Warnings: This is a slash fan fiction. No likey, no ready.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in or related to J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter universe. I'm just a lowly little fan fiction writer. :(

A/N: This is just for fun. I've had the urge to write lately so I thought I'd just start something up. I've had this idea for a while anyway. Keep in mind that this isn't my main piece. This is kind of a side thing, so my plot work may not be spot on. Yes, there's nothing other than this fic here, and that's because I'm working on my other piece and I really want it to be good, so I'm waiting until summer (when I have more time) to start actually writing it (I'm just working out the chronology and some plot maps and things right now). Still once I do start that one this will not be forgotten because I love the idea of this one too. Anyway, this has been really fun to write for me so far, so I hope you like reading it as well! Oh, and one little note, Harry (and family) already know about his...blood. Reviews will be awarded with...music recs and popsicles, so please do!

Harry happily bounded down the stairs, reveling in the sound of the old creaking wood. It sounded like home to him; the first home he'd ever felt to have family. The Dursley's stairs hardly creaked and when they did Vernon was always quick to fix it. "It would simply not do," Petunia would say to her husband, "for our steps to creak. Think of what the Williamsons would say!" The Dursley's quest for flawlessness was absurd to Harry, how could a family so ridiculous obtain perfection? Perfection- in his opinion- that the Weasleys had. The Weasleys were a real family. A family rooted in-

"Fuck! Ron, can't a guy think every once in a while?" Harry rubbed the sore spot on his head where the quaffle had struck him. Maybe the Weasleys weren't perfect, but they sure would be if he just offed Ron. The red-haired teen grinned and threw him his Firebolt.

"You looked spacey. I thought I'd help you out." Harry rolled his eyes, but walked with Ron outside to their makeshift pitch where Hermione and Ginny were arguing. This had happened much the same way almost every day since Harry had arrived there a few weeks before. Ron would bring Harry outside, which more often than not involved some form of physical pain on Harry's part and Hermione and Ginny would be out waiting on the pitch, usually arguing about the same thing.

"I will not get on that flying deathtrap. I will fall and I will die!" Hermione had her arms crossed, head turned away from the broom Ginny was gesturing for her to take.

"For Merlin's sake, would you stop being such a bloody muggle?" Hermione looked outraged.

"Ginevra Weasley! I thought you were better than that!" With that the argument ended, and as always Hermione stormed off into the house, grumbling something about 'ignorant witches' while Ginny shot up into the air. Harry welcomed the familiar scene. Routine generally meant normality, and normality was something he rarely saw. All in all, Harry's Summer had been ideal. No coded riddles from Dumbledore (so far), a relatively short stay at the Dursley's, and most of all no Voldemort. He'd been quiet since the end of Harry's sixth year, only managing to execute three fatality-free muggle attacks. If he wasn't having so much fun, Harry might be suspicious. After he refused to make blueberry pancakes for Dudley, Harry was thrown out of the Dursley's and taken in eagerly by the Weasleys. They'd played quidditch, swam in the neighbor's lake, and endured countless games of truth or dare since he'd arrived and when Hermione came Ginny and he had played many rounds of "Who Can Tease Obvious and Obvious-er the Most".

"Harry, get your hot arse up here!" Harry laughed and kicked off the ground to their level.

"Alright, my 'hot arse' is here, now what?" He replied, amused by the red tinge of Ron's face. What he liked to call Ginny's "It's on" voice replied.

"You ready to-"

"Dinner!" Molly Weasley's amplified voice covered the rest of her sentence. She quickly stirred up another one.

"Race you?" Harry had been around the youngest Weasley to know that "you" means "go". He shot towards the old leaning house, diving to miss a tree, before he finally skidded to a halt a few inches from the wall. Ron was already through the door.

"Never misses a meal, that one." Ginny remarked as she too swept through the door into the packed house. Harry could never get used to the organized chaos that was the Burrow. Somehow the five people managed to dive and dodge flying plates and utensils while simultaneously avoiding collision between each other in the tiny kitchen. After a few days of trying to mimic their acrobatics, Harry decided that sitting with Mr. Weasley at the dinner table was the safer option for him. During their five minutes of time together each evening, Harry had noticed a few changes in Arthur. The worry lines that had been there during Voldemort's time of constant action and his second rising were now only faint shadows, and the smile lines he hadn't seen since his second year at school were slowly returning. It almost seemed as if Voldemort was already gone, already finished and their lives were going on as they should be. The clattering of silverware on the table broke him from his reverie.

