Life Long Love—Chapter Two
Author: Emerald Thorn
Disclaimer: Not mine, I just play with them.
Rating: Definitely R here folks.
Genre: Slash, AU, Romance/Adventure, Fantasy, Veela!Draco (if that could be considered a genre)
Author's Notes: This chapter fought and clawed it's way out. I'm still not satisfied with the end product—it seems rushed yet drawn out and seems to …grrr… and I don't know :frustrated sigh: I've been over it four times and I can't think what to do to make it better at the moment. Expect revision sometime in the future. Reader responses are at the bottom along with some additional comments.
Chapter Two:
Draco sat up with a groan as he cursed the cheery sunshine. He was wet and his back ached fiercely from having spent the night sleeping on a stone bench. Stamping his feet a bit to warm them as he rubbed his hands together, Draco debated whether to head back to the main house or if he wanted to hole up in the stables or the gardener's cottage that wasn't currently being used. Much as he detested sleeping in the stables because of the dust, it would probably be the safer bet as long as he set up wards to let him know if anything happened to Harry.
Wrapping the thin fabric as close as possible, Draco followed the most direct pathway to the stables, coming within a hundred yards of the patio off the side dining room.
Harry slipped and slid across the grass, his feet reminding him that he hadn't been able to find proper footwear. However, Harry continued because he wanted to find out who his mysterious host was and why whoever they were had an odd obsession with dragons. Reaching the tree line, he saw a flagstone pathway that ran roughly parallel to the house. This must have been where he saw the figure. Picking up his pace a little, Harry soon found that the stone pathway was forced to wind a bit as a small stream caused it to detour. Following the pathway, in the distance he saw a figure walking purposefully in the same direction. The figure was probably male and taller than Harry with a full head of silver blonde hair. Breaking out into a slight run, Harry began to gain ground on the man.
"Hey!" Harry shouted, "Wait up a second!"
Draco froze at the sound of Harry's voice. 'Oh Merlin' he thought as the wind brought Harry's scent to him. The well-known addictive scent crashed over him, his nostrils and eyes dilating, breath hitching in his throat as his heartbeat increased. 'Oh Merlin, not now Harry—I'm not safe… I'm not prepared…' Frozen in place, Draco's veela side would not let him run even though his more rational side was screaming that his control was slipping. Draco felt his body temperature and magic levels rising as Harry drew nearer. Trying to grasp hold of himself, Draco almost had it until Harry grabbed his shoulder to turn him around. At Harry's touch, Draco lost the precarious grip on his instincts completely.
His veela side singing joyfully at Harry's nearness, Draco whipped around with all his powers of attraction raging at full power. He was dimly aware he was softly glowing silver. Harry stood before him, slightly out of breath from running to catch up with Draco. Face flushed from the sprint he had taken, Harry's eyes sparkled in the sun that filtered through the trees. Draco found himself unable to stop his arms from encircling Harry. Harry made no move to stop him except to shiver as Draco's grip tightened around his waist, bringing their bodies into full contact from the knees up. One hand snaking up to Harry's jaw, Draco tilted and guided Harry's chin, kissing him. Instinct completely took over as Draco summoned the power to apparate both of them back to the warmth and security of his bed chamber.
Neither Harry nor Draco was truly aware that they'd moved indoors and neither could control the involuntary movement of bodies seeking more contact. Draco's instincts drowning out all thought except his mate was before him and was pliant to every touch. Connected at the mouth, Draco felt as if he'd never need to breathe again as Harry kissed him back hungrily, tongues plunging into a willing mouth as hands tangled in Draco's hair. Bodies were pressed so close that it seemed as if they were trying to fuse their bodies into one being.
Finally forced to temporarily part due to lack of air, Draco found his hands ripping at the odd belt tied around Harry's waist while he nipped with his teeth up Harry's jaw line to his earlobe. Harry's arms were wrapped around Draco's shoulders as he tried to thrust his hips into Draco's. Finishing with the knot of the tied belt, Draco slid the robe off Harry. Underneath, much to Draco's amusement was just a pair of Draco's silk boxers. 'He's already stealing my underwear. We'll have to talk about that later,' Draco thought as he again kissed Harry's closed eyelids.
Seeing the bed directly behind Harry, Draco nuzzled his way to Harry's neck as he maneuvered Harry backwards. Harry's loud gasp of surprise and pleasure announced their arrival as Draco tilted them smoothly down onto the bed. Spreading Harry's legs, he knelt between the spread legs. Running both hands up and down Harry's powerfully built thighs while steadily inching the silk boxers towards Harry's middle to reach more skin, Draco's eyes again found Harry's.
Breathing in deeply to catch his breath, Draco saw an awareness he had never noticed before in Harry's eyes. Lust flickered there, but there was an overtone of passion and trust—something Draco had never thought he would see in Harry's eyes. There was so much emotion shining through that Draco knew that he could never hope to categorize without much more in-depth study. Hands pausing at the middle of Harry's thighs, Draco felt a wave of magic surround him as he kept eye contact with his mate. Magical energy began to cause visible waves of flickering light around him, making his skin glow even more.
