Chapter Text
Harry, like all students at Hogwarts during their first week of classes, back in their First Year, had been told that a small percentage of the population between the ages of fourteen and fifteen would become an Alpha or Omega. As Head of his House, Professor McGonagall was in charge of the lesson and told them all that a person would gain a secondary gender, only if they were considered a Pureblood, meaning Harry had thought he would not have to deal with it. Other than seeing it happen to his classmates in the years to come.
However, as he hugged his Godfather goodbye and Sirius went on the run after Pettigrew's escape, something happened to Harry. His sense of smell increased as he took in the scent that gave him a feeling of love and a happy home. As Hermione dragged him back to the Hospital Wing before they were found missing due to their trip through time; Harry could only think of one reason his sense of smell would have changed. In their lessons, Professor McGonagall had informed them that one of the first signs of shifting into a second gender was an increase in a Magical's ability to detect others' distinct scents.
For a moment, Harry just thought he had been able to smell Sirius for the man had been on the run for maybe ten months or so with little access to showers or baths, but as Hermione pulled him into an alcove to avoid Peeves his nose filled with the scent of books, and lavender something that just seemed to suit her. He was about to mention it thinking it was a new shampoo, conditioner, or body wash before she pulled him out of the alcove and dragged him the last few corridors to the Hospital Wing having them arrive just in time for Professor Dumbledore about to lock the door.
As he passed the Headmaster, Harry had been able to detect what smelt like Windex and red ink. This caused him to pause and not mention it to his friends, for while the normal smells he had been able to smell were one thing, the fact that he had been able to determine the color of ink was another matter entirely. As he got back into bed, Harry could not help but take in Ron's scent of fireworks and silly putty, as well as Madam Pomfrey who smelled like candle wax and seaweed.
As Hermione shared with Ron about their trip to the past, Harry tried to recall the lessons on Alpha and Omegas. This was rather hard since after hearing that the change only came to Purebloods and with his Mom being a Muggleborn, he had only really listened to what the students had to do if classmates went through the change. So he could not remember anything about the changes themselves. He thought recalled something about scent glands but he could not recall if those came to Alpha or Omegas.
The one thing he did recall was that both Alpha and Omega could detect someone compatible with their scent and that scent would have some ties to his family. Harry wondered how he would recognize his family's scent due to him being so young when he had lost his family. For he doubted he would find comfort in any scent that the Dursleys would give off.
Harry had been so lost in thought, that he had not even noticed that Minister Fudge, Snape, and Professor Dumbledore had entered the room until his mind registered the Windex and red ink scent in the air. Thankfully the Headmaster was standing closer to him than Snape was thus mostly blocking out the man's scent for he had no desire to see what his least favorite teacher smelled like. Rather he tried to think how he could become either an Alpha or Omega besides him being Fate's whipping boy. Going with the whipping boy theory, it would also make sense why he was changing almost three months before he had his fourteenth birthday.
Which he recalled was the earliest one could change. Completely shutting out the events happening around him, Harry figured he might have to take a page out of Hermione's wheelhouse and head to the library tomorrow to do some research on the change. He only really looked up to see what was going on when he heard the door slam shut as the Minister left the wing, and Madam Pomfrey gave him and his friends Dreamless Sleep Potions saying they earned it from what had happened that night.
Harry was not sure if due to the Change that the Potion was less effective, or if his body had built up a tolerance from the other times he had been forced to drink it while he was in recovery. But Harry woke up before either Ron or Hermione even showed signs of waking. Using his wand he cast a quick Tempus spell and saw, for him, it was late being 7:15 am. Knowing from his long association with Hermione that the Library opened around seven-thirty Harry decided to stop by Gryffindor Tower for a change of clothes before heading out to do some research on Alpha/Omegas.
A half-hour later. Harry wished he knew a spell to block the scents that seemed to bombard him from every person he came across, for while some were pleasant others were not. He had to run out of the corridor when he walked past fellow Seeker Cho Chang heading to breakfast as he got a whiff of an overflowing port-a-potty and peppermint. He began to notice that apart from Hermione, and Madam Pomfrey all the females he had come across had scents that made him feel sick to his stomach. Side-stepping around Ron's little sister as she came up to greet him as he came down from changing clothing, Harry rushed to the library hoping to find some breathable air in what was most likely an empty room, due to all tests except for O.W.Ls and N.E.W.Ts having been completed.
