New chapter and I'm sorry to say it but I'm getting really pissed off with
it at the moment. Once I deleted the whole thing, thank goodness I had an
old document containing it or else I would have cannibalized my computer.
Thanks to all my reviewers because you are all making it worth this hassle
to post it. I had more notes, but I'm really upset and tired so I'll just
try and post this. Keep reading and reviewing and voting in the still
active poll!
Exposed:
Home was, as it turned out, a rather large flat which an open living room, kitchen, study and dining room. There were three bedrooms off to the side with the twins sharing one room, Randolph in the middle, and Harry and Draco in the next. Randolph claimed this arrangement was because the girls talked late into the night and he wanted to spare the boys their insomnia; Allie said it was so Randolph could monitor who was going in and out at all hours of the night. Whatever the reason was, the room suited Harry fine.
The siblings did everything to make them both feel comfortable. When they first moved in, the walls of their room had been a boring peach color with boring white sheets on their two single beds and brown armoires in front of each one. The second day they arrived, Randolph took them to pick out paint for their room, a seemingly simple task. Sadly, they were wrong. It took two days for them to agree on one color, many hours of looking over paint samples, and a lot of Draco's whining until Harry grabbed a gallon of paint off the shelf, held it above Draco and threatened to pour it over his head if he didn't shut up that minute. Needless to say, they chose a pale gray within five minutes.
It was a fun day of painting and even the working Randolph took off a day to paint the room with them. He secretly confided in Harry that he wanted to see Draco's frustration when he noticed how difficult it was to get paint out of one's hair. Thinking back to that incident, Harry mused, that was a fun six hours.
Today was the eighth day after they first arrived and Harry was working on his wall-picture that was now a third of the way done. It might have been further along, but Draco, not wanting to upstaged by a painting, often tried to distract Harry by having asinine conversations, not that he was complaining. Speaking of the boy, Draco walked into their room and flopped on his bed that was on the opposite wall from Harry's.
"Harry." He grunted in reply and waited for the rest. "I'm bored, entertain me."
"Entertain yourself." Draco rolled his eyes and flipped over on his stomach.
"No."
"Do your homework."
"Already done." When he failed to offer another suggestion, he began whining again. "Har-"
"What! I have no idea what you should do. Go ask Andrea or Allie."
"Let's go outside." He said suddenly and began pulling at the neck of his sweater he was wearing. Harry chose that moment to look up and his eyes caught an odd mark.
"What's that?"
"What?" Draco said, inspecting his appearance.
"That mark." Harry got up and pulled his roommate's turtleneck aside and gently fingered a pinkish scar that ran from his Adam's apple to his collarbone. He heard Draco inhale sharply and he took his finger away.
"It's nothing." He cast his eyes downward before heading towards the door. "Are we going or not?"
Harry didn't let him escape that easily. He casually crossed over to the door and slammed it, ignoring the blonde's protest. "Why were you in the hospital?"
"It's none of your business." His tone was emotionless, but Harry could sense the tension in Draco's body and the way he seemed to scream 'Back off!'
"Fine, whatever." Harry said flippantly. It would do no good to upset him; if he did, Harry still wouldn't know the answer and have a psychotic roommate out for his blood. Besides, Harry figured, he could always ask Andrea. "Where do you want to go?"
"Out."
He gave a small laugh. "You'll have to be more specific."
"I don't care." Suddenly, the blonde's face lit up. "Oh, I've got a great idea." With that, he grabbed Harry's hand and dragged him out the door without listening to the protests that his hostage cried along the way. They flew out the door of the apartment, waving a quick good-bye to the twins that were working on their homework in the kitchen and stepped out into the practically empty streets of Hell, Michigan. Draco pushed his way insistently through the crowds and only stopped when he noticed that his captive was slowing him down. "Speed up, will you?" He asked impatiently as he flicked a strand of hair out of his eyes.
"Sorry." Harry said breathlessly. "Just stop manhandling me. What are we doing anyways?"
"Being tourists." Draco said angelically. Harry turned a suspicious glare on the other boy who shrugged and pulled them off in another direction. They continued at the brisk pace for ten more minutes until Draco stopped in front of a rocky terrain with several muggles taking pictures in front of them with men dressed up like cartoon like devils.
"You brought me here." Harry stated, giving Draco a look of suspicion. "Why do I have the feeling we're not here to take pictures?"
"Perhaps because we don't have our camera. Come on." They made their way to a particularly large boulder and dove behind it. "Remember how in the hospital I said I was a veela?"
"Yes." Harry answered wearily, not sure where this was going.
"And remember the veelas at the Quidditch World Cup a year ago?" His smirk grew devilish as he watched the fear rise in Harry's eyes.
"Oh, no. Don't tell me you can morph yourself. Please, just humor me." He shook his head in despair and leaned against the rock.
"Sorry. I was given this gift for a reason." He smirked at Harry and prepared to shift.
The other boy mumbled quietly. "I don't think this was the reason." However, he let the part-veela remove his shirt and shift into the demonic looking form. Where his shoulders blades had once been visible, dark leathery wings sprung up and wrapped around his lithe body. Harry blushed as he tried not to look at his roommate, but for some odd reason, his eyes were having trouble following that order. Instead, he tried to focus on his ex-rival's face that's features were becoming more defined as skin was pulled tightly over his elongating appearance. Draco's ears grew to a more pointed form and his arms grew slightly because of the piercing claws that grew where delicate hands once were. Harry also noticed that his legs had changed as well; they had more muscle and had the appearance of a large cat ready to strike. They also had the long claws that began tapping at the ground edgily as he waited to see Harry's reaction.
"So? How do I look?" Harry looked up in shock when he noticed the new voice that had accompanied the change. It was a high piercing noise and the first hearing but when Harry thought about it, it seemed it echoed itself with tones that ranged from the high pitch to a gravelly undertone.
"Different." He said at last as he checked the area making sure no muggle was snooping near-by. "What are you going to do?"
