Chapter Fourteen:
I don't need your empty promises, or your stupid alibis
Summary: Four years after the war ended, Draco Malfoy now works alongside Harry Potter as an Auror. Along with others, they work together to track down and capture the last remaining followers of the Dark Lord. During one mission, Draco discovers that not only is he a Veela, but he only has until his twenty third birthday to find his mate. Will he find her in time, or will he be too late?
Author's Note: First off, I just want to say this: thank you so much to everyone who has supported this story. I recently looked at the stats and we've almost reached 46,000 views! That's incredible, I never thought it would receive that much attention, and all the reviews have been so kind. You've all helped me get back on the horse and get my motivation to write back again. Thank you all! It means so much to me.
Featured Review: ArielNicholas913 ~ OH MY GOD! YESSSSSS! I JUST GOT AAAAALLLLL KINDS OF EXCITED! FUCK THAT BITCH! I CANT STAND HER! SO HAPPY THAT DRACO WAS THERE AND I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL WE FIND OUT HERMIONE'S REACTION TO THE NEWS AND FIGURES OUT IT IS NOT JUST A CLEVER LIE! That was in all caps because I felt as if I was a small child and got so excited my voice raised hah!
Well that was a review that caught my attention! The caps had something to do with it, but also just how excited you seem about the story. It means so much to me that you're that involved and keen to see what happens next. Well, I hope I don't disappoint!
Special Mentions: Namie Amalia & HarryPGinnyW4eva
Previously…
"You bitch! You're lying! I'm going to kill you!" Edgecombe screamed, yanking on Hermione's hair even harder, earning a cry of pain from the Hermione as she furiously attempted to get free, however her attempts were futile.
"Let go of me!" Hermione yelled, squeezing her eyes shut in pain. She then heard Marietta gasp in a mixture of shock and confusion, her hands freeing Hermione's hair. Opening her eyes, Hermione saw Draco holding the struggling blonde in a neck hold.
"You're wrong, she is my mate." He stated, watching as Hermione's jaw dropped.
. . . . . . .
She could never put her finger on why, but something about feeling the ocean's breeze run through her hair always calmed her down and allowed her to think. Maybe it was the fact that most of her senses were being stimulated and got her mind running. Feeling the wind run through her hair and the sand beneath her bare feet, listening to the sea gulls cry and the children laughing happily, seeing the waves crash against the shore then slowly creep towards her across the sand, smelling the salt in the water and the distinctive aroma of fish and chips being cooked somewhere along the pier, it was a relaxing environment. Others might have found it too noisy, or too windy. But she was perfectly content standing by the water's edge letting her worries fade away.
Letting out a long sigh, Hermione opened her eyes and gazed out at the ocean once again, watching as distant waves got closer by the second. Looking to her left, she noticed a family of five enjoying a picnic, all of them smiling and enjoying one another's company. Looking to her right, she saw an elderly couple walking hand and hand down the coast. Even though the weather wasn't ideal, people managed to have a nice time.
"Hermione? Is everything alright? When you called and asked me to meet you here, you sounded quite distressed. What's happened?" A voice behind her asked. Turning around, she was greeted by the face of Blaise Zabini. She was surprised that he'd actually agreed to meet her, while they were on good terms they never really spent any time together. They were more friends of friends, than actual friends themselves.
"It's about Draco." Hermione stated. What happened with Edgecombe, she wasn't sure what to believe, she wanted to believe that Draco had found out what Harry had planned to trick the woman and then had agreed to join in last minute. But there was something about his eyes, the way he'd looked at her when he'd announced she was his mate. Normally Hermione could tell when someone was lying, but this time she couldn't tell. But Blaise was Draco's best friend. If anyone knew Draco, it was him.
"Has something happened to him? He hasn't been hurt has he?" Blaise asked, clear concern spreading across his face in a matter of mere seconds.
"No, he's fine. Sorry, I should have made that clear from the start. He hasn't been hurt, it's just, well it's a long story." Hermione sighed, running a hand through her hair.
"Tell you what, why don't we go get some hot chocolate and sit down? My treat." Blaise offered with a smile, holding his arm out to Hermione. Rolling her eyes with a smile, she linked her arm through his and followed him back to their pier.
