~The Veela and the Siren~
"You gave him a sample of your hair?!" Draco said in a panic, "Why would you do that?! He has your DNA now, who knows what sick and perverted magic he'll use it for!"
The two blonds sat alone on the leather sofa in their massive, green-lit, luxurious common room as Alyona had filled Draco in on her private conversation with Professor Snape. They had decided that it would be best to wait for all of the other Slytherins to head off to bed before discussing the matter.
"I did it to protect my family's secret! In all honesty, not even you were supposed to know about it!" Alyona retorted, "And will you keep your voice down?! You get much louder and they'll hear you all the way up in Ravenclaw tower!"
Draco simmered with anger and worry. While Snape was a fellow Slytherin, and was on relatively good terms with his family, Draco couldn't bare the fact that someone outside of his family knew about his beloved's deepest secret.
"You should have denied him his request and came straight to me! I would have had my father handle it! How could you be so naive?!" Draco asked in disbelief.
With her arms crossed and body facing away from Draco, Alyona looked back at the Malfoy heir with a scorned expression. Her normally sweet and delicate voice now dripping with venom.
"N-n-n-no…I don't want to hear about how you think I should have handled it! You've never been in my situation! You don't know what it's like to have a secret that, as we've clearly seen thus far, has deadly consequences when the wrong people find out about it!"
Draco hung his head, feeling foolish for raising his voice the way that he did.
Alyona huffed as she stood up to walk upstairs to her dorm, fully intent on abandoning Draco in order to escape his ridicule when he reached out to stop her.
"Yes…I do…" he said sheepishly.
"You do what?!" Alyona snapped.
"My family has a secret, too," he added.
Alyona rolled her eyes as she yanked her hand away from Draco's grasp, "Nice try, if you're trying to make things better, you can start by apologizing!"
"Listen," Draco hissed, "My family has a secret, too. You don't have to believe me, you can ask my parents the next time we see them if you'd like, they'll tell you the same information."
Alyona sighed and walked back over to leather sofa near the crackling fireplace and sat down in anticipation of what Malfoy had to say.
"So…my family… we have a bit of an…admixture about us, as well."
Alyona looked rather uninterested at what Draco had to say, until those words left his mouth.
"What do you mean?" Alyona asked as she perked up a bit.
"Remember our trip to the portrait room back home? I'm sure you wondered why all of the Malfoy men look like carbon copies of each other, including me—"
Alyona chuckled, "Well, I suppose I would be lying if I said I didn't notice that…But, it was actually the women in the paintings that really caught my attention."
Draco knew this was coming, he knew that she would eventually want answers regarding this subject, but he wasn't sure if it was for the reason that he had suspected.
"What do you mean?" He asked dishonestly.
"Well…They all look the same," Alyona confessed, "Blonde hair and blue eyes—"
Draco sunk into the couch as this was exactly what he feared Alyona would bring up.
"There is a reason as to why all of the Malfoys look so similar."
Alyona braced herself in case the news she was about to receive was not what she wanted to hear.
"Just like your family has Siren blood in their veins, our's has…Veela blood."
Alyona eyes widened, mouth slightly agape out of shock.
"You…you do?"
Draco nodded, "I wanted to tell you sooner. I just got so caught up in you and your family's troubles that it didn't even cross my mind. I'm sure my father probably thinks I told you ages ago, as well."
"So…what does that have to do with the women in the portraits?" Alyona inquired.
Draco sighed, " Well...Veela men are just naturally attracted to women with fair features."
Alyona winced a bit as she normally liked being reminded by the Malfoy heir that she was beautiful in his eyes, but now, all she felt was discomfort and awkwardness...
"You…only like me for my hair and my eyes? That's kind of a problem, Draco…" She said.
"No no, that's not all, I swear! I genuinely enjoy spending time with you. You must be able to see that, don't you?" Draco pleaded as he took both of her hands into his.
Alyona looked into his piercing grey eyes and nodded.
"So...why not go after a girl with your same hair and eye color? They exist you know... I can't imagine how much you'd fawn over a girl like that." Alyona asked in an irritated manner.
Draco winced with a look of disgust.
"Gross," he gagged, "I don't want to feel like I'm dating my sister or something."
Alyona rolled her eyes, still feeling like somewhat of an object after being informed of this.
"Geez, you're so picky," Alyona joked.
"I'm a Malfoy, I'm allowed to be picky." he added, "anyway, there's...more you need to know..."
"I'm listening," she responded impatiently.
Draco looked at his feet in sorrow, "So...My grandfather on my dad's side courted a girl who, unbeknownst to him, used a temporary charm to lighten her hair to get his attention. After he found out she wasn't a real blonde, he decided that as long as she kept up with the coloring charm, no one would have to know the truth. His father found this out though, and told him that it wasn't meant to be, but my grandfather didn't listen…and one day, he accidentally got her pregnant…
"And…what happened?" Alyona asked nervously.
