The meeting could have gone better, Draco thought as he started transfiguring the chairs back to what they had previously been. The other 55 people from the meeting had all found a way of expressing their opinions, whether it was shouting out in anger during the meeting, or coming up after to talk to the Minister. Hermione and himself had stayed and hung back with the Minister to hear what was said since they would be working on this together from now on.
Hermione was admiring the way Draco was acting and handling the other people while she stood next to Kingsley. She silently was watching Draco the whole time and now, listening to Kingsley attentively, she was more openly watching him as he went row by row undoing his spell from earlier now that people were leaving.
The Minister had explained to everyone the situation of the Department of Magical Nuptials and who would be in charge of it, as well as what he hoped to accomplish; extending the 4 month deadline to 6 months and to give everyone the choice of who to marry and to have all peoples with previous engagements be allowed to marry. He informed them, since the law had already been passed there was little he could do, but he was on their side and would do the best he could.
When Draco finished un-configuring the chairs he waved his wand and all the objects flew back to their places in the room, a handful of them flew to him, where he opened his pocket and they made their way in. He smirked at Hermione's astonished look and made his way over to them, Kingsley finishing what he was saying.
"Undetectable extension charms are wonderful things are they not Granger?" He smirked, playfully not spitefully, at her and she nodded giving him a small smile in response. Kingsley moved to sit back at his desk and he waved the two off, knowing they had a few things to talk about.
"Go ahead, I have a few things to take care of before talking to the Wizengamot." They nodded and both left, once in the hallway they slowed down to a stop and Hermione looked at him shyly.
"To the Department of Magical Nuptials?" He shook his head, extending his hand for her to shake.
"Truce. I believe we have things to discuss before either of us can start working together. Clearing the elephant in the room, so I've heard it said." She chuckled and shook his hand. "How about we go for a drink, tea sounds good about now." She agreed and he led the way out of the Ministry. Harry was waiting on her when she got back to the Atrium and rushed over when he saw her getting off the lift. He nodded at Draco before turning to Hermione with questioning eyes.
"Kingsley asked me to start working today; we're just going to go get something to drink before starting Harry. I'll be home later this evening." He nodded and gave her a hug. Harry thought he heard a slight growl as he did so until he released her.
"I'll see you back at home then." He stayed a moment longer, watching Draco out the corner of his eye as he leaned in and kissed her cheek. The scowl on Draco's face at this action puzzled Harry but he didn't comment. Once Draco and Hermione were left alone again she glanced over at him and watched as, with his eyes closed, he got a handle on his emotions; they went from pained to anger to disgusted and then quickly to calm; before he opened his eyes again. Hermione didn't know what to make of this so she didn't bring it up, instead motioning to the exit.
"Let's go then shall we Draco?" He tilted his head in acknowledgement and started walking again, Hermione walking beside him this time. He knew he should probably talk to her, make small talk, but as of this moment he'd rather keep his mouth shut before it said something that would scare her off.
It was another hour and a half before they walked back into the Atrium though, both in full swing of a conversation about Magical creatures, tamed, enslaved and wild ones. While out at the local tea shop they had gotten the apologies out of the way first, then started discussing the hard parts, the demons they truly didn't discuss with anyone else, but somehow, even Hermione found that she could talk calmly with him. They made their way down to their new office in the Department of Magical Nuptials and before they got off the lift Draco brought up Veela's casually.
"Honestly, I haven't researched Veela's much, what do you know?" She asked as she reached forward to open the door; Draco pushed the door open before she fully reached it and smirked at her. She smiled, getting used to the playful tone he took with her when he smirked at her, she was glad that he dropped the spite.
"A lot actually. The most that are known about Veela are most commonly the females. Though, there are males, they are less common and seem to have less of the Veela magic. It's said that the males have their own magic, in a sense, than the female Veela's. The Bulgarian National Quidditch team mascots at the Quidditch World Cup in 1994 were a group of Veela, females of course.
