A/N: I do not own Harry Potter.


Draco Malfoy stared with distaste at the glass of red wine in his hand. He refused to be played like a fool by the group of elders sitting in front of him. Glaring at the calm liquid, he spoke quietly:

"I refuse," looking up, he stared across the large table at his father and the surrounding men, "There will be no more debate about this issue."

The elder sitting to his right hesitated, before speaking, "Draco, you must realize the delicate situation that has been placed before us."

Draco's fingers clinched around the fine glass for a split second before releasing.

"As the future leader of this council and the Veela community," he continued, "you must not be allowed to participate. It is for your safety."

"This event is sacred is it not?" Draco drawled, "You have all made that very clear to me. I know my duties. Trust me Dominique, I do not wish to participate in the squabble either."

"Then what is the problem," Lucius Malfoy's voice rang clear throughout the council room.

"Father, I am very much aware of how this will play out." Draco paused slightly before withdrawing his fingers from his temple, gazing up with tired eyes he continued:

"You have all selected submissives with your own profit in mind, then fought amongst yourselves before agreeing to one. Tomorrow, when I am led into the clearing, my choice would have been already decided while you sit there in your high table feigning as if I had a choice." Taking a big gulp from the bitter wine, he slammed the remains on the table.

"Draco, it has been an honor for our family that you have been selected as the successor." His father's tone had warning laced throughout the calmly spoken words, "If you were giving free reign to select your mate, it could potentially be disastrous."

Dominique nodded, "A submissive from a low class family would be unsuitable and could potentially bring unrest within the remaining community." He calmly spread his hands out in front of him, as if demonstrating the cards he held to an opponent, "I have had my mate selected for me, as have the previous leaders of the Veela clan. It is to preserve our ways."

"And I am to have freedom taken away from me." Draco whispered quietly. "I am to subject myself to the will of the council and become a prisoner."

"That is what it means to lead," Dominique looked suddenly much more aged as he continued, "You have been chosen from birth Draco. The union of your father and mother ensured the strength of the Veela blood that runs in you. "

Draco breathed calmly to clear his mind. No, it did not matter who she is. Power is much more important and she will ensure he maintains favor amongst the elders. Love is a weakness. As long as she will subdue his lustful urges throughout the mating season, he didn't give a damn whether she was gold digging whore or not.

No, what concerned him more was the realization that he is beginning to lose control of his own life. The group of men sitting around him held chains to his hands and was playing him like a puppet.

An elder sitting to his father's right that Draco recognized as the Keeper of Laws spoke for the first time, "If you were permitted to participate in the event, there is always a chance you may select a less than suitable mate."

Draco sneered, "My veela senses are not so dull Keeper, as to prevent me from identifying the strongest mate in the area."

"No," the old man conceded, "But it is her heritage and family standing which concerns us. Veela laws also dictate that what happens in the designated clearing area cannot be held accountable against any Dominant. If you were to be injured, either accidentally or by design…"

"ENOUGH!" Draco roared, pushing himself up from the table "I am not weak." He hissed through silted eyes.

"The decision has already been made Draco," his father sharply, "It had been made long before you were born. Proper measures had been taken to ensure the cooperation of the submissive's family. Our efforts cannot go to waste. This was not a debatable issue to begin with. You WILL present yourself at the clearing tomorrow and you WILL claim the mate we selected."

Dominique looked at Draco, his shimmery white hair somehow seemed more faded, "You know our customs Draco. Tomorrow is the start of the mating season. As the first in line for leadership, no dominant will be permitted to enter into the clearing before you are mated."

Closing his eyes briefly, Draco gripped the edge of the table before straightening himself to his full height. Sneering down at the spilled wine in front of him, he whispered sharply, "Make sure she is not ugly."

Turning, he swirled his white robes in a fashion that would have made his potions professor proud before pushing the large Victorian style doors open and marching out of the room.

Moments of silence passed before one of the elders spoke.

"Has the submissive been secured?"

"Yes," Lucius said nodding; "After all, forced poverty has great power on one's perspective."

"I was told that her parents had refused our offer even after all their family funds and inheritance were taken away."

"They are strong willed," Lucius said with a smirk, "but pressure at the ministry has ensured that they are never offered above a minimum income. They have resigned themselves to this long ago. After all, why else would they have still tried to bear a submissive child after all their previous attempts have landed them with children who were dominant?"

Dominique nodded, "She has been taken to the clearing and prepared. I have been told that she put up quite a fight," he chuckled slightly, "I may not always agree with your methods of securing things Lucius, but they are effective."

"The Clan above all," Lucius whispered, raising his wine class to the ceiling.

"The Clan above all." The others said in unison, following his lead.


Draco felt the beads of sweat pouring down his forehead as the urge overtook him in waves. Running through the maze that will lead to the clearing, he can smell the submissive's scent in the air and it was driving him mad with desire.

His mind only wearily registered that there were other enclosed gazebos around him, each housing a different submissive. Their enclosing spelled so he would be unable to smell their presence, leaving him with only one choice.

Pushing forward, he finally stumbled across the one he was looking for. His mind too glazed with lust and need to care that he was doing exactly what the elders wanted. Reaching his pale hands forward he ripped the curtains open and burst into the room.

There, sitting amongst the pillows and lighted candles was his future mate. Her small frame was enshrouded in a white robe which covered her completely yet seem to reveal everything.

Draco stared for a moment into her defiant eyes and paused in shock as he recognized the fiery red hair and the pretty face of Ginny Weasly. Before his mind could analyze the situation, he felt his body react as he lunged towards her.