ENTHRALL
By Yih

Beta: SeparatriX (thanks to her this chapter is about as good grammar and word construction wise as it's probably gonna get!)

Note on Thrall: One or two reviewers have mentioned that it sounds like 'rape,' but the concept is really no different than other veela fics. The only difference is that the veela is allowed to choose their mate, but as I will explain and have explained once a veela chooses his mate, it's for life and he will fall in love. They just get to choose who they get to bind their body, their soul, and their love to. Ta da!

Muse Sick Note: I threw up (bile) yesterday which is why this is late. I had intended to release this on Saturday but I just wasn't feeling well. So here it is. Sorry for the delay. And I think I'm going to lie down ;; now.

Chapter 4
Two Steps Back

It'd been almost too easy. It would be easy to underestimate Harry's innate resistance, but Draco wasn't about to let up the thrall. It had taken a summer of relentless practice before he'd gotten good enough at focusing the thrall. And it still took concentration, which was why Harry was under only a mild thrall when he wasn't next to him. Harry was under enough that he wasn't going into a panic mode.

He understood what Harry must be going through. The denial, the anger, and the sheer confusion… he'd know because he'd gone through it himself when his father had informed him that their Lord wanted him to take Harry Potter as his mate. He'd also been bitter. It was from this experience that he felt it best to keep Harry from the full brunt of his emotions. He was numbing Harry a bit, not letting him think too much.

Even though Harry had responded to the first kiss, it didn't mean he necessarily liked the idea. Draco knew firsthand how the thrall, when used in a particular way, acted like a powerful aphrodisiac. When he'd turned the full brunt of his thrall on his mother, he'd thought she'd rape him. But his father had been there to step in and to turn his thrall on to drag his mother's focus away from him. After all, a veela's mate naturally wants their veela.

His mother wouldn't have wanted anyone but his father if his thrall hadn't been on.

It was that strong, though not as strong as his father's. He was only, from Lucius' estimations, probably a third veela, and it might even be as little as a quarter. He hoped being less of a veela that his mate wouldn't affect him as much as his mother affected his father. It was sickening to watch how much his father indulged his mother. If he didn't know better, he would have thought they were a just married couple.

He wanted to think he wouldn't be affected, but already he could feel it inside him--- that invisible force that would make him fall madly, truly, and deeply for Harry. Thinking about the kiss made his groin ache. He would have liked nothing better than to drag Harry from wherever he was (because he wasn't in the Great Hall yet, late as always), and to hell with slow seduction and making Harry fall for him when he ravished him. At least if he couldn't have Harry yet, no one else could, thanks to the promise bracelet.

"Draco…"

"Draco!"

"DRACO!!!"

He jerked his head toward Pansy's shrill voice and gave her his most baleful death glare. "What?"

"Why are you being so mean to me?" Pansy's features screwed up in a pout, causing her pug-like face to appear even more unpleasant than it already was.

He wanted to say that she deserved it for being such a clingy, irritating bitch. However, the propriety and manners that his parents had drilled into him prevented him from being too rude. He managed to smile, a charming smile and murmur, "I'm sorry, Pansy, I was just thinking about something and you startled me. You know how I react when I'm taken by surprise."

Her features softened, and she looked taken by his explanation. "Oh Draco, I forgot that you hate being startled." Yes, she also forgot that he'd called her a pug-faced clingy bitch just the other day. Her memory was a wonderful thing, wasn't it? "I'm sorry, but I just wanted to know if you could help me with a question that I had about Ancient Runes."

He bit his tongue. He wanted to say that no matter what help she got in Ancient Runes; she was still not going to understand the question she had. How she had gotten in the NEWT-level class was still perplexing. Perhaps, there had been a set quota that the Professor needed to meet. Whatever the case, it was a mockery that Pansy was in the class. That still didn't stop the fact she needed help and he might as well get it over with so that when Harry did walk in, he could enjoy the moment.

"So what's your question?"

-

Harry showed up late to breakfast. He showed up so late in fact, that Draco caught a glimpse of him entering the Great Hall (probably to grab something before heading to class, he thought) while Pansy was dragging him off to Ancient Runes. Both the Weasel and the mudblood had both arrived earlier, and the only thing he was able to note was that Harry looked like shit.

What the hell had happened?

