blood bound

chapter 13: Morning, Medical, and Acid Bound Quills

"~We're fine Nagini.~" Voldemort hissed irritably, having listened to his familiar's tirade about not scaring her for the last fifteen minutes before finally getting fed up. "~We understand that you were worried but Hogwarts wanted us to see something and we had no control over the ancient magics the school invoked.~"

"~No control, he says. We're fine, he says.~" Nagini hissed furiously as Hedwig occasionally hooted her agreement, giving them looks of disappointment and worry to match Nagini's. "~Do you know how scared I was? I was about to try using one of your trinkets to get a minion or a big eyed floppy eared creature to take you to the house of healers you told me about! You wouldn't wake up! Even the featherball tried to help! It clearly has more sense than all three of you.~"

"~Nagini...~" Voldemort started pleadingly only to be cut off before he could say anything else.

"~No! First we discover that the little one has been hurt badly then you all fall down and sleep so I can't wake you! Its bad enough that you insist on sleeping in that giant overly soft nest that is impossible to strike an enemy from.~" Nagini said furiously with Hedwig hooting punctuation and agreement. "~You will call the big eyed floppy eared ones and tell them that you need a healing minion to check all three of you, then you are staying in your sleeping nest for the day!~"

"~Yes, Nagini.~" Voldemort said meekly, not wanting to piss off his mother/familiar further yet determined to simply sneak out of bed and get some work done once she was either out of the room or asleep.

"~You were so excited about your new mates you did not even make sure they had sleeping skins and colorful day skins to wear today.~" Nagini pointed out finally calming down now that he wasn't arguing with her any more and that it was obvious they were safe.

"Skins?" Harry asked curiously, enjoying Voldemort's sudden blush of embarrassment.

"I think she means clothes," Severus translated with a smirk over Voldemort's predicament despite still being trapped on the bed while warily eyeing the upset soot covered owl out of the corner of his eye.

"I am not lifting your punishment simply because I have been similarly confined," Voldemort pointed out snippily as he obeyed Nagini's demands and sent for both breakfast and one of his Death Eaters that was a certified healer using a house elf as his messenger. The marked healer arrived promptly and listened attentively as Voldemort reluctantly explained what happened, including the fact that they were speaking to her about it at the insistence of the familiars and under protest.

"My lord, as you know familiars are valuable as companions, confidantes, and helpers. Their most important function is often as someone close enough to be fully trusted yet recognize the dangers of whatever we are doing before helping to mitigate whatever damage we may do to ourselves. If your familiar and the owl, who is also clearly a familiar, are worried over what might have happened then an examination is not only wise but probably desperately necessary. The day of bed rest also would not go amiss with how hard you have been working. Let me examine you then you can spend a restful day in bed with your new mates. I will even wait two weeks before warning the other women that you've finally found your matches to hold them off from planning the wedding they will insist on having," The Death Eater offered in stern amusement. Her mirth only grew as Voldemort made theatrical groans and Nagini started insisting on knowing what a wedding was as Hedwig hooted proudly over her Harry-hatchling finding two mates.

"Please don't tell Narcissa first," Severus put in quickly, he might be on the outs with Lucius but he would never willingly cross Lady Narcissa Malfoy nee Black.