"Now that you've come of age, we have something very important to discuss with you…"

She had known today was not going to be a good day. Although, she was officially sixteen when the clock struck 12:54—her birth time and date, she just knew that this birthday wouldn't be the same as others. Her first clue should have been when she fell out of bed this morning. Actually, that's what usually happens when she wakes up, only this time it hurt… a lot. The teen mentally scoffed, remembering the last time she had heard those words spoken to her.

Her dear, sweet parents had said those words to her… right before they told her she was a witch. At the time, she was eleven years of age. Most say that at that age, children would believe in anything. This saying did not apply to her. She argued with her parents and had even called them crazy people who need to go to the nearest psychiatric hospital. Even on the plane ride, she wasn't convinced of magic, and assumed that they were finally leaving America for a better place. Either that or mother finally got a promotion. That's what she had thought at the time. The only thing that had convinced her of magic was being pushed through a concrete wall—that wasn't so concrete—so she could board the train to Hogwarts. However, even then, she was still doubtful about the whole witch and wizard thing. But back to the matter at hand…

The disgruntled Ravenclaw was currently sitting in the Headmaster's office. There was a slight frown on her face. To her right sat a popular person among the Slytherins. He was known as Dragon Malfoy. She noted that his blond hair wasn't slicked back with large amounts of hair like it was second year. She didn't really see him during third or fourth year, so she hadn't known what he looked like at that time. His grey eyes glanced at her a few times, but he would look away too quickly. She didn't have the chance to read them. To her, he appeared to be trying to contain something within himself. His nails dug into the fine leather material of the armrest. Either that or he was having terrible constipation problems, but she opted not to think about it. Behind him, there stood Severus Snape, looking as annoyed as she felt. Despite the aggravated look, his hand was placed on Dragon's shoulder in a comforting gesture. At least, that's what she thought it was. Looking closer, it appeared as if he was holding him down.

Well, he did make quite the spectacle at the Welcoming Feast. For some strange reason, he started screaming, drawing lots of attention to his table. Once he had stopped his attention getter strategy, he seemed to be searching around frantically for something. She even thought she saw foam coming from his mouth as if he were a mad dog. It took quite a few people to restrain him properly. No one was hurt, but it definitely scared a couple of the first-years. Many thought he'd been possessed.

Her brown eyes shifted back to the Headmaster, not caring for the teenaged Slytherin. Albus Dumbledore just happened to be the source of her displeasure at the moment. Not only had he requested her presence during her precious nap time, but that weird twinkle in his eyes had been bothering her ever since she stepped into his office. She had been called in right after the Welcoming Feast ended. Dumbledore leaned in. His fingers were laced together and he continued to stare at the Hogwarts student. She mentally sighed. She supposed she would have to say something to get him to keep talking.

"Yes, Headmaster, what is this important something that we need to discuss?" Kylie Colman tried, in vain, to keep the sarcasm from her voice. She forced a smile on her face in order to cover it up. This only seemed to amuse the Headmaster. He cleared his throat. She noticed his eyes shift over to Dragon and Professor Snape for a moment before focusing on her again. Her fingers drummed against her armrest as she waited for Dumbledore to continue.

"Let me first start off congratulating you on your sixteenth birthday." He was stalling for some reason, Kylie realized frowning. She knew that the old man wouldn't have called upon her just to wish her a happy birthday. Something was up, and he was pissing of her with his beating around the bush manner. Despite her thoughts, she gave a nod. If she had spoken, who knows what would have come from her mouth. Sarah's bluntness was starting to rub off on her. Bluntness and sarcasm did not go together. That combination had gotten her into trouble many times in the past. "It's a shame that your birthday happens to be today. I imagine most don't realize it because their too busy, considering it's the first day Hogwarts is open for the year."

It was getting extremely hard to keep the smile in place. The corner of her mouth twitched. "That it is." She chuckled a bit, but it was bogus. Her father had always taught her to grin and bear it, but as of now, she wanted to grab Dumbledore by the beard and give him a good shaking. Perhaps that would let him know how annoying this game of his was to her. "So… Why did you really ask for me? I'm sure it's not just to discuss the weather." Kylie crossed her arms, signifying that she was through playing games.