"The pregnancy killed her... And from what he told me, it looked rather painful, too. It was a huge scandal that took a lot of effort from my family and the ministry to cover up." Draco admitted.
Alyona gasped in horror at this information.
"Only women with fair features can carry and bare Malfoy heirs, it's in their biology, which is why Veela men are naturally wired to find them attractive…" Draco added.
Alyona sunk back into the couch, attempting to process the heap of information that Draco had just unloaded onto her.
"But, the way you look wasn't enough to entrance me, it was your kindness and optimism that captured my heart," Draco cooed, "We have so much fun together, and you make me so happy, I wouldn't throw that away for the world."
Alyona could see the sincerity in his eyes as he spoke, it made her feel a great deal better.
"You…you promise?" She asked.
Draco nodded with a sweet smile, "I promise."
~ooOOoo~
The next day during Defense Against the Dark Arts, Lupin was going over the Impedimenta jinx when the large, ornate wooden dresser in the corner of the classroom began to shake, causing a few of the second years to startle.
"Oh, don't worry about that. It's perfectly secure, "Lupin said, "That there is something you'll be learning about in your upcoming year."
Hestia raised her hand with great enthusiasm.
"Yes, miss Carrow," Lupid called out.
"What's in there?" She asked.
Lupin struggled to answer her question as he looked over to the large, rattling wardrobe.
"Well, that depends," Lupin answered, "Specifically on what you're most afraid of."
Hestia looked confused as Lupin began to clarify.
"Before I explain further, does anyone know the meaning behind the answer I just gave miss Carrow?"
A couple moments when by before Alyona and Bradley nearly simultaneously raised their hands.
"Yes, miss Blossom."
Bradley sunk into his chair with jealousy as he watched Alyona cheerfully answer.
"That would be a boggart," she said confidently.
Lupin smiled, "Very good, and would anyone happen to know what a boggart's signature trait would be?"
Again, Alyona beat Bradley out to be the first one to raise her hand.
"They have no true physical form, they only take on the form of what the person looking at it is most fearful of."
Lupin gave a small set of applause in response to her answer.
"Very good, miss Blossom. I'm quite surprised of how knowledgeable you are on that topic," Lupin confessed, "Five points to Slytherin."
Alyona discreetly turned around to witness the upset state of her former friend. Alyona gave Brad a smug smile before flipping her hair over her shoulder in a taunting manner. Draco had told her about some of his experiences in Defense Against the Dark Arts class this year, specifically about seeing a boggart in action earlier that year.
After class was over, and the students got up to rush out of class, Bradley spotted a pair of scissors resting on one of the desks. He cautiously took out his wand and began levitating the scissors and began to make them snip together as he brought them closer and closer to Alyona.
Draco was waiting outside of the door as she exited the classroom, He had only a split second to react when he saw the large pair of shears clipping their way directly towards Alyona's silky blonde locks.
"Hell no!" Draco roared as he swatted the sharp tool out of the air and onto the floor.
Draco the withdrew his wand and aimed it at Bradley, who did the same in return.
"What's going on?! Alyona exclaimed as Lupin came running out of his classroom.
"Yes, just what is going on out here?"
Bradley put down his wand and replaced it back into his cloak pocket, "Nothing…It's fine."
"I suggest you also put away your wand, mister Malfoy, Lupin instructed, "Alyona earned five points for Slytherin this last class period. I'd hate to have to take them away."
Draco scowled, still upset at Bradley's bold attempt at severing Alyona's hair.
"Sorry, sir," Malfoy said.
"Yes well, run along you two. You need not be late to your next class on top of almost engaging in a duel outside of my classroom.
The two Slytherins nodded as they began to descend the stairs, making sure that Bradley was out of sight.
As the pair reached the bottom of the stairwell, Draco's eyes darted back and fourth in search of the muggle-born Slytherin that had attempted to assault his darling.
"That miserable sod better enjoy his day, once I see him in the common room, he's done for!" Draco declared in an angry tone.
"Well, don't put him in the hospital wing, you'll get caught then," Alyona reminded him.
"I have some ideas, don't you worry about that~" Draco said mischievously.
~ooOOOoo~
As the blond pair made it down to the dungeons from the dining hall after dinner, they were met with sight of their housemate, Blaise Zabini as he was exiting the common room.
"Oh, hey you two," Blaise said casually. He began to look about Alyona's face, as if he was inspecting it for something. "No cuts, no bruises, looks good to me."
Draco's face morphed with anger, "Are you joking, Zabini!?"
Alyona squeezed Draco's hand to help calm him, "Blaise, we don't need this right now, we're tired, we just want to rest."
Blaise chuckled turning his head back to the tall serpent statue that guarded the entrance.
