Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
After breakfast, the family headed back to their rooms, with plans to meet in the Hall in an hour to head into Hogsmeade. Cyrna sighed slightly as she began to head towards the hospital wing. No one had told her where she would be living in the future so she didn't know where else to go. It wasn't like she could just head back to Gryffindor tower.
"Hey, Cyrna! Wait up!" Harry called. "Where are you going?"
"I was just going to go to the hospital wing, use the showers there to freshen up before we go out."
Harry looked at her with an unreadable expression on his face for a second before he burst out laughing. At Cyrna's pointed glare, he responded, "Cyr, its not like we can't just go to Slytherin to get ready. Professor Dumbledore just told me that the house elves have moved everything down there already." Harry's eyes shifted slightly, as if he was nervous. "I don't think I'll be rooming down there much longer anyway. Once I find my mate I'll be moving to a different room with him, uh I mean her…" Harry's face was flushed red with embarrassment, and Cyrna inwardly chuckled. Harry had no way of knowing that she already knew perfectly well who his mate was. Harry's face was going to be priceless when he finally figured out who he was meant to be with.
"Harry, its ok. I kind of figured that it might be a guy." Cyrna smirked. She knew it was a guy. But she was definitely not going to make this easy for Harry. Having to find one's own mate was a rite of passage for magical creatures. And besides, she was going to be going through the same things in another day.
Harry perked up at her words, relieved that he was not going to lose his best friend. Cyrna may have become a Malfoy, but she had been raised by muggles, and a vast majority of muggles still looked down on same sex relationships.
"So Harry, do you still remember how to get to the Slytherin common room?" Cyrna smirked.
Chuckling, Harry nodded. "It's been a while, but I don't think I could forget that particular trip. We better hurry though, your family's going to be waiting for you pretty soon."
The two friends made their way down to the dungeon. Harry sighed as he noticed that Cyrna was off in her own little world. He wouldn't admit this to anyone, after all he was a Slytherin now, but he was scared. Not just nervous, but really scared. His entire future depended on his mate. He wouldn't be happy without them, would live a cursed half-life. He had hid a few secrets about vampires from his friends. Not because it as anything too horrible, but because he was mildly embarrassed by what he had discovered.
His wings hadn't appeared on his birthday when he had come into his inheritance. At first he had been confused by this. The books he read all said that the vampire's wings would appear as he reached what was considered majority for a vampire: 16. Unless-- and this is where things got embarrassing-- the vampire was submissive. As in capable of bearing children. He was going to go into the equivalent of heat for vampires (Sanguine Season) and he was going to (more likely than not) become pregnant.
Harry had been quite shocked upon this discovery, and he hadn't had the courage to share it with his friends. Of course, given Ron's current behavior this was probably a good thing, but then again Cyrna had definitely proven herself worthy of the knowledge. Glancing down at his watch, Harry sighed again. He didn't have time to tell her now. She would barely have enough time to get ready before meeting her parents was it was.
That was another thing that surprised him. The fact that he hadn't been surprised that the Hermione he had known for years was really a Malfoy. It just seemed to fit for some reason. The old Hermione had always had a calculating side. And she was the one who came up with the clever schemes… the polygenic potion being only one of many. He had been genuinely happy for Cyrna when he saw the love that the two elder Malfoy's had for their daughter. And then he had glanced over at Draco. Draco had certainly grown up a lot since the first time that they had met. He had become one of the most handsome men that Harry had ever… wait a second! 'Since when do I think that Malfoy is handsome? That stupid, annoying sexy… Argh no! Stop obsessing over him! You have a mate you idiot! No getting attached to anyone else!'
As Harry was chastising himself, Cyrna was watching him out of the corner of her eye. It was quite apparent that Harry was struggling with something, and she had a pretty good idea of what that something was. Looking around at her surroundings and realizing that they had abruptly stopped in front of a stone wall, she turned to Harry. "Harry? Are we here?"
