Miss Lesley – Draco's mum gave him the veela genes. Everything is ok with the story now!
Kyra2 – yeah, it is a bit like that, almost. But then, veela only bond to people who will love then and care for them. It gets better in this chapter… hehe. Harry acts kinda OOC, but it's funny! I can actually imagine them doing what they did in this chapter, if it was possible in Hogwarts.
AzureLuna – ok, I'll see if I can get you some sarcasm! Lol. I love sarcastic Draco as well as sweet Draco. But as for the Sirius/Remus, well, Sirius is gone in this fic. *sniffs* sorry! And yes, Harry was a jerk. He's got over himself now. He's the OOC one in this chapter!
Litharalen – THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!!!!! *dances around room in delight* My mum thinks I'm crazy now. Oh well. Thank you so much! I'll remember it now! Thanks again, you are the best!
Shania Maxwell – don't worry, I will. Thanks for the review!
Witchy-Althea – It's Circles of Influence, by Marysia. I feel bad for Dray too, but it's all in a good cause! Lol. Bad plot bunny! Bad!
SailorBaby16 – Thanks for the review! I thought I'd be original and not have Ron be unaccepting, just for a change!
Gizachick – yeah, its on schnoogle. Thanks for the tip anyway. I'm glad you like this fic!
Yana5 – thanks! Um… I don't think I need help with anything, although what you'd like to happen between Harry and Draco would be cool. Give me some ideas of what you want?
Makalani Astral – Siri is unfortunately no more in this fic. *sniffs* Sorry. Thanks for the review!
Cherie – Thanks! Yay! I get called Evil! Hermione is being a bit cruel, isn't she? Poor girl. Ok, I'll get to the bit with Narcissa soon. I'll give you a bit of inside info: Narcissa's coming early! Dun dun duh!
Brenna8 – Thanks. You know, after all the time I spent looking for that fic, I'm wondering now why I didn't just post a note on here in the 1st place! Lol.
Xikum – ok, here we go again. Narcissa is the part veela. Neither of the elder Malfoys love each other – it is a convenience marriage. Narcissa is a lesbian, but because of the need for a Malfoy heir, well, think magic IVF, ok? Lucius loved Lily. (poor guy). Narcissa is the big baddie in this fic.
WITCH WERE – I thought I'd be original! If you look in the books, Hermione doesn't accept that the house elves are happy – see, I have evidence! I'm not talking/writing completely off the top of my head! This fic is slightly possible! Voices: but what about the whole H/D relationship? Me: shut up! Lalala! I'm not listening!!
Eadon – ok, my brother now thinks I'm nuts cos I just yelled out 'Ah! I just got called a sweetie!' at the top of my voice. Lol. Thanks for the review, and the rating for this story seems to be rising. Don't worry about finding the fic, I now have it! The Marks that we Bear and Circles of Influence. Gods, I have been searching for months for those!
CRazy-GIrl – yeah, Frizzy is da bomb! Thanks for saying you think it's realistic. Hey, if you get permission, review me again and tell me the name of the fic, so I can check it out!
Band Aid – Do they know its Xmas. Watch the video. Right at the end there is a long haired blond guy who looks really fed up with the whole thing, and has a 'why am I doing this?!' look on his face. That's sort of how I imagine Lucius Malfoy. Lol. Just thought I'd mention that.
Ok, Tough Draco makes a bit of reappearance in this chapter. It's a bit… different. I'm sorry, I have a fetish with rock clothes recently. ^_^ Do you think I should get them to dye their hair?
That night Draco's sleep was restless, and Harry lay awake for a long time, trying to soothe him. He felt so helpless; the nightmares were obviously brought on by Draco's confession, and the Gryffindor felt so guilty and helpless. All he could do was try to smooth away the nightmares when they arrived, stroking the Slytherin's platinum blond hair and humming tunes softly. After a while Draco seemed to slip back into calm slumber, and Harry lay down beside him, rubbing his thumb over the back of Draco's hand in an unconscious caress. However, Draco didn't seem content with that. Without waking up, the blond rolled over and slung his arm carelessly over Harry's waist, snuggling deeper under the covers and sighing happily. Harry froze.
Once he was certain that Draco was not going to move again, the ebony haired teen closed his eyes. He was tired, and, despite the unfamiliar sensation of someone lying next to him, sleep came quickly. Neither of the pair had nightmares after the switch in position, they slept peacefully through what remained of the night.
