Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. 'Nuff Said.

Warnings: Abuse, Slash (MxM), Evil Dumbledore…possibly more later.

Note: In my story Voldemort is going to be close in age to Lucius, Severus, the Marauder's, etc.

While Hadrian, Draco and Narcissa were at Diagon Alley, Lucius took the Floo over to Riddle Manor where Severus was working on the potion to restore Tom's sanity. When he got there, however, Lucius discovered that Severus did not wish for any company, so Lucius sought out Tom instead. His former master, and newly re-discovered friend, was happy for the company and the two sat down to enjoy a game of chess with Nagini curled comfortably at the base of Tom's chair.

"How are you feeling today Tom?" Lucius inquired as he moved a pawn.

"I am doing well," Tom replied, moving his own pawn forward, "I took some more of the temporary potion with breakfast; it only lasts four hours at a time, however Severus believes he will have a longer-lasting version of the potion ready before my current dose runs out. He said that this new batch will last a full twenty-four hours, so you won't have to worry about me suddenly reverting to my old self in the middle of a conversation."

"That is good news," Lucius smiled as he studied the board, "Has he said anything about how long it will take to find a permanent cure?"

"Severus said that we first need to locate the Horcruxes so that my soul can be reunited," Tom said, "After Draco's birthday we are going to begin gathering them."

"Have you spoken yet with Bellatrix regarding Draco's celebration?"

"Yes," Tom nodded, "I advised her that "Potter" is currently under our protection because Dumbledore betrayed him and we are working to turn him to our side; I ordered her to cause him no harm, and she has agreed."

"Excellent," Lucius said, "That is one less thing to worry about." He paused for a moment, before casually asking, "So…you are feeling completely sane at the moment?"

"Yes," Tom replied, raising an eyebrow, "Why? Do you have bad news for me? Nothing happened to Hadrian, did it?" He narrowed his eyes at his old friend, only relaxing when Lucius shook his head.

"No," Lucius replied, "Everything is fine with Hadrian, however I needed to tell you something about Draco which will likely affect Hadrian. As you know, the Malfoy's have Veela blood in our family tree," he paused while Tom nodded, "however we have not had dominant Veela traits in many generations. Narcissa also has Veela ancestors, which is how we found each other; even though neither of us had a destined mate as some Veela do, our Veela blood led us to the one person that would best compliment us. Draco is a half-Veela and he has begun showing signs that he will come into his inheritance on his birthday, at midnight tonight."

"As a half-Veela your son will have a mate," Tom said, and Lucius nodded, "I assume you are telling me this because you believe that Hadrian is destined to be Draco's mate."

"Yes," Lucius nodded, "The way he has been so protective of Hadrian and is in constant contact with him shows that they have a deep connection, which likely means they are mates."

"Have you told Hadrian yet?"

"No," Lucius replied, "Narcissa and I thought we would wait until you could join us; we would like to give him time to get used to the news, so I was thinking we could talk to the boys during tea this afternoon."

"That would be fine," Tom agreed, "What will happen when Draco reaches his inheritance? Will Hadrian be in any danger? If so, I can bring him here."

"He won't be in any danger," Lucius began, "However Draco will want him close by otherwise he will be in great distress. Most Veela do not find their mate until after both have turned sixteen, however in the few cases where they find and recognize each other early, they needed to be together to prevent mental anguish for the Veela. I am not sure exactly what will happen however, as each relationship between a Veela and their mate is different. The only thing I know for certain is that Draco will require Hadrian to be near him, and he will be possessive. The need will diminish after a time, but the amount of time is also different for each couple."

"So my son is going to be the mate of a possessive Veela," Tom sighed, "and not only a possessive Veela, but a Malfoy as well." He shook his head, "Poor Hadrian. Speaking of which, I have come up with a solution to the matter of Hadrian's guardian; since Dumbledore believes he has claimed Sanctuary from your family, Narcissa will petition the ministry for custody of Hadrian." He paused, then admitted, "Actually, I wanted to torture the Muggles until they agreed to sign over custody to Narcissa before granting them a slow and painful death, however Severus said this may not be the best idea."

"Going through the ministry would be the better option," Lucius agreed, fighting back a smile at his friends petulant tone, "however I agree that the Muggles deserve to be punished; we will merely have to plan out our revenge very carefully so as to avoid attracting suspicion. As for Narcissa becoming Hadrian's guardian, I think that would be the ideal way to handle this; if Hadrian does turn out to be Draco's mate then she will have even more grounds to file for custody, as it is tradition for a Veela's mate to live with the Veela's family if their own family is unable to take care of them. We can tell Narcissa this evening, and she can go to the ministry after Draco's birthday."

"Excellent," Tom agreed, smirking as he moved a pawn forward, "Checkmate. Now, Severus left me the books that were written by Mathias Gryffindor and his wife, and I was thinking it would be more convenient for everyone involved if we were to translate it into English; are you willing to assist me?"

"Of course," Lucius agreed, before scowling at the chessboard-his men were yelling obscenities at him for losing; "I can't believe you can still beat me at chess." He shook his head, "Do you want to translate it into English verbally while I transcribe it?"

"Yes," Tom said, "I know Severus also asked Hadrian for help, so I thought we would translate the diary with the specific information on rituals, and Hadrian can work on the potions diary, perhaps with assistance from Draco. Here;" he handed Lucius a silver notebook that was embossed with a black rose; "This notebook is charmed so that only you, I, Severus and Narcissa can read it." Lucius nodded and opened the notebook, waiting for Tom to begin; the two men spent their time until lunch translating the book and then they met Severus in the parlor so that they could return to Malfoy Manor for lunch.