"Are you alright Harry? You're looking a little peaky." Mrs. Weasley's soft hand was on his forehead even as he shook his head in the negative. She removed her hand and looked at him, apparently calculating before waving it off. "Well, if you say so. I say you need to eat more vegetables. Couldn't hurt, you know."

After a few more minutes of Molly's mothering and moving about in the kitchen they were finally settled around the table. Soon the food was all served (in heaps) and the only noise was the happy clank of silver. Harry snickered when he looked across the table at Hermione. Her face was in an odd expression and she was bouncing lightly and looking questioningly at him. He waited a few minutes before relieving her.

"Hermione?" Simply stating her name seemed to be the permission she wanted.

"When's your birthday?"

Harry was thrown. "Tomorrow. I thought you knew. Why?" He wore a puzzled expression. Hermione looked conflicted.

"And you were born in the early morning?" He nodded. She quickly stood from her chair.

"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley? May Harry, Ron and I be excused?" The Weasleys nodded and Harry was dragged from his chair. The look Hermione was sporting made him turn back and mouth "Veela stuff" to the people remaining at the table. Hermione led the two boys up the stairs and into the room the two shared.

She gestured for them to sit on the beds before pacing in front of them, wringing her hands.

"I didn't understand how soon your inheritance would be coming." Hermione turned to look back at Harry and was dismayed to see the confounded expression from before. "You didn't know about your inheritance, the change?" He winced and shrugged. She groaned and held her watch up to eye level. She groaned and took a deep breath before addressing Harry. " You don't just wake up and be a Veela Harry! How could-" She stopped to take a deep breath before beginning anew. " We've got anywhere between three and five hours. Crash course on Veela it is then." Harry looked alarmed. Hermione turned and left the room swiftly.

"I reckon you're in trouble now." Ron groaned from his bed across the small room. "We're all going to be buried under books for hours, you know." At his last word, Hermione bustled into the room, her arms filled with tomes and textbooks. She hastily checked her wristwatch again. Setting the books beside her, she took a seat on the wood floor and gestured for the other two to do the same. The first book she flipped open looked oddly new, unlike others which were faded and worn.

"Latest edition." She explained at their raised eyebrows while she moved the pages. " Inheritance, inheritance, inheritance. Here it is." Hermione finally let the book rest on a page with moving diagrams. In the picture was a girl, a seventeen year old, on a bed under restraints. She was writhing and twisting on the bed and as the diagram continued to move the changes to her body were pointed out with arrows and written commentary. Harry watched the picture move in awe, the girl's frame, once average sized, became slim and angular as she continued to move about the bed. When he saw her facial structure changing he had to speak.

"You're joking." Hermione looked at him and at the page again.

"Oh, right. Wrong page." He exhaled in relief while she flipped a few more pages. She landed on another page of diagrams. "This is you." Harry's relief was very short lived. Instead of a girl writhing in agony there was a boy. Whereas the girl was becoming slender, the boy's shoulders were broadening, the movement of the bones visible as they lengthened and twisted. His legs seemed to grow straight from his hips as they elongated while the muscles within them grew and moved. His jaw was moving as well, the bones squaring and moving under the skin. Harry quickly flipped the book shut and repeated his previous statement.

"You're joking." Hermione was biting her lip and looking at him remorsefully. "So, how much time do I have again?"

She again brought her watch up to eye level. "Somewhere between two and three hours, but that's an estimate." He dropped his head onto one hand.

"Fuck. Anything else I should know about?" This time she handed him a book and groaned. The glossy title on the cover read "Half and Quarter Blood: Volume IX- Veela" Harry flipped past the introduction and began to read.

Chapter 1: What's To a Half, What's To a Whole and What Do You Share?

I. Inheritance

As most know, half-blooded Veela share some characteristics of the full-blooded creature. First and foremost is what is commonly known as the "inheritance". This occurs in every Veela on their seventeenth birthday, most commonly on the second of their birth. The inheritance is the time when the Veela's body and magic gain characteristics of the species, as most do not show distinctions of their breed before that time. This is a safety mechanism that the species gained during the War of Petrose in 1267 (for more information: p.358). The inheritance is different for each individual, depending on if they are the dominant or the submissive of their mated pair (for more information about Veela mates: p. 89). As the changes are remarkably different for the two there are four chapters about the inheritance (dominant male- p.17, submissive male- p.20, dominant female- p.23, submissive female- p.26).

II. Different Forms

While most see the-

Harry looked up from the book and looked to Hermione who was pointing something out in another book to Ron. "Why is there a submissive male and a dominant female in this book? Is it some kind of femdom, or what?" Hermione looked about ready to smack herself on the head.