Draco woke first, and looked at Harry in confusion. He didn't remember being this close to the other teen when he fell asleep. And why was his hand around Harry's waist? He snatched it back quickly, and rolled out the bed. Looking over his shoulder to make sure that he hadn't woken the Gryffindor, he headed into the bathroom to brush his teeth.
As he squeezed the toothpaste out, he stared at his reflection. His hair was in its normal morning tangle, and there were purple shadows under his eyes. He stuck the brush in his mouth, and continued to stare at his reflection, marking the changes the last week had brought. His eyes looked sadder, and yet more hopeful. The blank grey stare was gone; instead they were a soft silver-blue colour. His skin was still as soft, but now it looked soft as well as felt soft. His face was thinner – a result of not eating a lot during the past week - and he was paler than he had been since he was ill as a child. He rinsed his mouth out and splashed his face before tackling his hair; it was a complete mess of tangles and would take a while to sort properly. He hadn't brushed it after his shower the night before, which certainly didn't help.
Once his hair was done he tiptoed back into the bedroom to dress. He was done with being soft and submissive. It was time the old Draco put in an appearance, he decided. Not the Draco Harry had known, of course, but the Draco Blaise knew. He smirked slightly. Harry was in for one hell of a shock!
First came a pair of black silk boxers, then a pair of black denim baggies, complete with chains. He tugged on some black socks, and then his boots. He was short still, but the boots added a few inches at least. Dragon hide, black (naturally) and covered in buckles they came halfway up his calves. Next he pulled on a tight black t-shirt with a pattern that looked like blood was trickling down it. He had 'forgotten' to mention his preference for Heavy Metal and general punk to Harry when they had been talking.
Finally he headed back into the bathroom and rummaged in the bag holding his bath stuff. A house elf had collected it from his room, and apparently tidied it; nothing was where it had been. Finally he pulled out the object he had been searching for; black eyeliner. He applied it carefully -he didn't want to put on too much and scare Harry. Just a little, to emphasize his eyes. Next came black nail varnish, which dried in seconds due to a handy charm he had picked up. Finally he slid his skull earring into his ear and stuck his tongue out at his reflection, making sure the stud was still nice and shiny. It was charmed to repel anything that might stick to it, but the charm wore off every so often so he usually checked, just in case.
Feeling normal for the first time in a week, he headed back into the bedroom. Harry had rolled onto his stomach and twisted the covers around his waist. He had one arm cocked over his head, shielding his face from the light that streamed in through the window, and the other reached out to where Draco had been sleeping. It was clenched in the bedclothes. Harry was frowning in his sleep, his subconscious realizing that something wasn't right; Draco was meant to be there.
Draco smirked again, and leant over the bed, kissing Harry softly on the cheek. As he had suspected, Harry muttered something, but didn't move. Next Draco slipped a knee up on the bed, steadying himself. He nibbled gently on Harry's ear while running his slender fingers through the black locks that stuck up stubbornly all over the Gryffindor's head. The seeker had great punk hair, Draco thought. It would look even better gelled properly and maybe with the ends dyed. Harry woke with a start, and Draco moved back quickly allow him to sit up without them head-butting each other.
"Dray? What the fuck happened to you?" Harry asked, taking in the sight of the part veela.
"Nothing. I felt a bit better this morning, that's all. Close your mouth before a fly gets in."
Harry obediently closed his mouth, before opening it again to ask; "You're a grunger? Or punk, or whatever you call it."
"No, I just bought the t-shirt because I thought it would go well with my complexion. Of course I am, you idiot."
"You didn't tell me before."
"I missed out quite a bit."
"Oh."
"Yeah, oh. You'd better get dressed, I'll order breakfast."
"Um… ok."
"See you in a bit!" Draco said cheerily, kissing Harry quickly on the cheek before climbing off the bed and heading downstairs, leaving Harry to shake his head over the sudden transformation in his unpredictable companion.
Once Harry was dressed and they had eaten breakfast, Draco asked his the question that had been burning him ever since Harry woke up. The Gryffindor was dressed in a pair of faded blue jeans that were way too big for him, and a scarlet knitted jumper with a Hungarian Horntail on the front, also too big. His trainers were also falling apart, and his round glasses really didn't suit him. In Draco's opinion: this was a disaster.
"Harry?"
"Yeah?"
"Can we go shopping?"
"Huh?"
"It's Saturday, and a Hogsmede weekend, but I know that Hogsmede doesn't have any decent shops. If we ask Dumbledore and he says it's ok, want to come to London?"
"Um… ok."
