A/N- Oh! I forgot to ask this last chapter, but, would any of you be interested in beta-ing my story for me? Please say so if you would.

This chapter might be all over the place, just to let you know, but bear with me because I write parts and then decide later that I want to add some more things in and change what happens. Also, anyone have any idea what day it is in this story? I really should've thought about it, but it's seemed to have slipped my mind and now I'm wondering when they're going to have a weekend.

Hermione Granger is mine.

She belongs to me.

"No..."

Granger is destined to be with me eternally.

"Merlin no."

Hermione is my predicted mate.

Hermione holds my life in her hands.

Hermione the Mudblood is the equivalent of being my wife.

Hermione and I are already practically-

"No. No! No!" I shouted angrily as I threw a large rock that I normally wouldn't have been able to lift, far into the Black Lake. I stopped my thought processes immediately, not even wanting to linger on my last thought that I had no intention of completing. This was wrong. Oh, so, so wrong. I pulled at my hair as I groaned loudly; getting even more annoyed at myself as I childishly stomped my foot.

None of it sounded right! This was like a language- if what you say doesn't sound right, how could it be right? How could it make any sense?

How do I even know it's Granger for sure? I mean, I don't want to make the same mistake as thinking it was Weaslette- the realisation of my stupid mistake came with anger and embarrassment. It didn't leave for days. It was just that horrifying. How could I have thrown myself at her without any thought? It was like diving in the pool without checking how deep it was. Pure idiocy.

Anyway, back to the main thought process. How did I know it was truly her this time?

For one simple bloody reason:
Every time I insulted the brunette, bushy-haired witch...with her alluring honey-coloured eyes, petite frame, head-strong and beautifully intelligent mind and-and her soft looking cherry coloured-

Wow...Time out. Time out! Did I really just-? My knees buckled underneath me and I collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily. My eyes were wide with alarm, as I shakily raked my fingers through hair. I just sat there for a few moments, slowing my breathing as I determinedly tried not to focus on the image of Granger that had somehow disturbed my thoughts. Just forget it. Just forget it. Trick of the mind, that's all. Stupid Veela. Okay, okay...

Anyway, every time I insulted the witch the pain that courses through me couldn't be ignored. Not anymore. The first time, it could've been mistaken as a hex, but only minutes ago, it was clear what was happening.

Oh, and it obviously was more than just one reason. It was also definitely Granger because, when you think about her, the prophecy definitely makes sense. Blaise was right when he said that it most likely would be a muggle-born- too right for my likings. I should've known that there was a reason that I felt something instinctive at the thought of it being a muggle-born!

I was right to feel the instinctive feeling that she wasn't in Slytherin- she was the complete opposite of a Slytherin! A Gryffindor! Selfless, brave, loyal. What was I? Selfish, cowardly and traitorous. Who would want to look for someone with those pathetic qualities? What Gryffindor has ever been with a Slytherin? What would make me any different to Granger, apart from the fact that she was just as destined for me as I was for her, except she didn't know that and didn't need to, probably never?

The last line of the prophecy also no longer baffled me. Why hadn't I thought of it before? I had called her Gryffindor's little Princess first day back! It was why thinking that she was a 'Princess' or would become a 'Princess' felt right. I used to be proud of my accomplishment of being Slytherin's Prince, but now, when the title had so cruelly been used against me, I'm not too sure what to think of it.

Merlin, the more and more I thought about her being my Mate, the more little things that just confirmed it popped into my mind. She hated Divination from what I remember, and I distinctly remember not having much thought for it either and complaining to my Father about the impracticality of using Divination to determine my Mate. Ms Vera, the Seer, said that I was different to my ancestors, and damn was she right. The first ever Malfoy to have a muggle-born as a Mate. How popular I must be with my ancestors- the one to ruin their well constructed 'pure blood' after all these centuries of preserving it. I found Weaslette feisty on the train and found it pleasing- the only other person that is as headstrong, maybe even more than Weaslette, was Granger. I liked that the female Weasley was a good fighter- but when it came to brilliant fighters, who was better than the Brightest Witch of Her Age? It was the reason that my heart felt no emptier than it originally had when the redhead 'rejected' me. It was the reason that I was able to guess correctly the colour of her door, as well as the colour of mine. It was the reason that I must've been temporarily (and stupidly) lusting over the female Weasley- they were best friends after all, she must've had Grangers scent on her the whole time. It is the reason that my eyes always manage to find Granger.

Why hadn't I spent more time looking into it instead of just hoping that everything would fall into place?

274 days it had said that morning when I was having my shower- now, after I had checked it once I came to the private side of the Black Lake, it had 253 written in replacement. That was worrying in itself. Twenty-three days in around fifteen minutes? It was the worse day that I've had by far. Even worse than the dramatic depleting days, was that it had been 112 (98 days if they were dropping naturally, but, of course, I'd lost twenty-eight days due to hurting Granger) since my inheritance and what progress had I made? Well, I've learnt a great deal about Veelas- qualities, behaviour, etc, but that is completely shadowed by the fact that my 'Mate' now probably hates me more than she did. She'll never come near me again- especially not with her bodyguards who are probably going to keep her away from me, and vice versa, with their very last breath. No matter though, I don't particularly expect myself to keep my days dropping at a constant pace if I try to be around her- besides, it wasn't as if I needed to be within a thirty-foot radius of her to stay alive. If I were, I would only die faster.

Oh, no. I've accepted my fate.

I can just imagine that Destiny's hiding somewhere high up in the stormy clouds, watching over me, cackling evilly as she sees me being tortured by all the things that life has thrown at me. I bet she planned it all. She probably got bored giving everyone happy lives, and decided to entertain herself on the destruction of mine. It was probably just a little game to her- to see how long I'd be able to last before I could no longer handle it and ended the dream, or before someone spared my humiliation and did it themselves. No, not the latter- that'd be too generous of her. Too unusual to get some kindness in my life. That's why I'd been paired with a muggle-born when my whole family's against them- Oh Mother it is a forbidden love indeed...

I stood up as I felt the first few drops of rain fall on the top of my head. Picking up one last pebble from the shore of the Black Lake, I skipped it with extreme skill across the Lake and then headed towards the oafs hut to ask for the god-forsaken unicorn blood I said I'd get. Why did I even say that I'd get it? Ah, yes, because for some reason that bloody flashback made me unreasonably calm. Bending down as I crossed the hill, I picked up a flower and transfigured it into an umbrella as my clothes started to become drenched.

