THE ELF PRINCE'S MATE

AUTHOR: fantasylover12001

RATING: R

DISCLAIMER: I don't own HP at all. Bummer.

SUMMARY: Harry starts to settle into life among the elves and Draco keeps his distance. He wrestles with the knowledge that he's the prince's mate and finally comes to a decision.

PAIRING: Draco/Harry and Ron/Hermione and Seamus/Dean.

AUTHOR NOTES: Nothing much to say. I'm a little shocked at myself...

mizukimarr910: ;tilts head; can you castrate females? Don't know why I thought this when I read your review...Thanks for the review and you know...not killing me.

Wraith79: That was a TYPO one that I missed. My bad. Thanks for the review.

Ahja Reyn: I can't seem to torture Draco for very long. As you can see in this chapter Harry comes around, but not completely...

Netty: My muses are the insane people in my head that whisper plot ideas to me. As far as I know I'm not insane...I just have muses who slightly crazy and stubborn. One of them sounds oddly like Hermione...

songbirdlove: No, Harry doesn't have a scar on his forhead in this one. I would have put it in the description if he did.

AAA: Harry's not COMPLETELY fragile in this fic. I tried not to make him that way because he is independant. But mostly, yeah, I see Draco as the dominant one...

Storm: I honestly have no idea how I'm going to end the war yet. I have about seven different ideas for it. But rest assured, the war WILL end by the time the fic is done.

CHAPTER 7: WORTH IT

Two weeks.

Two bloody weeks.

It had been two weeks since he'd last spoken to Harry. Since he held Harry in his arms and that wonderful kiss. That was by no means his first kiss but it was the first one that had felt like...that. Harry had fit perfectly in his arms like he was meant to be there all the time. As the man was his mate he pretty much was.

The blonde couldn't fault Harry for being wary of the bond. It was probably a daunting prospect to humans to be mated to one person your whole life. He had certainly found the prospect daunting when he was younger. Over the past two years though he had come to terms with the idea and grew to look forward to the day he would meet his mate. He had had time to accept the idea. Harry had not. It was only natural he would push Draco away at first. When he got used to the idea he would approach Draco and they could begin the courting process.

At least that's what he kept saying to himself.

He had spent these last two weeks distracting himself from the situation with his mate. It wasn't difficult to do. Being a prince had a lot of responsibilities and he had been away for a few months so he had to get up to date on what had been going on while he'd been gone. Apparently after the attack on Harry's village Lord Voldemort had been quiet. It wasn't surprising really. The man had only recently conquered Ravenclaw so he was probably dealing with getting all the people under his control. It would most likely be two more months or so before anything major happened.

His father had taken him aside and relieved him of his battle duties as a commander for the time being. The King explained he needed to focus on his mate right now, going to battles every two weeks or so certainly wouldn't help Harry accept the bond. If anything it would worry his mate more and he probably wouldn't want to attach himself to a person who could die at any minute.

But just because he wasn't going into battles didn't mean he was less busy. As the prince he still had meetings with the council of the realm (or the annoying prattling idiots as Ron had taken to calling them) to go over affairs of the kingdom. Their top most concern now was the war of course but that was mostly the elves problem. Humans helped but they had their own problems in other parts of the realm and the other races couldn't be bothered with what they saw as the elves problem, no matter how much Draco and Lucius tried to make them see that it would affect them sooner or later.

Aside from the war the council settled disputes between neighboring cities or settlements and many other problems that sprang up around the place: raiders, criminals, and even tax payers who refused to pay what they owed to the kingdom. There were always meetings once a day and half of them Draco considered utter rubbish. But as prince it was his duty to be present so he could learn what he would have to do when he eventually became the King.

When the council wasn't meeting he and several officers met to go over the war situation. Both he and Ron agreed that something stank about the last battle he was in and the two of them were keeping their eyes and ears open during these meetings for any hint. The only people Draco didn't suspect to be traitors were Ron, Albus Dumbledore, and Severus Snape.

Ron would have been an obvious choice as he was close to Draco and present at all the planning sessions but there was no motive. Ron hated prejudice of all kinds and had criticized the Slytherins many times for their behavior and treatment of other races. When Tom Riddle had first arrived in Hogwarts six years ago the redhead had been immediately suspicious of him. Besides, he couldn't lie worth a damn and was too proud of his position to throw it all away. Not to mention the Weasley family had been loyal to the Malfoys for years and Narcissa and Molly were not only friends but distant cousins. None of the Weasley children would be willing to face their parents wrath if they betrayed the kingdom. Not that Draco could blame them, Arthur might be quiet but he could make you feel guilty by just lecturing and Molly was practically a hurricane when she was angry.

