Enchanted

Chapter 1

"It was a way of recognizing places of enchantment: people falling asleep like this."

― Jonathan Franzen, The Corrections

Hermione knew the moment her eyes had become molten gold, she was not a normal witch. It happened on her 20th birthday, two years after graduating Hogwarts. She had been in her flat, drinking a cup of tea when all the sudden, she had the urge to puke. She had rushed to her bathroom, flung herself over her toilet and retched until she was positive there was nothing left in her stomach to heave. An odd occurrence, but nothing that left Hermione puzzled. That is, until she cleansed her face over the sink, looked up and gasped at her now, shining, golden eyes.

And, well, Hermione wasn't one to dawdle on the unknown. So, she did what she did best. Picked up her old textbooks, brushed off the dust, and began to read. She looked at Magical Creatures and Where to Find Them, but nothing inside the text made her sudden change of irises clearer.

"Well that's utter bollocks." she muttered to herself, before Crookshanks jumped on her sofa demanding attention. She looked to her half-kneazle, while scratching his ears affectionately. "Well Crooks? Do you happen to know the sudden change of my eyes?" she asked redundantly.

And, bless her soul, Crooks had flourished himself off of the couch and scampered his way to her bookshelf. With great agility, he jumped onto the second shelf, scanned the binds until he found the one he desired, and like a true feline, knocked it off onto the ground with a smug grin. If Hermione hadn't loved and appreciated Crooks intelligence so much, she'd have outed him long ago.

Maybe. Well, probably not, but she certainly would have given him a time out.

"Crooks, you silly little cat." The feline huffed and flicked his tail is disgust. He was not a cat. Hermione meanwhile had picked up the novel, tenderly ran a thumb over the surface and read the title. "Veelas."

And the moment she spoke those words Hermione knew that her life had just become infinitely more complicated.

"Bugger."

…

Two years later found Hermione in a simpler life than she had imagined. After graduation, she always thought she'd enter into the Ministry and change the world. When her veela heritage kicked in, that was no longer possible. People would question her eyes amongst other odd traits that had begun to establish themselves. For instance, her love of sweets. Hermione had never been one for candy or chocolate but now she seemed to be enticed by them, especially rich, white chocolate truffles. Merlin those were like orgasms in her mouth.

If only her parents could see her now.

A brief pain in her heart flashed by before settling down to its normal rhythm. She had gotten used to the loss of her parents, it now being a dull ache that occasionally popped up.

That was another thing, her heart. Faulty it was, she had learned. She had tried to figure out why it sped up at random intervals during her research but had never been able to pinpoint the cause. She could only imagine the disaster it could be at the Ministry. Constantly speeding up and slowing down…Merlin she'd never get anything done!

Thus, a career in magical law was not practical. And then being a healer was out too. With the constant stress of having to find a mate so she wouldn't die and being surrounded by such a negative atmosphere…no…that wouldn't do well for her mental state. Especially a Veelas are creatures of…what did that book say? Beauty. And beautiful things aren't formed by death. Apparently, the sight of death could take an enormous toll on a veela. And, Hermione, well, she hadn't believed it until she saw a thestral in Luna's front lawn eating flowers and all of the sudden had a panic attack. No, a healer wouldn't do.

Which had lead her to her simple life. Books. If there was one thing Hermione loved more than changing the world, it was books. A bookstore seemed rational. Not to mention it could hide her away from the wizarding world and her fame. Even more, her mate had to love books, because if they didn't love books…well…there was just no way that was a possibility.

They had to love books.

Then there was the issue of whether her mate was a muggle. To which Hermione had decided the easiest solution was to build a store with two entrances. One, to wizard London, the other to muggle London. An invisible charmed wall separated the two but allowed Hermione to know who was on what side.

And that was where one would find Hermione on the fateful day of October 18 where everything changed.

