Disclaimer: In Chapter 1
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Chapter 3: Let the Games Begin.
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It was too early to wake. She knew this, because there wasn't even any sunlight piercing through her eyelids. Never the less, Hermione stretched lazily and opened her eyes, only to shoot up out of bed. What in the world had happened here? The nice cozy guest room in which she had been staying was now a real live (well live, you know) shrine to Draco Malfoy. How had he done it?
Every wall was covered with pictures of the annoying Veela that was supposed to be her mate. There was not one inch of wallpaper showing. From huge posters down to the tiniest thumbnail sized, all the "Draco Malfoys" were watching Hermione Granger and smiling.
Thought bubbles were popping up every now and again, asking questions such as..."Is she our mate?" "Will she bond with us?" Some were enchanted to spout love sonnets, others just made outrageous leering gestures at her in her night time attire.
It took her twenty minutes of frenzied work to get them all down. Once they were all piled on her bed she had no idea what to do with them. Then an imp of evilness perched itself upon her shoulder and she gathered the pictures into a large armful. Sneaking out of her room, she headed down the dark halls, humming a tuneless song.
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Five minutes into the first class of the day and already Draco was ready for lunch. Not the food so much as the break from the students. So far three children had cried, and for reasons quite unknown to him. He had almost hexed a fourth and his head was pounding to the rhythm of the scritching of quills. None of this boded well for his day. A long sigh, followed by the tapping of his wand on the desk in front of him, drew the eyes of his students. The little blighters looked scared for some reason. What did they think he was going to do, administer a unforgivable or something? He glared and they quickly resumed working on the three parchments of equations he had given them, this morning.
The pounding in his head made his eyes tear slightly and he brushed the water from his face with impatience. Would the day never end? Another sigh and he was up pacing back and forth in the classroom.
Back and forth, back and forth like a caged animal. Back and forth, back and forth, his mind drifting away with new thoughts. Hermione Granger flowed into his head. In the throes of the Veela desire for his mate, he forgot about the years he had spent taunting her, hating her even. He couldn't understand why she wouldn't just give in and fall for him. He was attractive wasn't he? He was wealthy? He was intelligent? The affirmations appeared in his mind before he could stop them, but he needed those little mental pick-me-uppers.
In the light of all his GOOD qualities, why couldn't she just let bygones be bygones?
Sure she might be a Mu...Muggleborn wizard, but he didn't hold that against her. Well in truth his Veela blood wouldn't allow him to hold it against her, she was his mate, regardless of old bigotries.
Draco had a very small niggling feeling in the back of his mind that IF he hadn't come into his inheritance he MAY have held the non-pure blood thing against her. But then again maybe not, he was open minded, wasn't he? Well, wasn't he? He scowled as he paced. (Sometimes its not good to ask yourself too many pointed questions so early in the day, especially when you know you aren't going to love the answers! )
He sighed again and flopped himself down into his chair behind his desk. His feet went up onto the wooden surface of that same desk and he leaned his chair back, and perused the ceiling. Plaster was a bit patchy over the left corner, have to get some house elves up here...
"Professor Malfoy!" A voice across the desk caused him to start slightly and his precarious position on the chair made it impossible to right himself when the it tipped too far. He found himself on his back, on the floor behind his desk, his temper rising.
Draco Malfoy, at the best of times didn't ENJOY humiliation. At the best of times embarrassing situations made him want to kill, kill, kill! Now with his very sanity hanging by a thread, as it so obviously was, he couldn't think of anything evil enough to do to the student who had caused ALL of this! So all he did was lie on his back and swear. The students of Hogwarts from times immemorial had never heard words such as this come from the lips of a person who was supposed to be their teacher. It was clear that Professor Malfoy had walked off the straight edge of sanity! He needed help that only a good dose of medication or slapping could fix.
"Professor?" A small face appeared over the desk and it was clear she was scared out of her wits. Her eyes were tearing and she was biting her lower lip.
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Anne Haroldson hadn't wanted to come to Professor Malfoy's class in the first place, not after him yelling at her the other day in the Great Hall, and for no reason as far as she could see. He had even taken fifty points from Gryffindor because he said her posture was bad. She wondered if he noticed that she had been standing up very straight lately. She didn't want to bring shame upon her house again.
