Disclaimer: None of my work belongs to me, it is solely the property of the one and only J.K. Rowling and any other company which has the copyright of Harry Potter, including Warner Bros. Nothing here belongs to me; all the characters are J.K. Rowling's originally, though any new character not part of the Harry Potter series belongs to me.
Title: Always
Author: hpjkrowling4ever
Chapter Four
It wreathed around him like invisible tendrils; it stuck to him and refused to leave him. It shone like a homing beacon wherever he went; it was home and love and family and safety and everything in between, and he almost punched the wall next to him again as he smelt it. It was driving him completely and utterly insane, the smell of his mate. It was everywhere, imbedded in the spirit of Hogwarts and it made him mad that he could never pinpoint that one person his soul cried out for.
"Where is he?" He hissed furiously, making Blaise raise his eyebrows and Pansy tap the desk next to her anxiously. "Where is he?"
"Are you sure you've tried everything?" she asked hesitantly. "It's only been three months, after all, you've got almost five months left before you start going mad. Surely it's a bit early to be feeling like this?"
"You have no idea!" Draco grabbed his hair, and that alone was enough to make Blaise realise how powerfully his friend felt about his unknown mate.
"Talk to us, then, Draco! Tell us how you feel!" The Slytherin made his way to his friend slowly, and guided him gently to the seat at his desk. As Draco was Head Boy, he had his own room and his own study area, and a timetable on his door so that any younger year that needed help would know when he was available. Only Slytherin younger years ever came to him.
Draco shrugged off his friend, feeling uncomfortable at the contact, and sat down on his seat, his head in his hands.
"I way stupid today, that's how desperate I am," He murmured, and looked at his friends angrily. "The Mudblood friend of Potter, Granger, as you well know is Head Girl. Earlier today, as you also know, we had a meeting with Professor Dumbledore."
"Talk to us, 'Mione! You've been pacing for the last half hour and if it's not driving Harry insane then it's driving me insane." Ron groaned, looking at Hermione, noticing how she was biting her lip anxiously, and how her fingers curled around her hair in an unconscious habit left over from her Muggle school days. Realising just how worried his girlfriend was, he went over to her, stopped her in her tracks and lifted up his hand to gently unwind her finger from her hair. "What's up?"
"Malfoy, I told you, Ronald, don't you listen?" she asked, annoyed with her boyfriend. Sitting on a desk behind the couple, Harry watched with a soft, sad smile on his face, knowing that he would probably never have the love they did. He shook his head angrily and watched to see if Ron would succeed in getting out what was annoying Hermione.
"'Mione, calm down. We are listening, you're just not telling us." Ron said. "Spill."
"Right." Hermione coughed, embarrassed. "I saw something happen to Malfoy during our Head Boy and Head Girl meeting with Professor Dumbledore." She sighed. "Professor Dumbledore and I were talking together about NEWTs when Malfoy walked into the room."
The door opened slowly, and Malfoy came in, composed and poised, dressed in his perfectly tailored robes and his hair perfectly arranged. Suddenly, he caught sight of Hermione and his already pale face blanched.
"Where have you been, Granger?" he asked, and Hermione could almost say that his voice wavered, hovering over a slightly astonished tone and a tone full of anticipation with a hint of fear.
"Good afternoon, Malfoy. I'm delighted to see you as well." Hermione replied icily, and Malfoy shook himself, seeming to regain some of his decorum.
"My apologies, Granger. I am aware that my behaviour is not acceptable in this situation. Good afternoon, Headmaster. Thank you for appointing me to the position of Head Boy."
"Indeed." Professor Dumbledore's eyes twinkled behind his half-moon glances. "I was anxious you would not be able to accept the position, due to your inheritance coming on your birthday."
Malfoy seemed to start and glanced shiftily at Hermione, who raised an eyebrow at this very unusual behaviour on the part of the aloof young man. As he sat down on the chair next to her, Hermione noticed his hands clench tightly on the arms of the chair, and his knuckles go white with the strength he was using.
"Mr. Malfoy, Miss Granger. I hope that you will both be able to work together to the best of your abilities. I know that you are both from very different social classes, and it would be to my utmost delight and pleasure if you both managed to get on with each other. Can I rely on both of you to help Professor McGonagall and me to run Hogwarts?"
Hermione glanced at Malfoy and put out her hand to shake his.
"Please, let's have a truce, for once, Malfoy. For the future of the school I think it's a good idea."
Malfoy hesitated and then came to a decision. He leant forwards in his seat, closed his eyes –much to Hermione's complete surprise, and shook her hand. Tension seemed to seep out of him as soon as he touched her and he even smiled at her once they let go.
"Truce, Granger."
"And then we talked about agreeable meeting times and other things to do with Hogwarts." Hermione was about to start pacing again when Ron squeezed her hands again.
"Relax, 'Mione. Thanks for telling us." Ron smiled and pecked her on the cheek. Considering that Hermione was not one of the people pegged as someone who liked physical contact in their year, it had come as a surprise to Harry that she and Ron often hugged, kissed chastely, brushed shoulders, leant or lay on each other and held hands. It made him yearn for that type of comfort with someone, that perfect feeling that you could rely on that person no matter the situation. He shook his head and put on a smile, just as Hermione turned to look at him and then Ron.