From what he remembered last night, Harry had looked fine. Actually, he had looked better than fine. He had looked delicious and desirable, but that was probably the veela in him reacting to the initial marking. That entire ritual animal crap, though he hadn't really marked Harry yet. It was more a first touch. When he finally did mark Harry, the entire school would know that Harry belonged to him.

"Mr. Malfoy, would you care to tell me what this symbol does if it is etched into the skin with blood?"

The mudblood was raising her hand like always. Didn't she understand how aggravating her blatant show of knowledge was? It was like she was parading herself out on auction, but a Gryffindor would never understand Slytherin subtly would they? He cringed, thinking that Harry was a Gryffindor and he'd started the steps that would lead him to a permanent shackling.

"Mr. Malfoy?!"

He barely glanced at the rune. He had studied it enough times in the past that a simple look was all that it took for him to remember what it was. "It's a Possidererune."

"Would you care to explain what it is for the classmates that don't recognize it?"

Except Hermione, Draco doubted anyone knew what it was. "Possiderestands for possess, and this rune, if written using one's blood onto another, will cause the other person to be owned or possessed by the other. It's a type of ownership, but it only works assuming your magic is stronger than theirs."

"Excellent, Mr. Malfoy. I would award points to Slytherin, but considering you weren't paying attention earlier. Let's call it even, shall we?"

Draco inclined his head with good nature, though his expression was indifferent. Of course, that wouldn't help the cause of winning the House Cup. Not that they were going to anyway. It hadn't been awarded to any House but Gryffindor since Harry Potter had walked into Hogwarts. No other House was going to get the House Cup until Harry left Hogwarts. It might as well be a fact written in Hogwarts, A History.

Points aside, at least the Professor wouldn't be calling on him again. This Professor was terribly predictable and had never varied from his routine in the 5 years that they had been taking this class. Draco felt it was safe enough to drift back to his thoughts and meanderings about Harry. Like why Harry had looked like he'd just gone through a night of hell. From what Draco remembered, Harry might not have been well, but he hadn't been unwell either…

"You're insane," Harry had whispered. "This is insane."

"If that is what you think of love, then so it must be," Draco murmured. He let go of Harry's hand and reached up to cup his face. "But whatever you say, it won't change the fact that you are my mate."

"You hate me!"

His fingers stroked Harry's soft skin. "Not anymore."

"You hate me," Harry insisted.

"No veela can hate his mate."

"But…"

"And no mate can be without his veela."

"I…"

He silenced Harry's protest by pressing his fingers against his lips. "If you don't believe me, go to the Library and research."

Harry trembled, and Draco removed his fingers from his lips. He didn't want to believe Draco was right, but he would--- Draco knew he would. "You're telling me the truth, aren't you?"

Naïve, naïve Harry. "Unfortunately." He gave his voice the right amount of inflection, the proper amount of regret and added a bit of bitterness. It gave his voice all that much more believability. "Regrettably."

"We don't have to… be together, do we?"

Draco grasped Harry's wrist in an unbreakable grip. "You don't understand do you?" His eyes were gleaming, a little uncontrollably. The veela in him didn't like Harry's words. Even under the thrall, Harry was still able to say words that hurt him. Although Draco knew that Harry wanted him because he could sense Harry's discomfort. Not to be together, not to be together? Impossible! "Yes, we do."

"I…"

He didn't give Harry a chance to speak; he bent his head down again and kissed him. This time his kiss wasn't as gentle, but he didn't hear Harry protesting. If anything, Harry was encouraging him, pressing his body against him. His arms were even surrounding him, holding him. Harry's mind might not like the idea, but his body was saying yes, yes, yes.

Harry had looked better after the kiss, his cheeks were flushed and his eyes dilated. He had been too flustered to think, though it might have been the result of being put under too much of the thrall. Draco had never asked, but being under too powerful of a thrall for too long couldn't be good for a person. He would remember to tone it down next time. Ah yes, when to meet Harry next?

It would be a problem, especially if Harry had taken his suggestion not to tell his friends. It was too bad he couldn't command him not to tell the Weasel and the mudblood. The claiming might have started, but it wouldn't be until he had culminated it that he had control of Harry. It would take time. If he pushed it, he could probably be done in a week. But it was better; he agreed with his father, if he went slowly and got Harry to love him. It would make his power over him that much more absolute.