Now this.
Gryffindor might never recover! It might be better if she asked to be resorted into a different house before all her mates just decided to have her tarred and feathered.
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Draco did his silently counting to a million thing again in the hopes that it would calm him down. It didn't.
The girl flinched, maybe he wasn't counting as silently as he had thought. Maybe his voice was escalating on each new number he said. Maybe he was yelling at the top of his voice. Maybe he had lost his bloody mind. With that thought he grimaced and got to his feet.
"Why aren't you in class Ms. Haroldson?" He sighed.
"I...I...I..." The annoying child stammered.
"Well?" He was using his NOT amused face, which actually pretty much looked like every other face these days.
"Professor Snape wants you to come to his classroom, its important." She blushed when she said the last bit.
Why in the world would Snape want him to come to his classroom?
"Tell him I will be there after class." Draco waved a dismissive hand at the child. Apparently she wasn't good at reading body language because she simply stood there, looking at him.
"Well?"
"Professor Snape said I wasn't to come back unless you are with me." The girl was trembling now. The phrase "between a rock and a hard place" in action, right here in his very own classroom. He wanted to make her suffer a while, since she had caused him to fall off his chair. Yes that had ALL clearly been her fault, but she was just a child.
He was contemplating getting 'even' with a CHILD? He needed to try to pull himself together and act like an adult, for a minute, if he could. Of course he could! He had control over himself, he was not at some whim of fate. Or blood. He was Draco Malfoy, he could try to not act like a freak, and he could succeed. With that new thought planted firmly in his mind he nodded to the girl and turned back to his class.
"I will be back in a few minutes, resume your working. No talking, do not leave your desks. I will know!" He glared at them all and they believed!
Draco followed the ramrod straight form of the girl in front of him. She was walking like she had a board strapped to her back, her movements sharp and inelegant, strange child. Putting the girl out of his mind he once again wondered what was so urgent that Snape would summon him to the dungeons in the middle of class.
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Hermione felt better than she had in days. She was running across the west lawns with a group of Hufflepuffs, playing a game of Wizards Tag. Her laughter filled the air.
It had been ages since she had done anything like this, if in fact she ever had. This was fun! Hermione Granger having fun, she couldn't remember the last time she had had fun, on purpose. Since she had been such a serious child, she had done more studying than anything else. The last few years there really hadn't been time to seek out enjoyable activities, even if she had known where to look to find them, in the first place.
The late Autumn air was making her cheeks redden. Stopping she rested her hands on her knees and bent over slightly. Her breath came out in uneven gasps and her nose was running a bit, she ran a gloved hand across it and sniffed. A smile of pure happiness curved itself along her lips before she took off running again, lest she be named IT.
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High in a top tower, a pair of twinkling eyes was watching Hermione and the children at play. It was no coincidence that the Headmaster had Hermione working with the students. When she had arrived that first day he could see that she was care worn, and world weary. There were circles under her eyes and lines on her forehead that shouldn't have been there. She needed to relax, have a little fun. He couldn't remember her having much fun as a child, but now her laughter could be heard mingling with the others playing below on the grass.
The Headmaster was pleased. He was one of those few people in the world who truly loved children, he loved each of them for the qualities that made them unique. He would gladly have kept every single student at Hogwarts, even after they were grown. To him they were all his children. They were his family, and he worried about them when they were out in the World, a place that he couldn't keep them safe. He hadn't been able to protect so many of them during the last war, his soul ached with the loss of them.
Some people had the misguided idea that he loved certain children more. Some people had thought that he loved Harry Potter most of all, but those people were wrong. He had a fondness in his heart for all of them, even the bratty snide little ones who tried to make things difficult. The ones whose parents had instilled into them a sense of superiority, Dumbledore cared even for those children. If he hadn't he never would never have asked Draco Malfoy back as a teacher.
Thinking of Draco brought a slight grimace to the Headmaster's face. He wasn't yet sure what he was going to do about the part Veela professor of his, but things seemed to be coming to a head and soon by the looks of it.
Draco was growing more erratic and there could come a time when they would need to remove him from his teaching position until he either bonded with his mate or he could control his blood instincts. The heads of houses had been informed that any points taken by him should be ignored during this time, but that no one would be told. No reason to undermine his authority even if he was acting a bit off.
