THE NEW ERA – SHADES OF GREY

(Previously Flash Backs Mean Nothing)

Sides are chosen – New Alliances are formed – Ties are Broken.

The Hermione Granger Story

Chapter Six

Written by – MerinxD

Mate...I'm Not Your Mate

An ounce of blood is worth more than a pound of friendship. ~Spanish Proverb

The Veela, also known as Vila, Wila, Wili, are Slavic versions of nymphs. Nymphs are usually very slender, beautiful women, with the great power of persuasion. However, unlike nymphs, the Veela power is more renowned for being beautifully dangerous. Veelas hold a command of the weather, which they delight in sending down on lonely travelers. They are said to be the most beautiful of people, their human guise being very deceiving. Beauty is a pivotal weapon for Veela kind and aides in keeping their legendary secrets. The mating habits of the enigma are unknown and still stand as one of the biggest mysteries of mythology to date. They reside in meadows, ponds, oceans, trees, and clouds. They can appear as swans, horses, wolves, or beautiful women.

"Until now." The young heroine sighed, closing the fiftieth mythology book she had opened that day.

Not one book could even give a hint as to what was in store for her with the Malfoy boy. She already knew that he was incredibly beautiful- his transformation had not seemed to change him physically at all. He had always been charming (when he wanted to be), and he had a horrible temper that could rival Fluer's on a very bad hair day. But nothing at all talked about Veela men! How was she supposed to know what a 'mate' did? Did that mean she would have to bear his horrible snotty nosed children? Or are Veelas different to humans? Maybe it was a mixture of the two – human and beast.

Damn Voldemort and his super race!

How could anyone know?

Sighing heavily, the brunette let her head fall to the table softly. Closing her eyes, she groaned.

What was she going to do?

It had already been a week since the review with the Dark Lord. A week since Hermione had discovered that she would be coupled with her rival for the rest of time. It did not seem to be an ideal situation.

She did not describe it as completely devastating for two reasons. One, she had not seen or heard from Draco Malfoy in an entire week, and two, Malfoy Manor was beautiful.

When she was not pondering endlessly over the end of her life, Hermione found that exploring the manor could be a great way to waste some time and enjoy it. Already had she memorized every perfectly constructed room, her favorite of course, was the library.

The house elves proved to be very good company once you were able to get them talking. The death of Lucius Malfoy had impacted them in a funny way. Now, the elf population of Malfoy Manor actually seemed happy.

Hermione was pleased that someone could be happy in this new world.

Unfortunately, she found herself thinking that she too could get used to a life like this. It was impossible, though. She was a fighter for the light and that was how it was going to stay. But was it worth dying over?

She was not very sure of herself any more.

Exiting the Malfoy Manor library, Hermione headed for the place she had been avoiding all week. She was going to find Draco Malfoy.

"What does it mean, Malfoy?"

Silence continued to float throughout the room.

"Draco," Hermione tried once more.

A brief moment passed, then he replied, "What does what mean, Granger? I am not a mind reader." His eyes fluttered shut once again. He was enjoying a nap before she so rudely barged in.

"You know what!" She stood firm making sure to maintain a menacing stare. "That whole thing..." Hermione's voice trailed off.

"Mate?" He replied simply.

"Yes, Malfoy, that." The Gryffindor cringed. It was not something fun to think about.

"It's simple. You are my woman slave." Draco sat up slowly, letting a well-placed smirk show. "You know what it means, Granger. You aren't stupid, as saddening as it is."

"I understand the words, Malfoy, but I know nothing about Veela and not one book could tell me!" Her frown deepened as she continued in front of the Slytherin, stance rigid as ever.

"Of course you aren't going to find anything in a book, Granger." The Veela boy rose, making sure he closed the personal space between them. "I'm one of a kind." He leaned closer, "And, as of a week ago, the Dark Lord has deemed you mine. I was wondering when you were going to break." His breath was hot on her face, if any one was watching this horrible display, they would see a fly being caught in a very convincing, very comfortable web.

