Life Long Love—Chapter 4

Author: Emerald Thorn

Disclaimer: Not mine, I just use them for nefarious purposes ;-)

Rating: R

Categories: Veela!Draco, Romance/Adventure, Fantasy, AU

Author's Notes: 4500 words… ye gads… I'm sorry this hasn't gotten here sooner, but you'll be happy to note this is the longest chapter yet—by more than 1000 words too. Reviews are at the bottom.

Albus sat at his desk with a cup of mint tea in one hand and a teapot in the other just before noon. His office was back to the previous clutter it had sustained prior to Mr. Potter's outburst a year and a half ago. Fawkes sat on his perch fluffing his feathers and ignoring the two other occupants of the room. Severus Snape sat on the other side of the desk and was practically growling in frustration at Albus. Inwardly Albus sighed, exhausted from constantly walking on eggshells around anyone with Malfoy blood, including the current potions master. "So Lucius wrote to you I presume? That was his owl at breakfast."

"It was. It seems that special arrangements will need to be made," Snape sneered as Albus offered him a cup of mint tea. "I don't suppose you have anything to say about that do you?"

Calmly setting the teapot down, Albus gave nothing away by his seemingly serene attitude. "Now Severus, I need to know the details of this arrangement if we are going to be able to accommodate whatever Lucius is wanting."

Determined to make it as miserable for the old coot as possible, Snape found himself describing in short, small sentences what the message had been about. "Draco and Potter have mated. They will need some privacy. I don't want them sneaking into my classroom to have their fun."

Dumbledore smiled at Severus' growliness and his eyes twinkled their infamous twinkle. "Well, that happened rather sooner than I thought it would. There are those suites in the dungeons that would work very nicely since Mr. Malfoy is under such close watch by his peers. I trust you can handle the warding yourself or would you like me to ask Minerva to help?"

"I don't need any help!" Severus spat, eyes narrowing in annoyance with the old wizard. "What I need is your assurance that we have your full support in protecting the pair. If you won't give it under oath they will not be returning to this school."

"Now that won't be necessary Severus, you know it is in my best interest to keep the two of them safe," Albus replied, smiling mindlessly at the irate potions master. They were playing a very dangerous game now, one of them would have to compromise and Albus knew that it would probably end up being him. Severus may not have the last name, but it was very obvious sometimes that he had Malfoy blood in him. "Wizards oaths will not be necessary to ensure their protection."

"I will have your oath Albus or they will not come." Snape stood and placed his hands on Dumbledore's desk, leaning down into the old man's personal space in an intimidating manner. "I will not knowingly place my godson and heir in any danger, even known danger of your creation or Voldemort's. I will have your word or you will have no contact with either of them."

Albus found himself in an uneasy stare down with his potions master. Severus was very, very serious and was pushing adamantly for once, something Severus rarely did. It was something Severus did only when he felt that no other course of action was acceptable. Sighing, Albus nodded. "You may get the potions required for the oath but I still see this as unnecessary."

Severus then surprised him by immediately pulling a small black leather pouch from a pocket and emptying three vials onto the desk. "Veritaserum for truth," Severus said pointing at the amber colored vial, "Solarium for binding," he pointed to the gold vial, "and azure infusion for permanence," as he pointed to the last, blue vial. Taking the cup of tea out of the headmaster's hands he then poured half of each vial into the steaming cup with no noticeable change in volume occurring. Finishing, Severus drank the remaining halves as Albus drained the teacup as it was handed back to him.

"Do you Albus Dumbledore promise upon pain of death and destruction of your heirs to protect Draconis Malfoy and Harold Potter?" Severus said, his voice tinged with a ringing sound and eyes burning with a light from within because of the potions that had just been imbibed.

Feeling the potions prompting him, Albus reluctantly replied. "I do take upon pain of death the charge of protection. I swear to protect to the best of my abilities Draconis Malfoy, last son of the House of Malfoy, Snape, and Black, and Harold Potter, last scion of the House of Potter."

Severus nodded and made a dismissing motion with his hand, ending the effects of the potions. More calm now, Severus calmly remarked, "I'll take care of the suite. I don't recommend meddling—Draco will not be half as gentle if he feels that Harry is threatened." Getting up to leave, Severus made it clear he would not be swayed when Dumbledore tried to placate him by refusing to look at the old man as he called after the potions master.

