THE ELF PRINCE'S MATE

AUTHOR: fantasylover12001

RATING: R

DISCLAIMER: I don't own HP. Just this AU plot idea. Please do not steal it.

PAIRING: Draco/Harry, Ron/Hermione, Seamus/Dean. Also has mentions of Lucius/ Narcissa, Albus/Minerva, and Snape/Pomfrey.

SUMMARY: The courting continues and Harry finds himself opening up to Draco more and more while Draco finds himself falling even more in love with his mate then before and struggles to control his urges.

AUTHOR NOTES: I think you all will like this part. Other then that, nothing much to say. I did get a plot bunny for a Veela fic idea though. I'm not sure if I'll write it though mainly because those fics have been done over and over again. Not that there's anything wrong with that!

Wow...no one had any questions, just encouragement...thank you for the reviews!

CHAPTER 9: THE COURTSHIP

Harry gazed up at him from his position. He lay sprawled underneath Draco with his hair more tousled then usual thanks to Draco running his fingers through it. His green eyes sparkled with warmth and affection and he smiled up at Draco mischievously.

Both men were completely naked and in his bed. He could feel Harry's manhood stiffening up against his own and the feeling was intoxicating. He could not help but rock his hips against his mates. The movement caused Harry throw his head back and moan loudly and then he lifted his hand and stroked the bridge of one of his pointed ears. The elf's eyes stared down at him in surprise and rapture. Elves ears were very sensitive, especially when stroked by their mate. He let out a soft growl and leaned forward and possessively latched his lips onto Harry's who eagerly opened up his mouth to his questing tongue.

When they finally parted for air Harry put his arms around Draco's neck to keep him from sitting up. He idly twirled the loose blonde hair that hung around them like a curtain in his hands. Draco closed his eyes in pleasure and leaned his forehead against his mates. Then he heard the words he'd been longing to hear since he first met Harry face to face.

"Draco. I want to complete our bond."

Then he woke up as he came in his bed.

The Prince grimaced at the mess and felt irritated with himself. He had been having these dreams for the past month or so and they were getting more vivid as time went by. Particularly the ones where he got to the part where he entered Harry for the first time. Draco got out of bed and found something to wipe himself off with. Then he sighed and sat at the bay window thinking over the past two months.

After Ron and Hermione's wedding the couple had left for a two week honeymoon. He continued his courtship with Harry. It was hard deciding what to get his mate. The man didn't care for frivolous things and was used to fending for himself. So he decided that practical gifts were in order.

In the month that followed the wedding he sent Harry a handsome new saddle and tack for Firebolt to replace his old threadbare one. He was sent to the neighboring shops with money so he could pick out a new wardrobe for himself. Harry had protested but soon found that Draco was just as stubborn as he was.

He sent him owl treats of every flavor for Hedwig who had finally started to warm up to him. She mostly stayed in the barn area and hooted happily at Draco when he came to see to Nimbus. Then he sent books he thought Harry might enjoy. Some were ones he read himself, others were ones Poppy Pomfrey said she relied on sometimes for her job.

But being Draco, he didn't stop at practical gifts. He sent frivolous ones here and there as well. He made sure he ran into Harry once each day and would hand him a single flower each time. He not only handed roses (de-thorned so they wouldn't prick his mate's fingers) but handed all kinds of flowers that were found in the gardens.

For his part Harry seemed to like them. He blushed and smiled shyly at him the first time Draco handed him a flower but now he was used to it would smile softly when it happened. They talked when they could but with so many responsibilities between the two of them it was rare that they could spend the whole day together.

During the time they spent Draco made sure to find out how Harry was doing and his mate surprised him by asking about his day as well but then Harry was the curious sort so he didn't know why he had been surprised. It was much like when they had been alone in Harry's village only now they asked more personal questions and felt more comfortable around each other.

