Disclaimer: Nope, Harry isn't mine, neither is Draco Malfoy. Pitty really. I am just using them in my own plot.

Author's Note: Thanks again to all my reviewers! I shall answer at the end of the chapter.

Chapter Three: Return to Grimmauld Place

Harry Potter heard the doorbell ring, but he didn't bother moving. In fact, he hadn't moved much for the better part of two days. The room he stayed in at the Dursley's, he would never consider it his room, was dark and cold. The sun had just gone down, but Harry didn't bother to turn on the light. He lay on his bed, still and silent, thinking.

He had sent his letter to Dumbledore two days ago, and had received one in reply stating that someone from the Order would be there to pick him up at the soonest possible time. No one had come yet. Harry didn't mind, he was learning to be patient, and the thought that he would be leaving soon kept him going.

Harry hadn't left his room since then except for a few times late at night. He was afraid to be around the Dursley's, lest they should anger him enough that he would loose control and turn into a basilisk. He was so hungry, starving in fact, but he couldn't eat a lot, or else Petunia would notice the missing food. At least the black energy that had been surrounding him was gone now.

Harry sat up on his bed and his stomach growled loudly, but he ignored it, instead listening to the sound of slightly unfamiliar footsteps moving closer towards his door. There was a soft knock, and the door was pushed open. A figure wearing a brown cloak and hood stepped into the room.

Harry jumped up immediately, wand drawn, but the figure lowered their hood and Harry nearly dropped his wand in amazement.

"Professor Lupin?" he cried, feeling very stupid with his mouth hanging open.

"Hello, Harry," said Remus Lupin, his voice tired. "I have come to take you to Headquarters. Are you ready?"

Harry nodded. "I already packed everything," he said, pointing to his trunk. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

Remus nodded and moved closer to him. He gripped Harry's shoulders and stared intently into his eyes. "How are you, Harry? How are you really?"

Harry sighed. He didn't want to talk about this with anyone, he couldn't. The one person who he would have felt comfortable talking to was Sirius, and Sirius was…dead. But Harry looked up into the tired eyes of his old professor, noticed the larger amount of gray hairs, and realized he wasn't the only one suffering.

"I'm not doing too well," said Harry, tiredly rubbing his eyes. He tried pushing his glasses up his nose and once again remembered he didn't need them anymore.

"You look like you haven't slept for ages," said Remus, pushing Harry back onto the bed and sitting beside him. "And you surely haven't been eating enough."

"I've been having nightmares," Harry whispered. "Every night. I can hardly sleep anymore. All I can see are S-Sirius falling through the Veil, and Voldemort, and Cedric. Mostly Sirius. Even when I'm not asleep, that's all I'm able to see."

"I know it's hard, Harry," said Remus quietly. "Merlin knows it is just as hard for me, but you need to try and let it go. Sirius would want you to be happy."

"Sirius would want to be alive," argued Harry, scooting away from Remus. "And it is my fault he isn't."

"Don't say things like that, Harry." whispered Remus.

"Well it's true!" said Harry. "If I had studied Occlumency harder, if I hadn't been so careless, Sirius would be alive! Why, why do I have to be so foolish?"

His last words came out so broken, that Remus felt himself breaking as well. "Please, Harry," he said. "Nothing more like that. I don't want to hear anything like that coming from your mouth again. You were tricked by Voldemort. Many great people, most of them older and wiser than you, have been tricked by Voldemort. It is hard, I know, but you must let it go."

"How?" asked Harry. "How do I let it go? How can I make the images go away?"

"It won't be easy, Harry," replied Remus. "Things like this never are. I myself am only just starting to get over it. I lost Lily and James, and then Peter to the Dark Side, and then Sirius. But I still have you, Harry. Seeing you here, alive, if not as well as I would have liked, is enough to get me going again. To me, Harry, you are worth living for, and I imagine you will find something worth living for too."

Harry looked at him with wide eyes, and suddenly, all the emotions he had been hiding for so long burst forth. He buried his head in his hands as silent sobs wracked his body, tears that had been trapped inside through all of his trials leaked down his face. Harry wasn't sure how long they sat that way, with Remus' comforting arms wrapped around him, but he felt completely overwhelmed by all the things he was feeling. Harry couldn't remember ever feeling so much at once, and when he felt a wriggling deep in his belly, he knew he was losing control of his emotions.