"Surely you are overestimating the danger here Severus," Albus said, pouring a fresh cup of tea. "Mr. Potter has never been in an unknown dangerous situation."

Back stiffening, Severus refrained from shouting, his hand upon the door latch. "Then what do you call what happened at the Department of Mysteries Albus? You and I both know that you were unable to accurately predict Mr. Potter's actions and that cost us a very valuable asset. I suggest you rethink what you just told me. I have better things to do than sit and listen to you try and manipulate me into doing what you want. I am not your servant Albus." And with that, Snape disappeared down the staircase and out of Albus' office.

Harry stood before Lucius, fidgeting slightly under the flat grey stare. Draco was silently encouraging him from the sidelines and telling his mate mentally how proud of him he was for volunteering to go first even though it was Draco's father. Lucius waited silently for several minutes, standing near the center of the practice hall and planning carefully what spells to work the boys through. Finally Lucius spoke.

"We will work through the curses as you've learned them, starting with common first year hexes and moving up to seventh. Then we will check defensive magics as well as the other areas, rotating spells between the two of you so Draco get your arse next to your mate.

"We won't be casting them on each other will we?" Draco asked worriedly as he moved to Harry's right side. He didn't think he could bring himself to curse or hex Harry and he could feel the anxiety in Harry echoing his concerns.

"No. You'll be casting them upon me and countering the hexes I send your way. I want you to work as a team and see how closely you can coordinate your attacks without being previously trained to fight this way since it is slightly non-traditional among normal wizards."

"Is it traditional anywhere?" Harry asked, nervous about which curse to try first.

"Yes it is," Draco answered him. "It is not terribly unusual for mated veela pairs to be taught in tandem so that they may use their combined abilities to defend one another. Originally, wizard dueling rules were created by the ministry to stop the advantages veelas and other magical creatures that mate have. Because of the rules it is considered bad form for two to face off at a challenger or defendant—which is how those of veela heritage were traditionally taught to fight and preferred to do. That's when the tradition of second's started. The other half of the bonded pair almost always insisted on being close to their mate during dueling and non-veelas insisted on having the same amount of support even if the second's were not actively participating in the duel."

"Really? I thought it had more to do with honor and such," Harry said, turning to his mate briefly and wrapping an arm around Draco's waist. "We'll have to try this tandem version soon."

"But boys, you will be trying to do so now," Lucius reminded them. "Twenty paces then turn and begin throwing first year hexes."

Draco and Harry turned and began walking. At twenty paces, they turned opposite directions and began throwing all the first-year hexes they had ever heard at Lucius. Lucius smiled at the accuracy and power behind the hexes as he disarmed them rapidly, sweating slightly as he strove to keep up with the two younglings. After five minutes he indicated that they could move up to second year hexes and curses. This went on for perhaps as long as a half hour before Lucius called, "Halt! We'll break for twenty minutes before we reach sixth year curses so I can have something to drink. Draco, you know what to do."

Harry slowly let his wand fall from casting position, watching Lucius walk over to a cabinet imbedded in the wall and take a thermos of water out. 'Draco?'

Next to him, Draco smiled. 'Come here Harry.'

Turning to his mate, a mere two paces away, Harry looked at Draco puzzled. Draco felt like he was up to something and the look upon his face confirmed it. The sly smirk was very predatory. 'Draco, what are you…'

Draco pounced, kissing Harry for all that he was worth and stroking Harry inside and out with his mind. This lasted all of two seconds before Draco jumped out of Harry's reach before Harry could reciprocate.

Swaying where he stood, Harry looked at his mate in astonishment. "What was that?"

"Just heightening our bond. It's been awhile since we touched and it's the real reason Dad called a break. He wants to make sure that we're still quite entwined…before we get to the more complicated magicks," Draco said as he leaned closer to Harry, a smug look in his half-lidded cerulean eyes.

Amused, Harry gave Draco a pout eerily similar to the one Draco often employed when asking his mother for something that his father didn't want him to have. "Get back here then."

Lucius coughed quietly to remind the two that he was still in the room. He had already turned to face away from the pair, somewhat embarrassed.