Because it was already starting, he could feel it inside. It was ridiculous, this yearning to please Harry, to make Harry happy, to start falling in love with Harry. The slow steps he had decided to take were going to be torture for his inner veela. He would be careful though, he would remind himself daily that Harry might be his mate, his lover, and all that but Harry would never be his everything.

-

"So what you're telling me is that the person didn't show up?"

Harry nodded.

"And you still don't know who your secret admirer is?" Hermione asked, incredulously.

Interesting. So that's the way that Harry had decided to keep this a secret. Somehow, he had never thought that Harry would actually keep this a secret from the Weasel or the mudblood. He imagined that Harry couldn't wait to tell them, if only to get opinions that reflected his own. He was wrong. Was it possible that Harry was reacting calmly on his own right? Not because of the very, very mild thrall he had on him? It was possible.

Draco had never really tried to do a mild thrall to control emotions. It was just a theory he had. If he could control his mate's physical desires, then he'd thought perhaps he might be able to control Harry's emotional ones as well. Maybe he really didn't have Harry as much under his control as he thought. That was slightly alarming, but not overwhelmingly so, especially if Harry was taking it as well as he seemed to.

"I don't. They left a note and said they couldn't make it. Maybe something came up, or maybe they lost their nerve."

How amusing that Harry didn't want them to have bad thoughts about him standing him up. Again, from the thrall or from Harry himself? If Harry was taking this well, then perhaps he could speed up his seduction timetable. He didn't particularly want to wait until nearly the end of the term to complete the marking ritual. His restless veela wanted it completed as soon as possible.

"I suppose that's possible," she remarked. "It's safer for whoever it is to be underneath a cover of secrecy. It must be terrifying to reveal themselves, especially when it can lead to rejection."

"Yeah, that's probably it."

Draco had heard enough of this conversation, and besides he needed to get to Arithmancy. Professor Vector was a stickler for punctuality, and if he didn't start heading in that direction Granger was going to catch him loitering rather close to the Gryffindor Tower. Just what he needed, to be caught spying on Harry. But he needed to know what Harry had said, what he'd done, and how he was reacting now that the thrall was nearly nonexistent. He would have to meet with Harry again, so he could touch him to reapply it.

Maybe the thrall didn't do anything but control Harry's physical desires and actions. He'd never really talked to his father about anything other than the principle of controlling it and wielding it over the person he'd targeted to be his mate. It was possible his theory was just another silly theory. It was also possible that he simply didn't have as much power in his thrall as he thought, too.

Hadn't he gotten Harry to listen to him though? Or was that merely an offset of the moment? A fluke?

-

So Harry had decided to take his advice and do some researching on veelas, Draco mused.It was an odd sight, seeing Harry bury his nose into a book. It was more of something you'd expect to see the mudblood doing. But it did make things convenient, especially since his two tagalongs were nowhere in sight. Whatever had he said to get them off his back?

"Do you believe me now?"

Harry jerked backwards and nearly tilted his chair over. "Malfoy!"

"I thought that we were past surnames," Draco murmured, pulling the chair out on the opposite side and taking a seat. "Don't you think after what we shared?"

His mate blushed, a light but visible and uncomfortable pink. "One kiss doesn't mean anything."

So, his mate wasn't as much under his thrall as he would have liked to assume. Should he turn it on again? He liked that it made Harry want him. But if it worked like it had on the house elves he'd turned it on, Harry wouldn't be able to think. And he didn't exactly want to be interacting with a brainless passion-filled twit. He got enough of that from Pansy. He wasn't sure if the thrall actually made a person witless though, because neither the house elves nor Pansy had much wit to begin with.

"Oh really?" Draco raised a contradictory eyebrow. "I think it does. After all, it is the beginning of something that's out of our control." He pushed a finger against the thick tome that Harry had been reading. His mate was a good way through, he'd probably been reading for an hour or two already. "You've read enough to get past the basics, and that would have told you what I've already told you. We need each other."

"I don't want to believe it," Harry whispered earnestly. "I don't. I don't."

Pathetic Potter. Where was his Gryffindor bravery and foolishness? Shouldn't he be raging in anger and throwing a tantrum as the Weasel surely would? Instead, Harry looked distraught and worn. There were dark circles underneath Harry's eyes as he'd stayed up all night trying to deny what he thought was undeniable. Draco wasn't about to tell Harry the truth.

