Round 10 of QL...already. I had to write about the Beast Division (Department for the Regualtion and Control of Magical Creatures).
Important: This story contains SLASH! Don't like it, don't read it ;) Just saying.
Prompts:
2. (word) tickled
12. (word) onwards
GO PUDDLES!
Have fun reading :D
The Unexpected Heritage
"Rise and shine, love," said the most loving, beautiful and at the moment most annoying and irritating voice I have ever heard in my entire life.
Grumbling, I turned around and buried my face into the softest pillow I could find. It smelled fresh, like flowers and air. I smiled happily and started to drift slowly back to sleep. The edges of my consciousness became fuzzy, my focus on the nearly forgotten dream of one black-haired wizard lying at the shore of the Black Lake, with only a pair of swim trunks on…
…when a burst of sunlight hit me straight in the face.
I flinched, trying to - unsuccessfully - wrench the blanket in front of my sore eyes. "Ahh, what the…"
"Wake up, Draco, breakfast is ready."
Harry's sparkling green eyes appeared in front of my grumbling face. He winked at me, kissed my cheek and stole my blanket.
"Oi! Give that back!" I reached forward, only to be pulled onto my feet.
"No way," he laughed his amazing laugh, his voice rich and low, causing warm butterflies to race through my system, landing in my groin, stomach and cheeks, warming all of these areas in both the right and very wrong way.
"Come on and get ready," he said, totally not seeing the beet red and extremely unmanly colour my cheeks had adopted, or just choosing wisely to ignore it, so I could at least keep some of my manliness and self-respect for later destruction. "Breakfast is ready and…"
He blinked as a loud bang could be heard from downstairs. I raised my eyebrow and ignored the way the butterflies were playing Quidditch inside my stomach as I watched the handsome wizard's eyes in front of me double in size. "…you got an owl that just ruined our breakfast," he mumbled and hurried out of the room, dragging my precious blanket with him.
*~*DMHP*~*
Grumbling, I tried to push a lone strand of white-blond hair back, without throwing a fit of rage when it decided to jump back onto my forehead, where it tickled my temple like there was no tomorrow. I glared at the mirror.
"It's no use, my dear boy. Have you used a charm yet?"
My eyes narrowed as I tried to stare the mirror to death. Everyone knew that charms only did so much to your hair. Everyone knew that – well, except maybe one raven-haired wizard who was enjoying his time downstairs with my blanket and whose hair was a lost cause anyway.
First, Harry's over enthusiastic behaviour after such a wonderful and special night like the last one and now this. All I want to do is cuddle, is that too much to ask for? I thought miffed, not wasting one more thought on the fact that Malfoys do not cuddle. Merlin, what is wrong with me? Absentmindedly, I scratched my itchy shoulder blade.
I huffed, shot a last glare in the mirror's direction and marched my way down into the kitchen where my dear darling of a boyfriend tried to get an explanation and probably an apology out of a barn owl that was staring at him with confused and slightly annoyed amber eyes.
Everywhere around Harry and the stupid bird, the floor was covered in extremely deliciously smelling scrambled eggs, bacon, muffins and pumpkin juice. I hated that bird.
"It's not going to do as you tell it to," I said, cautiously walking through the battlefield of destroyed food and reached behind him to grab onto the blanket which was still in Harry's vice like grip.
"I know that," he sniffed as he glanced at the irritated looking owl on our kitchen table.
Feeling extremely satisfied as I managed to pry the soft feather blanket out of Harry's claws of doom – never mess with a Malfoy before he's fully awake – I decided to take mercy on him and turned towards the owl. It had an official looking letter clutched between its talons, the deep blue symbol unmistakably from my least favourite institution of Great Britain – the Ministry of Magic.
"What is it they want now?" I sighed as I dropped the blanket next to my chair and strolled over to Harry's side, who had just shooed the rude owl out of the kitchen window. I had done my duties in charity and social work, just like the Wizengamot had told me to right after the war. That's what father was good for – steal the last of my free time. He even managed that while rotting in prison.
"I don't know," Harry said, walking slowly towards the wooden table, never taking his eyes off the parchment in his hands. His brilliant eyes met my rather boring looking ones as he gave me the Ministry letter. "It's yours. You read it. I'm sure it's nothing too serious," his voice was calm, his smile gentle, his lips way too soft and enticing looking for his own good.
I blinked and took a deep breath as I opened the heavy parchment the envelope was made out of.
Dear Mr. Malfoy,
I pushed the letter back into the envelope and thrusted it into Harry's direction. "No, you open it. Please."