Albus Dumbledore was his father's advisor and had been for years. He was also in on every meeting but like Ron he had no motive and had been loyal to not only his father but his grandfather and Great-Grandfather. The man was one of the oldest elves in the kingdom and Draco had known him since he was in diapers. He might be a wonderful manipulator but he had no desire for power. He was perfectly content making cryptic comments to make people confused, offering lemon drops, advising the royal family, being headmaster of the Mage School, and keeping his mate Minerva McGonagall happy.

His Godfather, Severus Snape, was also a good suspect as he was close to the King as well. But there would have been no profit in it for him and Severus didn't do anything unless there would be a damn good reason. Besides he was actually happy right now having found his mate, Poppy Pomfrey, the castles head healer and Harry's new boss. It had been quite a shock when Severus returned from a long sabbatical in Gryffindor with a female sitting behind him on his horse and satisfied smirk on his face at the obvious baby that was on the way.

So that left the rest of the suspects: Theodore Nott, Cornelius Fudge, Neville Longbottom, Terry Boot, and Ernie MacMillan. All were elf representatives of their respective kingdoms and he didn't know each as well as the other three. Draco knew that Ron suspected Fudge the most but that could be simply because he and Fudge didn't get along. Certainly the man was disagreeable and caused problems but that didn't automatically make him the traitor. He wasn't taking any chances and was going to watch them all. Though he would be keeping a closer eye on Fudge.

Along with keeping a sharp eye open he was also helping with training the new soldiers in combat. It was one of the duties his father didn't take away because he knew that Draco actually enjoyed his teaching duties. It was one of the few places he got respect because he actually earned it as a person and not because the men were expected to respect him because he was the High Prince.

But even with all the tasks he was given to do his mind still wandered back to his mate. Even now as he led a group of trainees through sword practice he wondered how Harry was settling in and what he thought of his new home.

The blonde blinked as he was almost speared by his sparring opponent and dodged quickly.

"You're getting better, Ackerley. Try not to be so obvious in your movements though." he advised the soldier.

"Yes, Sir."

'Think about your mate later when you're not at the tip of a sword, idiot. You almost got speared! Poppy said she'd leave you bleeding if you got another wound just to teach you a lesson. You don't know if she was serious or not, remember?' Draco internally chastised himself for his distraction and got into a fighting stance again.

dmHPdm

Life at Hogwarts city was very busy, Harry privately thought to himself as he carried bandages to the infirmary. It took some getting used to coming from a town where people would frequently stop to say hello even if they were working and took frequent social breaks to catch up with each other. Here everyone had somewhere to be and were in a hurry to get there. Mages had to get to the nearby school, council members had to get to meetings, nobles had to get to social events, and servants had to get to their daily chores. People looked at him oddly when he said hello to them with a smile as if thinking they should know him but eventually just said hello back and hurried on their way.

Here, no one believed in breaks. At least that's how it seemed to Harry, Seamus, and Dean. Faster then the three of them could blink they were carted off to new permanent living quarters. Harry's, near the infirmary for his new job working at the infirmary; Seamus and Dean were given a suite of rooms like his just down the hall. Dean was accepted as an apprentice to the court artist as soon as the artist saw his work and he was ecstatic to have excuses to draw. Seamus was offered a job at a restaurant that was literally right outside the castle and was quite popular with the soldiers and nobles as well as town residents.

The minute the three were set up on their jobs they were barely given time to talk to each other. Harry was busy helping out the head healer Poppy Pomfrey-Snape who was not only running the healers ward but busy taking care of her two year old son who stayed with her while the father was at work. Seamus worked crazy hours and Dean had all sorts of projects his master had assigned for him to do. The three made a pact to have dinner together once a week at Harry's just so their friendship wouldn't dwindle. So far it was working.

But no matter what he did to preoccupy himself his mind kept wandering back to the bond. He had acknowledged that the bond existed. Draco was right, he wasn't stupid. It explained the tingles he got whenever the blonde so much as looked at him and he had seen evidence of elf bonds for himself. Ron and Hermione frequently stopped in to say hello to him and see how he was doing (he suspected it was mostly to tell Draco he was okay) and he saw how close they looked. The way they looked at each other sometimes, it was if there was no one else in the world but them.