"Calm down, Harry," came the soft voice of Remus. "I don't want you turning into a basilisk on me. Which is a bloody wicked animagus form, by the way."

Harry looked up at him, surprised. "What do you mean?" he asked. "I think it is the worst sort of animal anyone could turn into."

"You would think that, wouldn't you?" asked Remus in an amused voice. "Believe it or not, Harry, basilisks don't always kill you by looking at you. They only do that if they really have to, or if their master orders them. I assume you are the only living basilisk now, but back when they were common, they were able to produce a sort of film over their eyes that would disable the killing factor."

Harry looked curious now. "Really?"

Remus nodded. "I'm sure with a little practice you'll be able to do the same."

There was a pause in conversation while Harry double checked to make sure he had packed everything.

"Is everything alright, Harry?" asked Remus gently. "You still seem bothered about something."

Harry looked up and sighed. "I'm fine, really," he said. "It's just, I don't know how well I'll be able to handle it, being back at Grimmauld Place."

"I know," said Remus, nodding in an understanding way. "It was hard for me too. Don't worry, it will get easier."

Harry nodded. "Okay, I guess I'm ready to go, then."

"Right," said Remus, pulling a wrist watch out of a pocket in his tatty robes. "We'll be traveling by portkey, Dumbledore reckons it's safest."

Harry nodded and put a hand on his trunk and the other on the portkey. Remus tucked Hedwig's cage under his arm and tapped the watch with his wand.

"One…two…three…" he said.

Harry closed his eyes as he felt the jerk behind his navel, and then he was spinning away from his room.

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Draco Malfoy was the perfect Slytherin. He was cold, cruel, and cunning. The older students of Hogwarts respected him, and the younger years feared him. During his time at the magical school, Draco had set up for himself a certain image that would define his character. Do well in classes, throw insults at the mudbloods, and hate anything and everything to do with Harry Potter.

Draco had done a very good job of it for five years, but times were changing, and he was too. Not many people knew that Narcissa Malfoy was three-fourths veela, Draco himself hadn't known until his tenth birthday. What a birthday that had been, when Draco's whole world changed.

His parents had thrown a party for him and it had all been very grand. After the party, and before Draco went to bed, his parents had told him a story about veela. Being just ten years old, and having only heard rumors about the magical creatures, Draco thought it was a story made up to entertain him. How wrong he had been.

When Draco had learned that he himself was half veela, he hadn't understood. His parents said he would, with time, and though a little frustrated, he learned to accept it. The first changes came before his first year at Hogwarts. His hair had lightened from a golden blonde, to a silvery blonde. The next change was when Draco found out that all veela mate for life, and he would, in fact, need a mate.

How surprised he had been to find that Harry Potter, the one person he was supposed to hate above all, was his mate. He wasn't quite sure how he had figured it out, perhaps through scent, or perhaps some other veela instinct. He had been very confused at first, and had asked his parents why his mate was a boy. His mother had explained that veela did not choose their mates based off of gender, but simply by who would be best for the veela.

Lucius, Draco's father, hadn't been at all pleased that Harry Potter was his mate. That was when Draco started to loose respect for his father. A sudden urge to protect what was rightfully his had welled up inside him, and he had bravely, if not foolishly, announced that no one would hurt Harry Potter while he lived. Lucius had stared at him for a moment, and then stormed gracefully out of the room.

How hard it had been for Draco to see Harry hurt so many times in the past five years. How hard it had been knowing that he had caused some of the hurting. But Draco had an image to keep, as well as a father and a Dark Lord to please. But he was done now. He was not going to please them anymore.

When Lucius had been sent away to Azkaban, Narcissa and Draco had fled to one of her childhood homes, seeking the protection of Dumbledore. He had been glad to help, and had hidden Draco and his mother in Grimmauld Place. The old Headmaster had also informed to the two that Harry Potter would be arriving soon, and since he was Draco's mate, they had also been informed about his inheritance.

The last bits of Draco's own inheritance had already come. He was taller now, standing at an even six feet. His body was sleek and toned, and his clear gray eyes had turned a stunning silver. The famous veela Charm had also shown itself, and it proved very hard to deal with, as most people who saw Draco now fell all over him. Luckily, there weren't many people coming and going from Grimmauld Place, so no one was falling over Draco there.