"Alright… Down to business, then..." His tone sounded almost disheartened and hesitant, further irritating the brunette. So he did want to drag this out for a long as possible? The old man probably still hasn't forgiven her for calling him eccentric last year. Well, he was! And how was she supposed to know that he was right behind her? He was most likely only doing this to annoy her. It was no secret that she didn't have much patience. "First, do you know what a Veela is?" Kylie blinked. She had heard about them. There wasn't much information concerning them—hardly enough to think about it for more than five minutes. Kylie nodded to answer. Although she had given an affirmative answer, Dumbledore still felt it was needed to explain. "Veela are sensitive creatures who react to their mates in an animal-like way. Their instincts are near uncontrollable once they've realized who their mate is. It has been quite awhile since we've had both Veela and its mate in Hogwarts." The Ravenclaw bristled. She didn't need to know all of this. Get to the actual point, already! "Young Draco here-" He nodded towards the pubescent Slytherin. Dumbledore must have realized that the twitching of her upper lip was not an attempt to keep from smiling. "-has Veela blood in his veins. His Veela instincts have begun to take over since he has found his mate." Kylie's expression turned neutral. "His mate happens to be in this very school."

"And I care because…?" Her patience was beginning to run thin. Her finger tapped her covered bicep several times to try to stifle whatever anger that was beginning to bubble up. Merlin's beard, how long had she been here? She really wanted to eat. "What does Dragon finding his mate have to do with me?"

"Draco." Snape was ignored by both Dumbledore and the Ravenclaw.

"Well, because… you are his mate."

And just like that, Kylie's appetite disappeared.

"Eh…?" she squeaked, unable to gather up an intelligent response. Dumbledore smiled and repeated his earlier statement. He then had the nerve to congratulate her again. Her arms fell limply away from her chest. Her mouth dropped open and a look of disbelief replaced the blank expression. Kylie was vaguely aware that Dumbledore was talking again, but her ears did not hear what exactly was being said. She toned him out, completely drowned in her own thoughts.

Dragon Malfoy's mate…? Had the world gone completely insane overnight? She could have sworn that he was dating, or at least playing around with, Pansy Parkinson! And what was with this mate deal, anyway? When she had read about Veelas, the text said nothing about mates. It mentioned cross-breeding with humans, but nothing about animalistic instincts that consume them when they've found their mate. Even if that was true, the text had said that Veelas were always female. Dumbledore had said that Dragon was part Veela—that part was plausible—but he shouldn't be having these weird animalistic urges!

This all had to be a joke. Kylie stared down at her lap, frowning. Now that she thought about it, the three other people in the room had been in some way or form offended by her. But she never thought they'd all retaliate against her—not like this! "Hold it!"

The teen's voice interrupted Dumbledore's speech. He, as well as Snape and Draco, turned startled gazes to her. The Ravenclaw slowly stood up from her seat. The Headmaster also stood, silently wondering what the teen's next move was. He had begun to think she was taking this matter a bit too well. The last time this happened, the intended mate wasn't exactly happy about the development and had shouted obscenities. He expected the same from Kylie Colman. It was known to all teachers how short her fuse was. But when the girl didn't do as he had thought, he assumed she was logically thinking about her situation. After all, she was in Ravenclaw. Now with her sudden outburst, he did not know what to expect. "Yes, Miss Colman…? Is there a problem?"

"Nani…?"

Snape resisted rolling his eyes. He knew from experience that whenever the teen shouted in a different language—the Japanese language if he remembered correctly—she was about to either deny, deny, deny or lie, lie, lie. It was a wonder why no other professor picked up on this. Luckily, they were only words, not phrases that spewed from her angry mouth. "There is no need to get fussy, Miss Colman." Her head snapped in his direction. Her brown eyes gave him a fierce stare. This made it a bit harder to restrain Draco.

"No need to get fussy…?" she repeated. "The worst prank is the world is getting pulled on me, and you don't think there's no need to get fussy?" Dumbledore and Snape exchanged confused looks. "You expect me to believe this? Well, I don't! There is no such thing as this! Dragon-"

"Draco," Snape once again corrected, but was ignored.