Hermione Granger is killing me.

Oh, yes, now that sounded right.

I checked my watch as lightening crackled across the black sky, from my view of the grounds on the First floor. I had an hour; but what use was that when I had no idea where she'd be? I didn't even know the location of the Ravenclaw common room. I sighed and raked my hand through my hair for the tenth time this morning. I was getting increasingly jittery by the minute, and that wasn't helping me maintain my concentration. Every so often, the Veela in me suddenly flared to life and started to control my thoughts. I, of course, put up one heck of a fight, but after a while, it became tiresome and it gained the upper hand. A couple of times now I had gotten my control back only to realise that I was right outside the Hospital Wing or the Eighth Years common room, with my hand raised, ready to push open the door. How was I meant to survive half a day of classes with everyone, when they might be carrying Grangers scent, if I wasn't able to get myself under control?

It was getting anxious. My fingernails were already bitten down to the nub, and multiple times the skin around it had been chewed off, only to repair and re-grow a minute later. I had no reason to be like this though, well, maybe I had some reason. A part of me -the part that I sometimes wish would just leave me alone - was having its protective side come out after the reality of the situation that happened hours ago now, had just started to sink in. I had hurt her, I know, but what about me? I was the one to pass the pain onto her, where's my sympathy? No one asked me if I was all right. No one ordered anyone to make sure that I was all right by making sure that I stay in the Tower all day and don't attend classes, or take me to Madam Pomfrey. Alright, fine, I admit that she mostly likely won't be very impressed with being ordered to stay off class, and will probably attend anyway (which worries me more about staying in control if her actual presence is there), but it's the thought that counts, right? I mean, I know that once I'm outside the Tower I'll just be fine again as if nothing ever happened, but no one else knew exactly what would happen apart from Blaise. Then, the other part of me -the part that I greatly prefer - only had reason to care for what happened to Granger was because, like the book said, 'If the Mate happens to die, the Veela will also,' and I'd prefer to use the rest of my short life to my full potential. I wonder if there's a way to stop her from dying, just until my days are used up. Hmm...

Now, back to finding Lovegood. What did she smell like? Maybe I could use my heightened sense to track her down, if that was even a good idea. No one really smelt nice anymore; would I want to assault my nose with a horrible smell for the sole purpose of trying to find someone? No, not really, but what other choice did I have? I have only forty minutes left until the start of class. I tilted my head up so that I could see the ceiling, closed my eyes and took in a big sniff. I felt the Veela inside me practically purr with happiness; the air around me smelt faintly of flowers and something sweet, yet spicy. It smelt of Herm-Granger. She'd been here.

Wait, no that wasn't right. If she'd been here, I would've seen her and her scent wouldn't still be lingering about since breakfast- not that I even saw her in the Great Hall that morning...So, where was here? Well, opening my eyes quickly, I took in my surroundings and only just noticed that I had managed to bring myself back to outside the Eighth Years common room. I let out a yell of frustration and punched the wall that I was standing by, just to make sure that I was still able to feel non-magical physical pain- just so I knew that not all my sanity had left me yet. I heard a couple fingers snap, but the only pain that I felt was as intense as someone stomping on your foot was. I just wasn't thinking anymore. Was it just that easy to forget that I had Veela qualities, which meant that my broken fingers snapped back into place an instant later and any pain I'd receive was only a fraction of the amount? Why couldn't the Veela understand or see that I genuinely couldn't be bothered to waste my time finding out whether she was OK?

I sighed and raked my hands through my damp hair again. I was hoping to avoid returning to the common room until later tonight when I had no choice but to return to my room; but seeing as I was here already, much to my annoyance, I might as well make some use of it and stop wasting more time. There is only one person that I know who knows where the Ravenclaw common room is and that's Blaise (well, the only person who would actually tell me where it is, is Blaise). Did I really want to risk going in there though? Worse case scenario's kept playing in my mind making myself extremely aware of the fact that everyone saw what happened, like Blaise had said, and they were probably now all out for my blood. In one scenario, there were crushing words coming from the mouths of Potter and Weasley, saying that immediately after I'd been dragged out, Granger was rushed to St Mungos. Would she be in Creature-Induced Injuries or Spell Damage, I found myself wondering, which was just another thing I that I should've realised over the years. I'd always had some sort of curiosity over Granger- I even remember during the summer before Second Year telling my Father lots about her in the form of complaints -why, again, had I only just noticed it now. In another scenario, Granger was lying motionless on the floor why I'd last seen her before I left; there was me being held at wand point by everyone inside- including Blaise - and in a blink of an eye, the Killing Curse was being fired from all nine in unison. But, no. I couldn't let any pathetic fantasies get to me. I am a Malfoy and therefore I am superior, feared, respected and (only just) brave. Squaring my shoulders, and repressing the feeling of dread, I pushed open the door and stepped in.

Blaise was there, kneeling on the floor over the square canvas, covered in paint; on the other side of it, was Longbottom, Bones, Abbott, Patil and Brown. Though there hasn't been a time that I should've been happier not to see Potter and Weasley, their absence was making me somewhat more nervous. Where were they? Did they leave to try track me down, or did they go to the Headmistress to see about getting me my very own cell in Azkaban for a form of torture? After a while of me just standing there, someone noticed my presence but I wish it were anyone but her. She narrowed her eyes as she glared at me, temporarily stopping her artwork on the canvas. "Hermione's a wreck because of you." She hissed. The others looked up when they heard her speak, and their gazes too became fixed on me as they waited for my response. I kept the expression on my face impassive, if not bored, but in the inside questions continued to pop into my head. What did she mean that Granger is a wreck? How did she know that it was I that did those things? They had no proof! Luckily, Blaise saved me from answering Patil with some snarky comment that would make her hate me even more.

"We've been through this Patil, what exactly do you think he did to her? Did you see him get his wand out and use the Cruciatus Curse on her, because I didn't?"

"I don't doubt that he can use wandless magic. It'd be stupid for me not to admit that he is talented- probably both in legal and illegal magic." She replied coldly, never taking her eyes off me.