Not long later, he'd bought them both a cup of hot chocolate. His had marshmallows on top, hers on the other hand was covered in whipped cream. Even when it came to the little things, she noticed that she and Blaise were quite different.
"So, what's my idiot of a friend done now?" Blaise asked, taking a sip of his beverage.
"Harry and Ron figured out what Edgecombe was planning with Draco, thanks to some help from Pansy. She's obtained a legal contract signifying an arranged marriage between herself and Draco, and with Lucius being released from Azkaban soon she knows he'd testify to being blackmailed to sign it as soon as he's let out. So she was in the process of making a powerful love potion to get Draco to impregnate her. That way, they Malfoys wouldn't be able to force her out of the family, because of that weird tradition they still seem to value after centuries." Hermione started, going back to the beginning rather than diving right in and just announcing what Draco had told her.
"That sneaky little bitch! Tell me you've got her locked up. She deserves to pay for what she's done." Blaise snarled, looking at Hermione with desperation and anger.
"Unfortunately not. We took her in for questioning, and she claimed that the document has been sitting in her Father's office for the past decade encased in glass to protect it from the elements. So naturally we paid her Father a visit. He's currently in hospital suffering from some kind of animal attack. He confirmed her story, was furious we were accusing her of faking such a document. Said we were fools to insinuate his daughter would ever do something so desperate." Hermione scoffed, picking up her hot chocolate and warmed her hands for a moment before taking a small sip from the cup.
"Please, the woman reeks of desperation." Blaise stated, rolling his eyes with irritation.
"But we could hold her there for any longer, we had to let her go. But before that, Harry came up with a plan to try and break her a bit. And it worked. I went to her with a fake story, that I was secretly dating Draco and that he'd discovered after getting the Veela gene that I was his mate. Edgecombe went nuts, started pulling my hair and screaming at me." Hermione continued, keeping eye contact with Blaise.
"Oh sweet Merlin that's brilliant, I'm going to have to buy Harry a drink, that clever bastard. Only he could come up with something like that." Blaise chuckled.
"Only Harry and I knew about the plan, but when Edgecombe started attacking me and screaming out that I was a lair, Draco suddenly appeared and pulled her away. I was going to thank him for helping, but he then announced that I wasn't lying, that I was his mate." Hermione sighed, finishing her story and glanced down at the table.
There was a long silence between them, which was eventually interrupted by a waitress walking over to hand them the bill. After thanking her, Blaise looked over at Hermione, both curiosity and confusion forming into a contorted expression.
"Did his eyes...when he announced you were his mate. Did you notice anything about his eyes?" Blaise asked, locking his gaze with Hermione's, maintaining eye contact.
"I-I don't know. I mean, I hadn't noticed his eyes have a slight gold tint to them before that moment, but it's not like I've spent my entire life gazing into his eyes." Hermione shrugged. Well, that wasn't strictly true. There was that year at Hogwarts, when Draco seemed suddenly so alluring and so mysterious, she couldn't help but gaze at him. Obviously she'd dismissed the thought as quickly as she could, but whenever he entered the room or made his presence known, she was captivated by him.
~ Wednesday 25th October 1995 ~
Thanks to Umbridge and her rein of terror, Hermione felt an even stronger urge to study than ever before. That woman was hell bent on watching her fail, and she was going to be damned if she let that happen. Just because she was a muggle born, that didn't make her any less capable than the other students. Sighing softly, she continued walking down the corridors, carrying a rather heavy collection of books she'd borrowed from the library. However, as she turned around the corner, she failed to notice that someone was headed directly for her. With a loud thump, the two collided and fell to the floor, books scattering everywhere with several pages flying out from the seams.
Wincing it pain, Hermione clutched her now sore ankle before starting to gather the books she'd dropped upon her impact with the second party.
"Watch where you're going Granger!" A cold voice hissed, sending irritation coursing through her body. Dropping the books she was collecting, she turned her gaze towards him and was about to yell to the high heavens about how he should walk slower around corners and that it was all his fault, but she stopped when she was met with his eyes. She was stunned into silence, something about them was different, almost enchanting. She couldn't help but stare, but it didn't take her long to realise she'd been sitting there for a good thirty seconds just staring at him without saying a word.
