A/N: IMPORTANT NOTICE: ALL THOUGHTS ARE IN ITALICS.

This chapter is for the two gorgeous people who reviewed on my first chapter.

And of course, thank you to my Betaaaaaaa –kisses-

Chapter two: Support.

There was complete silence. It was so absolute that one could hear it shrieking through the room. Everyone had their eyes on Professor Slughorn after his astonishing exclamation. His shaking finger was in the air pointed straight at Hermione.

"W-What?" Hermione whispered.

"Maria, my student... Yes, her aunt, she was one too." Professor Slughorn spoke softly. Hermione flinched at the word 'too'.

"Elaborate, Mr Slughorn." The Headmistress spoke.

"My student once told me. A similar glow had enveloped her aunt back when she was in her late twenties. Upon research they found out that she had the rare Veela gene. But she was half human so it affected her differently." Hermione stared at him blankly. "They found she had to find her mate quickly and perform the ritual or else there would be death." Gasps sounded. Hermione felt her knees weaken and she mouthed the word 'death'. Hagrid looked very disturbed. "Her health had started deteriorating afterwards. It took her three weeks to find her mate, and another to convince him. They've been married eight years now."

There was silence.

"I… I need…" Hermione spoke. They all turned to look at her.

"I need to go to the library." She spoke, got up and dashed outside the infirmary.

She kept running. Her bushy hair flowing behind her, her cheeks flushed and her hand clutched her bag tightly. Breathing came in raspy gasps and her chest started hurting. Only then did she stop.

She leant against the wall of the empty corridor, placing her forehead against the cool marble, panting softly.

Me? A half Veela? That's not possible. Professor Slughorn probably mixed our symptoms. Yes. That's it. I'll go research on half Veelas and prove that his assumptions are incorrect and it's just my magic steering up…

Hermione paused and shook her head. She was being illogical about this and this wasn't part of who she was at all. She needed to be practical about this situation. That would be the best thing to do. She sighed and stood straight. Thrusting her chin up, she strode to the library, the Head Girl badge gleaming brightly on her chest.

Soon she was seated right at the back of the library at her favourite table surrounded by books she had found at every possible aisle. She wouldn't want to miss even the tiniest information on Veelas. She took a deep breath and began to read. Her eyebrows knit together with tension as she flipped page after page.

Harry and Ron found her in the library in the same position she had been at several times in her life: huddled in a chair surrounded by books. They were both worried about her and had been shocked to see that she had skipped all other classes for the day. They had gone around the school highly panicked trying to find the curly haired witch.

"Hermione! Bloody Hell, where have you been all day?!" Ron yelled and was greeted by an angry, 'Keep it down boy, it's a library' by Madam Pince. Harry elbowed the other wizard not wanting to be flung off the astronomy tower for disrupting the haven of books.

When Hermione finally looked up from her book, the boys noticed the unusual fear in her eyes. Startled, they sank in the chairs next to her and put their arms around her shoulders.

"What happened 'Mione?" Ron asked suddenly subdued.

There was a long pause. It hung in the atmosphere till Hermione admitted, "I'm a half Veela."

Confusion. Such a small word to describe what the boys felt at that specific moment. In the morning the day was like any other. Ron had woken up with a grumbling stomach as usual which he had temporarily sated by eating like a famine stricken person at a feast. Harry, on the other hand, spent the morning awestruck at Ron's appetite even after all these years. They could have never foretold that they would be sitting in the library hours later hearing their best friend state that she was a half Veela.

"Hermione, what in Merlin's name are you saying?" Harry said astonished.

"E-Exactly what I said." Her voice shook a little. "I've been doing research all morning."

"Can you please elaborate a bit?" Harry asked. Hermione turned and took a parchment from the table she had been scribbling notes on. She began explaining to the pair of confused -or rather completely mind boggled- young men.

"The Veela gene is a mutation which occurs extremely rarely." She started. "Even if a bloodline holds the gene it's very rare for it to be dominant. All accounts held similar symptoms. The peak of every Veela is from the small age of ten till they mate."

"The peak?" Ron interrupted.

"The peak of magic: half Veelas are very powerful wizards and witches."

"If there was ever a powerful witch it was you Hermione. Blimey! Is that the reason?" Ron exclaimed.

"Probably." She said softly.

"Hogwash. Our Hermione works hard, that's why she's powerful." Harry said proudly. Hermione gave him a hesitant smile. "What happens to the magic after mating? Does it decline? Won't that just be bloody weird?"

"The height of power after mating starts to focus more on the protection of their mate and any offspring they may have." Hermione spoke quietly. She was weirdly calm.

"Mate?" Ron asked the dreaded question.

"Veelas mate for life. Half Veelas mate to live." Hermione spoke softly. There was silence as both the wizards tried to absorb her words into their minds. Predictably, Ron broke the silence with a few choice words.

"What in the name of Merlin's baggiest Y fronts do you mean?!"

"The power that a Veela has is above normal. A normal human body cannot take the epitome of raw energy. When the power reaches its highest, it starts to burn the body out." Harry and Ron looked disturbed by her small articulation. "When the height is achieved, the half Veela…" She paused to take a small, shaky breath, "The Half Veela begins to glow and radiate magic. After that the decline begins."

The boys drew in gasps.

"D-Decline?" They both stuttered. Hermione nodded.

"The only way to save yourself from death is to find your mate and complete the ritual. That concentrates the power between both and can save the half Veela."

Harry exhaled, "So you'll be okay." Hermione still looked troubled though.

"It's not that easy Harry. He can be anywhere on the planet…" She trailed off. Ron's eyes widened and his brows knotted.

"Then we better find him quickly." He said determined.

Hermione looked at her two friends which gazed at her determined. They were true Gryffindors, who weren't afraid of a fight. She was grateful for this. She needed all the help she could get.

A/N: Tell me how it was!

Ciao for now, Alexia.