"See that couple?" Harry looked to where he was pointing and noticed two teenagers who were snogging on a rock far away. "I'm going to show them the importance of public decency." Draco said haughtily.
"Says the half-naked veela-boy." Harry muttered as he rolled his eyes.
The veela shot him a snarky grin and Harry noticed that his teeth had also changed, lengthening the incisors into deadly fangs. "See you in a bit." With that, he stalked off towards the couple that remained oblivious.
Harry crept closer until he was stationed behind a rock four feet away and in perfect hearing distance. He watched in amused horror as Draco rose up stealthily from behind the rock and prodded the two harshly with his claws.
"You know, lusting is a sin. I believe this will cost you your souls." He said the last part in a demonic tone that was deep and booming in an almost subtle way so it grabbed no attention. He smirked at Harry as the couple exchanged frightened glances before hopping off the stone and running towards the street yelling, "Demons! Satan wants our souls!" and attracting the attention of the rest of the tourists who flocked towards the entrance in panic. Luckily, Draco had already disappeared and when Harry crept back to the large boulder they started at, he had changed back and was now pulling on his shirt he had discarded. "That was fun."
Harry, who had been watching with wide eyes in panic, burst out laughing and was joined by Draco as he rolled on the ground clutching their stomachs.
"My God." Harry gasped out.
"That's Satan." Draco corrected.
"Did you see them run?" His face turned serious. "That really wasn't nice."
"Yeah, well neither was groping in front of small children. He stood up to leave and pulled Harry up with him. "Let's get home; I'm exhausted." The other boy agreed and they prepared to leave but were stopped when a hand fell on each shoulder. They exchanged worried looks before looking up at a man dressed up like the devil.
"You two boys are in a lot of trouble."
**********
The Weasley household had returned to normal when they left the hospital. Fred and George returned to their room and explosions were heard at all hours of the day and more often then not, they would appear at meals with scorch marks dusting their faces. Percy, Bill and Charlie returned to their jobs but the younger Weasley still stayed at home and so did Oliver while he visited for those few days. Ron spent his hours playing with Ginny and floo-ing over to Hermione's house, which had finally been connected to the system, thanks to Arthur Weasley who also returned to his job. Mrs. Weasley continued with her housework, a bigger job than any of her sons' or husband's. And Ginny was frequently visiting a friendly Hufflepuff who lived in the same town.
It seemed that the summer definitely promoted change, as Molly Weasley found out when she went to gather laundry from her children's rooms. She had just entered Ron's room and adjusted her eyes to the shocking orange of the Canon's posters when she caught sight of her youngest son on the bed with another.
"My gracious! Ron, Hermione! Separate this instant!" She watched with cleverly disguised amusement as they flew apart on the bed and stared up at her with flushed faces. "Ronald Weasley! What have I told you about bringing girls up here? I only agreed before when Harry was here, but now you've gone behind my back. How long have you two been together?" She demanded with her hands on her hips.
"Sorry, mum." He said as his ears grew scarlet, "It's only been three days." Molly huffed and led them outside and towards the kitchen. "Mum? Are you mad?" He asked nervously as they reached the bottom of the stairs.
She sighed and rubbed her eyes tiredly. "No, Ron, I'm not. Just disappointed you would lie to me about this. But from now on, whenever Hermione is here, you will not be allowed in any room with closed doors together. Now, since your father isn't home, I guess I'll have to have Percy give you this talk." She turned towards Hermione and made her sit down on the chair.
"Percy?!" Ron sputtered. "I think I already know what is supposed to be said." He said in embarrassment.
"I don't care. You'll will talk to your brother and I need to have a talk with Hermione here." Ron watched in amusement as his girlfriend buried her head in her arms on the kitchen table. He was reluctant to leave her to such a fate, but he himself would not like to witness the conversation that would take place. "Now go!" She shooed him up the stairs and sat herself at the table.
Ron made his way up the stairs and wondered why this tradition carried on. Every time one of his brothers found a girlfriend, they were given the 'Weasley chat' and were forced to listen to their dad explain the 'natural game of Quidditch.' He remembered when Percy was dating Penelope and his dad found out, via the twins because all siblings kept an eye on each other. He had marched Percy into his room and had the chat. When they came back down, his brother's face had been stained so red he almost believed it to be permanent. Sighing, he figured at least it was Percy and not his father. Although Percy might draw diagrams and make everything all scientific, still it was infinitely less embarrassing. He knocked hesitantly on the door and waited for his brother to open it.
"Come in." He heard the voice say from behind the door. He did so and watched as Percy shuffled several documents in his hand and stuff them in a portfolio.
"Perce, it's your day off." Ron said in amusement and shock.
"I know, Ronald, but I really need to get this organized because I was rather busy these last few days." His face turned slightly red and Ron imagined it was because he was getting upset at the interruption. "What did you need?"
"Um, well, the thing is that Mum caught Hermione and me-" He began hesitantly, wringing his hands in front of him.
"Caught you making out on your bed?" Came the laughing reply. At his shocked face, his brother added, "Don't be so surprised; I am right below you and believe it or not, I'm not as naïve as I seem." He said with a slight smile as he shifted in his chair to look at Ron. "I assume Mum sent you up here for the 'chat'?" At his brother's nod, he gestured towards the immaculately made bed and told him to sit down. A moment after he said that, he choked on the air and made a dash for a picture that was sitting on his bedside table and stuffed it in a drawer.
"What was that?" Ron asked in suspicion.
"Nothing. Besides, we're here to talk about you. First, as I will be doing the brother and the father version of the chat I will tell you something that will help me keep my sanity." He regarded Ron seriously. "Whenever you head to your room, call one of us for a silencing charm." His brother blushed at that. "Two, because no parents will be at school with you and I doubt the twins will hinder you from.certain activities.learn some contraceptive spells."
"But, we're not-" Ron began and Percy held up a hand.
