AN: Sorry it took me so long, major Internet troubles … .
Warnings: same as before, slash, as in boys kissing boys, M for later chapters
Disclaimer:J.K. Rowling did all the work, I own nothing, nada, zip, diddlysquad…well, except for the plot, that's mine :3
Draco Malfoy sat motionless on the bed in the hospital wing, clutching Harry to himself, hissing and growling at anyone that tried to come near. His grey eyes were now liquid silver, sparkling and swirling with magic. He had his dark red wings curled in a wide arch around them, ready to strike at anyone who dared come too close.
Madam Pomfrey was pacing around, frustrated, shooting angry glances at the blonde. " Albus, he won't let me near him, I'm a Medi-Witch for Merlin's sake! I'm supposed to be helping him and I can't even get closer than twenty feet!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up into the air with a sigh of defeat.
The Headmaster let out a low chuckle, moving over to the Witch. " Poppy, you don't need to heal him. Let's leave him alone for a while and let the magic work. We'll head to my office and I'll explain everything there." He assured her, ushering her out of the room with another knowing grin.
" Come along, Mister Malfoy..we have a lot to discuss.." Dumbledore continued, looking back to the boy with an expectant gaze. " And none of that 'I'm not leaving' talk. You'd do best to listen to me, otherwise you will only end up hurting him more." The professor added cryptically, walking out of the hospital wing, leaving a scared and confused Draco behind.
The Slytherin stared after the headmaster for a couple of seconds before prying himself loose from Harry with a quiet whimper. He couldn't understand what he was happening to him, but he felt more and more distraught as he walked away from the Gryffindor.
Professor Snape was waiting for him at the door when he exited the hospital wing, motioning for him to follow as he headed for Dumbledore's office. " W..What's happening?" Draco asked, trying to keep his voice from wavering. Malfoys didn't feel emotions.
" Now, Draco…as your teacher I am obligated to explain to you your situation and help you adjust to it As your godfather…I will tell you this. If you ever growl or hiss at me like before…I will not take it lightly. " Snape hissed, looking back to Draco with an annoyed glare.
It didn't take long for them to arrive in the office, where the headmaster gestured for Draco to sit down and Snape moved to stand behind Dumbledore. " We have much to discuss…but first things first…lemon drop?" he asked, holding out a bowl of candy to Draco with an unworried smile.
Harry's eyes slowly slid open and he started to wake, shifting on the bed. He blinked confused, before realizing he was in the hospital wing. " Three galleons says I'll be back in this bed with some other injury before the month is over." He mumbled to himself, rolling his eyes.
After a few more moments, he moved to sit up, trying to remember exactly what had happened. He recalled talking to Crabble and Goyle…and them some sort of curse was fired at him…and the last thing he remembered was a pair of dark red wings.
The first part made sense, even the fact that they tried to curse him wasn't exactly surprising…but the wings bothered him. Where could they have come from…or better yet, who did they belong to. He was determined to figure that out, just as soon as the headache stopped bothering him. With a small grumble, he let himself fall back onto the bed, grabbing the pillow and pulling it over his head to block out the noise and bright light.
" I…don't…understand." Draco repeated for about the tenth time now, his expression shocked and confused. Snape let out an exasperated growl. By now, the Slytherin's wings had folded closed again and disappeared, leaving a trail of red sparkling dust behind.
" Draco, you are not human. You have to understand that. You are a magical creature." Dumbledore repeated slowly, making sure the boy fully understood before continuing. " Your kind is called Veela Draconis, the dragon veela. It's a very rare kind of magical creature, and a very powerful one as well…Do you think you can accept that? I realize the news is hard to take, but you will have to cope with it." The professor said calmly, raising an eyebrow at the panicking Slytherin.
" Y..yes..I think so." The blonde mumbled, trying to stay calm. Malfoys didn't panic. " But…what about the wings…and the transforming…and the flying…and the fire…" he started, his voice getting more frustrated by the second.
