Chapter Three

On Friday night, Harry knows that Dean and Seamus drink at the Esmeralda's, a pub that is only two doors down from Malfoy's potions shop. A few years ago, Harry was at Esmeralda's when he'd seen Malfoy walk by. Malfoy had quickly looked in through the window and Harry had thought that they'd seen each other. But later that night when Harry owled Malfoy indicating that, and inviting him out for a drink, Malfoy had politely declined.

Harry doesn't like to think about how he always used to owl Malfoy after being out with his friends. Whenever he was drunk, he always thought of Malfoy. When he went out looking for a one-off, he was always attracted to the blokes with short, pulled-back blond hair.

Harry doesn't like to think about that night also because it was yet another rejection from Malfoy. He'd always thought that Malfoy's polite declines had been just those, but now, he realises that there's more to it than that. Maybe Malfoy was getting his revenge by constantly rejecting Harry's invitation for friendship, something he'd done when they were eleven years old, or maybe, Malfoy felt the Veela pull towards Harry, and he just chose to ignore it.

Harry's going to change all of that. If Malfoy is Harry's mate, then Harry is going to make Malfoy accept it. He also doesn't want to think about how he's not really having any trouble accepting that himself.

Harry arrives at Esmeralda's at half nine. He peeks in through the window, seeing Seamus and Dean sitting and eating chips. The waitress brings them a round and they cheer. Instead of going into the pub, Harry heads for Malfoy's shop. The door is closed but the open sign hasn't been turned. He knows that the shop closes at nine-thirty, but he's going to go in anyway.

The bill dings as he opens the door and Malfoy immediately turns to speak. "Sorry, we're close—"

Harry smiles. "Hi," he says.

"Potter?"

"Yes."

"What are you doing here?" Malfoy takes a step back, even though Harry hasn't entered the shop all the way. He clearly thinks of Harry has some sort of a threat, so Harry's going to keep his distance. As much as he can. For now, anyway.

"I'm going to Esmeralda's to have a drink with Seamus and Dean," Harry says. "You should come." Shite. Harry didn't mean to invite Malfoy. He knows he's going to say no.

"Oh?" Malfoy says.

Okay, not a no. That's good. "Yes. They think they know someone who can help me," Harry says. "You don't have to come, sorry, I guess I was just being polite. It's probably better. I think they said they have some Veela friends and maybe one of them can help me—"

"Help you?" Malfoy's leaning against the counter, Harry notices.

"Find me a Veela mate. Maybe he or she—probably he—will know what to do. I guess I'll start feeling better when I find my mate—"

"You're going to find a mate? Tonight?"

"Probably," Harry says, shrugging. It's hard to play nonchalant when all he wants to do is run across the room and grab Malfoy. Harry wants to feel his skin; take in his smell; maybe even drag him into the back. "If not a mate, but then definitely someone for the night. I've been feeling very— You know. You went through this. Did you have all these desires and you couldn't satisfy them on your own?"

Harry watches as Malfoy gulps and his hand tightens on the counter. It's working.

"Anyway, I saw your shop and thought you might be in, so I just wanted to say you know—sorry. I won't be exhausting you anymore. I'm sure you have projects that need your..." Harry pretends to think, "...undivided attention."

Harry walks out of the shop before he can say anything else, before he can't stop himself from doing anything else. He also makes a mental note to speak to Fleur about her feelings and emotions when she was around Bill in the beginning. The book has been a great help, but he also needs to hear from another human being that he isn't just going crazy.

0*-*0

Harry enters the pub and his friends cheer at seeing him. They immediately buy him a pint and seat him between the two of them. Harry's feeling better. He feels good about this. If nothing else comes out of this, he can at least have a good night with his friends. Then, he just needs to make sure that he doesn't drunk-owl Malfoy again. He'll also not think about how this is yet another rejection from Malfoy.

A half an hour later, Harry is at the bar ordering another round. He's had a couple already and he's decided that Malfoy's probably not coming. Harry pays the bartender and then tries to grab the three pints when a helping hand grabs one for him.

"Hi," the man says and finally Harry looks up to see. It isn't Malfoy. Harry doesn't know this bloke at all. But he's attractive.

"Hi," Harry says back and he can feel something change inside him. He can feel his smile forming on his face, his eyes widening just slightly and then Harry blinks. Once. Twice. "How are you?" Harry says and it feels like the words that he's speaking are pure poetry, but he knows they're not, they're just hi, how are you?

"Wonderful," the man replies. He smiles at Harry and takes a step closer.

The Veela Charm.

Harry has it, and this man looks smitten.

His eyes are blue, he's half an inch taller than Harry, and he's got blond hair that looks like it's made of silk. Harry realises that the man reminds him of Malfoy and that's why he's attracted to him, but Harry also can't seem to turn the Veela charm off.

"I'm Dustin," the man says.

"Harry Potter."

Dustin chuckles as if Harry has stated the most obvious thing in the world, and runs his free hand through his hair. The other is still holding the beer that Harry's supposed to deliver to the table with his friends. Friends. Right.

"Do you want to join us?" Harry asks and walks towards the table that places the pints of beer in front of Dean and Seamus. Dustin is holding Harry's drink.

"Yours, I presume," Dustin says.

"You can keep it," Harry offers. "I mean, can I buy you a drink?"

"I already have one. It's at the bar."

"Oh," Harry says and takes his pint glass off Dustin's hand. "Thank you. Would you like to join us?"

Dustin smiles and nods. He returns to the bar to grab his glass of Firewhisky, Harry assumes, and comes back to the table. Dean and Seamus move to one side to make room for Harry and Dustin. When Harry looks at Seamus, he winks at Harry, and then Dean pats Harry's shoulder.

