Please note - all mistakes are my own. I do not currently have a Beta/Alpha to help me correct my horrible grammar.

I do not own the characters created by JK Rowling, nor do I make any profit from this fanfiction.

This is all just fun for me.

Chapter Twelve -

A week passed with no communication between the two. Draco documented his time during that week. Having touched her, just barely, seemed to have quieted the beast the longest. Four days of peace but by the end of the fourth day it was like the need to see her had come back at full force. He only lasted three nights before he was able to find an excuse to see her. He hadn't touched the book since getting it back, but his thoughts had been drifting more and more. His mother had started to worry by his lack of appetite and the lack of color in his complexion.

He quickly penned off a note to the bright witch – letting her know that he had finished the book, which he hadn't. He offered it to her over a cup of tea that afternoon. It didn't take long for another response to come fluttering back to him. She agreed but it was a quick letter. Nothing of great detail to note, but part of him started to ponder about her lack of response as he waited for the afternoon to arrive.

He arrived ten minutes early to Diagon Alley. He glanced back and forth before stepping forward into the mass of people zooming around. He noticed many families with their small children and realized that Hogwarts, the school, would be starting up very soon. He knew the restorations had taken some time, but he had seen the updated photo of the castle and was glad that it remained looking the same. Despite the tragedy that happened on the school grounds, he was glad that it came back stronger than ever.

Walking down the street to the tea shop, he noticed a small sign upon the door. "Closed for restorations. Be back tomorrow."

Cursing under his breath, he turned swiftly down the road to head off Granger. Hopefully he could meet her on the street and they could come up with another place they could possibly visit on her lunch break.

It didn't take too long before he was in front of her shop just as she was exiting it, closing the door with a loud thump behind her. As she whirled around, she bumped into him and almost fell on her bum if it weren't for Draco reaching out and grabbing her.

A pleasant hum ran through his blood at touching her and felt the familiar inner peace take over his body that he had to close his eyes for a split moment. Taking a moment, he appreciated the feeling before shaking himself back to the land of the living.

"Malfoy..." His eyes dropped down to look at her as he let her go, taking a step back from her. "I thought we were meeting at the tea shop?"

"They're closed for maintenance. I was trying to catch you to let you know..." he trailed off.

She glanced down at the watch on her wrist. "Well, I know a sandwich joint just out of range of Diagon Alley if you'd like to join me." He nodded and fell into step behind her as they made their way out of Diagon Alley. "So how was the book?"

He shrugged, letting himself enjoy the quiet inside himself. His eyes on his feet as he walked alongside her. Every once in a while, his elbow would brush against her shoulder but she didn't step away or make an attempt to address it. His brow furrowed as he started to internalize his thoughts. He appreciated the moments of quiet from the beast but part of him hesitated in his appreciation. She was still the filthy …. But she wasn't. Her blood was the same as his. The only difference was that she grew up without the knowledge of magic where he had been immersed in it from day one. Yet, she still bested him in every subject during school. He should have the advantage with his upbringing.

He couldn't just forget their history though. Vile words had been thrown between them for many, many years and yet - here they were. Walking in companionable silence. Draco would never have thought that this would happen in a millennia. Let alone in his lifetime.

Seated at a small corner table in the sandwich shop that Hermione had chosen, she sat next to the window while Draco sat opposite her. His back to the few other people around them. She quickly placed her order for water, light on the ice, while he scanned over the menu. Having known her order by heart, she took a moment to view the man in front of her. His eyes were focused on the menu in his hands, but she noticed the dark circles starting to show more and more under his eyes. Never once had she seen him so unkept - not at Hogwarts, and even with his gangly legs and gaunt figure during sixth year there was something a little worrisome about his appearance now. He was fuller - broader shoulders, muscles where skin and bones had sat, but his skin was paler. His eyes sunken in, especially with the dark circles.

Biting her lip, she placed her hands on the table. Tapping a finger against the book in between the two of them, her thoughts started to run rampant inside her head. The vast difference in his body was something she had read about in the Veela book. His interest in Veela… Something was going on, otherwise why in the world would he be entertaining the idea of spending time with her - the mudblood. Glancing up, she noticed his eyes lose focus and his head tilt back a bit.

"Draco?" She interrupted in a barely spoken whisper watching as he snapped his head toward her. Her answer was in that single spoken word. She had whispered so low that no one would have been able to hear her. But Draco Malfoy had heard her as if she had yelled at him. Veela's had incredible hearing.

Swallowing against the lump in her throat, she asked, "Are you ready to order?" He nodded.

