Surprise chapter two fast update! Love you guys so much! Enjoy :)

"Lucius, they're at it again down by the lake!" A third year Slytherin shouted as she entered the library. The blonde bolted from his seat and raced down the corridors. Bursting through the main doors, he was just in time to see Sirius Black raise his wand against his friend. Lucius ran as fast as he could, his long legs straining from all his running. His face paled as a stream of red light shot out from the tip of Sirius' wand. Malfoy's body stopped, bitter cold fear prickling his spine. Severus fell to the ground, a hand on his chest, but not from pain. Standing in front of Snape was a tall, slender young man with a mop of raven hair and his glasses, broken, by his feet. He fell to his knees, hand covering his coughing mouth. A bright red liquid spilled down his chin and trickled between his fingers.

Lucius darted to Severus' side, dropping to a polite kneel.

"Are you alright?" He asked his friend. Severus glanced over to him, dark eyes lost in confusion. He simply pointed to student doubled over on the ground near them. Lucius looked up and gasped. Never in his right mind would he think that his rival would stand before his own friend's wand to protect Severus.

"James! James, why did you do that? Remy, go call for Madam Pomfrey!" Lucius scooted over to where Sirius was patting his friend's back.

"What was the spell you were using?" He demanded. Sirius scowled but responded anyway.

"It was an inheritance spell. It was supposed to awaken any hidden blood in the person who the spell was pointed at. There were rumors that Severus was of vampire blood." Snape scoffed.

"I most certainly am NOT! What does Potter have in his blood?" Sirius looked up at them and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but I can't say. From what I thought, he was just James Potter, a pureblood wizard. Apparently, I was wrong." James coughed harder. Blood filled the cupped palm of his hand, so dark it seemed black. The Gryffindor swayed and collapse on his side.

"James! Please help me…I need to get him to the infirmary!" Without thinking, Lucius grasped James' unconscious body and pulled him into his arms. He took off in a run, the others right behind him. The moment he entered the infirmary, Potter was taken from Lucius, rested on a hospital bed, and inspected. Madam Pomfrey's eyes widened.

"I never would have guessed. It must have been from his mother's side." An hour passed before he was finally stabilized. Meanwhile, Sirius was in the Headmaster's office receiving his punishment. The blonde Slytherin sat on a chair in the corner of the infirmary. He had a few questions that needed to be answered and he would wait as long as he had to for them to be answered.

Around one in the morning, James stirred. Grunting, he wiped the sleep from his eyes and searched for his glasses blindly. A sudden hand grasped his and placed the thin metal frames in his hand. Slipping them on and opening his eyes, he gasped. Passing a hand over his eyes, his entire body went rigid.

'Is he blind, too?' Lucius asked himself.

"No, I'm not blind, quite the opposite actually." He removed the glasses from his face and looked up at his visitor.

"How did you hear that, Potter?" James cocked his head to the side.

"What do you mean? You asked me a question and I answered it." The raven responded nonchalantly.

"No…I asked myself. I didn't say it. It was in my mind…how did you…?" Lucius asked who was still confused on what was happening.

"I don't know. I heard you say it though." James replied sharply, growing agitated.

"Hmm…can you hear this?"

'What type of inheritance do you have?' Lucius thought.

"I guess I received some veela from my grandmother. I…" Suddenly, James stopped talking and stared at the wall.

"You need to leave, Malfoy…please…." James clenched his hands in the sheets.

"Potter, I want to know…" The raven headed boy turned his head and looked up at the other. His dark hazel eyes were shining bright in the moonlight without the hindrance of his usual dull glasses.

"Please leave…I need to cope with this before I actually talk about it. I'm sorry…but please leave me Lucius." The blonde was taken aback by the friendly use of his name.

"Fine, but answer me this. Why did you jump in front of that spell? It was aimed at Severus, surely you would have wanted…" The Gryffindor averted his eyes, a firm grimace on his face.

"I would never wish harm upon Severus. A simple exchange of jokes or pranks is acceptable, that's that type of relationship we have. Sirius went too far. I couldn't allow Snape to get hurt…it would hurt you. Now…please…just leave." Lucius nodded hesitantly and bowed his head.

