Made Expressly For You

Chapter the Fifth

Somehow, the days had flown by them. Even Mrs. Weasley had lost track of time, which meant that when she realized that they had one week left before they needed to be at Platform 9 3\4, she went a little nuts.

As a brand new Veela, Harry was allowed to skip the mass shopping expedition. While he usually might not be worried about it, he'd had to give his measurements to Mrs. Weasley, Narcissa, and his Aunt. That was what worried him. Who knew what kind of clothes they would bring back for him to wear.

Whenever Harry questioned Hermione, she just giggled and said that, "Draco will love them", which did not fill him with confidence. Yet, since there was nothing he could do about it, Harry took to hiding whenever the giggly females came near him. He didn't think it was possible for him to feel more like a pinned butterfly then he did in that week.

But finally, the day arrived for the teens to head off to school. Harry had had a moment of panic, wondering what his Aunt would do while he was at school, but she reassured him that Narcissa and Molly would help her get used to the Wizarding World. Like that thought didn't scare him. But Harry hugged her farewell, promised to send messages, and latched onto Hermione like she was a lifeline.

The bushy haired girl tried to look down her nose at him, which was amusing since he was now taller than her, and asked, "Why are you attached to me, Harry?"

He grinned and said, "You're scary enough to keep the reporters and younger years away from me."

Huff. "You just use me!"

Blaise butted in before they could descend into name calling. "Why don't we just get to the train? That way, the five of us can get a car, without worrying about sharing."

Hermione grinned at the suave Slytherin, then shook Harry's arm off and slid over to Blaise. "I knew there was a reason I liked you!"

Pansy huffed a laugh. "Are you sure that's why, and not because of his looks?"

Both of them rolled their eyes and walked away.

Harry laughed and looped his arms through the two remaining Slytherin's arms. "Lets go, shall we?"

… … …

Although the train was starting to get crowded, they managed to find a car for themselves. The five of them slid inside and shut the door with a thump, locking it with several spells. Pansy was the one who broke the silence. "Darling," she said to Harry, "I love being with you, and all, but I might just have to rethink that when we're out in public. Throngs of people really aren't my thing."

Harry groaned out a laugh. "Ya think?"

Hermione butted in before he could continue. "We go through this every year. It's a little worse this time, because Harry's the Official Savior now, but it's still this bad."

Draco shuddered. "How odious, too, I should think that."

Harry barked out a laugh. When everyone looked at him, he said, "It's just, I wouldn't have expected Draco to be quoting Pride and Prejudice."

Draco grinned. "One of the many books this summer that I read- for a muggle, Miss. Austin had rather impeccable taste."

Hermione latched onto that, and they started a conversation about the different author's they both knew, everything from Shakespeare to Archipelago Shkiper, who wrote a treatise on Merfolk.

The train ride passed rather quickly, and about an hour away from Hogwarts they decided to change into their robes. Well, put their robes on, actually, as Hermione pointed out. They were changing into their uniforms.

The boys loitered around outside while the girls changed, then went in and changed themselves. Harry could not remember a more nerve wracking thing than getting changed in front of Draco. Blaise seemed oblivious, but once, Harry had caught his eye, and the bloody wanker had grinned. Harry couldn't get changed fast enough- he darted out into the hall to wait with the girls.

Hermione just giggled at him, but Pansy frowned. "Why are you out here?" she asked.

Harry just flushed, and muttered something about "Bloody wanker…too much skin…gorgeous…"

This, of course, sent Hermione into gales of laughter. Pansy was still frowning, not having connected the dots, but her face cleared up when Hermione leaned over and whispered something in her ear. Harry's sharp Veela hearing caught- "-thinks Draco… gorgeous…-"

Harry flushed some more, but the door opened and Blaise poked his head out. "We're decent," he said in a sing-song voice, winking at Harry.

"Wanker," Harry replied halfheartedly. Pansy giggled.

… … …

The Welcoming Feast was good- the fact that Harry hadn't been to most of the others made it a bit more memorable. When they brought in the new students, Harry had to put up with much pointing and giggling. He sighed. He always had to. The one bright spot in the whole thing was when he'd been attacked by a flying second year- Aaron, who then yelled at him quite thoroughly for visiting her mother and not her.

Said second year was now plastered to his side, glaring at the new students and muttering darkly under her breath about "Stuck up, icky firsties who think they know my Harry better than I do… better not try to get my spot on the team, or I'll get them…"

Harry would have been frightened, had he not known that she'd be fast friends with all of them in a week. Tops. As it was, she was vastly amusing.

The one thing that surprised Harry was that no one had commented on his new appearance. Hell, it was kind of hard to miss- he was six inches taller, and in a lot better shape. When he mentioned this to Hermione, she said, "Oh, don't worry- you'll be gossip fodder in the morning. Right now, people are just happy to be away from their parents."

Oh, great.

He interrupted Aaron's rant with- "And what do you think of my new height?"

Her response had the whole table cracking up. "You better not crack my head into doorframes when I sit on your shoulders."

Harry caught Draco's eye as he laughed, seeing his slightly confused expression. Harry looked at Aaron and rolled his eyes. Draco smiled, and something in Harry went 'Oh,'. And he could not look away fast enough. He did not need to get an erection at the dinner table, of all places.

… … …

Draco turned to Blaise. "Is there food on my face? Do I have something stuck in my teeth?"

His best friend of thirteen years looked at him like he was nutters. "No," he said, after a pause, "you look fine."

Draco scowled, and tapped his fingers on the table. "Do I have some physical deformity that I do not know of?"

"Um, no. What's this about?" asked Blaise.

Draco rounded on his friend. "You said that he was interested in me. So why is it that every time I look at him, he can't look away fast enough?"

Blaise started laughing. "He's a Gryffindor, Draco- what do you expect? He's probably afraid that you don't like him."

The blond finally cracked a smile. "True. So, even though he's the almighty Savior of the Wizarding World, and a lord Veela to boot, he's the one that needs to be courted? How," Draco paused, looking for the right word. "Typical."

Blaise laughed. "You know, I might think you're being nasty, but it's cute how you try to hide behind "I Am Malfoy Hear Me Roar" when you really like him."

"Shut up."

Pansy rolled her eyes. "Boys, shush. Everyone knows you men pick on the ones you like- given all the fights you two have been in, I'm surprised you're not already at it."

Draco blushed, and Blaise laughed, but then he got serious. "Draco, there's something that you need to know."

"What?"

Blaise took a deep breath, and began to explain all about the need of a Lord Veela to find their Mate within the year. "See, he doesn't just fancy you- you're his Mate."

Draco looked down at him gold plate, tracing the patterns etched into it.

"You alright, Draco?"

The blond paused, then said, "I need to think about this." He got up and left the Great Hall, not knowing that three pairs of eyes followed him out.

… … …

Harry glanced over at the Slytherin table to see Blaise and Pansy exchanging nervous glances. Whatever they'd done, or said, had made Draco unsettled enough to leave the Welcoming Feast, and he wanted to know what it was. He got up and followed the blond out.

… … …

So, I know these chapters are getting shorter, but my patience is wearing thin on this story, and I just want to finish it. I'll try to bone it up, and there are still at least seven chapters to go.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and let me know if it was too abrupt. If I must, I'll go through and do a rewrite on it.

MannyWitch