Disclaimer= I don't own Harry Potter. I'm butchering the characters for my own evil, slightly twisted purposes.

Chapter 3 (a.k.a. the ridiculously short chapter)

Draco Malfoy knew two things within moments of his awakening. One was that Harry Potter was in the room and not too far away from him judging by the strength of the scent assaulting him. And two, that he was in the hospital wing. This brought on an army of questions, the first and foremost of which was what the hell was Harry doing in the infirmary? Well, Draco wasn't going to hang around to find out. Already Draco could feel the urge to go check on the boy and maybe hold him until he woke up tugging on his feet.

Draco heaved himself out of bed feeling more energetic than he had in weeks and made for the door still in his infirmary robes. He couldn't help but stare at the sleeping boy as he passed him though. The morning sunlight was very flattering on the other boys pale skin. Made it glow quite nicely, but why was he there? Maybe she should just go over there for a second and make sure he was alright - No! He was leaving. The Golden Boy could rot away for all he cared. Freedom was only feet away.

"Mr. Malfoy!"

Oh fuck. Pompfrey.

"You get back in bed this instant young man. You're in no condition top go back to classes yet!"

She bustled toward him, her dress flagging out behind her like a galleon at full sail. Draco drew himself up and prepared himself to fend the maddening woman off.

"I am perfectly fine." he said coldly.

"You are not! You have been severely neglecting yourself young man. Imagine! A veela avoiding his mate. You could have died."

Cold horror swept through Draco. Did she know? He was ruined. She's tell Dumbledor and he'd tell his father. His father. Lucious would kill him, or worse, disown him. He'd be penniless. And Harry would find out. Oh Merlin, this would make the boy hate him even more and avoid him like he had the plague. Or even better, Harry would feel obligated to be with him even though he didn't want to. It would kill Draco to see Harry unhappy everyday at being near him no matter how he wished he could still take joy from Potters miseries.

Play it cool Draco, he told himself. She might not know and be trying to trip you up. Stay calm. He forcefully steered his mind to focus on the last part of what Pompfrey had said.

"I could have died? Nonsense, I was just tired, it was nothing serious." he informed her.

The woman arched an eyebrow at him.

"You are aware that you are a veela Mr. Malfoy?" she asked.

"Of course!" he exclaimed, offended.

"But you don't know that staying away from your mate could kill you?" She shook her head and tutted. "Sit down Mr. Malfoy, the Headmaster will need to speak with you and I have a potion that will help a little."

What did she mean he could have died? All he needed from Harry was love, he shuddered in disgust and sat down on the bed. He relaxed minutely as Pompfrey turned away, she didn't seem to be aware of who his mate was and as soon as she was out of the room, leapt to his feet and headed for Harry's bed.

Damn it all why was the stupid boy here? What was wrong with him? Hopefully nothing...so he could leave quickly, the pest.

"Get back in bed this instant Mr. Malfoy. I'll not have you leaving this hospital to kill yourself."

Pompfrey appeared from nowhere nearly giving him a heart attack and dragged him back to his bed. She then hovered over him, making sure he stayed in it, blithely ignoring his glares. Shoving a foul potion into his hands she gestured for him to drink it. He tried to hand it back to her.

"I refuse. There is nothing wrong with me."

"You will drink that potion Mr. Malfoy if you wish to ever leave this infirmary." She pushed it back and Draco reluctantly downed it, grimacing at the taste. He handed her the bottle in hopes she's leave again to disposed of it. She set the bottle down on the bedside table with a look that told him she knew exactly what he was doing and she was having none of it.

"Ah, Madame Pompfrey had informed me you were awake." Dumbledor.

Draco could feel a tick pulling at his eye that was sure to become permanent if he continued to speak with the old man.

Dumbledor pulled himself up a chair to sit in and dismissed Pomprey with a glance.

"How are you feeling today my boy?" he smiled jovially, doing that damn twinkle.

"I'm fine." Draco ground out. "And I would appreciate it if you would get to the point. I would like to get to all my classes today."

"Ah, well." The old man had the gall to look disappointed. "I suppose you wouldn't want a lemon drop then?"

"No. Thank you."

Dumbledor straitened up looking less like someone's crazy old grandfather and more like the headmaster of a large school.

"I understand that you are a veela Mr. Malfoy, a very well-kept secret if I do say so myself." He couldn't resist another twinkle. Draco's eye twitched again. "I also understand you have found your mate but have not spent any significant amount of time with them, or even told them for that matter. In fact, I am informed by Professor Snape that you spend most of your time in the dungeons, avoiding people."

Draco lifted his chin and did not deign to comment. Dumbldor continued.

"You do understand that as a veela who has found it's mate most of your energy is derived by that person and by depriving yourself of this individual you essentially starving yourself."

Draco looked sharply at the old man, studying him, Dumbldor had no reason to lie to him. So that was another thing his mother had neglected, or been unable, to tell him. Because her own son just wasn't important to her as her mate. Draco repressed a shiver, and Potter would become that important to him should they mate. He would be so important that Draco would neglect his family because of him, would go insane if Harry left him. Draco looked away from the Headmasters gaze.

"No, I wasn't aware." he said bitterly.

"Your mother never informed you?" Dumbledor asked, genuinely surprised.

"My mother was a veela Professor," he spat "and her mate was gone, she wasn't in any condition to tell me anything." His accusing stare left no room for doubt about whom he blamed.

"I'm sorry."