"Right, okay then Patil," I said sarcastically before Blaise or anyone else had time to put forward their opinion. "So how exactly do you explain the fact that I was being tortured just as bad as Granger? Ah, yes, that's right; I forgot that none of you bastards care. I am only a pathetic Death Eater after all. You just keep trying to think of a proper reason Ravenclaw before you blame me again." Patil's jaw visibly tensed, but she didn't say anything. The others though (Longbottom, Bones, Abbott and Brown), didn't say anything either but they dropped their gazes quickly, uncomfortable with the conversation. About a minute later, Patil did the same, continuing to paint a falling tree. "Blaise, we need to talk. Now. We only have," I quickly checked my watch again, "twenty minutes left." Blaise put down his paintbrush that he was using to paint some grass, and walked over to me without needing to be told more than once.

"What?" He asked void of any emotion. Clearly, he was still mad at me despite sticking up for me only minutes ago, because of my slightly innocent torture on Granger.

I kept my face as blank as his. "I need to know where the Ravenclaw common room is." I whispered so that none of the others could hear.

He gave me a rather haughty look as he had some information that I needed. "Why?" He suspiciously asked.

"I need...let's call it 'advice' from someone there about, you know, what happened earlier..." I said vaguely in hushed tones again, trying to brush off the question.

"What happened earlier? I thought that we were going to forget what happened. Wasn't that what you said that you were going to do?" He quietened his voice now, knowing that the rest of the group that hadn't disappeared shouldn't hear this.

"Who could forget something that like that? It was horrifyingly painful for me," Blaise just rolled his eyes and looked away in irritation. "Look, no one can ever forget unless you forcibly take their memories. I said to act if nothing happened-there's a difference. Either way, I still need to know where the Ravenclaw common room is."

"How do you even know that I somehow know where it is?"

"Two words: Luna. Lovegood." I said matter-of-factly as his eyes widened in shock. "Oh yes. You didn't seriously think that I didn't notice the crush you've had on her for the past four years, did you? You tried to cover it up well, my friend, but I'm far from stupid. Even Patil admitted it. I've known you since I was born; it wasn't as if I wouldn't notice. You're always eyeing her from the Slytherin table, although you probably don't get a good view because of the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables-"

"Okay, okay, fine. Just shut up, will you?" Blaise said looking over his shoulder, making sure that everyone was still oblivious. "Thank Merlin no one else has advanced hearing. Look, not a word to anyone, understand?" I nodded my head, but it didn't look very trustworthy because I could just feel that there was a smirk gracing my lips. "The Ravenclaw common room is on the Fifth floor at the end of the corridor on the west side of the castle. It'll be a door without a keyhole or doorknob, but there is a knocker presumably in the shape of an eagle. You need to answer a riddle, asked by the knocker, to get in."

"You seem to know a lot about the entrance to the common room..." I eyed him warily for a couple of seconds, before breaking into a satisfied grin. "Thanks for the help. It is much appreciated. I'll tell Lovegood that you said 'hello'; I'll be going now, I only have, uh, ten minutes left. Talk to you after class." I turned to walk out of the Tower, but Blaise reached out and grabbed my wrist, stopping me in my tracks. "What?" I asked impatiently. I needed to get to the Ravenclaw common room, guess the riddle and find Lovegood then convince her not to go to class in ten minutes. It was like mission impossible.

"Wait, wait. Are you not going to class?"

"Of course not!" I said if it were obvious, which, really, it should've been. Yes, I attended class the past two days, but completely contradictory to what I said about fate earlier, she seemed to have given me some luck and Granger hadn't been in any of those classes. Now, after Blaise told me that everyone had taken Potions, there wasn't any way that I was going to go to that class. Call me paranoid as Granger is probably in her room with her two pathetic 'best friends' or in the Hospital Wing (although if she was still as traumatized as she was earlier, I don't know how she would've been taken to either of those places) with the small possibility that she might not actually be attending class, but I'd rather not take the chance. Besides, if you can't be honest with yourself then you're in some serious denial, so let's be honest; Granger is most definitely going to class. "I'm not ready to be in class with, um, like I said- talk to you after class." I said quickly as I saw that Longbottom had gained some sudden interest with our conversation. Yep, I was definitely paranoid. It was as if he could tell what we were saying...I narrowed my eyes in Longbottoms direction, giving him a venomous glare that made him turn away quickly, and then all but ran to the door to escape his grasp.

I approached the end of the corridor and, just as he had said, there was the almost bear door with only an eagle shaped knocker. I had reached out to touch it, to knock on the door with it, when it blearily opened its bronze eyes and blinked a couple of times as if it had truly been asleep. I didn't seem to notice that I wasn't a Ravenclaw, however, the few portraits that were on the floor were giving me suspicious looks as if I were about to forcibly break in and start going on a killing rampage. Which, I might do- minus the killing rampage part -if I have to wait for some random Ravenclaw to come back to their common room and let me in, although it was more that unlikely that they'd do anything for me. Thinking about it though, the Ravenclaw common room could be the easiest common room to break into, as you didn't need a password, only an answer to a riddle. If you were intelligent enough to give the correct response, then anyone could get in. Although, I guess that there was only an answer needed to get in because if someone did possess such wit or intelligence, then they would've been sorted into Ravenclaw in the first place.

Rowena Ravenclaw was an extremely intelligent woman for creating her common room entrance like this. It had obviously taken much thought. I wonder if Granger would be able to answer the-

No, no. Where did that thought even come from? I shouldn't be thinking of things like that. Sure, she was clever- how else did she get the title of The Brightest Witch of Her Age -but her wit shouldn't be something that I should be thinking of so casually without some sort of ulterior motive. "If the answer is ten, then what is the question?" The knocker asked, eyeing me critically. Thankfully, there was no time limit to answering the question, but I knew that any Ravenclaw would answer it quickly, and, therefore, that was what I was aiming to do. What kind of question was that anyway? There were so many answers. It could be how many trolls are left in England? Not that I actually know whether there is actually ten or not, but, it could be a plausible question depending on what the actual answer is. It could be; where are the Appleby Arrows in the Quidditch league? But, then again, it couldn't be that question because it'd mean the answer was tenth not ten. How many fingers do I have? Well, no. Probably not that one either- it'd be too easy; too simple. Damn, this was difficult. How many unicorn hairs do you have to put in Veritaserum to make it turn a toxic shade of purple? No...That wouldn't be right either. All right, time to think about this seriously and not just randomly guess. Right, so- if there is an answer, there has to be a question. However, that doesn't really narrow it down as to what sort of question it could be. It could be Muggle related for all I know. It could even just be simple math, like what's 2x5? Ten. Unless there isn't an answer, which means that no question exists. However, that isn't correct in the least because I was specifically told that the answer was ten. What if it was lying to me? It could be a trick question. Now that-that seemed more like something it would do. On the other hand, maybe that was a bit too Slytherin...I stared calculatingly at the knocker for about a minute, thinking about a riddle more logically. Since it was a riddle, it needed all attention and concentration directed at it as with riddles you always needed to look at it from a different perspective, or to try to wiggle out of it. After a while of just staring, the answer finally came to me, and I was proud in myself for thinking up such an answer- if it's right that is.