Once he had stumbled upon Poppy and her husband, Severus Snape, in a tender moment and swore there light was glowing around the two of them. He had also checked out a book on bonds from the mage library in the school at Hermione's suggestion and all the symptoms describing what bond mates felt fit what he had felt.

So he couldn't deny that it existed.

He just couldn't figure out what to do about it.

Harry frowned to himself as he turned onto a path behind the castle that led him through the edge of the training grounds and directly to the infirmary. He paused however when he caught sight of Draco fighting with another elf. The man blinked in surprise when he realized it was a class. There was a group of soldiers watching with interest, all carrying swords, and Ron and another man he didn't recognize were watching also. Draco himself was doing well and as Harry got closer and hid behind a large tree so he could hear and it was clear that the prince was teaching the class.

The healer in him couldn't help but frown. What did the crazy elf think he was doing sparring like that? He'd only been healed for three weeks and all ready he was doing dangerous things like this? The other part of him marveled at how graceful the prince was. The fight was like some sort of lethal dance.

Forgetting about his task Harry put down the heavy basket and stared mesmerized at the graceful movements. Then he gasped as the other nearly pierced Draco's shoulder but the prince dodged and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"He's been distracted lately," a voice came from behind him and Harry jumped and turned.

"You startled me," he muttered to Hermione Granger who gave a small shrug of apology.

Hermione had become a fast friend. The two of them bonded quickly over a love of books and Harry found her quite funny and intelligent. She was a nice change from the girls he had sometimes found silly back home. He quickly learned she was an oddity among female elves that loved fashion, gossip, and lived for parties and pleasing their mate.

Hermione did gossip occasionally but mostly because she liked to know what was going on around her and her gossip focused more on politics and current events. She dressed simply for an elf. Her outfit now was a simple brown dress and black slippers. Her only jewelry was her engagement ring and family crest ring. Her long curly brown hair was pulled into a thick braid away from her face.

"He's been worried about you, you know," she said, nodding in the prince's direction.

Harry frowned and shrugged. "Why? I'm fine. The most that's been happening to me has been losing my way around this place."

"He can't help but worry, Harry. He's your mate."

"So I've been told," he muttered, looking back at the practice going on.

Hermione smiled at him, though he couldn't see it and handed him an envelope. "Here."

Harry blinked and took it. "What's this?"

"It's an invitation for my wedding next week. Ron and I want you to be there. We've invited Seamus and Dean too."

"But you barely know us."

Hermione smiled, "Yes, but I have the feeling the three of you will become good friends to us and I want you present. Besides, Draco will be there and he'll want someone to dance with."

Harry sighed. "Does the whole bloody city know I'm the prince's mate?"

Hermione grinned. "No, just most of the castle. News travels fast around here."

"I noticed," Harry grumbled. Then he hesitated and said, "Hermione?"

"Yes?"

"You and Ron are bond mates right?"

"Of course. We wouldn't be able to get married otherwise."

"Right. What's it like?"

Hermione blinked and looked at him questionably. "What's what like?"

"What's it like...having a mate? Is it worth it?"

Hermione studied him and said slowly, "Well...it takes some getting used too. I know it took awhile for me to accept the idea. I'm pretty sure I drove Ron batty when we first met. I argued with him constantly the first year we met just to make sure he got it through his head that I was just fine on my own."

"Bet he loved that."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "He wasn't happy. You should have heard some of the rows we would get into. But no matter how much we argued he kept coming back and doing sweet things like carrying books for me or carrying me back to the castle when I once broke my leg while riding my horse."

Harry stared at her. "He came back? Every time? Why?"

The elf looked at him with a smile. "Because that's what elf mates do. They love their mate unconditionally and protect each other at all costs. It can be overwhelming to care for a person so much at times but in the long run...yes, it's worth it."

Harry frowned. He couldn't imagine ANYONE loving him that much. Any unconditional love he might have gotten died with his parents when he was a baby and his two Godfathers, Remus and Sirius, when he was three. He, Seamus, and Dean were best mates sure but they had each other to love and sometimes Harry felt like he was intruding on them. He glanced at the prince, who was now leading the group through sword positions.

Hermione smiled at him. "Draco might not be completely in love with you now but he soon will be. When he does he'll stay no matter what stupid things you say or do. He's as stubborn as Ron that way."

