First off, I apologize for the lateness, my keyboard decided it was going to break and it took me a while to be able to get another one then for the last three days I've been super busy. So, without further adue, I give you chapter 4 which is much longer to make up for the tardiness of this chapter.

When Harry walked back into the kitchen coming down from a shower he took several minutes ago he noticed Hermione sitting at the table. He smiled when he first noticed her before he noticed the distant look in her face, the frown in place of the usual smile, and the creases on her brow. He moved over to sit next to her, pulling up a chair and taking one of her hands in his.

"Hermione, look at me." She jumped at his voice but didn't follow his request. A few minutes of coaxing and he finally got her attention enough to look at him. "What's wrong?" She shook her head and pointed down at the file on the table. He glanced down and took note of the official Ministry seals from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.

He sighed and stood up not knowing what else to do since it seemed as if this was a private matter. He turned and left the room leaving her to fall head first back into her trance of circling thoughts. He wondered what would be bothering her; she seemed well enough when he left her at the Ministry earlier that afternoon. Maybe that was it, maybe Malfoy had done or sad something! He was about to go back in and ask her but as he caught the look on her face one more time, he decided against it.

In the hallway he ran into Ron and Ginny who were standing there watching Hermione with concern on their faces. He nudged them, hoping to get them to move along before he had to actually voice anything. They took his hint and turned to leave when they vaguely heard Hermione whisper something.

"I need… to speak… to George…" Ron's ears turned pink and Ginny's concerned look turned to confusion before Harry turned to look at Hermione again. She hadn't moved and now, since he hadn't seen her talk, it appeared as if she hadn't, but he knew she spoke, they all had heard her whisper and broken sounding voice. His brow furled and he shared a confused look with the other two before they all shrugged.

Harry turned and pushed Ginny and Ron to get them moving, he kept it up until they had made it to the room he shared with Ron, along the way he knocked on the door to George's room. He stuck his head in and looked pointedly at George through the darkened room.

"George, you're needed in the kitchen, don't take all too long getting there, eh?"

"Thanks Harry." The older redhead said as he stood and Harry nodded before continuing down the hallway. George waited until he couldn't hear their shuffling feet anymore before he opened the door and made his way down to the kitchen where he took note that only Hermione was there.

He stood awkwardly in the doorway for a few minutes watching her look as if she was lost before he made himself known on his way to the same chair Harry had left in front of her. He sat, noticing she still hadn't noticed him yet, and waved a hand in front of her face before whispering her name. "Hermione?" She jumped and grabbed his hand from in front of her face before blinking a few times, her gaze focusing on him.

"Oh George… you need to know…" She didn't say anything for a few minutes and he started to get worried before she stood up, grabbing the folder he didn't see on the table and started walking over to the back door, motioning for him to follow her. He stood, righted the chairs, and followed behind her a good five feet as she led him a good twenty feet from the house and casting a few charms on the area around them.

She pulled a sheet out of the folder before closing it and placing the paper on top, moving it down to her side as she looked at him. "George, you… Well, to say that… The…" She was very unaware of how she was to go through with this and tell him, but she knew she had too, she knew he didn't know and he had to. She sighed and ran a hand over her face before frustratingly moving in a half circle both ways and then glaring at the sky.

"What's going on 'Mione?" George said, having been worried for a good few minutes now.

"George, how much do you know about your family history?" She asked him, still glaring at the sky.

"Not much really, just some random facts a few aunts and uncles have thrown out and that's about it. Why?" She shook her head and looked down at him.

"Know what a Sex Wizard is?" He nodded and confusion was quick to replace the worry on his face. "Good, less to explain. Your family, at the start of the line, was full of Sex Wizards and Witches, up until about 3 generations ago when they started being weeded out, I'm guessing by the drain in Magic in your family and selective breeding, you are after all a family of purebloods."

