Harry Potter and the Veela Who Wasn't
A 4th Year story that explores the Hogwarts Rumor Mill
"Scarhead." Draco Malfoy sneered at Harry Potter, his silvery eyes gleaming with malice and hate. "So…St. Potter, which one of these losers are you taking to the Yule Ball? The mudblood or the blood traitor?"
"Sod off Malfoy!" Harry snarled even as Ron reached for his wand and tried to stand up. He couldn't, however, as Hermione had a tight grip on his arm.
"Go away, Malfoy." Hermione glared at him. "And take your foul mouth and bad manners with you."
Draco's eyes shifted over to her and then he coldly gazed up and down her body before snorting in disdain. He turned back to Harry.
"My advice? Take the blood traitor. The mudblood'll just lecture you in a bossy tone of voice all night, but for a few knuts you can probably bribe Weasley here onto his knees for a good suck job."
Hermione gasped in shock and let go of Ron. He instantly jumped to his feet and pulled his wand. Harry's was already in his hand and pointing at Malfoy.
"Apologize! Now!"
Then, out of nowhere, Professor Snape appeared and snarled at the trio. "Put your wands down now! Twenty points from Gryffindor for drawing your wands in the Great Hall."
Draco Malfoy smirked, his eyes dancing with glee.
"But Sir!" Hermione protested. "Malfoy…"
"And another ten points for cheek!" Snape cut her off. Then he twirled dramatically so that his robes flared and stalked off.
Malfoy chuckled, amused. "You poor sods just never learn." Then he too turned and sauntered away.
Dean Thomas watched with a sour expression as Draco Malfoy sauntered over to the Gryffindor table all puffed up and full of himself. Then, as always, the little blonde twat called Harry Potter a childish name, insulted Ron Weasley about being poor and insulted Hermione Granger for being muggleborn. The three Gryffindor's responded predictably by insulting him back, then wands were drawn just as that greasy git Snape swooped over and took points off of Gryffindor. Harry and Ron gritted their teeth, Malfoy smirked and the two Slytherins stalked off. Well, Snape stalked off. Malfoy was far too poncy for that. He slinked away instead.
"Me'thinks he doth protest too much."
"Huh?" Seamus gave him a confused look enhanced by a piece of toast half hanging out of his mouth. Dean grimaced.
"Yeah Dean," Lavender leaned across the table a bit, her fork poised in mid air. "What did you mean by that?"
Dean waved a vague hand at the three other Gryffindors in their year sat slightly down the table and then turned to point out Draco Malfoy just sitting back down at the Slytherin table.
"I was talking about that idiot Malfoy."
He was faced with three curious and expectant faces from Seamus, Lavender and Parvati.
"The saying, 'Me'thinks he doth protest too much.' is from a muggle play, I think. It was popular and became a saying. It basically means that he puts so much effort into trying to convince everyone of something false in order to hide the real truth. Only he's gone too far and the lie's no longer believable."
"Huh?" Lavender scooped up some eggs on her fork and seemed to contemplate them. "So, what do you think is the lie and what is the hidden truth?"
Dean shrugged and stabbed a sausage with his own fork.
"Don't really know for sure. All I know is what I see and hear. He makes a huge fuss out of being a rich pureblood, so maybe that's the lie. He also makes a huge production out of hating Harry, but then he turns around and goes out of his way to get Harry's attention right before insulting Ron and Hermione. If I didn't know better, I'd say he's jealous of them for being Harry's friend."
Parvati blinked rapidly, opened her mouth and nearly choked. Grabbing her goblet, she quickly swallowed several mouthfuls of pumpkin juice and then gasped for air. No longer in danger of being killed by her breakfast, she turned a wide-eyed look on Dean.
"So, what you're saying is that you think Draco Malfoy isn't really a pureblood and that he's got the hots for Harry and is pissed off that Harry isn't interested?"
Dean tipped his head to the side and considered it for a moment. Then he grinned wickedly and nodded. "Yeah. That's exactly what I think."
Cho sat at the Ravenclaw table with her back to a group of younger Gryffindors. She couldn't help but overhear their chat as she waited for her friend Marietta. She could barely believe it. How could anyone really think that?
Still… they had a point about that nasty little snake always getting in Harry Potter's face and spewing insults.
But the rest? "I mean really, Draco Malfoy not being pureblood?" she muttered.
"Oh. Well, that explains it then." Luna Lovegood said across an empty space from a few seats down.
Cho frowned and debated with herself about actually speaking to the younger girl. It was widely accepted in Ravenclaw that the girl was a lunatic and would eventually end up in St. Mungo's long-term ward. Finally, she gave into her curiosity.
"What do you mean, that explains everything?"
