Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy!
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The arrival of spring in 1815 Britain heralded the beginning of proposal season in the hidden, wizarding world.
Under the rule of Lord Voldemort, who had victored over his opposers just three years earlier, all pureblooded witches and wizards were ordered to marry one similar to themselves by the age of twenty-one. Those who chose not to marry committed to a life of serving directly under Voldemort himself and obeying whatever terrible wishes he levied upon them.
Under the new decree, wealthy, pureblooded families scrambled to find suitable, affluent husbands and wives for their darling children.
The Malfoys were one such prestigious family.
Lucius, the head of the household, and his wife, Narcissa, had anguished since the end of the war as they tried to coax their only son, Draco, into selecting a suitable bride.
Despite being presented with one qualified candidate after another, Draco simply did not seem interested in the prospect of marriage.
The muggles were a problem, but their numbers were so large that they could be useful as slaves.
The mudbloods, that was Voldemort's most pressing concern.
As the Malfoys rode in their ornate family carriage to a ball at a mudblood debutante's house one evening, Lucius and Narcissa frowned at their son.
The entire family was clothes in black. Lucius and Draco's suits were embroidered with elegant details.
Narcissa's opulent gown dripped in an intricate, dark lace that was similar to the gossamer consistency of spiderwebs.
"Please try to focus on necessities, Draco." Lucius sniffed, "You have three months to make a choice and take your vows, else you face a life of miserable servitude. Is it not worth compromising on a few subtle details to avoid such a fate, son?"
"Subtle details, father?" Draco asked with a sneer on his handsome face.
Both Lucius and Draco were attractive men. Both had pale blonde hair and grey eyes. Both had tall, trim physiques and angled faces.
Narcissa was a beautiful woman in her own right, also sporting a bit of the same blonde hair as her husband and son.
Although he inherited his looks from his mother and father, there was one large difference that separated Draco Malfoy from his family.
Draco had learned earlier in his adolescence that he was an alpha.
Dominant, hungry, possessive……..
Witches and wizards were somewhat rare when compared with the numbers of the general populations. Alphas, omegas, and betas were even rarer when the population was taken into account.
Voldemort regarded alphas, omegas, and betas with nearly the same disdain as muggles…...seeing them as weak and animalistic. Lucius and Narcissa saw them as lawless wildlings unable to control their own instincts.
When Narcissa and Lucius had learned what their son truly was, they were aghast.
Being anything besides a pureblood wizard was an atrocity to the Malfoys, mudbloods were lesser because of their mixing with muggles.
They were appalled their only son was one of those….those…...those things.
The new law insisted that Draco marry a pure blood witch and Draco stubbornly insisted that witch had to be an omega.
To find someone with the ability to use magic who also held a second identity as an alpha, beta, or omega?
The odds were nearly impossible.
So far, Draco's search had been unsuccessful.
In his heart, the prejudice he had faced since secretly presenting as an alpha made him somewhat sympathetic towards mudbloods and muggles, but he certainly wouldn't reveal that to his parents.
"I can't help that I was born like….like this!" Draco cried, for what he felt like the hundredth time, imploring his mother and father to listen.
"You know how the Dark Lord feels about such issues. Do you want to survive or not, Draco? Sometimes you have to ignore your desires, my son. That's part of marriage. There will be plenty of eligible pureblood witches at the ball tonight. If you value your own happiness, or mine and your father's, then I beg you to charm one into accepting a proposal." Narcissa said with a sigh.
"Your struggle is not unique, Draco." Lucius Malfoy chided, glancing over at his wife, "Your mother knows all about ignoring one's desires."
Narcissa snapped open her fan covered in black silk as she and her husband exchanged scowls.
Draco huffed and looked out the window of the carriage as it pulled up to the mudblood's party.
Pureblood.
Mudblood.
Draco snorted.
Alpha, omega, beta…….
Why was the world so narrow-minded?
Finding an omega was not a "subtle detail" that Draco was willing to compromise on.
Draco saw no reason in choosing a bride.