George nodded, held up a hand and fished his wand out of his pocket and conjured up two chairs for them to sit in. She nodded her thanks as they sat and she crossed her ankles as she sat forward, her elbows on her knees and hands clasping together around the folder that's still tucked in her hand. He copied her, but without the ankles crossed.

"What's this about?" She smirked at his forwardness about this; most people just heard her out and asked questions later.

"You, Bill, and Ginny, are the only Sex Wizard and Witch in your family right now. Charlie may be a strong wizard, but his magic wasn't strong enough for this; neither was Percy's. Bill already knows, Fred…" She coughed and looked away before sighing and looking back a moment later and continuing. "Fred was a Sex Wizard as well, and Ginny is too. Ron, that's a no brainer, and I'm guessing your father didn't have strong enough magic either." She frowned down at the folder and paper in her hand. "This just complicates things a tad with the marriage law."

"How's that? I don't understand how it would complicate things, after all, aren't Sex Wizards just all about Sex?" She shook her head and scoffed, he didn't know that much then after all.

"No, well, in a way yes, but still, mostly no. They are great when it comes to sexual endeavors, but they do have a mate. Once they mate with their significant other then they will only have sexual relations with that one person. It's like a Veela, or Werewolf." George's wide eyes and slightly frightful look only cemented how much she figured he knew. She sighed, once again, and reached across the space and handed him the paper she took out earlier.

It was his sheet with the information he needed at the top and genetic and magic bond information on Angelina and himself at the bottom; as he read it he seemed to calm down. He smiled toward the end gave a sigh of relief on who, she guessed at what he was reading, his mate is. He stared at the sheet a few moments before sighing and a small grin like smile appeared on his face.

"Angelina… Thank Merlin… I don't know what I would have done otherwise…" He handed the paper back and was silent a moment longer. "Two things. Why weren't we told before, and who was Fred's mate?" He looked out over the field they were sitting in.

"I'm not sure, practice of telling the children of this probably fell out after there became few and very far between in your family. For there to be three in one generation is odd enough. Also, Fred's mate was Katie Bell. Unless you tell her, she'll never know and for her, it won't matter."

"Why is that?"

"Mostly because he did die, which makes their bond nonexistent now, in a sense. Sorry…" She mumbled at the pained look on George's face as eh looked down at the ground between his legs, his hands now clasped together firmly. He stood quickly and made to leave before turning and nodding at her.

"Thanks for letting me know. Say, why is it that the Ministry has this information and I don't?" She smirked as she smiled at him.

"Just another thing that they monitor when a Wizard or Witch is born It's apparently one of the many tests they run on us all just after we're born. The parents are told but it's generally up to the parents to pass on the information later." He nodded again and started walking away. "Tell Ginny to come out, eh?" She called to him and he waved a hand behind him signifying that he heard her. George made his way inside and made his way to Ron's room, where at least he could find the wonder boys to figure out where Ginny might be. He knocked on the door and heard a muffled come in, so he did just that.

"Hey guys. Gin, 'Mione wants you outside, about 20 feet from the back door, careful there are charms up." She nodded and stood from Ron's bed where she had been sitting while conversing with Ron, who was on the floor leaning against his bed, and Harry, who was lying out on his bed. All three of them could tell George was distracted but didn't say anything as he turned from the room and quickly headed down the hall to the stairs, the sound of his foot prints leading up a flight where Charlie, Bill and their parent's rooms were. The three in the room shared a look and Ginny shrugged before heading out to talk to Hermione.

He knew that she had gone to get the records, he knew for sure, just like he knew he was blonde. He wasn't sure how she'd take the news that he knew for a fact that she wasn't ready for. Once he left the Ministry he had headed straight to Astoria's, taking his time walking up to her grand house from the front gate, just like one did at the Malfoy Manor, to think over things. By the time he made it to the front door both Astoria and Daphne were waiting at the door.