The only problem he had was that his desire was growing more each day as he got to know Harry better and better. Even with all the talking they had yet to kiss. Draco didn't want to force himself on Harry so he refused to kiss him unless he asked or kissed him first. Unfortunately for him Harry seemed to be sort who took things slowly. It was slightly frustrating.

But it was worth it.

Harry was everything he could have hoped for in a mate. He didn't let Draco get away with everything, if he was wrong about something Harry didn't hesitate to call him on it. The human wasn't intimidated by his prince status and spoke his opinion if he felt like it.

His mate also didn't seem to expect gifts and was always surprised when Draco was affectionate towards him. It was endearing and a little maddening. Those human relatives were lucky they had most likely died in the attack of Lord Voldemort's followers because if they hadn't Draco most certainly would have given them a riot act if he had gotten the chance. It was obvious they had never given Harry an ounce of love or affection. It was no wonder he was weary of love or affection when it was freely offered to him.

But he didn't hesitate to offer affection to those he cared about. Seamus, Dean, and Harry were still inseparable even though they had different schedules and had made new friends. The Prince had no doubt those three would be friends for life. It was a good thing he liked them. It was also clear he had warmed up greatly to the Weasleys, Ron, and Hermione. Draco had run into him several times chatting with Hermione, or joking around with Ron and his twin brothers. He had spied him and Charlie talking about the best places to ride around the country and had seen Mrs. Weasley fussing over him several times while Ginny helped him escape. He was happy Harry had found more friends, especially the Weasleys who were a sort of extended family for him.

His mate also had the habit of surprising him. When Draco would rant about a problem some ambassador had in a meeting Harry could often pinpoint what the ambassador was thinking and offer a solution to settle it. More often then not, his solutions worked as Harry was much more perceptive then people gave him credit for.

Then there was the fact that Harry seemed to think he should do things for Draco as well even though that wasn't in the rules of courting. He showed up after Draco's combat lessons, often with water to drink and clean towels to dry off with since summers at Hogwarts were brutal. One time he came out of a very long meeting to find Harry waiting with a basket of food to eat. He always got a thank you note from Harry for the gifts he got as well.

All in all the past two months had been absolute bliss.

Now he just had to figure out what he was going to do for Harry's birthday in a week and a half. For some reason he was having trouble figuring out what to do. He wanted the day to be special but knew that Harry wouldn't appreciate a big lavish party like what his mother usually threw. So a small gathering would probably be best. That was actually the easy part.

The hard part was figuring out the birthday gift.

Draco sighed and wondered not for the first time why he had to be cursed with such a difficult mate.

dmHPdm

It surprised Harry how quickly he had settled into life in this big castle.

When he first arrived he had been apprehensive about living in such a drastically different place but this odd place felt more like home then Surrey ever did. The human forced himself that most of that was Draco's doing. Otherwise why else would he be waiting outside here like some girl waiting for her sweetheart carrying food for the Prince? Seamus had teased him something fierce the first time he had brought food for Draco. Unfortunately he had done so when Ginny was near and she scolded him until he apologized out of guilt.

Seamus had a point though, he was smitten. He just didn't know what to do about it. He had never been in any type of relationship at all. His first kiss had been with Parvati Patil and that was only because they had been under mistletoe. All it had been was a small peck on the lips as neither had feelings for the other. Then there were a few tentative kisses with Seamus that had been nice but nothing special and the two decided they made better friends and then Dean had arrived in town.

He had small crushes here and there but never did anything with them because they had been just that: crushes. As soon as he got to know the person he didn't feel anything anymore and they just became friends. Now that he thought about it, he wondered if the bond had anything to do with that. Harry made a mental note to ask Draco later sometime if the opportunity came up.

He was startled out of his thoughts when the doors to the meeting hall burst open and all sorts of officials came out. Draco had once tried to explain the system to him but he ended up only confusing Harry more. Ruling a country just wasn't something he was interested in, though he understood it was very important work.