Harry jumped as he heard Cyrna speak. He had not realized when he had become so caught up with his thoughts, but they had indeed reached the Slytherin Common Room. "Yeah," he answered quietly, murmuring a password before stepping into the room. "I think the girl's dorms are over that way, but I've never been up there, so you'll have to ask someone to make sure." Harry smirked. "After all, we've already established that I've got no reason to go up there."
Cyrna could not help but laugh at Harry. She was nervous about the upcoming events of the day, but even still he was able to make her forget everything and just enjoy herself, even if it was only for a short while.
When she had finally regained her composure, she turned to the stairs which led away from the common room. Seeing Pansy just about to head up, she called out to stop her. "Pansy, would you mind showing me where the 6th year dorms are? No one thought to tell me where to go." Cyrna kept her voice polite, unsure of how the Slytherin girl would react.
To her surprise, Pansy smiled at her. "Sure, just follow me. To tell you the truth, I was kind of waiting around to see if you'd need help. I noticed that your family conveniently forgot to mention where the dorms were. To be honest, I think they wanted to force you to interact with some of the Slytherins." Pansy managed to passably imitate a Malfoy smirk. "You know us Slytherins. Always out to manipulate people." Cyrna smiled back at Pansy.
As Hermione, she hadn't really liked the girl, but she could see the humor behind the girl's words. Besides, she seemed to hide her true feelings from outsiders as the rest of the Slytherins did. Cyrna knew that had Voldemort been alive things may have been different, she had, after all, been the best friend to Harry Potter for 5 years. However, Voldie was gone, and that left people to become who they really were. Something that seemed to be occurring a lot at Hogwarts in the recent past. It seemed that everyone was changing, and showing their true colors.
In most cases, this was good, but Ron still hadn't said a word to her. She had noticed the angry scowl on his face as she and Harry were resorted. It would take a lot to convince Ron to be friends with them again, and she wasn't quite sure she wanted to be friends with someone who needed to become convinced.
Pansy lead her up the stairs and showed her to the second door on the landing, which turned out to be the 6th year dorm. "I don't think that you'll be in here for very long, but until you find your mate you'll be staying in here. Unless of course, you decide to stay with your parents while they're here."
Cyrna openly gaped at Pansy. She hadn't even told her best friend about being part-Veela and this girl she had just really met for the first time already knew. "What? Why do you think I have a mate?" Cyrna asked, though she already suspected that she knew the answer to that question.
"I've known Draco since before I can remember. His parents weren't exactly big on keeping it a secret. They told him all about it. Told him not to get attached to anyone, cause even if he fell in love they might not be his mate, and then he'd have to deal with that too. Its why I pretended to be his girlfriend all those years, even though I have a crush on another guy. I just hope he doesn't hate me for 'going out' with Draco, I know that he really doesn't like him." Pansy's smirk faded into a sad smile as she spoke, falling into thoughts about the absolutely adorable boy that had stolen her heart so quickly.
Cyrna was still somewhat shocked. "I'm glad that they're open about it, because after today its going to become pretty obvious. And judging by who I'm pretty sure Draco's mate is, whomever you like will know it was fake." Pansy's eyes light up slightly at this news, and then became somewhat suspicious.
"And how would you know who Draco's mate is? He doesn't even know. And trust me he doesn't, he would have told me."
"I have my ways of knowing. I've been watching how Draco and this particular person interact for quite some time now. I've seen the attraction, and I am still Hermione Granger, however deep down that might be now. I know everything." Cyrna attempted to say this with a straight face, but failed miserably as she again broke into laughter. Pansy looked at her incredulously for a minute and then laughed with her.
"You know, even if it is a Hermione trait to know everything, Malfoy's are never wrong. So tell me, who is this mystery mate? Hmm.. It'd have to be someone really special if it would make R- I mean the guy I like realize that I never had anything going on with Draco." Pansy paused and looked thoughtful. "Wait a second, you're saying that Draco's mate is a guy! I knew that little git was lying to me when he said that he was straight!" Pansy looked rather triumphant, but Cyrna was surprised that she had grasped the fact so quickly. The old Pansy would not have caught on right away, if at all. People really were changing.