"Draco, why are you here?" Daphne, in her older-very-concerned-sisterly voice as she kept an eye on Astoria's face for her reaction. Draco had to think of that for a second, answering vaguely as he thought it over. He knew he had to tell Astoria the truth, seeing as Astoria knew about his Veela heritage as it was.

"To talk to Astoria of course. Just because this marriage law has come about doesn't mean that I have to completely stop talking to her." He sneered at Daphne who scoffed and brought her hands up in a mock surrender before turning and walking back inside. He held his arm out for Astoria to take as he motioned with his other toward the garden around the side of the house for a walk. She inclined her head and moved forward to lightly grasp his arm. They knew these actions were for formalities now since they were not seeing each other. Once they had been walking a few moments she broke the silence.

"Draco, just tell me." He sighed at her words and shrugged, slowly their walk down.

"Astoria, you know that I was intending on marrying you right? Well, even if I had, once I turned 21, I would have gone rabid. I'm sorry to tell you that you aren't my mate; we were fooling ourselves, no… that's not right… I was fooling the both of us. I… I am sorry…" They fell into silence as they both thought over his words as they walked on a while longer. She slowly came to a stop, in turn causing him to stop and he turned to look at her.

"I knew. I mean, how could I not? You would never go beyond a polite kiss, never really hold me, your hugs were too civil and not as warm as one who really felt for me. I guess I was just trying to deceive myself but, I see that now we, indeed, were just fooling ourselves. I wish you luck, Draco, on your mate, and I'm just sorry it wasn't me. Who is it, may I ask?" He nodded and motioned for them to keep walking, they started out at a slow pace and leading up to a normal walk.

"It just happens to be the bane of my existence since I was 11, a one and only Hermione Granger." He scoffed and shook his head. "Who would have figured that, I sure didn't even see it coming till it happened." He was surprised to hear giggling and he turned to look over at the petite woman walking next to him as she covered her mouth with a hand and laughed.

"Who knew? Really? Everyone!" She calmed herself after a moment and once her breathing returned to normal she threw him a smile before explaining more. "We could all see it, I guess it's kind of why I held on so tight, we could all see it after second year, and it became more obvious until sixth year when you changed drastically. After The Dark Lord died you changed back to the Draco we all know and love, and it became obvious once more, you just kept talking about her, in some way, you would find some reason to bring her up; the paper, the latest rumor, anything. Endearing for the most part, annoying for the girlfriend though."

Now, there were not that many time's that Astoria has ever had one up on Draco, or managed to ever make the taller male speechless, but right now with him staring down at her, the two of the walking along, back toward the front of the house the way they came around and to the front gate, was one of those times. He stopped and tilted his head and she noticed his eyes shift and became glazed over as if he was looking into nothing. She waited patiently for him to come back. Once he did he looked sheepish and rubbed the back of his head and leaned over to kiss her cheek.

"I didn't realize, I apologize." She nodded, knowing that even having gotten one apology out of the man earlier was a feat, but two in the span of an hour was a miracle.

"Now, I don't believe apologies are necessary, as long as you end up with her, I think we'll be ok. I am going to head up and go to bed; I have an owl from Weasley to answer waiting on me. You would think that after the meeting this afternoon he would know to hold off on trying for me, but the man seems a hopeless romantic, and I meant that… literally. Goodnight Draco."

She gave him a dignified hug and made her way back up the drive and he looked around, just noticing she had left him at the gate. Shaking his head he walked out to the apparition point and headed home. He knew that he had to face his mother sometime soon, better get it done now rather than have a blow up later. Once he arrived home he made his way to the one place his mother was during the day until she went to bed; the Parlor.

He stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame to watch her, she looked so sad even though she was laughing at Pipsky who was conversing with her. He half smiled at the sight and made his way over to sit next to his mother, letting Pipsky know he could keep going. He sat for a while listening to his mother and their House Elf talk back and forth and smirked at the thought of what Hermione would think of this.