Draco was one of the last people to come out of the hall and he was followed by his father and Ron. Harry swallowed nervously at the sight of the King. Something about the man just intimidated him. Draco's mother also intimidated him but in a different way that he couldn't explain.

"Oi, Harry!" Ron greeted him with a knowing grin. "Been raiding my Mum's kitchen again?"

The King and Prince both turned and looked at him with eyebrows. Draco had a small smile on his face and the King just eyed him with an unreadable look on his face. Harry tried not to squirm under the look. "Your mother said I was welcome to her food."

The redheaded elf blinked and frowned. "She never said I was just welcome to her food and I'm her son!"

Draco snorted. "Probably because she knew if she said so you'd eat the entire food supply in a day and then the rest of us would be out of food."

Ron started to protest but then looked sheepish. "That's probably true." Then he shrugged and looked at the basket eagerly. "Any muffins in there?"

Harry grinned and tossed him two which the elf caught.

"Thanks. Well, I'm off. Have to meet Hermione." The elf gave a wave and with one of the muffins in his mouth jogged off.

Draco's father sighed at the sight. "He's going to choke himself one of these days doing that."

Draco rolled his eyes. "If someone doesn't strangle him first for his big mouth."

Harry suddenly felt the need to defend his new friend. "He's not that bad."

The King and Prince looked at him and said in unison, "Oh yes he is."

The human couldn't help but stare a little. With both of them smirking like that they looked extraordinarily alike. Then he shrugged and looked at the King. "Um...would you like anything, Your Majesty?"

Draco's father shook his head. "That's all right, Mr. Potter. My wife will most likely have food waiting for me in our room and she'll wonder why I'm not hungry when I arrive."

"Oh. All right."

The King then turned to his son and gave a small bow that Draco returned. "I'll see you later Draco. Mr. Potter," he nodded at Harry and then headed down the hall.

When he was out of sight Draco smiled at Harry. "You should commend yourself. He actually likes you."

Harry blinked. "How can you tell?"

"He called you Mr. Potter. Had he not liked you, you would have just been called Potter."

"Oh." Harry said in confusion. Royals, he noted, were very odd.

Draco turned and walked the way his father had gone and Harry fell in step with him. they walked in comfortable silence until Harry asked, "So, how did the meeting go?"

The Prince groaned, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "Don't ask. It was a complete waste of time, as usual."

"Really?"

As they walked out of the castle into the back gardens Draco ranted about how the dwarfs and other creatures of the realm still refused to get involved in the war. Harry listened and just let the Prince talk because he had found it was best to let Draco blow off some steam before interrupting him when he was ranting.

Draco finally sighed. "Enough talk of stupid people. How was your day?"

"Not much better I'm afraid. The infirmary was busier then usual. I had to treat a dwarf for the first time because Poppy had to see to other patients."

The Prince winced in sympathy. Dwarfs were known for having volatile tempers and being stubborn mules when they were injured. "You obviously made intact since you're here."

"Barely," Harry went on to describe the incident. As they sat in the courtyard just talking, it to Harry that he had never felt as happy as he felt then.

dmHPdm

In the end Draco finally set up a small party in the back gardens for Harry's birthday. He only invited people he knew Harry would feel comfortable around: Seamus, Dean, Hermione, Ron, all the Weasley's and their mates, Poppy (who dragged her husband and son along who both sulked at the prospect of having to socialize), and his mother and father who came because they were the King and Queen.

Harry's expression of delight had been worth the trouble of planning it himself. His mother had offered to help but he had wanted to do this for his mate. It was more of a gathering then a party. People chatted happily amongst themselves and in the background there was music provided by the court band and when night fell the gardens were lit by lanterns strung all over the place.