"Well, since you're both here, I suspect Berringer has something in store for you two." He's hiding behind one of the pillars on the left, closest to the doors leading up the dormitories. He looked pissed, be vigilant."
"Oh, uh…thanks," Alyona said. Blaise nodded and whisked past the pair and headed off up the stairs.
"What does that cretin think he's going to do?" Draco thought aloud as they walked up to the stone serpent.
"Snakewood," Draco uttered to the large snake. The stone serpent slithered up and around to archway, clearing a path for the to blonds.
Upon entering, Draco took hold of Alyona's arm, preventing her from taking another step as he analyzed the pillar that Blaise was talking about.
"He's probably behind that one there, Draco whispered as he discreetly pointed, "He's probably listening for the sound of your shoes. Walk a good distance away from the pillar to distract him."
Alyona nodded as she took her first step down the marble staircase leading to the main portion of the room.
With each step she took, the sound of her stilettos striking the hard marble flooring echoed through the Slytherin common space.
During this, Draco crept up to the pillar while noticing Pansy and Tracy giggling in his direction.
Once Draco was were he needed to be, he saw Bradley as he hid behind the wide pillar, watching Alyona as if he was stalking his prey.
Draco narrowed his eyes and aimed his hawthorn wand directly at his target.
"Stupefy!" Draco yelled.
Bradley was sent flying and landed face forward onto the hard flooring.
Alyona giggled at Bradley's foiled plot as Malfoy walked up to where he lay.
Draco stuck up his nose arrogantly as he watched Bradley attempt to pick himself up off of the ground.
Once he had his footing, Bradley wiped the dust from his robes and turned to Malfoy with a hubristic expression.
"You won't always be there to save her you know."
Draco snarled as he grabbed Bradley by the shirt collar, "That sounds an awful lot like a threat, Berringer. It's not wise to threaten a Malfoy."
Those who were present in the common room watched as the nail biting tension continued.
"You attacked us in the library, didn't you Brad?" Alyona said confidently.
The whole room seemingly fell silent at this moment.
Alden, who was sitting with Daphne and Astoria, all perked up the mention of the topic.
"I'll bet he did, where does a mudblood like you get the boldness to go up against two pure-blooded legacies. You have no idea what our families could do to your's," Draco growled.
Bradley did his best to look at Alyona, as Draco still had him firmly within his grasp.
"I didn't attack you in the library!"
Draco tightened his grip on his victim, causing Bradley to begin struggling for air.
"I find that hard to believe when you went out of your way to plan an ambush right here in the common room," Malfoy said angrily.
Bradley looked down at his feet to see his wand near his left foot. The curly haired boy tried to quickly stoop down to retrieve it when Draco kicked it away across the room.
"Look, I didn't attack you guys in the library! When did that even happen?"
Draco scoffed, "Maybe you need a reminder."
Keeping one hand if Brad, Draco reach for his own wand and aimed it at Bradley's head.
Tracy Davis couldn't bare to watch this public humiliation anymore, from her seat at one of the many dark wood desks scattered throughout the common room, she promptly stood up and called out to Draco.
"I remember hearing Pince screeching about it when it happened! The morning that it happened, Bradley was up in the Astronomy tower, I know it!"
Pansy's head snapped over to her follower, "What? How are you so sure? We're you with him?"
Tracy gulped as she struggled to find an answer that Pansy wouldn't find suspicious.
"I…I was going up there to watch the sunrise around seven, when I saw Bradley there already, I sat on a bench to wait for him to leave but after a while I just gave up. He must have been there from before seven to almost after eight or so.
Pansy narrowed her eyes at Tracy as she sat back down at the table.
Draco took in the information and looked back at the boy in his grasp.
"If you say so—"
Draco released Brad and watched the curly haired boy run to his wand and the retreat up to his dorm.
"Coward," Draco murmured.
Alyona looked over toward her brother and the two girls he was sitting by. She and Astoria shared a moment of awkward eye contact before the brunette girl looked away in a huff as Draco took hold of his darling's hand and guided her over to on of the large black leather sofas.
"I still don't believe him," Draco said, "He's the obvious choice, who else has shown that level of abhorrence toward you?"
"How about that one, over there?" Alyona said as she discreetly pointed in Pansy's direction.
"True, I suppose we can't rule her out. I just don't feel like Parkinson has a good enough reason to go that far, and that stupid Berringer hasn't even given a reason."
Alyona spent a moment in thought before gasping in realization, "Oh my god…"
"What is it?" Draco asked.
"There were only two girls that knew I would be in the library that morning."
"Who?" Draco further questioned.
"…Pansy and Daphne…"
Draco gave it some thought, "She likes your brother, doesn't she? Why would she harm you, knowing that you're his sister?"
"I don't know, but if I was her, we need to figure out what her motive is before we get another desk dropped on us…or worse…"
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