, "Why do you call me Master?"

"Because Master kept us safe, made it so the fat ones could not see us and the poisons they used could not kill us."

"I did?"

"Yes, Master. And now you have made Xyria even stronger!"

"Xyria?"

"I am Xyria, Master," she giggled.

"Oh...um...so how are you stronger?"

"Now I can really speak with Master and I am poisonous, too!"

"Is that good?"

"Yes, Master. Now my children are better able to defend themselves, more will make it to adulthood to make our family bigger."

Something about the way Xyria said that made Harry tilt his head, "Do you have children now?"

The little spider waved her front legs then spread them wide, "Oh yes, Master! When Master saved me from the bad air I was heavy with young. I laid my eggs here, in the Master's place and they hatched when Master woke up the first time!"

Xyria did a little dance of happiness in his hand that made Harry smile.

"Where are your children now?"

She waved her front legs at him.

Looking up he saw only Tom.

"Where did Lucius go?"

"Well...you were speaking in parseltongue..."

Harry had to think about that for a minute and then he giggled.

"Was I really?"

Tom smiled back, "Yes, Harry."

"Can you understand her?"

"Yes, although I doubt a non-Draconian could. I have noticed an increase in the acuity of our senses."

"Why does a spider speak parseltongue?"

"Because of you, Harry."

"Me?"

"Yes, My Love. When the Dursley's home exploded, the most prominent thought in your mind was to protect the spider and your magic tried to make that possible. Because the desire was undirected, an actual bubble of magic formed around her and she, in turn absorbed a great deal of your magic."

"Is that possible?"

Tom chuckled, "Under normal circumstances, no. But you have never been normal Harry."

The Gryffindor frowned.

The Slytherin laughed out right at that. Carefully he maneuvered the teen and the still waving spider out from under the blankets and into his lap.

"You are a very powerful Wizard Harry and that is nothing to be ashamed of. I have talked a bit with your friend there, and I believe that the spiders were what prevented you from experiencing the bursts of wild magic Wizarding children are prone to."

"But things did happen – I jumped onto the school roof once."

"Yes Harry, but I would wager that you can count those occurrences on one hand. Even weakly talented children have hundreds of wild magic bursts. You should have had even more, and the bursts would have been very powerful."

"And that has what to do with the spiders?"

"I believe you managed to actually focus your magic on them at an unbelievably early age. Their little bodies absorbed your wild magic, siphoning it off so that you didn't have those bursts. You changed their inherent makeup with your magic Harry – made them invisible and smarter, maybe even faster than they would be normally."

"I can see her now..."

"Because she wants you to see her. Look."

Tom motioned in the same direction that Xyria was waving, and from the position they now sat in, it took only a small movement of the head to see what they wanted him to see.

Hundreds of tiny silver spots covered the wall above his headboard. As he watched the little spots disappeared and reappeared again, like waves.

"My children, Master."

"A non-magical creature would have died with all the magic you pumped out during the explosion. All the years they were exposed to your wild magic when you were a child changed them, prepared Xyria to cope with the influx of power you sent her. You actually gave her so much of your magic that she couldn't absorb it, she held it within herself, and gave it back while Lucius and I worked to heal you. She helped save your life."

Harry looked down at the spider in his hand in wonder.

"You did that for me?"

"Yes Master. You saved me, saved my family. You have made it so that my family will always survive and so my family will always be with you and with your children. We will forever protect and serve you Master Harry."