…

Draco had never been one for politics, despite his talent with words. In fact, he had rejected the idea of following in his father's footsteps of business and his mother's of a swanky life. He had learned better, after barely surviving a war, to settle himself into a modest and respectable life. He was a potions master at the age of 25 and taught private lessons to children of pureblood parents and mostly did freelance work. He enjoyed it immensely, not being tied down by social obligations, being able to wander about without people he didn't know coming up to him to attempt small talk.

The blond sneered at the idea. He despised small talk. He had no interest in the feeble attempts of subtly at old hags trying to match him with their daughters. Didn't they realize being a Malfoy was a mockery? Not a prideful name as it had used to be? Didn't they know that him walking openly in Diagon Alley was him being persecuted by the public for the black stain on his arm?

No, he loathed those women and everything that they entailed. He wanted no more of the life of a socialite.

"Mr. Malfoy?"

A voice interrupted his thoughts, causing Draco to groan as his hands dragged down his face. A weak attempt at making himself look presentable followed suit before his secretary came in.

"Yes, Kerli?" he asked. A much older woman than Draco poked her head in. Long black hair with silver roots swung through the crack of the door as green eyes peered at him under thick, round glasses. "You're 2'oclock is here."

The blond checked his schedule. "My father?"

"Yes. Him." A casual glance back caused Kerli's head to disappear before she moved her frame into Draco's office, shutting the door quietly behind her. "I gave him tea and my current novel recommendation. He'll be preoccupied for a bit before he demands your attention."

Draco grinned. "You're brilliant you know that?"

Kerli chuckled, flicker her long lock over her shoulder. "So I'm told. I tried to get him to tell me why he wanted to see you, but he didn't budge. For a man who's hitting almost 55 you'd think he'd be more pleasant to get along with."

"He's 52…and aren't you 50?"

Kerli waved her hand. "Semantics."

Draco just shook his head in mirth. "Nevertheless, he is my father and if he won't tell you why he's here then he'll tell me. Send him in."

"You got it boss. Oh, one more thing. Dyson called. Apparently Kenzi will be late for her lesson today. Something about dealing with trouble? I didn't ask for details."

"Probably wise. Thanks for letting me know."

"No problem. I'll send in your Pops now."

Draco scrunched up his nose at the word as Kerli exited the office. She was always so casual about titles. It was strange but refreshing he mused. At that moment, Lucius entered. His father was noticeably thinner, he hair beginning to show signs of age as well as his skin.

"Father." said Draco, gesturing to the seat before him. Out of both of his parents, the blond had been surprised to find that after the war it was his father who had changed drastically. His mother had altered herself accordingly to the new norm, but to say her ideologies had changed…well, that would be wrong. His father on the other hand was no longer a strong man who prided himself on blood status. Lucius was not a shell, but there was something about him that screamed that he was fading. But fading was a myth, written up by fantasy authors inspired by the high elven race.

"What brings you here?"

Lucius sighed, his hands resting on his cane lightly. Despite being a slender man, Lucius remained regal in his attire and form.

"I am…leaving your mother."

Draco's eyebrows shot up. "What? Why?"

"We are longer on the same side. She does not miss the war, but she does miss her infleunce. I cannot give that to her…not anymore."

The blond furrowed his brow. "Surely she doesn't want that."

"Son, you and I know that our marriage was never based on romance. It was a business transaction, nothing more."

"But you did care for her, didn't you?"

"I was fond of her, yes. But as of she for me…" Lucius sighed, looking sadly at his shoes, "it cannot be said the same."

"I see. Well, I'm sorry then."

The older Malfoy nodded his head in gratitude. To say Draco was caught of guard would be accurate. He knew his parents had never had a blooming marriage like the ones in fairytales, but he certainly thought they cared for one another. Apparently, that was not the case.

"Do you need anything from me?"

"Just to make sure your mother makes this an easy separation. Divorce is uncommon in our world. I wish not for it to be public and put more negative spotlight on our family."

"I can do that." Draco paused, staring at his father. He looked bloody awful. "You look like piss."

Lucius sighed again. "The divorce was not the only thing I wished to speak to you about."

"What else is there?"

The older man straightened himself in the chair, attempting to appear more robust than he knew he was. "I am…from my understanding…fading."