Luna looked up and over at Cho. Well, to be precise, she was looking slightly up and to the left of Cho, but that was close enough. Her unfocused gaze was creepy enough, no need to have the little freak actually stare at her.
"Well," Luna began in her sing-song voice, "the wrackspurts gather around people in certain patterns depending on a lot of things. They tend to flock to him a lot more than normal. And the nargles, well, they adore Professor Hagrid just like they do Madam Maxim. But they actually think that Draco is one of them, just like they do with the Beauxbaton Champion."
Luna blinked slowly and tilted her head.
"Maybe Fleur and Draco really are nargles? That would explain why the wrackspurts cling to him so often."
Cho scowled. "Fleur isn't a nargle you silly twit. She's part Veela!"
Luna simply hummed a noise that could be an agreement or could mean nothing at all and turned back to her plate.
Still scowling, Cho looked down the Ravenclaw table to where the Beauxbaton students were sitting and looked for Fleur. She found the girl sitting there nibbling on a piece of fresh fruit. Cho studied her. With her pale blonde hair that shone gold in the sun and her pale blue eyes that had an almost silver sheen combined with creamy skin and that lovely slender build, the girl had an almost ethereal quality to her.
Then Cho turned her head and gazed across the Great Hall until she could scan the Slytherin table. There he was, Draco Malfoy, the nastiest snake to slither out of Slytherin in years. The twat. Still, he was nice to look at. From a distance at least. His pale blonde hair with the golden highlights looked nice when he didn't have it slicked back with potion. And his gray eyes were nearly silvery in the right light. And with his pale skin and seeker build he was…
Cho's thought trailed off as she really looked at him for a moment, then turned her head to look at the half-Veela Fleur. Then she looked at Draco, then Fleur, then Draco again.
"Oh Merlin!"
Cho's jaw dropped and she gaped in shock at what she had realized.
"I told you," came the sing-song voice of Luna Lovegood, but she ignored the mild taunt. She had learned long ago that just because Luna was insane it didn't make her stupid. She wasn't a Ravenclaw for nothing. She was an outcast in the house of intellect because no one could understand her ravings, but that didn't mean they weren't based on real and solid facts.
"Um…didn't you tell me once that nargles lived in mistletoe?"
Luna blinked rapidly. It almost seemed as if she were fluttering her eyelashes.
"Yes. Yes, they do." Luna's head tilted to the side in thought. "That's why people feel compelled to kiss when they stand underneath mistletoe. The nargles enjoy it when people kiss and hug so they make them feel passion."
Cho nodded her head slowly.
"And the nargles think that Fleur and Draco are just like them?"
Luna got a confused look on her face and then looked down at the watch on her wrist. She tapped it twice.
"Didn't we already have this conversation? I'm just asking, because if I'm stuck inside of a time loop, that's the sort of thing that I'd like to know about."
Cho went back to ignoring Luna again and contemplated everything she had heard and what she had seen for herself. As a Ravenclaw, she could pick it all apart and come up with a logical answer.
First, the Gryffindors thought that Draco Malfoy wasn't really a pureblood and that he had, if not romantic, than at least sexual designs on Harry Potter.
Second, Luna's insanity had equated sexual desire and possibly romantic love with an imaginary creature she called 'nargles'. The only two people that seem to embody the concept of 'nargles' fully are Draco Malfoy and the Veela half-breed Fleur Delacour.
Third, despite Luna's insanity, Draco Malfoy does share many physical and social traits with Fleur. They are both slim and pale with gold-blonde hair and silvery-blue eyes. They are both overly impressed with their own importance and convinced that everyone does (or should) adore and worship them.
With a clang, Cho dropped her fork and jumped up from the Ravenclaw table. She was no longer content to simply wait for Marietta. She had to go hunt her down and tell her that Draco Malfoy was really a part-Veela and only told people he was a pureblood so that he and his family wouldn't have to register as magical creatures.
It wasn't until the end of the day that Parvati was able to see her sister Padma. They met up in the Library and grabbed a table in the back. Once their books were all spread out and everything was organized, Parvati spilled the beans.
"Oh Merlin, you're gonna love this one."
Padma smirked. "Yeah? Well, I've got a juicy bit of gossip for you too. We'll have to compare and see whose is better."
Parvati giggled and nodded.
"All of Gryffindor is convinced that Draco Malfoy is secretly in love with Harry Potter. I mean, the little pissant can't even walk past Harry without calling him a name or doing something to get Harry's attention. It's a lot like how a little boy will tug on a girl's pig-tails when he likes her. At that point, of course, his jealousy gets the best of him and he has to insult Ron and Hermione."
Padma blinked in surprise.
"Of course, it took a while for Hermione to see it. She tended to agree with Ron that Draco is simply evil personified and that's why he does it. But after listening to us point out different examples and explaining why we thought that she said that it was actually fairly common in the muggle world that some people who were gay couldn't accept it."