"Thank you, James." The blonde said before turning on his heels and walking out of the infirmary.

The next day, James Potter was nowhere to be found, even absent from all classes. It continued for the next several days. Lucius, becoming frustrated that he had no one to argue with or take his anger out on, confronted the more logical of the raven's friends.

"Lupin, where's Potter? He's been gone for days…surely he hasn't been expelled from Hogwarts?" Remus laughed softly.

"I don't mean to disappoint you, but he's been sent away for a while. He told me that you know of his inheritance. Well, you know about veelas. James needs to be trained and told of what he has been forced into. You'd be surprised to know, his main reason for being sent away is your fault." With that, Remus stood from his spot under the tree where he was reading and dusted off the seat of his pants. Lucius stared at the blonde as he sauntered away.

"How is it my damn fault?" He shouted out to the teen's retreating back.

….

"Another month passed before James returned. He had been sent to Switzerland to learn from his great grandmother, who was pure veela, exactly what was happening to him. He grew a few inches, his hair longer, and his eyes turned the signature emerald of the Potter line of the veela race. When he returned, he placed himself under a glamour charm every day, just so no one would notice. What he didn't expect was that Lucius spent the months he was gone researching veelas in the library, learning, absorbing every possible thing it had to offer." The men in the room were sitting on the edge of their seats, waiting for her to go on.

"The rest of the fall passed without another interaction between the two. The October holiday break was another learning experience for James. He was then told that veelas had specific mates and that their appearance would change only when they met them. A veela's body, after finding their mate, will grow to their final stage. So, if they were fourteen and found their mate, they would hit their puberty then and grow to their final height and things like that. Immediately, James knew exactly who his mate was and also knew it would be hell trying to get him to accept it. He forced himself to accept the fact that he was going to die before he could even graduate. Lucius had also returned home to the Malfoy Manor with several books to keep him busy. They soon grew well matched in the knowledge of veelas. It was when Gryffindor faced and won the next quidditch match against Slytherin that Lucius decided to ask James a few questions. He had asked, well more like demanded, a few of the Gryffindor players if they had seen James, all of them saying he was still in the locker room. Journeying to the locker room, he sat on one of the vacant benches and waited."

…

Lucius sat for what seemed like forever waiting for James to leave the shower. The faucet finally squeaked, signaling he was done. What he didn't expect was to see Potter leave the shower with a towel wrapped loosely around his slim hips and a towel rubbing his hair dry, eyes closed and humming some random tune. The lack of clothes made is obvious that James had not only grown, but filled out quite nicely. His skin was a soft gold from the days in the sun, his stomach a smooth plain of muscle compared to his own ridges, and the protruding pelvic bones making his mouth water. The raven dropped the towel when he was done with his hair on to the bench across from Lucius. The Slytherin cocked his head when James' long ink colored hair fell just under his shoulder blades. He had seen him earlier and was positive that the length wasn't nearly that long then. His back was turned to Lucius, completely oblivious to the fierce eyes scanning over his body.

"Potter, did you enjoy your break…because it looks like you did. Did you find yourself a mate?" The blonde asked, standing from where he was sitting. Jealousy boiled in his veins. He wanted to know who could possibly have stolen James' attention away from him. James jumped and by reflex summoned his wand, pointing the tip directly at the Malfoy's neck. His eyes widened. James Potter's eyes were a dark hazel, certainly not the magnificent emerald green before him.

'Damn it! Why did it have to be him….I didn't want to face him until—'Potter thought to himself. He lowered his wand and tucked it into the pocket of his trousers that were on the locker room bench.

"No…I actually didn't get to enjoy a large part of my break. After being forced into my inheritance, I learned something incredible that shocked me and apparently intrigued you. Why are you so interested in who my mate is?"

"So you did find yourself one…" James sighed.

"No…he found me at the beginning of the school year. It was completely shocking and yes, he does attend Hogwarts."

"How did you—"

"I can hear your thoughts, remember?" Lucius nodded. Putting barriers on his thoughts, he continued to ask more questions.