"Here," Severus held out a vial of green potion as they sat down to lunch, "This is the new potion I developed which you should only have to take once a day; it lasts for twenty-four hours, however there is no harm in taking one dose now and the next when you wake in the morning."

"Thank you Severus," Tom said as he drank the potion, making a face at the after-taste, "It helps that we won't have to worry about this any longer. How much do you have prepared?"

"I have two months' worth," Severus replied, "I would recommend leaving half of the bottles here so that you will always have access to the potion; I also made a copy of the instructions which I would like to leave in your potions lab Luca."

"That is acceptable," Lucius agreed, "You can leave the extra potions in my study. So, do you feel we should focus exclusively on locating the Horcruxes, or should we also start breaking the memory charms? There are some people, such as Augusta Longbottom, who I feel would be very helpful with our cause."

"We should focus mainly on the Horcruxes," Tom said, "but slowly work on showing people the memories as well; I want to have as many people on our side as possible by the time I am healed so that we can focus our attention on Dumbledore. Augusta would be an ideal person to start with, however how shall we get her to view the memories?"

"Easy; we get Lupin to speak to her," Severus said, "Remus Lupin cares deeply for Hadrian and he will be willing to view the memories if the boy asks it of him; once he sees the truth he will be very loyal to us. Lupin is a werewolf and-even though his memories are false-he long ago decided Hadrian was a member of his pack and he will do anything to protect him."

"I assume you know how to contact him," Lucius stated, and Severus nodded.

"I will tell Dumbledore that Hadrian-that is, Harry-is asking to see Lupin," Severus said, "and guarantee him safe passage to the manor. It is unfortunate that we cannot to get him here today, before Draco's inheritance comes into effect; I rather think the werewolf and Veela may have some issues with one another."

"That's true," Lucius mused, "Draco will be highly possessive of Hadrian for some time after he comes into his inheritance, which will make it difficult for Hadrian to spend time with Lupin…is there any way to find Lupin today?"

"No," Severus shook his head, "I know where he is, however the full moon is tonight so it would not be a good idea to bring him here; it shall simply have to wait until after the full moon."

"We shall chaperone the meeting to make sure that Draco behaves himself," Tom said, "Perhaps Severus can brew a potion to minimize his Veela instincts during the meeting. When will Narcissa and the boys return?"

"They were planning to return after lunch," Lucius replied, casting a quick tempus he added, "Which could be any time in the next hour or so. We got a good start on translating those books Sev; do you want to read what we have so far?"

"Actually, I think we should start planning for our horcrux search," Severus said, "We need to have an idea of where to look before we go running off to find them."

"Good idea," Tom nodded, "Should we use your office Luca?"

"That would be fine," Lucius agreed, "We just need to make sure we have everything ready to be put away when the boys return; they are far too eager to join the cause, and I want to keep them out of danger as much as possible." Severus and Tom nodded their agreement and the three men headed to Lucius' office to begin their planning.

It was two hours later when Narcissa and the boys returned, and the three men were shocked when they saw Hadrian.

"Who did this?" Tom demanded in a low, dangerous voice; he got up from the chair he had been sitting in and walked around to the other side of the desk so that he could more clearly see the bruises on Hadrian's face.

"It was Ronald Weasley," Narcissa replied as she and Draco directed Hadrian to sit in a chair, "It seems that he, along with Hermione Granger and Ginerva Weasley, came upon Hadrian and Draco while they were waiting for me and Mr. Weasley decided to attack Hadrian."

"And why did Draco not assist him?" Tom demanded, glaring at the blond teen fussing over his son.

"Because the girl-Weasel used a potion to stick me to my chair," Draco scowled to hide the fact that Tom's flashing red eyes intimidated him, "I had to convince Granger to release me, and by the time she agreed Hadrian had gotten the upper-hand, so I decided to let him get a few swings in for revenge." Draco narrowed his eyes and used gentle hand to make Hadrian tilt his head so that everyone could see the bruises around his throat, "Of course, if I had noticed these bruises before the Weasel was taken away I would have enacted some revenge of my own; now it shall have to wait until we return to school, but Ronald Weasley will pay for what he did to my-to Hadrian." Hadrian rolled his eyes at this-Draco had been acting far too over-protective since the incident in Diagon Alley and he was finding it to be a little ridiculous. "Hadrian said that it hurts to speak."

"We need to take some pictures to document his injuries and then allow Severus to heal him," Lucius said as he summoned a camera; Hadrian scowled but sat still and allowed Lucius to take pictures of the injuries inflicted on him by Ron, turning his head occasionally when asked to. "Okay Sev," Lucius said after a moment, "He's all yours." Severus stepped forward and cast a diagnostic spell, which produced a sheet of parchment detailing his injuries. He scanned the parchment and then passed it to Lucius, so that it could be submitted as evidence along with the pictures.

"Episkey," Severus murmured, and Hadrian winced as his broken nose fixed itself. Severus reached into the small emergency potions kit he always kept with him, and pulled out a small tin of thick blue paste, which he then slathered on Hadrian's bruises. "The damage to your vocal cords was caused by magic," Severus said, "Did you hear Weasley cast a spell?" Hadrian shook his head in the negative, "Did you say something that angered him?" Hadrian nodded. "Well, it is possible his accidental magic is affecting your vocal cords," Severus pulled out a vial of green potion the bag he always kept with him, and held it out to Hadrian; "A simple healing draught should fix you vocal cords, along with the smaller injuries inflicted by Weasley. Drink this Hadrian, and stop scowling at me." Hadrian stuck his tongue out at the potions master and grudgingly accepted the potion-sure, he couldn't speak, but that didn't mean he wanted to take another vile tasting potion. He glared at the potion suspiciously for a moment before tilting his head back and downing it in one go, making a disgusted face at the bitter taste that lingered on his tongue.

