My Dear Volaticus

by kittenvks

Disclaimer: I own nothing

warnings: HPDM, slash, yaoi, homosexuality. Don't like it? Don't read it. Flamers to the left.

Chapter Six: Tell Me Lies

Harry was gone for the rest of the day, having disappeared. Draco even came to Gryffindor Tower looking for him but Hermione told him he wasn't there. She'd looked for him too but the Marauder's Map had been swiped from her and he still had the invisibility cloak. Lucius stayed up in Dumbledore's office for the day, talking between them Snape, and McGonagall so they were no use. Sighing and admitting his defeat, Draco trudged back to his own suite, stopping off at the kitchens to get a tray of food as he did. He knew the house elves there would be able to tell him where Harry was but, judging by the looks on their faces, they weren't going to tell him.

Sighing dramatically, Draco left again, still headed for his rooms.

"Stupid Harry Potter, just disappearing like that. How uncouth." he muttered and then, looking around he listened carefully to the silence of the desserted hall. "I hope you can hear me, Harry James Potter! You've got to come out some time!" he snapped, storming off and feeling a bit foolish.

Muttering his password to the Hungarian Horntail, it swung open and he entered his own suite, setting the tray down at a small table and stared at the two chairs there, when that morning there had been but one. Draco snarled, removing his cloak and draping it over the extra chair,

"stupid Dumbledore, can't mind his own business," he grumbled, popping a bit of scone in his mouth and going up to his rooms to change, muttering the whole way, "stupid chair, stupid Kobaloi, stupid school, stu-" Draco froze as he entered his bedroom. There, laying on his bed asleep, was Harry Potter. Draco sighed in both relief and irritation. "Potter!" he said, a bit louder than he'd meant to. Harry's eyes snapped open, startled, he jumped up quickly, shoving himself away from the bed. He looked to be about the shade of red that his Gryffindor robes sported. Draco scowled.

"Um, Draco! Sorry, I was waiting for you and... um..."

"You decided to take a nap?" Draco asked cooly, gesturing toward the bed. Harry bit his bottom lip, glancing at the door. Realizing he'd left an escape route, Draco moved to stand in front of it.

Without him specifically meaning them to, Draco's wings burst forward, flapping once before settling behind him. This only served to anger the blonde more and cause Harry to let out a little yelp, moving quickly to put the bed between them. Draco rolled his eyes, watching him.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said cooly. Harry didn't move.

"Can... can I touch them?" he asked, peeking out from the curtains of Draco's bed. Again, without him meaning to, his wings spread out.

"Oh would you chill out?!" Draco snapped, glaring at them over his shoulder. Harry's eyes grew even wider if that was possible and Draco just rolled his.

"Are you *talking* to them?" he squeaked.

"I suppose so, though don't go telling anyone that. They've kind of got a mind of their own." Draco shrugged, glaring at the feathers again. They didn't seem to be ashamed in any way, and why would they? They were just feathers. Draco ruffled them out of spite before smoothing them back down. He jumped slightly, realizing that Harry had crossed the room and was standing beside him- staring.

"They're... actually very... pretty." he said, tilting his head to examine the feathers. The wings lifted proudly and Draco scowled as Harry jumped back.

"Told you, mind of their own," Draco muttered. Looking at Draco briefly before returning to the wings, Harry nodded,

"Can I?" he asked, hand outheld. Draco looked torn.

"I suppose... be careful, they can be sharp..." he said. Harry wasted no time once he had permission, running his fingers gently through the now soft feathers.

"They don't feel sharp... they're very soft." he said, examining them. Draco tried not to groan, the feeling of someone petting his wings was quite intoxicating. The books hadn't mentioned this. Harry pulled his hand back and Draco tried not to groan again, this time in frustration. "they're not sharp at all, can you make them that way?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the feathers.

"Sure," Draco said, confident that he could. He stiffened himself and the feathers went rigid, like hundreds of little blades. Tentativelly, Harry reached his hand out, "careful!" Draco snapped. Harry ignored him and touched them.

"Still soft, Draco. Softer maybe. Are you sure you're doing it right?" he asked, staring at them. He could see that they looked smoother, almost like glass. Yet, when they touched his fingers, nothing happened. Draco scowled, and let out a frustrated growl. Harry started again, looking at him curiously but not running. Whipping out one of his wings to hit the nearby table, it fell into pieces, sliced up. He scowled again.

"For the love of Merlin!" he yelled, startling Harry and causing him to jump. Draco sighed, "sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"I'm not scared," Harry said bravely, standing straighter, "you're still just Draco. Even if you are a Volaticus."

"Yes well... thank you." Draco mumbled, striding across the room and folding his wings behind him but not drawing them back in. Carefully he rummaged through his trunk, pulling out a book.