"I-I'm sorry." She muttered, looking back down at the floor and returned her attention to gathering the discarded books. Why the hell had she apologised to him? It was his fault! But for some reason, she couldn't form the words, instead she'd apologised like some stupid little girl with a crush. She could feel her cheeks burning red now.
"What...what did you just say?" Draco asked, surprise filling his voice.
"You should rinse your ears out Malfoy. I said I'm sorry, maybe it's because I'm the bigger person out of the pair of us, or maybe it's just because I'm nice." Hermione scoffed, her irritation returning to her now that she wasn't staring into his eyes.
Reaching out for the last book, she almost snapped when she saw him pick it up, but waves of shock spread through her when it handed the book over to her.
"I'm...sorry. I should have been slower around that corner. You're...you're not hurt are you?" Draco asked. If she'd have blinked, she would have missed it, but for a moment there was genuine concern in his eyes. Shaking her head, Hermione muttered a soft no, then like that the concern was gone and his smug arrogance returned.
"Good, can't have you throwing me under the bus now can I? I get in enough trouble thanks to you and Potter, not to mention Weasel as well. I don't need any more on my plate right now." He scoffed. Rolling her eyes, Hermione stood up and started walking away from him. Showing a mere ounce of kindness wasn't even possible for him. But as much as she tried to hide it, her limp was made abundantly clear to Draco.
"You lied. You are hurt." He stated, though he made no efforts to help her.
"Just leave me alone Malfoy. It's not like you actually care about my health." Hermione sighed, turning around the corner and not bothering to look back.
~ Present Day ~
"Blaise, please tell me where we're going!" Hermione sighed, not being fond of having her arm yanked by the Wizard in question as he guided her down a long and winding path. As soon as she'd announced the flakes of gold in Draco's eyes, it was almost as if Blaise had been possessed by something. He'd instantly grabbed her and disapparated, when they'd arrived on the other side, it was clear to see they were in some kind of woods, but she had no idea where they actually were on the planet in that moment. Blaise had been dragging her along ever since, maintaining the silence between them.
"I need to see it for myself. If it's true, this changes everything. We can save him." Blaise stated, though it sounded more like he was muttering that to himself than to her.
"Blaise, I can't see him. Not right now, not after what happened earlier." Hermione sighed, trying her best to release herself from Blaise's grip, but he wasn't letting go.
"It will only take a moment, I'll be quick, I promise." Blaise muttered. Then she realised where they were, they'd been approaching Draco's house from behind. She could see the building drawing near through the trees. Her heart was beating frantically in her chest, she wasn't ready to confront him. Not yet, it was too soon.
Then out of the blue, she could see Draco come out of the back door, his eyes searching from left and right until he seemed to find hers in the darkness. Blaise stopped dead in his tracks, looking back at Hermione, then at Draco. No one spoke. Not even when Draco slowly began walking towards the treeline, his strides getting quicker and wider after each step. Blaise let go of Hermione's wrist, taking a step back from the pair. Never before had Hermione been so nervous in her entire life. Each step Draco took closer to her was an extra beat her heart took per minute. But she couldn't force herself to move, to speak or to even close her eyes and pretend it was all a dream. They were locked with his, watching his every movement like her life depended on it. Then, he was right in front of her, looking down at her face and studying ever aspect of it, like it was the last time he was seeing it and wanted to take in every feature. His eyes, they were almost completely gold. It was true, she was his mate. Everything then hit her like a ton of bricks, the responsibility that placed on her, the reality of what the rest of her life would mean. She could feel a strange tingling sensation in her lips, her fingers and feet started to feel incredibly heavy and her vision was going blurry.
"Hermione!" Blaise suddenly gasped. Her body fell, hitting the floor. She could feel the leaves crunching beneath her, she could see Blaise running towards her. But the last thing she saw before her vision went black, was a pair of white wings covering her.
. . . . . . .