Dumbledore watching Hermione wondered if she would ever become amenable to being Draco's mate? He remembered them as children, sniping at each other. Never a kind word was shared between them. The animosity between the two had been only slightly less than that between Draco and Ron Weasley. The child Draco had seemed to arouse ill feelings from a good majority of his schoolmates. Dumbledore just hoped for his own sanity and the safety of everyone that Hermione would be able to find her way to Draco.
Things could get very ugly, if the part Veela wasn't bonded. And the sooner the better.
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Draco stalked along the dungeon hallways toward Snape's classroom. Upon reaching the door it was thrown open before he could touch it.
A sneering Professor Snape ushered his student inside before turning to Draco.
"Well, while I do appreciate the offer, I am afraid I simply cannot accept." Snape almost smiled, it wasn't a good look!
It appeared as if Severus Snape was laughing at Draco Malfoy. Draco was nonplussed he couldn't remember Snape ever having laughed at anything.
"What on Earth are you talking about?" Draco curled his lip in disdain at the sudden levity that Snape was finding difficult to conceal.
Professor Snape moved aside and waved Draco into his classroom.
"Bloody Hell!" At Draco's words Snape did give way to humor and laughed. The students in the room fell even more silent, no one even seemed to breath as their severe potion's master did more than sneer vilely. That Severus Snape was laughing scared them more than Draco had been capable of doing the last few weeks. (And that was saying something.)
Draco's mind was racing. How had she done it? When had she done it? By Merlin's Beard the girl was bloody brilliant! He had gone from shocked, to amused in the space of about three seconds. Every picture that Draco had place on Hermione's walls that morning were instead in Severus Snape's classroom. They were saying new things now than those Draco had enchanted them to say. Now it was..."Professor Snape, Ooo la la, you look so attractive in those robes!" "Dear Professor, will you Marry Me?" "Professor, I think I love you!" and the like. Draco just stood and shook his head, unbelievable.
So she wanted to play did she? Well then let the games begin! An evil grin marked his face, and with a swirl of robes he was gone, leaving behind a roomful of stunned students, and a still semi-smiling Snape. (alliteration)
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TBC
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Ok thar she blows.
A couple of things....
In Dreams...Yes I am reading Frizzy's fic as well, I do read quite a bit of slash, mostly Draco/Harry...and while I like her IDEA (obviously, since I am using that particular plot device) I don't so much enjoy the characterization of Harry. I don't love seeing him as some sort of crybaby, he has fought Voldemort and lived with the Dursleys for crying out loud so he has backbone. Just seems to have lost it somewhere. ;) I am not opposed to OOC characters...per se...I mean HELLO I am doing a VEELA fic...but still a bit of continuity!
Burgundyred...HUGS, YOU are my spell checker! :) Thank you for finding my errors for me. Please keep it up, I need it. .
Arbitrary...Woe is me, I am still taking the refresh key challenge. ;)
Fluff...yes I have read Burgundyred's "Post Hogwart's Affair" I even recced it in my other fiction. :)
MsLessa...Thanks for the cyber Pumpkin Pie!
And to everyone else.....LuckyClovers, Maiden of Ice, FashionDiva, gaia-moore, dangelu881, scholz03, Teenie Malice, Pendragon, Fluff, Emerald, Tippie Toes, La Rose Noire, MsLessa, Burgundyred, In Dreams, Fu Man Skeeto, Arbitrary, Spaced out Space Cadet, Kou Shun'u, klee_babe, thefluffymuffinbunny, Azn-Sweetie, zennou-sakusha, gaia, Bobotuber Pus, Ankle, Silent Seishin, Lady Mistress, Andy, Dream Serpent, Croft, Mesmer, Achicagoil, Dazed Panda...Thankyou so much for your reviews, I really appreciated them! :)
OK as per usual, I have found some fics that I am enjoying, you might like them as well, check them out....
1) Arbitrary's "Temporary Insanity" (When would I NOT recommend this?)
2)Nichneven's "Sunshine Day" (I know I mentioned this on Draco's Inheritance already but for people who haven't read this yet...please do! Its a very funny one shot Draco fiction. :) Good stuff.
3)Hasapi's "Last Will and Testament" (I just started it but it has an interesting premise.)