"So how come they still feel soft?" Harry asked, shifting a piece of the table with his foot. Draco growled,

"Because things like that happen to me. To you. That's why." he ground out, heading downstairs, "I didn't see you at dinner, are you hungry?"

"Damn! I must have slept through it!" Harry said, glancing at the window.

"You've been *here* this whole time?" Draco asked, staring. Harry nodded, looking guilty.

"I figured you'd come up here, I wanted to talk to you. I didn't really want anyone else finding me, I don't know who comes here. So I went up to your room and I guess I fell asleep. Why? Is something wrong? Were you looking for me?"

"Something like that, come on, I've got food downstairs." Draco replied, gliding smoothly down the steps. Harry followed quietly, eyes down but glancing up occasionally at the dark gray wings adorning Draco's back. He grinned when he saw all the food, sitting down at the table and grabbing some bread and meat for a sandwich.

"So, you're a Volaticus? That's kind of cool, I don't know a whole lot about them though. We figured you were a magical creature and we had it narrowed down to about ten by this point, Volaticus was on there and the one we were hoping for."

"We being the Golden Trio?" Draco asked. Harry nodded, his mouth now full of food. "You were *hoping* I was a Volaticus?" Harry nodded again, swallowing.

"Yeah, it was the best option out of all the others I guess. Most dangerous but least likely to maim or eat somebody." Draco scowled at the idea of eating a person, picking up a cupcake instead. "So, have you found your ames... soul mate person yet?" Harry asked, as a house elf appeared next to him. Harry stared at it.

"Master Lucius is asking if Master Draco is wanting some food," it said, bowing deeply.

"Some sweets would be nice, and more scones. Tell my father I have company, I'll let him know when I can talk to him," the house elf nodded.

"And pumpkin juice, please." Harry said, nodding happily. The house elf nodded and with a pop was gone. Two glasses and a pitcher of Pumpkin juice appeared in front of them along with some scones and a tray of sweets.

"So, the soul mate person?" Harry asked, taking a drink of juice. Draco sighed and leaned back, carefully twirling an apple in his hands as he watched Harry carefully.

"You could say that," he said, taking a small bite. Harry beamed at him,

"That's great, Draco! Hermione's told me all about that sort of thing, though I still don't know much. I tend to tune out when she rants on and on."

"I see." Draco said, still leaning back just watching. His wings fluttered lightly and he scowled back at them. Useless, mindless things. "They're called my amesouer, directly translated to soul mate, so just say that." Harry nodded, grinning.

"So, who is it?" he asked, Draco just stared blankly back at him, before opening his book and moving to sit on the couch. Harry groaned and sat down next to him, pulling his knees up to his chest comfortably. "Come on, Draco, we're friends, right?" Draco nodded, reaching up to snatch one of his wings that was sneaking up and back toward Harry who ignored it and placing it behind himself. With a gesture of his hand, a quill flew across the room and he began to scribble in the book. "Perks of being a Volaticus?" Harry asked watching. Draco merely nodded, underlining something now and turning the page to read something else, before underlining that too. "Draco..." Harry whined as the same wing slipped back up, sneaking back toward Harry. Draco reached up, with Seeker's speed, tucking it back behind him and mumbling something that Harry couldn't hear except for the words 'insufferable wings'. Harry scowled, scooting a bit closer. "Come, on Draco, tell me. I already know you're a Volaticus... *what* are they doing?!" he asked as the wing appeared again. Draco flipped his hair out of his face, handing the book to Harry and pointing where he'd underlined.

Harry leaned back, reading the passage as the same wing slipped back out, and around his shoulders, pulling him quickly to Draco. Harry cried out, barely stopping the book from falling.

"Insufferable!" Draco cried, pulling it back and looking sheepish, "sorry." Harry shrugged, returning to the book.

The Volaticus' mate, called their Amesouer- better understood as soul mate, will experience a very similar pull to the Volaticus in question. The Volaticus will become very viciously protective of his or her soul mate, allowing nothing to pass them and cause any amount of harm. In these situations the Volaticus' wings will splay themselves widely in front of his or her mate, acting as a shield and sharpening to shred anyone or anything in its way or intending malcious activities. The Volaticus will often snarl and bristle himself or her self, much like a wild animal and attack until he or she perceives the threat to be eliminated. The Volaticus will often use it's wandless magic, gained from the magical currents around it, to also attack the offender. While this is unfortunate for whomever the Volaticus has deemed dangerous, it is very effective. The Amesouer need not worry though, as he or she and the Volaticus in question, and only them can touch the Volaticus feathers when sharpened. They will merely appear soft wherever the Amesoeur touches as the Volaticus, while one of the most dangerou magical creatures known to wizarding kind, will never harm its lover.

