A/N: I would just like to apologise for this chapter in advance because Snape and Malfoy are both horrendously OOC. I mean, it's hard to have a Veela fic with Draco in character so I'm giving myself a pass for that, but Snape is honestly just awful. Initially I was kinda trying for the sympathetic godfather vibe, but it's just bad, so sorry for that. I almost just scrapped it and started again, but in the end I just left it, so please forgive me for being really, really lazy! Reviews would be great- thanks so much :)
Chapter 2
Draco could not sleep. For some reason beyond his explanation, even the dark room seemed too bright for his eyes. The snoring noises emanating from Blaise Zabini's side of the dormitory were abnormally loud; Draco swore he could hear every breath. Even the faint smell of mould that lingered in the Slytherin common room seemed amplified. His senses were off. Clearly, something was wrong.
And then it struck him. It all came back to Mudblood Granger. Obviously the wretched girl had slipped him a love potion, and these were the side effects. It made perfect sense; she was bored and desperate without the Weasel and Saint Potter, but couldn't find anyone willing to suffer her company. So she'd picked Hogwarts' most eligible bachelor, himself, of course, and brewed a potion to slip into his pumpkin juice.
Yes, this explained everything: his fixation with following her, his strange sense of pity, the encounter in the Astronomy Tower. Granger had poisoned him to make him like her. This would not stand.
Draco's first instinct was to go confront her immediately. He was halfway to Gryffindor when he realised that, under the influence of the love potion, approaching Granger may not be the wisest move. No, he would go to see Snape first, and then deal with the Mudblood.
"Mazama rufina," Draco said aloud as he approached the Headmaster's quarters. The eagle statue rotated around when he spoke the password, revealing a spiral staircase leading up to a set of heavy wooden doors.
Draco briefly considered whether he should come back later; it was, after all, the middle of the night. Ultimately, however, he decided that the situation was dire and that his godfather should not mind being woken up for such an urgent matter. Preparing to withstand the annoyance of his well-meaning, if sarcastic, professor, Draco pounded upon the door.
Moments later, Snape appeared, his sallow face set in a grimace. He gave Draco a disapproving look, but said nothing for a tick.
"Headmaster-"
"I'm assuming, Mr. Malfoy, that you have something of great importance to share with me."
"Yes, sir. Professor Snape, Hermione Granger has poisoned me with a love potion. I need an antidote," Draco supplied. Snape beckoned him in, casually summoning up a chair with a quick accio.
"What symptoms have you experienced?" the Headmaster asked sceptically. "Drowsiness? Lack of focus? Shortness of breath around the girl?"
"I can't stop thinking about her and I don't know why. It's like I want to ignore her, but there's something that keeps pulling me back. I'm not particularly drowsy, and my focus has been fine. No shortness of breath."
"Mr. Malfoy, are you quite sure you haven't woken me up because of a mere crush on the girl?" Snape smirked. Draco was quick to recoil; he was positive this was no normal attraction.
"No, Headmaster, it's different. My senses are much sharper. Suddenly I'm getting horrible toothaches and back pains. Clearly she's given me something." For an instant, Draco thought he saw a look of alarm shoot across Snape's face before he once again smoothed it over into his normal expression.
"Draco, I'm no medi-wizard, but I'd like to briefly examine your teeth so I can dispel a rather troubling notion," Snape said, suddenly solemn. Draco nodded slowly, bearing his teeth as his former professor approached to inspect them. What he was looking for, the young Malfoy had no idea. "Let me see the gums near your upper canines, Draco," Snape demanded. Draco did and Snape gasped softly.
"Impossible."
"What's impossible, Headmaster?" Draco asked, panicked. "What did she do to me?"
"Miss Granger, you will find, is quite innocent in all of this, Draco. Please remember that, for I fear what I'm about to tell you may not sit well," Snape sighed. Draco looked up at him expectantly. "The rupture in your gums is unique; I've only ever seen it in this circumstance. You'll likely need medical testing for confirmation, Mr. Malfoy, but I believe you may be partially Veela." Draco guffawed.
"Veela? Like that Delacour bint? Professor, are you joking? Clearly I'm neither a girl nor a giant bloody bird!"
"Not all Veela are female, Draco," Snape interjected. "And the transition cannot be completed until a Veela is of age. If I'm correct, the wings will still be growing in." Draco self-consciously reached around to his back, feeling around to see if any wings had emerged. They hadn't, but it would explain the strange tenseness in his shoulders.
"This can't be happening," Draco whispered hoarsely to himself, standing up from the chair and pacing rapidly from one corner of the room to another. "No. No, no, no! I'm a Malfoy, a pureblood from one of the most noble houses in all of wizarding history. I'm a pureblood! How is this possible?" he asked, turning to Snape.
"I'd ask your father; he seems to bear some of the more traditional Veela features, although I'm quite sure the trait itself never manifested itself in him as it has in you. Perhaps one of your great grandparents was a Veela in full? The gene's been known to skip generations."
"What exactly does any of this mean, Severus? And how does Granger fit into it?"