Draco's smirk grew wide, then...he flicked her on the forehead.

The flick ripped Hermione from the spell she was under. It had to be a spell, which is exactly what Veelas do best. Well, that is what she assumed.

"I'm not yours," she managed to stammer.

"You don't have a choice." He stopped, face growing serious, "I don't have a choice." Venturing over to his closet, he disappeared momentarily only to reappear dressed to perfection. "Look, Granger, we don't have a choice. I have always been destined for an arranged...something. You are no longer a Mudblood and the Dark Lord has told me that this is our path. I don't want to die when I can have a moderately alright existence with you."

"I was hoping that I could have a happy one," Hermione mumbled, sitting herself down on his bed.

"Would you be happy hidden away wherever the Light is? Playing cards, with Weasley and Potter everyday for the rest of your life. You can say that you would, Hermione, but I think you would be lying. We can wine, dine, and have a relatively normal existence as long as we complete our work. The Dark Lord is very big on loyalty but, contrary to popular belief, he can be quite fair, especially when my mother is his bride." The blond sat down alongside her, but kept a safe distance between them.

"I don't know, Malfoy. It sounds like a ploy." Hermione understood what she was hearing, but she did not want to seem too compliant too quickly. One might think that she wanted the match.

"Keeping our lives is not a ploy. Plus, if you don't become my mate, who knows what will happen. I am almost at full Veela maturity."

"What does that even mean? What is the difference between being Draco Malfoy the pureblood to Draco Malfoy the Veela?" She needed to know if this was going to eventually happen.

"Not much. My eating habits have changed but I won't go into it now, I still act and feel the same way aside from very strong urges to do things. Stop looking at me like that, Granger. You are the one with your head in the gutter. I meant the urge to inflict horrible pain to people when they don't want to do something for me, but I have learned to control that. I can make it rain if I want and I can make people do what I want just by looking into their eyes." He nodded, leaning back. That was about it.

"How do I know that you aren't doing that to me right now?" Hermione's honey orbs narrowed considerably as she eyed the teen sitting beside her.

"What would be the point, Granger? I'm going to get you in the end any way." His face became pensive, "Your will power is too strong for it to work. I've tried already." Draco lowered his head awaiting a slap or something of the kind.

It did not come.

"I'm aware that you have been made to sign a final contract. You know that if you don't follow through we will both die. I want to stay alive." He smiled a little but she knew he was not joking.

"I know. But mate is such a..." Hermione trailed off.

"Primitive word?" Malfoy finished seriously.

"If you want to call it that. It just seems like we are animals, that you are the animal and I have been given to you for dinner." She sighed, resisting the urge to lie back on the very comfortable satin sheets.

"Well then, stop seeing it like that. The Dark Lord has been searching for the perfect candidate for a while now. He has been unable to find someone who matches me in skill and wit until now. You might think that these attributes are unimportant, but it's not true. A Veela man needs an equal so that he can be commanded when needed to. We are quite ill tempered." He finished, letting her fill in the gaps.

Sighing, Hermione stood, walking for the door. As she reached the threshold, she turned to face her new counterpart.

"I understand Malfoy. It's just… going to take awhile to get used to. I will see you at dinner."

"Yeah, see you at dinner, Hermione." He began to smile but quickly stopped himself. That was enough of that!

Then, she was gone.

As she made her way down the long and expensively decorated hallway, Hermione reviewed her meeting with the blond Veela. Had it gone well? It was tough to decide whether it was a success or not, nothing seemed to be certain at this point. Everything was new and secretly exciting at Malfoy Manor, but there was one thing Hermione could count on – the Dark Lord would have his way and she would just have to get used to it.

Hermione thought back to the Veela books, a small smile playing on her features. It would all be fine as long as Draco does not make her move into a pond or a cloud. Maybe being with a Veela could be interesting.

Maybe.

Just maybe.

A/N

Thanks heaps to my lovely betas :D Hope you all enjoyed the chapter.

Read and REVIEW dammit! xP