"Cool! Let's go see Dumbledore then!" Draco said, jumping up and dashing to the door, dragging Harry with him.
Half an hour later they were taking a portkey to Diagon Alley.
Before Harry had time to clear his dizzy head Draco had grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the travel shop they had landed in. The blond dashed excitedly along the street, dragging Harry with him. Harry was sure that even he had not been recognized this time; they were going too fast for his scar to be visible.
Draco screeched to a halt in front of a shop about halfway along the street. The sign over the window said 'Opticians'. Harry didn't have time to look at the window display before Draco dragged him in, and started speaking in his 'Malfoy' voice to the assistant.
"Ok, he's had glasses since he was a child, can you either give him contacts, better glasses or permanently correct his vision, as quickly as possible. We're in a hurry."
"Well, sit there dear, and I'll take a look at your eyes," the grey haired witch said, guiding Harry into an armchair in the back corner. Draco moved behind the chair and placed his hand on Harry's shoulder, earning him a curious look from the witch. She took Harry's glasses gently off of his face and shone her wand into his eyes.
"Can you do anything?" Draco asked after a minute.
"Yes, I can permanently correct your vision, Harry Potter, isn't it?"
"Yeah. Please can you, I'm tired of wearing glasses."
"Of course. This may sting a little," she said, before muttering a charm under her breath. Harry felt a stinging sensation in his eyes, which made them water. He blinked a few times, screwing his eyes up in an effort to stop the stinging. When he opened his eyes, everything was clear and defined. Colours seemed brighter, edges sharper. He grinned.
"Wow! Thank you. What do I owe you?"
"Nothing, Dear, if you would let me put a sign in the window."
"A sign?" Harry asked confused.
"Harry Potter himself had his vision corrected here?" Draco asked, more used to fame and advertising than Harry was.
"Yes, something like that."
"Sure you can," Harry said, standing. "Thanks again."
"No problem, it's my job," the old woman said, smiling and showing them to the door. "If you ever have any problems, you just come right back!"
"I will!" Harry called over his shoulder. Draco was already dragging him into another shop. It was a good thing Diagon Alley wasn't busy that Saturday, or they would have slammed into about 50 people by now, he thought.
The next shop was a clothes shop. Harry simply stood dumbly while Draco and the shop assistant – who seemed to know the blond – whirled around the shelves and racks, pulling clothes into their arms and occasionally reaching for the same thing. At one point Draco pulled out a very thin shirt and it was pink. Pink net, to be exact. He looked at Harry. "No Draco!"
"Won't you even-"
"I said NO!" Harry nearly yelled.
"Fine. Spoilsport." And so it began again. Draco pulled more and more off the shelves, the majority of which, Harry noticed, was black. "Hey Harry look at this!" Draco called and showed him a plain black shirt. Curious Harry went to see what Draco was so excited about. When he read the phrase on the back of the shirt Harry gave Draco a look that could have melted lead, a look that clearly said 'you have got to be kidding'. With a sigh Draco put the shirt back. They never stopped, try on this or try on that. He couldn't stand it any longer. Finally when a sizeable pile was accumulated, the energetic pair pulled the boy-who-lived into the changing rooms.
After about an hour they left the shop, laden with bags, and Harry pulled the Slytherin firmly to Florien's for ice cream. However, he still didn't get a break.
"Come on, Harry!" Draco pleaded, pulling the cutest face he could manage, which was pretty cute.
"No!"
"Please? It'll look so good! And make you look so much sexier!"
"I thought you didn't care what I looked like!" Harry protested.
"I wouldn't have bought you all that stuff if I didn't care," Draco pointed out.
"OK, but still no!"
"Please?" Draco begged, pouting.
"No!" Harry forced himself to focus on his ice cream and not on the extremely sexy putting lips of the boy opposite him. "I refuse to get my ear pierced!"
"Why not!"
"Because it'll hurt!"
"No it won't, this is a wizard piercing, not one of those muggle ones."
"Still no."
"Ok. Will you get a tattoo then?"
"NO!"
"Please? I have one."
"I know you do. But still no," Harry said firmly, remembering the snake that curled around Draco's right bicep.
"Come on! I want to get another one anyway."
"What do you want to get."
"A dragon, I think."
"Where?"
"On my chest, or maybe my back… I haven't decided yet."
"Won't it hurt?"
"No, we're wizards, idiot. It'll take about half an hour, that's all. You should get something."
An idea occurred to Harry, and he nodded. "Can I get anything I like?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Ok, let's go."
