AN: Finally! Yes, I know I said I'd try to update, but things have been pretty hectic. This was one of the first times I had a moment to myself to really become committed to the story and I only now just finished the middle of the forth chapter, which for some strange reason wasn't done yet. I haven't given up, but if this is the way updates are going, then expect a long delay. If all goes right, I'll keep writing and have something for Thanksgiving to repost again. I know that sucks, but it's the best I can do, I think. We'll just see how it goes.

Chapter 4

The hospital wing, Harry noted, was unusually silent. At midnight, the other patients were asleep, and he was left alone in his own thoughts as Pomfrey and the Malfoys poked and prodded at the still unconscious Draco. After he had collapsed, Harry had gathered him in his arms and traveled to Hogwarts. Dumbledore in his ever knowing ways was up and in a blue and green striped dressing gown with Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy looking wide awake and disheveled from their unexpected awakening.

Snape was sitting next to him in full robes, seemingly content to sit in silence while he took in the scene in front of him. He was called for any potion assistance, but with no known cause, he was as useless as Harry. Dumbledore and McGonagall were on the other side of him, looking tense.

Harry sighed and stretched out his legs as his head leaned back on the chair. He regarded the ceiling with uninterested eyes and was again reminded that he knew so little of what it was like to sit in these chairs that his friends did at least twice a year. With the exception of Hermione in second year, Harry had never known anyone in the hospital for something more serious than a miscast spell. Yet even with his petrified best friend, he at least had Ron and the threat of the basilisk to keep his mind busy. Now he had nothing to distract him from remembering the frightening encounter with Draco he had had only an hour ago.

It had perhaps been the strangest night that Harry had ever experienced with Draco, which was saying a lot. In their nightly encounters in London, he was constantly finding himself in strange situations with an array of colorful people. But this one definitely took the cake. It had begun with Harry throwing Draco off him, but ended in just the opposite. This was strictly why he avoided relationships, he thought to himself. It was all just too confusing.

He hadn't grown up with a very…appealing look at marriage from his relatives, but even exposure to Ron and Hermione's relationship, and the recounting of Ginny's failed romances made dating someone seem like a constant headache over misunderstandings. Anniversaries to remember, dates to take them on, treading the fine line of really good friend and girlfriend like he had with Ginny, well, it just made the whole thing seem like he was running and getting nowhere.

What he and Draco had was vastly different. It was comprised of mostly no strings attached sex with conversation to make up the remainder, which of course led to an argument, which then led to angry sex. And that was fun, easy. He was seventeen, he didn't want to settle down or have a long term relationship, at least not until Voldemort was finally disposed of. Draco had understood that; they were both teenage boys after all and there was nothing more natural to either of them than getting your needs met. Of course, Harry wasn't sure what those needs actually were when they first started hanging around each other, but now that he knew it just seemed logical to have an arrangement with the other man.

Sex had been expected, arguing had been guaranteed, conversation was always iffy, but he knew that going in. What he hadn't known was how hard it would be to sit here and actually worry about Draco, like he cared.

He sat up slowly, unaware that all of the teachers' eyes were on him. His mouth opened and closed as his mind latched onto an idea that had floated through his head.

He actually cared. Harry Potter cared for his rival, a Slytherin git. It just seemed so wrong to think, but felt right when he did.

And now he was sitting here, waiting for his…whatever Draco was to wake up from his panic induced faint. Worst of all, whatever he felt was bound to be disregarded by Draco who probably thought Harry was nothing more than a willing body to make his imprisonment more enjoyable.

The thought made his stomach clench and he felt worse than he had before. Trying not to think, he cleared his mind like Snape had taught him for Occulemency. It almost worked, but flashes of blond hair, pale skin and gray eyes accosted his mind before he could stop them. He kicked at the ground with his shoes and jumped when a hand clasped over his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Pomfrey bustling over, leaving Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy standing over their son's bed.

"We've discovered the cause of Mr. Malfoy's aliment." She said firmly and her mouth held a small frown that she normally reserved for Quidditch accidents. It was obvious that whatever had happened to Draco was something she deemed unnecessary and foolish. Her eyes flicked from Dumbledore to Harry and softened a bit. "Why don't we send you off to bed, dear. It's getting late." Harry opened his mouth to protest, but found an invisible hand pushing him forward towards the door. There was just enough time to glance at the Malfoy family. Lucius graced him with a sardonic smile, making it clear who had ordered him from the room in the first place.