"Now now Pansy, I haven't even told Draco who is mate is. Both he and his mate are in denial about it, so I'm certainly not going to spoil the surprise for you. You'll find out when everyone else does." Cyrna smirked as Pansy pouted. "Oh, and Pansy, Ron may be difficult at times, but we've been friends for years so if you really want him I think I may be able to help you."
Pansy was completely taken aback. She hadn't thought that Cyrna had heard her slip up. "Oh, um, er- I mean, thanks." Pansy stuttered.
"Anytime. Now, I better get dressed because I have to be back in the Great Hall in 20 minutes." Smiling to herself, Cyrna headed over to he trunk and began to do just that.
After Cyrna had left, Harry had headed up to his own dorm. He didn't have the luxury of being let out of class for the day to become acquainted with family, and he had only 10 minutes to check out his new dorm if he didn't want to be late for class. At least it was a Friday. Draco's birthday parties were usually quite extensive, and he had no desire to party all night and go to class the next day.
Harry glanced around the room. It was similar enough to the room he had been in in the tower, but the coloring was silver, green, and black instead of the bright red and gold, which he admitted as quite tiring to the eye. This room was soothing.
"Well, well Ha-Potter. It seems as if we will be roommates." Draco drawled, scolding himself for the slip with the name and mentally adding, 'but not for long. I'll only be able to look at that delectable body for another couple of days if all goes well. Wait, did I just think that Harry had a delectable body? NO! I AM NOT GAY! And I am certainly NOT attracted to Harry. NO, focus: You. Have. A. Mate. And all of your Harry staring needs to stop. It will not help when you find your mate not at all.' Draco's thoughts were interrupted by Harry as he replied.
"Never thought this would happen Malfoy, huh?" Harry paused and then continued, "Though maybe we should keep to Harry and Draco. It could get a little confusing, especially since my friend is a Malfoy now, and your parents are here, and probably will be for a while." Draco's heart skipped a beat. Harry really wanted to call him Draco!
"I suppose that would make sense… Harry. We'll probably have to put aside the rivalry anyway. I mean, my sister isn't going to stop being your friend, and I really don't want to alienate her. I just found the twin I've always missed, and I don't want to lose her." 'I can't believe I just told Harry that! Why did I say that!' As Draco mentally beat himself over the head, Harry smiled, incredibly surprised by the normally cold Slytherin's honesty.
"Its ok Draco," Harry said seeing the look on Draco's face. "I won't tell anyone the Slytherin Ice Prince actually has a heart. Your reputation will remain intact. Now, as much as I'd love to continue this conversation, I actually have to get to class. And while we've called a truce I doubt that Snape has. Though, if I'm late he can't really take points as they'd be deducted from his own house." Harry smirked evilly. "That's definitely going to be one of the perks of being a Slytherin." With one last smile, Harry left the room, feeling momentarily sorry that he had to leave Draco behind.
After Harry's departure, Draco merely stared at the door. 'I can't believe that Harry just said that. Maybe he really is a Slytherin.' Shaking his head slightly, Draco too headed out of the room to meet his family. Rooming with Harry Potter was certainly going to be interesting.
When Cyrna finally made her way down to the Great Hall, her parents and her brother were already waiting. "Mother, Father, Draco its good to see you again, without the interference of others that is." Cyrna smiled warmly at her new family and was rewarded with smiles in return, even from Draco.
"Its good to see you again as well darling. Now, are you ready to get some shopping done? I want to make sure we have enough time to get everything that you'll need." Narcissa replied.
Smiling brightly at the prospect of shopping with her mother Cyrna replied, "I am ready, though I must admit that part of me doesn't want to miss potions this morning. We're going to miss the first class where Professor Snape has Harry. Its going to be interesting to see if he can remember that taking points means taking them from his own house." Cyrna laughed lightly and her family joined in.