"Really?"
"Come on. I don't know where the hell we're going."
"Follow me."
Draco led Harry down a side alley, and into a small shop. There were pictures of tattoos all over the walls, and the two looked while they waited for someone to come and notice them.
Draco soon found the dragon he wanted; rearing on its hind legs with its tail curled around it's feet and its wings spread. The body was red with a silver underside and the wings were also silver. Harry thought it was beautiful.
The Gryffindor didn't expect them to have the design that he wanted, but he looked anyway. They did have a part of it, but he knew he would have to ask the tattoo-ist for the design he wanted. Trouble was, he didn't want Draco knowing before it was done.
Just then the tattoo wizard walked through from the back room. He was a huge, muscled man, wearing a white t-shirt and black leather trousers. His arms were covered in so many tattoos that not an inch of bare skin was visible.
"Draco Malfoy! You said you'd come back," he boomed.
"I said I would, Tod, and here I am. I'd like this Dragon, and my friend has some sort of original tattoo that he doesn't want me to know about yet."
"Ok. I'll get Marie to do you then, Draco, and I'll do your friend… Merlin's bollocks! Harry Potter?"
"Yeah," Harry said, shifting uncomfortably.
"Sorry, didn't recognize you without the glasses. Looking good, mate. Draco, Marie's through there. I'll sort Harry out."
"Ok, see you in a bit, Harry!" Draco said, grinning. He hugged Harry before he walked out. Tod looked at Harry and raised his eyebrow. Harry shrugged.
"Long story."
"Good enough. What would you like?"
Harry began to explain, and Tod grabbed a piece of paper and sketched out the image as Harry described it. Once he was done, Harry looked and liked it. Then they moved to the back room, where Draco was lying on his front with his t-shirt under his head and his trousers and boxers halfway down his arse. Harry grinned at the blond, who winked suggestively.
See something you like? His telepathic voice asked.
Maybe. Harry replied.
Should I find someone else if you aren't interested?
I didn't think you could.
Oh yes. Damn veela instinct. I could have anyone and I'm stuck with you!
Am I really that bad?
Worse. But you get better. Especially if you'd get your ear pierced.
No! For the last time!
Oh, come on! You only live once.
No!
Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease!
I won't get my ear pierced. Harry thought firmly. However… I might get my nipple done, if you beg.
PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE!!! Man, Harry, that would look so good! Draco cried, practically drooling at the thought. And it would be sooooo sexy! Fuck…
What?
Now I have a problem.
Harry laughed out loud at that, and Tod looked at him strangely. Draco mock glared, and Marie looked at the blond in astonishment. To take his mind off the information Draco had just imparted to him, Harry looked at the assistant properly for the first time. She was slim and had purple hair. Her ears were pierced about six times each, and she had a piercing in both her nose and eyebrow. She was wearing a black PVC corset with purple lacing and thigh high boots with a blue tartan miniskirt. He could see tattoos on the strip of skin between the boots and the skirt, and there were more on her arms and chest. Some were moving. A cat flicked its tail on her shoulder and there was a waterfall splashing down from under her skirt. A picture of Curt Cobain winked at him from the curve of her left breast.
He realized that he was staring, and looked away quickly, managing not to blush. Draco had been right; the tattoo didn't hurt. If what Draco had said about piercings was true as well, he might just get a few of those too…
***
Once their tattoos were finished, it was lunchtime. They headed back out onto Diagon Alley and made a bee line for a nice café. Harry ordered 2 hot chocolates and 2 plates of chicken and chips.
"It's really nice here," he told Draco. "When I was here for a week, I ate here most days."
"Why were you here?" Draco asked curiously.
"Ran away. Long story."
"Ok. You can tell me some other time."
"Can we talk about something else?"
"Of course," Draco said immediately. "Can I see this tattoo then? I did pay for it after all. It's a bit rude to hide it, don't you think?"
"Sure," Harry said, grinning and pulling his sleeve up to his shoulder. Draco gasped in awe, but a slight frown creased his brow.
"It's beautiful, but I don't understand," he said quietly.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.
"Well, it has some sort of meaning, doesn't it? I don't know enough about you to figure it out."
"Oh," Harry said, looking down at the tattoo. Draco was right; it was beautiful. A proud four-pronged antler with a red and while lily coiled gracefully around the prongs. He smiled; Draco wouldn't get the full meaning of the tattoo, but Ron and Hermione would understand straight away. A small pang of guilt poked him at the thought of his two best friends; he really should spend some more time with them.