A moment later, the waiter came over and took their order before he went off to the next table. Draco's eyes had drifted outside the window where he was currently people watching with a downward turn of his lips. His eyes darting between the people coming and going, unawares of the turmoil swiftly turning in the pit of Hermione's stomach.

Where's your Gryffindor courage, you dolt, she thought to herself as she made to take another drink of her water - sans the ice.

It didn't take long for their food to arrive. They both ate in silence making Hermione feel even more unstable. Shifting back and forth on her legs, she tried to think up something. She knew that she wasn't in any immediate danger. She had her wand. But they were in a muggle sandwich shop and she didn't want to have to expose magic to the muggle world - she'd lose her magic.

"Granger." She glanced up from her chips to look at him. His eyes were staring her down. Part of her hated him - he was so tall, even in a sitting position that she had to still look up slightly. "You're fidgeting. Is something wrong?"

Here goes nothing, she thought to herself as she pulled her sleeves down over her hands. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Why bother asking me if you can ask a question? Why not just ask the question?" His eyebrow rose up his brow.

She bit her tongue as she wished to retort to his question. Instead, she blustered on but kept her voice low and her hands up on the table hoping this would help to keep him from thinking she was a threat. "Are you a Veela?"

Silence encased them as she watched what little of the blood in his face left and his eyes hardened as he looked at her. Several heartbeats passed through her chest that she wondered if it was going to beat right out of her chest. "It's not a big deal if you are and I won't tell anyone if you are wishing to keep it a secret, I just… noticed some similarities and it is rather curious that you came to my shop. I don't mean to invade - "

"I should have guessed the brightest witch would figure it out." Her head snapped up to stare at him. "I shouldn't be surprised. Curiosity always was a leading trait of yours." He commented dryly.

"I'm sorry, Malfoy. I mean if you are trying to keep it quiet… I promise I won't say a word. I'll keep helping you with the research if you want."

He took a sip of the tea that he had ordered as he watched her. He felt his pulse spike at her words and the fear slide down his spine. She knew. She knew he was a Veela and she was going to curse his very existence. It was going to happen and he would be dead by his next birthday. Months left, he felt like he was already wasting away and he had to depend on her. Of all the people in the world, he had to depend on his mortal enemy. The girl who beat him in every one of his classes. The only thing he knew that he excelled at compared to her was flying and that was only because she was terrified of heights. He was sure, if she didn't have this unrealistic fear, that she would find a way to excel at that as well.

"I would appreciate it if you could keep this quiet." He took a breath. "I'm still trying to adjust and figure out what is going on with my body."

She tilted her head to the side. "I can imagine finding out that news would change so much and your physical body changing so drastically, so suddenly!"

He hesitated. "Yes, it is."

"I mean your whole world is upside down. You think you've got it all figured out and then suddenly this happens! You're a Veela - do you feel much different?"

He furrowed his brows. Why hadn't she asked about the mate bond? "I suppose yes. I can hear quite well - even from a good distance. That's taken a bit to get used to. I am stronger. Faster." He shrugged. "My sight is incredible in the dark and my sense of smell is stronger too. Essentially everything about me is stronger." She nodded along as he listed off some of the changes.

"Well I guess depending on how you are viewing your life right now, at least you haven't found your mate! Imagine how much more chaos that would be in your life." A trickle of disappointment ran through him, but the sense of relief shoved it to the back of his mind. "Dealing with all these changes and then dealing with your life tied to one individual at the same time, geez. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy."

Fuck, the irony.

"I thought I was your worst enemy, Granger."

She glanced out the window as she quirked a half smile. "You were never my worst enemy, Malfoy. An annoying Prat, I'll give you that but I can name at least five people who were much worse than you."

"I guess I should thank Merlin for small blessings," he remarked with a wry laugh. Hermione smiled at him over the table and if he didn't already have problems, he felt his heart give a hard thunk in his chest. He needed her brains. He needed her touch, for now, but he didn't need her. At least that's what he kept repeating to himself.

A/N: After my post last week and realizing you guys were catching up, I wrote an additional THREE chapters. It was VERY encouraging to see all the comments and remarks. Yes, I realize there are some mistakes in my posts - please note I do not have a Beta/Alpha to look over my work at this time. I have a friend breezing it through for me but she's pregnant and working full time! So, I'm trying NOT to ask too much of her. I need my little Niece/Nephew to be happy and content, not stressed because mom's stressed lol.

Anyway, I hope you guys are enjoying. Unfortunately, I won't be writing more today as it's month end at work so I have to get back as soon as possible, but I snuck in to give you all your weekly update! I even have EVERY Wednesday marked in my planner with a Hermione or Draco or Crookshanks sticker to remind me to update :) All the way through December so far! Happy Wednesday lovelies!