I
The calm tones of the music filtered through the room. Step by step my hips swayed softly while my arms found a smooth pace. Flowing like a river around the large space I felt alive, powerful- beautiful. Just when the song comes to a harmonious duet I feel a body glide closely behind my own following my movements, trailing along my arms and legs, but never, ever, touching; a practiced dance performed only in the safety of this room. This sanctuary was the only place we were protected from the scrutiny of the world, from the pain of others and from the misery of our reality. Here… Here was where we belonged to each other and no one or nothing else. However, nothing lasts forever and soon the song ends.
"I heard what happened," I started quietly, "I'm so sorry. I will miss her dearly." Tears began to well in my eyes, but that meant nothing when I knew that the person behind me had been silently weeping the entire time. "What was the final report?"
It took a moment before I heard a sharp intake of breath then a long sigh. "The grief finally caught up… with her mate dead… Mother couldn't survive, but Merlin did she try." His tone was low and watery. We knew this day was coming, but we dreaded it nonetheless. Narcissa Malfoy had been a wonderful, wholesome woman, and an even better mother. She created a magnificent son, one who had been grieving her from the moment his father passed in Azkaban.
"Draco, she was ready. As unhappy as they had been in the end, she loved him despite it all. We knew she wouldn't make it." It was a harsh pill of truth, but we both needed to hear it. My mother-in-law had been mated from the young age of sixteen, and had spent the next eighteen and a half years living with an extension of herself in the form of Lucius Malfoy. While I may have had no lost love for the man, he hadn't been my mate, husband and father of my child. Strong pale arms wound around my middle as Draco bent to rest his head on my shoulder. "Frankly I'm amazed and deliriously impressed that she made it a full six months after Lucius received the Kiss." It was unheard of, a Veela surviving so long after the death of their mate, especially another Veela mate, half or otherwise. Turning I continued with a small grin playing at my lips "I'm positive I wouldn't be able to perform such a feat, especially with such a calm and graceful demeanor." By that point my arms had snaked up around his neck as he stood at his full height.
A mock look of astonishment graced his still melancholy features, "Did Hermione Granger just admit that there is something she can't do?" The cocky teasing falls a bit flat, but we both ignore it. With a sing;e eyebrow lifted and slight quirk of my lips he's finally laughing. "Excuse me, Hermione Malfoy. My deepest apologies, Mistress, I's not make such mistake ageen." He said mimicking my small houself Primmy.
"Oh, Draco please don't do that!" The laugh spilled from my throat before I could contain it. "I feel so bad for the poor girl, she gets so confused with everyone calling me Granger around the castle."
"Maybe," as soon as I heard the extended 'a' sound cross his lips I knew what was coming, "if you went by your actual name you wouldn't have this problem." He looked vaguely startled when he heard me echo him perfectly.
"Yes, dear, I'm aware of what you've been saying, however did it ever occur to you that students and professors alike adjusting to calling me Mrs. Malfoy would be even worse than Pri- uh P calling me Granger?" Making sure not to say the small elf's name; she had a tendency to be overeager and seeking approval from her Master and Mistress. "Besides, we both know that waiting until after this year to tell the boys will be the best way- no gossip or children budding their noses into our life." The logic was sound and we both knew it, but he wasn't any less frustrated. Draco had wanted to come clean to the public months ago; right after the war and trials had ended, in fact. His patience was admirable and earned him hefty rewards.
A short groan fled him as he resigned. "I know, Mya, but it's hard. For the first time in five years I'd be able to actually be with my mate in public. Add the first two years of school as well and no one can deny how much I want to tell them."
He had a point. He had been patient and had suffered tremendously to keep me safe during the war torn times, but it was because of the remaining grievances that I wanted to take the time to finish school before breaking the news. He'd be trapped in a den of enemies and those who distrusted him for his past. I couldn't allow him to be hurt because we made the wrong decision. "I know, love, and I promise it'll be alright. Just wait until graduation." It was a tall order considering it was the beginning of term, but we had spoken about this at length several times over summer term. A small nod and kiss on the forehead was his response. Detangling we straightened out our uniforms and robes before heading out into the hall. "I'll see you in double Potions, okay?" Another nod and squeeze of my hand, and he was headed down the opposite end of the corridor headed to Ancient Runes while I turned away for Advanced Arithmancy.
The day passed slowly as classes started to blend together. Since the end of the war only a year ago, lessons seemed stagnant, stale, all because professors knew as well as the students did that we had either used the spells or theory in the war, or would never need them in our chosen fields of work. That didn't stop me from receiving top marks of course. Next to me a soft snore erupted. With a single practiced movement I swatted the back of Harry's head and finished my line of notes before he had even straightened up. "You were starting to snore." I said in way of an answer without removing my gaze from the board. A short nod was barely visible in my peripheral as he brought his arm to the table top to rest his head in his hand. I understood the feeling- History of Magic was far from anyone's favorite class, especially with Professor Binns still at the helm. In the row below Ron could be seen completely gone to the world from the moment he sat down. Sometimes it amazed me how either of them passed, even with my help.