"So…wait, you said he? Your mate is a male?" James chuckled and sat on the bench across from the other.

"Yes, he is. Veela genetics don't care what the gender is. He's quite a character too. You know him….quite well." Lucius scratched his chin.

"So he's in Slytherin…good taste there. Do I spend time with him daily?" James nodded.

"Is it Severus?" The raven haired Gryffindor laughed.

"I think he would have a stroke if I told him he was. Keep guessing, Lucius." The way James said his name sent shivers of pleasure up his spine.

"I don't really spend time with anyone else. Are you sure I know him?"

"Well there is the philosophy that you never know who you truly are until you're dead." Lucius' mouth dropped indignantly.

'His mate is me? I…how can…we're supposed to hate each other…!' James sighed and gathered his clothes into his arms. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was hoping that Lucius would be a little more accepting.

"I know you don't want to be and that's fine with me. I'll live and you'll live a long life with your wife when you get married. Don't worry about it. I was planning on telling you, I just didn't think it would be so soon." Lucius shook his head and stood to catch James' wrist before he turned away completely.

"You said you'd live if I rejected you, but…veelas are known to die if their mates reject them."

"You caught that, did you? I said I would live, not live a long life. Within a year of finding our mates, we must be claimed or claim them to survive. After that, they can part ways and live separate lives with the agreement of frequent social meetings, but when they mate there has to be love between them. It's kind of a fail safe for when your mate turns out to be someone you see as family, but aren't directly related to or your best friend. Something along those lines if I remember correctly. If not, the veela will still die. It's quite a painful death I've heard, but its fine with me. I always knew I wasn't going to live long." James shrugged his shoulders and carried on to a bathroom stall to change. Lucius sat back down on the bench, thinking hard. James would die if he rejected him and he couldn't simply sleep with him because he would still die. Could he bear the idea of letting Potter die on his conscious?

Lucius hid in the corridor, waiting for his supposed mate to leave the locker rooms. Just as he suspected, when James finally left, he looked nothing like he did when he had confronted the raven. He stood at an average height, shaggy black hair no longer than the end of his ears, and glasses over his brown eyes. He also appeared thinner, not quite the same shapely body he had seen only minutes earlier. Lucius smirked, James was hiding the fact he had mate.

…

"Winter came quickly and Lucius had been avoiding James completely. James didn't mind. He wasn't going to force him to do something he didn't want to. It was when James' health took a turn for the worse he began to worry."

…

It was mid-December, snow freshly covering the ground and students singing about going home for the final holidays of the current year. Lucius was in a foul mood. He had recently learned that he would not be returning to Malfoy Manor this holiday break. Instead, he was storming down the hallways looking for someone to pick a bone with. Potter…he was searching for Potter. He needed another person with spirit to pit his own against.

"Lupin, where's Potter?" Remus sighed. It seemed every time he was enjoying the best part of his books, Malfoy interrupted.

"The last time I saw him, he was lying on the couch in the Gryffindor common room. He wasn't feeling too well last night and he seemed worse this morning. I don't believe he'll be any fun for you today." Remus turned back to his book, becoming involved in it again.

'Potter's ill? I wonder if he's—no…this can't be happening. I'm not going to get—I'm going to—no, I need to see him.' Lucius argued with himself.

The halls were mostly empty, a few students either waiting to go home or saying goodbye to their friends before turning in for the day. Lucius continued down the main hallway and moving stairs before reaching the portrait of the fat lady. He stared for a moment before the painting came to life. The heavy set woman scowled at the visitor.

"What could a Slytherin possibly want?" The blonde scoffed.

"It seems Potter is sick. I wanted to see if he was okay."

"Would it matter to you? You've made the entire time he's been here hell for him. And…it seems he doesn't mind your visit." Suddenly, the portrait door swung open. Lucius walked in hesitantly, looking around for the young man he was worrying about.

'I'm not worrying…I'm just…well,' Lucius ranted to himself.

"You're worrying, Malfoy." Lucius looked up from his feet. On the couch, in front of the lit fireplace, was James. He was lying on his side with his back to the rest of the common room and an arm thrown over his face. Lucius felt his mouth grow dry. The fire was casting a warm light over the raven's body. Whatever skin that was exposed was practically glowing.