" Have patience…all will be explained…" Dumbledore chided, moving to pull an old, tattered book from underneath this desk. " This is all you will need for now." He insisted, placing the mysterious book before Draco. " It is the only information on Dragon Veela that exists…"
Draco eyed the book skeptically. For something that contained all the information about a magical creature that existed, that book seemed too thin.
" As for your room…that will have to be moved. You will be staying in a separate series of rooms…along with your mate. The book I gave you will explain everything in detail, but I think it's best you get settled in to your new rooms. I'm sure Professor Snape will be happy to show you the way." The Headmaster declared, ushering Draco out of his office and glancing to the Potions Master expectantly. Snape just huffed and started walking ahead of Draco, hating to be used as a bellboy. Dumbledore exited the room as well, but instead started heading to the hospital wing.
After being showed to his rooms, Draco was left alone to unpack the belongings that were now in a suitcase in one of the rooms. Still, he was too confused and shocked to do any organizing, so he chose to just sit down instead. The 'rooms' consisted mostly of a sort of lounge area, with a couch, table and armchair. There were two doors, both leading to the bedrooms, which were done in dark green and silver. It was all just slightly overwhelming.
It took a long while for him to notice that he was still clutching the book the headmaster had given him in his hands. He supposed it was worth taking a look at, so he sat back in the couch and opened the book, frowning slightly. All of the pages were blank. He flipped through, hoping to find some writing in it, anywhere. At about the middle of the book, to pages were written on, or more accurately, drawn on. Two large, green, lizard-like eyes stared back at him from the pages. And then, they blinked.
Draco dropped the book to the floor, pulling away, startled. He stared at the book for a few minutes, wondering if it was going to move again. Just when he thought it would remain still, the book shook once, then sort of floated up into the air, landing neatly on the table in front of him, open at the two pages depicting the eyes.
The yes seemed to bulge out, coming forward more and more until a whole head had emerged from the book, followed by the body. Before him stood a small dragon, no more than two feet tall, it's scales translucent. It looked almost like a ghost, except for the bright, green eyes. 'I don't appreciate being dropped like that, young master.' A voice rose up, seemingly coming from the creature. Draco remained unmoving, dumbfounded.
" May I have a word with you?" Dumbledore asked, stepping up the bed Harry was sitting in and pulling up a chair beside him. The boy looked up and nodded quickly, sitting up straight. " You were attacked today, by two Slytherin students. The fist thing I want to make clear is that it was not their intention…We've already sorted that part out. They were acting under the imperius curse. Of course, now the question arises of who the actual 'attacker' was. We aren't certain as to who that is, but we know it must have been someone with considerable skill and knowledge of the curse. We need to find out who did this, and soon. They might be planning bigger attacks on more of the students here. Until then, you need to be careful. I don't think it's a secret anymore that you are the primary target." Dumbledore explained with a sigh, shaking his head slightly.
" I've arranged for you two stay in a different set of rooms now, closer to the dungeons. I trust you will be properly protected there…there is just a small matter of your room mate." The Headmaster added, with a tone like that of a child that had just discovered a new toy. " Draco Malfoy."
Harry's reaction was much calmer than expected, the boy just frowning slightly. " I don't understand how being closer to that git will make me safer.." he mumbled. Unfortunately, Dumbledore looked determined to enforce his decision. Harry felt somewhat cornered, but it didn't sound that bad. After all, it looked like Malfoy might actually be human…" It could be worse…I guess.." he mumbled unhappily.
" That's the spirit! I knew you would understand." The Headmaster exclaimed, delighted. " Well then, after Madam Pomfrey is sure you're healthy, you can have a house elf show you the way." He added, standing up and turning to leave the room with a mischievous smile.
" I'm…sorry." Draco mumbled, still somewhat in disbelief that he was talking to a book. " I don't understand…what..are you? How am I supposed to find out anything about Veelas like this?" the blonde demanded, frustrated. " Dragon Veela." The creature corrected him calmly." Young master, I have the information you seek." The dragon spoke again, pausing to smell the air, tilting its head, confused. "You are…too young…how old are you, young master?"