Draco's eyes went wide. "That's a myth."

"It is not, apparently. It is rare, almost unheard of, but a possibility nonetheless."

Well shit.

…

After his father left, Draco had turned his chair to stare out the window at the bleak, grey sky that threatened rain. He heard the door open but did not acknowledge the presence. He assumed it was Kerli.

"So…what was that about? If you don't mind me asking."

Draco pursed his lips before turning himself around. "I need you to find me all the books on elven myths. Not your basic elf but the fantastical ones."

"Sure. Are you going to answer my question first?"

"Not until I had a solid idea of what I'm dealing with. You search the old Malfoy resources, ones that my father hasn't. As for me…I'll start looking elsewhere."

"Have you thought about muggle London?"

Draco had certainly not thought about that as he gave Kerli an annoyed look. "No. I doubt muggles know about the legends of high elves."

"Is that prejudice I hear?"

"What..no…it's just…no…I'm not…"

Kerli laughed. "I'm kidding. I know you're no a bigoted little swot anymore. You're an ignorant big swot. Here, let me write down an address for you to check out. It's a little store in muggle London. The woman who runs it is a genius. If anyone can help you find what you need, it's her. She's a doll too. I go there for any questions I have."

"Thanks." Draco checked his calendar. October 18. A sigh escaped him. "Cancel my lessons for today. This is more important."

"Of course."

With that, Draco grabbed his coat, threw it on and left his office to find this little shop titled, W&W ~ Wonder and Wander.

…

Hermione stared at her kettle in her little office in the back of her shop. A veela book laid to the side of her hand. She had been perusing it, already quite familiar with the facts of the script, but still mulling over some of the qualities and signs of finding one's mate. Hermione wasn't overly concerned…but a small part of her remained worried. What if she never found her mate? What if they rejected her?

There were too many factors with no positive conclusions. Ugh, thinking about her possibility of impending doom gave her a headache. The kettle screeched, and Hermione made her cuppa before grabbing the book and moving to the front desk. She settled herself in the middle, an eye on both sides of the store, before losing herself in the pages. One of the bells rang but Hermione ignored it. It was from the muggle side, and all of her customers who were muggle were regulars and knew the witch fairly well. There was no need to be hospitable when she was digesting the ink in front of her.

Apparently, the customer disagreed and soon a pale hand came to rest beside her book. Hermione was a tad miffed at the action. "You can just ring the bell." She muttered before lifting her head.

Her eyes blinked, once, twice before she rubbed them fiercely. Perhaps she was seeing things. Her lids fluttered open once more. Nope. No, she was not. In front of her, stood Draco Malfoy, who had come in from the muggle side.

"Granger stop staring. It's unbecoming."

And there it was. The annoying little shit that he was. Seemingly, his bullying habits had not left him. "What do you want Malfoy?" she asked, a hint of malice in her tone.

"Relax Granger. I'm not here to bully you. I'm looking for a few books. A friend recommended this place to me."

"Which friend?" she spoke with an eyebrow raised. If he was going to be rude, she certainly would not make it easy for him.

"Kerli Haus."

Hermione's grew wide. "Your friends with Kerli Haus?!"

Malfoy looked affronted. "Yes Granger."

"But she's…she was a Hufflepuff."

"So?"

"Well…you just…Slytherins hate Hufflepuffs."

The blond rolled his eyes. "Semantics." A flicker of a smile crossed his face before he resumed is usual sneer. "Now, can you help me find this book or not?"

"The great Malfoy needing my help?"

She smirked as she watched Malfoy's face furrow. He was irked. "Whatever Granger, I'll do it myself."

She watched him begin to walk away and she sighed. With a curious stare, the brunette watched him move through the shelves, looking more the lost the further he went. And Hermione, well, she was always a sucker for a lost cause. "Damnit." she muttered before leaving the till and walking to the rigid blond. "Let me help you Malfoy. You know nothing about my shop. You'll lose one of my books, or worse…break one of them. What are you looking for?"