"So?" Draco asked, breaking Harry from his reverie. "What does it mean?"
"The flower is a Lily, you probably know my mother was called Lily," he started.
"Of course! I remember. But why the antler?"
"My dad."
"Huh?"
"He was an animagus. Unregistered. Same as Pettigrew and Sirius. They did it in 5th year, because of Remus. Sirius was a big dog, Peter is a rat and Dad was a stag. His nickname was Prongs."
"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs!" Draco gasped.
"How did you know that?"
"Graffiti in the Slytherin changing rooms. Been there for years, carved into the shower wall. 'Moony Wormtail Padfoot and Prongs should die!' Always wondered what the hell that meant."
"Well, now you know."
"Yes. Now, were you serious about getting your nipple pierced? Please say you were."
"I was."
"Yes! Can we go now?" Draco cried eagerly.
Harry grinned, and picked up the vinegar. He had spotted the waitress walking towards their table. She slid the plates onto the table, and he immediately began sprinkling the vinegar over the plate. "No, I want to eat this first."
Draco grinned. "Have it your way."
"Oh, don't worry. I intend to."
***
Harry wondered what the wizard who owned the piercing place must have thought. They had walked in hand in hand, and then when Harry had pulled his t-shirt off, Draco hadn't been able to take his eyes off Harry's muscled torso. Harry had had to punch Draco to get him to respond to the wizard's questioning.
"Hey, Dray!"
"Huh?"
"You were asked a question."
"Huh?"
"I give up!" Harry exclaimed. "Ignore him. I don't think he wants anything pierced anyway. So, just me."
"All right. Stud or ring? Gold or silver? Plain or charmed?"
"I'd like that Griffin, if you don't mind."
"Sure."
The Griffin was silver and hung from a small ring. The ring was placed against his nipple, and then a muttered charm and a tap from the wizard's wand fixed the charm. It didn't hurt, but tingled. Thanking the wizard, Harry pulled his shirt back on – Draco groaned in disappointment – paid and pulled the part veela out of the shop and round the corner into an alleyway.
"Harry…" Draco moaned, moving forward as if he couldn't help himself – which he probably couldn't – and pressing against the Gryffindor. Harry froze as he felt Draco's hard length pressing into his thigh. It was incredibly arousing, and at the same time incredibly embarrassing, however, this didn't stop Draco. The blond slid one hand around Harry's waist and cupped the other behind his head, pulling him forward into a passionate kiss.
Harry decided to go with it. Closing his eyes he wrapped his own arms around Draco's waist and kissed back, making the blond groan in response. He found that he was enjoying the kiss, enjoying the feel of Draco pressing against him. He didn't want it to stop, and since he was co-operating, it didn't look like Draco was going to pull away anytime soon. The alleyway had vanished, the afternoon bustle from the street only a few metres away faded into the background. Nothing mattered but the kiss and the feelings that came with it. Love, affection, caring, possessiveness, longing, lust, comradeship, belonging, happiness and the feeling that everything was right in the world. Harry stopped thinking and let himself sink into the sea of content, where there was nothing but the pair of them.
Remus' letter, Dumbledore's advice, the book in the Library and Harry's own nature had combined to make him accept the bond between them. He had found that once he accepted what was occurring between them, he enjoyed it. More than enjoyed it, he loved it and he never wanted it to stop. If they did nothing else but continue this kiss for the rest of their lives, he would be happy.
***
Draco had been in a battle in the piercing shop. Human versus Veela. All his veela self wanted to do was jump Harry. But his human self knew that that was the last thing that Harry wanted. It was a ferocious battle, and he was never more relieved than he was when Harry pulled him out of the shop into the alley and he could do what he wanted. He had just hoped that Harry would understand and push him away. He had had a hard-on since the tattoo parlour, and he didn't know if he could have held on much longer.
What had happened when he had kissed Harry was more than he could ever have hoped. He had expected Harry to merely endure the kiss, and when Harry had actually responded to his affections, his heart had leaped and his entire body tingled. He had come home. If he died that very moment, he would die happy, knowing that Harry had finally accepted him.
Unfortunately, the moment did not go on forever as a familiar and hated voice seeped into his consciousness, making him pull away from Harry with a gasp. He looked desperately, pleadingly, into Harry's green eyes, watching as they moved from his own to focus on something behind him, and then widen in panic.
"Draco, darling, I don't think that's a very suitable occupation for you to be partaking of in this particular location," Narcissa Malfoy drawled.