He knew that during their Hogwarts years she had gone on some House Elf tirade and started her own organization, which floundered horribly and that had a funny name to it. He wasn't his father, and once all the Death Eaters left his ancestral home after Voldemort was killed Draco quickly rectified how things were done around the house, his father no longer around to tell him otherwise. Even when they moved out for the rebuilding he kept up with being nicer to his House Elves.

"Pipsky." The House Elf looked up at Draco who had said his name while Pipsky had stopped talking for breath. "Have a seat, I need to talk to mother, you two can continue this in a moment." The House Elf nodded and propped himself up on a chair across the coffee table. "Thank you Pipsky, and also for behaving today at the Ministry." The Elf nodded and smiled at Draco.

"Mother," he turned to face her and she faced him, "I went to the Ministry this morning and turns out even the Minister didn't know of what we were told in the letters that weren't sent this morning. He put Granger and I in charge of correcting as much of this as we can and taking over the Department until he can find a reliable substitute for the job."

"Oh Draco, does this mean things with Granger will be progressing? Will you try to woo her soon? How long till I can get grandchildren?" Draco's appalled face amused his mother as she started laughing at him, her blue eyes shining and her long blonde hair thrown back across her shoulders when she tilted her head back while laughing.

"Oi! Not cool mother. I'm not going to push it, but I'm sure she knows by now, she got all the records from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures to help with figuring out who to pair people with that won't go against marriage bonds and mates. Of course I gave her the idea…" He sighed and looked up at the ceiling and shook his head before standing and pecking his mother's cheek just before heading toward the door. "I'll let you two continue, I just wanted to update you, I'll be in the study." His mother nodded and he could hear their conversation pick back up as he headed down the hallway and up the stairs.

He wasn't sure how long he had been up there, but he was sure he missed dinner as his stomach started growling at him. Draco had not taken his nose out of his scrolls and parchments since he sat at his desk hours earlier. He sat back and stretched out and noticed on the edge of his desk that there was a tray with food on it, he apparently had not noticed it and placed several pieces of parchment over the tray and one was threatening to take a dip in his soup. He reached over and cleared it up before picking up the food and feeling how warm it was. He noticed the stasis spell that left his food moderately warm enough to eat.

Unfortunately for Draco the moment he brought the spoon to his lips to eat there came a loud TAP TAP TAP at his window and it gave him such a shock that he spilt his food all over his shirt when he had jumped. He stood quickly and looked down at himself before dropping the spoon into his bowl and moving to window to let the owl in, glaring at the offending creature the whole time; he quickly untied the letter from the brown owl's leg.

"Pipsky!" He yelled out as he closed the window, the owl obviously wanting a reply before leaving. The House Elf appeared after a moment and Draco noticed he looked half awake. "Can you bring me some of my sleep wear? You can go back to bed after that." The Elf nodded and popped out of the room to return a moment later holding out the clothes to a distracted Draco who was reading the letter that he took from the owl.

"Master Draco, sir?" Draco looked up slightly startled not having realized how out of it he had gotten so quickly from the letter. He put the letter down and moved over to take the clothes from the small creature nodding his thanks to him.

"'ll put my dirty clothes in the hamper myself, go back to bed." The House Elf bowed low and popped out of the room giving Draco his privacy to change; Draco shut the blinds on the windows first. When he was done he placed his dirty clothes on the chair near the door so he could take them out when he left the room and went back to his letter from Hermione.

Draco Malfoy,

I know you really didn't want me to, but I needed to pull everyone who is involved in this' records. You knew didn't you? How long have you been hiding this from me? You only have till next summer anyway and you hide the fact that I'm even the key to your survival? I can't pretend I'm ok with this, because I'm not, but I'm also not happy with not being told.

Anyway, onto business; I got a hold of a few people already and told them that they need to see me tomorrow and I've already told a few of those close to where I am what they were not told about what they are. This just complicates things Draco, some people's mates aren't in the age grouping and some people already had marriage arrangements with some people older than the age requirement.