The blond looked at her strangely and Hermione stood there, her face telling him just to spit it out. Eventually, he relented. "I need books on elven mythologies."

The brunette furrowed her brow. "Okay…Give me a moment. There isn't a lot of stuff on that topic, but I think I know of where to start."

She left his side, moving to the back to the store to the miscellaneous books. She scoured the novels, moving titles aside to look at other ones. "Ah! Here it is!" she pulled it out, tenderly rubbing the title with her thumb. "Evanescence." She held it out to him. "This book focuses on mythical beings and their rituals and beliefs. They mention high elves. I assume that's what you're looking for since a common elf has copious amounts of sources for it."

"Thanks." Malfoy reached out to grasp the book from Hermione. As he did so, his fingers lightly brushed hers and her eyes flashed gold. Hermione pulled back drastically and then feigned the action. "Let me ring that up for you." and she rushed to the till.

What had just happened?

…

After Malfoy had left Hermione stood in shock at her till. Her hands had gone deathly white, her face pale and she knew if she looked in a mirror her eyes would be solid gold. "No, no, no, no…it can't be him." she whispered to nothing. Or, at least she though it was nothing until someone answered her mutterings.

"What can't be him?"

Hermione head shot straight up and looked to the voice. Luna stood before her, dressed whimsically as usual with unnaturally observant eyes, staring at her intrusively.

The brunette collapsed onto the front desk. "It's him. I'm doomed."

Luna tilted her head as she came to Hermione's side. "I'm a little confused worm. Who is it? Wait…you said it's him…does that mean you found your mate?"

Hands dragged themselves over the brunette's face as she rose herself to a sitting position. "I think I might close early. I need a drink and I certainly can't drink at work." She turned to face her friend. "You have incredibly convenient timing Owly." Hermione grinned at the nickname.

Luna smiled serenely. "Shall we head to your flat? I suppose you'll want to talk about what happened."

Hermione sighed, running a hand through her lion's mane. "Most definitely." She moved to the doors, locking each one as quickly as possible. She flipped the signs and then grabbed her things. "C'mon. We'll floo there."

Luna nodded and joined the witch at the fireplace. They stepped in, as Hermione grabbed some powder. She threw it down while shouting "My flat!" And in a puff of green smoke, they were gone.

…

Draco stood in his flat, mulling over the strange discovery he had made. He certainly had not expected Granger, of all people, to be working in a muggle bookshop. Didn't she work at the ministry? The blond shook his head. He had other matters to attend to. Tightly holding onto the recommendation from the Gryffindor, the Slytherin sat himself down in front of his fireplace, flicking his wand to light it while opening the book to it's table of contents. He scanned the script to find significant words until he landed on Elves. He opened to the given page and began to read aloud, a nasty habit of his according to his father and Kerli.

"The third clan of elves is the Teleri or, the Sindar 'Grey Elves.' The Teleri are unusually beautiful and the only difference between the men and women is the means of reproduction." Draco paused. He scanned further down until he settled on what he sought after. "Like all High Elves, the Teleri are similar to men except for their immortality and their understanding of marriage. While men may marry more than one, a Teleri, like other High Elves, will bond to one. Many have questioned whether high elves have gene similar to Veelas that causes the need to bond with one individual, but the notion was quickly dismissed. Veelas are too close to being animals while High Elves are closer to being men."

The blond sighed. While the information was relevant it didn't quite explain the idea behind fading. But…there were some things that stuck out which made Draco wonder about his father's parentage. He had many traits, that according to this book, were Teleri.

His floo flashed then and Draco wondered who could be bothering him at this hour. Of course, it was none other than Kerli, who's glasses were askew, and she awkwardly stumbled out of his fireplace, bringing an abnormal amount of soot with her.

"Sorry."

"Kerli, it is 5 in the evening. You know I don't like to be bothered past four. What is it?"

"I'll excuse your grouchy attitude for a hormonal imbalance. However, I did manage to find something interesting…wait…what book do you have?"

"It's called Evanescence."

"Oh. Have you read page 267?"

"No. Why?"