His shoe kicked the solid wall, which was incredibly stupid because now his foot hurt and he was no closer to finding out what had happened. If Lucius Malfoy was trying to keep him out, then there was little he could do about it. With a heavy step, he walked down the hall, unsure where he was going to go. A 'pop' sounded behind him and he found himself looking into the helpful face of Dobby.

"Harry Potter, sir!" He exclaimed and then marched him down the hall. "Professor Dumbledore has told Dobby to be sending Harry Potter to a room." Harry nodded and drowned out the excessive chatter. Something was wrong, something so wrong that the elder Malfoy didn't want him to hear, Harry reasoned. The Malfoys were private, but he knew it had to be more serious than over-exhaustion or else Pomfrey wouldn't have been frowning and he wouldn't have been out here.

Everything had seemed fine with Draco. He was eating, sleeping, and acting perfectly normal. There wasn't any indication that something was wrong with him until he had started screaming this morning.

Wouldn't it be just his luck if Draco was subjected to his birthday curse, Harry thought with a laugh. Things always seemed to be happening on his birthday.

The thought of him turning seventeen being a significant contribution to the collapse was unlikely, leaving Harry stumped. He paused and thought. If there was one thing that helped him when he was utterly clueless, it was Hermione. Knowing what he had to do, he allowed Dobby to lead him to his room before he snuck up to the Owlery and sent a letter off.

Harry was waiting by the door to the Great Hall six hours after he had dozed off in his room. It was nearly seven in the morning, but he was wide awake and anxiously watching for the first sign of movement. The door creaked and a freckled hand held it open while the petit Hermione ducked underneath it with a bundle in her hands.

"Harry!" She said breathlessly and thrust the pile of clothes in his hand with a small smile. "We got your letter. What's going on?" He was very careful not to write anything in the letter that might alarm either of his friends, and it was evident that he hadn't or else Hermione would be in full research mode and Ron would be ready to punch something. Now they looked curios, albeit a bit tired.

"Did you get what I asked for?" He asked and sifted through the cloth in his hands, sidestepping her question.

She frowned and nodded. "Of course. Now what-" Six veelas entered the room for an early breakfast, effectively cutting her off.

"Not here." He muttered and steered them to his private room.

They were all sitting comfortably on his bed with Ron and Harry up against the headboard and Hermione sitting in the middle of the bed with her legs crossed. He had already showered and changed with the clothes Hermione had brought and now had his invisibility cloak and map spread out before him.

"So what's going on? You never wake up this early; we barely even acknowledge that this time exists during school!" Ron commented as he gently poked Hermione in the knee with his foot, earning a blush and a flustered slap from his girlfriend.

"I haven't been exactly honest with you this summer. There are things-fuck!" He glanced at the map to see two dots moving. "And I'll tell you what they are when I get back." He ran out of the room with his invisibility cloak, leaving his two best friends to wonder what happened. The raven-haired boy disappeared under the cloak and scuttled along the walls until his prey was in sight.

Stalking a veela, Harry discovered, was next to impossible. He had followed Draco's parents up to the hospital wing, but they moved swiftly and silently and were constantly lost in a sea of fair heads that floated through the halls. They came to a stop right by Draco's bed whose occupant seemed to be awake as well. What was it with veelas being early risers? Harry certainly hadn't picked up on this when they were sharing a bed.

He slid himself under an adjacent bed, making sure he was covered by the cloak. Fishing around in his pocket produced an Extendable Ear, another Weasley invention smuggled in by Hermione and Ron. It slipped around the curtain just as Lucius Malfoy pulled them to give his family a bit of privacy. They spoke in low tones, but Harry could hear them through the magically enhanced device.

"-Was incredibly stupid. Honestly, Draco, I haven't the slightest idea what you're so set about ruining your life." Lucius' figure was pacing; Harry could just make out the silhouette of his shape.

Draco's response was haughty and defensive. "Don't you mean your life?"

"Your life, my life…we are Malfoys. What's good for one of us is good for the family."

"That is such-"

Narcissa, in a calm and deceptively light voice, cut him off with a quiet, "Don't swear, Draco, dear. It doesn't suit."

"Unbelievable." The word was drawn out and Harry wiggled closer to listen. Whatever they were talking about was obviously a subject that had never been brought up. Draco was too upset and Lucius was too angry for it to be a revisited conversation. Narcissa didn't seem to have much of an opinion and was probably serving as a mediator, a job Harry didn't envy with the two men in her life. "This isn't even about me. It's all just a scam to bring some good to our name so you don't end up in Azkaban again."