"The mascots danced to hypnotize the players as well as the fans on the other team, although even the referee was affected, and they ended up fighting with the Leprechauns, in turn getting both teams mascots kicked off the field." They both laughed at this and once they entered what would now be considered Hermione's office they both put their cups of slowly cooling, to go cups of tea on her desk.
"That's quite a lot, is there any more you can tell me? I may have to do some research soon over this." She sat at the desk and set about organizing the papers on the desk, he started making his way around the room as he talked.
"They are said to be nymph-like creatures in Slavic mythology, which they live in bodies of water and have power and ability over storms. They may be the ghosts of women who drowned, especially those who were betrayed by their lovers. They often appear as beautiful women, but are known to shape shift into swans, snakes, horses, or wolves. Their mystical, seductive speaking and singing voices hypnotize those who hear them, and they are fierce warriors. Male Veela are naturally rarer than female Veela, which is why none have been encountered." He glanced at Hermione as he said the last bit and noticed her thoughtful expression.
"Well… If they are rare, or have not been encountered, how do female Veela reproduce? Do they all mate with Wizards? Or do they reproduce asexually? Even so, there seems to be more female Veela than male, so how is it male Veela even exist then?" She glanced up at him once before putting a finishing touch on her stack of papers and moving to start organizing the rest of the desk. Draco was examining all of the shelves around the room.
"That's where it gets tricky. It is unknown." He shrugged when she looked up at him before he waved his wand, casting a Muffilato around the room. He made his way over, pulling a chair up to the side of the desk so he was a few feet from her and sat, getting her attention. "I want to tell you something, but this needs to stay between us." She nods and sits back looking at him. "This… is…" He hesitated before sighing and continuing on, "it's a family secret. By myth Veela blood and magic runs out after a few generations, and that only the females born from a Veela have the magic, but that's not entirely true. Pure-blood families have, over time, spread that around so that we have less persecution on us." He took note of her confusion before taking one of her hands in his.
"Male Veela are rare, this is true, because they run in families only, and the Veela blood does not run out either, in some cases it gets stronger if there are more Veela's breed in, or it fades out to a hum, so to speak, in some families. My family, Granger, has the only long lasting, and most powerful Veela blood. My mother was a half- Veela and my father was a male Veela. So far, I'm the strongest in our family line." She looked at him for a moment, a look of awe upon her features as she took this in. He waited for her to say something, waited for any sign at all but he got nothing. "Granger?" He nudged her hand and she jumped.
"Sorry, was thinking. I was told once, that Veela's have mates, why would they, as Magical creatures, have human mates?" Draco shrugged and looked down at their joined hands, he started playing with her hand.
"Full blooded Veela's don't have mates, they marry when they want, they have children with who they want and seduce anyone they want. It's their children, the half- Veela and their children, and those after them that have to mate. It's a curse, really. My family, in a sense, and my father would love to rub this in everyone else's face, has been fortunate enough that all that have been mated into our family have been pure-bloods." He sighed and decided her hands were more interesting than looking her in the face. "My father would rage if he knew who my mate is. I refused to believe it myself until recently." It was a few minutes before Hermione got the courage to ask about it.
"Who, Malfoy, who's your mate?" He froze for a moment before calming down and again found her hands oh so interesting.
"A muggle-born." She scoffed at this, she couldn't believe it herself. She would feel sorry for any muggle- born that married into his family. "On some level I'm glad that my mate is a muggle- born, and even my mother seems to be fine with it, but on some level, with who it is, I just can't accept it. The part of me that needs the mating is fighting with the part of me who is still holding on to my family. I… I'm most likely going to fall into the hands of the curse than I am ever to get her to accept the mating." Hermione used her free hand to pull his head up to look at her. His eyes, the same grey they have always been, piercing, cold and observant seemed so close to shedding tears at his admission.
"What curse?" He let out a shuddering breath and looked away again; he just couldn't look at her, with her accepting, warm honey brown eyes that had so much depth to them.