"Trick question. There can't be an answer if a question doesn't exist to provide you with one." I stated confidently. It stared at me with its metal, beady eyes for a second longer, before breaking into an odd beak-y grin. The knocker didn't congratulate me, only swung outward and allowed me entrance to the Ravenclaw common room. I just stood there for a while in a daze. Did I actually get that right? Did I actually answer a riddle specifically for a Ravenclaw correctly? I was somewhat worthy of being a Ravenclaw? That last realisation was surprising to say the least. Hesitantly, I stepped into the common room and was surprised to find- probably the most airy room in the castle- empty. Well, close to empty, but everyone that was in the common room was either too busy reading, studying or working to actually notice my appearance but the others who did were in the younger years and wouldn't dare stand up to someone like me. Looking around at all the students, I didn't notice any sight of Lovegood. I was about to step forward, further into the common, and was considering going up the rest of Ravenclaw Tower to see if she was in a dormitory, but I decided against it. There were wards on the stairs so that the boys couldn't go into the girls rooms, so there wasn't any way for me to be able to get to her if she was there...What now? I took my wand out and tapped it against my leg, making white sparks shoot out of it, and contemplated just walking into the common room further and start questioning people to whether they'd seen her. I checked my watch again quickly, as if it was becoming some sort of nervous habit. No one actually seemed to be in a hurry to get to class; maybe they had a free period next? Footsteps echoing down the spiral staircase to the top of the Tower on the other side of the room drew my attention to them. Maybe it was Lovegood? As soon as I saw the black trouser leg, though, followed by the tall muscular body, I knew it most definitely wasn't her. He was laughing with his friend who was behind him, but the sound stopped as soon as his eyes set their gaze on me. His body stiffed and his eyes hardened into a glare as he stalked over to me. A sadistic smirk appeared on my lips at the obvious confrontation between the Ravenclaw and me. The way he moved with such purpose made me consider his place in Ravenclaw; he looked like he could be so much more suited to Gryffindor, maybe even Slytherin if I knew his blood status. He was roughly the same height as me, maybe even a bit taller, but the way he stood in quite close quarters to me, it made him seem taller than he was. The boy didn't look as if he belonged in Sixth Year or Seventh, but to say he was in Fifth seemed questionable due to his size. However, his friend that didn't follow him towards me looked as if he belonged in Fifth Year and they were conversing as if they'd known each other in such a way that it was clear that they were in the same year.

"How'd you get in Malfoy?" He spat my name as if it held an unpleasant taste in his mouth. My smirk widened as I held his fierce gaze. It was as if he was challenging me to a fight. If only he knew that no matter how strongly he was built, I was stronger- physically and magically. The others in the common room seemed to have only just noticed my presence and the atmosphere suddenly became tense, as if they knew what was going to happen.

"Pretty simple really, you remember your pathetic little entrance to your common room," I said, tapping the door that was still open behind me, with my wand, making more white sparks fly. "Well, you're not the only intelligent people in this school."

"No one expects Death Eaters to have much of a brain. After all, that's what they all did, didn't they? Follow him brainlessly. Kill mindlessly." He hissed, and although I was faintly amused at being caught in an argument with a Ravenclaw, it didn't stop the irritation from clawing its way to the front of my mind. The smirk dropped from my face, replaced by a look of mild anger.

"Well, this brainless Death Eater is looking for someone. Perhaps you know where she is." I replied coldly, looking over his shoulder at the others in the room. "Any of you happen to know where Lovegood is?" Everyone looked away, mumbling to their friends or staying silent as if they didn't know whether they should give up her location or they truly didn't know. "Ah, so none of you are willing to share your secrets. Very Ravenclaw of you; if you don't share your knowledge, who can be smarter than you are? That does sound quite selfish though, don't you think? Quite Slytherin- a bit like me. Not sharing you knowledge so no one can have power of you, because, after all, knowledge is power and power corrupts. And, we all know how much you love us brainless Slytherin Death Eaters, especially me." Most flinched at my tone- at the realisation of what I said that was true to some extent. The Houses weren't all that different. We have the same qualities, we just use them differently. Nevertheless, there comes a point where the line blurs to a point where it could be hard to tell a difference between them- Ravenclaw and Slytherin for instance. What I said, however, obviously wasn't the correct thing to say, as some looked angry at the comparison, preferring to deny the truth- as the Fifth Year boy who was talking to me seemed. "Her bloody imaginary creatures carry her off to some unknown place that holds the secrets of the universe?"

It was as if it happened in slow motion. The Fifth Year boy swung round from looking at the others as I had been, and slammed me against the wall. His hands that had tightly gripped my robes where as close as they could get to my throat, red through the tightness of his hold. His face was quite close to mine in a threatening way and was breathing heavily due to his rage. For the benefit of him, I didn't even act as if I could throw him halfway across the room or that the attack didn't hurt. Because, like I said, if they didn't know that the attack was pointless because I was stronger than they could imagine, they couldn't use their intelligence to discover what I was and therefore, wouldn't gain any power over me. Although, that was a bit contradictory as well because, right now, the Fifth Year literally had power over me. Amusement suddenly returned and was dancing in my eyes, angering him further, I'm sure of it. Now though, my irritation was rapidly growing as if this was some kind of unfortunate inconvenience that's stopped me from achieving something higher, which, really, it was. "We are nothing like you." He growled. "We aren't traitors."