I'm not entirely sure what to do about this, and I know it is one of the things we will have to work through to get this finished. I wonder, do you think that we could get the age grouping expanded? Maybe add in 2 or 3 years? That would mean people born from1975 or 1976 to 1982. I wish you were here to talk this over with now, I hate that I can't figure this out now.

Hermione Granger

He could tell she had taken her time writing this, who knows how many times she had started over. He knew she wouldn't have tacked on the 'I wish you were here' part without several moments of hesitation. He smirked and sat down pulling a parchment out of his stack that had not been marked on yet and pulled his ink and quill closer and wrote a quick response back.

Hermione,

You can come over now, I'm still up and I probably will be for hours. Bring sleep wear in case you end up staying and a change for tomorrow; just in case, can't be too careful. We can chat and I can explain everything. I still live on the grounds, but not in the Manor, see you at the gate.

Draco

He didn't add on formalities for he knew that she would see his intentions of getting closer to one another. He rolled up the parchment, spelled it so only she could open it, he honestly didn't want anyone else to read their correspondences, and tied it to the owl's leg. He stood and opened the window for the owl and he glared at the creature as it flew out, he was still after all upset at the thing. He went back to eating and once he was done he gathered his plate, tray and dirty clothes and went about putting them all in their respective places, even washing the bowl and spoon.

When he was finished he felt the pull of his wards letting him know she had arrived at the gate. He appariated to the front gate and smirked at her through it, waving one hand in front of the gate it appeared to disappear and she stepped through to take his other, offered, hand. He disappariated to his kitchen, in which he ended up steadying her when they appeared because she lost her balance, she fell against his arm and he didn't let go until he was sure she could stand straight.

"Thanks, the drive is bumpier, so it threw me off." He nodded and moved back to the sink to finish washing his bowl out.

"No problem, say, want some tea?" He glanced back at her and nodded, taking note of the fact that she came in her sleep wear when she started taking her coat off.

"Yes please, do you have Jasmine?" He smirked and reached over and opened a cabinet in which could be seen that the whole thing was completely full of different types of tea, Hermione gasped at the sight, never before had she seen so many kinds of tea in one place other than a store.

"Course I do. Mother likes her tea, she never can fully decide so she usually has Pipsky make her different kinds when she has her tea." The brown haired witch made her way over to study the types of tea while Draco pulled the kettle out from a deep drawer and filled it with water. As he placed it on the stove she decided on the tea she wanted and reached for it, but it was just out of her reach since she was only so tall. She heard him chuckle and it made her jump, not just the sound of his voice but with how close he was to her, she didn't hear him walk up behind her.

"Which one?" She pointed, not sure she could trust her voice at that moment, it might all just come out as a squeak or babble and that would not look good. He grabbed it down and pulled out a few bags from it and put the box back, finally moving away from her, she breathed a sigh of relief before turning to watch him; she leaned back against the counter. "Personal bubble, Granger? He chuckled again and didn't see her nod. "This is my favorite tea, and surprisingly enough, the one tea my mother hates, it's only there for me." He turned as he said this and grinned at her, having finished the prep work for the tea and made his way to sit at the small table and motioning for her to take the other seat.

"Draco, I don't want to beat around the bush here… So, I'll get right to it. Why didn't you tell me I'm your mate? I mean, I was asking this afternoon after all."

"Would you honestly have believed me if I had come right out and said 'Hey Granger, your my mate, I'm a Veela, without you I die, and we're meant to be together.' I don't think so. You needed either time or proof, or even better, both. I wasn't going to force this on you." She stared at the table for a few moments before speaking to the table.

"What now then? I'm not sure what to do… I know but I don't." He sighed and stood up moving to the stove as the kettle went off at the end of her sentence.