"Not yet, but you never know. Be prepared. Also, before either of you engage in sexual activity, have yourselves checked over by Pomfrey to make sure neither of you carry any diseases. It's rare among wizards, but because her parents are muggles-well it never hurts to make sure." He shared a small smile with Ron. "I suppose you don't need any help understanding the equipment." He laughed when Ron fell back on the bed in mortification. "I didn't think so." He turned back to his work when Ron looked up and stared at his older brother.
"Hey, Perce?"
"Yeah."
"Did you ever.?" He asked hesitantly.
"Not with Penelope, if that's what you're asking." Percy answered back in a detached voice and gripped his quill tighter.
"Oh. But you only dated her in Hogwarts, didn't you? And you're not dating anyone now." Ron said as he watched as Percy grabbed the side of his desk to keep from reacting. "Or are you?"
"Ron, just leave it." He said in a pleading voice.
"No."
*********
"Well, I've never bailed anyone out of the Creatures' Controls and Regulations department." Andrea said with a smirk as the jailor took off both boys binding spells and allowed them to walk out.
"Seriously, what were you thinking?" Allie said as Harry and Draco rubbed their wrists.
"It's his fault. He made me." Harry said, sticking his tongue at Draco.
"Yeah, well it never would have happened if you had entertained me."
"Let's not fight anymore, please." Harry said, rubbing his eyes for they had been in an argument for the past hour that they were locked up.
"Wow, looks like jail made someone somebody's bitch." Allie remarked lightly and skipped out of Harry's reach.
They continued walking until they were met with a guard holding several documents and looking in fright at Draco. "Excuse me, but you're going to have to register him."
"What!" Draco exploded, looking like he was going to shift again. "I'm not some type of animal."
"I'm sorry sir, but you've disturbed the peace by shifting into a magical creature. You can register now or have it put on your criminal record."
Draco stared at him for a moment before tossing his hair out of his eyes in defiance. "I better not have to wear a collar or anything." He then stormed off leaving everyone else to laugh at his misfortune and chase after him.
"I bet Randolph is working today. We could get him to register you." Andrea said as they turned down a corridor.
"That's not the point." Draco said in anger as they stopped in front of a door. "I don't want to be registered at all. If word gets out to anyone, I'll be listed as impure." At Harry's odd look, he sighed and added, "Wizards sometimes find humans mixed with creatures as monsters themselves. I've got enough blood in me to make me legally a human, but some people just don't see me like that. Besides, I don't need a witch hunt going on after me." He opened the door and they stepped inside.
Harry felt his eyes widen as he watched a wizard office. There were owls flying in from all directions and landing on the sturdy brown desks that were all lined up against the windows. Objects levitated and moved around constantly; once, he was almost decapitated by a summoned folder that whizzed past his ear. Animals and creatures of all sorts sat in chairs or containment cells and even cages. He could see why Draco didn't want to be labeled as a creature if being stuck in a cage is where it landed you. Spotting Randolph at his desk in a corner, all four walked over but were beaten by an elderly wizard with two veelas trailing behind him.
"Enoch! Good, you're here. I can't understand a word of what these two are saying."
"What happened to them?" He asked as he waved in greeting towards the two. The twins and Draco and Harry stepped up behind the crowd and waited patiently. Or at least three did. Draco had stepped forward and was now conversing with the veelas quietly in some soft language. For some reason, it surprised Harry to see him speak fluently in their language even though he carried their blood in his veins. Tuning them out, he looked towards Randolph who was listening to the old man explain the case.
"From what I heard the two were arrested by the muggle police for attempted murder. We don't know what to do with them because from the little veela language we understand, they're vehemently denying all of it. Their species usually isn't violent enough to commit a murder for no reason, which is why we're so puzzled." He turned to look at the two women and gaped as he noticed Draco carrying on a humorous conversation, or, Harry thought, it seemed it was amusing seeing as the women giggled cheerfully. Then again, they could all be flirting for that seemed to be more of Draco's style. Harry couldn't remember all the times they had left a woman in a daze after Draco exerted his charm and then walked away with a smile on his face. Slick bastard, Harry thought in amusement as he watched his roommate flash the veelas a smile.
"Drake, what are you doing?" Randolph asked as he glanced around and noticed everyone there. "What are all of you doing? Here."
"Well, it seems that the veelas have all decided to go on a crime spree, seeing how Draco was also arrested for disrupting the peace." Harry said with a grin.
"What did you say?" Draco said, looking up from his conversation. "What about a crime spree?"
"The veelas are accused of attempted murder." The old wizard said, ignoring ministry policy and divulging classified information.
"What happened?" Draco asked firmly.
"From witness reports, they were walking around downtown late last night and stopped to flirt with two men when they lashed out and 'became terrible monsters'. Poor guys were beaten to a pulp before police found the two standing over them wielding knives and then dragged them off. By the time they reached the police station, they had shifted back but were dazed and confused, symptoms not unheard of during transformation."
The blonde nodded before question the veelas who looked startled by the new route their conversation had taken although they answered dutifully. Harry noticed, in much amusement, that they gestured with their hands in an almost random fashion but they too seemed to possess that exquisite grace that Draco and all of his motions had. During the course of the conversation, their faces turned grave and the hand motions slowed down until their hands were simply raised and flowing side to side as if in a dance.
"Why aren't they under restraints?" He whispered to Allie who was watching the fight with awe. Veelas weren't common creatures, Harry supposed, especially in America.
"They are." Andrea whispered back from his other side. "Magical ones, you can't see them." He nodded and watched as they finished their conversation.
"Right." Draco said as he turned away and turned towards the two ministry workers. "They say that that night they spent most of it at a bar seducing the locals. Around their third drink, they felt a little funny and decided to get some air."
"Wait, three drinks? And they were there all night?" Harry said, letting doubt penetrate his voice.
"Veelas aren't heavy drinkers. Anyway, they stepped outside when everything grew hazy and they began to feel disoriented. They must of blacked out or something because they don't remember anything after that, just waking up in their cell." Draco finished.
They all took a moment to reflect on this. The old man spoke up first and drew everyone from his or her thoughts. "It's odd; this isn't the first attack where the veela has no recollection of what has happened. There was a case in Bulgaria, two actually, one in France where the veela hung herself. If it wasn't for these incidents, it would seem like an open-shut case." Draco's face blanched at this but the man carried on without noticing.