"What do you want, Malfoy? I thought you wanted away from me?" Lucius sat on the plush chair across from his.

"I heard you were sick and…"

"You didn't hear….you asked someone where I was. Why would you want to know?" Lucius sat up as straight as his spine would allow him. The teen's tone was unexpected. But then again, how else would someone talk when they were sick and confronted by the person sentencing him to an early death?

"I have to admit since you already know; I asked Remus where you were. He said you weren't well and I guess you're right. I was worried when I found out you were ill." James rolled to his back and moved his arm to over his stomach.

"I'm fine, Malfoy. You can leave anytime you want." The blonde Slytherin stood from his seat and moved closer to the raven. Before James could protest, Lucius placed the back of his hand on the other's forehead.

"You're definitely ill. I can tell you have a high fever and you're extremely pale." The veela male fought back the groan in the back of his throat from the contact. James swatted away his hand and pushed himself up from the couch.

"I'm just fine, Malfoy. Go back to the snake pit, why don't you?"

"Why are you so defensive about me seeing you sick? Are you afraid that I'm seeing you at a weakness?"

"No, it has nothing to do with that! It has to do with you being my mate and the feelings my body is portraying for you! I can't control it completely and with my health collapsing, it's showing I'm dying. Malfoy, can't you see? This is the beginning of my death! You hate me. I can't mate with you and now my body is killing me. You need to leave before my control completely snaps!" Lucius looked at James. Sweat was glistening on his forehead and his eyes couldn't focus. His chest huffed from the exertion he was placing on himself. He had to admit, he really wanted to see Potter like this without his charms.

"No, I'm not going." He stood his ground, but took a step back as he finished his thought.

'I never said that I rejected you either.' James looked up at him confused.

"What do you mean by that? Are you willing to try being friends and put this meaningless feud behind us?" Lucius stiffened his shoulders and nodded.

"Yes, I am as long as you are." The raven smirked.

"Well, that's great to hear, but you really need to go now." The Gryffindor portal opened to reveal Sirius and Remus. Black scowled at the blonde.

"What the hell are you doing here, Malfoy?" Lucius opened his mouth to speak, but a soft hand was placed on his shoulder.

"Nothing, he was just leaving." James staggered along to the door, pushing Lucius with him.

"Goodbye, Lucius." He whispered. The blonde stood still as the portal door was closed on him. He couldn't believe it was happening. They were ridding themselves of their feud.

Weeks passed. Lucius and James were on friendly terms, but nothing more than a handshake as a gesture of affection. Malfoy was beginning to crave to touch the other skin that wasn't on James' hand. The skin no one had seen before, touched before, or ever tasted. The tips of his fingers itched to twine with the other man's as they walked down the hall and his lips grew dry with thoughts of meeting James' lips. James was in a worse state. He was literally dying for the other's touch. He needed it, craved it.

….

Sooner than expected, it was finally time for the first quidditch game of the spring. The air was sweet and the grass was growing thick and green. James sat on his broomstick, hovering just a bit above the ground while waiting for his team to arrive.

"James!" A voice called out to him. He looked up to see a young woman with reddish brown hair and green eyes.

"Lily, how are you today?" As she walked closer, a look of concern grew across her face.

"Are you alright, James? You look pale and green around your cheeks." She placed a hand on his forehead, but shrugged.

"You don't have a fever." He swatted away her hand and chuckled.

"I'm just nervous. I haven't played in a while because I was sick. Nothing is going to make me miss this game!" He said proudly. Lily laughed and nudged his shoulder.

"Hey, look who came to watch your ass in your tight pants…" James' face heated at the comment. To the left was Lucius walking into the first row of the Slytherin quidditch stands. James smiled before shaking his head. He leaped off of his broom quickly, not giving himself enough time to react to the heavy wave of dizziness. Lily caught his arm and leaned him against the wall.

"Are you sure you can play today?" She asked again. He nodded, waving her concern off.

"I'm fine."