"It means what you make of it, Draco. Hopefully you'll be able to live a normal life, even with this condition. Certain attractive traits will continue to develop; I would expect some increased popularity among groups of women. Obviously, the wings will eventually emerge in full, but these, as I understand, are typically concealable after the first few days. A full Veela's nails sharpen to talons, but considering that you're only a Veela in part, I doubt yours will be very noticeable. Your senses will heighten, clearly that's already happening, and you'll become much stronger. Aside from the physical changes, there's one thing that-"
"I'm not going to like this part, am I?" Draco asked nervously.
"Assuredly not, Mr. Malfoy."
"Just tell me, then."
"All Veela have mates. A person they're destined to love above all else. Without finding and bonding with its mate, a Veela can't live past 18. She's the only person you'll ever find yourself attracted to, the person you'll give anything to protect. If she's happy, you will be too. If she's miserable, you'd kill to fix it. If she dies, you'll perish with her."
"It's... it's Granger, isn't it?" Draco questioned solemnly, already knowing the answer but dreading the confirmation of his suspicions. Snape proceeded with caution.
"That seems likely, Draco," he responded softly.
"Fuck! She hates me, absolutely loathes me, I'm sure of it. How am I going to convince her to save me? Honestly, is it even worth trying? I might be better off just enjoying life before I die," Draco muttered, his mind spinning. Snape quietly spoke up in an uncharacteristically soft tone.
"Draco, don't. Years ago, I made that mistake. I didn't chase after the girl and it remains the biggest regret of my life. Trust me, if Granger comes to mean to you a fraction of what she meant to me, life without her would be a mere shadow of an existence. Try pursuing her; if she truly is your mate, you may find the endeavour easier than anticipated and more rewarding than expected." Draco was somewhat unnerved at seeing this side of his godfather, but nonetheless was emboldened by his suggestion.
"And my father, Severus? What should I tell him? I highly doubt he'd approve of Granger sullying the bloodline."
"Do not inform him of your mate, Draco, or even of the fact that you're more than likely a Veela. Perhaps ask to borrow a book on your family's ancestry to confirm your condition, but to go further, I think, would be dangerous. Although clearly none of this is your fault, I fear Lucius would react poorly if informed of the non-human traits you've displayed. If the public was to uncover that the Malfoy heir is partially Veela, it would call into question the purity of your line. Lucius simply could not bear it." Draco nodded slowly.
"And what of the Dark Lord? I plan on returning to to Manor over the holiday; he'll be there and he'll find out. Clearly, he would never allow anything between me and a mudblood. And if he hurts her, he'll hurt me too."
"Let's cross that bridge when we come to it, Draco. It's only the first week of the term, you have plenty of time before the holidays. Focus on Miss Granger for the time being." Snape's advice gave Draco little solace. He couldn't puzzle out a scenario where he and Granger could escape this situation without enraging the Dark Lord. The thought loomed in his mind and he couldn't quite let it go.
"And, Draco, one more thing," the Headmaster said.
"Yes?"
"Your hair- don't let anyone touch it. I'm sure you've heard of the magical properties of Veela hair. It's quite useful in wand-making, and it's a crucial ingredient in one of the most potent healing potions known to wizards. But if anyone besides you or your mate pulls out a hair, you'll die."
"Great, just another part of being a bloody Veela that could kill me." Snape smiled dryly at his godson, then stood up.
"Now, Draco, you should go back to bed. Get some sleep and think things through. And remember, I'm here if you need me." Draco recognised the dismissal and walked out of the Headmaster's quarters, his life forever changed.
...
The moment Draco returned to his room, he cast a silencing spell then let our a pained, echoing roar. Everything in his life had, within the space of a 30-minute conversation, been turned upside down. Since the earliest stages of his childhood, Draco had learned to feel superior for his birth. Malfoys were purebloods above all else, bound by a sense of tradition and honour. But if he himself was a... a half-breed, was it all a lie? An elaborate façade that kept him and his family elevated above others? It was all too much to consider.
Balling up into what he would vehemently deny was a foetal position, Draco Malfoy sobbed dryly as his world came crashing down around him. The people the Dark Lord was "sanitizing" no longer seemed so distant, so far below him. And this realisation shook him with a deep terror. They were people. Just like him. No better, no worse. Just people.
Draco thought back to the years when he'd carelessly tormented not just Granger but also countless trembling Hufflepuffs and speechless Ravenclaws. Not for the weight of their character but for their heritage. He'd called them mudbloods, thought them unclean, inhuman even. All the time unknowing that he himself was the half-breed.
Trembling in grief, Draco barely noticed as a wide-eyed house elf approached him until the creature tugged gently on his sleeve. He bit back a reflexive comment, something about sullying his robe. Clearly, he was no longer one to judge. Instead, Draco just lifted his head slightly, quickly wiping the tear tracks streaming down his face in an effort to mask his shame. Yet the creature looked upon him with no judgement.
"Topsy knows that stealing is wrong, Sir, but he thought he would bring Sir a token from Sir's mate. Topsy thinks it might bring Master Malfoy solace, Sir," the house elf wheezed, offering Draco a cream coloured Muggle sweater. Slowly Draco grasped the garment in his tremulous hands, clutching it close to his chest and breathing in deeply.
Instantaneously, a soothing calm washed over Draco's entire body and a quiet force pulled his mind gently away from his disturbing thoughts. As he uncurled under the heavy weight of his duvet, Draco Malfoy finally fell asleep.