"Watch your tongue." The voice was harsh; Draco must have hit a button by bringing up the wizard prison. The two people he had known who had been to Azkaban, Sirius and Hagrid, never commented, even when it was brought up. Sirius just gave a tight smile and left the room while the half-giant was brought to tears by the first syllable. For them, it was a painful reminder that they suffered while innocent; Harry suspected for Lucius it was the anger at being caught.

"Draco, we understand why you feel that way, but really, it's for the best." Narcissa said in her pleasant tone. Even eavesdropping on her, it seemed to Harry, gave no indication of her character. It was like she just existed to fill a void. "Denying your mate is-"

"Stupid, irresponsible, foolish. You're squabbling away our chance!" Lucius' voice cut over his wife's. She sighed and he heard the rustle of cloth as if she was shifting in her chair.

Lucius continued to talk, but Harry drowned him out. Mate? It was suddenly all clicking. Draco had to be with someone else, and he knew that last night.

"I can't have you anymore."

At the time, Harry had found it ridiculous; Draco could have him anytime he wanted and he had on several occasions in different parts of the house and Muggle London. Now it all made sense. He was being given up so Draco could be with the person or veela he had selected. Part of him wanted to cry at the unfairness that his first lover, his first romance, was being ended so abruptly and so painfully. His stomach churned and his eyes darkened as he thought of the person his now ex-lover might have chosen.

She was probably a pureblood, beautiful and extremely wealthy. No doubt that she had all the knowledge that a perfect trophy wife should know as well as impeccable manners that had been drilled into her early on. With Draco being a veela, Harry knew there was some sexual compatibility between her and Draco, but Harry hoped against anything that she would be lousy in bed. She'd be a frigid woman that Draco would only go to so he could have several heirs.

Even as he thought it, he knew it wasn't true. Lucius knew who she was. She had to be reputable or else he wouldn't be doing it to boost his family's standing. With every witch in the world, he was lost at who it would be. Sighing, he squashed his feelings and leaned closer to listen.

"-Make a good mate. Good bloodlines, good status, very powerful. Given our current circumstances, we couldn't have asked for a better mate."

"I won't do it. You can't make me."

"Your maturity is really showing and don't forget that I can make you. You'll do this or I'll disown you." Lucius said with a sniff.

Harry could just imagine the shocked look on Draco's face, but he seemed to recover because he shot back, "How? The Ministry froze your assets."

"Draco why don't you tell us why you're so set against this?" Narcissa asked gently and immediately Draco's voice turned softer.

"I know you think I'm being ridiculous, but I have thought about it. There are lots of reasons why I shouldn't be with him."

Harry's jaw fell open. What the hell? What did he mean by him? Draco's mate was a guy? All three questions ran through his head, and, in his confusion, he nearly missed the rest of the conversation.

Lucius' voice drifted through the curtains as he responded with a bored drawl. "Such as?"

"If he dies, I die. He's right up there on the execution list and I can't put myself in that danger. You always said a Malfoy must do whatever possible to survive." Harry snorted; that did sound a lot like Lucius, which would explain the lack of hostility towards Dumbledore and the sudden shift of allegiance.

"Yes, but I also said that our happiness is above all others."

Narcissa picked up. "He's right, Draco. You won't be happy with anyone else. Mates are chosen because they are a perfect companion. Now, surely, that can't be your only reason?"

"I'm too young to mate for all eternity."

"Rubbish! Why, when I was your age, I was already planning my wedding. Even if you weren't a veela, you'd have an arranged marriage and you'd be in the same situation. Would you like to try again?"

There was a pause; either Draco was thinking of his next excuse or he was hesitating whether or not to mention it.

Narcissa seemed to think it was the latter and once again encouraged him to reveal his reasoning.

"There are two reasons." Draco finally said and if Harry could lean any closer, he would. As it was, he was barely under the bed and his cloak was in danger of slipping to the floor. "I don't want him to feel like he has to be with me. It shouldn't be a burden, so I want him to decide before I reveal this."

There was another long pause before Lucius broke the silence. "Sentimentality from a Slytherin? I knew this would happen when you started sleeping with a Gryffindor. They contaminate the mind!" For the second time, Harry's jaw dropped. Lucius knew about him and Draco. It was extremely disturbing and Harry had to wonder what else the elder Malfoy was filing away in his mind.