"Did you try a blood test for drugs?" Allie suggested.
Andrea's face brightened, "You know, I could just whip up this nifty potion that-"
"No!" Everyone shouted and she scowled.
"Fine, whatever." She tossed her hair over her shoulder, much like Draco had and then stormed towards a fireplace before jumping in and going home.
"What's wrong with her?" Harry asked, looking to where she had once been.
"No idea." Draco muttered.
"She's upset about not being able to make potions in the summer." Allie said in full confidence. "I'll go see if she's okay." Allie left the same way in a purposeful stride.
Randolph stared where his sisters had left moments ago for a minute before turning to speak to the two students. "I don't think everything is as it seems. On most days I don't trust them together but now I'm especially wary." He gave a small laugh before turning back to the old man. "Run a blood intoxication spell and see if it contains any traces of a potion or drug. Anything out of the ordinary." The man nodded and left with the two veelas following in docility. They shared a tiny smile with Draco before disappearing through the doors. "Now, what am I going to do with you boys?" He asked rhetorically with a minute shaking of his head. "Fill these out Draco."
They Slytherin snatched the papers from his hands and went to sit down on the benches on a wall near where they came in. For the first few minutes, Harry watched all the people that circulated the office and then observed the office itself. From where he was, he could see hags being led in and out, vampires being held at bay by crosses and wild goblins occasionally standing up on desks and shrieking until Randolph coxed them down. And it had only been ten minutes! When activity seemed to die down, he watched as the workers began to reassume their seats and scribble furiously on parchment that magically appeared with a small 'pop'. As one could only listen to the incessant popping so many times, he, with a quick look at Draco making sure the blonde was okay, stood up and walked towards some of the containment cells to see the creatures inside. In the first one, he saw quite a few furry-legged creatures that scuttled all over the walls and ceilings, baring their sharp teeth at Harry. On his part, he remained undaunted until he saw a leg of beef tossed in. The creatures swarmed all over it, tearing it apart and scattering flesh on the clear glass in front of him. He was just about to move away when they resumed climbing around, leaving Harry to see the gnawed remains of the bones, picked clean of any meat and sucked clean of the cartilage.
Shivering in disgust, he wondered how they could want to register Draco as a creature like these things were. His roommate would never attack food like that; he always ate with such precision and delicacy, only finishing half of what Harry consumed in a day. Really, he thought to himself, the boy was too skinny for his own good. Or at least he assumed he was as both boys had been rather hesitant to undress in front of each other, even if it was just a shirt. Harry had his own reasons, the mark on his arm being it. Now that he had his memory back of how the mark came about, he began looking up ways to remove it. But after consideration, he figured that if the Dark Mark could be removed, many of Voldemort's followers would have done that after his first downfall. Concealment charms didn't work either, not on magical scars, Marks, or even wizarding tattoos. He once had the notion to just cut off that area of skin and just have a scar, anything was better than having himself branded as Voldemort's lap dog. Clenching his teeth angrily, he walked to another cell and found himself looking at a crying creature sitting in a corner and bawling her eyes out.
From the greenish tone her skin had, Harry rightfully surmised her to be a banshee, like the one Seamus had inadvertently conjured up with the boggart in his third year. He stared at the poor creature and couldn't help but feel pity for a being whose majority of the time was spent crying. Then, sensing his presence, she stopped weeping and looked up at him with bloodshot eyes. She stood up to her full height, which Harry estimated was at least half a meter above his, and smoothed out her black hair that flowed to the floor and drifted around the skintight black dress she wore. Silently, she lifted her hand to reveal long, pointed fingernails that were tinged slightly in red.
"Hello." Harry said quietly, watching in fascination as she crept closer to the glass scene that must have contained a silencing charm. The banshee gave a tearful smile and closed her had that had been facing palm up towards Harry. She looked slightly confused and he smiled hesitantly. "Are you okay?"
She must have heard him because her eyes opened in shock and rebounded from the wall as if magically repelled. Her eyes filled with tears again and she threw herself in the corner, crying again but with less vigor than before.
He didn't know what to do so he turned back and sat next to Draco who was sucking on the end of his quill in thought.
"Hard question?" Harry asked.
Without even looking up, Draco replied, "Not really."
"Then why are you sucking on your quill in contemplation?"
Without missing a beat, he replied, "I'm not contemplating; I'm sucking the ink from this quill in hopes of dying from ink poisoning." At his roommate's silence, he looked up. "I'm joking, the questions are just really strange."
"How so?"
"'Have you ever worn anything revealing your lower half', 'Do you keep sex toys a) near your bed b) in your pocket, or c) in a closet at home,' 'What's your opinion on sheep shagging?'" He glared at Harry while the other boy laughed. "They find out you're a veela and they immediately assume all you have on your mind is sex."
"You're a teenage boy," Harry pointed out, "All you have on your mind is sex."
"Not with sheep or handcuffs or whips or food or things that vibrate-" Draco ranted.
"For someone against this, you seem to know a lot about kinky sex." Harry said as he smirked at the blonde.
"It was a very informative questionnaire." Draco huffed and resumed writing. "Besides, Pansy is not the most 'vanilla' person you'll ever meet."
Harry choked on the air and sat up straighter to stare at Draco. "What? When did you sleep with Pansy?" For some reason, the thought of Draco with her felt like a punch in the gut. The feeling was disturbing so he tried to turn back to the conversation, only to realize that was equally upsetting. He finally decided on thinking of nothing while Draco gave his answer.
"This summer."
"You're fifteen." Harry pointed out, and when Draco failed to understand his point he added, "That's a little young."
"Well, when we're not being known as the evil house, we're the house of sex and orgies." Draco said thoughtfully.
"You're perverted." Harry said bluntly.