"Give it a few minutes before you try to speak," Severus instructed him, "I just want to run an additional diagnostic spell to make sure there are no other injuries." Hadrian rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out again. "Do that one more time and I will cut out your tongue to use in my potions," Severus threatened, and Hadrian immediately pulled his tongue back in his mouth and proceeded to pout.

"Don't worry Hades," Draco nudged Hadrian until he scooted over a bit, giving Draco enough room to squeeze into the chair, although just barely, "There are potions to grow your tongue back so it would only be temporary." Hadrian gave him a look that clearly said 'Oh, that's comforting!' before rolling his eyes and relaxing with Draco's arm around his shoulders. Severus performed the diagnostic spell and nodded in satisfaction.

"You are as good as new Hadrian," he said, "the bruises are gone, and your broken nose has been healed; in addition, you should be able to speak again-Merlin help us all."

"Gee, love you too Sev," Hadrian said drily, "I can't believe Hermione and Ginny just stood there and watched Ron beat the shit out of me!"

"Hadrian! Language!" Narcissa chided.

"Sorry Narcissa," Hadrian blushed, "It's just-so frustrating! I had hoped that Ginny at least would stick up for me!"

"She is obviously torn between you and her brother," Draco said calmly, "and seeing you with me did not help matters any. Not that that excuses her; I still intend to have a few words with Ginerva the next time we meet. Are you truly feeling better now Hades?" Draco turned so that he could look Hadrian in the eyes, searching for any hint of discomfort or lasting injuries.

"Yes," Hadrian replied, "I feel fine now; in fact, I'm eager to look through the bag of tricks the twins gave me and see what I can use against Ron next year. Don't worry," he assured the adults, who were all looking at him disapprovingly, "I'll make sure I don't get caught."

"You had better not," Tom warned him, narrowing his eyes; "If you do there will be serious repercussions."

"Especially as you intend to be re-sorted when school resumes," Severus added, "I will not be pleased to have one of my students in detention because he doesn't know how to avoid detection when taking revenge."

"You are all terrible!" Narcissa chided, "Stop encouraging him to break the rules! Hadrian needs to avoid attracting Dumbledore's attention, remember? It's best if you just keep your head low Hadrian dear; I'm sure someone else will deal with Mr. Weasley for you."

"Like me," Draco said, "I will-"

"Do nothing," Narcissa frowned at her son, "You need to stay out of trouble as well Draco; the two of you should focus on your studies and leave other matters to be dealt with by those who-"

"Lighten up Cissa," Lucius interrupted with a smile, "Hadrian and Draco are young, and pranking is part of being a teenage boy; you were even telling them about the pranks that went on during our days, so to forbid them from a few revenge pranks would be hypocritical." He shared a smirk with his son.

"Fine," Narcissa snapped, upset at being undermined by her husband, "but I don't want to hear about any of the pranks, and if they get caught you will have to answer to me for encouraging them." She glared at Lucius for another moment, but when he just continued to smirk unrepentantly she sighed and shook her head before turning back to Hadrian; "Now, Hadrian; would you like to take a nap before we have tea? I know today was another stressful one for you, and healing potions make most people feel tired."

"No thank you Narcissa," Hadrian replied, "I feel fine right now, and I don't feel the least bit sleepy; I was actually hoping Draco and I could go flying for a while?"

"Actually, if you aren't tired there are a few things we need to discuss," Tom said, "First, I have come up with a way to make sure that Dumbledore can't force you to go back to the Dursley's; since he believes you have asked for Sanctuary from Draco, Narcissa will go to the ministry next week and apply for custody of you until you turn seventeen."

"What will we do when the ministry checks the records and it shows that Hadrian never actually claimed Sanctuary?" Narcissa asked.

"Well, I actually did," Hadrian said, "Luna sent me a letter telling me that Severus told Dumbledore the story about me claiming Sanctuary-don't ask how she knew because she just always seems to know these things-and she said it would be a good idea if I actually did it, so...I did."

"That certainly makes things easier," Lucius nodded approvingly, "Although I am concerned with Luna-this would be Luna Lovegood? Xenophilius' daughter?" Hadrian nodded and Lucius continued, "Well, I am concerned about her having this information-I wonder how she came across it, and if we can trust her to keep it secret."

"I believe Luna is a seer," Draco replied, "She has this uncanny ability to know things before others do, and as for her passing information to our enemies...I trust her."

"So do I," Hadrian added, "She's always kept my secrets in the past and she was on my side last year when the Prophet was telling everyone that I was crazy."

"Very well-we shall trust her for now," Lucius said, "Just keep an eye on her once school starts Severus."

"Of course," Severus nodded, "I will also accompany Narcissa to the ministry so that Dumbledore does not interfere when she requests custody of Hadrian."

"I still like my original idea better," Tom glowered, "Torturing the Muggles until they sign over custody would be so much more fun."

"Torturing-?" Hadrian questioned and then shook his head, "Can't we just not think about them anymore? I really just want to forget I ever lived with them, especially now that I never have to go back."

"Good idea Hades," Draco nodded, "You move on and forget about them, and your dad can worry about the whole revenge thing. Isn't it great that you get to stay here from now on?"

"Well, it sure beats the cupboard," Hadrian replied with a dry smile, "and you aren't quite as obnoxious as Dudley. Ow!" Hadrian pouted when Draco smacked him upside the head.