Pansy had always been a sceptical woman, she preferred believing in something when she saw it with her own eyes. Now if someone had told her a year ago that today, she would find Draco out in the woods behind his house, growling at anyone who came near him with a pair of white wings sprouting from his back, she'd have called them crazy. But there she stood, at the edge of the woods, watching as Draco protected something with his wings, hissing at Blaise and Theo whenever they tried going near.
"So, what the hell happened?" Pansy asked, her attention turning to the woman beside her. Lacey, or was it Lavender? It had been too long for her to remember.
"From what Ron and Harry told me, Draco revealed to Hermione that she actually was his mate in front of Marietta. Hermione's been spending the rest of the day hiding from him, but Blaise took her back here, and when Draco came outside and approached her she suddenly fainted. He's been sheltering her ever since, and won't let anyone near." Lavender explained. Nodding slightly, Pansy let out a long breath. So, it was Granger? To be fair, she wasn't that surprised. She'd seen the way Draco had been looking at her recently, but even when they were younger he'd always stole glances from her from time to time, he'd secretly watched her from a distance. Though, she'd never tell him that she knew that. She was just good at watching others, learning their body language and reading what it is they truly wanted. Lavender for example, she was scared though she was trying hard not to appear that way. She was glancing over at Ron for reassurance every minute or so, and she seemed to brighten up whenever he smiled.
People were easy to read, once you knew what to look for. Without saying a word, Pansy started to walk forwards and towards Draco, ignoring the protests from Harry. Stopping in front of him, she noticed the red tint in Draco's eyes, so remaining silent she knelt down on the floor and rested her head on her knees. She'd been reading up on Veela behaviour ever since she'd discovered Draco inherited the gene. It had surprised her when she'd noticed that no one present was handling the situation correctly. His mate had been threatened, and being surrounded by so many people was causing him to become distressed and concerned for her safety. By kneeling down, Pansy was revealing she was of no threat to him, and that she just wanted to help.
Looking up slowly, she noticed the amount of red in his eyes had reduced slightly.
"Draco, I'm not going to hurt her, I just want to check and see if she's alright. Will you let me do that?" Pansy asked, keeping her voice as soft as possible. There was a small amount of hesitation, but slowly Draco lifted up one of his wings to reveal Hermione's form pressed up beside him. She looked pale, her lips were practically blue. Not pushing her luck, Pansy made sure to approach slowly and calmly. Any quick movements would surely destroy everything she'd done so far. It was when she was next to Hermione she noticed the woman was shivering ever so slightly.
"She's in shock. The whole situation must have overwhelmed her. Theo, go get a fire going inside. Blaise, find some blankets and set them up on the sofa. Lavender, go get some soup on the go for when she wakes up. Harry, Ron, you're in charge of making tea for the rest of us. Now go." Pansy ordered, watching as everyone left without making any complaints to her instructions. She then turned to Draco, smiling slightly before taking a couple of steps back to allow him the space he needed to get up.
"We need to take her inside and warm her up slowly. While you've been doing a good job, getting her inside will be a lot more comfortable for her. You can sit with her the entire time if you want." Pansy stated, watching as Draco nodded before picking Hermione up in his arms. The wings slowly started to shrink and moved back into his back, disappearing beneath his skin. The sight made Pansy shiver slightly, it was quite unsettling, but she wasn't going to voice that opinion. Not right now anyway.
It didn't take long for everything to fall into place. Draco sat down on the sofa, his back pressed up against the arm rest while Hermione was rested between his legs, her head settled down on his chest. Blaise had fetched a few blankets, which were neatly placed over the pair. Theo had already finished lighting the fire by the time the three came in, while Lavender could be heard making some soup in the kitchen. Harry came out asking Pansy and Draco if they wanted a tea, to which only one of the two nodded. For once, everyone had actually listened to her and done what she'd said. While Pansy may not have been best friends with Hermione, she didn't want to see her suffer either. Learning about what the weight of Draco's words meant, it must have been too much. All they could do now was wait for her to wake up.