"Don't talk about what you don't know, Fifth Year. Whom do you think created new spells for The Dark Lord? Only a corrupted Ravenclaw with such a thirst for knowledge it made him power hungry would've been able to create something like that. Life's tricky to understand, don't act if everyone has a choice." I spat, looking defiantly in the eye.

"Don't talk down to me as if I'm too young to understand now what's been happening since my First Year till last. As if I don't know about war when I fought for my life last year because you came along and-"

"How cute. A Fourth Year that knew how to fight for his life." I said sarcastically, interrupting him. But, before he could blink, I grabbed the front of his robes and whirled him around, slamming his back to the wall harder than he had for me, switching our positions. "I wonder whether your Fifth Year self has as much luck." Shock registered on his face, but it wasn't the kind to suspect me of being half of something else. I didn't do it with so much supernatural speed that it was concerning, but with my less bulky build, the use of my strength was different. He quickly got over it, anger evident once again on his face, but pain seemed to merge it as I heard a faint sizzle coming from where I was holding his robes. It seemed that, although there was no fire showing on my hands, they still had the power to burn as if they did. The others could see it too, I could tell, but that didn't stop me, even when one of them ordered another to go get someone called 'Anastasia' who was in her room. Good, hopefully someone to give me answers. Maybe I should've just started off with this. Only moments later, fast footfalls were heard coming down the stairs as if they were in a hurry to stop someone's death. Well, maybe they were. I didn't need to look, I could hear everything perfectly- I knew when she stepped onto the carpet, gasped and lightly ran toward me with purpose -instead, I just continued to burn the boy's robes.

I heard her suck in a breath as if she was scared, but her voice sounded loud, confident and haughty in the almost silence of the common room, "I see your still Slytherin even though you clearly possess enough logic of a Ravenclaw to enter; so, I hope that my offer appeals to both sides of your mind. Give me back my brother, and I'll give you the location of Luna. A trade for a trade- each of us gets exactly what we came to this common room for." I lightened my hold on her brother's robes, the hiss of burning material becoming lighter, but I didn't let go yet. Looking from Anastasia to her brother, I tried to look for a family resemblance of some sort, but there were barely any. It was more as if they were just friends that happened to have some similarities. He was tall and bulky; she was short with a thin frame. His hair was blonde; hers was black. The only thing similar about them was perhaps their face shape, eyes and maybe even nose but as I had described- that's where it stopped. I scoffed, it was clear that I was going to hand the useless boy over for information but the longer I held on, the more anxious Anastasia seemed to get- as if she thought it was the wrong negotiation. I threw the boy over to her; he stumbled but didn't fall and moved so that he stood slightly in front of his sister, although she was obviously the eldest. She didn't look at her brother with any relief, instead glared at him as if it was my fault that I was in the common room in the first place.

"My reward? I let the runt go without harm, well," I said arrogantly as I looked over at him. Two holes the size of oranges had been burned on the front of his robes, and a few red welts were visible on his showing skin. "He'll recover."

She narrowed her eyes at me, clearly not impressed by my attitude. It was as if she was the mother figure to all the Ravenclaws the way that she addressed people and the looks of disappointment she gave. "Shouldn't you be in class, Malfoy, what are you doing looking for Luna?" She demanded, although it sounded more as if she was reprimanding me.

"Wouldn't you want to know." I smirked at her, but instead of the annoyed reaction that I'd gotten from her brother, her expression didn't change. It was as if I was just a little bug that she'd love no more than to stomp on. "However, that is not part of our deal."

"Just wondering what-"

"Evil I'm planning to set upon her? Of course you are. But would you really be so naive as to believe that I'd tell you?"

She smiled tightly, erasing all annoyance from her face for the time being. She acted as if she were older than I was, as if she was old enough not to be at Hogwarts. "I don't believe you know how I am. I'm Anastasia Innes, and this is my brother Jayson. I'm the eldest Ravenclaw- that's still residing in the Ravenclaw Tower. Our mother works at Azkaban prison and when your father managed to wiggle his way out of being convicted and thrown into one of the cells, she was- what's the word? -unhappy. You see, your father killed ours. You can see the reason for hate. Now, Luna is one of my good friends so it's only friendly concern on what you want with her." It sounded as if she was trying with difficulty to keep her voice impassive.

"So much trust you put in me Innes, but I must say that I am not my father." It was true- just in a warped way. I was not my father because I know that I'm not going to be happy with my Mate. I was not my father because She wasn't a Pureblood or in Slytherin. I wasn't my father for a number of reasons, most similar to my examples. "I'm not going to explain my reasons, but she won't be found dead if that's what you're worrying over. No more probing into reasons Innes," I said as I saw her open her mouth, about to interrupt. "I trust your smart enough to know when you've lost."

"Fine," She sighed as if she was suddenly exhausted. She looked behind her shoulder to see the other students who were still paying complete attention to what was happening. "Crystal, go get Luna. Tell her that Malfoy's waiting for her." A small girl jumped up from the navy sofa and flew up the stairs.

"I'm waiting for her? That sounds a bit personal, don't you think?"

"You are here for a personal reason though, aren't you?" She seemed to be probing a bit more subtly into my reasons. I only gave her a disapproving look, which just seemed to ignite her curiosity. She looked like she wanted to ask something desperately and it seemed before she could stop herself, blurted, "Don't tell me she's your girlfriend."

I was shocked at the statement, or more like plea and it took me a second to form a careful answer. "I don't wish to offend, but she'll never be. Not that it's any of your business, but I've already been...promised someone; at the moment though it's...complicated." Her curiosity never seemed to cease, but before she was able to ask anything more about me, Lovegood had shown.

She had a gentle smile on her face as she walked with a skip in her step up towards me. "Afternoon Draco. You look troubled." She said quietly. I could see that even the others by her struggled to catch every word that left her mouth, but I could hear her clearly. I didn't hesitate when I answered her- didn't even think about the abnormality of the fact that it shouldn't be possible.

"Hello Lovegood. Just troubled over..." I trailed off, looking at the curious as well as shocked faces of all Ravenclaws gathered in front of me, then giving a very pointed look at Lovegood. "Something. Meaning that I have now cracked the illusion." She gave me a look that said she understood, but didn't move or say anything. "Well, uh, I think we should leave, I don't particularly think that anyone wants me here longer than I should be." I sneered in Jayson's direction; he only glared back at me. "No one's in my common room -we'll go there -of course we'll have to go somewhere else later. Ahem, I'll explain everything on the way there." I said, feeling slightly awkward at the innuendos that were in the sentence. Luckily, Lovegood didn't seem fazed by it.