Whether he lived out his life serving Voldemort's whims or in a loveless, pointless marriage, it didn't matter, because Draco Malfoy had already been condemned.
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The Malfoy family's fine clothing was envied by many. Crafted from the finest black and green velvets, Narcissa's dress was embellished with dark gems. Lucius's gloves gleamed under the glow of the chandelier as they entered the foyer after greeting the doorman.
Draco's suit was the last thing on his mind as he looked at the ball's attendees with a frown on his handsome face.
The estate of the ball's hosts was large and grand, though not quite as impressive as Malfoy manor. The estate's color scheme was the opposite of the Malfoy family's palette, using bright colors and elegant bursts of light.
Weary from the drab, over-saturated tones in his own home to the damp places he often found himself in during his errands for Voldemort, Draco actually found the change of scenery to be…...refreshing.
Draco may have been tasked with finding an acceptable bride at the ball, but his parents were there to work.
The Granger family had been assigned to Lucius and Narcissa as the next mudblood family to destroy.
To perform a successful raid, there was much to do.
Note the exits, inspect the rooms for any weapons, identify the weaknesses of the estate and its inhabitants...
Lucius and Narcissa quickly dispersed themselves, mingling and laughing with the guests while they plotted murder and violence behind their charming smiles.
Draco frowned when he found himself standing alone in the crowded foyer while people bustled past him, careful to avoid the staircase in the center of the large hall.
Regarded as cold and unapproachable, social affairs were rarely easy for the Malfoy heir and he had just started chatting with a witch of unknown blood status when a servant of the host stepped beside the staircase and clapped his hands together.
"May I have everyone's attention, please?! Now that all of this evening's guests have arrived, may I formally introduce to you Lady Hermione Jean Granger!" The servant announced with a clap.
Draco stood silently with the rest of the crowd as footsteps sounded from the hallway upstairs.
A hand was all Draco saw at first, a delicate hand that reached out and glided along the bannister.
As Lady Granger slowly descended the staircase, Draco received a much better view of the mudblood debutante.
By the time she had walked halfway down the staircase, several of the ball attendees had already turned back to their own conversations but Draco kept his grey eyes fixed unwaveringly on Lady Granger.
From the ringlets of brown hair that were styled expertly, tumbling down over her right shoulder, to the richness of her amber eyes, Draco's gaze roamed over her, lingering on her elegant white neck. He silently wished that he could kiss her pink lips as his enraptured stare dipped down to admire her shape, which was highlighted by the richness of her ruffled, pink gown.
Hermione had used no magic on her walk down the stairs, but Draco Malfoy was spellbound nonetheless.
Even once her dainty feet hit the landing and she began to politely greet her guests, Draco continued to peer at her from across the room.
Draco's nostrils flared before he realized how much his grip on the glass of champagne in hands tightened. It surprised him as much as those standing nearby when the glass broke and sent shards flying, some of which cut into his hand.
People around Draco gasped and he murmured apologies while he accepted a clean towel from one of the Granger servants who promptly ran over to clean up the mess.
It had been an accident, really.
Draco didn't mean to shatter the glass, but he couldn't help himself.
What else was he supposed to do when he smelled such a delicious omega?
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Hermione didn't yet know that Draco Malfoy was alive but her presence tormented him throughout the evening.
To hide his condition, Draco drank a powerful tonic daily that suppressed his scent, in hopes that would help him avoid being discovered as an alpha.
Apparently, mudbloods didn't feel that same obligation and as Hermione pranced around the ball, laughing, dancing, and chatting, her body's chemistry happily announced to everyone in the
room that she was indeed, an omega.
Desperate to get a breath of fresh air and clear his head from the beckoning call of Lady Granger, when the crowd of people blocked Draco's path to the gardens, he edged down the hallway and stumbled into what he assumed was the Granger family's library.
Once he was alone, Draco took out a handkerchief from inside his waistcoat and blotted his face, breathing hard.
Closing his eyes, Draco tried to clear his mind for a moment, but to his dismay, that proved to be impossible. Draco put a hand to his head as Lady Granger's scent seemed to grow even stronger. Draco didn't understand what the problem was, he had been around other omegas before but never had……
"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't realize anyone was in here!" A voice called from the doorway.