In the mean time, idle chit chat and small talk filled the room. It was mainly about work, occasionally drifting to both social and love lives. The weather popped up once or twice, but besides that there was nothing special nor interesting about the conversation. Not in Pansy's opinion anyway. She hated small talk. It bored her to death and she couldn't think of anything more frustrating in the entire world.
"Mmmngn..." A soft voice suddenly moaned, more from pain than anything else. Everyone's attention turned to Hermione, who was now stirring into consciousness.
"Lavender, go get a bowl of soup ready for her, she'll need her strength built back up." Pansy ordered. Nodding softly, Lavender quickly departed from the living room and towards the kitchen, with Ron following not far behind. Recently those two had been attached at the hip. Ever since Lavender's encounter with Greyback, Ron had seemed extra protective over her. Not that it was any of Pansy's business, but if she had a guy surrounding her twenty four seven, she'd get pissed off very quickly.
"Hermione? How do you feel? Are you in any pain?" Pansy asked, kneeling down next to the sofa where both Hermione and Draco were rested.
"Pansy? What...my head...but I'm fine...what happened?" Hermione inquired, her pace of speech slightly slower than usual. Nodding, she placed a hand on Hermione's forehead, assessing her temperature. Noting she was slightly hotter than normal, she removed one of the blankets and folded it neatly before placing it on the coffee table.
"Lavender's bringing you some soup in a moment. You need to eat. You collapsed earlier, my guess is that your body completely shut down from shock." Pansy stated.
"Is...is he ok?" Hermione muttered, her eyes slowly starting to open.
"You can ask him that yourself." Pansy smirked, getting up before heading into the kitchen to see what was taking Lavender so long. Just as she left the room, she heard a yelp of shock and embarrassment escape from Hermione's mouth. In that moment, Pansy didn't bother acting politely, she just let her laughter echo through the corridors.
. . . . . . .
The light from the fire escaped through the window, allowing her to see into the room. Harry Potter and Blaise Zabini were casting curious glances at one another while Theodore Nott refilled the empty cups that rested on the coffee table with tea. Pansy Parkinson had departed from the room mere moments ago, while Hermione Granger was resting on the chest of Draco Malfoy. Her Draco Malfoy. Clenching her fists, she ignored the tears falling down her cheeks and looked down at the vile in her hand. It contained a few locks of Hermione's hair from their little tussle earlier that day. The bitch was going to die for what she'd done. No one would take Draco away from her.
"I must say, I am surprised it was you that summoned me here." A dark voice cackled.
"Count yourself lucky you're still breathing after what you did to my Father." Marietta snarled, turning around quickly with anger filling her heart. She didn't expect him to be so close already, he was mere inches away from her face, she could feel his breath.
"So feisty, I like the ones who fight." He chuckled, running a finger down her cheek.
"Touch me again and I will tear you to ribbons. The only reason you're here and still alive is because there's someone I hate even more than you." She hissed, turning back around to watch the events unfold within Draco Malfoy's living room. He was stroking her cheek, dirtying his hands with the Mudblood. She'd pay for tainting him.
"Would that person be Hermione Granger by any chance?" He smirked, approaching her with a slow but sinister stride. He was beside her in a matter of seconds.
"I have a proposition for you, Greyback. I know you want Draco so you can create a creature more powerful than anything in existence. I want Draco because he's rightfully mine, and I will not lose him to that little slag. So, perhaps we can reach a compromise." Marietta started, keeping her furious gaze firmly set on Hermione.
"I'm listening." Greyback shrugged, casting a curious glance her way.
"My Father has a lake house up north, hidden by enchantments in the woods. I'll take you there, and you can carry out your experiments in the basement. I won't tell a soul you're there. You can have Draco for the time being, so you can get what you need from him, but the moment you have that, you hand him over to me alive, so I can get what's mine." Marietta offered, looking over at Greyback with a blank expression.
"And what becomes of Miss Granger?" Greyback inquired, an evil smirking forming.
"Kill her, turn her, rape her for all I care. I want her to suffer. Do we have a deal?" Marietta snarled, offering her hand out to Greyback, who shook it eagerly.
"We have a deal." He stated with a nod, his eyes growing wide with amusement.
"Good. There's no time like the present then. Go fetch." Marietta smirked.