"-Malfoy is not Veela and I certainly not his mate!" She held up her index finger. "One, known Veelas are females, so unless Dragon-"

"Draco."

"-here has some forbidden secret he wants to share, then I don't think so! Two-" The teen held up another finger. "-even if he was a male Veela, the characteristics would probably nonexistent because the traits show up only in females. And three-" Another finger was raised. "-Dragon-"

"Draco."

"I don't care what his name is!" Kylie glared in Snape's direction. "Anyway, and three, he wouldn't be interested in me in the first place! We've barely held a conversation before!" She pointed a dramatic finger at the Headmaster. "And to think that you'd actually try to trick an innocent and defenseless girl…! The very thought is intolerable!"

"So it was deny, deny, deny, eh?" Snape thought, mentally shaking his head. He knew the situation would turn out like this. The girl was just too stubborn, cynic, and rude to accept it.

"Miss Colman, I assure you that what I speak is the truth. We wouldn't try to prank you of all things. On the contrary, having a Veela as a mate is considered to be an honor." Kylie's arm dropped. "Even as we speak, young Draco can hardly contain himself with his mate so close by."

Kylie arched a brow, and then turned around to face the Slytherin. Snape was now holding him with two hands instead of just one. Dragon, or Draco—honestly she really didn't care—had his head down and was mumbling something. She figured it was hard for someone like him to play along with this sort of prank with an unknown someone like her. "But still…!" She had to keep from snarling. She stomped over to his chair, causing the teenaged wizard to look up. Her face was inches away from his.

"Miss Colman, do you realize what you're doing?"

She glared up at her professor. "If he really is Veela then he should have no trouble seducing me, right? Veelas can seduce the opposite sex. I know this for sure." Her brown eyes moved back down to Draco's. Her hands gripped the armrest, trapping him where he sat. She leaned in a bit closer. "What are you waiting for? Seduce me with your Veela charms since you're obviously a Veela!" The three waited in anticipated silence. Full-blooded Veelas could seduce any man, but Dumbledore wasn't quite so sure it would apply here.

Draco breathed in and out. She was so close to him. He could feel her breath against his lips. He wanted to touch her, kiss her, and hold her. If Snape hadn't been keeping him down, he would have done so as soon as she walked into the room with her overwhelming scent. He could hardly breathe with her being this in close proximity to him. But at the same time, he felt at ease. If he would tilt his head just a bit, he was sure that their lips would touch. Shivers went through his body just thinking about it. "Mine…" he whispered.

"Eh…?"

"Mine!"

Kylie fell back with a yelp. She stared at the young wizard, completely mortified and slightly disgusted. "Did… Did he just purr at me?" She pointed a shaky finger. The Ravenclaw trembled as she rubbed the goose bumps away. "This has gone way too far! That was wrong on so many levels!" She stood up and headed for the exit. "I'm going to go repress this memory now. Good day!" With one last exaggerated, disgusted shudder, the witch left with great haste.

"Well… This is sure to be more than a little tough."

"You don't say," Snape murmured, trying to keep Draco still.

"I suppose that… we'll have to leave this up to him."

"Albus…! You can't mean-" The Headmaster nodded his head. "That wouldn't be in the best interest—letting him loose. You know how Veelas can behave."

"We don't have a choice. Otherwise, that girl won't believe it. I believe young Draco will be able to handle it." The Headmaster sat back down. "Release him." Snape reluctantly did as he was told.

Draco Malfoy did not hesitate to leap from his chair.

0~0

"Don't ask, I won't tell, and that's final." Kylie sighed slowly as she fell onto her bed. Sarah Simmons shrugged, and then turned her green eyes back to the moon outside the window. In a mild tone, she commented something about the moon being made of cheese. Kylie turned on her back and let out another sigh. "What a creepy and terrifying joke…" She didn't know much about Draco Malfoy, but from what she did hear, he was a bit of an upper class snob. To think he would go as far as to participate in this just to humiliate her—it was maddening. But then again, it was also unexpected. If she hadn't been so smart, she surely would have succumbed to that ludicrous prank. The young witch covered a yawn before turning over. For the second time, she yelped in surprise. "Sarah!" The sixteen-year-old tilted her head. Her stoic face was mere inches away from hers. "Don't do that!"