"I think that was enough Harry," Draco said, pulling back a little further and licking his lips nervously as his eyes slid back and forth between his father and Harry. Harry took the hint that Draco wasn't an exhibitionist and let it drop.

'Can I at least hold you?' he asked Draco, making his mind voice sound resigned and pleading.

'Of course,' Draco replied before stepping next to Harry and burrowing into his cloth covered chest and nipping lightly at Harry's throat with his teeth as Harry's arms wrapped around his shoulders.

Turning back around, Lucius smiled softly at the pair. "You two are insufferably cute when you're together. It's a good thing your mother isn't here Draco or I'd have to do something drastic from all the cuteness and cooing."

Draco turned around just long enough to cross his eyes and stick his tongue out at his father before he was forcefully turned back around by Harry for a light kiss.

Lucius laughed. "As I said, I'll have to do something about all this cuteness. It's making me feel positively nauseous. Too much sugar is not considered good for the constitution at my age."

"You make yourself out as positively ancient and you're not even forty yet," Draco said, voice muffled by Harry's shirt.

"Well, if you're ready to make smart remarks we can cut the break short and get on with it," Lucius remarked as he headed back to where he had stood before break. "We'll move through the last year's spells then move to protective spells."

"Fine," Draco grumbled as he reluctantly parted from Harry. Moving into a casting stance, Draco waited for Harry to cast the first spell before joining in, the first curse out of his mouth a particularly nasty binding curse.

Spells tumbled faster and faster back and forth. Lucius was starting to have major problems keeping up with his son and Harry as they moved to seventh year spells, even though Draco was sticking to strictly white magic and using none of the slightly less legal curses learned in lessons Lucius had given him over the years. It was amazing watching the two of them cast nearly simultaneously. One had almost ended casting before the other joined in using a curse to amplify the other's curse or a different way to attack whatever vulnerability exposed by the counter to the first hex. Finally, Draco hit him with a blinding hex which Harry followed up with a binding curse combined with a disarming charm.

Lying helpless on the floor, Lucius mentally crowed at the ability they displayed. Relief flooded him as Harry and Draco lifted the curses. Able to see again, Lucius smiled at the two who had not moved and were looking at him cautiously, wands still raised. "Very good you two," he said as he stood, dusting his robes off.

Harry grinned at him, snagging Draco to pull him closer. "I take it this part is done?"

"Yes it is. Let's move on to protective magic since I don't know if my bum can take another hit like that. You wouldn't want Narcissa after you."

Draco rolled his eyes at his father. "Yes, I'm sure mother would be absolutely livid that you got what you deserved."

Ronald Weasley, better known in the wizarding world as Harry Potter's best friend, walked quietly through the hospital wing inspecting each and every bed under the borrowed (without permission) invisibility cloak. So far he had counted two Ravenclaw first years that were still homesick and one Gryffindor fifth year with a concussion, no Malfoy or other Slytherins. Hermione and he had been suspicious when Harry's disappearance and Malfoy's disappearance occurred at the same time and hadn't been particularly impressed by the story of Malfoy being pushed down some stairs. 'Confined to the Hospital Wing my arse' Ron thought as he reached the last bed which was empty.

Earlier he had consulted the Marauder's Map, which had not shown Malfoy anywhere in the castle. Knowing it was unlikely that the map was wrong, Hermione had suggested checking the hospital wing out regardless. As it turned out, the map had been right—no stinking ferrets in the place.

Which left the question just where was Malfoy currently? Ron's money was on that Malfoy had something to do with Harry's disappearance. He didn't know how Malfoy was involved but more importantly, Dumbledore was not worried about Harry and was, in fact, covering for Malfoy. Why would Dumbledore do that?

Giving up on the hospital wing, Ron snuck out the door and headed to an unused classroom on the second floor next to the regular charms classroom. Opening and closing the door with an eye on the map looking for Filch or Mrs. Norris, Ron sighed in relief as he slipped the cloak off. On a transfigured couch, Hermione was covered with several blankets as she read through her history of magic textbook.

Hermione looked up as the cloak slipped off her boyfriend. "The map was right wasn't it?"

"It was. No ferret," Ron said, sitting on the other end of the couch and pulling Hermione's feet into his lap and rubbing them lightly, a pensive frown on his freckled face. "I checked every bed and the two isolation rooms. He wasn't in any of them and the isolation rooms looked like they hadn't been used in years. There was enough dust in the second one, probably at least three inches thick on the bed alone."