"Then I guess I'm right on track with being a veela, aren't I?" He smiled slightly before finishing his registration and walking up to Randolph to turn it in. "All done." He said when he returned and pulled Harry out from his seat. "Let's go back to their flat." They walked to the fireplace and waved goodbye to Randolph before hopping into the fire, shouting the destination and leaving.
Exposed:
Home was, as it turned out, a rather large flat which an open living room, kitchen, study and dining room. There were three bedrooms off to the side with the twins sharing one room, Randolph in the middle, and Harry and Draco in the next. Randolph claimed this arrangement was because the girls talked late into the night and he wanted to spare the boys their insomnia; Allie said it was so Randolph could monitor who was going in and out at all hours of the night. Whatever the reason was, the room suited Harry fine.
The siblings did everything to make them both feel comfortable. When they first moved in, the walls of their room had been a boring peach color with boring white sheets on their two single beds and brown armoires in front of each one. The second day they arrived, Randolph took them to pick out paint for their room, a seemingly simple task. Sadly, they were wrong. It took two days for them to agree on one color, many hours of looking over paint samples, and a lot of Draco's whining until Harry grabbed a gallon of paint off the shelf, held it above Draco and threatened to pour it over his head if he didn't shut up that minute. Needless to say, they chose a pale gray within five minutes.
It was a fun day of painting and even the working Randolph took off a day to paint the room with them. He secretly confided in Harry that he wanted to see Draco's frustration when he noticed how difficult it was to get paint out of one's hair. Thinking back to that incident, Harry mused, that was a fun six hours.
Today was the eighth day after they first arrived and Harry was working on his wall-picture that was now a third of the way done. It might have been further along, but Draco, not wanting to upstaged by a painting, often tried to distract Harry by having asinine conversations, not that he was complaining. Speaking of the boy, Draco walked into their room and flopped on his bed that was on the opposite wall from Harry's.
"Harry." He grunted in reply and waited for the rest. "I'm bored, entertain me."
"Entertain yourself." Draco rolled his eyes and flipped over on his stomach.
"No."
"Do your homework."
"Already done." When he failed to offer another suggestion, he began whining again. "Har-"
"What! I have no idea what you should do. Go ask Andrea or Allie."
"Let's go outside." He said suddenly and began pulling at the neck of his sweater he was wearing. Harry chose that moment to look up and his eyes caught an odd mark.
"What's that?"
"What?" Draco said, inspecting his appearance.
"That mark." Harry got up and pulled his roommate's turtleneck aside and gently fingered a pinkish scar that ran from his Adam's apple to his collarbone. He heard Draco inhale sharply and he took his finger away.
"It's nothing." He cast his eyes downward before heading towards the door. "Are we going or not?"
Harry didn't let him escape that easily. He casually crossed over to the door and slammed it, ignoring the blonde's protest. "Why were you in the hospital?"
"It's none of your business." His tone was emotionless, but Harry could sense the tension in Draco's body and the way he seemed to scream 'Back off!'
"Fine, whatever." Harry said flippantly. It would do no good to upset him; if he did, Harry still wouldn't know the answer and have a psychotic roommate out for his blood. Besides, Harry figured, he could always ask Andrea. "Where do you want to go?"
"Out."
He gave a small laugh. "You'll have to be more specific."
"I don't care." Suddenly, the blonde's face lit up. "Oh, I've got a great idea." With that, he grabbed Harry's hand and dragged him out the door without listening to the protests that his hostage cried along the way. They flew out the door of the apartment, waving a quick good-bye to the twins that were working on their homework in the kitchen and stepped out into the practically empty streets of Hell, Michigan. Draco pushed his way insistently through the crowds and only stopped when he noticed that his captive was slowing him down. "Speed up, will you?" He asked impatiently as he flicked a strand of hair out of his eyes.
"Sorry." Harry said breathlessly. "Just stop manhandling me. What are we doing anyways?"
"Being tourists." Draco said angelically. Harry turned a suspicious glare on the other boy who shrugged and pulled them off in another direction. They continued at the brisk pace for ten more minutes until Draco stopped in front of a rocky terrain with several muggles taking pictures in front of them with men dressed up like cartoon like devils.
"You brought me here." Harry stated, giving Draco a look of suspicion. "Why do I have the feeling we're not here to take pictures?"
"Perhaps because we don't have our camera. Come on." They made their way to a particularly large boulder and dove behind it. "Remember how in the hospital I said I was a veela?"
"Yes." Harry answered wearily, not sure where this was going.
"And remember the veelas at the Quidditch World Cup a year ago?" His smirk grew devilish as he watched the fear rise in Harry's eyes.
"Oh, no. Don't tell me you can morph yourself. Please, just humor me." He shook his head in despair and leaned against the rock.
"Sorry. I was given this gift for a reason." He smirked at Harry and prepared to shift.
The other boy mumbled quietly. "I don't think this was the reason." However, he let the part-veela remove his shirt and shift into the demonic looking form. Where his shoulders blades had once been visible, dark leathery wings sprung up and wrapped around his lithe body. Harry blushed as he tried not to look at his roommate, but for some odd reason, his eyes were having trouble following that order. Instead, he tried to focus on his ex-rival's face that's features were becoming more defined as skin was pulled tightly over his elongating appearance. Draco's ears grew to a more pointed form and his arms grew slightly because of the piercing claws that grew where delicate hands once were. Harry also noticed that his legs had changed as well; they had more muscle and had the appearance of a large cat ready to strike. They also had the long claws that began tapping at the ground edgily as he waited to see Harry's reaction.
"So? How do I look?" Harry looked up in shock when he noticed the new voice that had accompanied the change. It was a high piercing noise and the first hearing but when Harry thought about it, it seemed it echoed itself with tones that ranged from the high pitch to a gravelly undertone.
"Different." He said at last as he checked the area making sure no muggle was snooping near-by. "What are you going to do?"
"See that couple?" Harry looked to where he was pointing and noticed two teenagers who were snogging on a rock far away. "I'm going to show them the importance of public decency." Draco said haughtily.
"Says the half-naked veela-boy." Harry muttered as he rolled his eyes.