Kylie placed a hand over her racing heart. It was a wonder why they were friends. Many thought that the girl who was quiet and nearly emotionless and the girl who showed many expressions and often ranted about the littlest things wouldn't get along, but the two witches had remained good friends since first year… surprisingly. It was more likely the fact that when they were alone together, Kylie would become quiet while Sarah rambled on about random things—i.e. the moon being made of cheese. "I have a new word for you." Sarah sat up straight on her friend's bed. Kylie sat up as well.

"Really…? What is it?"

"Metamorphous."

"… Sarah… are you aware that that isn't a Japanese word."

"Yes."

"I don't need to know that. I thought you only told me Japanese words when you learn a new one."

"Why would you assume that?"

Kylie sighed heavily. She placed a hand on top of Sarah's head and ruffled her auburn hair. "Baka…!" Sarah only gave her friend a small smile as Kylie took her hand away. "Hey, what do you know about Veelas?"

"They're out to get us." Her answer was quick and to the point, but it only succeeded in confusing Kylie. "They are quite upset that their half-breed children are discriminated against when others find out about them being half-breed. They disguise themselves as humans, so they could destroy us from the inside out."

"I didn't want to hear about your wild conspiracies, Sarah." The teen sighed heavily. "Never mind, then." She laid back. Her brown eyes stared up at the ceiling. "I should just forget about it anyway."

The sound of a foot slamming against the wooden floor caught the attention of the two teens. Kylie blinked while Sarah turned her head. Someone cleared their throat. Really, it should have been a girl seeing as how this was the girl's dormitory. The brunette sat up and smiled. "Ah…! Cho-chan!" The fellow Ravenclaw member scowled at the happy tone in her voice.

"For the last time, I am not Japanese!" She scoffed lightly as she crossed her arms. "For someone who is so fascinated by Japan's society and culture, I'm surprised you can't tell the difference."

"Oh, I can tell the difference. It's just that I know that it irritates you." Cho bristled, knowing what she said was correct.

Kylie smirked cheekily at her rival. Yes, Cho Chang was definitely her rival. Back home, she was at the top of her class. She had surpassed all of the nerds in nearly every subject. But then she started going to Hogwarts, introducing her to a whole new class of intellectuals. Cho was the top ranked girl of Ravenclaw, so since the very beginning, she was thought of as a rival. Really, she wouldn't have cared about a silly rivalry, but on top of her smarts, she was also athletic, attractive and popular. Kylie's lip twitched. It pissed her off just thinking about it. She had everything rolled into one. She was practically perfect! Someone like her couldn't possible compete with that. A person shouldn't have all those traits! However, she could beat her in something—and that was book smarts. It would be oh so sweet when she finally surpassed her academic-wise. Only then would she reclaim her title as the Grand-Daddy Master of School.

"Hey…! Are you listening to me?" Cho tapped her foot impatiently, snapping Kylie out of her daydream. She gave her a placid look, thus only infuriating Cho. "You didn't hear a word I said, did you?"

"No, no… Not really." She twisted one of her ponytails absentmindedly. "What did you say, Cho-chan?"

"Stop calling me that!"

"Alright, alright… Just tell me what you want, already."

"For some baffling reason, Draco Malfoy would like to have a word with you." For her troubles, Cho received another blank look. She sighed exasperatedly, knowing Kylie would lose focus and have yet another mental rant at any moment. "Honestly, you don't know the Slytherin prefect? You are such a dobber heid!"

"That would probably be more insulting if I knew what that was," Kylie commented. She turned to her friend Sarah, who had been quiet since the new arrival. "But since I am but a mere ignorant American-" She turned to her friend. "-translation, please."

"I believe she called you an idiot." Sarah's somber voice generally struck a twinge of fear. Cho was no exception. She subconsciously took a step back. She had heard many rumors surrounding Sarah Simmons. For one, it was believed that she could look into your head and know what you were thinking—no spells or potions required. Another thing she heard about her was that she had somewhat of an empathetic ability. Though, the roles were reversed. She could make others feel what she wanted them to feel. For these reasons, many students stayed away from her.