"I have seen that obese whale they claim is a boy," Draco scowled, "and you will not ever compare me to him again if you value your life."

"Well, now that that has been settled we can move on," Narcissa interjected before Hadrian could reply, "Draco, have you had the chance to tell Hadrian about our family history-to be specific, our blood-lines?"

"No Mother," Draco shook his head, "Severus really only mentioned it yesterday, and I was not entirely certain if it would apply, so I did not bring it up. Plus, we have been rather busy, what with saving Hadrian's life, discovering the truth about the past and fighting off Weasel's."

"Well, it would be best to tell him now before it is too late," Lucius pointed out, focusing his attention on the brunet sitting next to his son, "Hadrian, what do you know of Veela's?"

"Umm, I know that that originally come from Bulgaria," Hadrian frowned, "I saw them at the World Cup a few years ago; they're beautiful girls who have bird-like feature's when they get angry, and they have...I think Hermione called it an Allure, which makes males become attracted to them and act stupid. Hmmm...I always did wonder why Fleur didn't affect me the way she did Ron and the other guys..." Hadrian said this softly enough that only Draco heard him, and the blond replied by smirking and tightening his arm around the smaller boys shoulders, ignoring Hadrian's attempt to shrug him off.

"That is correct, for the most part," Narcissa smiled, "What most people do not know is that Veela can actually be either male or female-full-blooded male Veela's simply prefer not to draw attention to themselves as it better enables them to take care of their mate. Many pure-blood families have magical creature blood in their past and the Malfoy's and the Black's both have Veela in their ancestry; this means that Draco is a half-Veela."

"Oookay," Hadrian said slowly, beginning to get nervous, "No offense Narcissa, but what does this have to do with me?"

"As a half-Veela Draco will more than likely have a mate," Severus answered before Narcissa could reply, "He will come into his magical inheritance on his sixteenth birthday-which means midnight tonight."

"Oh," Hadrian said softly, a look of comprehension dawning on his face, followed by a sad look that the others didn't understand, "I understand; you're worried that since Draco and I have become so close since he saved me yesterday that it might interfere with him finding his mate. I-" Hadrian tried to stand up, but Draco merely tightened his grip, keeping the smaller boy from moving.

"No, moron," he shook his head in exasperation, "They are telling you this because all signs point to you being my mate."

"What?!" Hadrian cried and this time he managed to pull away from Draco and jump up out of the chair, "Me?! I'm your-no!" He shook his head in denial; "I can't be your...your mate; I just can't be! I mean, I only just started to accept the fact that I might-might-be gay: there is no way I can be your mate! Isn't...isn't there something we can do to make this...not happen?"

"Of course," Severus said silkily and Hadrian turned to look at him with hopeful eyes; "All you have to do is reject Draco once he gets his inheritance and then you won't have to worry about being his mate."

"Really?" Hadrian asked hopefully; with his attention on Severus he failed to see the pained expression on Draco's face as the blond turned his head away; "Then Draco and I can go back to just being friends?"

"Certainly," Severus replied, "Of course, it is rather difficult to be friends with a dead person, however perhaps he would be willing to come back as a ghost for you."

"D-dead?" Hadrian paled, "But...can't he just choose another mate? Why does he have to die?"

"No, Hadrian," Tom shook his head, "Veela's only have one mate, and if that mate rejects them then they will die; I know it's a lot to take in, but you said it yourself-you and Draco have become very close-would it really be so bad being his mate? Most witches and wizards dream of being a Veela's mate; it means that you will always have a companion, someone to take care of you and to take care of in return. As for you, Severus," Tom rounded on his old friend before Hadrian could reply, "There was no need for you to respond like that; Hadrian was understandably shocked by the information and you just made him feel bad and..."

Hadrian tuned out the conversation and bit his lip, thinking about what Tom had just said. He did feel close to Draco, and he was definitely attracted to him, but it was all so new…On the other hand, he had always wanted someone to love him, like his family never had, so what if this was a little earlier than he had expected? And letting Draco die just because he was scared of this mate-thing was out of the question. Hadrian nodded to himself and turned to look at Draco who was studying the wall intently, determinedly ignoring Hadrian.

"Draco," Hadrian said softly, moving to stand in front of him; Draco turned his head in the other direction and crossed his arms as he scowled; "Come on Dray-don't be mad at me," Hadrian pleaded, "I-I was just surprised when you said that; I never even thought I liked boys until yesterday, and then you tell me that I'm destined to be your mate? Can you blame me for looking for a way out?"

"Yes," Draco grumbled, continuing to look at the wall, "You're only being nice now because you'd feel guilty if I died; I don't want you to be my mate out of pity or guilt."

"It's not out of guilt," Hadrian protested, "and I definitely don't pity you! I just-I don't know what to think Dray; everything has changed so much in the past two days..." Draco didn't respond, so Hadrian decided to try another tactic, "What happened to your Slytherin cunning? I admit that I don't feel ready for a...relationship and that I wouldn't even be thinking about it if it weren't for the fact that you're a Veela-I don't want to lose my best friend after all-" Hadrian saw a small smirk on Draco's lips before the blond replaced it with a scowl, but he took this as encouragement and continued; "but shouldn't you be using it to get what you want? I seem to remember the Sorting Hat in first year saying that Slytherin's were "cunning folk" who "used any means to achieve their ends". It's not like you to give up so easily."