"lover?" Harry asked, swallowing, seeing the bigger picture now. Draco nodded, sighing and catching his nose with his finger and thumb, pinching the bridge,

"I'm sorry, Harry," he murmured, so quiet Harry barely heard him. Harry just sat there, staring, at Draco who stared blankly at the floor. One black wing snaked around him, carressing his shoulder and back in comfort. The other slowly rose to cover Draco's head and face. Harry smiled, Draco was a bit strange, so his wings were too- it was endearing. Part of him wanted to comfort Harry, and the other part was embarrassed and wannted to hide.

"I don't think it's really your fault, Draco," Harry said, reaching out to touch the blonde's arm gently. Draco just sighed, his feathers spanning out further to hide him. Harry rolled his eyes and took hold of the wing around him, petting it thoughtfully. The whole wing, and Draco gave a shiver, causing Harry to smile. "you like being petted don't you?!" he asked, shocked. Draco groaned and peered over the top of his other wing, nodding again. Harry smiled, continuing to run his fingers over the dark feathers, examining them carefully.

"What are you thinking?" Draco asked, still watching him carefully. Harry started, and then smiled, frightened because he'd been in such deep thought.

"Well, if you think about it... we have been sort of circling each other since we met. I wonder if that has something to do with this?"

"Yes, I would have felt the pull even when I was a child, though I wouldn't have known what it was."

"But you know what it is now? How long did that take?"

"I think I was in denial about it till this morning, when that... that... *beast* attacked you. I've never been so enraged in my life. I challenged my Father you realize, my *Father*. I've *never* done that." Draco said, his other wing went up with exasperation like one would throw their arms up dramatically. The other stayed limp in Harry's lap and he marveled at that.

"I'm sorry, if that's worth anything. Are you in trouble?"

"Stop apologizing, it makes me feel bad. No, I'm not in trouble. I think my *Father* has known you were my amesouer all along, Harry. I think he wanted me to figure it out. That's how he's always been. He'll point me in the right direction but then wait for me to start the walk."

"His wings are... pretty too. Though I think they're very... intimidating," Harry said thoughtfully, resuming his stroking of feathers. Draco looked slightly insulted and maybe a little jealous. Harry rolled his eyes and then bit his bottom lip, turning a bit red as he turned to Draco, releasing his wing. Draco looked up at him, a bunch of emotions going through his expression at once. Then, just patient waiting was there, expecting Harry to speak. He flushed and stuttered "yours are prettier though," he finally muttered, saying it so fast Draco had a problem catching all the words.

"Pardon?"

"You heard me. Prat." Harry muttered, turning bright red.

"I think you're hitting on me," Draco cooed, his wings fluttering a bit. He looked at them, annoyed. That had seemed a bit more girly than he would have liked, stupid apendages.

"Well... yeah... so?" Harry asked, taking a braver stance. "I'm supposed to you your Amesouer right? I can do that!"

"Your Gryffindor is showing again," Draco teased, watching him with one blonde eyebrow arched in amusement. Harry growled and grabbed both wings, pulling Draco - who did *not* just cry out, of course- to him and placing a quick chaste kiss on his lips. Harry's hands wrapped around his neck and Draco's arms went around his waist, and both were surrounded in soft gray feathers as Draco's wings covered them both, overlapping over Harry's back. Harry pulled back, opening his eyes and snickered, looking around at the cocoon of feathers they were in. Draco looked shocked, staring. Then, not one to be outdone, the wings tightened, pulling Harry back to him as Draco placed the same kiss on Harry's mouth, though a little more passionately.

Harry fell back from the kiss, laughing. Draco scowled, his wings coming back behind him to show he was offended and possibly slightly miffed.

"Oh calm down, git." Harry said, giggling again.

"What's so funny? I rather enjoyed that." Draco snapped, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Our first kiss," Harry snickered, "trying to outdo one another, like we always have. I think it grasped the essence of... us, whatever we are, perfectly." Harry burst out into laughter again and Draco, realizing the humor of it, joined him.

"So," Draco began, once both of them had sobered up enough to speak civilly, "I'm just going to get straight to it here. Do you wish to be my amesouer?"

Harry seemed shocked a moment and then went into deep thought,

"I thought I had to, like we're... soul mates. Bound to one another."

"We are, but you do have a choice," Draco said and then realization hit him, and he stood. Slowly he began to pace, and his wings disappeared, a bit of a dissapointment to Harry.

"What are you not telling me, Draco?" Harry asked, he'd seen that look on lots of other people before, the same look Draco had the night he lied about the creatures hunting him.