As soon as the magic began to extend from Draco, an answering pulse seemed to grow out of Harry. Harry was surrounded by a pulsating red gold aura. Harry sat up, scooting closer to Draco and reached out to touch Draco's chest. When his hand came in contact with Draco's chest, right over the heart, the golden aura surrounding Harry flared in intensity before leaping towards Draco. Simultaneously, Draco's silver aura began to reach for Harry.
The auras touched and swirled together before dissolving into a light golden color that surrounded them both. When the auras blended a feeling of release swept over Draco, it was the permission he'd been unknowingly waiting for.
Falling back onto the bed, Harry's eyes were glazed with lust and need as he clutched Draco to him in a needy kiss. Draco freed himself and moments later was nuzzling Harry's silk covered crotch, the scent of Harry overlaid with his own scent was intoxicating. Mouthing Harry's erection through the cloth, Draco delighted in the sounds his mate was making—deep moans and whimpers with interspersed Draco's and please. He'd picked a good mate and nothing would stop the bonding now that they were this close.
The moment Harry had come within several yards of the man a strange, desperate pang of want made itself known deep inside of his chest. It was almost as if the world slowed down as his hand made contact with the blonde's shoulder and turned him around. Recognition and an overpowering rush of emotions flooded Harry as grey eyes connected with his own. A tingling wave rushed over Harry's skin, leaving him overly sensitive and feeling as if his body was on fire as the distance decreased between himself and Draco. Draco's hand tilted his chin and then they were kissing. The kiss was infinitely better than any other kiss Harry had ever had. Comparing his previous kisses to the current was inconceivable, it was almost as if asking if someone would rather be in heaven or in hell. The kiss was both heaven and hell, heaven because it felt as if the world had suddenly rearranged itself and everything was shimmering and beautiful, indescribable as their tongues mated. Hell because Harry knew that he'd need to breathe, that this life breathing kiss would end, but hopefully more kissing would follow. Warmth suffused Harry as his body strove to be nearer to Draco. All sense had left his thought processes and only a deep certainty remained: Draco. Need Draco now.
The transition from the wooded path to the bedroom was seamless for Harry. One moment he and Draco were standing in the secluded woods and the next he was laying on his back on the dragon canopy bed with Draco nuzzling and mouthing his erection through the borrowed boxers. He found himself sobbing for Draco to do something, what he was unsure of but he did know that Draco would know.
The silk barrier between himself and Draco seemed to dissolve as Draco briefly stopped what he was doing to hiss something Harry didn't understand. Now naked, Harry squirmed against the equally naked Draco. Mind confused and screaming with need, Harry pushed his body into Draco's, desperate for touch.
Harry's sense of time evaporated. Everything was focused in this moment as Draco joined their bodies. Magically generated heat surrounded the pair as magical forces cracked and hissed as they joined, neither exactly aware of what was happening around them. Even as their bodies rushed towards completion, Harry felt something drawing mentally closer to him until they became one, melding seamlessly without flaw.
Harry and Draco were unable to mentally distinguish where one ended and the other began. It was as if they had been two bowls of water that had combined and mixed. Harry found himself looking at Draco's life through his eyes, feeling and understanding Draco's thoughts, seeing who Draco was and was now becoming. Draco also saw his mate's life; the feelings of rage, terror, love, and respect were just a few of the emotional responses to the life his mate had lived. In the meld of their minds, they met and held each other mentally, slowly sinking into the other's essence.
Lucius Malfoy chuckled and shook his head at his son. Draco was sprawled out on top of his mate, both snoring away peacefully with their limbs tangled in the bed sheets. Well, this wasn't exactly what was planned but it would work out eventually. The room around the bed was a mess. The heavy drapes that had been attached to the wall were in pieces scattered about the room, along with shattered furniture and glass. Evidently, his son and Harry had been having a very good time.
He debated whether or not it was a good idea to wake them so early in the morning, but the two had had a week alone together since the night Draco had saved Harry. Clearing his throat, Lucius was surprised his son did not awaken. Draco's training had been extensive and he should have awoken the moment Lucius stepped into the room.
Eventually, Lucius reached down and started gently shaking his son while calling his name. Draco only groaned and snuggled closer to Harry.
Harry however, opened his blue-green eyes and focused immediately on Lucius. "Father?" he said, voice husky with disuse.
Lucius blinked in surprise at Harry, his hand still resting on Draco's back. "What did you just call me?"
Harry smiled slightly as his arm reached out from under the bed clothes and began petting Draco's hair, eliciting a purr from Draco where he was hiding his face in Harry's neck. "I would like to consider you my father—if you'll let me. I know that you are very important to Draco and love him very much."
"You want to consider me your father…I take it you and Draco talked a bit about his situation?"
"Not really, but I don't think talking will be necessary."
Draco then decided to put his two sickle piece in, "Father, is it normal to have a permanent mind-meld when you mate?"