The silver haired Slytherin sighed and leaned his head against the window. It was dark out, and the stars were veiled by blackness. Draco knew that Harry would be arriving soon. He wondered what he would say to him. It wasn't easy, trying to come up with a good reason for your actions without explaining everything. He would eventually explain everything to Harry, but not now. Now he just wanted to see him, to smell him. Draco had been denied his mate for so long, he couldn't wait anymore.

Draco sat up straighter as he felt the air currents in the house change, signaling the arrival of someone by portkey. That was one of the few things Draco liked about being a veela, his senses were sharpened. Draco heard muffled voices down stairs and quickly left the room he and his mother were sharing. He stepped out onto the landing and looked down over the banister. He could just make out the forms of Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter, and the werewolf, Remus Lupin in the hall.

"I believe, Harry," said Dumbledore quietly. "That for you to truly understand, you should read this letter."

The Headmaster took a piece of parchment out of his robes and handed it to Harry. The emerald eyed boy took the parchment and read it quickly, a frown forming on his face. Draco knew what the frown was for. Harry was reading the letter that Narcissa had sent to Dumbledore, explaining their situation, and how Harry was Draco's mate.

When Harry finished reading, he looked up at the two wizards before him. "This is a joke, right?" he asked, trying to sound calm, but Draco could detect a hint of nerves. "I mean, this isn't serious is it?"

Lupin growled low in his throat and crossed his arms. "I wish it wasn't," he said. "Trust me, Harry, if I had any say in this, you wouldn't even be-"

"You do not have a say, Remus," interrupted Dumbledore calmly. "Nor do I. It is against the law to try and separate a magical being from his mate, especially if the separation could be life threatening. Isn't that right, Mister Malfoy?"

Draco jumped slightly at hearing his name called. He looked down and saw a very angry Lupin, a confused Harry, and a slightly amused Dumbledore all looking up at him.

"Er, yes, that's right, professor." he said.

"Why don't you come down here, Mister Malfoy." said Dumbledore again.

Draco's heart skipped a beat. Come down? Next to Harry? He nodded his head once and gracefully flew down the stairs, coming to a stop across from his mate. Harry was looking at him, his brilliant green eyes narrowed suspiciously. Draco inhaled deeply, and Harry's intoxicating scent filled his senses. He smelled like exotic spices. Draco observed the Boy Who Lived carefully. He was shorter than the blonde, standing at about 5'9". His skin was tanned nicely, like the soft golden color of freshly baked bread. His jet black hair was as untidy as ever, sticking up in every possible direction. In short, the Gryffindor was simply gorgeous.

"…what it means to be a veela's mate?" said Dumbledore.

Draco turned his silver gaze on the old professor. "I'm sorry, what?" he asked.

Dumbledore chuckled amusedly and repeated his question. "Maybe you could explain to Harry what it means exactly to be a veela's mate."

"Right," said Draco, turning towards Harry. "Of course. Okay, Potter, here's how it works. Every veela, male and female, need a mate. They can live for many years without the presence of their mate, but once the veela reaches a certain maturity level, the mate is needed. If the veela were for some reason be denied their mate, their health would slowly deteriorate, until the veela wasted away from depression."

Harry's green eyes widened. "And this will happen to you as well if I don't agree to be your, er, mate?"

Draco nodded.

Harry's gaze left Draco and turned to the professors. "And this is really serious?" he asked. "It's not just some sick and twisted joke?"

"Of course it's not." growled Draco. "Do you think I would joke about something like this? Merlin, Potter, how thick are you?"

Harry's head turned so fast Draco was afraid he might get whiplash. His piercing emerald eyes were glaring at Draco, and for the first time, the blonde noticed what was mainly different about Harry. His magical aura was simply pulsing with black energy, making the boy look dangerous and threatening. Draco blinked a few times, trying to make his veela enhanced senses go away.

"I need to think about this," said Harry through clenched teeth. "Don't approach me again, Malfoy, I can't be around you right now."

Draco watched as Harry stomped up the stairs, his black hair flying behind him. The Slytherin turned to look at his professors, his eyes full of sadness and guilt.

"Don't worry, Draco," said Dumbledore sympathetically. "Harry is stubborn, but he will make the right choice. Just give him a little time."

Draco nodded dejectedly, and then climbed the stairs towards his own room.

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The resounding BANG of a door slamming could be heard all throughout the house. Harry Potter was in a very bad mood, and he didn't care if the door suffered at the moment.