Harry took a deep breath of normal air as he entered the Hogwarts Library and not knowing where to look went in search of Madam Pince the Librarian hoping against hope that her scent would not make him want to throw up. Finding her replacing some books in the stacks, he took a small sniff of her and was glad to see she only smelled like parchment and mint, and while he hated any form of mint with a passion he could still handle it without getting sick. "What can I do for you?" Madam Pince asked looking down at him suspiciously.
"I would like to see any books on Alpha/Omega changes please," Harry said gulping a little at the small glare she was giving him.
"Are you, not a little young, Messer Potter?" she asked.
Looking around to make sure no one was within earshot, Harry quickly said, "I think I started to go through the change for some reason."
"Did you, now? Have you told anyone of this yet?" she asked.
"No Ma'am, I can't think of why since my Mom was a Muggle, And from what I recall in the lessons from the first year, Professor McGonagall had stated I would not go through the change I did not really pay attention to them," Harry said hoping that the Librarian was like Madam Pomfrey and would not ask too many questions.
Harry began to squirm a little under her gaze before she pulled out a very thin wand, making him think of the switches in the stories Dudley would tell him about teachers using to punish students. He filched back a little but she just cast a spell that summoned three volumes to her arms. "These may help," she said to his surprise she gave him a small smile slipping the books into his arms. Harry was so shocked, having never seen her smile before, that he just nodded as he left to find a table. Not wanting to be found looking through the books, feeling a little embarrassed by it, Harry moved deep into the library and to a little-used table before he sat down to begin his research.
In the first book, Alpha to Omega the Reason for the Change, Harry found various accounts of how some Magicals went through the change sooner than normal. After reading about an orphan who had found her family after a bad life and had gone through the Change, he began to think that Sirius had promised to get him away from the Dursleys after he was free which had caused him to Change. The only issue was that in all personal accounts in the book every single person that had become an Alpha or Omega had come from a Pureblood or a Third Generation Muggleborn Half-blood line, but from what everyone always told him his Mom was a First Generation Muggleborn meaning he was only in the Second Generation. Getting through the whole book with no further help to explain how he had changed, Harry moved on to the second book, Alpha vs Omega: How to Tell What You Are.
Harry did see that unlike what he recalled both Alpha and Omegas had Scent Glands which would only really emerge when they found their partner. They would always appear on a Magical's neck so even if he had somehow gained Scent Glands, he could not use their presence to determine if he was an Alpha or Omega. A hint of how he could determine his role came in the next chapter when the book discussed finding a partner. It stated that an Omega would always be drawn to a person that to their nose was able to detect a smell that reminded them of home.
The book also pointed out that if multiple Omegas were smelling the same person each of them would detect a different scent from the first one. While not a clue to his role, the book also went on to explain that both Alphas and Omegas would only get pleasant scents from the gender that they were attracted to. Reading this, Harry bit his lip seeing that at least was correct since given the choice, he would rather end up dating a male than a female. So apart from Hermione, who he saw as a friend, and the two members of staff he had come across all females he smelled had made him almost sick. The book even helped explain this by saying that in most Institutions and workplaces people in positions of power needed to cast spells that no matter how attractive an Omega or Alpha found their gender the scent would be as close to neutral as it could be. Unfortunately, the book did not list the spell, so Harry could not cast it on something that he could use to block out unwelcome scents.
Feeling a little frustrated at the second book, he pushed it away and pulled up the last book, Living the Alpha/Omega Life, and began to read it. Harry felt himself blushing deeply as he quickly read the first chapter which dealt with an Omega's Heat making sure to latch on to certain facts such as an Omega, even a male one, would go through a Heat for anywhere from twelve hours to two days once every month and a half. If an Omega did not have an Alpha when they went into a Heat it was important to provide various items for them to use to deal with their sexual urges.
An Omega could go through Heats with different Alphas until they had bonded and marked with an Alpha and brought out their scent glands. If a strange Alpha tried to accompany an Omega that had been bonded during a Heat, the Omega would attack and possibly kill the "stranger" even if they were best friends outside of a Heat. Another difference was shown between Alphas and Omegas as male Omegas would only be able to get off from being penetrated by their Alpha, which Harry read as a male Omega could only end up with another male. An Alpha would have a sort of knot, just like a dog which they would use to bond with the Omega during their heats. Other than the knots Alphas also tended to have larger cocks than their male Omega counterparts. This did not help Harry at all for due to being brought up with the Dursleys he had learned to not look at anyone else so he was not sure how he measured up with anyone in that department.