Kerli grinned. "You'll want to. I was going to bring you the copy I found but it appears you've got one yourself. Did Hermione give it to you?"

"She did."

Kerli nodded. "Isn't she brilliant? One word and that's all it takes for her to get your what you need. I love that woman."

Draco chose to ignore the fawning of Granger. Who cared how brilliant she was when his father had some mystical ailment? Not him certainly. The blond did as his secretary suggested, opening the book to the designated page. His brow furrowed as he absorbed the ink.

"Fading is the sign of an elf who has no partner. The usual cause is that their partner passed on, sailing away to Valinor leaving the elf pining in loss. The other is that they elf has not yet found their other and believes they never will. The final, at rarest of the three, is that the elf has found their partner but firmly believes they can not bond with them. Fading occurs different for each elf, but the result is the same. Eventually, one day, the elf will have passed on. Fading is not a painful way of death, but it is emotionally toiling if all hope is lost."

Draco sighed. "So, what? My father is fading because he lost my mother? She's with him now. Why can't he just stay with her? Though, I suppose from our conversation earlier that isn't a possibility. Then again…he could have met his mate when he was younger before the marriage came into effect."

"Doesn't you pops know?"

The blond shook his head. "Not that he's told me."

"Have you asked?"

"Well…no."

Kerli rolled her eyes. "Might be the place to start. You know…I bet you could learn more from novels about Veelas."

"I suppose. There were studies done to see if High Elves and Veelas shared a gene."

"It makes sense. I mean, Veelas spend their whole life searching for their mate. If they don't find them then they do what's known as pining. It's pretty much fading but instead in a more animalistic sense I guess. Veelas are just as breathtaking as High Elves they just have significant other. High Elves can have multiple options, they just choose the one best fitting them."

Draco thought about what Kerli had said. She had made some enlightening points. "I suppose you're right. I guess I'll go see my father then."

"Good idea. Oh! You know, I bet we could get Hermione to help us with this."

That made Draco stop in this tracks. He turned around to look at Kerli, his whole posture stiff in distaste. "That, is a terrible idea."

"Why not? She's intelligent, and she knows a heck of a lot about mythical creatures. You know she wanted to work in the creature department at the Ministry? Don't know why she didn't go for it but she'll be full of all sorts of useful knowledge that we'll probably need."

"No Kerli. We have a colourful history."

"It can't be that bad."

Draco gave her a droll look. "She hates me."

Kerli chuckled. "Hermione doesn't hate anyone. Sure, she can vent her immense dislike about her next-door neighbour but actually hating someone? Nah, she leaves that to the Voldemort fanatics."

The blond shook his head. "No. That's non-negotiable. We do this on our own."

Kerli sighed. "Sure boss, whatever you say."

Draco nodded solemnly as he got up from his chair, placing the book on the table and walking past Kerli to the kitchen. "Thank you for this. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Of course. See you tomorrow."

Kerli watched as Draco disappeared and with a gleam in her eye, flooed herself away to a different location.

…

"So, Draco Malfoy is your mate."

"It would appear so."

"Did you double check?"

"Well…no."

"Hermione Granger not double checking? Will wonders never cease."

The brunette huffed while rolling her eyes. "It was so sudden. I panicked. Plus, it's Malfoy. Merlin knows touching him, freely, would be a sign of insanity."

Luna shrugged. "Maybe. But it could have been a fluke. I remember reading in one of your books that Veelas will be drawn to things resembling their mates. It's like a way of hinting what you should look for. Maybe Draco has qualities that your mate has."

Hermione pondered the possibility. "It must be a fluke. There is no way I would be drawn to Malfoy intentionally. I just need to figure out what it was that made me freak out."

Luna sipped her tea to hide her amused smile. If only Hermione saw her eyes shining bright gold at the mere saying of Draco's name. Luna had always called the blond Draco, but in this moment chose to say it intentionally, just to see the reaction from the veela. And, as she suspected, despite the brunette's ignorance her veela was certainly aware and from the understanding of the species, was beginning to stir a vengeance.

