Author's Note: This is my first multi-chapter story and I'm pretty excited about it. I hope you guys enjoy it. Criticism is always welcome. I'm trying my hardest to make it sound like they are actually from the UK, heaven knows I watch enough British television to have a basic understanding, but alas, I am nothing but an American trying to sound British. So I'll apologise upfront about that.
Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, Draco and Hermione would have gotten together and no one would have died. It would be all sunshine and rainbows. Also, I wouldn't waste all my time writing fanfiction.
Hermione's POV
I'm late. Extremely late. I've never been late for anything in my entire life. It just figures that the one day that the fourth year Gryffindors decide that it would be hilarious if they gave nosebleed nougats to all the unsuspecting first and second years, I have an important heads meeting with Dumbledore. So instead of leaving the common room and heading to the headmasters office, I was escorting the first and second years gullible enough to try anything of Fred and George's to the hospital wing with blood coursing down their faces.
"Madame Pomfrey!" I yelled hoping that she would be close by.
"What is it? Oh dear. Let me guess Nosebleed Nougats?"
I nodded my assent.
"Well come here children. I keep telling Dumbledore that something must be done about the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes products. I have children in here almost everyday with some product used as a joke or incorrectly. I just don't understand why the products aren't already banned! They do much more harm than good." Madame Pomfrey ranted.
As Madame Pomfrey was railing against the Weasley twins products, I snuck out. I just didn't have the time to listen to the same speech for what must have been the hundredth time.
After finishing at the hospital wing, and then giving the fourth year culprits detention for the next week with Filch, I finally made my way to the headmasters office. Somewhere from the start of the mornings fiasco and sprinting to the Headmaster's office from the Gryffindor common room, I lost the slip of paper with the password to get in.
"Oh you've got to be kidding me. Could this day get any worse?"
"Talking to yourself Granger? I always knew you had to be mental to be able to be friends with Scarhead and his funny little sidekick, Weaselboy."
Apparently I was wrong and my day could in fact, get worse.
"Oi, Malfoy, get lost. Don't you have some first years to terrorize or something of the sort?" I spat at the Head Boy. Though how an incompetent fool like Malfoy got Head Boy is beyond me.
Dumbledore chose that moment to open the door and let us in, so instead of charming me with whatever flattering comment that was about to come out of Malfoy's mouth, he simply sneered at me. Tosser.
"Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Granger. Lovely to see you both, have a seat. Lemon drop?"
I did not in fact want a lemon drop, but I wasn't focused on that at the moment. No, the two platinum blondes standing behind Dumbledore's desk held my attention.
"Mister and Misses Malfoy?" I asked in astonishment.
Could my day get any better?
"Mother, Father? What are you doing here? I told you I would contact you when I found her. There's no need for you to be here."
Malfoy seemed just as surprised as I was to see his parents. What did he mean by he would tell them when he found her? Found who?
"Well seeing as it's almost Halloween and you still don't have an idea of who she is, we've come to impress upon you the importance of this. You obviously don't understood the magnitude of your condition." Lucius Malfoy practically sneered at his son.
Condition? Was Malfoy sick?
"I have an idea of who she is." Malfoy mumbled softly.
The older Malfoy's looked taken aback while Dumbledore just smiled at Malfoy with a twinkle in his eye.
"I'm terribly confused. Who is this 'she' you all keep talking about and how does this pertain to me?" I asked bewildered.
Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy were whispering to themselves too quietly for me to hear anything they were saying. Malfoy was scowling at the floor and Dumbledore was just standing there with that stupid twinkle in his eye. No one seemed inclined to answer my question.
"Can someone please tell me what is going on and how this pertains to me?" I asked starting to get incredibly frustrated that no one would answer me.
The elder Malfoys were still muttering amongst themselves and didn't bother to acknowledge that I had spoken.
"Mr. Malfoy, I do believe Ms. Granger deserves to be told the truth." Dumbledore spoke kindly to Malfoy.
"Fine." Malfoy grumbled. He turned and looked at me "Granger, don't hit me."
What on earth would Malfoy want to do that would make me want to-
The next thing I knew Malfoys lips were on mine and he was kissing me.
I felt like I was on fire. It felt like electricity was coursing through my blood. His lips were softer than I could have imagined.
I did the the only thing I could do when confronted with such a situation.
"What the HECK Malfoy?" I screeched as I shoved him off of me.
Further protest died in my throat as I got a good look at him. His usual grey eyes were as black as charcoal, and he was looking at me like a blind man seeing the sun for the first time. Overwhelmed and in awe. He had sharp fangs with, was that blood on his otherwise pearly teeth?
"It's her." Malfoy growled as he stormed out of the room, the door slamming shut behind him.
"Can someone please explain what's going on?" I looked around, desperate for answers. This situation was starting to scare me. Was Malfoy sick? What did he mean 'it's her'? I had a thousand questions, but I refrained from asking. Mr. Malfoy was looking rather sick and Mrs. Malfoy had a rather joyful expression on her face. Neither of those things could bode well for me.
"Ms. Granger," Dumbledore spoke to me as you would to a dangerous animal, "I'm sure you've heard of Veela's?"
"Of course professor." I answered. "But what do Veela's have to do with anything?"
"What can you tell me about quarter veelas?" Dumbledore requested.
I was curious as to why Dumbledore was asking me this and why he was avoiding all my questions, but that's just how Dumbledore is I suppose.
"Well," I started sucking in a deep breath "Veela's are a magical creature reminiscent of sirens from Greek mythology. They are able to draw men in and get them to do strange things to get closer to them. When angered or threatened, they become almost bird like, resembling harpies. Quarter Veelas are a bit different, they may or may not inherit the characteristics of a full Veela. Also unlike the pure Veela's half, quarter and sometimes eighth Veela's have a 'mate'. A person of the opposite gender who is destined to to be with the Veela for the rest of their lives. They are considered 'soul mates". The Veela must mark their mate by biting them and injecting their toxins into the bloodstream, fully binding the couple. The Veela must do this by their 18th birthday or die a very painful death. Folklore suggests that this is because the Veela dies of a broken heart, while plausible and somewhat true, the actual reason for this is that the toxins that would be injected into the mate start poisoning the Veela's body, which as you can imagine is not pleasant. The first half Veela recorded is-"
"That was quite impressive Ms. Granger. I am pleased that you have quite an understanding of Veela's and their history."
I was quite disgruntled that Dumbledore would just interrupt me like that, but I was more curious than put out.
"What I don't understand Headmaster is why you're asking me about this."
"Ms. Granger," Mr. Malfoy answered me, looking as though he would rather have tea with Buckbeak than answer my question, "Draco is a quarter Veela, and you are his mate."
And somehow, the impossible happened. My day got even worse.
Read and Review! =)