"I suppose I didn't tell you that either." Unlike Harry and Ron, who had spent most of the summer playing quidditch and football, Hermione had taken it upon herself to learn about Veela, as she was certain that Harry's creature blood would have an impact on the War. It had turned out to be more of a past time to her now that Voldemort was inactive, but her studies had run far too long into July and she'd only told Harry and Ron bits and pieces of her findings. She was deeply regretting that today. She pulled the book from Harry's lap and studied the page he'd been reading. Hermione decided her next words after considering their small amount of time and large amount of text. "Read page three-fifty-eight." Harry looked at his watch again before deciding that he didn't have enough time to argue with her about why he needed to know about another War, and flipped the pages until he came to the page she specified.

Chapter 16: Veela and the War of Petrose: How Does It Affect You?

As many know, the War of Petrose was fought from 1267-1279 between the Goblins and the Gargoyles over the lands of Petrose, an unclaimed land in the south of France. Before the time of this war, Petrose was a land occupied by nomadic magical creatures such as the Serpentine Dragons and the Reynards and during the war by Veela and Matagot. In an unfortunate coincidence, the Goblins and Gargoyles met at Petrose at the same time, both coming to claim it. A war began almost immediately and both enemies built fortresses encompassing the entire area they were warring over. The Veela were caught unawares and became trapped between the two troops. At the time of the war, Veela were coveted for their beauty and sexual prowess (for more information on sexual habits of the Veela see p.590). Many of the females were taken from their mates and kept as pets of the Goblins and Gargoyles. After a few years of this the female Veela population waned dramatically. As a result, the Veela population as a whole decreased as well. By 1275 the last of the female Veela was kidnapped from the group and later died after prolonged separation from her mate. The remaining Veela, who were all male, survived only a few months after their mates were taken. By 1277 only four unmated male Veela remained. The exact events of the next year were not chronicled and are still unknown to this day, though a few Veela claim to have heard the story passed down to them. It is commonly believed that the Hindu goddess Bhuvaneshvari, who, in the Hindu religion, is believed to be the creator of everything and the destroyer of all unnecessary evils, came to the Veela in her true form and blessed them. In 1279 a baby Veela was born from two males. Soon after, the Goblins and Gargoyles reached the end of the war, with no winner. All who fought had been killed. Although it unprovable that the Hindu goddess came to the Veela, there are very few alternate theories. The connection between Bhuvaneshvari and the Veela species is still unknown. The ability of males to impregnate males, and the later discovered ability of females to impregnate females has remained with the species since that time. As a result, roughly half of all mated Veela pairs are same-sex.

Harry ran his fingers through his hair tiredly. The surprises never stopped coming and he only had one to two hours until his inheritance, which he still hadn't read about. Ron and Hermione were still looking over the same page as before when he looked up at them. They looked to be studying one part of a the page exclusively, pausing every moment or so to murmur a comment to the other. After a minute or two Ron seemed to notice his gaze and nudged Hermione. They took a look at one another and seemed unsure of what to say next. Harry was sure that whatever was to come would not good news. They stayed silent until Harry became impatient.

"Out with it then. Though I don't see how this could get any worse."

Hermione bit her lip and spoke quietly. "You've a deadline." Harry had no doubt that it was serious, the statement was foreboding in itself. He waited silently for her to explain. It was Ron instead.

"From what it says there," He pointed to the paragraph they'd been studying so intensely "You've got around four months, 120 days, starting twenty-four hours after your inheritance to bond with your mate." Ron trailed off as he finished his sentence. Harry figured that it was a good thing he was already sitting, if he hadn't been he'd have been in a heap on the floor by now. He ran his fingers through his hair and took a few deep breaths.

"So let me get this straight. This "inheritance" about which I know nothing except that it's excruciatingly painful is coming," Harry paused to check his watch. "In an hour. After that I've got four months to find my mate who may or may not be female and mate with them or I'll...do what?"

Hermione looked back at him, pointing at her head.

"Insanity?" She nodded affirmatively, "Oh, wonderful. How on Earth am I supposed to defeat a dark wizard, who has killed millions, by the way, while I'm insane? This is fucking ridiculous!"

Ron and Hermione looked solemnly at their friend. It had been exactly this way when he had found out about his Veela heritage, right after Sirius' death. They had hoped never to see this side of Harry again. They sat in silence for a few minutes, Harry contemplating his situation and his friends looking on with hope. Finally Harry lifted his head.