Hermione was going to be certainly surprised by her heritage. A strange feeling then came over the Ravenclaw and she turned to the fireplace to see it glowing green. "Hermione…"

"Yes?"

"Were you expecting someone?"

"No. Why?"

"Well…your floo is active."

Hermione frowned. "Someone's trying to get in. It wouldn't be Harry, he's not home and it's not Ginny, she's in France for her tournament. Strange. Give me a moment."

The Gryffindor stood up and went to her fireplace to see who was attempting to come in. She waved her wand, momentarily adjusting the floo to let the person come in. "Aren't you worried about it being a fanatic?"

"No. My wards are quite strong. They'll keep anyone with ill-intentions out." Hermione put away her wand and waiting for the arrival. Out of nowhere, a bright green flash occurred and out stumbling came none other than Kerli, one of Hermione's regulars.

"Kerli! What are you doing here?"

"Hey Hermione. Oh, hello. Didn't see you there. I'm Kerli, Hermione's favourite customer." Said the older witch whose hand was stuck out facing Luna. The blonde smiled and shook it. "Luna."

"Oh, your friends with Draco, aren't you?"

"I am. I'm assuming you are?"

Kerli nodded, grinning. "Amongst other things. Hey, I heard you had a run in with him. He wasn't meek, was he?"

Hermione looked incredulously at Kerli. "Hardly."

"Good. He told me you two had a rough history. Didn't explain the details, not that I asked or anything."

"Kerli…how do you know Malfoy?"

"Oh. He's my boss."

"You work for him!?"

"Yup."

"What does he even do?"

"Mostly freelance work with tutoring on the side. Why? Is it important?"

Hermione gaped and quickly shut her mouth. "Uh no. Not really." Luna simply continued sitting at the table amused at the whole situation. "How awkward." she thought. "Hermione trying to learn more about Malfoy unintentionally. Looks like her veela is already on the move."

"right Well. As to why I'm here. Hermione, I need your help. Well, not me per say but…well…read this." Kerli thrusted a book into Hermione's hands. She looked at the cover and realized it was the book she had given Malfoy. "Um…"

"You know about fading right?"

"Yes. What about it?"

"I'm not certain, but I'm pretty sure Lucius is fading."

"Lucius who…wait…Malfoy? Lucius Malfoy?"

"Yes. Draco, he's worried. Dutifully so, and if he loses it father it's going to hurt him. Majorly. And I can't see him go through that kind of anguish. He doesn't deserve that pain, not after the war."

Hermione looked at the book in her hands and then to her friend, before staring and Luna. The Ravenclaw shrugged as she spoke. "How long do we have?"

"I don't know. Draco doesn't know what cause it, the idiot didn't ask. Then again, he didn't even tell me about his father. I figured it our. Hermione, you're the brightest witch of our age. Can you help? Please? I don't know who to ask without alerting the media."

"I…" sputtered out the brunette, still in shock from the revelation. She found her heart hammering and words incoherent as the attempted to free themselves from her mouth.

"Look, I know you two have a difficult past or something but…I need this. He needs this. Consider it a way to satisfy your endless curiosity. Think about what you could learn! About an elven myth!" said Kerli, in a desperate attempt to convince the brunette to help Draco. Hermione looked once more to Luna for a bit of guidance.

"She'll do it."

"Luna!" Finally, words could come out.

"Hermione, Worm, consider this your opportunity to double check."

Hermione crossed her arms, her eyebrows fuming to the idea. "Seriously?"

"Draco needs our help Worm."

Luna watched as those eyes flashed gold and Hermione turned her eyes to Kerli, in almost a trance. "We'll do what we can." The older woman nodded in thanks. "Okay. Draco has no idea I told you so…well…I'll figure out how to tell him. I'll see you tomorrow."

With that Kerli disappeared into the fire and flooed away. The moment she was gone Hermione shook her head, as if a fog was lifting. "What in bloody hell just happened?"

Luna chuckled. "You're getting your double check."

"Right. Merlin this better not bite me in the arse."

…