The bell rang and the room emptied in record time. The boys slipped into place on either side of me rubbing the crust from their eyes. "Remind me again why we are being forced to take that bloody class, again?" Ron's disgruntled and sleep drenched voice hardly carried over the sounds of the students filling the halls. Due to the former seventh years returning the halls seemed extra crowded as elbows, bags and arms bumped and scratched at one another.
"Honestly, Ronald… Did the past year not teach you how important it is to know our history?" Exasperation seeped from my tone, but neither boy cared. "If not for documented history we would never have figured out so much." Truthfully, I didn't particularly care for the class myself; it left out hoards of valuable information and filled the holes with things that hardly made an impact on neither the wizarding or muggle worlds alike. However, I couldn't very well tell those two that or else they'd have all the more reason to slack off. Once the Quidditch talk started I immediately tuned out on instinct to avoid any of the nonsensical tactics that just weren't physically or logically possible. It helped ease my concern as they played I learned early on. Just as we turned the corner a body collided with mine and if not for the hand snatching my wrist I'd have fallen flat.
Looking up one Blaise Zabini stood with a lopsided grin, hand wrapped around my small wrist. Beside him, Pansy Parkinson was berating him for, again, not paying attention to where he was walking. "Oh, my apologies, uccellino." At the baleful look from both women present he released me. As he opened his mouth to speak once more, most likely with some form of flirty joke, Ron rudely interrupted shoving past me as if to shield me away from the two eighth year Slytherins. "You should be sorry. Watch where you're going next time, arse."
At his aggressiveness Blaise's grin dropped and muttered several unflattering things about Ron in italian before marching past us, Pansy in tow. Before he got too far, though, he turned back, "Oi, Granger," he stressed my maiden name as if to mock me. "Draco said that he finished his part of your assignment and not to forget yours… e ti incontrerà dopo cena. Arrivederci!" Pansy had a scowl pasted to her face and I was sure she was, once again, berating Blaise for his behavior. Shrugging off the encounter I headed down the hall at a more sedated pace already expecting the red heads questions.
"What the hell was that all about? What assignment with Malfoy? And why does he speak in that nonsense like anyone else can understand him?" Ronald never ceased to make an arse of himself. His brash attitude was one of the few reasons I was quite glad I'd never fallen for the oaf, best friend or not. Before I could answer for myself Harry piped up for the first time.
"Ron… Mione told us she was paired with Malfoy for her Advanced Potions class. And she's told us she speaks italian, and french and spanish and bulgarian and-"
"Yes Harry, I have, thank you." I knew he was only teasing, but when he said it like that it was as if I had been doing nothing but showing off when I had proven just how many languages I had successfully studied. "Anyway, Zabini's mother tongue isn't 'nonsense' as you so put it, Ronald, it's a complex and beautiful language most commonly referred to a 'Love Lang-"
"Yea, yea I get it. Can we just go now?" Harry just shook his head at our ginger friend as he interrupted me. Moments like this reminded me starkly of how strained things between Harry and I were with Ron. Since his disappearing act on the horcrux hunt things never could quite go back to the way they were. With a nod in Harry's direction I broke away from them to head to double Potions. After narrowly saving the man's life Severus Snape had developed a soft spot for me, but that didn't mean he would tolerate tardiness. The trek to the dungeons was uneventful and soon the muggy distorted smells of Slughorn's younger year classes filled the halls. Snape's return had been an unexpected relief as he had taken to teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts along with NEWT and Advanced level Potions classes while Slughorn took on the regularly required courses.
Slipping in the door I made a beeline to my seat at the front of the room where I could see Draco already sitting. As I prepared my half of the assignment and materials for class I quietly said, "Blaise me l'a dit. Où voulez-vous aller pour ce soir?" The french glided off my tongue before I even sat on my stool fully.
"Peut-être que le Whomping Willow? Ou la cabane hurlante, depuis la sixième année en tournée ce soir?" His low volume was intoxicating and I just knew he was doing it on purpose. Occasionally he would release pheromones to catch my attention and make me squirm to get me worked up for the night. With a sharp "Willow." I turn to the front of the room just in time to see Snape enter with a grandourous flap of his robes. A near death experience would usually taper a person's flare for the dramatic, but not Severus Snape, oh no, the man had upped the scale by at least ten fold and was far stricter on his classes than ever before if anyone could believe it. That day we were tasked with actually brewing the potions that had been assigned to each partnership.