Anger burned at Draco. How dare he! The blonde want to leap from the white bed and hit the old man, to scream and shake him and make sure those thrice damned eyes never twinkled again. He was one of the people who put his father in jail! He had no right to say he was sorry, no right to sit there looking at him pityingly. He wasn't some stupid creature to be led around and looked at and pitied because oh! He didn't know any better or what was good for himself. The veela swallowed his rage with difficulty.

"Thank you." he didn't quiet chock on the words.

"Do you have any idea who you mate is Draco?"

Draco repressed a flinch when the old man used his name.

"Yes."

"Oh good!" the old man beamed. "Then we can settle this quickly. Just tell me who it is and we'll make the proper arrangements."

Something in the back of Dracos mind relaxed with the confirmation that the Headmaster did not know who his mate was. "Proper arrangements?" Draco raised an eyebrow and suppressed the urge to glance over at Harry.

"Well, yes. You will need to be near your mate so you can get as much energy as possible from them. Eventually that won't be enough, but hopefully it will have been long enough for you two to be comfortable with each other so that you can, mate."

Under normal circumstances Draco would have immensely enjoyed Dumbldor's slight discomfort but not today.

"I'm sorry but I'm going to have to decline to reveal that information." he said ever so politely. Ha! Like he would let Dumbledor have that sort of information to hold over his head. Or Harry for that matter.

"You do understand that should you continue to avoid your mate your condition will deteriorate until you die in great pain from not being near her." Dumbledor pressed.

"I do." Draco said stiffly. Horrified at the thought of wasting away but it wasn't as horrible as the thought of spending the rest of his life practically a slave to Potter and his puppet master. "I still refuse."

For a moment the twinkle died in the old mans eye and he searched Draco's face. The blond very carefully did not look in Harry's direction.

"Very well Mr. Malfoy." he sighed. "I cannot force you to do anything. However, I do have some books, "he pulled several books from his stupid robes and placed them on the bed next to Draco. "that might help you. They are about veela. I suggest you read them. Have a good day."

The old man levered himself out of his chair and the second the infirmary door closed behind him Draco began cursing.

"Meddling old bastard!" he hissed, angry and desperate and scared. Oh Merlin, he didn't want to die. He was too young, he hadn't done anything yet. Snatching up the empty bottle from the bedside table he threw it against the nearest wall. It hit with an unsatisfying click, bouncing to the floor whole. An unbreakable charm. He cursed the bottle for extra measure. Unfair, and for once in his life he wasn't being a spoiled brat when he said it.

His throat suddenly got clogged, forcing him silent and he dropped his head into his hands. First he couldn't choose who he wanted to spend the rest of his life with and then he couldn't control his own body, and now he was dieing. Who would look after his mother? Surely they would send her to an institution, she would die there. And Blaise would be left on his own with the whole Sliytherin house. It was only Draco's protection, diminished as it was, that kept the boy safe from those that didn't like his neutral allegiances. He was only a kid, he shouldn't have to deal with these things. He wasn't ready to choose between a life of slavery or death.

Dear Merlin, help me he begged silently.

Draco took several deep breaths and calmed down a little. Alright, he could deal with this, one thing at a time. He glanced over to where Harry slept, just to see if he was dead yet, of course, and jumped as he was met by startlingly green eyes.

Harry had been awake.

Draco was suddenly absurdly grateful that he hated Dumbledore and wouldn't trust him with his toenail clippings. If Harry had been listening the whole time he only knew Draco was a veela and was dying. He should be happy about that since he hated him.

"I always knew you were too much of a git to be human." Harry said dryly when he saw Draco sneering at him.

"Eavesdropping on others conversations Potter? To stupid to know when your not wanted?"

Draco hid a grimace. Was that all he could throw at Potter? He might as well have kept his mouth shut.

Harry blinked at him from across the room, confusion clear in his beautiful green eyes. And then he started laughing.

"That was pathetic Malfoy!"

If he hadn't already thrown the potion bottle Draco would have done so now. Preferably at Potters face, or as close to it as his veela instincts would let him.

"Sod off." he snarled and jerked one of the books Dumbledor had left into his lap. He pulled it up so it blocked out Harrys laughing form and scowled at the pages in front of him, pretending to read. Hopefully the irritating boy would leave him alone to waste away in peace.

End Chapter 3

7-13-04

Dear me. I updated and then last night I was looking at the story again and I realized I forgot the last part of the chapter. It's not that important but I felt wrong about leaving it out. So there's a couple new paragraphs at the end... yeah...sorry.

W00t. That's done. It would have been out even faster, because, lets face it this chapter is really short except my 1997 gateway PC finally decided it'd had enough and shut down for the final time. I have a new one, a Sony vaio, but it took me a bit to get going because I'd typed the beginning of this chapter on my old one and forgot to back it up and I didn't want to start over. That and I got Final Fantasy 11 and Gunbound. Those have taken up quiet a nit of time... Oh well. The good news is....well I don't have any. The next chapter is even shorter than this one and chapter six is coming along at a snails pace. Draco's characterization is really bugging me.

It's like to make this I had to bound and gag the really Harry and draco and throw them in the back of my mind and create whole new characters that looked like them and sounded a bit like them but weren't them. And now that I've come to their interactions the reall Harry and draco have escaped and are now having screaming tantrums in my head going "Who the hell do you take me for?! I HATE HIM! I wouldn't say that! I'd kick his ass!" and so on.

Here's hoping they shut up.