The second and third books also stated that Alphas tended to be more muscular, but not always taller than Omega who always had a more petite and slim form. Once more this did not help Harry determine if he had become an Alpha or Omega for once again due to the Dursleys' "care" he was small due to the malnourishment they had subjected him to. The books also stated that no matter if a Magical became an Alpha or Omega, they could still work any job they wanted to, though they were required to inform their employers when they would be gone due to a Heat Cycle. A spell was listed to disguise a Magicals' Scent Gland to hide the fact a person had gone through the change if they liked. Harry quickly jotted down the spell knowing that no matter which one he turned out to be he would need to hide it from his "family."
"Ah Messer Potter," a voice said breaking him out of his research causing him to look up at the Librarian.
"Yes, Madam Pince?" he asked.
"Unless you wish to skip breakfast, I suggest you pick this up later. I urge you to go, for if you have recently gone through the Change, your body will need it," she suggested.
"Thank you. Um, is it alright if I keep these here and come back to them later?" he asked.
"I can hold them at this table until maybe lunch. That is unless someone else comes in and needs them I am afraid," she said giving him a slight bow which he returned before heading down to the Great Hall.
Knowing what he did now, Harry tried to use little-used paths to avoid members of the opposite sex on his trip before sliding into place between Ron and Hermione at the table.
"Where did you disappear to?" Ron asked him as Harry hastily began to fill his plate before the food left the table.
"I wanted to check something out," Harry said not wanting to bring up that he had gone through the Change in the middle of the Great Hall, or for that matter until he found out how it had happened to him.
"Does this have anything to do with," Hermione began before shifting her voice into a whisper "Pettigrew?"
"Not really, but it is nothing I can get into now," Harry said looking around as if to say it was the location that was the reason for his reluctance to talk about it. Both his best friends nodded in understanding making him grateful for it before Ron informed him that he had missed Snape outing Remus as a werewolf to everyone.
After he finished his breakfast, Harry used this bit of information to once more head off alone to talk to the man. Thinking that maybe since he had known Harry's parents, he would possibly know how Harry had gone through the Change. Finding Professor Lupin in his office in the middle of packing everything up the man had handed back the Marauder's Map before Harry asked him about the Change.
Professor Lupin who had been lifting the empty Gridelow tank almost dropped it at the question. "I don't know, Harry, the best I can think of is that due to the war happening your Parents decided to have your Godparents' Blood Adopt you thus giving you three Pureblood "Parents" and one Muggleborn which your body could have read as being a Third Generation Muggleborn," Lupin had guessed.
"Is there a way to see if I am an Alpha or Omega?" Harry asked.
"There might be a way," Lupin said but before he could say anything more, Professor Dumbledore showed up letting him know his carriage had arrived. Lupin offered a quick apology saying he wanted to get out of school lest he damaged the reputation of the place by just being there once the students let their parents know about him being a werewolf.
Harry almost told Professor Dumbledore about going through the Change, but the Headmaster had focused on Harry's adventure with the Time-Turner and saving his Godfather and Buckbeak the night before. This only gave Harry more to think about, so that by the time he remembered to talk to the Headmaster about the Change the man had already left. Having nothing else to do in Lupin's old office, Harry returned to the library.
Unfortunately, Madam Pince informed him that when he had been gone someone else had requested the books so she had to pass them on. With a small huff, Harry left the room wondering what he should do for the rest of the day, or for that matter the next couple of days before term ended only to stop in place as he smelled a scent similar to the one he had gotten from Sirius. Looking around he tried to locate the source of the scent but by now the library was rather full so he had been unable to find who it was coming off of. That is unless he wanted to go sniff at every male in the general vicinity to see if the scent had come from them, something that he had no desire to do.
Thinking he could use some fresh air, Harry left the castle for the Quidditch Pitch to fly around for a bit. He was soon joined by the Weasley twins and Ron, using a school broom, and the four had a pickup game. They were soon joined by other members of the various House teams. The best part, at least in Harry's opinion, was due to them all flying around, he was unable to take in anyone's scent during the game male or female. The game only broke up at lunchtime as everyone headed inside to eat and relax for a bit.