"And who said I'm giving up?" Draco demanded, finally turning to face Hadrian; he held out his hand and Hadrian took it, then gave a little "eep!" of surprise when Draco yanked him, causing him to fall into the blonde's lap, "Maybe I was just using your guilt to get what I want." Draco smirked as the brunet glared at him and tried to get back up, "No; after hurting my feelings I think I need a cuddle to feel better." He helped Hadrian get into a more comfortable position and then wrapped his arms snuggly around the brunet's waist, resting his chin on Hadrian's shoulder.

"All settled then?" Narcissa asked with amusement and Hadrian blushed as he realized everyone had been watching their little exchange, "Excellent; so, do you have any questions Hadrian?"

"Well...what will happen?" Hadrian asked nervously, "I mean...what am I expected to do?"

"It is different for every pair of mates," Narcissa explained, "So I cannot say for certain what will happen, however I can tell you that Draco will be possessive before and for some time after you mate."

"By mate you mean...?" Draco whispered in Hadrian's earing, making the brunet blush and saving Narcissa from having to clarify; "Oh. I see," Hadrian said, "Um...but that won't happen right away, will it?"

"It won't happen until you are ready," Severus assured him, blinking in surprise when Hadrian responded with a scowl.

"I'm not speaking to you," the boy said, "You were being a jerk." He stuck his tongue out and then turned back to Narcissa, "So when you say Draco will be possessive..."

"She means you had better not flirt with anyone else or I may just rip their head off," Draco said calmly, "And I would be protected from any legal ramifications as Veela are protected under ministry law."

"That is correct," Lucius interjected, "Veela are permitted to do anything-up to and including murder-in order to protect their mate; this also includes...punishing anyone they feel is trying to interfere in their relationship."

"Okay, so no flirting," Hadrian said, "What if someone else tries to flirt with me?"

"Then they die," Draco replied, "the same goes for anyone who tries what the Weasel did today as well; his days are already numbered."

"No," Hadrian tilted his head so he could look back at Draco, "You can't kill him for our fight today; revenge is one thing, but that is not worth murdering over."

"Fine," Draco pouted, "but you owe me Hades." Hadrian rolled his eyes and turned back to face the adults.

"Is there anything else I should know?" he asked.

"The only other thing of importance is the fact that Draco is going to need you to stay close by for some time after he gets his magical inheritance," Lucius informed him, "Most Veela do not find their mate until both are sixteen, but since Draco already recognized you as his mate he will find it difficult to be separated from you for long periods of time. This could be for just a week, or he may feel the need to keep you close by until your own birthday, when the bond is reciprocated."

"You had better not be that insane or I swear I will hex you," Hadrian threatened Draco, "There's no way I can stand to have you hovering over me day in and day out for a whole month."

"You haven't seemed to mind it too much so far," Draco replied smugly, "In fact, I seem to remember waking up this morning with you-mmph!" Hadrian quickly clapped a hand over Draco's mouth to prevent him from saying anymore.

"Well, don't get used to it," he told the blond and then addressed Narcissa again, "So, he'll be possessive and controlling, no flirting and he basically has free reign to kill anyone he perceives as a threat to me or to our…relationship; is that all the important information?"

"I have done a little reading on this since yesterday afternoon, and there is one other thing Hadrian should be aware of," Severus spoke up, "Draco is considered a dominant Veela, and as such his instincts will be to protect you-even from yourself; what this means is that if you put yourself in danger through negligence or out of a need to protect others then he may punish you. There will also be times when he may tell you to do something or not do something and if you disobey then he may punish you for that; it is part of his Veela instincts."

"What do you mean by 'punish'?" Hadrian demanded, "Not like the way my-the Muggles punished me? Because I will not put up with that."

"Of course not like that," Draco assured him, turning to glare at Severus, "I read up on it as well-I have been reading up on Veela instincts for the past two years just in case-and I was intending to speak to Hadrian about it in private before we go to bed tonight. Punishment would be something fitting the whatever you did; for example, if you ran off into the Forbidden Forest to play with giant spiders and wound up getting hurt I might tell you not to go to the next Hogsmeade weekend or something along those lines. I really don't have it all planned out-from what I have read it is mostly instinct, however I would never harm you."

"Oh, Hadrian nodded his understanding, "I get it, I guess; doesn't mean I like it though, and it doesn't mean I'm just going to let you punish me however you want whenever your instincts go crasy. I want to see some of those books later."

"Of course," Narcissa smiled, "I will have a house elf bring a few upstairs for you; in the meantime, we have covered the most important aspects of Draco's Inheritance, so you boys can go flying now if you like; a house elf will summon you for tea."

"Yes!" Hadrian cheered, then he frowned when he tried to get up and Draco didn't loosen his grip; "Dray-what are you doing? Come on; let's go fly!"

"Maybe I don't feel like flying," Draco retorted, "Did you ever think of that? You didn't even ask me Hades."

"Oh, stop it Draco," Narcissa chided, "You know you love to fly; stop teasing Hadrian and get out of the house before I make you help the house elves with dinner." Draco was up like a flash, grabbing Hadrian by the wrist and pulling him out of the room.

"Come on Hades," he said, "Let's go flying." Hadrian laughed at Draco's sudden about face and allowed the other boy to drag him outside to the Quidditch pitch behind the manor.

"I can't believe you have your own Quidditch pitch," Hadrian, "It's really not fair."

"Get over it Pot-I mean Riddle," Draco said, almost lapsing back into the familiar insults now that they were outside, brooms in hand, "Why don't we play a Seeker's game? Winner gets to claim a forfeit."

"What kind of forfeit?" Hadrian asked suspiciously.

"The forfeit is to be named at the conclusion of the game," Draco replied, "What's the matter Hades? Scared you'll lose?"