Padma frowned. Her fellow Ravenclaw Terry Boot was gay and he was a good friend and excellent study partner. He was very open about liking guys instead of girls. And while the other boys in his dorm sometimes teased him, it was all friendly and never mean. This was her only exposure to alternate relationships, so the idea that it might not be welcome was new to her.
"But…why? I mean, there isn't anything wrong with being gay. Look at Terry!"
Parvati nodded her head. "I know. That's what I told Hermione. She said that sometimes because of family expectations or because of the peer pressure from their friends a person couldn't accept being gay. So, instead of trying to live a happy life with another guy, they would seek out the object of their affection and try to hurt them in some sort of twisted attempt to make themselves be not-gay."
Padma gaped. Then she sputtered. "That's…that's…" She scowled, "that's stupid."
Parvati nodded even as she shrugged her shoulders. "Well, we are talking about Draco Malfoy here and no one has ever accused him of being bright. Plus, his father would probably kill him if there were no more snotty blonde heirs to the Malfoy fortune."
Padma's eyes went wide and a smirk flitted across her lips.
"Speaking of the Malfoy family, they've been very popular in the Ravenclaw gossip circles."
Parvati grinned and leaned forward. "Oh really? What have the 'claws being saying about that twat."
Padma's smirk grew and her eyes sparkled with mirth.
"Oh. Only that the great and powerful Malfoy family might not actually be as pure as they are so quick to point out."
Parvati's jaw dropped for a moment and then she squeaked in excitement and reached out to latch onto her sister's arm. "Tell me, tell me, tell me!"
Padma giggled at Parvati and leaned in closer.
"We've got people researching genealogical lines for proof, but the rumor is that there's Veela blood hiding somewhere in their past and that it's come out as dominant in young Draco."
Parvati grinned fiercely, before breaking down into guffaws and chuckles. Finally, a hissed demand for quiet from Madam Pince helped her get herself under control though she was still grinning madly.
"So, do you think that it's the fact that he's gay that brought out the Veela in him or the other way around? After all, Veela tend to be female?"
Padma stilled for a moment. "I'm not sure. The best person in Care of Magical Creatures is Luna Lovegood. She'd probably know, but asking her would mean trying to wade through the insanity to figure out what she's really saying."
Parvati nodded in sympathy.
"We should have Harry ask her then. Firstly, it's his arse on the line. Literally. And secondly, well…" Parvati shrugged with an apologetic look on her face. "not to be mean or anything, but Harry isn't wrapped too tightly either. I mean, he doesn't talk to imaginary animals or anything, but most of Gryffindor think he's a bit queer in the head."
Padma nodded in agreement. It was fairly common knowledge that Harry Potter often woke up from screaming nightmares and that he would occasionally curl up in a ball with his arms wrapped around his knees and rock back and forth while humming and wearing a blank look on his face for hours at a time. That he never remembered doing so afterwards only added to the freakiness factor.
Hannah Abbot walked out of the Library with a frown on her face. She hadn't meant to listen in on the sister's conversation, but she had been looking for a book in the stacks right next to them and couldn't help it. It was a lot to take in.
They had gay students in Hogwarts.
Not that she had anything against gay people, after all she had known about Terry Boot. And Terry was a good guy. But Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter? That was a new one for her. The fact that Malfoy was in love with Harry Potter only made it more surreal.
Normally, she would encourage anyone to pick Terry over Malfoy. Terry was kind and smart and friendly and really cute. Malfoy was nasty and cruel and rude and had stupid hair. Really, if you had to choose a gay boyfriend, the obvious choice was Terry.
On the other hand, this was Harry Potter they were talking about. The Boy-Who-Lived was secretive almost to the point of being anti-social, he wandered around scowling at everyone and he was a parcelmouth. Although, the worst crime of all in Hannah's eyes was that he put his name in the stupid Goblet of Fire. For the first time in decades Hufflepuff House was thrust to the fore as the best of the best and then out comes Potter's name and the Badgers were back to being stuffed into the shadows and ignored.
Cedric was Hogwarts Champion and yet all anyone talked about was stupid Harry Potter.
Well, perhaps he needed a boyfriend to keep him out of trouble? A nasty half-Veela Slytherin boyfriend was good enough for the likes of him. No need to bother that sweet Ravenclaw boy with the Gryffindor Glory-Hound.
Smirking, Hannah turned down the stairs towards the Hufflepuff Sett. She was sure that she could talk her housemates into some matchmaking.
Marcus Flint smirked evilly as he stomped across the Slytherin common room, a letter clutched in his hand. He had put up with several years of Draco Malfoy making a mockery of the Slytherin Quidditch team. First by bribing his way onto the team against Marcus' advice with those brooms, and secondly by being a terrible flyer and a worse seeker. He was so bad that not even their sneakiest, dirtiest playing had been able to salvage the team.
