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 Fifteen -

Hermione rolled over as Crookshanks pawed at her face. Glancing at the window, the sun was barely peeking over the horizon. Grumbling, she pushed herself out of bed. The book she was reading dropped to the floor as she rose. She bent over and grabbed it, looking at the last text she had read in her half asleep state.

Mates… Protective…. Constant touch… bond…. Sense of smell…. Sense danger….

Hermione felt a pit start to rise in her stomach as she saw the pieces of the puzzle start to blend together. Draco Malfoy was a Veela. Yes he needed help, but he had the book. Why would he still need her help, unless….

"Oh dear Merlin," her hand flew to her mouth as she felt the reality of the situation come screaming to the forefront of her mind. Their tea/coffee dates and he was constantly sitting with himself between her and everyone else. He had willingly touched her numerous times. When she thought he would finally be rid of her, he kept coming around. "Fuck." He didn't like others being around them and had a quick temper when someone brushed past them.

Quickly she kept reading on and suddenly the pit in her stomach grew in size as the text before her read, If the bond is not sealed by their next birthday from awakening, they will die. The longer the bond is not sealed the more the Veela suffers. Loss of appetite. Loss of the senses. Other symptoms may include - lack of color, weight loss, moments of insanity - especially toward the end.

Anger seeped into her veins the more she read. "Goddammit, Draco Malfoy." She was literally killing him. He was suffering because he was too prideful to tell her, and she was too oblivious to notice it before now. Shoving a pair of jeans on, she let the anger consume her as her vision clouded. This was his fault. She wasn't sure how, but she was sure of that fact no matter how irrational it was. Her hands were shaking with her rage as she attempted to get dressed.

Struggling to pull a thin sweatshirt over the top of her, she forced herself to keep moving before the rage consumed her. One step at a time, she reminded herself. She flooed over to the store and left a regrettable note stating that the store would not be open for the day on the front door and she apologized profusely. Then from the floo inside, she grabbed the floor powder and threw it to the ground with a fierce look of determination, "Malfoy Manor."

It would be hard to mistake the Manor as anything other than a Manor. With such steep ceilings, dark corners and the regal air the moment one stepped into its walls. As she stepped out of the fireplace into a large, dark sitting area she was surprised to see a house elf come walking up to her.

"How may I help you miss?" it greeted from the door.

"I'm looking for Draco - um, Mr. Malfoy?" It waved it's knotted hand and had her follow it down the hallways. Anxiety slowly gripped at her in fear they would come to that room, but luckily they bypassed it on the way to Draco's room. The house elf, a quiet sort so very different from Dobby, led her up a set of stairs before pointing to a dark, heavy wooden door. Waiting, she watched the house elf disappear back down the hall before she knocked her knuckles against the wood a couple of times.

A muffled, "Come in" and her rage was at the forefront of her mind. Pushing the monstrosity open, she stepped in and let the door slam open.

"What the -" Draco's head snapped up only to freeze when he caught sight of her.

His blood ran cold when he saw the witch standing in the open doorway of the study. He had been so immersed in his new potion study that he hadn't felt her presence and now with her feet in front of him he could feel the rage billowing off her. Her hair was in a messy bun, again, atop her head but pieces were spilling out around her face and he set the set line of her lips. Fear started in him with a slow trickle down his spine.

"Granger - what are you-" he stopped as she stepped forward.

"Did you forget to tell me something, Malfoy?" He stepped back from the venom dripping from her voice. "Like a little secret that involves me maybe?"

The Veela under his skin hesitated at her tone. It quieted immediately as it noticed the rage simmering under her eyes. Thanks, Draco thought as he forced his back straight to stare across the room at her. "I have no idea what you are talking about." Coward.

Hermione scoffed as she shoved the door shut and pulled out her wand. The fear increased ten fold before she set about the room a silencing spell. "Then maybe you can explain why you look so sick? How you've been dropping weight? How you're sleeping all the time and yet not getting any true sleep?"

"How would you even know that?" He asked as he crossed his arms and leaned against his desk. Hoping it put on a calm front, but really just attempting to hide his trembling hands.

"Because I pay attention, Malfoy!"

"I don't understand why you're yelling at me," he hissed.

"Goddammit Draco! Why are you killing yourself? You've known I was your mate this whole time and you haven't said a bloody word! Despite knowing that the bond is going to slowly kill you by your birthday! Which is what, seven, eight months away?"

"You know my birthday?"

"MALFOY!" she screamed.

He felt himself try to back up at her voice. "What?! You want me to tell you that you literally hold my life in your hands? That if you don't accept me that I'll wither away into nothingness? That a bloody fricken mudblood holds my life - MY ENTIRE LIFE in their control?" He spun around with his hands gripping the desk. He felt it splinter under his fingers. "Should I thank the fates that they paired me with someone so smart? Or should I curse them because of your dirty blood? You think any of this is easy for me! I never asked for this! I didn't ask for YOU!" The regret hit the moment he saw the hurt flash across her face. "Shit, Granger - I-"

The world narrowed in on the pained expression cross her face and he felt the air leave his lungs as he felt his world caving in around him. He could literally feel the ache of her pain in his chest causing him to lose his breath. He had to grab the desk to steady himself as he tried to get bearings before looking up at her.