"So wherever Malfoy is he isn't in the hospital wing," Hermione said, her brow furrowing in thought as Ron massaged her feet. "Dumbledore announced at breakfast to the Slytherins that Malfoy should be back in their dorms on Monday, right after Snape left after getting that note that he burned."

"Something's up, isn't it? Something we're not supposed to know about." An unpleasant twisting in Ron's stomach told him that he should be worried for his best friend.

"Yes. But it does concern us if it's about Harry. I'll be happier when I know he's safe and sound. I don't know if I trust Dumbledore anymore if he's covering for Malfoy. I want to talk to Harry and I want to know just where Malfoy is." Hermione wiggled slightly as Ron tickled her feet slightly. "If Malfoy is back in school on Monday, Harry might possibly be back also. If Harry's back we corner him and ask him what happened and if he knows anything about Malfoy's little stunt. If not, we get Malfoy alone and get it out of him."

"Did I ever tell you you're scary sometimes?" Ron whispered, concerned not just about Harry but also with Hermione. Harry had not ever been missing for this long before without them and it was worrying Hermione.

Smiling softly at her boyfriend, Hermione remembered just why he was her boyfriend. "Yes you have," she said just as softly. "We need more information and I think that Malfoy will probably be the one to give it to us."

When Severus returned to his office later Friday, he was greeted by Lucius sitting behind the carved ebony desk, booted feet propped on one corner with a pensive frown plastered across his face. Raising an eyebrow at his cousin, Sev locked the door behind him and placed a silencing charm on the room. Going to his liquor cabinet, Sev grabbed two glass tumblers and poured his and Lucius' preferred drinks before giving one to Lucius and keeping the other. Taking a long drink from the glass, Sev collapsed ungracefully in the chair where students usually sat, propping his own feet up on another corner of the desk, right on top of the most recent seventh year essays on veritaserum.

"I don't suppose you have anything to say that would make my life easier at the moment would you Luc?" Sev asked, feeling exhausted from laying the preliminary wards.

"I've come across something a bit out of the ordinary and I think we may have a bit of a problem," Luc said, sipping at the drink appreciatively. "Draco and Harry have an abnormally strong bond and the only information I can find on their condition is giving me even more questions." Lucius then drank deeply from his own glass, contemplating the best way to explain what he had seen and read earlier that day.

"What kinds of questions about their bond? I thought all mating bonds were mostly about the same considering how little veela blood Draco has compared to you. If I recall correctly he's only about a quarter-blooded veela." Severus asked, swallowing heavily as the acidic alcohol hit the back of his throat and slid down burning his throat. He was curious as to what his godson had landed himself in that he hadn't already heard about. Draco was especially good at getting himself in bad situations and then messing up everything else completely when he tried to remove himself from the situation. Besides, the current situation could hardly get any more complicated.

"Draco is only about one-fourth veela or thereabouts so you are right about that. Narcissa and I always found it a bit strange that he found his mate so early in life and before he'd reached maturity, but we assumed that with the family's tradition of veela crossing may have accumulated or been triggered in Draco since Narcissa had a great grandmother that was a full-blooded veela. It seems Draco is unusual and Harry even more so. Before I came here I tested them both and as a pair to see what I could discover about their bond and try to measure how much their abilities had expanded."

Lucius paused briefly to have another sip at his drink, Severus was still in his chair, his attention wholly focused on Lucius. Lucius felt unsure how to explain the testing results but tried to explain it as best he could to his cousin, "I tested them both. First Draco and Harry, then each one of them separately. Neither displayed any problems with casting any of the spells they have been taught in school but there was a bit of a difference in how effective the spells were. I instructed Draco to cast a patronus charm and a dragon the size of a small house emerged."

Severus' eyes went wide at the mention of the size of Draco's patronus. "But I thought Draco always had problems with that particular spell before. I remember him casting it and getting a dragon the size of a large housecat that couldn't fly or chase anything off. In fact, I remember you telling him it was impressive that he could even manage a patronus since he had so much trouble thinking the right way to form the spell."

Lucius chuckled, briefly remembering the look of astonishment on Harry and mild shock on Draco's face as the patronus had begun licking Harry like a mother cat cleaning one of it's kittens. "You should have seen the look on their faces when it began licking Harry."