"It certainly is an interesting thing to miss, perhaps we should make a detour to say hello to Severus. He hasn't as yet had the opportunity to speak to his god-daughter." Lucius said, smirking at the prospect.
"I didn't know he was my god-father." Cyrna murmured.
Draco was the one to answer her, "Actually he's mine too. I guess we forgot to tell you. He was planning on speaking to you at the party tonight. I know he wanted to come talk to you in the infirmary, but we all figured that it might be better to give you a little time to adjust before throwing your most hated professor in your face."
"I guess I probably would have been a little surprised," Cyrna conceded. "But its probably a better idea to just head to Hogsmeade. If Professor Snape is coming to the party we'll see how he reacts to Harry there. I'm sure if anything major happened Harry won't be able to resist holding it over his head just a little." Cyrna smirked. Harry had certainly been letting his Slytherin sense of humor show lately, and she knew if Snape made a fool of himself Harry would tease him as much as possible without risking a detention or point loss… and now that Harry was in Slytherin the risk of that was much less. Suddenly, Cyrna couldn't wait for the party.
Lucius looked slightly disappointed, but he knew that their time was limited. "You're right. We should already be on our way. Shall we leave now?" As the rest of his family nodded, Lucius escorted them out of the Hall and to a horseless carriage that was waiting for them.
The carriage was beautiful. Far nicer than any of the school carriages, and adorned with the Malfoy crest. The inside was far more spacious and luxurious than anything that the school would ever use. Black leather seats on either end of the carriage, with silver trim. The walls a beautiful dark green. Overall, the carriage exuded a sense of calm. Cyrna couldn't help but relax as she took her seat. Being a Malfoy certainly had its distinct advantages.
The family sat quietly in the carriage as it made its way to Hogsmeade. In some families the silence might have been tense, but in this one it was simply comfortable.
Cyrna watched out the window until Hogsmeade came into view. "Where are we going first?" She wondered out loud.
"I thought that we'd get your wardrobe taken care of first then walk around, head into the different shops, make sure that you have everything that you need." Narcissa answered. Cyrna smiled at her mother, and the little family made its way out of the carriage to enjoy their day together.
(A/N: I Could have stopped it there, but I'm feeling generous, so I'm going to continue! Don't you all just love me? You should definitely leave me lots of reviews as a thank you! lol)
Much later, Cyrna and her family arrived back at Hogwarts. They had had all of their new purchases brought to the castle for them. Cyrna had been surprised at the sheer amount that the Malfoys had gotten her. She definitely wouldn't need half as much, but they had insisted, saying that she deserved the best.
It was now time to head down to her birthday party. Her parents had arranged for the party that was originally intended to take place in the Room of Requirement be moved to the Great Hall. The entire school had been invited to celebrate the return of their daughter. Cyrna was looking forward to the party, but slightly reluctant to go, because after the party she was going to become a veela. Apprehension welled up in her heart. Finding her mate… she couldn't feel anything towards them now, but if Harry's behavior was anything to go by she would definitely be feeling something very soon.
Cyrna made a few last adjustments to her new robes. They were exquisite: a dark blue with tiny silver stars sprinkled across the silk material. The color beautifully set off her long blond hair and blue eyes.
Summoning up all of her courage, Cyrna made her way up to the Great Hall. She could hear the sounds of the students partying, dancing to the loud music. It sounded to as if it was the Weird Sisters.
Cyrna shook her head, her parents really wanted to impress her, and make her realize that she was loved. While spending money wasn't the best way to go about this, their constant attentiveness and love was. Cyrna knew that they loved her, and she loved them. She wanted to be a real family, and was quite looking forward to Christmas break when she would be able to go and see her home.
Stepping into the hall, Cyrna sighed. It was wonderful. The ceiling normally set to mirror the night sky was putting on some sort of laser show. There were two large tables; one piled high with gifts, the other with food, which looked quite delicious. A rather large dance floor had been set up, and most of the hall's occupants were currently on it, dancing to the music played by the band, which was indeed the Weird Sisters.
