The Fall Of Darkness

by kittenvks

warnings: SLASH YAOI MALE MALE HOMOSEXUALITY! - can't get much clearer than that o.0 also, there will be a bit of angst, lots of fighting, laughing, flamers to the left.

disclaimer: I own nothing, especially not Harry Potter and co.

Chapter Fifteen: Who Better

It had been a week and a half since they'd begun their plan. They'd all agreed, though Kreacher was old and frustrating, Grimmauld Place was the best place to stay. It's wards, though having to change a bit to accept only Draco's Dark Mark, were the strongest of all the places. Harry and Ron took two months off, leaving Seamus in charge with the promise of stopping by once every week to sort out any serious problems. They deserved their time, and no one argued when they decided to take it. Especially not when it was to end yet another serious problem on their own. Draco had already began their wand training against the Veelas and harped at them every day about it, he was a strict teacher like his late Godfather. Ron reminded him regularly and Harry and Hermione teased, yet they all revelled in it. They missed their old professor as much as he did.

Draco was currently sprawled out across the carpet in the den, shirtless and hissing. Hermione was sitting on top of him, applying more bandages and creams to his bruises, broken off wings and cuts.

"Oh quit being such a crybaby Draco, I'm not even touching your wings anymore!" she admonished him, applying more cream. He hissed again.

"I'm not being a crybaby, that really does hurt!" he snapped, tossing his head around to move his fringe out of his eyes. She rolled hers,

"Ron doesn't crybaby when I do his!"

"*Ron* is an unrefined caveman!" Draco cried, clenching his fists.

"OI! I can HEAR you!" Ron yelled coming down the stairs, fresh out of the shower and his own cuts and bruises already healed. Training with Draco had been getting rougher, preparing everyone.

"Then go somewhere else, where you can't!" Draco retorted. Ron growled something about insufferable Slytherins. "What was that, Weasel?" Draco growled.

"I asked if you'd seen Harry, Ferret!" Ron retorted, leaning in the doorway. Hermione clucked her tongue at both of them.

"He's in the kitchen, or the basement." Hermione said.

"Just start going down stairs till you see him, basically," Draco snorted.

"Right. Thanks," Ron sneered playfully before going off to find his best friend. Hermione stood, admiring her work.

"All done, dear! Pretty good job too, if I do say so myself!"

"I think you enjoy hurting me." Draco grumbled, picking up his shirt and sliding it on over his head, being careful not to snag it on his back.

"I do. I'm about to do it some more Draco," she replied, waving her wand to silence the room. Draco groaned and pouted,

"what'd I do?" he mumbled. She normally did this before yelling at one of them for flinging a spell too hard or for bickering or... well, anything they did that she didn't fancy.

"Nothing, Draco," she replied sweetly, "please, have a seat."

Eyeing her suspiciously, Draco sat down and she took a seat next to him. He scooted away from her though, you know, just in case. She just smiled back at him, sweetly. She was being so sweet, too sweet. Syrup was oozing off of her and he thought to cry for help. But, he remembered, she silenced the room. No one would hear him. He swallowed. Hard.

"What is it?" he asked, backing as far as he could to the other end of the couch before seeming to change his mind and bolting to the chair across from her. She just smiled, watching him,

"no need for all that," she scolded- still sweetly, "do you realize, Draco, how long I've been with Ron and Harry?"

"Since first year, yes." he replied cautiously. She could see his brain sparking, whirring, trying to figure out where this was going.

"You know they get into a lot of trouble, right? Always have?" She asked, still just grinning like the cat that caught the canary.

"Yes..." Draco said, still not seeing where this was going.

"Well, you see- Draco- since they're like that, and all the Weasley's are mind you, and I'm one of them now... I've gotten very used to picking up on certain... things. I know when they're hiding something, when they're lying. It's never taken me any longer than a day or two to figure it out. They're blatantly obvious."

"okay... that's because they're Gryffindors..." Draco said suspiciously, waiting for her to pounce. She was being dramatic, leading up to something.

"Yes, so you can imagine how it took me almost two weeks to figure out a sly and cunning Slytherin. Your fox Patronus, it fits you. I'd like to see it some day. Very cunning and sneaky." she said almost conversationally, her smile now faltering to a smirk. Draco considered running. He had lots of secrets and lots of things to hide. Not only was he a Slytherin and ex Death Eater, but a Malfoy. He glanced at the door, wondering if he could make it. She was fast, he never would. Hermione noticed this and pulled out her wand, resting it in her lap. He noticed the gesture. Gods, did he have a secret that was bad enough for her to cause him pain? He suddenly couldn't remember.

"What... er, secret, are you referring to Hermione?" He purred.

"Don't try to placate me Draco Malfoy, you know what I'm going on about!" she snapped. His mind began to whirl again, he really didn't know. She was looking irritated, obviously waiting for him to confess something. He just didn't know what.

