Hu Yetao laughed.
"And do not worry yourself over Mr. Jing" she continued. "He has become too accustomed to being your surrogate mother over the years and now that Mr. Wang has taken on the role of protector and closest confidante, I believe it's hard for him to let go. You three have had a lot of adventures together and he may be looking for a mystery to solve where there is none. The fact that this is your last year before going out into the real world may be on his mind more than he realises."
Hu Yetao nodded, knowing Jing Long wouldn't get any sympathy from him after the way he'd behaved.
"Are you still thinking of becoming an Auror?"
Before Hu Yetao could reply, there was a light knock at the door.
"Enter!"
Hu Yetao nearly upset his tea at the barked command but he quickly recovered and turned to see Oscar opening the door. He looked his mate over for any obvious signs of injury but could see nothing; Oscar's expression was calm and unruffled.
Oscar walked over and took a seat in Jing Long's vacated chair, sliding it across the rough flagstone floor to bump up against Hu Yetao's.
Hu Yetao rolled his eyes at him but smiled, relieved to see that he was okay.
"Good morning Mr. Wang, glad you could join us," Mrs. Amber greeted. "I was just asking Mr. Yetao about his plans for next year."
Hu Yetao turned back to her, shifting in his chair uncomfortably. "Oh right, well... I was thinking of maybe not joining the Auror Department ..."
"Oh?"
Hu Yetao set his empty cup down on the desk. "I... sort of don't want to chase Dark Wizards any more. I think I would appreciate a more..." he glanced briefly at Oscar, "quiet life."
The corner of Oscar's mouth curved up into a smile and his eyes warmed.
Hu Yetao quickly turned back to Mrs. Amber before his melting heart forced him to babble something embarrassingly saccharine. "Not that raising children will be quiet, I suppose."
The Headmistress couldn't help but chuckle and Hu Yetao glanced at Shen Baoping's portrait over Mrs. Amber's head to see the old wizard's eyes twinkling merrily in his direction.
Hu Yetao smiled.
"I believe you've earned the right to do whatever you please Mr. Yetao," she finally replied, surprising him, his own eyes as close to twinkling as they would ever get as she looked back at him. "Are you well enough to attend class this morning Yetao or would you like the day off before joining the masses again?"
"I think I'll be fine," Hu Yetao replied honestly, wishing to return to 'normal' as soon as possible.
"Good, our new Defence professor is starting today and it would be a shame for you to miss out on his first lesson."
"Oh?" Hu Yetao replied with interest. "Who is it?"
Mrs. Amber smiled as she set down her tea and then rose from her chair. "If I told you that, then you would have an unfair advantage over the rest of your classmates."
Hu Yetao grinned. "I guess I'd better go to class then. I think I'll be fine - as long as Jing Long keeps away from me."
Oscar frowned, glancing between them. "What has Jing Long done now?" he asked, and though his tone was unchanging it was clearly a demand.
"The usual," Hu Yetao replied as he got to his feet with a yawn, "sticking his nose where it doesn't belong."
Oscar stood and Mrs. Amber held up a hand to halt him.
"Mr. Yetao mentioned that Zhou Keyu offered himself as a secondary Alpha, and that Mr. Zhou has been somewhat persistent in his pursuit of Mr. Yetao. Is this true?"
Oscar nodded sharply, eyes growing cold. "Yes, unfortunately."
"And were you or were you not just speaking with Mr. Zhou?" she asked.
"I was," Oscar replied with a nod.
"And... you are both in one piece?" she inquired with a raised brow.
A hint of Oscar's trademark smirk reappeared. "Yes, all limbs accounted for."
Mrs. Amber nodded. "All right, you may go. If you need to leave the castle Mr. Yetao, please have someone else with you at all times," she said firmly, gaze flicking to Oscar.
"Yes Professor," Hu Yetao replied, only too willing to comply.
Hu Yetao slid his wand into the waistband of his trousers and clasped Oscar's hand as they exited the cluttered circular office together.
As soon as they were out in the corridor, Hu Yetao interrogated him about his meeting with Zhou Keyu.
"Okay, what happened?"
Oscar smirked loftily as they made their way to their room to gather their books for class. "I simply explained the situation to him; that you abhor heavy-handed Alpha behavior and people who completely disregard what you say and what you want, so he was going about winning your affections all wrong. I told him that you only desired one Alpha, but an extra set of eyes on you would be very beneficial right now, as your life was still in danger."
Hu Yetao stopped abruptly. "Wait, what?"
Oscar slowed and glanced over his shoulder, smirk still firmly in place. "Oh yes, I fully intend to take advantage of the fact that he fancies you."
"By... making him think that he has a chance if he just pretends to be a good match for me?" Hu Yetao asked disbelievingly.
Oscar walked back and took him by the hand, pulling him onwards. "I didn't tell him that you may change your mind, but you do need extra protection right now, so who am I to turn down such an offer?"
Hu Yetao shook his head. "So you don't have any problem with Keyu constantly following me around, thinking that he has a chance at being my Alpha?" he asked incredulously. He wasn't cross, per se, extra protection was a good idea, especially with Jing-Long not on speaking terms with him right now, but he didn't think Oscar would be able to handle it.
"It will be trying," his mate admitted, "but I also don't plan on leaving your side except during our separate classes."
"Then why accept his help if you're going to be with me at all times anyway?" Hu Yetao asked before yawning, his jaw cracking with the force of it.