She was gone before he could say another word. The Veela in him roared with anger as they watched the witch disappear. The hurt on her face permanently ingrained in his brain. The rage built and built as he tried to take calming breaths, but suddenly he grabbed the desk and threw it through the window. An ache rose up and consumed him as he made his way to his room. Holding on to the little control that he had, he cast the necessary spells before unleashing the Veela upon his room.

Hermione somehow managed to find her way to the floor where she then disappeared through. She couldn't remember calling out 12 Grimmauld Place but suddenly she was tumbling onto Harry's living room coughing at the dust.

"Hermione!" She looked up to see her best friend racing toward her. He quickly grabbed her hands and picked her up. "What are you doing - Hermione, you're crying!"

"Thank you for your astute observation," she huffed as she used the sleeve of her sweatshirt to wipe at the tears under her eyes. "I'm sorry. I should have owled or something before just showing up," she whispered as she walked into his welcoming arms.

"No, that's what I'm here for." He murmured as he tightened his grip around her. The best thing about Harry - besides his love for those he cared about - was his hugs. The I'll-keep-holding-you-until-you're-ready type of hug.

It took a little bit, but eventually she calmed down enough that she let him go. He took her hand and led her down the hallway, voices yelling at her from behind muffled portraits, but he shushed them. Once they got to the kitchen, he sat her at the table and went to the stove and started working on the tea. Like her, he did things the muggle way and that made her appreciate him just a little more. She wasn't always the odd ball out.

Once he had the tea steeped, he set the cups in front of himself and her and took a seat. "Alright , now that you're not mumbling," he grinned at her. "Why don't you tell me what is going on?"

"Is it possible to be hurt by someone you used to hate and didn't usually give a second thought to?"

He paused as he used his spoon to spin the warm liquid around. "Yes. Words hurt no matter who they come from."

She nodded. She couldn't agree more. How was it possible that Harry just knew how to put words to her feelings when she herself couldn't understand why she was so hurt by Malfoy's curses. Taking a breath, she pulled on the edge of her sleeve. "If I tell you this, Harry, you have to swear not to breathe a word of this outside of this room. This has to remain between you and me." She pulled again on her sleeve. "It involves a secret that I'm not sure this person is ready to reveal."

Harry nodded and used a finger to make an X over his heart. "Not a word."

"Draco Malfoy came to the bookstore not too long ago. He needed help in finding some old folklore texts… on Veela's." She watched as Harry's brow lowered under the rim of his glasses. :At first he made it seem like it was just curiosity but he wouldn't let up. I ended up having Luna get me in contact with one of her friends to get a text for him. Then I got curious too because all i know of Veela is from Fleur and their whole history is interesting! So we started talking about some of this stuff but I started noticing things - he was losing weight but still gaining muscle at weird rates, he could hear a whisper from across the room… Well, he's a Veela, Harry."

The shock on his face caused Hermione to giggle. "Damn. That explains his white hair…"

"Oh Harry." He glanced over at the sorrow in her voice. "Veelas have mates. Sometimes they find their mates, sometimes they don't. Draco found his mate."

"I'm confused, Hermione… Are you sad that he found his mate because you have feelings for him?"

New tears formed in her eyes as she shook her head. "Yes and no… Oh, it's all just so confusing. I'm not sure what to do! We were enemies! Like go for the blood enemies, Harry! I'm the Mudblood - he's the precious pureblood!"

"I don't understand, 'Mione. Do you… like him?" She heard the hesitation in his voice and felt her heart twinge.

"Harry - it's… it's so much more than that." She pulled her hands into her lap and looked down as she whispered, "Harry, I'm his mate."

"No bloody way." Harry stood suddenly, knocking his chair back in his heist. "I'll kill him. I'll make sure he can't get to you. I'll get the Auror-"

"Harry! Sit down!" She yelled as he tried to make his exit to who knows where. He reluctantly turned back around and took a seat once more after picking the chair up off the ground from where it had toppled over in his hurry to wherever he had planned to go. "I'm… I'm not sure how I feel about being his mate. But - god this is harder than it should be." Harry reached across and took her hand. Running his thumb across the back of her hand brought a moment of grounding for her to catch her breath. "He didn't tell me… I found it out," she saw the cocked eyebrow but chose to ignore it. "I confronted him and he… Merlin, he was yelling and angry. He said some hurtful things. Calling me a mudblood and yelling at me how he didn't ask for this… he doesn't want me and yet the fates put us together."

"Hermione," she looked up into his bright eyes. "Do you have feelings for Draco Malfoy?"

"I didn't - I don't…. Bloody hell," she felt the tears starting to form again. "I think I might." If she wasn't crying, she would have laughed when she saw the color drain from her best friends face.

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't have much of a choice, Harry… If we don't accept the mate bond… he dies."

"And...?"

"You don't mean that." She leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms watching Harry squirm under her gaze. "I can't have Draco Malfoy's death on my conscience. I would probably be haunted the rest of my life by his ghost anyway," she teased. Harry smiled at that before he got up and pulled her into another hug.

"Whatever you decide, I'm here." He pulled back with a stern expression on his face. "But if he harms one hair on your head, he won't have to worry about withering away! I'll kill him myself. Slowly. Painfully."

Laughing, she leaned forward and pulled him back into a hug. "I love you, Harry."

"Love you, too, 'Mione."

A/N: I've joined DFW's Double Trope Fest... I'm gonna be writing in two stories for a hot minute. Be on the lookout for a short fic next month!