"Really, Lucius. I think it's…nice." Her tone didn't suggest that she thought it was nice. In fact, it seemed to be almost a hindrance, but too neutral to say it. "However, the bond is never a burden. It's a gift. Anybody would be happy to share this with you. Who wouldn't want you for a mate?"

Harry privately agreed and waited for the last response. Who knew that Draco would be so concerned about his mate's happiness? The one time that he finally dropped his arrogant state and it had nothing to do with Harry. The world just seemed cruel.

"My other reason is…when we were down in the Ministry…" Here Draco took a deep breath and the tap of Lucius' shoes against the floor suddenly ceased, "When we were in the Ministry, you both made sure that I wasn't touched." Harry breathed in a shaking breath; the Malfoys had let themselves get raped to spare their son. Whatever his feelings for them in the past, he now felt a tiny bit of compassion for them. They had protected Draco for him, and to Harry, that meant more than nearly anything in the world.

"Draco," Narcissa began to say, but was cut off.

"If he has to go through that for me, because I couldn't react fast enough…I can't let that happen." The last words were spoken with a heavy sadness that Harry felt sink into his skin, chilling him to the bone. His body felt numb and he remained motionless with wide eyes and sharp breaths. Slowly, he crawled away and left the Malfoy family to finish their private discussion.

Outside the infirmary was a large suit of armor with a sufficient crawl space that allowed Harry to duck in-between the stone and shaped metal. His invisibility cloak flowed down his arms and concealed him once more. He curled his knees up to his chest and just sat while feeling his heart break. This was it then; Draco was officially gone from his life. His words in the hospital wing made it clear to Harry that the love he felt for his mate was unending. There was no chance in getting him back.

Perhaps some part of him had realized this, but hearing Draco speak about his mate just made it more real. But, a small part of him reasoned, if this is what will make him happy, then I need to give him out. Two tears were squeezed from his eyes; he drew in a ragged breath and prepared to leave when the sharp click of heels and soft padding of footsteps reached his ears.

"Lucius." Narcissa began quietly. "If he doesn't want to bond…"

The older Malfoy paused as he passed into Harry's line of vision and he could just see a grin spread across his face. "If he doesn't, we'll take matters into own hands. He'll bond with Harry Potter whether he wants to or not." The clicking of footsteps started up again, but Harry was too elated to realize.

He was the mate. Him. Draco loved him, or at least it sounded like he did. Lucius and Narcissa wanted him to be their son's mate. There relationship wasn't over.

His mind couldn't wrap around the idea but already his body knew because his heart jumped, his cheeks flushed and warmth coiled in his stomach. Such was his happiness that he didn't hear the heels pause around the corner.

"He's a fool if he thinks he can outsmart a Slytherin." Lucius commented as he peered around the corner before his wife grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"But he's Draco's fool and he loves him." She said tenderly as they locked eyes. Lucius' face became less stony as he gazed on his bride who hadn't changed a day since they married. His grey eyes lit up and he kissed her softly on the forehead, her eyes closing in pleasure at the small action. "Let's leave them alone." She whispered and they linked arms and walked back to their room.

Harry waited until Draco had strolled out of the hospital wing before attacking him. It had been an hour since he had spied on the Malfoy family and he had spent it huddled behind a suit of armor that stood guard over the entrance to the infirmary.

Draco yelped, but Harry had anticipated it and threw a hand over his mouth. It was impossible to be sleeping with a person and not be able to predict what he would do in certain situations; his lover had a tendency to yelp when he was startled. He dragged the unwilling body into their transfiguration room and locked the door while Draco glared at him.

"Must you manhandle me?" A hand reached up to wipe his mouth to remove any traces of Harry. The Gryffindor just smiled at the action; Draco always had to be so dramatic about everything.

"Must you be so difficult?"

"Are you just going to answer my question with another question?"

Harry paused as he thought up his next response, knowing that if he chose correctly, he could get Draco loose his calm façade. "Would it bother you if I did?"

Once again, as predicted, hands went up in the air in exasperation accompanied with a strangled scream. "Why am I here, Potter?"

Harry suddenly grew serious. His green eyes hardened and none of the mirth that was there earlier rested in their dark depths. "You weren't going to tell me." His voice was hard and accusing as he could see the barely repressed flinch of Draco's shoulders. It served him right, Harry thought viciously, if he thought he could keep something like this to himself.