And now, finally, he was about to get his revenge.
Still furious over having lost the chance to play Quidditch this year because of a stupid and archaic tournament that no one was really interested in beside a few 'puffs and 'gryffs, he hadn't expected a windfall to come his way. Then he had managed to overhear the so-called Golden Trio of Gryffindor as the mudblood and the blood traitor tried to cheer up the depressed and semi-frantic Boy-Who-Lived. Apparently, little Draco Malfoy was a nancy-boy queer with a hardon for Potter's cock and the Boy-Who-Lived wanted nothing to do with the poncy blonde shirt-lifter.
Not that Marcus blamed him. He wouldn't even piss on Malfoy if the boy was on fire and the only thing that could save his life was a golden stream of urine. That Potter felt the same way wasn't a big surprise. Besides, if Potter had a thing for guys, he had that ginger blood traitor wrapped around finger already. It wouldn't be too hard to wrap him around the Boy-Who-Lived's cock as well.
Then, as if that wasn't a big enough prize to have, he'd run afoul of some chatting Ravenclaws, including that skanky bitch Marietta. She was hopelessly in love with Marcus and while he couldn't blame the bitch for her taste in men, he wouldn't even fuck her with Worthington's cock, let alone his own. Still, she had her uses and was quick to tell him all about the latest Ravenclaw gossip. She babbled something about Malfoy family genealogy lines and them being forced to flee France centuries ago. Then she gave up the real goods and told him how the Malfoy's were hiding the fact that they had creature blood in them. Veela, to be exact.
Apparently, that was why the little twat was so hungry for Potter's cock. His Veela blood needed a good buggering and he wanted Potter to do the dirty deed.
Marcus knew that this was an important secret. One that could ruin the Malfoy family's good standing. He also knew that breeding in creatures was actually quite common in certain dark families. It erased the problems of over-inbreeding by strengthening the magic and reducing the chance of squibs, even if it sometimes had other effects as well. Marcus himself had some creature blood in his veins. If you went back six generations on his mother's side, you'd find a troll ancestor. And if you went back ten generations on his father's side, you'd find a giant ancestor. It explained both his height and his physical strength. Still, it wasn't something you wanted to get out. Pureblood meant wizards and witches only. No muggles. No mudbloods. And absolutely no creatures.
The fact that little Draco Malfoy was only part human would rock the wizarding world. Add to that the fact that he was also gay and the name Malfoy would be ruined.
Hence the letter. It was an explanation of the gay-Veela rumors with a few anecdotes of recent confrontations between Malfoy and Potter as proof. It also told about Potter's rejection of Malfoy, and speculated over if it was due to the Veela blood or the fact that Malfoy was a guy.
Now, all he had to do was get to the owlry and post it to that Rita Skeeter bitch at the Prophet.
Boy-Who-Lived Rejects Gay-Veela Love!
By Rita Skeeter
Daily Prophet Reporter
It has come to this reporter's attention that the young Malfoy Heir and Scion, Draco Malfoy, has defied his politically connected and wealthy father in order to embrace his Veela heritage and proclaim his undying love for Harry Potter.
As many know, the Malfoy family fled from the authorities in France and found sanctuary here in Wizarding Britain centuries ago. Despite their claim at the time of wrongful politically motivated accusations of Dark Magic, it seems that the truth is much worse. Apparently, they were chased across the Channel for the crime of kidnapping young Veela women to be their brides. In order to protect their Veela citizens, the French Government sent the Malfoy (then Malfoi) clan into permanent exile.
Since that time, the Malfoy family has gained great wealth and prominence in our society. Prominence built on a stack of lies and the blood of helpless young Veela women torn from their family homes.
Young Draco, however, has bravely thrust aside the veil of secrecy and has embraced his family's shameful past by proudly declaring his gay love for the Boy-Who-Lived and by attempting to use his burgeoning Veela allure to seduce our young Hero.
Unfortunately for Draco Malfoy, the Potter Heir and Scion is not interested in perusing a romantic liaison. It has not been confirmed if this seemingly harsh rejection is due to young Malfoy's Veela blood and status as a partial human or if it is due to the fact Malfoy is a man. Perhaps our savior has no love in his heart for gay men and women?
For now, the Boy-Who-Lived is still vainly trying to win back the cruel and uncaring heart of the muggleborn Gryffindor, Hermione Granger who has recently spurned his advances.
Only time will tell if the Veela half-breed Draco Malfoy can cure our hero's broken heart.
The normal bustle of the Great Hall was shattered by the twin cries of horror coming from Draco Malfoy at the Slytherin table and Harry Potter at the Gryffindor table.
Marcus Flint just smirked happily.