Dustin is cute. Even if he has the wrong eyes, and the wrong nose, and the wrong...everything. Harry's only going to talk to him. He hasn't even bought the man a drink! If anything, Dustin is a distraction from making Harry think about Malfoy, except, Dustin is making Harry think about Malfoy. He gulps his drink fast. Faster than he should have, and a minute later Dustin's handed him another one.

Two more drinks later, Dustin's got his arm around Harry and he's mumbling something into Harry's neck. His blond hair keeps brushing against Harry's chin and Harry is so turned on thinking that it's Malfoy.

Malfoy, who doesn't want him.

Malfoy, who Harry could kill for being his mate.

Malfoy, who Harry can't imagine being without.

"Say something," Dustin says.

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Ask me to do something."

Harry looks at Dustin who is just smiling at him, his eyes darkened with lust. Harry whispers, "What do you want from me?"

Dustin smiles and looks down at Harry's lips. "A kiss," he says and is just about to lean in when a hand on his shoulder pulls him back. "Hey..."

It's Malfoy.

Harry isn't quite positive since he's had a few too many to drink and he's certain that he could be imagining things. But someone had just pulled Dustin away and it wouldn't be Dean or Seamus because they're busy at the other end of the table.

"Those lips aren't yours to claim," Malfoy says and he's looking down at Dustin. He's acting like Harry isn't even there, except Harry can see his jaw twitch just a bit and then Harry has no doubt that Malfoy knows that Harry is there.

Dustin looks down at the hand on his shoulder, then he looks at Harry, and then he turns to look at Malfoy. "Oh!" he says excitedly. He's obviously realised that he's in the presence of not one, but two Veelas, and thinks that he's just hit the jackpot.

"No," Malfoy says, calm. "You should leave now."

Dustin nods and gets up to leave. "Bye, Harry," he says and then he looks at Malfoy again and Harry is impressed at the amount of anger Malfoy radiates. Dustin runs off without another word and Malfoy finally looks at Harry.

"I reckon you know, then," Malfoy says and takes a seat next to Harry. They're still not touching and Harry is sure that Malfoy's done that on purpose.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Harry asks.

Malfoy chuckles and all Harry wants to do is run his thumb across Malfoy's jaw. "What was I supposed to say?"

"Maybe if you'd told me, I don't know, I wouldn't have to find out by some magical book that showed itself to me and gave me all these vague clues to who it could have been."

"What did it say?"

"You mean you don't know. Don't you have the same book?" Harry asks.

"I do, but the way you find out is different for everyone. I suppose I can read it and it'll tell me, but I try to stay away from The Veela Charm. The snarky attitude is a bit too much at times."

"Right?" Harry says, laughing. "I'm so glad someone else knows how frustrating that bloody book is."

Malfoy nods.

"You've always known, haven't you?" Harry asks; he's more serious than he realised.

"Potter, I saw the Veela in you before I even know what a Veela was. I woke up on my seventeenth birthday and the book showed itself to me—it told me that I'd known my mate was my mate since the day we met. I didn't have to blink twice to realise who it was. I just couldn't—you don't know what it's like—if the Dark Lord—"

"I know," Harry says and gently places a hand on Malfoy's arm. He doesn't touch the skin yet, he's not sure if he'll be able to handle that. Not sure of what's supposed to happen if you deny bonding for so long and then you touch.

Malfoy looks down at Harry's hand on his arm and stares. He stares for a good few minutes and then looks into Harry's eyes. "That's why I was there..."

"Where?"

"The Room of Requirement," Malfoy says. "I'd told my friends that we needed to get the Diadem because it was important and the Dark Lord would have rewarded us, but I was there because you were my mate and I needed to make sure that you were alright and then..."

"Then all hell broke loose," Harry says it for him.

Malfoy nods. Harry hands his untouched pint glass to Malfoy and Malfoy grabs it, taking a sip.

"And at the Ministry? Last week?" Harry asks.

"I wasn't supposed to be there, but I got this owl from the Minister and they needed my help. I had no idea you'd be there. Granger had told me about the surprise party and I'd figured that you'd been long gone."

"Does Hermione know?"

Malfoy shakes his head and then takes another big gulp of the beer. "I think she thinks that I have a crush on you or something. She's told me to pursue it, but..."

"I didn't know you two were that close," Harry says.

"I arranged that." When Harry raises an eyebrow at that, Malfoy continues. "It helps to be around her. She has your things in her office and her flat, if you can't be with your mate, you can be around their closest friends, it's a relief sort of. Stops you from going crazy. After the war, and the Trials, I concentrated on my potions shop and then I applied to be consultant at the Ministry because I figured that Granger would eventually need me and since then... It's good working with her, too. She's brilliant."

"Right," Harry says. He's been staring at Malfoy's lower lip for the past few minutes and the way it quivers is just beautiful. "D'you wanna get out of here?" Harry whispers, or he thinks he whispers. Maybe he's trying the Veela charm on Malfoy.

"I—uh—"

"We'll just take a walk and talk or something," Harry says and then raises his hands in surrender. "I won't even touch you, I swear."

Malfoy nods and he makes his way to the door as Harry says goodbye to his friends.

"You and Malfoy?" Seamus asks and Dean kicks him from under the table. "I mean...you know. Stranger things have happened."

Harry laughs and pats his shoulder. "I'll see you two next week," he says.

"Bring Malfoy," Dean says before Harry leaves them. Harry knows all about how the Malfoys have apologised to the Thomas family and have contributed financially to their family business as to making amends for the hardships Voldemort had made them cause. He thinks that if Dean and Luna can forgive the Malfoys, then really, anything is possible.

TBC