Draco looked up suddenly with an accusatory scowl.
His grey eyes widened as he found himself looking at beautiful Lady Granger as she stood in the doorway.
"Do forgive me…..." Draco managed to gasp out.
"...There's nothing to forgive. I know that balls can be maddening." Lady Granger replied thoughtfully.
The ball has nothing to do with it. Draco thought.
"You must love books as much as I do to have sought refuge in a library." Hermione laughed, the sound rippling through Draco's brain.
Draco's breath hitched as Lady Granger tucked a stray brown curl behind her ear and took a step towards him, "I don't believe we've met, sir. I'm Lady Hermione Granger."
Draco took a step towards Hermione and replied, "I'm Lord Draco Malfoy."
"Malfoy?" Hermione asked as she held out her hand. Draco raised it to his lips, but Hermione narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, "Isn't your family-"
Hermione stopped speaking the second Draco's lips touched her soft skin.
Draco's grey eyes locked onto Hermione's amber stare as he held her hand in his.
There was a beguiling, gentle firmness in his grip.
The motion was slow and deliberate, and it suggested so much more than just a simple greeting.
Hermione sucked in a breath. Her eyelashes fluttered as Draco let her hand slip from his reluctantly. There, standing that close to Lady Granger, Draco's pupils dilated at the heady aroma of lilac mingling with the omega's sweet scent.
Lady Granger swallowed thickly.
"You're…...you're an alpha." Lady Granger said quietly as inexplicable tears of anxious excitement sprang to her eyes.
"Is it really that obvious?" Draco asked, his voice between a growl and a purr, "The potion I use always works so well. I don't think anyone's ever noticed before."
Hermione's breathing became labored as Draco took another step towards her, causing her to move backwards while she replied, "Forgive me, then, Mr. Malfoy. I meant no offense."
Draco and Hermione's gazes were locked onto each other as he stepped forward, with all the dark assurance of a predatory animal. Lady Granger matched him step for step, moving backwards until her spine collided with the rich mahogany of the library's wall panels.
Lady Granger's brown eyes widened as Lord Malfoy finally stopped his pursuit, standing so close that her heaving cleavage pushed against the black fabric of his elegant suit.
"I don't think I've ever met an omega quite like you…." Lord Malfoy whispered, taking his hand and brazenly slipping it around Lady Granger's waist. His warm breath tickled her neck as he stared down at her, "...Maybe you're just the omega I've always needed
to meet, after all~."
Lady Granger gasped softly as Lord Malfoy bent his head and pressed a kiss to the soft flesh of her neck, scandalously teasing her.
The action was so much more intimate than a kiss to the lips.
Fire surged through Lady Granger's core as Lord Malfoy brazenly kissed that sensitive place one more time but instead of wringing herself from his grasp, Lady Granger lifted a hand up and clutched at his shoulder, begging him to go on when she should have screamed for him to stop.
Lord Malfoy kissed his way up her neck, his lips soft and gentle as his grip on her waist tightened, hinting at the possessive rage that lay hidden underneath his debonair surface.
When Lord Malfoy's lips finally kissed across Lady Granger's jawline, her amber eyes bore into his dark, grey pools once more.
"You were meant for me, omega." Lord Malfoy whispered against her lips.
Lady Granger opened her mouth and Draco took his long, slender finger, tracing the outline of her plump lips as she spoke, "Lord Malfoy, I-"
Before Lady Granger could finish, the door to the library opened and one of the Granger maids stood with a feather duster in her hand. The bewildered woman blushed madly when she saw Hermione pinned against the wall by her handsome new suitor.
"Oh, pardon me, miss! I thought I'd see to some chores while the others tend the ball." The maid confessed, clearly mortified.
"It's alright!" Lady Granger said, collecting herself quickly. She tried to cool her flushed cheeks as Lord Malfoy cleared his throat and assumed a socially proper distance, "Come in, we were just leaving! I was feeling faint but Lord Malfoy helped steady me."