"Um, I do? Okay, let's see, I'm a Veela. I got the Dark Mark. Bellatrix once hit on me. The Malfoy fortune came from muggle investments. I'm distantly related to your husbands family. Muggles irk me, but I don't hate them. I like cats... have I hit it yet?" he asked, glancing at the door and hoping Harry or Ron would come up soon. She was staring, jaw gaping but quickly regained her composure,

"no, but I didn't know those things. Interesting really. Draco, really, you know what I'm talking about," she stood and began to pace, waving her wand around as she spoke, making Draco sink down in his seat, "I've been studying up on Veelas since the first one attacked the Aurors. Read everything I can on them, so far everything you have said has been true enough, except for one thing. A Veela, put into the exact position you are, would never ever stay here with us so willingly. It takes a hell of a lot of willpower to do what you've done for the sake of your Chosen Draco. I admire that. But, as it stands, I think I've gotten to know you well enough to know that if rogue Veelas and dangerous Death Eaters were truly hunting your Chosen to lure them out, you'd abandon us. You would take off to go find them and watch over them. AH! Don't lie to me Draco, allow me to finish! Don't try to say that your presence would only attract them, I've already thought of that. You would at least be worried, if you could maintain this much distance for this long. You would be pacing the floors, checking out the windows, not eating as much and owling anyone close to them just to check on their safety. You haven't so much as given a glance around! Not to mention that little conversation Narcissa and Kestral had the other night about your recently approved happiness and appetite. Also, why wouldn't you have told us what you did that caused Voldemort to rip your wings from you that night? How would that, if you were in the manor, lead us to figure out in any way who your Chosen was? I've ran it around and around and around in my head trying to figure it out. There's nothing short of mentioning their name, which you could have omitted as you always do, that would lead us to figure it out unless it had to do with us, and we've only been in the Manor once. You didn't identify Harry, I think that's what you did that night. I almost know it! Also, when we began out training her at Grimmauld, Ron insulted your Chosen- to provoke you. I saw you, Draco. You were fully provoked, furious! Yet you had no reaction other than acting when Harry did it. You merely acted out a fight as it should be with a different Veela. You don't want us to know who they are, acting like we know them. Because we do. You fought for the side of the light, because he did. He. Which *you* slipped. I heard what those Veelas at the shack said that day and I looked it up. A Veela can only control his or her fire when in defense of it's Chosen, no matter how powerful they are- so don't try to use that excuse either! Though, I'll give it to you, that was a hard fact to find out! Also, you located your shop on a busy alley, only feet from the Ministry with a notice me not charm? How is that good for business in any way? You don't need a shop, you get your orders by your reputation through owls. The shop is a front for what you're really doing, protecting your Chosen as you said you had always done. And they'd never accept you, they'd feel obliged to save you? How do you know that, Draco, how do you know Harry wouldn't love you? He has a lot of love to give, Draco, he needs someone like you," she finished finally, placing her wand down. Draco had grown even paler, if that was possible, and he looked a bit sick. No matter how much his mind worked, he couldn't find a way to refute what she'd said, no way to excuse all of it and laugh her off. She was too observant, too obvious. She knew.

Draco found that he couldn't breathe, he was frightened. He wanted to run but the Veela in him made him stay. He had to stay. If only to protect Harry, but she knew, if she told it was all over. His life and what minimal happiness would be gone with Harry's rejection. He was breathing now, making himself intake breath, but too fast. Draco Malfoy was having a panic attack. Hermione rushed to his side, her hands on his knees as she knelt beside him.

"Draco? Draco, calm down. Calm down. Breathe slower." she said. Draco just stared at her, nearly panting. Panick in his eyes. "you've gotta calm down Draco, you'll pass out!"

"What's going on?" Harry asked, having entered the room with Ron behind him. He rushed over to kneel in front of Draco, gazing up at him with his huge emerald eyes in worry, "Draco? Are you okay? Hermione, what happened?" Draco managed to whimper though it was meant to be a yell. Hermione looked guilty,

"He'll be okay, Harry, please- go fetch a calming draught from his room will you?" she asked. Harry nodded, turning to rush off. She looked back at Draco,

"I won't tell," she whispered so that Ron couldn't hear her, "you've got to relax. Harry'll have kittens if you pass out, calm down." Draco just stared at her, his hand on his chest and still panicking. Harry raced back into the room, Calming Draught in hand and he handed it to Draco. The blonde tried to take the phial but his hand was shaking so badly he spilled a bit of it so Harry took it back, putting it up to his lips for him to drink. Draco jerked away a bit but then softened, drinking it.

"Tell me what's going on," Harry asked, obviously talking to Hermione though he didn't take his eyes off Draco.

"He's having a panic attack. We were talking about the war, he'll be okay Harry." she said softly, still feeling badly for her rant. Draco choked, coughing and leaned forward and Harry began patting his back, trying to help.

"We've all had those moments, Draco, it happens," Ron said understandingly, using Draco's name for the first time. Draco just leaned his head between his knees, taking deep breaths while Harry rubbed soothing circles on his back and Hermione pushed his hair out of his face. Suddenly, he jumped up, pulling away from them.

"Thanks, really. Er... you lot are great friends," he stared down at Hermione, his eyes pleading with her not to tell and she nodded in understanding, "I-I... uh, I'm going to go lay down." he finished and with that he was off, racing up the stairs.

"He'll be okay," Hermione repeated, going to sit back on the couch where she'd started. Ron moved to sit down next to her.

"I hope Malfoy's not embarrassed, we've all had our fair share of mind fucks from the war," he said thoughtfully, sliding his arms around her comfortingly. He could sense that she felt guilty, but he didn't really know why.

"I still have nightmares," Harry said, looking at where Draco had just been. The other two Gryffindors nodded, they all did. Harry turned to look at where Draco went curiously, "I'm going to go talk to him." Hermione looked as though she weould protest but then thought better of it and clamped her mouth shut as Harry raced up the stairs,

"Who better than Harry to talk to him about the war?" Ron said, trying to comfort Hermione.

"Yes, dear, who better indeed," she replied quietly, leaning into the embrace.