Looking around, Cyrna quickly spotted Harry, who appeared to have been waiting for her by the entrance. "Oy, Cyr! Happy Birthday!" Harry called.
"Thanks Harry." Cyrna answered smiling. "So, how was your first class with Snape? I would have given anything to be there, it must have been quite the show." Cyrna smirked, imaging what the scenario must have been as she watched Harry laugh.
"Oh, it was quite hilarious. Snape didn't quite know what to say. He almost took 20 points from us when I answered a question correctly, but once he realized what he was saying he changed it so they were from Gryffindor. Needless to say, I don't think anyone in Gryffindor was too happy with me. Snape's not going to be able to use me as his scapegoat for taking points anymore."
"Quite right, Mr. Potter. I shall just have to endeavor to find other ways to torture you." Snape smirked, stepping up behind a surprised Harry. "Hello Cyrna, I hope you are having a happy birthday?" Snape asked politely.
"Its been quite nice so far, Professor. My parents have really worked hard to make everything special for me. I truly appreciate all that they've done." Cyrna smiled at he professor, not really knowing what to say to this man who was suddenly so polite.
"I think it might be more appropriate for you to call me Severus when we are outside of the classroom. You are my god-daughter." Snape looked somewhat uncomfortable as he made the request. Cyrna supposed that this was because he had always been so cruel to Hermione. It wasn't as if he could continue in that vein now. Lucius was every bit the overprotective father, and there was no way he'd allow anyone to mistreat his daughter.
Cyrna smiled, hoping to relieve the tension. "Thank-you Severus, I appreciate it." Harry looked somewhat surprised at the exchange, but he did not comment. Most likely because he would have set Snape off if he said anything.
"I'll let you get back to your friends," Severus replied. "Do come and see me if you need help with any of the--" Severus glanced quickly at Harry and Cyrna shook her head no, "changes you may experience. If I can aid you in any way I will." With a small bow and a polite smile, Severus walked away quickly.
"What changes Cyr? You didn't say anything to me." Harry asked somewhat accusingly.
"Oh its nothing. He just meant if I needed help adjusting to my new family, that's all." Cyrna answered, hoping he'd let it go. She wasn't ready to tell him yet. Fortunately for her, Harry only glared at her suspiciously but did not say anything.
The rest of the party passed in a blur. Cyrna only vaguely registered blowing out the candles on the cake with Draco and dancing with her friends. The party was the most fun she had had in a long time, and she didn't want it to end, but the late evening wasn't for her or Draco, it was for her friends. She knew that Harry would wonder where she had gone, but she didn't have time to warn him, as at precisely 8:30 her parents and brother wandered over to her and discreetly escorted her out of the hall.
"How are you feeling darling? No pain or anything?" Lucius asked, using the pet name that had become so common coming from both him and Narcissa.
"Nothing yet Father. But will there be a lot of pain? No one really mentioned anything, but I rather assumed that it would hurt to grow wings." Cyrna didn't mention that she knew for a fact that it hurt from watching Harry was his mate grew closer to majority.
Her parents exchanged a look. "It probably will hurt darling. The wings have to grow out of your back, and no normal pain potion is enough to stop that. But we'll be right on hand with the healing potions, so the pain will be minimal." Her mother answered soothingly.
Cyrna simply nodded. It was as she had suspected, and she knew there was no stopping what was to come, no use complaining.
The family arrived at the guest quarters where separate rooms had been set up for both her and Draco. A sudden realization hit Cyrna. Draco was Harry's mate. She knew it. And Draco was going to be reaching majority in precisely 10 minutes now. And Harry was still at the party. That meant that in 10 minutes the entire party was going to be greeted with the sight of Harry Potter screaming in agony and growing wings. And there was no one there to help him. She hadn't warned him at all! Some friend she was.