"The Veela curse, if a half- blood Veela, or any generation after, does not become mated by their 21st summer, they succumb to their Veela half. They transform into their Veela's physical form and take on animalistic personalities, forever to lose themselves to their wilder side and are therefore unable to reproduce as well." He shook his head quickly, blinking back tears before sitting back in the chair. "I have 'til next summer to try and convince her to mate with me or that happens to me. I've seen it happen to a family member who's mate refused him and I don't want to turn out like that." He shuddered and she pulled him forward into a hug.
"Well, I'm sure you can figure something out. I wish there was something I could do, and I appreciate you talking to me about this. I'll have to do some research and see what I can come up with. Have you tried asking her out?" He shook his head and as she went to continue talking he pulled back and spoke before she could.
"She would refuse me, I was too horrible to her too many times growing up." Hermione's confused look made him want to take back that statement, but he couldn't. "Look, I didn't want your sympathy; I guess I just wanted someone to talk to about this since the only other person I talk to is my mother." He stood and continued about what he'd been doing beforehand. She watched him moving around the room and took into account how different he looked, once again that day.
He looked like he had grown up, his face didn't hold the same arrogance as it once had and he looked healthier, but still fit. She was sure that he still took to working out in that seeker way that even Harry did. His platinum blonde hair wasn't being held in place by gel but was swept back naturally, mostly to his left side, his hair parting on its own. He walked with grace, what she could now tell was from the Veela in him, and he looked like, if he so wanted, that he could captivate an entire room with his pose and stare. In some ways he still resembled the kid he once was, but he looked so much like the man he will be that it was getting to Hermione. She wanted to help him become that man and not let him turn into an animal.
"I know I'm gorgeous, but staring, really Granger?" He chuckled and Hermione jumped not knowing how he knew she'd been looking, she hadn't noticed him glancing her way at all. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her though and while she sat checking him over he would watch her out of the corner of his eye, a playful grin on his face the whole time.
"I… I uhm…" she coughed and shifted in her seat before going back to organizing her desk with shaky hands. "I was simply trying to think up something that could help you, you know. This law, if we can't find a way around it, will negate whether or not you mate with her." He scoffed and shook his head.
"No it won't. Law's regarding Veela's, and Veela magic alone will Negate this law for me, I'm hoping that I won't have to use those methods and I can woo her over before she's claimed by this law and… has to fulfill certain requirements of said law before I can get her out of it."
"Well, if you tell me who she is, then that'll be a step closer in figuring out what we can do for the two of you." She stood at full height and placed her hands on her hips. He grinned at her and this was the first that she noticed that his canine was elongated.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you Granger. You just wouldn't." He said, preempting her on 'I would too' comment. She huffed and moved around her desk and over to him so that she could look him in the eye.
"Tell me Draco." He shook his head and stepped back from her and turned away. "Fine then, I'll just go down to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and get your records, and I will mind you." They were silent for a few minutes before he turned on her and she could tell he was holding back, what he was holding back she wasn't sure.
"You do that Granger, invade my privacy! It's not like I need it. After all, you'd be finding out soon enough on your own! Who cares to find out from Draco Malfoy themselves?" He turned and stormed from the office and she stood there gaping at the door he'd all but run out of. She turned back to her desk, a hand on her mouth and made her way over to grab his tea before rushing out of the door as well. She made it to the lifts just as his was closing and she managed to slip in. He was glaring at the gate and she turned to him, panting slightly.
"I'm sorry, you left this too. I really didn't mean to push a button I shouldn't have." She put her free hand on his shoulder and he relaxed, and as he turned to her she held out his tea, he took it and nodded. Once they arrived at the Atrium he stalked off, leaving her in the lift to go back down. When the lift chimed that they were arriving on the 4th floor she climbed off and made her way to the Beings part of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.
This is the hairstyle I was thinking Draco had, with the hair just slightly longer: http:/ /0 .tqn. com/ d/ mensfashion/ 1/0/ X/y/ 81664250_ 10. jpg {take out the spaces}