The Unexpected Inheritances

Chapter 3

Disclaimer:

- this - means thoughts

this means creature talking in head

"this" means normal talking

James's P.O.V.

I watch from the train window as we pull from the station. We are finally going back to Hogwarts. I had found our usual compartment to find Sirius already there, and Peter and Remus soon followed. I could tell Axel was excited at the chance to really meet our mate.

Speaking of which, I had the time to explain to the other Marauders that I had gone through my inheritance, and they were absolutely thrilled. Sirius also told us how he had gone through his inheritance while staying the summer with Remus. He found out that same night that Remus was his mate. Good on them!

"So, Prongs, do you have any sort of glimpse at who your mate is?", Sirius asks me.

"Honestly, I hope Evans is my mate. I've just always felt like we were made for each other.", I tell them.

"But, James, I hope you know that Lily is a muggleborn, which leaves you with even less of a chance now for you two to be mates.", Remus points out without even looking up from the book he is reading.

"True, but that still means there's a chance.", I muse.

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Surprisingly, we don't run into Evans on the train. Or Snape, for that matter. But that thought immediately escapes my mind when I am hit with the most intoxicating smell ever in the Great Hall. I stop and stumble a bit when sitting down at the Gryffindor table, but nobody pays me any mind when McGonagall starts announcing the first years. And as Head Boy, I feel like I should be paying attention, but all I can focus on is that smell. I can tell that that is all Axel can focus on right now too.

Mate here mate mate mate

-I get it Axel, our mate is here. But, we can't just cause a scene and scare the living daylights out of them and probably half the school. Chill. We can sneak out later tonight and find them.-

At that, I feel Axel settle down a bit, and I'm able to gain more control over my senses. I try to distract myself by eating from the feast set out in front of us, and a handful of times Remus asks if I'm all right. I brush him off.

I zone out for the rest of the feast, but am suddenly brought back by a sharp pain in my chest and Dumbledore concluding the feast and ushering all of us back to our dorms. The chest pain, no, mate-pain, follows me all the way to the Gryffindor dorms, where I trudge my way to my bed, close the curtains, and wait for night to come.

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Severus's P.O.V.

We've finally made it to Hogwarts! I can't say I'm excited to be once again beaten to a pulp by Potter and his gang of dunderheads, but anything feels better than being stuck in Spinner's End. The train ride there was pretty uneventful. I met Lily on the train and told her everything about my inheritance. She seemed utterly fascinated, since I figured she wasn't able to go through it considering she's muggleborn. She wished me luck to me finding my mate and told me she hopes that it is someone who will treat me well. I agreed.

When we got to Hogwarts, everyone swarmed to get into the great hall. The staff table stood invitingly at the front of the room, with all the professors chatting as the students would be in a moment. The sorting hat lay on its stool, waiting for the next first year to be sorted. But the one thing I took in was a overpowering, calming scent. That scent almost hit me with such force that I had to resist the urge to drop to my knees in submission. But I knew I couldn't do so. 

"Severus, you alright?", I heard Regulus ask from my left. I appeared to have zoned out and was barely aware of food being dished out. I blinked before clearing out of my reverie and responding.

"Yeah, Reg, I'm fine. Just zoned out a bit. Y'know how I told you about my inheritance."

"Yeah...Oh, you smelled your mate, didn't you!", Reg teases excitedly.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, Reg, let the whole school know.", I said with a sigh.

I turn back to the food on my plate, telling Reggie that I'm done talking.

This Regulus looks like a nice kid. Is he a friend?

I smile. -Yeah, Nat, he is.-

I can smell our mate. Can we go to them?

-Not right now. Let's try finding out who they are tomorrow.-

Fine. We wouldn't really be able to single them out here. Everyone is so loud and bubbly.

-Yeah well so are you, Nat-

In a good way, though, right?

-Yeah, I expected it. It is a submissive trait, afterall.-

Suddenly I'm snapped from my conversation with Nat by Dumbledore. Like he does every year, he wishes us all a good night and sends us to bed with the warning to follow school protocol.

I head back to my dorms with the rest of Slytherin house, making sure to steer clear of people I don't know or trust. I smell that scent again, but am too wrapped up in my thoughts to take notice. I head up to bed, wide awake, with Nat droning in my ear. I suppose it's an hour later when I finally pass out for the night.

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