Confused, he took the parchment out of my slightly clammy hands, pulled it out of the envelope and began to read.
I watched as his eyes narrowed slightly, just to quadruplicate in size right afterwards. He stared at the yellowish parchment in his hands, his pink lips slightly open. I frowned and moved a step towards him.
"Well?" I asked nervously, not really wanting to hear the answer, but wanting to hear it nevertheless. When did I become so complicated? I didn't even understand my own thoughts anymore. "What does it say?"
Harry raised his head slowly and zoned his eyes in on mine. His brilliant green gaze caused tingles to shoot through my body so abruptly that I winced.
"It's from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures," he said in a low voice, his eyes never leaving mine.
"The Beast Division?" I frowned.
"Exactly. They ask you to come by next week."
That didn't make any sense whatsoever. "Why would they do that?" I asked confused and scratched my damn shoulder blade. I should go and see a healer soon, I decided as I took a seat at the wooden kitchen table, which was still splattered with parts of our destroyed breakfast. Damn that owl!
Harry took a few steps towards my chair and knelt down in front of me, the parchment in his hands trembling slightly. "They say it's due to your heritage," he whispered, searching my face for any reactions that might tell him I knew all along.
"What heritage?" I blinked at him owlishly. I didn't understand a word he was saying.
"Draco," he lowered his eye lids, so it looked as if his eyes only contained the colour bright green. It was creepy as hell. "Did your parents ever tell you anything about possible Veela ancestors in your family lineage?"
What? I froze. I couldn't blink or swallow or move or breathe. A Veela? Me? No. No, that must be some kind of misunderstanding. There's absolutely no way that I could be half-human. Mother and father would rip their hair out if they were to find out, if they had been told there was a magical creature in our pure family history of only wizards and witches of the purest and finest blood there was. There was absolutely no way that I could be…
"Draco, breathe!"
I gulped in a huge amount of air and felt the dizziness slowly leave my brain. I could blink again. I turned my head and frowned at a concerned looking Harry who was still kneeling in front of me, one hand resting on my knee, the other on my cheek. Their warmth seeped right through my skin, into my veins and onwards to each and every little part of my body, concentrating in my groin. I groaned. Not again.
"How is it even possible?" I whispered, leaning forward slightly. I inhaled Harry's calming scent.
"You didn't know about this?" Harry's voice was caring and low. He was obviously trying not to scare me into running away and screaming like a little girl. Malfoys don't scream or run away. Especially not at the same time. They just don't.
"No, of course not," I looked at him with a deep frown on my otherwise flawless and angle-like alabaster skin. "I would have told you if I did."
Harry nodded slowly. "Of course, you would have. I'm sorry." He smiled sheepishly in my direction, causing the butterflies to tap-dance. "I know you would have told me. It's just so…"
"Unexpected?"
He laughed and und pulled me towards him. The kiss that followed left me breathless. "Exactly," he chuckled as he pulled away way too soon, if you'd ask me.
"You know what?" He stood up and helped me onto my feet. "I'll firecall Hermione. She works in that department and I'm sure she'll help us. Or at least tell us what to expect."
Ah, Granger. Of course, I could have thought about that wicked, way too intelligent for her own good, muggleborn witch. Yes, I have worked on my vocabulary, thank you very much.
"Do you think she would help me? I mean, we still don't really get along that well," I mumbled embarrassed. That was an understatement. She hated me. She did her best to overcome our not so peachy looking history – another understatement – and see me for who I really was, but it was taking her so much effort that I slowly started to believe it was going to take a while before she could handle to be in a room with me and not trying to do wandless and deathly magic.
He smiled sadly and pressed a light and loving kiss onto my forehead. "I'm sure she will," he whispered, pushing the stray strand of hair behind my ear. I scowled. "She just needs some time to get along with the current situation."
"With 'current situation' you mean the last two years, right?"
He grinned at me, winked and left me wondering about the unfairness of social relationships.
*~*DMHP*~*
Granger glared at me as if I had killed her whole family in one day and made her watch. I gulped. I was used to that look, yes, but it didn't mean that I liked it. I wanted her to like me – or at least accept me. I wasn't that stupid to actually believe that she would someday like me. A man can have hopes.
"Tell me again why I should help him exactly," her voice was arrogant as she turned to the most loving and lovable person I knew. You don't talk to him that way! Not even Granger! It just wasn't right.