"I don't know either Hermione, but unlike you I'm on a time limit. I won't force you, but I honestly don't want to turn into a feral Veela." He finished making up the tea and brought it over and set hers in front of her. "Want anything for it?" She shook her head and he nodded as he sat down, seems they both liked t without milk or sugar.

"What's…" She coughed and sighed before continuing. "I wasn't able to look up much on the Veela before I left the Ministry earlier and we don't have anything at the Burrow so I don't know much on the… mating process or… or well anything other than what you told me."

"I told you that you wouldn't believe me if I had told you earlier, you're barely believing it now and you have the proof yourself." He decided that looking at the table was much more interesting than looking at her face, as much as he'd prefer her face; he just couldn't take the glare right then and he was suddenly starting to regret asking her over. "Look, I would normally tell you to go do your homework, but truthfully, you wouldn't find much that would be true unless a pureblood gave you the information, and not many would trust an outsider with said information.

"Marking and a vocal vow are required for the mating process, the marking is a two-step process, three f you've had previous sexual experiences." He looked up and at her and noticed the blush on her face, he wanted to know if she had or not. "Have you had previous experience?" She shook her head as she answered.

"Just a few kisses here and there but nothing intimate. I just never thought t felt right enough at all." He nodded and her blush grew more as she noticed his gaze.

"Good. The third marking would have been the only one that would have required sex as part of the development of our mating." She nodded, her hands much more interesting at the moment than anything else in the room and they were clenched together on the table top. "Hermione, I won't push you, you can deny me." He wished she wouldn't though; he needed her, even if she didn't need him. He would give her many chances to back out of this so she couldn't say it was all forced upon her.

"What are the marks and vow?" She asked her voice a little on the high side letting Draco take notice of how nervous she seemed to be.

"The um… the first mark is made through a kiss, where we share blood. The second mark, made immediately after the vows, is a bite, where I um…" He coughed and looked away from her completely, staring at the sink instead. "Where I inject you with the Veela 'venom', in which will seal the bond between us. It's a forever kind of thing Hermione; it can't be taken back once done and if you leave then we both suffer for it." Here he turned and looked at her, reaching out a hand and making her look up at him. "I promise I'll do the best I can, but sometimes I do slip up, but I also guarantee I am not my father nor am I my aunt." Her eyes widened at the reminder of who his family is and she sat back away from his touch.

"I know she's dead, but where's your father?" She looked around unsure if he would jump out at her from the dark corners of the room. He chuckled and shook his head as he sat back in his seat.

"Long dead. When we left the battle we appariated back to the Manor where we hid out for a few days, unfortunately a few Death Eaters managed to get past my father's weakening wards and killed him, once he died the Manor immediately answered to me and I made quick work of vacating the unwelcome Death Eaters and strengthening the wards. Don't get me wrong," he shrugged and sat up a little more, "he was my father, and I loved him for that role he played when I was younger, but I hated the man he was and he was no longer my father. I'm glad he's dead and can't bother me or my mother anymore."

He watched her reactions as she calmed down and started to bite her lip, a habit Draco was quickly realizing she did when she was thinking of something she didn't want to be. He knew he better get all this out in the open now rather than later for the sake of any kind of relationship they would have. If this was anyone other than his mate he would not have said any of what he had and he knew for certain that she didn't want to even hear it in the first place. They sat there sipping their tea for a while in silence, one filled with the noise of their thoughts and raging feelings that were normally so well hidden.

"I'm not sure… Draco… I don't know. I mean… I just…" She couldn't get anything out at all and she didn't know how to get anything through to him that she was thinking or feeling. "Oh bugger it!" She stood and stepped around the edge of the table that separated them, he had stood when she did and when she was within range pulled her in where she stood on her toes and kissed him. He knew not to mark her, that she was trying to even figure out f there was something between them and he wondered what that shiver was about before she pulled away with a gasp.

"Now, now, Granger, we aren't here for pleasure, we're here for business after all." He smirked down at her as he tightened his hold on her contradicting what he said even before he leaned down to kiss her.