His mate smiled and shyly thanked everyone for the gifts he received which were wide and varied. Seamus and Dean had gotten him a sturdy set of dishes for his new quarters. Hermione had gotten him a set of elven classics he whooped over. Ron had given him a new bow and arrow set. The Weasley's gave him various books and odds and ends for his new home. Poppy have him a new basic Healers kit complete with potions made by Severus who just grunted at Harry when he thanked him for making them. The King and Queen had surprised him by giving him access to private royal library that only they and Draco could use.

Draco had cast his mind about for a meaningful gift but honestly couldn't think of anything, so he finally decided to get his mate a handsome leather bound journal and quill and ink set. He had often spied Harry writing in a tattered journal that looked like it was going to run out room soon so he decided this was best. Apparently it was the right decision because Harry had practically beamed at him when he opened the gift.

There had been dancing later and Draco tried to teach his mate some more complicated dances but it had proved useless as Harry was slightly clumsy. So he finally agreed to just twirling around the room. The night had been one of the most enjoyable nights the Prince had honestly had.

After the party Draco helped his mate gather up his gifts and carry them to his quarters. He normally would've had servants carry them but Harry hadn't wanted to bother them when it was so late. So they devided the gifts between the two of them and carried them to the quarters.

Draco hadn't been in Harry's quarters before so he looked around with great interest when he put down the gifts. They were currently in what was clearly the living room. A fireplace and mantle was directly across from the door and a red and gold couch and chair set surrounded that and the coffee table in the middle. The wood floor was half covered by a intricate gold colored rug. There were three doors on his right that he knew from being in other peoples quarters led to a study, a cooking area with a small table for eating, and a storage area. To his left were two doors that led to Harry's bedroom and the bathroom.

The elf couldn't help but smile when he saw a vase holding all of the flowers he had given Harry the past few weeks on the coffee table. A pile of books probably borrowed from the castle library lay next to it.

"I like what you've done with the place," he commented to Harry who was busy hanging his new archery bow set on the wall next to the door. His mate shrugged. "Thanks. The furniture was here when I moved in. I just sort of added to it."

"Hmm." he tried not to look at Harry's butt as the other man hung the bow. He wasn't succeeding. "Well, I better go. There's another bloody meeting tomorrow in the morning."

He opened the door to leave but Harry stopped him. "Wait!" The elf looked down at Harry with a raised eyebrow. He had a hand on Draco's arm and was blushing slightly.

"Yes?"

"I...um...I...oh, bloody hell!" he was startled when Harry suddenly cursed because his mate didn't curse as a rule. But before he could ask what was wrong arms came up around his neck and he was pulled into a kiss.

The kiss was awkward at first because he wasn't expecting it but Draco quickly recovered and cupped Harry's face with his hands, deepening the kiss. Harry moaned softly when he snaked a possessive arm around his mates waist and pulled him closer. The sound was intoxicating.

He wasn't sure how long the two of them stayed there making out against Harry's front door. All he knew was that he never felt anything like the feel of Harry's soft mouth under his in his entire life and most likely never would.

dmHp

He and Harry had finally managed to disentangle themselves from each other and Draco now walked to his quarters in a daze. He was sure there was a dopey grin on his face but for once he didn't give a damn about his appearance. The usually cultured prince felt like shouting to the world that he just kissed his mate.

So he was understandably startled when his father knocked on his door just as he was getting ready for bed. He frowned at his father who was looking at him gravely.

"Father? What is it?"

"Voldemort is on the move again."

AUTHOR NOTES: Yes, I know, two months seems extraordinarily long for the two to wait to kiss but remember: this is HARRY. He's a little slow about the emotional stuff.

ELF BOND NOTES, PART III:

TRAITS/CHARACTERISTICS OF MATE BONDS:

They can sense strong emotions from the other.

Mates have the ability to calm the other instantly.

Can heal the other magically.

Can at times communicate in each others head, but that usually only develops after they've either been together for a long period of time or with extremely strong bonds.

Can sense if the other is in danger and sometimes get images of what the danger is.

Can sense if the other is near.

Note: these only develop after the bond is completed.