"You wish," Hadrian retorted, "Alright; I agree-the first person to catch the Snitch gets to claim a forfeit, and I hope you're ready to pay up Malfoy-I've never lost to you before and I don't intend to start now."

"Hmmm, that's true," Draco said, "but this time it's just you and me-no distractions or bludgers or anything. Enough talk-let's go." Draco reached in his back pocket and pulled out a Snitch and both boys watched as it flew away, up into the clouds and out of sight before mounting their brooms. It wasn't until they were in the air that Hadrian notice Draco wasn't flying his normal Nimbus 2001.

"Hey! When did you get a Firebolt?"

"At the end of school," Draco smirked, "Mother bought it for me to cheer me up after someone hexed me," he glared at Hadrian, who had the grace to blush at the memory.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Hadrian said, "but you were-well, I guess I don't really have an excuse, except you were being an ass and I was still upset about losing Sirius."

"Don't worry," Draco gave him a devilish grin, "I'm sure I'll come up with some way for you to make it up to me. So, are you scared now that we are evenly matched?"

"Like I would ever be scared of you," Hadrian replied; just at that moment he saw a glint of gold out of the corner of his eye; "Besides, you may have a new broom, but I'm still better than you-especially since I don't need glasses anymore." He didn't wait for Draco's reply, but shot forward towards the snitch, grinning as he heard Draco's cry of outrage behind him. "Told you I was better Malfoy!" Hadrian looked over his shoulder to taunt the blond and then frowned when he didn't see Draco behind him. He turned back towards the snitch and pulled up suddenly to avoid slamming into Draco, who had flown above Hadrian before dropping down in front of him; in that moment of distraction the snitch had vanished and Hadrian glared at his friend.

"Keep your eye on the prize Hadrian," Draco teased, "It almost seems like you want to lose to me."

"In your dreams," Hadrian replied, "I will get to the snitch first, you'll see!"

"Well, you had better hurry then," Draco smirked and shot directly towards Hadrian, forcing the smaller boy to roll over in midair; when he righted himself again Hadrian saw that Draco was chasing after the snitch and he hurried to catch up.

"Cheat!" Hadrian cried as he gained on the blond, "No fair Malfoy!" Draco didn't reply, but leaned down close to his broom until he was laying almost flat against the broomstick, hand outstretched and reaching for the snitch; Hadrian knew there was no way he would be able to catch up, but he still put on a burst of speed and now he was even with Draco's knees...

"Yes!" Draco cheered, throwing his fist in the air, a struggling snitch held tightly in his fingers, "I win Hadrian!" He grinned triumphantly at the brunet, and Hadrian felt his heart skip a beat at the picture Draco made in the light of the setting sun; Draco's face was flushed with excitement, his eyes bright with victory and his lips stretched in a wide grin as the fading sunlight cast a golden halo around his pale locks. Hadrian couldn't let Draco see how affected he was of course, so he hid it behind a scowl.

"You distracted me," Hadrian pouted, "That was an unfair tactic!"

"You're just a sore loser," Draco teased, as both boys flew back towards the ground, "And now you owe me a forfeit...that's in addition to the life debt you already owe me."

"Smug prat," Hadrian glowered at his friend, "Fine? What do I have to do?"

"Hmmm...I need to think about it," Draco said, but the mischievous gleam in his eye told Hadrian that he already had an idea and just didn't want to say it; "Let's go get cleaned up and then meet me back in my room to discuss it."

"Whatever," Hadrian rolled his eyes, "You still have to tell me what I can do to pay back the life debt too; Tom said you have to come up with something soon."

"I will," Draco assured him as they put their brooms away and headed back inside, "but it's not every day you get a chance to claim a life debt; I just want to make sure I take full advantage of the situation."

"Of course you do," Hadrian shook his head as Draco linked arms with him, "Sneaky Slytherin prat."

"You really should stop calling me that," Draco chided him, "After all, you're soon to be a Slytherin as well."

"True," Hadrian conceded, "but soon isn't now." They continued a cheerful banter all the way up to their rooms where they separated to take their showers.

Thirty minutes later Hadrian had finished drying off and dressed in a comfortable pair of jeans and a soft T-shirt that he had found in his closet; he thought he recognized the clothes from the shopping trip earlier, but he couldn't be sure. Once he was dressed Hadrian hesitated before opening the door to Draco's room, both eager and uncomfortable at the thought of seeing Draco half-dressed again.

"Hurry up Hades," Draco called through the door, "Tillie already came up to tell us it was time for Tea, so let's go." Hadrian pushed the door open and noted with relief-and slight disappointment-that Draco was already dressed.

"Okay Draco; I'm ready," he said, "Where are we having tea?"

"In the gold parlor," Draco replied, "but we don't need to leave just yet-first, I want to claim my forfeit." Draco stepped forward and took Hadrian by the hand, pulling the brunet closer: Hadrian allowed it reluctantly, watching Draco warily.

"Okay; what do you want as your forfeit?" he asked suspiciously, and Draco grinned-this did not ease Hadrian's mind.

"Nothing terrible, I promise," Draco said, "Just come here and close your eyes." Hadrian narrowed his eyes suspiciously for a moment before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes just as he felt Draco's free hand come to rest at the back of his neck, and Hadrian suddenly knew what was going to happen.

Draco felt the brunet tense in his arms and make a soft sound of distress, so he released Hadrian's hand and slid his arm around the other boy's waist to keep him from fleeing as he leaned down, closing the small distance between them and gently pressing their lips together. Hadrian remained tense in his arms for a moment until Draco slid his hand up to card through the dark locks as he nipped softly at the lips beneath his and Hadrian parted his lips with a soft gasp; Draco took advantage of the action to slip his tongue into the other boy's mouth, gently lapping at the warm cavern while Hadrian finally began to relax, melting into the embrace.

