The Alpha Dynasty (Sequel to MARKED FOR DESTINY) (Book 2 of 2)

51. Understanding Once More

Harry left the grounds of Hogwarts, he left Snape, he left Dumbledore.  He just wanted to be alone with no one around him.  No thoughts entering his mind, no one to lash out at, no obstacles in his emotional path, no questions, no shouts and no screams.  And so he kept walking and walking until he found that he couldn't anymore.  He had made his way back to the Forbidden Forest, where he sat down on a huge boulder and hung his head in shock and in shame.

His behavior hadn't been the best, and he knew that.  And he would apologize for it later, but they had to have known that he would react the way he did.  They had to at least believe that it was the Alpha that had been angered by the words uttered.  "Albus is dying Harry", and his heart swelled at those words again.  He took shuddering breaths, hoping that his emotional state would at least be calm enough to go home and face Draco.

He had heard him calling out to him, but had shut him out.  Harry knew that Draco understood why he did it, but don't think that he wouldn't get a stern talking to when he went home.  He smiled at the thought, and wished his Omega was here with him now.  But what was his reaction going to be.  As bad as Harry's had been?  He didn't want his husband going through any kind of stress, not when he was so far into his pregnancy.

He leaned back against a tree, and walked through the whole scene again in his mind.  He knew he had the power to contact the Nature Wizard and demand answers, but he first needed to understand why it had been done, and why it was Dumbledore that was going to die.  He knew that life was not eternal, and as mere mortals everyone had to be laid to rest.  Sighing, he understood why Dumbledore had asked his forgiveness.

He had asked Snape for it too, it seemed.  Wondering how many others there were that Dumbledore thought he had wronged, he felt a chill at his bare back.  He looked down and wondered where his shirt and jacket was.  Must have lost them somewhere, he sighed again.  

Rising up, he placed his hand on the tree and spoke out loud in his raspy voice, begging for forgiveness.   

"My apologies for hurting you", he said.  "I have been dealt some terrible news, and I couldn't handle it.  I don't think that I will ever be able to handle it", he said, and tears started running down his face again without him realizing it.  The tree answered him with a shudder, as if to acknowledge his apology and tell him that he was forgiven.  

The leaves were rustling, and the ground beneath him shook slightly, the birds flew down again from their nests above, and scattered around on the branches.  The snakes crawled out of their holes, the Acromantula stirred deep within the forest, the centaurs bowed their heads at him, wolves came out and lay down with their heads between their paws, all with a message that his outcry from before was understandable, and that he was to pay it no more mind.  They felt exactly the same.

Being loved and revered by so many had him reeling once  more.  The voice of Firenze, the centaur spoke to him.  "Death is not the end Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore is a supreme wizard.  He is to transcend", and with that he bowed his head again, and in a salute to the news, they all raised their bows and shot arrows into the blue sky.  He thanked them, not fully aware of what that meant, and watched them leave.

He raised his arms and lunged forward, changing into his Animagus from, and nudged the noses of the wolves that were still lying on the ground facing him.  Raising his snout, he howled, and they all rose as one, and followed him deeper into the forest.  The birds flapped their wings, eager to see where he was going, the Acromantula scurried away with their many legs, the snakes gliding towards where his footprints had been just minutes before.

He needed this.  To be able to run free from everything that had been holding him back.  Freedom from being a human, if only just for a while.  He kept on running, and as he was running, he started to understand what was going to happen in the future.  He would go and see the Nature Wizard, and although he had never met him, he knew exactly what he looked like, and that he was looking forward to meeting Harry.  He couldn't explain it, he just knew it, like he knew how to breathe.

Reaching the far end of the forest, he came to a stop.  Stomping his paw into the ground, he saw that he was in the same place where Sirius had passed out in his third year, when he had gone back in time and had saved him with a Patronus Charm.  He sat on his haunches, panting, with his tongue hanging out, surveying the water.  This time there were no dementors, there was no one coming to save a man from dying.  There was just peace and tranquility, and Harry soaked it up like a sponge.

He needed this, but he also needed Draco.  He howled one more time, transformed back to his human form, thanked the animals for their dedication to him, and said they would see each other again soon.  Walking slowly, making his way back towards the castle, he started to speak to Draco, hoping that the man wasn't angry with him.  And if he was, he would face that as well.  Harry had no idea how long he had been gone, but the sun was starting to set, and that meant that he had been gone almost all day, because he had left just after breakfast

[Baby] he said tiredly.

[Harry!] came the reply - albeit sternly - which Harry knew it would be.  [Oh Harry - are you all right love]

[Yes, I'll be home soon.  Just not yet] he said, wincing at response that he was going to get.

[I'll be waiting for you angel] said Draco.  

He wasn't going to be the reason that Harry grew angry again, and knew his Alpha needed to feel wanted right now, not punished like a little boy, although he wasn't going to go easy on him.  He had no idea what was going on, but Harry would explain everything in due time.  He would demand it of him.

Harry smiled at the words that Draco had sent him as well as a surge of calm, and immediately felt better.  He tried to look for his shirt at least, but to no avail.  The clothes must have been carried off by the wind.  Oh well, let's get this over with, he thought to himself.  Shirt or no shirt, here I come.