Desperate, Cyrna turned to her parents, barely registering the slight pain that ran up and down her back. "He doesn't know!" She cried. "Harry doesn't know what's happening!"
Confused, Lucius replied, "Darling, you can tell him later. He doesn't need to know till after the transformation."
"No! I mean he doesn't know that his mate is going to reach majority in the very near future. How far apart were Draco and I born? There might be time to get him out of there!" Cyrna all but shouted.
Three extremely confused people now stared at Cyrna. "Darling, you were born only a few minutes apart. Your birth was natural, but Draco was in a bad position, so they removed him by magical c-section. I'd say maybe five minutes." Narcissa answered, hoping to calm her daughter.
"You don't understand!" Cyrna wailed, the pain in her back becoming difficult to ignore. "Harry is a vampire, and when his mate reaches majority he grows his wings. And he's in the Great Hall! And I didn't tell him that I knew who his mate was, cause I wanted it to be a surprise, but I didn't realize until now that while Draco and I were transforming here in the safety of our rooms, he'd be transforming in the great hall, with no one to help him. It will be completely unexpected." Cyrna ranted. "And this bloody hurts!" she cursed as the pain became more intense.
Her parents were simply gaping at her she cringed. Lucius finally regained his senses, summoning a house elf. "You! Quickly, go to the great hall and get Harry Potter. Bring him here immediately, no matter what he says. Tell him that Cyrna needs him now."
Draco, meanwhile, turned to his sister. "Are you saying that Harry is my mate? And how the bloody hell would you know that?" Draco cursed inwardly as he felt the pain rippling up and down his back. He wanted this entire mess to be over with so he could have his beautiful wings and not worry about the pain anymore. He hadn't expected to find his mate quite so quickly. Hell, he hadn't even turned yet and here his sister was revealing who he was destined to be with.
"I know the signs. I've read the books on mates, and I've seen the way that you too look at each other, the way you've interacted. You've always been drawn to each other, always. Plus, before I found out that we were related Harry told me that while I wasn't his mate, someone who smelled like me was. I didn't understand then, but I do now. You're his mate Draco, and this bloody pain we're both feeling has to have hit him too." Cyrna was almost in tears as she said this. The time was fast approaching 9-o-clock.
Narcissa noticed the pain in her daughters eyes, and she gently led her to he bedroom. "Hush darling, Harry will be here soon, we'll take care of him too. You just lay down and relax. Its almost time, and all of this will be over soon." Narcissa crooned, helping her daughter lay down on the bed. Cyrna immediately curled up into a ball, and Narcissa left her with a house elf at her side, with instructions that she be called should anything happen.
Upon returning to the common area, Narcissa noticed that her husband had done the same to Draco. "Lucius, how is Draco?" Narcissa asked, more than a little worried about how Draco would take news of his mate.
"Honestly, he's in shock, though he seems somewhat pleased. I think its simply too much to take in on top of the pain. He may be five minutes behind Cyrna, but I bet she's been feeling some pain for almost a half hour, so that doesn't mean much. I just hope that blasted elf makes it back with Harry before its too late." Lucius answered, mouth set in a grim line.
A sudden pop startled the two Malfoys, who, upon turning, saw a disgruntled looking Harry Potter being pulled towards them by a rather overzealous elf.
"I'm here now Dobby, so would you kindly let go of me! This bloody hurts my back, which doesn't need anymore pain at the moment!" Harry yelled.
The Malfoys exchanged a look. It appeared that their daughter was correct. It seemed wonders would never cease. Two thirds of the Golden Trio was definitely destined to be part of their family. Lucius looked at his wife and shrugged his shoulders. At least the boy had defeated Voldemort, this whole situation would have been a lot worse otherwise.
A/N::cackles: you'll all have to wait till the next chapter to find out what happens. This is the longest chapter that I've ever written, so you should all be satisfied. I should be able to update in the next day or so, but only if I get enough reviews to inspire me! Please tell me what you think!