Krya2 – oops! Sorry. I'm a bit dyslexic when it comes to spelling, so I rely on spellcheck a lot, and I guess I missed that, as did my beta reader. As for Ron and Mione, well, we'll have to see. I think it has been a bit too happy so far… hehe! Maybe I'll have to let Dray get angry at them! Thanks for the review.
Fliberdjibit – I was a bit stuck for ideas on this chapter. I wanted them to have a conversation, and music is one of the things I talk about most with my mates. As for Dray knowing stuff about Muggle music, well, I don't think he'd have done what his parents wanted all the time! I can see Dray hating both of them, although Narcissa is the big baddie in this fic. Does that make sense? Sorry that is was hard to read, I would've done it one line at a time, but ff.net puts spaces between my paragraphs, and it would've looked stupid. I hope it will be less boring in future chapters!
Makalani Astral – I would've liked to make up my own, but I had too much school stuff due in, and it was easier to just type in stuff I know by heart. I know it is unlikely, but this is my AU fic, and I'm revelling in the fact that I can make them do what I like. Well, actually, I have a killer headache, and I'm not revelling in anything, but you know what I mean.
schmidie-lee83 – I'm writing, I'm writing! But I have loads of school work, sorry! I'm trying as much as I can, but what with my mum nagging me to tidy my room, do housework etc and my teachers bugging me with tons of h/w I don't have a lot of free time!
Don't own it; wish I did. JKR is the goddess. Beta'd by Luna Shadowsong. She did the bit in the hall, as I had writers block over it, and simply couldn't decided how to do it.
A short while later, Harry opened the door to let Dobby leading a very confused Ron and Hermione into the lounge. The house elf then bowed deeply and disappeared with the breakfast tray.
"Hey, you can sit down," Harry said, as the pair stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, gaping. "And Ron, close your mouth. You look like a goldfish."
Ron closed his mouth, and collapsed in the nearest armchair, running his hand over his fiery red hair and staring at the pair sitting holding hands on the sofa. Hermione also sat down, and regarded the two intently. "What's going on?" she asked, her quiet tone making Harry wince, and Draco look at him in astonishment. He thought hard at Draco, hoping that he would get the message somehow. She's at her most dangerous when she's calm. This doesn't look good. Draco's eyes widened in astonishment, and he nodded. Harry could've sworn he head the silver-eyed boy say; all right. I'll tread carefully, even though his lips hadn't moved. Musing over this telepathy trick, Harry turned to his – their – uncomfortable guests.
"Um… ok. There's no easy way to do this. Draco is part veela. Um… I'm his future mate. He goes crazy if I'm not around, which Dumbledore doesn't think is good, and he'd a lot better than he used to be."
"How do you know that he's really different and this isn't some sort of plot?" Hermione asked, again calmly.
"Going cuckoo will change a person," Draco said dryly. "Look, I never really had a grudge against you, well, apart from beating me in every lesson. I couldn't care less if you're muggle born or not. If I didn't act like I hate you, it wouldn't have been good for me, and I've already got enough scars. I'm not evil; I'm just a very good actor. I apologise for every name I've ever called you, especially the one that Harry has forbidden me to say. Weasley, I'm sorry for calling you names, and insulting your family. I guess I'm jealous; you're all so close and seem so happy together. My parents might as well be marble statues. I apologise for every name I've ever called your mother. She actually seems like a really good mum, and I wish mine were more like her. Sadly, hell will freeze over before that happens. Um… I think that's all I can say, I hope you'll forgive me, or at least don't kill me."
"Oh… ok, ferret. I'll forgive you," Ron said slowly. It seemed that the stuff about Draco's parents had really sunken in. "I guess I'd be jealous of my mum too, a bit, if I was you. She is a really good cook and stuff. Motherly. Um… handshake?"
Ron and Draco stood up and solemnly shook hands over the coffee table. Harry grinned, but the smile soon faded as he looked at Hermione. Her face was expressionless. Without a word, she stood up and left.
"Shit."
"What is it?" Draco asked immediately, concerned.
"I know. Hermione was quiet and left. She's never going to accept this, you know, Ferret. I'd watch your back. Hermione knows loads of hexes, almost as many as Harry," Ron said, looking uneasy.