"Too bad that it's true, isn't it?"

It wasn't untrue. If he were a full-blooded veela, what he'd told Harry most certainly applied. But he was a wizard with veela blood and thus there came a choice. There was no compulsion to a certain person. Harry didn't need to know that. It was better that he didn't. It was much better if he never found out. Then he'd get it through his head, and not blame anyone. It'd be easier if he just accepted it as something that couldn't be helped. Knowing you had a choice made it excruciating, Draco knew.

Harry planted his forehead on the table. "Leave me alone, Malfoy."

"I'm afraid I can't, not just yet."

Harry jerked his head up and glared at him with green daggers. Draco resisted the urge to let the thrall ebb out. He wanted to test something first, test how willing Harry might be. "Of course you can, you can turn around and walk out. It's that simple."

"Sarcasm, how becoming," Draco murmured. "I didn't think you had it in you. All those late night sessions with Severus must be influencing you for the better. It's nice to know that Severus has made some sort of mark on you."

"Shut it, Malfoy and leave."

"If you kiss me."

Shock then anger flooded Harry's eyes. "What?!"

"If you kiss me, I'll leave."

Harry slammed the book shut, loud enough that Draco wondered why Madame Pince wasn't coming around to reprimand them for not handling the books with care. Harry grabbed the book and got up from his seat. How predictable of him. If he couldn't get his way, then he was going to do something that would sort of get him his way. Since he couldn't get Draco to leave, he was going to leave. Not very Gryffindor or Slytherin of him. Harry must be too angry to think properly.

"Harry, don't walk away."

He snapped his head around and his sneer was impressive, worthy of a Malfoy. "Watch me."

And Harry did just as he said. He walked away.

Draco had a feeling that he'd messed up; he'd approached the situation badly. Only he didn't understand what he'd done wrong. Was he supposed pity Harry? Offer him sympathy that he didn't feel? Those were worthless token emotions. What Harry needed was reality, even if it was harsh and not very nice. Reality was reality was reality. There was no going around it, cloaking it with pretty words, or conveniently forgetting that.

Yet, why did he feel like he was in the wrong?

Author's Note: I won't be posting anything until I finish up my creative writing story. If you want me to help me finish, drop me an email. The only way you can help me is to tell me what's wrong with it and what's working for you and not working for you. Lalala. I'm stressed out, but this is a good stress. I mean, at least this is a story and not an organic chemistry or physics test. It's actually fun to do this, but I'm still paralyzed with insecurities about how crappy my professor is going to think this is. What is literary merit? Do I have any literary merit? I think not. Oh, what did you think of this chapter by the way?

Thanks to scorpion moon goddess, Xiaou Nem (Ha, thank you for your dedication and belief in my writing skills), zadira (R/Hr's reaction are always -- cliché no matter how you write it, I will try to be a creative cliché), Iantheyumi (Saturdays), lo (ya Harry liked it), starlollie, bakachan17, Brenned, dablksaiyangurl, SheWolfe7, Amaya7 (Occlumency doesn't help his thrall resistance, more like his imperius resistance comes in handy.), Short Fat Fag (and how is veela attraction any different? Once a veela chooses his mate, there is no choice in the matter anymore.), Brenna8, scottflour, riantlykalopsic (I was afraid Harry was a wimp, glad you think not), TigerBlak (not big on clothes description, I'll try to get some in next time. Draco does have control over Thrall, but really it's to ensure his mate will want him as much as he will need Harry.), Jazzlady, …, MishapsErrors (muse is currently sick and tired, but thanks), A-Brighter-Dawn, Ivin Artemis Draconis, Minathia, Maurynna, kari073 (I'm not too big on fluff, but yes there will be some), zoomaphonethepirate, sak, Makalani Astral, PeachDancer82, Yana5, Theoddguy (the veela needs his mate, but the thrall is to ensure the mate at least wants the veela. Draco will love Harry, but will Harry love Draco?), Angel Lain, FugitiveShadow, angelkitty77, Malfoy Snogger, Lo26, SeparatriX (thanks my wonderful, wonderful beta), Medi, Kage Mirai.

TBC (–muse is sick-)