"I don't know what you're-" He broke off as he caught Harry's stare and broke eye contact. Harry could see the truth behind his words and his eyes, just like he always had this summer. "It won't affect you."

"Of course it will! We're mates, Draco. How does that not affect me?"

"The bond," Draco began slowly, "Will affect mostly me. You probably won't feel any of the stirrings of it. You won't be burdened with it."

Harry's mouth fell open. Was their bond a burden? It was anything but to Harry. "Did you ever think that maybe I wanted it? That it wasn't the problem you make it out to be?"

Draco's head remained downward and he shifted his weight from foot to foot for a moment. "Did you ever think I didn't want it?" His eyes shifted back up with a mask over them that concealed every stray emotion. For a moment, they stood still, Harry in shock over what he had said and Draco regarding his mate for his reaction. When it seemed that he wasn't going to counter his attack, Draco brushed past him and tried to pull open the door.

He whirled around to face Harry who had been pulled out of his shock and now had a hand forward from a wandless locking charm. Draco still didn't have his wand back from the Ministry and realized the only way out was to listen to what Harry had to say.

Instead of some long rambling speech about how they should be together, which was what Draco had expected, he found himself thrown against the door. His cheek was pressed to the grainy surface, which rubbed painfully as Harry's body held him in place behind him. Hands brought his hands behind his back and the doorknob was pressed into his stomach, yet all of this was ignored as his veela half took in the warm body of his mate that was pressed tightly against him. Unable to stop himself, a gasp escaped his lips and the hips behind him rocked forward.

Draco's eyes flew open at the feeling of an erection firmly held against his backside and at the knowledge that Harry was getting off on this rough treatment. However, Draco couldn't deny that with the heat of Harry against his back and a hot breath tickling his neck, the situation was very arousing. He made very sure not to shift back to encourage it; no matter how right it felt, he was firm in his decision that he was not going to complete the bond with Harry.

"Listen, Draco," The last part came out a hiss and gray eyes fell shut again against his will, "I'm not the lovesick fool you think I am. I'm not weak and I won't mope around while you call the shots." A whimper escaped his throat and Draco hoped against anything that it wasn't his. "I care about you, a lot, and I wouldn't just tumble into bed with you for a quick fuck." Here he felt his pants being unbuckled and instead of protesting or stopping wandering hands, he threw his head back against Harry's shoulder and bit his lip.

"Then what do you want?" He bit out the sentence as a hand encircled the base of his cock and started to move in achingly slow strokes. A tongue tasted a drop of sweat at his temple and Draco couldn't stop his hips from flexing forward. Harry knew how to play his body, to manipulate it to get what he wanted. If he wanted answers, then Draco knew he was in no state to deny his mate anything. It had nearly killed him earlier to reject him, but he knew he had to.

"Why are you doing this? Why don't you want to complete the bond?" The hand stilled and Draco squirmed a bit.

"Harry, please." He begged, but the hand only tightened around him in a warning. "I-I…"

The voice hissed in his ear again and Harry's hand on him became increasingly tight. "Say it!"

"I don't want to need you!" He practically cried and then whimpered in relief as the hand began to stroke him again. His body was twisting in the iron grip, and he wasn't sure if he was eager for completion or desperate to escape the sure hands of his mate.

"Why can't you need me? Does it have anything to do with the Ministry?"

Draco wasn't even paying attention now, just thrusting into the warm hand that was jerking him off in harsh strokes. "Harry…" He breathed.

"Answer me, Draco."

"Bad…things happen."

"For people who you need?"

"Yes." He hissed, from the exquisite combination of pleasure and pain.

The hand suddenly slowed. "I won't hurt you Draco, I promise. You can trust me."

Draco's eyes flew open again and he suddenly pushed Harry off him and tucked himself back into his pants. "Open the door, Potter." His voice was shaking and he hated it.

Harry got up off the ground where he had fallen. None of the possession that he had displayed moments earlier was left in his body; instead he approached Draco cautiously as the other man did up his clothing. "Draco?"

He reached out a hand to touch and had it smacked away by an irate blond. "Don't touch me, Potter. Open the bloody door." Knowing it was no use to keep him, the door swung open with a wave of his hand. The Slytherin sped out of the room, leaving a very confused to Harry to wonder what had happened.

AN: End of chapter four! Read and review; it won't make me update faster, but it'll make me feel better. Thanks!