"How very kind of him." The Granger maid said, nodding at Draco with a smile.
Lady Granger flashed the maid a similar, polite grin as she quickly fled the library in embarrassment, leaving Lord Malfoy still dizzyingly drunk off her scent and the taste of her skin.
"Don't worry, sir." The maid reassured Draco with a knowing nod, "I won't tell."
Draco scowled at the maid and left the room.
For the rest of the night, though he couldn't outwardly approach her under Lucius and Narcissa's watchful gaze, he trailed behind Lady Granger, following her beckoning scent. His heart fluttered whenever he saw her take a glance around because Draco was certain she was secretly looking for him.
While everyone else laughed and enjoyed the celebration, Draco wanted to fall to his knees and weep.
What a pity it was, to meet the one who should belong to him but not be able to approach her.
What a pity it was that he couldn't fall on his knees and beg her to be with him forever!
Draco lamented the tragedy of the situation as he knew that while he was falling in love, his parents were planning the murder of his new darling.
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At the end of the most tortuous soirée of Draco Malfoy's young life, he wore a deep frown on his face as he left the Granger estate and trudged out to his family's carriage.
Lucius and Narcissa followed behind him and after they all boarded the vehicle, Lucius narrowed his eyes at his son while the carriage clattered along.
"Well, Draco? Is there any chance you found what you were sent to seek?" Lucius asked.
Beside him, Narcissa regarded her son with a scrutinizing stare.
Suddenly, an idea dawned on Draco.
A selfish, terrible idea.
"Yes, father, I did find what I was seeking." Draco replied coldly.
Lucius and Narcissa exchanged a glance of surprise. Then Lucius turned back to Draco and spoke again, "Oh? Then why were we not introduced? Your time grows short, my son, you have little opportunity for games. We have ample wealth and status, surely even one as blundering as you can manage a small amount of seduction. Make the girl yours quickly!"
"I have to wait until the time is right, Father." Draco responded. A rebellious hiss permeated his voice in a protesting response against his father's verbal lashing.
Lucius snorted and looked out the carriage window.
"I hope you realize, Draco, that as long as you drag your feet in your bachelor lifestyle, you will be subjected to carrying out Lord Voldemort's orders, whatever they may be." Lucius said cuttingly.
"Do you think I'm not aware of that?" Draco sneered.
"You'll have to help with the next raid." Narcissa chimed in, looking at her son, "I know you detest them, really, but you have no choice."
Draco held a great dislike of torture and murder so Narcissa found it very odd that Draco's eyes seemed to glimmer as he asked eagerly, "The raid on the Grangers?"
Narcissa nodded, "What do you think we were doing there tonight? You may have been shopping for a bride but your father and I were cementing our plans. You'll have to play a part in it, Draco, lest you face the wrath of our commander. It is an honor that he's given our family such an important task. Eradicating prominent muggleborns is the next step in achieving the society we all so desperately want."
"What am I to do this time?" Draco asked, quelling his hope.
"Your father and the others will see to the destruction of the estate itself and the collection of valuables that are eligible to be sold." Narcissa nodded, "I will go after Lord and Lady Granger…...and the girl….so I suppose you can-"
"-Mother?" Draco interrupted, his heart pounding in his chest from apprehensive anxiety, "May I go after the girl, Lady Granger, myself?"
"You want……..would you like to, Draco?" Narcissa asked, raising an eyebrow, "I was just going to ask you to do some cleaning after everything was over. That's what you normally prefer, is it not?"
"It is." Draco scoffed, "But I met that filthy mudblood girl tonight…….If it's alright with you and father, I'd prefer to handle her myself."
A wicked grin curled Narcissa's lips as she beamed at her son, "Of course, my darling. I'm glad to see that you're finally getting into the spirit of things."
Draco smirked back at his mother though a drop of sweat rolled down his neck as he considered his next steps.
It was a difficult position he had placed himself in, but however he had to do it, Draco was resolute.
Lady Granger, the omega, was going to be his.