The veela shot him a snarky grin and Harry noticed that his teeth had also changed, lengthening the incisors into deadly fangs. "See you in a bit." With that, he stalked off towards the couple that remained oblivious.
Harry crept closer until he was stationed behind a rock four feet away and in perfect hearing distance. He watched in amused horror as Draco rose up stealthily from behind the rock and prodded the two harshly with his claws.
"You know, lusting is a sin. I believe this will cost you your souls." He said the last part in a demonic tone that was deep and booming in an almost subtle way so it grabbed no attention. He smirked at Harry as the couple exchanged frightened glances before hopping off the stone and running towards the street yelling, "Demons! Satan wants our souls!" and attracting the attention of the rest of the tourists who flocked towards the entrance in panic. Luckily, Draco had already disappeared and when Harry crept back to the large boulder they started at, he had changed back and was now pulling on his shirt he had discarded. "That was fun."
Harry, who had been watching with wide eyes in panic, burst out laughing and was joined by Draco as he rolled on the ground clutching their stomachs.
"My God." Harry gasped out.
"That's Satan." Draco corrected.
"Did you see them run?" His face turned serious. "That really wasn't nice."
"Yeah, well neither was groping in front of small children. He stood up to leave and pulled Harry up with him. "Let's get home; I'm exhausted." The other boy agreed and they prepared to leave but were stopped when a hand fell on each shoulder. They exchanged worried looks before looking up at a man dressed up like the devil.
"You two boys are in a lot of trouble."
**********
The Weasley household had returned to normal when they left the hospital. Fred and George returned to their room and explosions were heard at all hours of the day and more often then not, they would appear at meals with scorch marks dusting their faces. Percy, Bill and Charlie returned to their jobs but the younger Weasley still stayed at home and so did Oliver while he visited for those few days. Ron spent his hours playing with Ginny and floo-ing over to Hermione's house, which had finally been connected to the system, thanks to Arthur Weasley who also returned to his job. Mrs. Weasley continued with her housework, a bigger job than any of her sons' or husband's. And Ginny was frequently visiting a friendly Hufflepuff who lived in the same town.
It seemed that the summer definitely promoted change, as Molly Weasley found out when she went to gather laundry from her children's rooms. She had just entered Ron's room and adjusted her eyes to the shocking orange of the Canon's posters when she caught sight of her youngest son on the bed with another.
"My gracious! Ron, Hermione! Separate this instant!" She watched with cleverly disguised amusement as they flew apart on the bed and stared up at her with flushed faces. "Ronald Weasley! What have I told you about bringing girls up here? I only agreed before when Harry was here, but now you've gone behind my back. How long have you two been together?" She demanded with her hands on her hips.
"Sorry, mum." He said as his ears grew scarlet, "It's only been three days." Molly huffed and led them outside and towards the kitchen. "Mum? Are you mad?" He asked nervously as they reached the bottom of the stairs.
She sighed and rubbed her eyes tiredly. "No, Ron, I'm not. Just disappointed you would lie to me about this. But from now on, whenever Hermione is here, you will not be allowed in any room with closed doors together. Now, since your father isn't home, I guess I'll have to have Percy give you this talk." She turned towards Hermione and made her sit down on the chair.
"Percy?!" Ron sputtered. "I think I already know what is supposed to be said." He said in embarrassment.
"I don't care. You'll will talk to your brother and I need to have a talk with Hermione here." Ron watched in amusement as his girlfriend buried her head in her arms on the kitchen table. He was reluctant to leave her to such a fate, but he himself would not like to witness the conversation that would take place. "Now go!" She shooed him up the stairs and sat herself at the table.
Ron made his way up the stairs and wondered why this tradition carried on. Every time one of his brothers found a girlfriend, they were given the 'Weasley chat' and were forced to listen to their dad explain the 'natural game of Quidditch.' He remembered when Percy was dating Penelope and his dad found out, via the twins because all siblings kept an eye on each other. He had marched Percy into his room and had the chat. When they came back down, his brother's face had been stained so red he almost believed it to be permanent. Sighing, he figured at least it was Percy and not his father. Although Percy might draw diagrams and make everything all scientific, still it was infinitely less embarrassing. He knocked hesitantly on the door and waited for his brother to open it.
"Come in." He heard the voice say from behind the door. He did so and watched as Percy shuffled several documents in his hand and stuff them in a portfolio.
"Perce, it's your day off." Ron said in amusement and shock.
"I know, Ronald, but I really need to get this organized because I was rather busy these last few days." His face turned slightly red and Ron imagined it was because he was getting upset at the interruption. "What did you need?"
"Um, well, the thing is that Mum caught Hermione and me-" He began hesitantly, wringing his hands in front of him.
"Caught you making out on your bed?" Came the laughing reply. At his shocked face, his brother added, "Don't be so surprised; I am right below you and believe it or not, I'm not as naïve as I seem." He said with a slight smile as he shifted in his chair to look at Ron. "I assume Mum sent you up here for the 'chat'?" At his brother's nod, he gestured towards the immaculately made bed and told him to sit down. A moment after he said that, he choked on the air and made a dash for a picture that was sitting on his bedside table and stuffed it in a drawer.
"What was that?" Ron asked in suspicion.
"Nothing. Besides, we're here to talk about you. First, as I will be doing the brother and the father version of the chat I will tell you something that will help me keep my sanity." He regarded Ron seriously. "Whenever you head to your room, call one of us for a silencing charm." His brother blushed at that. "Two, because no parents will be at school with you and I doubt the twins will hinder you from.certain activities.learn some contraceptive spells."
"But, we're not-" Ron began and Percy held up a hand.
"Not yet, but you never know. Be prepared. Also, before either of you engage in sexual activity, have yourselves checked over by Pomfrey to make sure neither of you carry any diseases. It's rare among wizards, but because her parents are muggles-well it never hurts to make sure." He shared a small smile with Ron. "I suppose you don't need any help understanding the equipment." He laughed when Ron fell back on the bed in mortification. "I didn't think so." He turned back to his work when Ron looked up and stared at his older brother.