"There are certain... things," Draco spat the word, dismissing it with an angry wave of his hand, "that are not printed in the normal books, only the books written by us, the Volaticus. Consider them laws, that we have to follow. See, we believe, that when made- a soul is broken into a lot of little pieces. Each piece is bonded to the other, and destined to find each other in one way or another throughout the course of their lives. These pieces are connected deeply, usually making everyone with a piece very close. In the case of the Volaticus, there is almost always one or two more, who believe that *they*," he spat that word out too, dismissing it as well, "are the amesouer's intended."

"Excuse me? There are more of you?"

"Yes, Harry, there are more. They will also be vying for your affections. You have a choice, you see. Volaticus are very... diplomatic creatures? We're all about choices, unlike the sappy Veela. They will appear, I suspect soon, if they haven't already. They will want to take you as their own. It is my job to let you know that, since I'm the first to find you," Draco said, coming to sit next to Harry.

Harry seemed to be in shock, staring at him, mouth gaping open. Draco sighed, flopping down unceremoniously on the couch, one arm hanging down to the floor.

"So... I don't have to be with you? I can be with one of them?" Harry asked, seeming to come out of it. Draco winced and nodded,

"Yes, you may choose one of them."

"What happens to you?" Harry asked, noticing the wince.

"Nothing. I will most likely wander off, though probably not very far, and find a wizard or witch to marry and produce children, all of that. If I find another piece if you will, then I will most likely be contented with that." Draco replied, nodding to himself like Hermione did, he obviously thought that this was going to be the case. Harry groaned, curling up into himself and looking dejected,

"why does all the strange stuff happen to me?" Draco winced again and glanced over at him.

"I am sorry, mon ami, I will not pursue you," he said quietly, staring blatantly at the celing. Harry scowled at him,

"What does that mean? Mon ami? Is that french again?"

"Oui- yes, the Malfoy's are descended from the French," Draco replied, still staring at the ceiling, "sorry, it's a habit I have. If I'm particularly feeling one way or the other- strongly, I will revert to French."

"What does it *mean*?" Harry asked, leaning over to peer at Draco's face a bit closer.

"My friend." Draco said, gray eyes looking down to meet emerald. Harry was oddly touched by this and he smiled,

"Well... thank you, Draco. But, you don't have to. Not pursue me, I mean." he stammered, looking down at the blonde. Draco raised his eyebrows and smirked,

"You wish me to pursue you?"

"Yeah well... I guess, I don't know... sure. Yeah. Yes." Harry stammered again. Draco's wings came out again, fluttering, to push him up into a sitting position, only inches from Harry. "T-that was very *you*," Harry said, looking at his wings, "using your wings instead of your arms to pull you up." Draco merely smirked, shrugging,

"They come out when I'm feeling a strong emotion, such as happiness. They will continue to do so until I learn to better control them," he nearly purred, leaning into Harry who looked very uncomfortable and shy. Reaching one pale hand out to turn Harry's face to his, Draco leaned in very slowly, their lips connecting again briefly, eyes closing. Harry leaned into the kiss and Draco smiled against his mouth. When they pulled back they were both flushed, both breathing a little harder.

"I think I should probably go now, Ron and Hermione will be going nuts looking for me... I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked, standing and looking sheepish. Draco stood and walked with him to the door, swinging it open.

"Yes, we will see each other tomorrow." Draco said, nodding. Harry grinned at him before slipping through the door and into the darkness. Along his way to the common room, his mind was buzzing with thoughts, and he wasn't watching where he was going. He nearly ran into someone but they easily side stepped him.

"Mr. Potter, I trust you were the company my son was holding?" Lucius Malfoy asked, looking down at him. Harry nodded,

"yes, sir, I just left there- going to my common rooms. He's free now, probably wants to talk to you." Harry replied, staring back at the older and much colder version of Draco. Lucius nodded curtly, turning to sweep off in the direction of Draco's rooms.

"Thank you, Mr. Potter," he said, bowing a bit at Harry. Harry mimicked the movement though he didn't know why, but he'd seen other wizards do it as a sign of respect to the man. Lucius swept off, almost out of sight before Harry called to him "Lucius!" the man stopped, turning, and approached Harry again who met him half way.

"Yes?" Lucius asked, prodding him to speak.

"How... how many more Volaticus are there? In the school?"

"Two, besides my son and myself, though I'm obviously not one you should be concerned with. I suspect a third as well, his birthday is tomorrow." Lucius said cooly. Harry gulped and nodded. They both turned and began to walk off before Lucius called out to him, only briefly, before disappearing around the corner. "one is a Gryffindor Mr. Potter, do be careful." Harry groaned, not so anxious to get back now. He grudgingly trudged on though, for the sake of Hermione and Ron.