"Bugger. Guess I'd better look out, right? Hey, anyone feel like chess?"
Ron's face immediately lit up, and he followed Draco over to the chess set in the corner of the room. Harry grinned at them, and started to do his transfiguration essay. It wasn't due in until Wednesday, but he had a feeling that he'd better get it done now. Draco was probably going to be quite distracting in lessons, or at least, everyone else's reactions to the Slytherin would be distracting, and he wanted to stay in McGonagal's good books. He grinned, thinking of how pleased Hermione would be if she knew he was doing his essay already, but thinking about his brown haired friend was painful at the moment. If only she'd- a call from Ron stopped his musing, and he turned his head to look at the two chess players.
"Harry, mate, better get over here. Malfoy's gone all pale…" Ron said, looking worried. Harry dashed over the room and knelt by his chair, taking both of Draco's hands into his own. It's ok, you'll be alright. I'm here, I'm not going anywhere. He thought hard, staring into Draco's silver eyes. Some of the colour returned to the pale cheeks, and Draco's breathing slowed down slightly. He managed a shaky smile, still clinging to Harry's hands tightly.
"I'm ok now," the blonde said quietly.
"No you're not," Harry contradicted. "You're way too pale. You should've said something earlier, you idiot. You'll make yourself really sick again."
"Um… I hope I'm not interrupting, but what the hell is going on? I mean, this is just a little too weird. I'm still not totally ok with it, you know. I mean, you're enemies and you're holding hands for chrissakes!" Ron interjected, his voice growing shriller and louder as he spoke.
"Ron, calm down!" Harry said smoothly. "Like I said, Draco is a part-veela, and without his mate near, he looses his mind. During the breeding season, it's worse, and the mate has to be in almost constant contact, skin to skin is better, I think. I'm Draco's mate, I didn't want to be, and I really didn't like it at first, but this Draco is nothing like the one we hate. I'm starting to like him, and I feel responsible for him."
"This will all change after February," Draco took over. "Then I'll be the one constantly defending Harry. I'll stop at nothing to protect him, but during the breeding season, I'm the vulnerable one. Not that Harry's vulnerable, but veela are naturally protective."
"So there you have it, Ron. We're a team now. I hope you can cope with this. I'm still you're friend, and hopefully I'll still be Hermione's too. But Draco's now the fourth member of the group, and I don't think there's anything we can do about it. No offence, Draco."
"None taken. You're not the first person I'd have chosen, I mean, if it had to be a guy, I'd prefer Blaise, although that might mess up our friendship. Still, I'd rather you that Pansy, Vince or Greg. You're not that bad looking, you're a good Quidditch player etc etc. I think I'm going to be happy with you. Not that we have a choice."
Ron nodded slowly, thinking hard. "This is still really new, and weird, but I think I'll be able to cope. You're a better chess player than Harry, and you haven't insulted me too badly, and you seem an ok person now. You don't have to worry about my friendship, Harry, it's Hermione that you should be anxting over."
"Thanks, Ron."
"Anytime. Look, I'd better go see if Hermione wants to talk yet. She's had a while to get over the initial shock. She might start trying to break you two up, just like she started to try to free the house elves, so watch your backs!" With a grin for the pair of them he climbed out of the portrait hole and headed off down the corridor.
"Well, that went as well as I could've hoped," Harry said, smiling at Draco.
"Weasley's quite nice, really. I was surprised, I thought he'd explode, and Granger would be ok with it."
"You don't know Hermione. When there's something the she doesn't like, she will try to change it so that it fits in with her views, and she won't listen to reason. Look at the house elves."
"What?"
Harry explained SPEW to Draco, still clutching the part-Veela's hands tightly. As he talked, Draco began to calm down, and Harry mused on this as he explained.
~Its amazing how a simple touch from me can calm him. I've never had anyone depend on me and care for me like this before. He's so proud, yet I'm beginning to see that I will be able to wrap him around my little finger. He's so strong on the outside, an icicle, but inside he's warm and vulnerable. His mother must be horrible. I'd like to know about his childhood, if he'd tell me. It might be too painful though. Still, time will tell. I can't believe that I will be spending the rest of my life with Draco Malfoy, of all people. Still, I guess I'll get used to it. I care for him so much already…~
"Hey, what was with that Telepathy trick we did?" Harry asked, after he had finished making Draco giggle over SPEW. The blond looked surprisingly cute when he giggled; he wrinkled his nose, and hid his mouth with his hand, his blond hair falling into his silver eyes.