"Hey, Perce?"
"Yeah."
"Did you ever.?" He asked hesitantly.
"Not with Penelope, if that's what you're asking." Percy answered back in a detached voice and gripped his quill tighter.
"Oh. But you only dated her in Hogwarts, didn't you? And you're not dating anyone now." Ron said as he watched as Percy grabbed the side of his desk to keep from reacting. "Or are you?"
"Ron, just leave it." He said in a pleading voice.
"No."
*********
"Well, I've never bailed anyone out of the Creatures' Controls and Regulations department." Andrea said with a smirk as the jailor took off both boys binding spells and allowed them to walk out.
"Seriously, what were you thinking?" Allie said as Harry and Draco rubbed their wrists.
"It's his fault. He made me." Harry said, sticking his tongue at Draco.
"Yeah, well it never would have happened if you had entertained me."
"Let's not fight anymore, please." Harry said, rubbing his eyes for they had been in an argument for the past hour that they were locked up.
"Wow, looks like jail made someone somebody's bitch." Allie remarked lightly and skipped out of Harry's reach.
They continued walking until they were met with a guard holding several documents and looking in fright at Draco. "Excuse me, but you're going to have to register him."
"What!" Draco exploded, looking like he was going to shift again. "I'm not some type of animal."
"I'm sorry sir, but you've disturbed the peace by shifting into a magical creature. You can register now or have it put on your criminal record."
Draco stared at him for a moment before tossing his hair out of his eyes in defiance. "I better not have to wear a collar or anything." He then stormed off leaving everyone else to laugh at his misfortune and chase after him.
"I bet Randolph is working today. We could get him to register you." Andrea said as they turned down a corridor.
"That's not the point." Draco said in anger as they stopped in front of a door. "I don't want to be registered at all. If word gets out to anyone, I'll be listed as impure." At Harry's odd look, he sighed and added, "Wizards sometimes find humans mixed with creatures as monsters themselves. I've got enough blood in me to make me legally a human, but some people just don't see me like that. Besides, I don't need a witch hunt going on after me." He opened the door and they stepped inside.
Harry felt his eyes widen as he watched a wizard office. There were owls flying in from all directions and landing on the sturdy brown desks that were all lined up against the windows. Objects levitated and moved around constantly; once, he was almost decapitated by a summoned folder that whizzed past his ear. Animals and creatures of all sorts sat in chairs or containment cells and even cages. He could see why Draco didn't want to be labeled as a creature if being stuck in a cage is where it landed you. Spotting Randolph at his desk in a corner, all four walked over but were beaten by an elderly wizard with two veelas trailing behind him.
"Enoch! Good, you're here. I can't understand a word of what these two are saying."
"What happened to them?" He asked as he waved in greeting towards the two. The twins and Draco and Harry stepped up behind the crowd and waited patiently. Or at least three did. Draco had stepped forward and was now conversing with the veelas quietly in some soft language. For some reason, it surprised Harry to see him speak fluently in their language even though he carried their blood in his veins. Tuning them out, he looked towards Randolph who was listening to the old man explain the case.
"From what I heard the two were arrested by the muggle police for attempted murder. We don't know what to do with them because from the little veela language we understand, they're vehemently denying all of it. Their species usually isn't violent enough to commit a murder for no reason, which is why we're so puzzled." He turned to look at the two women and gaped as he noticed Draco carrying on a humorous conversation, or, Harry thought, it seemed it was amusing seeing as the women giggled cheerfully. Then again, they could all be flirting for that seemed to be more of Draco's style. Harry couldn't remember all the times they had left a woman in a daze after Draco exerted his charm and then walked away with a smile on his face. Slick bastard, Harry thought in amusement as he watched his roommate flash the veelas a smile.
"Drake, what are you doing?" Randolph asked as he glanced around and noticed everyone there. "What are all of you doing? Here."
"Well, it seems that the veelas have all decided to go on a crime spree, seeing how Draco was also arrested for disrupting the peace." Harry said with a grin.
"What did you say?" Draco said, looking up from his conversation. "What about a crime spree?"
"The veelas are accused of attempted murder." The old wizard said, ignoring ministry policy and divulging classified information.
"What happened?" Draco asked firmly.
"From witness reports, they were walking around downtown late last night and stopped to flirt with two men when they lashed out and 'became terrible monsters'. Poor guys were beaten to a pulp before police found the two standing over them wielding knives and then dragged them off. By the time they reached the police station, they had shifted back but were dazed and confused, symptoms not unheard of during transformation."
The blonde nodded before question the veelas who looked startled by the new route their conversation had taken although they answered dutifully. Harry noticed, in much amusement, that they gestured with their hands in an almost random fashion but they too seemed to possess that exquisite grace that Draco and all of his motions had. During the course of the conversation, their faces turned grave and the hand motions slowed down until their hands were simply raised and flowing side to side as if in a dance.
"Why aren't they under restraints?" He whispered to Allie who was watching the fight with awe. Veelas weren't common creatures, Harry supposed, especially in America.
"They are." Andrea whispered back from his other side. "Magical ones, you can't see them." He nodded and watched as they finished their conversation.
"Right." Draco said as he turned away and turned towards the two ministry workers. "They say that that night they spent most of it at a bar seducing the locals. Around their third drink, they felt a little funny and decided to get some air."
"Wait, three drinks? And they were there all night?" Harry said, letting doubt penetrate his voice.
"Veelas aren't heavy drinkers. Anyway, they stepped outside when everything grew hazy and they began to feel disoriented. They must of blacked out or something because they don't remember anything after that, just waking up in their cell." Draco finished.
They all took a moment to reflect on this. The old man spoke up first and drew everyone from his or her thoughts. "It's odd; this isn't the first attack where the veela has no recollection of what has happened. There was a case in Bulgaria, two actually, one in France where the veela hung herself. If it wasn't for these incidents, it would seem like an open-shut case." Draco's face blanched at this but the man carried on without noticing.