She then left, leaving Harry alone in his thoughts.

dmHPdm

It had been a good practice the prince decided as drew off his sweat soaked shirt and pants. Not only were the troops improving but he managed to not get injured despite his distraction.

"Oh!"

Draco blinked and turned in surprise at the sound of his mate's voice. Harry stood in the entrance of the changing room blushing. The prince couldn't help but smirk a little when he stammered an apology and said he'd wait for him outside and practically ran out the room.

'He's a healer, you would think he'd be used to seeing men in just their underwear' Draco thought with a rush of affection for Harry as he pulled a new pair of pants. Then his heart sped up when he realized that Harry actually wanted to talk to him and he couldn't help but hurry through getting dressed and cleaned up.

When he gathered his bag and walked outside he found Harry sitting on a bench waiting for him like he said he'd be. The bond he felt practically hummed with joy at seeing his mate again. It might have only been two weeks but to him it had felt like two years.

"Hello," he greeted, feeling that the greeting was horribly wrong. He wanted sweep Harry in his arms and shower him with kisses. But he held his ground and simply smiled at him and sat next to him on the bench.

"Hi," Harry answered.

"Were you looking for me?" the prince sincerely hoped that he didn't sound as pathetically hopeful as he thought he did.

"Yes. We need to talk."

"I agree."

Harry swallowed. "This...bond thing. What will happen with it?"

Draco frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean...what do elves normally do when they find their mate? There wasn't any information on that in the library, just...what the bond was."

"Well, there are stages for the bond. First the two elves or persons involved in it have to recognize and accept each other as mates. After this the courting stage begins. That usually lasts anywhere from one year to six months. During courting the mates usually become closer physically and magically. After a year they usually complete the bond and get married or get married and complete the bond. Depends on the couple and the situation they are in."

"Complete the bond? What does that mean?" Harry asked confusedly.

Draco raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you think?"

His mate blushed and looked away. "Oh."

"You've never had sex before, have you?" he asked bluntly.

"No," Came the quiet answer he was expecting.

"Good." he said, in satisfaction. Harry looked up at him questionably. "I don't like the idea of anyone touching you unless it's me. I should probably warn you that I'm very possessive."

"I got that," Harry said dryly.

"Does wanting to talk about this mean that you accept this bond?" Draco asked.

Harry looked down. "You'll just be courting at first, right? You'll go slowly? Flowers and all that rot?"

Slightly amused, Draco answered, "Basically, yes."

"All right then. I accept the bond." he said slowly.

The amount of joy Draco felt at hearing those words was like nothing he had ever felt before. The bond practically exploded with happiness. When he heard Harry gasp in surprise he knew his mate had felt it too.

"What was that?" Harry demanded.

Draco smiled and took one of his mates' hands and lifted it to his lips. "That was the completion of the first stage of our bond. I promise you, Harry, you will not regret this. Ever."

He placed a tender kiss on the smaller hand in his and then got up. He gave a graceful bow to Harry who stared at him and then left.

Much as he wanted to stay with his mate he couldn't. There were many courting plans he needed to start first.

AUTHOR NOTES: ;drum roll; let the courting begin! PLEASE REVIEW! If anyone has any courting ideas let me know. I've got the usual but I want something unique...I'll give you credit for the idea if I do decide to add it in.

BOND NOTES, PART II

WHAT THE BOND IS: It's a little hard to say what exactly the elf bonds are, they've just always sort of been there ever since elves have been existence. To elves they just are apart of who they are. All that is known is that each elf has a mate that they have been magically bound too since birth. The bond connects mates in mind, spirit, and body. While it is possible for mates to live without the other the will to live becomes extremely difficult. Particularly with mates who have been bonded a long time. If one dies, the other can become a simple shell of who they were before and most just prefer to die with their mates. Some can go insane without their mate especially if their mate dies before they either meet or complete the bond.

NON-ELF MATES: Sometimes elf mates do not have to necessarily be other elves. There are several instances where the mates have been people from other races. These bonds are different from elf/elf bonds in that usually the elf has more control over the bond as they can feel it more then their mate. When the bond is completed an elf can pass on the longtivity of their life on to their mate who otherwise would have a shorter life span. Elves can impregnate ANYTHING so if it's a human or even another male the mate will still be able to bear children.

Stay tuned next chapter for traits/abilities and more on bonds...