"I don't know. I just heard you speak, without moving your lips, and I figured that it was a thought, so I thought back at you. It's one of the things about Veela. I didn't realise how far along we were. I suppose it's because I was mad for most of the start of the mating season, or maybe because you're such a powerful wizard."
"Me? Powerful?"
"Yes, didn't you know? You're one of the most powerful in your year, especially in DADA. You beat Granger, remember? That was the only year you both sat the exam, when the exam was set by a proper teacher."
"I thought you didn't like Professor Lupin?"
"I did, but I couldn't show it. I knew he was a werewolf, my parent's told me. Snape told them. I respected him. He was a good teacher, and I was amazed at all he went through, but he's still together. His best friends either dying or betraying him, not being able to have a proper job, all the heartache when Black went to Azkaban and so on. He was a good guy, and I wish I could get to know him better. He probably doesn't want to know me, though."
"Why ever not? I'm sure he'd love to get to know you."
"I'm a Malfoy."
"Do you really think Remus is that prejudiced? He's a werewolf. And more than ready to forgive people for what they cannot help."
"It's lunchtime, shouldn't we go to the hall?"
"Yeah, come on."
Still hand in hand, and surprisingly comfortable with the arrangement, they clambered out of the portrait hole and into the corridor. Staying close together, they made their way down the hallways and staircases down to the great hall.
Heads turned as they entered and whispers immediately broke out. "That's him", "did you hear" and "I never would have thought it". Only the Gryffindor table remained silent, loyal to Harry and in no way judgemental. Draco gave Harry a longing look before sitting down at the Slytherin table next to Blaise.
Harry sat down, he worried about the blonde's health but promptly put it out of his mind. Draco would be fine, he assured himself. Just fine. However, as dinner progressed he did not notice how pale Draco had become; being away from his mate was taking its toll.
Harry Soon launched into an animated conversation with Seamus about Quidditch not noticing the blonde's jealous look. Draco's eyes narrowed and certain protectiveness welled up inside him, but he beat it down. They were Harry's friends not his enemies. He was so concentrated on Harry that he did not hear the taunts of his fellow housemates until one sixth year shouted in his ear. Tears rimmed his eyes but he fought them back, he would not be weak. He would be strong, he had to be. Yet in the inner walls of his mind he knew it was a fight he could not win.
Harry, of course, was completely oblivious to Draco's problem. He was eating Shepherds Pie and laughing. Only once did someone dare to make a comment, but they received icy glares from everyone on the table and decided to be quiet and mind their own business. Suddenly in the corner of his mind, Harry heard a whimper. He turned to his blonde mate to find him surrounded by jeering faces. Draco looked cool on the outside but Harry could feel that inside he was crying with pain. Harry saw the despair in Draco's eyes and wanted to go to him. Ron followed his gaze, "go on, I'll cover for you here" he muttered, ears turning red.
Harry got up and walked purposefully toward the table he hadn't wanted to go near for all his past years at Hogwarts. All the Slytherins were to busy taunting Draco to notice him until he placed a hand on Draco's shoulder. "Do you want to leave" he whispered to the blonde. Draco just nodded and made to get up.
"Oi! Potter" it was Marcus Flint. "What you done to my seeker?"
"Nothing".
"Yeah right, well I'll teach you" he swung hard at Harry. Harry had fought Dudley often enough to know how duck and dodge pummel blows like this one. He moved calmly to the side. Then Flint said something made him angry, "imagine, the boy who'll save us all is a weak, pathetic, bent, bastard!"
That blew it; Harry swung his fist back and sent it smashing into Flint's face. He did this with such force that Flint ended up on his back five feet away. Harry glared down at him until he felt a tugging one his elbow and looked into Draco's pleading eyes. "Can we go now" he whispered as though terrified.
"Yes, I think so" Harry replied and put his hand in Draco's. They walked hand in hand to the doors of the great all, whispers immediately erupting out behind them. Harry stopped but once and turned and the room went deadly quiet under his feral green eyes. Then he smiled and laughed at Draco dragged him out of the hall and back to their room.