"Did you try a blood test for drugs?" Allie suggested.
Andrea's face brightened, "You know, I could just whip up this nifty potion that-"
"No!" Everyone shouted and she scowled.
"Fine, whatever." She tossed her hair over her shoulder, much like Draco had and then stormed towards a fireplace before jumping in and going home.
"What's wrong with her?" Harry asked, looking to where she had once been.
"No idea." Draco muttered.
"She's upset about not being able to make potions in the summer." Allie said in full confidence. "I'll go see if she's okay." Allie left the same way in a purposeful stride.
Randolph stared where his sisters had left moments ago for a minute before turning to speak to the two students. "I don't think everything is as it seems. On most days I don't trust them together but now I'm especially wary." He gave a small laugh before turning back to the old man. "Run a blood intoxication spell and see if it contains any traces of a potion or drug. Anything out of the ordinary." The man nodded and left with the two veelas following in docility. They shared a tiny smile with Draco before disappearing through the doors. "Now, what am I going to do with you boys?" He asked rhetorically with a minute shaking of his head. "Fill these out Draco."
They Slytherin snatched the papers from his hands and went to sit down on the benches on a wall near where they came in. For the first few minutes, Harry watched all the people that circulated the office and then observed the office itself. From where he was, he could see hags being led in and out, vampires being held at bay by crosses and wild goblins occasionally standing up on desks and shrieking until Randolph coxed them down. And it had only been ten minutes! When activity seemed to die down, he watched as the workers began to reassume their seats and scribble furiously on parchment that magically appeared with a small 'pop'. As one could only listen to the incessant popping so many times, he, with a quick look at Draco making sure the blonde was okay, stood up and walked towards some of the containment cells to see the creatures inside. In the first one, he saw quite a few furry-legged creatures that scuttled all over the walls and ceilings, baring their sharp teeth at Harry. On his part, he remained undaunted until he saw a leg of beef tossed in. The creatures swarmed all over it, tearing it apart and scattering flesh on the clear glass in front of him. He was just about to move away when they resumed climbing around, leaving Harry to see the gnawed remains of the bones, picked clean of any meat and sucked clean of the cartilage.
Shivering in disgust, he wondered how they could want to register Draco as a creature like these things were. His roommate would never attack food like that; he always ate with such precision and delicacy, only finishing half of what Harry consumed in a day. Really, he thought to himself, the boy was too skinny for his own good. Or at least he assumed he was as both boys had been rather hesitant to undress in front of each other, even if it was just a shirt. Harry had his own reasons, the mark on his arm being it. Now that he had his memory back of how the mark came about, he began looking up ways to remove it. But after consideration, he figured that if the Dark Mark could be removed, many of Voldemort's followers would have done that after his first downfall. Concealment charms didn't work either, not on magical scars, Marks, or even wizarding tattoos. He once had the notion to just cut off that area of skin and just have a scar, anything was better than having himself branded as Voldemort's lap dog. Clenching his teeth angrily, he walked to another cell and found himself looking at a crying creature sitting in a corner and bawling her eyes out.
From the greenish tone her skin had, Harry rightfully surmised her to be a banshee, like the one Seamus had inadvertently conjured up with the boggart in his third year. He stared at the poor creature and couldn't help but feel pity for a being whose majority of the time was spent crying. Then, sensing his presence, she stopped weeping and looked up at him with bloodshot eyes. She stood up to her full height, which Harry estimated was at least half a meter above his, and smoothed out her black hair that flowed to the floor and drifted around the skintight black dress she wore. Silently, she lifted her hand to reveal long, pointed fingernails that were tinged slightly in red.
"Hello." Harry said quietly, watching in fascination as she crept closer to the glass scene that must have contained a silencing charm. The banshee gave a tearful smile and closed her had that had been facing palm up towards Harry. She looked slightly confused and he smiled hesitantly. "Are you okay?"
She must have heard him because her eyes opened in shock and rebounded from the wall as if magically repelled. Her eyes filled with tears again and she threw herself in the corner, crying again but with less vigor than before.
He didn't know what to do so he turned back and sat next to Draco who was sucking on the end of his quill in thought.
"Hard question?" Harry asked.
Without even looking up, Draco replied, "Not really."
"Then why are you sucking on your quill in contemplation?"
Without missing a beat, he replied, "I'm not contemplating; I'm sucking the ink from this quill in hopes of dying from ink poisoning." At his roommate's silence, he looked up. "I'm joking, the questions are just really strange."
"How so?"
"'Have you ever worn anything revealing your lower half', 'Do you keep sex toys a) near your bed b) in your pocket, or c) in a closet at home,' 'What's your opinion on sheep shagging?'" He glared at Harry while the other boy laughed. "They find out you're a veela and they immediately assume all you have on your mind is sex."
"You're a teenage boy," Harry pointed out, "All you have on your mind is sex."
"Not with sheep or handcuffs or whips or food or things that vibrate-" Draco ranted.
"For someone against this, you seem to know a lot about kinky sex." Harry said as he smirked at the blonde.
"It was a very informative questionnaire." Draco huffed and resumed writing. "Besides, Pansy is not the most 'vanilla' person you'll ever meet."
Harry choked on the air and sat up straighter to stare at Draco. "What? When did you sleep with Pansy?" For some reason, the thought of Draco with her felt like a punch in the gut. The feeling was disturbing so he tried to turn back to the conversation, only to realize that was equally upsetting. He finally decided on thinking of nothing while Draco gave his answer.
"This summer."
"You're fifteen." Harry pointed out, and when Draco failed to understand his point he added, "That's a little young."
"Well, when we're not being known as the evil house, we're the house of sex and orgies." Draco said thoughtfully.
"You're perverted." Harry said bluntly.
"Then I guess I'm right on track with being a veela, aren't I?" He smiled slightly before finishing his registration and walking up to Randolph to turn it in. "All done." He said when he returned and pulled Harry out from his seat. "Let's go back to their flat." They walked to the fireplace and waved goodbye to Randolph before hopping into the fire, shouting the destination and leaving.