"He got a letter from your department earlier this morning, saying that he had to come to a hearing due to his newly acquired heritage," Harry answered calmly, a gentle and peaceful smile decorated his soft lips. I swallowed. God, how much I loved that man.
Herm – Granger sniffed and turned her glare back towards me. I pushed all of my strength, conviction and energy into the corners of my mouth, only to stop right away as I saw Harry wince. Ah, no more forced smiles for me.
I nodded to Granger, to show her my support for Harry's announcement. That's how you act around a woman like her. Act as if you don't feel the slightest bit nervous in her presence and don't care one bit that she tried to murder you with her fierce gaze only. No, Draco, don't gulp! Show no fear!
"All right."
I choked. "What?"
"I said all right," she hissed with narrowed eyes. Okay, I just gulped.
"I heard what you said," there was no reason why I should kiss my self-respect goodbye just yet.
"Then don't act as if you're deaf."
Indignant, I opened my mouth to shoot back an equally uncivil reply as a burst of heat stopped me from doing that. Harry's hand squeezed my shoulder slightly as he smiled at his long-time best friend. "Brilliant!"
I blinked at him owlishly. What the devil was going on here? Was everyone losing their minds right now? I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm my inner, slightly more malicious than necessary voice down.
"I've heard from your case, Malfoy," her voice ripped me out of my calming breathing technique and caused me to swallow way too much air at once.
Harry frowned. "And why didn't you tell him? Or me for that matter?"
Granger sighed. "Because I am not supposed to be talking about ongoing cases," she said, as if talking to a three year old. "I'm still not supposed to."
"Well, what am I supposed to do then, according to your opinion?" I asked timidly, as to not aggravate her any further.
Her glare zoned in on me. "Follow their instructions, of course."
"So, you mean that I should just go there and let them decide my future as a half-human? Just like that?"
Granger sighed and massaged the bridge of her nose with two fingers. "They aren't going to throw you into Azkaban, Malfoy."
"Well, why don't you tell us then what they'll do during this hearing," Harry dragged a chair beside mine and sat down. "I called you because we need your help, 'Mione."
Granger lowered her hand and studied us for a long moment. Her gaze stopped at Harry's hand that rested on top of my knee. She sighed. "Nothing bad is going to happen," her voice was soft. I didn't know she could sound like that. "They're just going to ask him a few questions like 'Did you know about your heritage beforehand?' or 'Why didn't you register as a Veela?'. They won't condemn him for what he is."
She raised her head and looked me in the eye. It took all of my strength and all of the strange heat radiating from Harry's hand to not flinch away from her. "Everything's going to be okay. It's just a formality they have to complete before you can continue with your life like you used to." Was that a smile on her face? I gulped. That was even more frightening than the death glares she usually sent my way.
I tried to smile back, only remembering too late that it probably looked like I wanted to kill her for real. I winced as her smiled vanished and Harry's hand squeezed my knee.
I laughed. It sounded a little bit desperate.
Harry shot Herm- Granger a look and jerked his head unmistakably in my direction. He obviously thought I didn't see. I sulked even more after that.
"It's going to be all right, Malf- Dra…co?" It sounded more like a forced, somewhat painful question than something that's supposed to reassure me. "You'll see, they'll just ask a few innocent questions."
"See?" Harry's voice was chipper. I scowled at him. He didn't have to deal with the knowledge of being a freshly awakened Veela. Those heat waves from his touches, those hyperactive butterflies, the confusing thoughts, the constant sexual reaction of my body that I can't seem to be able to control whatsoever and those damn titillative shoulder blades that I just want to scratch out of my body… I let my head droop and sighed loudly. I hated my life. Well, not all of it obviously, but right now it was very difficult to convince myself of that little unimportant fact…
Granger and Harry exchanged one of those looks that contained a whole, complex discussion that for the life of me I couldn't – and still can't for that matter – manage to figure out. Granger sniffed, crossed her arms over her chest and leaned forward slightly, so that her eyes would be on the same level as mine, was I to decide to raise my head.
A soft finger pushed my head up gently. I blinked. Harry nodded encouragingly.
Granger smiled at me and – I think my heart stopped there for a second when that happened – took hold of my hands. "Trust me," she said in a low and gentle voice, her smile soft and honest. "I won't let anything happen to you. I swear."
Oh well, there's still some way to go before we can overcome our history. But maybe this little interaction is the beginning of a long-lasting friendship between us.
Hah! Don't make me laugh!
Word count: 2767
I hope you liked it! Please leave a comment. I love reading and answering them ^.^ See ya!