"Okay then," She said and walked out of the door, not even stopping to open it because it hadn't been closed the entire time I was there. I followed her out, and once the door to the common room was closed, and we were at the other end of the corridor, I began to explain everything to her. How I discovered that Granger is my Mate (which, oddly she seemed to have known); how I tortured her selfishly hours ago with my power of transference and how I'm the rare few that can throw fire and that I can grow wings. I didn't forget either to tell her how I need her help to learn to keep my Veela under control if ever I come into the presence of Granger outside the common room and the little 'hello' from Blaise.

The whole time though, I wasn't aware of the presence of any portraits that could overhear or eavesdrop on my secrets.

"You'll do this for me, Lovegood, won't you? Don't think of it as stealing; all you're doing is borrowing something of hers to help me. If it's going to help me in some way, surely then, you understand that you have to do this for me." I pleaded -well, not pleading exactly as Malfoy's never pleaded or begged; it was more like I persuaded. She gave me another dreamy look, which I think I managed to work out that it meant that she was thinking about something, and with a little sigh that held no emotion, she ascended the stairs and stopped outside the red door. We didn't really know whether Hermione was in her room, the Hospital Wing or actually in class, but we assumed that she was in her room and so, as one of Granger's friends, I had persuaded Luna to go see if she could enter her room and before leaving, take something of hers. For such a mellow-looking and wispy sounding girl, she sure knew how to put up a good argument. It had taken ten minutes of just going back and forth in argumentative hushed voices to make her agree.

From my hiding place on the balcony, I placed myself so strategically that if they both came downstairs, they wouldn't see me, I strained my ears to try to hear what was happening. I heard Lovegood knock on the door, which was followed by a long pause of almost-silence, before I heard the door open, and then close seconds later; apart from those distinct sounds, all I could hear was the raging wind howl in my ears and the voices from those who were out on the Hogwarts grounds. It wasn't much of a distraction, as I had learnt to block out sounds that I don't want to hear, but the real problem was that the Charms were in the Tower which meant that, outside- even if it was the balcony that was part of the Eighth Year Tower -my Veela senses still worked perfectly, you know, if what I wanted to hear was outside. However, what I wanted to hear was inside, which meant that the Charms were affecting my 'natural' senses again, but not completely as they usually did as I wasn't actually in the Tower, but, like I said, outside; that meant that my hearing was still strong, but muffled. Less than half an hour later, I saw Lovegood reappear- thankfully alone - in the common room and started to look about curiously, as if I had turned invisible. Grinning when I saw the slightly tatty Gryffindor scarf in her hand- which I could sense smelt lightly of spice and some other unknown essence - I opened the sliding doors and stepped back into the common room, feeling almost blind when the scent of the scarf suddenly vanished and confused at why I was grinning in the first place. She didn't seem surprised to see me, and just stood and waited for me to walk over to her. Once I reached her, I, of my own rightful mind, had a sudden urge to take the scarf and smell it whilst I was still in the common room, just curious to know what it would smell like to someone with a dulled sense- or more like, someone with a normal sense of smell. I reached out to grab it out of her hand, but my hands had only just brushed the tassels before she jerked it away and into the hand furthest from where I was. "If you have it, you won't want to let go of it once we're outside, and then where would that get us?" She said in a clam tone as we reached the door that exited the Tower. She opened it without any hesitation and almost seemed to bounce down the steps. I, on the other hand, was having second thoughts.

Maybe...Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. A side of me argued. What if I can't control what I do- what I do to Lovegood? She's only a girl, and no more than half my height.

No, it is a good idea. You have to do this. You don't want constant repeats of what happened in the library, do you? The other part argued. I had to admit though, that this side's argument didn't exactly make it easier to decide which voice to listen to. Do I continue or not?

You said you wouldn't harm her to the Ravenclaw girl, if you carry on with this, then you most likely will. Not that you'd remember what happens after you Veela takes over, but still.

Actually, I said that Lovegood wouldn't be found dead, and, right now, I doubt that that would ever happen. But, later on in life, who knows what you might do? You could end up killing someone- like Granger's husband perhaps? If you saw Granger with her husband -who's not you -what could your protective, jealous side do as soon as you see them, or get a whiff of her scent? Power is about control.

Now the second voice had solid reasoning, and that, with the threats it used, made me decide my answer; no matter the consequences. What if I did accidentally kill someone? Blaise had a pretty close run-in; he could certainly see where the overhanging threat was. Taking in a deep breath, I all but threw myself out of the door after Lovegood, before I had the chance to turn back.

My head became fuzzy, like it was filled with cotton wool, but other parts of it were still working almost normally; like my thought processes that weren't coming from the Veela. Of course, there was still that alluring scent that made me walk close to a jog down the stairs after Lovegood, as it drew me in like a moth to a flame, but it was all I could do not to run at top speed towards it. Although, there was a part of it that was actually repelling me, for once. There was this underlying smell of a cat, but not just that, it was that for some reason, I could smell that the cat was close to death. I found myself wondering, Is the same cat that Granger suddenly appeared with in Third Year? The big, fat ginger one with the face that made it look like it had run at the wrong wall at Kings Cross. Was it even her cat that was dying? It was only then, when the last thought had been formed, that another had taken its place. Why do I even care? It wasn't as if I was going to play an important role in Grangers life; now or in the future. That was why I want to get my bloody mind under control- so I don't have to have anything to do with her. Ever.

