Disclaimer: Do not own. Even the plot is copied, and recopied, and triple-copied.
AN: This story was planned to be just "your another veela fic", but it changed on the way. So I will post some warnings for the new readers of the story.
1. The romance and veela part of the story is still present, but is not the main part.
2. Harry has an identity change and is very much OOC.
3. The story is Harry-centric.
Chapter 1
It was a foul-foul day that he returned to the Manor. Another Hogwarts' school year was over. Several incidents of glory and power over Potter as a member of the Inquisitional Squad and later… his father's swift conviction to Azkaban. Of course, he had been bitter and insulted the four-eyed git who himself appeared to be quite touchy. Hence, his transformation into something inconceivable. He was left in shame to wait for somebody to cure him and eventually ended up in St. Mungo's. And only now, the day after, he was at home.
It was eerily silent. Mother had closed up in her private quarters, probably drinking herself into mindless stupor. Elves were even more unnoticeable than before, and all the guests and distant cousins vacated the place immediately after hearing the embarrassing news.
And just in a few days was his sixteen's birthday.
Draco always thought that the day that he didn't have to participate in a great gala party would be a joyous one, but reality always shatters expectations.
So here he was, lying on his king-sized bed and sulking.
Twirp. Twirp-twirp!
What the fuck was that? Who dared sent him an owl at such a moment?
There, on the window-sill, sat not an owl, but some magical messenger invention that only vaguely resembled a bird. And it twirped again. Blasted thing.
"Okay-okay, what do you have, you orange beast of hell?"
"Twirp?!"
"Yeah-yeah, just give it to me, baby…"
The boy snatched the envelope with a practiced gesture and the creation promptly disappeared. Draco sighed. Here we go…
Dear son,..
The letter fell out of his hand, so great was his surprise. He would never in a million years have imagined that the mighty Lucius Malfoy would someday use an ultra-orange messenger. That was so beneath the Malfoy family – no taste whatsoever.
The boy picked up the piece of parchment and continued his reading.
Dear son,
If you are reading this, then I, for one reason or another, will not be present on your sixteen's birthday. Every birthday is as important as another, but your sixteen's birthday will have more consequences that you would have imagined. You see, son, about a dozen generations ago a veela married into the Malfoy family.
Draco gasped.
Yes, indeed, we are not as pure as we like to claim. But despair not, our legacy is different from the pureblooded veela animal instincts and all-consuming need to find and serve a mate. Firstly, we can choose a mate from candidates, and even one perfect for ourselves we can refuse to acknowledge. Though soul-mate pairs rarely ever happen, even within the veela conclave society. They also have to do with the next best choice. After your sixteen's birthday you'll be able to analyze the candidates' desirability: see auras around people and smell superficial pheromones. As it pains me to say – just go with the instinct.
Secondly, through our mate our power grows. Naturally, it is supposed to be used to protect the mate, but being not pureblooded veelas we choose what the power is used for.
Your mother is such a mate for me. When I turned sixteen and searched for a mate I discovered several candidates, some more desirable than Narcissa Black, some less. But 'Cissy proved to be the golden middle - a politically and socially acceptable choice, a beauty and an easy one to control.
In theory, you don't have to marry your mate and can just be an associate in order to stay in close proximity. Of course, the more intimate and oft the contact, the more powerful will be the boost to your magic.
In order to establish the bond, you have to kiss your chosen and say "vinura tu ao", which means "you're mine" in that barbarian bird-language. It is advisable to complete the bond with intercourse but that initializing bond kiss is sufficient for three fourths of the total power boost, providing you daily or at least weekly interact with the target.
Both complete and incomplete bonds do not require of you fidelity.
You also need to know that on the day of your birthday your physical structure will slightly change and even more in the following two months. All in all, you will become more attractive, but you won't be able to hypnotize and control your admirers like simple puppets as some original veelas do.
Choose wisely, my son.
Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, Lord of the Malfoy Manor.
p.s. This letter will self-destruct in an hour. Do not try to make a copy.
Draco remained seated on the bed for another fifteen minutes, staring dumbly and at the disgusting paper in his hands. Then he realized that the clock was clearly ticking – he did have a large one on the wall - and reread the letter a second time.
Power boost and more attractive appearance? He could do with that. Disadvantages? None.
Life was suddenly looking up.