Severus looked like he was going to be sick. "Licking?"

"Yes, like a mother cat with her kittens," Lucius said while taking another sip of alcohol.

"And this was Draco's patronus?" Severus said, still with shock written across his face. "The patronus that previously would have fit under a chair now is the size of a house and licks his creator's mate?"

"So it would seem."

"Shite…" Severus said, also taking a drink from his tumbler.

"Ah but I haven't told you what happened when Harry summoned his patronus," Lucius said with a knowing smirk.

Glaring at his cousin, Severus resisted the urge to throw a childish hex at his best friend for his perverseness but decided he was too exhausted to take Lucius to task. "And I take it you are waiting patiently for me to enquire as to what the silly boy's patronus did."

Batting his eyelashes playfully, Lucius smiled at Severus. "So glad you asked."

"I don't recall it being a question."

"Well I shall take it as one anyway." Pausing dramatically to give Sev a chance to roll his eyes and make a rude gesture, Lucius then continued speaking. "As you are aware, young Harry's patronus is a quite the impressive stag, much like his father's animagi form—I believe you've seen the patronus' form before. When Harry summoned his patronus it was the same size as always but looked and felt like a real animal rather than the luminous ghost-type that most patronus' are. In fact, the creature was nuzzling Draco and insisted upon giving him a ride."

Snape goggled at Lucius. "It gave Draco a ride?"

"Yes and Harry as well. They rode all around the vale and house together making quite the ruckus. I daresay all those equestrian lessons Draco had as a child didn't go to waste like Narcissa feared they would," Lucius said, putting on his best innocent face that Severus had rarely seen since they had graduated.

Unsettled by the results of the testing, Severus tried to change the subject before Lucius became truly annoying. "You said you did some checking into their bond."

"I did say that didn't I?" Lucius said with a slightly quirked eyebrow, his features schooling themselves into a more serious look. "I found some clues in Salazar Slytherin's personal memoirs but it also gave me even more questions about the whole mess. I was stupid enough to try and puzzle out the meaning on the front cover of the journal, an ouroboros, which I recalled studying when we were doing research on the side effects of dragon's bane. I remembered that it is the symbol for immortality and with the implications that Salazar might have been a veela I was foolish enough to think aloud. Evidently I stumbled across a hidden passage while talking to myself." Lucius was swirling the remaining liquid, agitation and frustration expressed on his handsome face.

"And?" Sev prompted, getting more and more intrigued with each kernel of information. Severus knew that what Luc would tell him next was very important.

"Salazar Slytherin was with Godric Gryffindor's child when he left Hogwarts. In fact, it seems that the whole supposed quarrel was invented so he could leave and have the child in peace," Lucius' frown deepened and his eyes did not focus on Sev as he spoke.

"With child?" Severus straightened a bit, almost falling out of the chair in surprise. "Luc, I don't think I've ever heard of a man ever giving birth before. In fact, I'm sure of it. I've spent months in the archives and never seen any mention of the sort. I'm sure I'd remember something this unusual. Was there a description of how they did it in the diary?"

"Not that I've read. I was too shocked to finish the extra parts at the back." Lucius then paused, starring into the bottom of his glass with a slight frown creasing his forehead. After several minutes of silence, he whispered in a voice that was barely audible, "I did check who owned the journal before the family."

Off-balance, Sev didn't know what to say. Lucius seemed troubled, which was very rare. Sev had only seen Luc worry three times since they had graduated from Hogwarts. The first time had been when Narcissa had given birth to Draco which had ended with severe complications for Luc's mate. The second had been when word reached Luc that Voldemort had disappeared after attempting to kill Harry Potter, Draco's mate. The third had been when Draco had snatched Harry from under Voldemort's nose. Lucius only showed worry when his family was in trouble.

Feeling that the silence needed to be broken, Sev asked the next logical question. "Who originally had the journal?"

"The Potters," Lucius said before tossing back the remainders of his drink and getting up to get another.

Sev agreed wholly with Luc's plan of getting drunk. Finishing off his own drink, Sev reached into the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out the bottle of aged whiskey he kept there for emergencies such as this. "Aw hell."

"I agree," Luc said unsure of what course of action they would now take.