'Wow,' Hadrian thought when he felt another tongue begin to caress his, 'this is...' He let the thought fade away as he tentatively wrapped his arms around Draco's neck, hearing the blonde give a soft sound of pleasure; if he'd known kissing Draco was this...amazing was the only word he could think of to describe it-he might have tried it sooner, and those fingers trailing through his hair were just heavenly.

After a few minutes Draco pulled away and looked down at Hadrian; his cheeks were flushed and his green eyes-when he opened them-were dark and slightly unfocused.

"See? That wasn't too terrible now, was it?" Draco teased. Hadrian shook his head to clear it before answering; seeing Draco's expression he decided to wipe that self-satisfied smirk off the blonde's face.

"Maybe not for you," Hadrian shot back, a mischievous twinkle in his eye, "I was just going along with it because I had to; if you thought I actually enjoyed it...well, I must be an even better kisser than I thought." With that little remark Hadrian twisted away out of Draco's arms and headed for the door; "Come on Dray-time for tea."

"Oh, I'll get you for that remark Hades," Draco promised as he followed the brunet out the door, quickly catching up to him and linking arms, "You just wait." Hadrian simply gave him a small laugh and a cheeky grin as they headed downstairs.

"I was wondering about something, Narcissa," Hadrian ventured as they were finishing tea; "they" being Hadrian, Draco, Lucius, Narcissa and Severus-Tom had left to attend to his Death Eater's, "Sirius mentioned that you have two sisters, but I didn't see Andromeda in any of the memories. Were you not close to her?"

"Andromeda was four years older than Bellatrix and six years older than me," Narcissa replied, "So, no, I was not as close to her as I was to Bella. When we were younger, Andromeda spent all of her time studying, and it was a surprise to everyone when the Hat chose to Sort her Slytherin instead of Ravenclaw. By the time I started at Hogwarts, Andromeda was busy preparing for her NEWT studies, and so I rarely saw her. Of course, I now know she was also sneaking around with Edward Tonks, whom our parents would not have approved of."

"Is it because he is a Muggleborn?" Draco asked.

"Partly," Narcissa said, "However, the main reason they would have forbidden the match was because Andromeda, as the eldest child, had already been betrothed to Lucius. The eldest child is the one who will inherit the majority of the estate, and so Andromeda was expected to marry into a family that would add to our prestige, and have a husband who would be able to assist her with managing the estate. Edward Tonks fit none of those requirements.

"If I had fallen for a Muggleborn, my parents would have disapproved, but given him a chance to prove himself; as the youngest I had the least expectations to live up to. When Andromeda chose to elope with that Tonks boy, she broke the betrothal and shamed our family. Mother was able to salvage the situation by offering me as a better match for Lucius, and the Malfoy's agreed to change the betrothal contract. Aunt Walburga, however, was not placated and she forced Mother and Father to disown Andromeda, or face being removed from the family as well. Father set aside a vault for Andromeda, but she was incensed at being disowned and refused any assistance from our family.

"Within a few years of her disownment, Andromeda had thrown her support behind Dumbledore, and then tried to convince Bellatrix and I to break our own engagements. When we refused, she declared herself to have no sisters." Narcissa smiled sadly, "I never even had the chance to meet my niece, although I have heard that she is an accomplished Auror."

"She is," Hadrian confirmed, "Tonks-er, well, her name is really Nymphadora, but she hates it and tells everyone to call her Tonks-is also a Metamorphmagus. Maybe, after we take care of Dumbledore, you can meet her." Hadrian frowned, "Do you think Andromeda was spelled by Dumbledore? Maybe that's why she turned her back on everyone?"

"If so, he must have begun turning her against our family when she first started at Hogwarts, and what purpose would that serve?" Narcissa replied, "He couldn't have known then what would happen with your parents and the Potter's."

"Do not underestimate Dumbledore," Severus cautioned, "While he could not have known exactly what happened, I believe he always intended to set someone up as a Dark Lord; Tom was just an ideal candidate."

"Well, we can't know anything for certain until we return everyone's memories," Lucius said, "We will, of course, see whether Andromeda was coerced by the Headmaster and do everything in our power to reverse his influence if he is responsible for her actions." Lucius smiled at his wife, adding, "I must admit, however, that I am glad you are the one I married."

"As am I," Narcissa returned the smile, then turned her attention back to Hadrian, "Do you have any other concerns, dear?"

"Not right now," Hadrian said.

"If you think of anything else, do not hesitate to ask," Narcissa said, "Now, Draco, would you like to play a game of Chess with me?" Draco agreed, and they moved from the table over to the other side of the parlor, where a Chess table was set up. Hadrian sat next to Draco, intent on learning how to play better-Ron was an excellent player, but a terrible teacher-while Lucius and Severus sat in a pair of chairs nearby, discussing something in quiet voices.

The rest of the afternoon and evening passed fairly quickly, and it didn't seem like long at all before Hadrian and Draco were saying good night to the adults and heading back up to their rooms. Draco sat down on the window seat and motioned for Hadrian to sit beside him.

"We should go to bed," Hadrian said as he sat down, "You know we'll have to get up early tomorrow."

"Not likely," Draco replied, "Coming into my Veela inheritance is supposed to be physically draining, so I expect mother to let us sleep in for a bit; she will likely wake us a couple of hours before the party starts so that we can get ready. And yes-you will be allowed to sleep in as well; it would not be a good idea for me to wake up the day after getting my inheritance to find you not in the room." Draco changed his position so that he was leaning against the wall with one leg on the window seat and the other one on the Floor; he looked at Hadrian expectantly and the brunet shook his head and rolled his eyes before sliding back so that he was leaning against Draco, his back to the blonde's chest and both of his legs pulled up on the window seat.