"What do you make of it?" she asked them.
"Well, he's obviously expecting something and it's to do with his inheritance." Harry said, jumping down from his desk. "I'm starting to believe you more and more, Hermione, when you say that he's probably not completely human."
"I almost cracked in front of Granger, for Merlin's sake!" Draco cried out. Pansy seemed to be more bothered with the truce than Draco's preoccupation with his state of mind.
"Wait up, wait up, wait up!" she stood up from her chair by his fireplace. "Do you mean to say that we now have to be agreeable to Granger because you've shaken hands agreeing to a truce?"
"My father said that I was no longer to spend my time over Potter and his friends, and the best way to do this is to shake hands agreeing to a truce. After all, it's the only way we're not going to bring the school tumbling down."
Blaise went over to Draco and knelt in front of him, shooting an angry glance at Pansy.
"Draco, where have you narrowed your mate down to?"
Pansy seemed to realise that she had been out of order and smiled sheepishly, moving to stand beside Blaise. Neither of them dared to touch him, knowing how well he reacted to any sort of touch.
"He's obviously not in our house." Almost unconsciously, then more vigorously, Draco started shaking with anger and longing. "Get out!" He gasped out, waving his trembling hand towards his door. "Now!" he ordered, and with concerned glances, Pansy and Blaise hurried out of the room, closing the door softly behind them. He heard them talking to Crabbe and Goyle guarding his door, but ignored it in favour of waving his hand, locking the door almost at once. He shook again, knowing that his wandless power, which he had cultivated over the holidays, was to match his mate's.
Draco stood up smoothly, gracefully, and dropped the outer robe of his uniform to the ground, untying his tie and unbuttoning his shirt. They all dropped to the ground, revealing a subtly muscled chest with a thin trail of platinum blonde hair. He gasped and fell to the ground, shaking violently. Suddenly, his wings burst from his back, framing him and his beauty, their tips touching the ceiling of his room. He fluttered them and felt the pure longing for his mate to wrap them around bolt through him.
It was getting stronger, and he was only three weeks into his six months. He didn't understand why his longing was so strong –he was only supposed to feel it by the second month, and even then not to the extent he was feeling. Standing up, Draco raced to the bookshelves lining his room, wincing as his wings squashed uncomfortably against the ceiling. Pausing a moment, he thought about folding them but not pulling them in and watched as they folded against his back, a strong, settling weight of certainty against the fear he felt about his mate, and he pulled out an old, ancient tome his father had given him to pack, saying that "It's not the mass-produced rubbish given out these days, and it will tell you everything you need to know about your inheritance."
Draco heaved it onto the bed, brushing the dust off it and watching as the binding glowed gold, recognising that he was a Malfoy with the Veela inheritance, and it opened. Running his long fingers down the index, Draco stopped at Early Signs, page 356, and tapped it twice with his finger. The book seemed to take a deep breath and fluttered to the desired page, sending out a cloud of dust, making Draco cough as he fought to see the pages revealed to him.
Once a Veela has received their inheritance, it is common to feel occasional pangs until the Longing sets in, six months after the start of the inheritance. However, some Veela feel longing pangs for their mate extremely soon after their inheritance (c. 2-3 months), which can be quite common in numerous cases.
One of the most common cases, which is the recurring one nine times out of ten, is that the original feelings the Veela felt before their inheritance for their mate, which transform into the true feelings after the inheritance, are bringing together a connection between the mates that demonstrates a closeness beyond compare. These mates have often already initiated the first stage of the bonding without realising it, and the Veela is feeling the separation as well as some of their mate's feelings. In this case, his or her mate, more often than not, feels abandoned and unable to be loved by anyone else. Sometimes, this connection is made unconsciously when the Veela feels that their mate needs help. It can be initiated simply by being in the same room as their mate.
This case is confirmed if the Veela starts feeling disgusted by anyone else's touch, as well as a longing to wrap their wings around their mate. Unfortunately, this process accelerates the Veela's deterioration, as they are so desperate to help and comfort their mate that their inability to do so makes them feel inadequate. Most of the time, the Veelas only last two months in this state before completely fading away. By this stage, the Veela will only accept physical contact from their parents.
Draco felt the book close underneath his hand and he started gasping for breath, his shock rendering him speechless. Dying? Bonded? How? He searched his mind frantically for any sign of a spark or a flame that had been lit by a touch or a look. He had been annoyed and angry with some people, but…his mate? He hadn't talked to anyone memorable apart from Dumbledore, Pansy, Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle and some first years in the past three weeks. He was so occupied with wracking his brain that was unaware that he was letting off soft whimpers of sadness and confusion.
His rational mind suddenly coming to fore, Draco almost crawled to the fireplace and tossed a large handful of Floo Powder into it, desperate for his parents and the advice and comfort they could offer.
"Draco?" Narcissa's face materialised in the fireplace, and her son heaved a sign of relief, his hand shaking as he extended it towards his mother.
"Mum," he whispered, and Narcissa was immediately alerted to the fact that something was wrong. Draco had never called her 'Mum' unless he was in desperate need of comfort or help. "Please come, please. Something's happened and I'm not sure how to deal with it."
A/N: I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Please review, it's always appreciated.