"Excuse me, but you, Cho-chan, are not good at insulting people. You should take lessons." Cho's eyes shifted back to Kylie, who was nodding her head, agreeing with herself. She mentally scoffed. "Anyway, tell him I'm not here—please and thank you." She waved Cho off. She shook her head in disbelief.

"Draco Malfoy wants to talk to you and you want me to send him off with a lie?" she asked. Kylie nodded her head a few times.

"Hai!"

"English! Use bloody English!"

"… Gomennasai." With an aggravated groan, Cho turned on her heel and left. Kylie smirked at her apparent win.

Sarah turned her eyes to her friend. A brow was arched in curiosity. "Draco Malfoy…?" She was a bit surprised when Kylie shuddered. She even looked disgusted. The dramatic teen grabbed both of her long ponytails and yanked.

"I'm still trying to repress that, so please don't say his name!" Kylie flopped back down on the bed, huffing loudly. Sarah shrugged, knowing the subject would turn up again in the form of a rant. By tomorrow morning, in fact, if she timed it right. An uncharacteristic smirked appeared on the witch's face for a moment. Perhaps it had something to do with Draco Malfoy making a arse of himself during the Welcoming Feast.

"I imagine that things will finally be quite interesting."

0~0

Draco paced back and forth outside the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room. He had sent some Ravenclaw girl to get Kylie Colman over five minutes ago. Did it seriously take that long? The teenaged Slytherin halted his movements and rubbed his temples. Another headache was beginning to form. He breathed out slowly. Honestly, he had not been prepared for this onslaught of raging emotions. It shouldn't have happened this quickly, or so he thought. He was under the impression that this change wouldn't take place until he had reached the age of seventeen, not sixteen. When nothing happened over the summer, he assumed that it would take another year. But apparently his intended mate was officially sixteen, too.

The young wizard covered his mouth to prevent a weird noise from coming out. The last time, it seemed he had disturbed his mate. He would have to be sure not to do that again. But just thinking about her brought on the intense desire to give into his Veela instincts. Draco mentally sighed as he let his hand fall to his side. Kylie Colman—he hardly knew her. However, this fact seemed to be irrelevant. His mind and body screamed for her.

He frowned, thinking back to the Welcoming feast. Oh, that had been embarrassing. He imagined that everyone in the Great Hall thought him to have gone mad. He was a Malfoy—a bloody Malfoy! His family was known for keeping calm even in the most desperate of situations. Draco was ashamed to admit that he'd lost all control. What would his father think of him he had saw that display? He felt like grimacing just thinking about the expression his father would make.

The effects of his adaptation came so suddenly that he couldn't think if he had tried. Even now he could barely remember what he had been doing. All he knew was that he had to find the one with the enthralling scent. Luckily, he had found and pinpointed who it had come from before Snape subdued him. Draco had to be restrained while Dumbledore explained what was happening to him, and even commented about why no one had ever told him ahead of time. It had sounded like an insult to his ears. "What does that eccentric old fool know about my family, anyway?" Draco scowled lightly. But at least he heard some good news. His schedule would be switched to match hers, and pretty soon the two of them would be sharing a special room. He bit his lip in anticipation.

"Draco Malfoy…" A voice made him turn his head. Finally, that girl—Cho Chang—had returned. He turned to face her. To his disappointment, however, the one he wanted to see wasn't there. "She… She is sleeping at the moment."

"Sleeping…? Ah… That's fine, I suppose." He moved to leave.

"Just a moment!" Draco halted and waited for the girl to continue. "May I ask…? Why is it you want to speak with Kylie Colman?"

"Are you her friend, by chance?" He heard her scoff before replying.

"I wouldn't say we're friends."

"Then you don't need to know."

Cho Chang pouted a bit as she watched Draco walk down the hall without another word. Not that she was concerned for her fellow Ravenclaw, but it was highly unusual for the Slytherin youth to target her. Draco Malfoy usually stuck with teasing and tormenting half-bloods, muggles, and Gryffindor students. She briefly wondered what that scatterbrain could have possibly done to get under Draco's skin before returning to her common room. No doubt her friends were already gossiping about it.

0~0