Finally, the game was beginning. All players mounted their brooms and rose into the air. James gripped the handle tightly and focused on the team before him. It was the game everyone had been cheering and raving for, Slytherin versus Gryffindor. Being the seeker, all he had to do was pay attention to where the golden snitch was going, simple, right? Madam Hooch blew her whistle and once again said the sportsmanship vows. The players nodded and she blew her whistle again, this time releasing the snitch with it. It disappeared instantly. James tightened his hands again and shot off high into the sky. The other seeker watched intently, knowing James would probably be the first to see it. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Gryffindor already had twenty points. His captain smiled and waved to him. James nodded and returned his attention looking for the snitch.

Lucius himself was looking for the snitch too. He glanced over his shoulder to see Severus settling down behind him. With a smile, he turned to his friend.

"I thought you said you weren't going to come, especially since I'm not even supporting our house?" Lucius questioned in an amused tone. His playfulness declined when he saw the look in the raven's dark eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"No, you're right. I wasn't planning on attending. It was when I had left you in the main hall and headed into the dorms, I overheard something you might want to know. Our captain told Bedlington to knock the competition off his broom. Do you know who his competition is?" The blonde's eyes bulged in realization.

"No…..James….the match already started. He might be too focused to even hear me." Severus placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"I've been reading about his blood. Just think about him falling from his broom. He'll realize something is wrong." Lucius nodded in understanding. Turning back to the match, he searched through the clouds, fear rising in the pit of his stomach.

James guided his broom high over the stadium. He had just seen the snitch, but as quick as it came, it was gone. He could feel his veela trying to signal that his mate was trying to talk to him, but he just pushed it off. It was probably something about Slytherin being the winners. He knew the Slytherin seeker was close behind him, even if he couldn't see him. A flash of gold caught his eye. Instantly, he zoomed off after it. He could hear the snitch's tiny wings flapping. Bedlington was suddenly directly by his side, a devious smirk on his face. Reaching out his hand, the Gryffindor could feel the wind the snitch was creating. His opponent crashed hips with him, throwing off his balance. Grabbing his broom stick, he steadied himself again. If this was how it was going to be played, at least he was going down with the snitch in his hand.

"He can't hear me. I know he can't." Lucius exclaimed. Severus hummed in response.

"I suppose he learned to cancel out your emotions from his. In a match like this, you could understand why he would want all his attention on the game." Lucius looked back at him, confused about what he was talking about.

"Veelas can read their mate's minds naturally. It's a safety technique to warn the veela of any danger threatening his mate or to simply make sure their mate is happy. He can also zero in on your emotions. If you are upset, the same emotion can be reflected to him. It can even go as far as if you are in pain, he can feel it too, but it tends to much worse because he is always taking away your pain. Remember when you were told he had gone away to get help? I guess whoever helped him managed to teach him how to control his powers and even block you from his." Severus explained. The blonde Slytherin nodded once again, but his eyes were glued to the match. What would happen if James fell from that height? Dying seemed highly possible.

James veered to the left, dodging another side attack from Bedlington.

'This is it.' He thought. Taking a deep breath, the raven player lunged forward with his arm stretched out. Bedlington took his final hit, pushing James forward. The snitch fit perfectly in his palm while his broom slipped from under him. To him, it felt so nice to free fall down to the ground. The wind whipped his hair back and his fake glasses were long gone. The ground seemed to be very eager to meet him, considering how fast it was coming up.

Lucius swore his heart stopped the minute he saw James lunge forward off his broom just to catch the snitch. Adam Bedlington simply smiled and fell back to admire what he had done. Gryffindor might have won, but this would probably be the last match they did without James. Jumping to his feet he called out to Madam Hooch. The white haired women turned to look his way, but stopped when she noticed one of her athletes falling. She shot out on her broom immediately, racing against time and gravity to catch him before James could break his neck on the ground. It was when large white, feathery appendages appeared behind him, she stopped.

(A/N) So yea, there's a little of the back story. I wanted this chapter to more or less serve as a thank you to those who have added me to their alerts. I would personally thank you on here, but I'm saving that for reviews! So review people! Please and thank you! ...don't make me beg. :(