"Well, since you insist on staying up maybe I should start reading the books your mom had sent up," Hadrian suggested, "I need to know what to expect so you don't go on a killing rampage or something." Hadrian frowned thoughtfully for a moment and then asked; "Is that why I felt so comfortable around you suddenly? Is your Allure doing…something to make it so that we don't fight?"

"No," Draco shook his head, "from everything I've read I won't be able to use my Allure until after I get my inheritance; perhaps it was just being here, without others to cause problems between us." He wrapped one arm around Hadrian's waist and began stroking his hair with the other.

"Hmm, I suppose," Hadrian conceded, closing his eyes to enjoy the petting, "The fact that you and Sna-Severus saved my life probably helped too."

"That reminds me," Draco began, "The life debt; I think we should settle it now and I know what I want."

"Oh? What do you want?"

"I want you to agree to do anything I say for twenty-four hours," Draco said, "and I want you to promise that you will not keep any secrets from me that could affect both of us, that you will tell me immediately if someone threatens you or if you are injured, and that you will come to me or Severus before going off on any rescue missions or adventures."

"So you basically want me to tell you everything that ever happens to me, no matter how insignificant," Hadrian said drily, "What about when there isn't enough time to find you before doing something? And what about if I stub my toe, does that count as being injured?"

"You are being difficult," Draco frowned, "You don't have to tell me every detail of everyday-unless you want to, of course. As for injuries, I don't need to know if you get a papercut or something similar unless you have unusual side effects, but I would like you to tell me if you get knocked off your broom during Quidditch practice or cut yourself with your potions knife. I know that you wind up in a lot of dangerous situations, and you never rely on anyone other than Weasley and Granger for help; even then, you try to go off on your own. Luna told me you wanted to go to the ministry by yourself last year-I want to make sure you are safe."

"And doing whatever you say for twenty-four hours?" Hadrian questioned, "How does that keep me safe?"

"Well, I can tell you to stay with me, and prevent you from going into a dangerous situation," Draco told him, before smirking, "Mostly, however, that one is for my enjoyment; I rather think that I would like having you wait on me hand and foot for a day."

"Of course you would," Hadrian rolled his eyes, "Fine, but you can't use it to interfere with Quidditch."

"I will claim my day when it will not have any adverse effects on your schoolwork or Quidditch," Draco promised, "Do you agree to my demands?"

"I…suppose I can agree to that," Hadrian agreed, "So is that it? Our life debt is settled?"

"Yes-after we seal it with a kiss," Draco smirked.

Hadrian felt his breath catch in his throat when Draco tightened his fingers in his hair and tugged gently, pulling his head back so that he could lean down and capture Hadrian's lips with his own. Draco's lips moved against his gently at first, and then more persistently as he licked at Hadrian's bottom lip, encouraging him to part his lips and allow Draco's invasion. This time the kiss was more passionate than before as their tongues battled for dominance; Draco briefly allowed Hadrian to win, and the brunet tentatively stroked Draco's mouth with his tongue before Draco took control again, thoroughly tasting the mouth below him. This position was very intimate, even more so when Draco lifted his leg off the floor and threw it across Hadrian's, effectively trapping the other boy; Hadrian raised one hand to wrap around the back of Draco's neck, pulling the blond closer and moaning into the kiss, enjoying the small gentle tugs on his hair.

When they finally broke the kiss both boys were out of breath, and Hadrian relaxed in Draco's embrace, leaning his head back on the taller boys shoulder.

"Mmm, so, no reading for me tonight," Hadrian chuckled.

"Then my distraction worked," Draco teased, "I believe you know everything of importance anyway; the rest is just small details. The only thing tomorrow is to make sure you don't get…too friendly with any of the guests; my temper may be a bit explosive."

"I'll keep that in mind," Hadrian said and then they sat in silence for a few minutes as Draco resumed carding his fingers through Hadrian's hair. After a while Hadrian stirred and pulled away; "You need me to sleep in here tonight?" Draco nodded; "Okay then, I'm going to change into my pajamas," he told Draco and the blond reluctantly loosed his grip; "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Alright," Draco agree, watching the brunet go. Once Hadrian was gone Draco got up and changed into a pair of black silk pajama bottoms and climbed into the bed. Hadrian returned a few minutes later wearing emerald green pajama bottoms and a black tank top and crawled onto the bed beside Draco, allowing the other boy to pull him close. "Just to warn you-I may get restless around midnight, so if I wake you just move out of the way a bit and wait until it's over."

"Are you going to be hurt?" Hadrian questioned.

"It's possible," Draco replied honestly, "but that is another thing that varies for everyone; some people experience pain while others simply wake up changed. Don't worry about it though;" he kissed the top of Hadrian's head; "If it causes pain it will only last for a few minutes; go to sleep now."

"Already with the bossing around," Hadrian grumbled teasingly as he nestled his head on Draco's shoulder, "Good night Dray."

"Night Hades," Draco replied, resting his chin on top of Hadrian's head. Draco listened as the other boy's breathing evened out and Hadrian fell asleep; Draco followed soon after and the room was silent.

At midnight there was a change in the room as Draco was bathed in a soft silver glow; both boys moved restlessly for a few minutes as magic swirled throughout the room surrounding them both. When the magic died down five minutes later Draco's change was complete and both boys settled back into a peaceful slumber…