" Sixteen, why? What does that have to do with anything?" the Slytherin asked, somewhat calmer now.
" Wizards come of age at seventeen years, most magical creatures like the Veela, or in our case Dragon Veela do too. You are still human…but strangely, some of your Veela traits, the more…physical ones have already activated…You are…developing somewhat early, I should say. This is most uncommon, as coming of age and receiving your inheritance is programmed exactly in your genes."
Daco paused slightly, letting the new information sink in. It wasn't so bad, except for the part where he was some sort of freak for transforming early. " Why did that happen?" he asked then. There must have been some reason behind it.
"I am not certain, this has never occurred before. Still, the only reason I can imagine is that your future life-mate was in danger. Your powers must have activated early, in order to save your mate." The dragon answered with a nod.
Draco groaned inwardly, already guessing what was coming. " It's Potter, isn't it? It's Potter.." he said, never having wished he were dreaming more than now.
" And? What is wrong with that?" the creature inquired, somewhat confused by the Slytherin's resentment. " It's…Potter, for Merlin's sake. The Gryffindor Golden Boy, the stuck up, all knowing hero, with his stupid sidekicks…and…" he trailed off, frustrated. "Really.." the dragon answered, it's voice skeptical. "It seems that you have a problem with this boy's image…not with the boy..Remember, young master, this is new for you, so it's natural to feel unsure. But this is your life-mate, the only person who can make you happy…" the dragon chided.
Draco shook his head slightly, trying to adjust to the new information. After a while, it seemed like he might me able to deal with it, but as soon as he started thinking about the finer details his head started spinning all over again. Instead, he tried distracting himself with something else. His thoughts ventured back to when Dumbledore told him he wasn't human. It was still hard to believe, especially since no one in his family looked…inhuman…
" Wait…why….why am I a Veela? My parent's aren't Veela…are they?" he asked confused. " Dragon Veela." The creature corrected him again. "No, your parents are not, neither are your grandparents. Dragon Veela genes get transmitted by blood, but they are known to skip four or five generations at a time. When the gene is dormant, it is quickly destroyed by the Wizard's or Witch's blood, leaving then completely human.Still, there is some trace of the gene left, which is what gets passed on to the child. If the gene is active on the other hand, it starts slowly taking over the young one's blood. When they come of age, there is a period where the blood is fully transformed. The dragon blood multiplies, destroying the common blood as it does. At the age of seventeen, you will be a full blooded Dragon Veela."
" How am I going to explain this to my father? Or worse…my mother…" Draco asked, dread clouding his voice. " Does she even know about all of this? The…dragon blood in our family?" he continued curiously.
" No, it's not unusual for families to be unaware of the fact that the blood existed in their past. Still, Dragon Veela are as respected as they are rare. Your parents should be proud. " the dragon said reassuringly before pausing to smell the air again. " Your mate has arrived…good luck in wooing said…hero." The dragon added with a wink before fading back into a soft shimmer, sinking back into the book.
Just a few moments later, Harry's voice could be heard mumbling the password that opened the door to the rooms. Draco groaned softly as Harry stepped through, pausing to glare at him. " Look…you don't bother me, and I won't bother you…I don't know why in the world Dumbledore would have me live here with you…and frankly I don't even care anymore…just…leave me alone.." he said, stomping over to one of the bedrooms and slamming the door shut, leaving a hurting Draco behind.
When Harry had come in, Draco felt so…warm..and comforted…and just pure happy. He couldn't understand it, but that started fading away as Harry spoke. His mind was telling him he should be affected by his words, that it was just Potter, but he couldn't help but feel completely and utterly hurt. After Harry had left and slammed the door shut Draco had sank back onto the couch with a small whimper.
" I can't do this." He breathed. It wasn't even a huge argument, and he was already close to crying. Bringing his hands up to his head, he pulled at his hair in frustration, screaming into one of the couch's pillows.