He took a deep, calming breath and looked around the room he and Ron had shared last summer. Nothing about it was different. Harry walked slowly over to one of the beds and put his head down in his hands. If he had known that turning sixteen was going to bring this many new problems into his life, he would have killed himself while he had the chance.

Harry sighed as he remembered what had happened when he and Lupin arrived in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place. Professor Dumbledore had been there, and hadn't wasted a minute explaining to Harry what was going on. He had been informed that Professor McGonagall was going to help him with his animagus transformation once he got back to school, so that he could get it under control.

Harry had eagerly agreed, glad that the Headmaster wasn't wasting any time. However, when Harry had asked about the black energy that had been surrounding him, Dumbledore immediately changed the subject. That frustrated Harry to no end. He wasn't a child anymore! He was the savior of the wizarding world, for Merlin's sake! He deserved to be told things, especially things concerning him.

But what pissed Harry off more than anything, was the fact that he had just been told that he was a veela's mate, Draco Malfoy's mate. Harry looked down at his hand and saw that the letter Dumbledore had given him to read was still there. He unfolded it, smoothed it out, and read it again.

Headmaster Dumbledore,

Greetings. I write to you this day on behalf of my son, Draco Alexander Malfoy, Heir to the Malfoy name and fortune, student, and half veela.

I fear, headmaster, that I have kept many secrets from you, unwilling on my part. I am, as you have probably already guessed, at least three-fourths veela, and that makes my son a half veela. He has known since his tenth birthday, and it was by Lucius' wish that he keep it a secret.

My son has also known who his mate is since he was eleven. You may be surprised to hear that Harry Potter is in fact my son's mate. Then again, knowing not many things surprise you, you may just have an amused smile on your face and that annoying twinkle in your eye. Forgive me, dear Albus, but know that I pen these words as terms of endearment.

With the knowledge that Harry Potter is my son's mate, I hope that you will help us. Draco has recently come into his full powers and it is hard for him to be without his mate. I know what it is like. I never did find my mate, and I will do anything to make sure Draco gets his.

My husband, Lucius, is still in Azkaban, as I am sure you know. I ask, plead, and beg protection for my son and me. It will only be a matter of time before Lucius and the other Death Eaters are broken free, and then the Dark Lord will know that Harry Potter is Draco's mate.

The Dark Lord must not be able to use Draco, for inside him resides the desire to do anything to protect his mate, even kill. Now I am sure you see, headmaster, how it would be a terrible misfortune were the Dark Lord to get hold of him, which he surely will if we remain here any longer.

Once again I tell you that this letter is written on behalf of one I love, one who is my whole world, and one who needs protection. Please, help us.

I await your reply,

Narcissa Malfoy

Harry let the letter float to the floor as he put his head in his hands once more. At first he thought it was a joke, some kind of twisted form of amusement for the Malfoys. But now he realized it was completely true. He was Draco Malfoys mate. The thought confused him, angered him beyond belief.

Harry let out a low scream and slipped from the bed, landing on his knees on the floor. He sat that way for a moment, enjoying the blankness his mind had drifted into, when he suddenly noticed something. It felt like the floor was about to give way beneath him.

Harry scooted back and examined the space closely, his eyes widening at what he found. One of the floorboards was loose. Harry ran his fingers along the seams, trying to find a way to lift the board. One of his fingers caught a small hollow, and Harry pulled the board free. A cloud of dust rose to greet him, and Harry sneezed several times before the dust cleared.

Books. There were at least ten books hidden in the space beneath the floor. Harry sighed. That wasn't what he had been expecting. All the same, he gingerly plucked a book away from the others. He used the back of his had to clear it of dust and then dropped the book in alarm. Black Magic was its title, and Harry realized with a start that it was an illegal book full of dark spells and curses.

He sat there, staring at the book for a moment, before picking it up again and opening it. Up in the corner of the title page, written in a tiny scrawl, were the words Property of Regulus Black. Harry's mouth dropped open. Regulus had been Sirius's brother, and this must have been his room.

Harry wasn't exactly sure why he did what he did next. He put the loose floorboard back in its place, lit a candle, crawled into bed, and began reading the book he had found. If anyone had bothered to check on him late in the night, they would have seen the fading orange light of a candle seeping out from under the closed bedroom door. However, no one did bother to check on him, and therefore no one knew that Harry Potter, savior of the magical world, ultimate Light wizard, was reading a book about the Dark Arts.

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