"What do you mean mind-meld?" Lucius asked, wondering what Draco was talking about.
"Our minds, they're… well…" Harry started, and then Draco finished with, "we've become one, completely. I'm still Draco and he's Harry, but it's like we're in the same body almost. I can tell what he's thinking, feeling, and saying and it's as if I'm also thinking about the same things if I reach for him in my mind."
Lucius stared hard at his son for a moment. He remembered his father talking about full-blooded veela and what happened when they mated. What Draco was describing sounded similar, but from what Lucius remembered it usually wasn't as strong as what Draco was implying. He and Narcissa were able to reach out and know what the other was feeling, but they were unable to actually communicate other than that. Also, short distances limited this ability.
"It may be a temporary side-effect, but it is not normal, even for full-blooded veelas. You are not a full-blooded veela, so you should not be having a reaction like this. It may decrease or not over time and distance. You'll have to experiment while I do some research."
Harry's hand stopped moving as he looked at the back of Draco's head. "Do you want to try? Personally I'm getting hungry."
Draco finally lifted his head, stretching slightly in Harry's grasp. "Sounds good. I feel like I haven't eaten in a week."
"Well, if the two of you haven't left this room the whole week you've been here it wouldn't surprise me. Your mother and I couldn't get away until this morning."
"Week?" Draco sputtered as his shock showed on his face, sitting up and knocking Harry backwards. "We've been here a week?"
Arching one eyebrow, Lucius nodded slowly before speaking in his accustomed drawl, "Yes, it's been exactly seven nights since Voldemort captured Harry. I take it you lost track of time?"
"You could say that. We bonded on the morning after and we've been out since then," Draco told his father softly, the shock still evident on his face.
Lucius frowned at his son's answer. "I'll look into it personally. However, we need to get you both back to school as soon as possible and begin covering up what happened. Harry's absence is not as big a problem as yours is. The official story given to Voldemort was that in the confusion following Harry's disappearance you were thrown to the side and hit your head. Your mother is supposedly insisting that you remain at home and recuperate. At Hogwarts the story is that you supposedly were pushed down a stairwell, hitting your head. Supposedly Pomfrey insisted you be placed in an isolation room in the infirmary because of a bad headache while waiting for Severus to brew something for it. Your Godfather is covering for you for the moment."
"How is my absence being explained?" Harry asked.
"Dumbledore announced your kidnapping and recovery, saying that you were being treated for injuries sustained prior to the rescue and would be returning to school as soon as a clean bill of health had been given. Your friends have been making it difficult because they are so worried about you. Also, there has been some suspicion as to whether Draco was involved in your disappearance. Evidently, your friend Weasley has been making a lot of trouble in Sev's classes. When I talked to Sev yesterday he had just finished giving out two months of detention with Filch to Weasley."
Draco and Harry snickered at this but quickly became more sober. "Father, could you please leave so Harry and I may get dressed?"
Sighing dramatically and abandoning his dignity, Lucius rolled his eyes at his son. "Of course but it's not like I haven't seen it all before. You do remember I used to change your nappies. I'll make sure food is on the table for us. Don't take long though, we need to evaluate how strong your ties are before going to Hogwarts if you want to find out what you two did to each other."
After Lucius left chuckling and muttering to himself about silly sons, Harry pulled Draco back down to the mattress before he could get out of bed. Looking Draco in the eyes, Harry was shocked to see that the previously slate blue eyes now were ocean colored, with green mixing in the blue. "Your eyes are different!" he told Draco while mentally sending Draco what he was seeing.
'So are yours Harry…you've now got blue-green eyes. I wonder just what the hell did we do to ourselves?'
'Do you think your father noticed? He's not at all like I thought he was…'
'No I imagine he's not like you thought' Draco thought back at Harry, smirking slightly before he leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Harry's nose. 'My father has always been a totally different person in private than in public. Its how the family works, it's too dangerous for my family because we're not completely human we have to keep up the pureblood shite. It's not widely known that the Malfoy family has veela blood.'
'I feel like I know this, like it's there but I don't understand it until you mention it.' Harry thought as he snuggled into Draco.
'We definitely need to figure out how this happened, but I'm glad it did.'
'So am I. I think I love you…I can feel so much for you and I feel like I know you better than anyone I've ever known and that you understand me, even though I didn't like you at all less than two weeks ago.'
'Love you' Draco thought as he wrapped Harry in a hug, eyes leaking slightly. 'I've always loved you even before I can remember. My mother says that we met when we were only one year old and that we cried when our moms separated us.'
'I wish I had a family still and that my mom could have told me her version.'
'You do now. My parents view you the same as me, they always have, but they needed to keep you safe so they couldn't do much. I have the feeling that they are going to change that now, but I don't know for sure. It might jeopardize their position as spies and I don't want anything to happen to them.'
'I understand. I think that a lot of things are changing, but as long as this' Harry gestured between them, 'remains we'll be okay.'
Several silent seconds ticked by as the two held each other close, reluctant to let go. Draco finally broke the silence, "We should get out of bed. I know we're both hungry."