"Can I at least be prepared for the inheritance?" Hermione was quick to hand him a book, earmarked at the page, wanting to remove the helpless mood from the room. When Harry saw the distraught look on his long-time friends' faces, he decided that complaining wasn't going to help. He couldn't deny his heritage and the inheritance was going to happen whether he wanted it or not. Finally resigned to his fate he flipped open the book. The book was the same he'd been reading earlier and it featured a diagram much like the ones he'd seen previously. At the top of the page the title was printed "Dominant Male Veela Inheritance". In the picture was a boy and directly above his head was his age, but Harry had known that before he'd seen the diagram. Below it was a paragraph.

Like all Veela inheritances, the dominant male Veela's is unique to each individual depending on their physique at the time directly before the transformation. For example, while a dominant male who is slim before the inheritance will broaden significantly in the shoulders, one who already has passably broad shoulders will only grow slightly or none at all in that area. The same goes for the rest of the body. During the transformation the legs and torso will lengthen, the jaw will square and the angles of the face will become more defined, the shoulders will become broader and muscles throughout the body will become firmer. Contrary to popular belief, the strengthening of the muscles has nothing to do with the added strength that all Veela gain. The physical strength is a result of the changes and strengthening of magic. Along with physical strength, and intense magical gain comes with the magical transformation. The magic stores in the Veela grow significantly to provide space for this additional magic. This is much of the reason why Veela inheritances are painful.

Harry read the paragraph a few more times before he put it back on the floor, closed. He looked curiously at the floor for a moment, processing the information before he looked back up at his friends, who seemed to have been staring at him the entire time.

"I've lost track of time. We'll just have to wait for it." Hermione said, oddly without a look to her watch. She'd always learned that the best way to prepare for pain was to not prepare at all. Like in a muggle car accident; the people anticipate collision and tense their muscles usually feel the full impact of the crash, while those who don't feel just the shock. Harry looked contemplative and was now laying on his back on the floor a few feet away. He seemed less angry and more content with what was going. They sat in silence for a few long minutes before Harry spoke up.

His question was loaded. "Who do you think my mate will be?" Ron blinked. Harry continued to stare at the ceiling. After he received no answer, he spoke again. "Well it does matter, doesn't it? I'm going to spend the rest of my life with one person, and I don't even know how to choose them." Ron scratched his head in wonderment. They hadn't thought about Harry was to actually identify his mate. Was it foolish for him to hope that some one would be wearing a "Hi, my name is . I'm Harry Potter's Mate." sticker? And once again, Hermione had all the answers, and none of them.

"You don't get to decide. There's nothing in the books about finding the mate, so I suppose we're left to assume it happens differently for each Veela." Harry sighed. The hours of reading small text and high emotion were beginning to catch up to him and left his eyelids falling. When he felt he could keep his eyes open no longer, he felt a twitch in his left leg. Harry was wide awake again.

"I think it's coming." He said, his breathing becoming harsh and rapid. What was a twitch in the muscle of his leg became a wild throb and quickly spread up and throughout the muscles in his other leg. It extended up to his abdomen and kept going, before long all of the muscles in his body were pulsing. The feeling of his body changing was strange rather than painful and Harry tried to keep his breathing in check as he felt his bones begin to shift. The sensation was one alike to flexing, as if his skeleton was a slab of taffy being stretched. The movement of the bone in his face brought an odd tingling and soon he couldn't move his jaw. He looked up to see Hermione bring a cold, wet cloth to his forehead. Harry's body continued to twist and transform until it abruptly stopped about fifteen minutes after it began. He took deep breaths to compose himself and while Hermione continued dabbing the cloth over his head, Ron moved to massage his sore muscles. The agonizing pain that had been described in the books they read had never come. He wearily attempted to sit up, and immediately felt a stinging spark in his abdomen, and he lay back down, but that didn't stop the pain, nor did it keep it from intensifying. It spread from his middle to his chest, and throughout his body and it kept escalated. Soon it began to feel like he was on fire. Again the pain heightened and he couldn't stay silent. The The once soothing sensation of Ron's hands massaging his tired muscles now stung and he cried out, quickly removing his leg from his grasp. He writhed and twisted on the floor, groaning and suddenly he could feel his organs shifting. Harry's heart was racing and the blood was pumping too fast through his agonized body. Once more the pain amplified and Harry's body could no longer keep up. He heard Ron's and Hermione's distraught calls to him, but he couldn't understand them. There was a flash of white and he thought no more.

A/N: So there's chapter one. I'm working on chapter two right now, so it should be out pretty soon...reviews will make it quicker though. Reviews will be rewarded with a music rec and a popsicle!

-empere