After lunch, Harry went back to the library only to be told that the three books he had used that morning were still in use by other students. He also had the misfortune of being spotted by Hermione who had him join him in some research for a while. While it was not something he enjoyed, Harry did join her only for a change of pace from the active morning he had. He had also wanted to see what she was working on since their classes were all done.
It was almost mundane for her as he saw that Hermione was researching ways to Magically repair a person's sleep cycle. Making him guess that since she no longer had the Time-Turner, she was trying to fix the damage she had done to herself by using it for almost a whole school year. She had told him, as they waited for everyone to emerge from the passage under the Whomping Willow that the hardest part of using it was sleeping as she could not interact with her other selves meaning she had to find random places around the castle in which to sleep in once she had stayed up too long while using the artifact.
"I am rather glad, I decided to turn it it. For this last week or so, I have been having rather strange dreams and have even been sleepwalking when I had been forced to sleep someplace other than my bed," Hermione said without looking up.
"So what did you change?" he asked.
"Well, apart from dropping Divinatons, I also left Muggle Studies. Don't tell Ron, but he had been right about the pointlessness of the class, not because I was a Muggleborn, but the class itself. They have not been taught anything that has happened since somewhere around the 1940s. If you asked me one of the first lessons they should have taught was dressing," she said with a slightly mad laugh.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.
"You have never seen Magicals try to dress as Muggles have you?" she asked back.
"I have not, at least, I don't think I have," Harry answered though he did get a random memory of people in cloaks coming to greet him as a kid before learning he was a Magical.
"Well, I noticed it when we were in Paris and I led Mom and Dad to some Historical Magical and Muggle combined landmarks. I can tell you most Magicals suck at passing for a Muggle. I once saw someone in a trench coat, rainbow suspenders, and a leotard. Thankfully the Muggles thought it was a street performer or some form of modern art, but I noticed the man had been carrying a wand on him." Harry had to chuckle at the choice of attire thinking she was correct that at least a seminar should be offered at Hogwarts on how to dress to at least pass as a Muggle.
During the time, he had spent with Hermione in the library the books had not become free, Madam Pince informed him that due to him using them that morning he would have to wait until no one needed them. So the books were being used by multiple students rather than come to him after the first one had been done with them. At least by spending time with Hermione, he had not worried about being assaulted by horrid scents, though he had also not detected the one that made him think of Sirius either after the first time.
After a quick supper, Harry had quickly headed up to his rooms not wanting to spend much time in the Common Room with all the females around polluting the air for him. At least according to the books once he found a possible partner there was a way to put their scent on something so he could use it to block out any other scents that he found unpleasant. He must have been more tired than he had thought for without meaning to, Harry had fallen asleep before any of his friends had come up to bed. However, he did wake up a little later to hear Ron's familiar snores filling the room before dropping off again.
After he dropped off for the second time that night, Harry had the strangest dream he had ever had. He found his nose filled with the scent of Sirius and the mysterious person from earlier, and he seemed to be on the trail of it. In the dream, he seemed to have the nose of the cereal Mascot, Tucan Sam, as he followed his nose along a strange and winding path scaling rough inclines and snuck past horrid specters of Dementors. In the dream, he felt he had reached the source of the scent but it had been blocked by the door to the Chamber of Secrets.
As he had done the year before, Harry had slipped into Parseltongue as he told the Chamber door to open up. He then had to navigate a small maze before finding himself before just a normal door. In the dream, Harry turned the doorknob and to his utter joy found it unlocked as he opened the last barrier between him and the scent. But there seemed to be another challenge as there were three long low pedestals where the scent could be coming from. But they did not fool his nose as he headed to the one furthest from the door and pulled off a cloak to reveal what looked like a giant body pillow.
Unable to help himself, Harry laid down on the pedestal, let the cloak fall back into place, and snuggled up against the body pillow. He found the thing to be quite warm as he buried his face into it, wrapped his arms around it, and felt parts of the pillow wrap around him as well. With a content sigh, Harry snuggled tight with the pillow as his dream fell away to nothing but feelings of love, joy, family, and protection.
After what felt like no time at all, yet also the ageless times of dreams, Harry was woken up by a shout. Thinking it was Seamus or Ron pulling a prank on someone else, he just buried his face deeper into his pillow with a moan. "Bloody Hell, Potter what are you doing here?" a familiar voice called out making Harry's eyes shoot open to find that he was not hugging a pillow, but Draco bloody Malfoy.