I almost tripped and fell on the last step as the concentration of staying in control had started to take its toll. I looked up and down the corridors, but there was an absence of a certain blonde Ravenclaw; where she went, I have no idea. All I knew at that moment was that the red and gold scarf was just lying on the ground. Except, it wasn't a scarf, not really. I mean, it looked like a scarf, but it was just one of those things where you look at it and without a seconds hesitation you go, Hermione. That's Hermione. It also looked like a life source, no matter how unusual the life source was- it just was one. There was just this urge, this great pull, that wanted- no needed -me to pick it up, keep it as close to me as possible and just inhale the life giving essence, which, obviously, was Hermione. I wanted to go to it, but to do that would not be the reason it was there in the first place. Resist.However, that wasn't exactly so simple to do. It was drawing me in like a fish on the end of a hook, and to pull away when your snagged, isn't the easiest thing to do. Subconsciously, I found myself walking towards the scarf, however, I was still continuing to resist, so my gait wasn't as smooth as it usually is; it made it look as if my right leg was dead by the way it almost trailed behind me. By the strain I felt on my face, I was sure that it was scrunched up in annoyance or concentration but it was more or less useless. Luckily, this time, my rejection to going towards the scent didn't cause me a headache. Maybe it was because it was so close to me? Maybe because it wasn't actually her as opposed to something that she possessed that smelt of her- and the dying cat. Whatever the reason, it wasn't so important for me to dwell on and try to figure out, but to be just thankful that it wasn't happening and so it was making it easier on my part. See, that was the difference between me and Granger- when something unusual happened she wants to know why, even if it's a good thing; when something unusual happens to me- fine I admit -I'd try figure out why too (especially if I have reason to be suspicious), but when it's something good, I don't question it. It's probably one of the many reasons why I can't be with her. Soon enough, I found myself reaching down and gently picking up the scarf. The smell of it was just overwhelming now that I was close to it. It was as if she wore it every day. It was a drug, definitely, and one that I didn't particularly mind getting addicted to. Well, for as long as I'm alive that is.

I'd just bought it to my face -because of another strange urge to just rub the fabric against my check, and inhale the smell -when a Stupefy was shot from around the corner, hitting my hand that caused it to spasm, and drop the scarf. So, this is what Lovegood is doing. She's conditioning me into not...picking it up? The Stupefy didn't affect me like it should've, perhaps because I have a high magic threshold now, but it sent a feeling, like a jolt of electricity, firing throughout my body. It temporarily sent me out of my state, and I only just realised how stupid I'd been to let myself get so far. I daresay that if Granger were truly there, there might not be anything that could bring me back round to my proper state. What would she do, I wonder, if such a thing were to happen? Would she figure out immediately what I am, and then finish piecing the clues together to discover that she's my Mate? Would she attack me with every curse and hex she knew out of fear, confusion or suspicion? The only way to find out is to let it happen...

No, that would only end in disaster. But, would it though? If I was constantly in my Veela, would she just accept that it was out of my hands and therefore just end up with me, to satisfy me or to save my life? Would it even be easier that way?

I heard the faint sound of fabric padding to the floor. Looking down by my feet, I saw that the red and gold scarf was pooled by my feet. I lost concentration, again. This was just getting frustrating! After I let out a growl of annoyance, I felt that my hands were steadily heating up. Quickly I tried to force my frustration to go- that, again, was easier said than done - by chanting repeatedly in my head, 'This is progress, there's nothing irritating about progress.' I'd once heard somewhere, that the more oxygen that you have in your blood, the calmer you are, so I was taking in big, long breaths of air; and although feeling quite light-headed, I guess I felt mildly calmer as well. I also shook my hands, as if the cold air could stop them from turning into flame. It worked, albeit slowly and soon my hands returned back to their normal temperature. I stepped over the scarf and repeated the process of trying to resist.

They were all staring at me. I could tell, even with my eyes closed.

I was stretched out on the sofa, which meant that most seats in the room were taken up in the room because of me. It didn't leave them any reason to just stare though, that was just plain rude. I could hear them whispering as well, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. Sometimes it was no fun to have my qualities stripped from me when I couldn't hear if people were gossiping about me, perhaps planning to kill me or just telling secrets that I could so easily use for blackmail. They were just probably discussing what a whole waste of space I am, and why I didn't turn up for lessons why I seems so perfectly fine.

I'd been here, mentally planning something and eavesdropping as best as I could, since I came back from what you could call a 'successful training session' with Lovegood. I'd gotten angry a couple of times, and, just for the fun of it, 'tested' how much damage my fireballs could do to the wall- also not forgetting that I had sneakily just passed most of my anger into passersby and if I had any leftover, I'd use it on Lovegood for entertainment purposes. She, of course, wasn't too happy (it had nothing to do with my anger this time) about me just transferring it into everyone instead of just trying to find a way to calm myself down and combined with the fact that making her irritable wasn't helping with my 'training'. By the end of it though, I had managed to make it around just a bit over halfway to Lovegood from one side of the corridor to the other, before lapsing back into my Half-Veela state. It was an improvement, I guess, but progress needed to move faster as I couldn't just avoid Potions forever.

I didn't need my Veela hearing to make out the sound of the common room door opening, and I didn't need to open my eyes to know it was Blaise who was entering. Everyone else was already in the common room, well, not Potter or Weasley, but that was only because they're in Granger's room checking on her and most likely handing back her scarf that was outside her door where I left it. Seeing the light dim from behind my eyelids, I opened one eye to see Blaise looking down at me. I was about to open my mouth to say something, but he beat me to it.

"Did you know since you haven't shown up for at least three of your Potions classes that you're failing?" He didn't try to lower his voice, so after his little rhetorical question, everyone in the bloody room lapsed into silence, eavesdropping on our conversation.

I stood up fluidly, brushing some of my hair out of my face, and glared at him. "It is only to be expected, since, as you say, I haven't showed up to any lessons, but I hardly doubt that so much has happened that the new Potions Master is failing me." I replied, trying to keep my voice void of emotion. I was, obviously, slightly worried that it had only been about a week- give or take a few days -at school and I was already failing one subject no thanks to trying to adapt to my inheritance. I'd often dabbled in the thought of becoming a Healer over the summer at the Manor, something to make the Malfoy name look good after all the darkness it has begun to be associated with, and not getting any less than an Exceeds Expectations in Potions isn't going to help in becoming a Healer. He was about to say something again, but this time I spoke before the words escaped his lips. "And, you shouldn't worry because I am working on attending- eventually. Besides," I dropped my voice to a whisper, "McGonagall understands that there are reasons that I need to just stay in here for a whole day sometimes, and so, I'm sure she can't be letting me fail that badly. Now, there's something that I need to discuss with you." I turned away from him and headed towards the staircases, not bothering to look behind me to see if he was following because I knew that he would. Without waiting, I climbed the stairs and unlocked the door to my room, holding it open for Blaise to enter before closing it and placing and Silencing Charm on the door so that no one could listen in. "Something you want to tell me?" I asked pointedly, folding my arms across my chest.