In our case it had been Amortentia. The potion was, to us, fairly simple as we had brewed it in sixth year, and were two of the most talented Potions students since Snape himself. An hour into the just over two hour class and I was ready to maim my dear loving mate. He was purposefully making himself aroused to further my frustration as I could feel him through the mating bond. Add to the pheromones he was exuding and little touches, and I was ready to jump him then and there. I doubt being Snape's favorite students would do anything if I truly did, though; in fact he'd probably hex us both out of sheer horror and revoke all of our house points. At long last we finished the last touches on the potion and corked the viles to present to our snappish professor. With a single wave of his hand the both of us packed our belongings and scurried out pleased to have an extra hour of free time.
"Draco Lucius Malfoy, I should ring your neck!" The hoarse whisper escaped me as soon as we round the first corner away from the potions classes. "Couldn't you wait just another couple of hours?" By this point I was choking back a laugh at both of our expenses. Before I saw it coming Draco yanked me into a deep alcove and fixed his lips over my own. A soft growl left my mate as a moan left me. A gutteral 'no' was the only word he said before hiking me up to fit my legs around his waist, and soon nothing separated us. He was buried so deep into me I was sure I'd feel it for the rest of the night. The euphoria spilled through our bond making it difficult to stay quiet in the empty hall, but it was worth it. After returning to the castle we'd hardly had any time alone together that wasn't on the brink of getting caught or rushed. Moments later we heard a distinct voice, "Fuck!" The noise brought us back to reality, but we were both so close and just couldn't stop, so with bruising force and speed Draco brought us to completion. A quick scourgify later and some shuffling of our uniforms we stepped back into the hall to see Ginny Weasley attempting to pick up an array of parchment that scattered across the floor, her bag was cast aside with the bottom torn out. "Oh! Ginny, what happened?"
Rushing over to help her I could hear the soft mutters before she, predictably, shouted "That blasted bag broke! I should have known this would happen, especially with the shite day I've been having! First Lavender accidentally spills her damn lamb blood in my lap during breakfast, then I lose my Transfiguration essay, that damn Zabini decided to be an arse in Divination and now this stupid bag!" Just as she finishes she's startled by a stack of papers being shoved in her face from behind. Draco had taken her distracted rambling and picked up the parchment that had landed behind her.
"If you don't calm down, Red, you'll start looking like the Weasel King." His low drawl brought a cheeky grin to the younger girl's face. "Also, you should just accept his offer. Get it over with and all that." Referring to Blaise's constant advances on the pretty redhead.
"Please, he's just looking for a good shag and we both know he'll bail right after. No thanks." She took the stack and then the one I had collected. Standing the both of us turned to face the smirking blonde. "Anyway, what are you two doing out of class? Skipping Snape is basically signing your death certificate."
The appalled look I gave her expressed exactly what I thought of her accusation. "Of course not, Gin! Professor Snape let us out early for finishing our potion." I huffed a bit and crossed my arms only for both of them to laugh at my reaction. "Oh, honestly you two make me sick sometimes."
"Aw, Mi, you don't mean that. Especially not when I'm special enough to know about you and the Amazing Bouncing Ferret." Her grin was sharp around the edges as she poked fun at Draco, and her eyes darted to him at her side before going back to my own.
A twitch of his eye was the only warning Ginny received before he had her in a vicious headlock grunting out, "Who's laughing now, Weaselette?" That was nothing new for me by then. Ginny had found out about Draco and I soon after I had discovered he was Veela, and had dutifully kept our secret for the past several years. Over that time the brightly colored duo had become somewhat like siblings. Draco often complained that he had never wanted siblings, but now he had a younger sister and it was 'impossibly awful' though he never could wipe the silly smile off of his face to make it convincing. Before Ginny could hex him with her Bat Bogey, I pulled them apart. "You're lucky she's always here to save your hind, Pipsqueek."
"Pfft, please. She just saved you from the meanest hex of your life." Ginny quipped, twirling her wand between her fingers.
"You both know I'd put you down and hog tie you before either of you could blink, so save it would you." My flippant comment was met with two fearful glances and quick nods. I didn't even try to hide my smugness. Just then the bell rang loudly signaling the end of the period. The dungeons were bound to be empty as the only potions lessons in the evenings were doubles, but it was safer not to be seen altogether. With a single look at Draco I headed to the Gryffindor common room with Ginny.
"Just so you know…" from the teasing lit of her tone I knew I should have been worried. "If you don't want to be caught, you should be quieter. Heard you down the hall before my bag broke." I was sure my face was brighter than her hair at that point. The sounds of her cackling echoed as we retired for the hour before lunch. What a day…