"Excuse me?" He asked clearly confused at the question that made perfect sense to me.

"Don't go all shy on me now, Blaise. I know you have something you need to tell me regarding my Mate. You think I can't piece all the facts together to discover that you're keeping something secret from me?"

Blaise still didn't say anything.

"Well, let's start from the first day back, shall we? Remember when I insulted Granger which resulted in me having an attack, which I had thought was because of a hex thrown at me by her stupid friends, and you tried to tell me when I woke that it wasn't a hex? Oh yes, I remember that. You've known all this time, haven't you? It's beginning to make me wonder whether you were ever planning on telling me when this time it is potentially a life-or-death situation!" I ranted angrily. I mean, I couldn't help but be angry with him. Was he just going to sit back and watch me die when he could've saved me from all this pain all along?

He looked almost shocked that I had managed to piece together everything, but quickly wiped the look off his face lest it caused me to get angrier. "I was going to tell you, when it seemed that your days were practically gone and you were still convinced that it was Weaslette, but recently it seemed as if you'd figured it out yourself, so I didn't bother." He said, but when he looked at my face, he changed the topic into something that seemed as if it wouldn't annoy me as much. "So, after all those pain attacks you've finally come to the terms that it is actually Granger then?"

"Yes." I said curtly. "As a matter of fact, the discovery that it is Granger is something that I wanted to talk to you with. Something I need your help with."

"Is it how to propose to Granger, because, I'm telling you mate as a good friend, that she hates you and in no way is she going to say yes- even if you do use your Veela Charms." He scoffed.

"No, I am not looking to- Wait. What? Veela Charms?" What the bloody hell were 'Veela Charms'?

"Err...yeah. Haven't you read about them? No? Oh, well, basically it says that every time a Veela touches their Mate they fall under the Veela's control. I guess it's kind of like using the Imperius Curse on someone, but you can only use it on one specific person and it only works as long as you're touching them in some way..."

"That's interesting..." I murmured mostly to myself. It was certainly another advantage to being a Veela, having complete and utter control over someone; especially since my someone is Granger. There were definitely some ways where I could just exploit the 'quality' so she does my work or something. I'll need some time to think about how I could use it considering there would have to be a way for me to keep contact with her in some way. "Anyway, back to what I need your help with. In around 253 days time or maybe earlier- depending on how often I shall encounter Granger -I shall be found dead. I want you to plan my funeral."

"Seriously?" Blaise asked incredulously. "Just because it's Granger, you're...giving up? I thought you valued your life!"

"I did. But now that I know it's her, and there is no way in hell that she is ever going to be charmed by me, I am accepting my imminent death and making sure that when the time comes that my funeral is well planned out, okay?"

"Oh how the mighty have fallen," Blaise muttered sarcastically. "You're not meant to just accept death when there's a way around it. That's not self-preservation at all!"

"Oh shut up and listen Blaise," I snapped. "I want everyone to write a speech worshipping my life; owl our other friends to tell them about it when the time comes, and find someone to write one for Goyle. Invite everyone we've ever known from Hogwarts- mud-muggleborns (I might as well get used to it so I don't have any more pain attacks), half-bloods, purebloods, Hufflepuffs, Gryffindors -the lot of them. Make sure all my family come, obviously, and your top priority is to make sure the Golden Trio come. Then, during the ceremony I want you to make it known to everybody gathered that Granger is the cause of my death- you can unleash then the fact that I was a Half-Veela and what that means to the cause of my death and Granger's fault. I want it to be on her conscience that she could've kept me alive and that she's the reason I'm dead. Oh, and going back to the speeches, get the Golden Trio to say something nice about me too."

"...Wait...you want me to do a funeral for you and tell everyone there that it's all Granger's fault that you died when really, it's yours because you didn't want to try to save yourself? I can't lie at a funeral! And if I do that, the Golden Girl's reputation is going to be ruined- well, it might not be that ruined considering that you were a Death Eater and now everyone hates you and wants you dead...But still!"

"What? So you won't do this one thing for me, even as a death wish?"

"Well, if you're ending up dead in however-many-days, Malfoy, then it's your entire fault because you don't want to stop yourself from dying. Look, there is only one way that I will comply to your pathetic death wish, and I doubt you're going to agree to it, so you better find someone else to do this funeral for you." Blaise stood up from his perch on the chair by the window and began to leave the room. Before he could reach the door though, I stood in front of him, blocking his exit. But, did I even want to hear his proposal? I could just easily get someone else to do my funeral for me; someone who will willingly put the blame on Granger. My request wasn't even that impossible or horrendous, was it? I just wanted someone to care for my well-being, and if it takes putting the guilt on someone else and my death, then so be it.

I sighed. "What's your proposition then?"

"I'll do whatever you want me to do for your funeral, if you die trying to get Granger to like you. You may have given up mate, but I haven't. I refuse to let another one of my best mates die. I will not do this death wish funeral for you, unless you actually try to get Granger to like you. I don't care how you do it Draco, as long as you try in some way." He pleaded, which was strange for me because I've never heard Blaise plead for anything. Maybe he was right; maybe it was too soon for another one of our friends to die. However, getting Granger to actually like me, maybe even fall in love with me so we can bond or something to stop my life from ending- that was near impossible. There was basically no point in even trying because I know I won't succeed. Why would she ever fall in love with an Ex-Death Eater? More to the point, an Ex-Death Eater that just watched as she got tortured in front of him, and picked on her since day one? He was right, though. It is too soon for someone else to die, and I would never trust anyone else to prepare my funeral; after all, Blaise and I have known each other the longest. No one knows me like he does.

I regarded him in a haughty manner as I weighed out the pros and cons of agreeing once more before I gave my answer. Was it really worth it?
"For once in your life Draco, be compassionate like your Mate. For once in your life, be a Gryffindor and just be brave enough to take the risk of rejection. For once in your life, do something for someone else. Don't die Draco. Don't."

"I never knew that guilt trapping was your kind of thing Blaise." I said sarcastically, which earned me an eye roll. "Fine. I'll do it. For a month only though. If she still hates me after a month, I'm going back to giving up.

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