Earlier that afternoon...
Narcissa could not believe the wealth of information she read in the book she brought home. It was filled with stories of ancient Veela and how they came to be. This history was so interesting and something she had never read before. She felt like an intruder by reading the book, obviously filled with documented familial secrets. She felt more sure now than ever that Hermione had Veela ancestry, and she couldn't wait to share the book with her. She hoped that giving her the knowledge she needs would help lessen the betrayal she would feel over Narcissa not telling her soon.
"What are you reading, Mother?"
Narcissa jumped out of her seat, not even hearing Draco walk into the room and sneak behind him. She felt him peer over her shoulder and she closed the book a bit more forcefully than she wanted. He squinted his eyes at her before coming around and sitting close to her on the couch.
"Draco you frightened me, I didn't even hear you come in."
"What are you trying to hide Mother, you forget that I know your tells."
"I have no idea what you are talking about."
"Oh really? Well, first of all, you never get startled, or at least you never show it. Yet you let the surprise show on your face just now. Then, of course, there's the book you're trying to hide out of sight on the other side of you. And It's a book I've never noticed in our library before, so spill."
"Spill?"
Draco rolled his eyes, "Muggle saying, I've been spending too much time with Hermione. Stop evading my question."
"Speaking of Hermione, have you noticed anything… off about her?"
Draco furrowed his brows, "What are you talking about Mother, Hermione is wonderful. There's nothing wrong with her. She's absolutely perfect the way she is. Her mind is so brilliant that I could pick her brain for hours. And she's never afraid to speak her mind. Oh, and she looks adorable when she's furious at me too; like a little angry kitten. Her hair has a mind of its own, and I don't know why I ever picked on her for it. It gives her this wildness that you couldn't ever want to tame. And wow, she's stunning. Have you notice that she just seems to glow recently—"
"Draco" She smirked at him at his love-struck look on his face. It looked like he was describing his favourite piece of art. He had a radiant smile on his face and Narcissa couldn't have been happier that they found each other.
"Draco, I didn't mean that there was something wrong with her, just that she's seemed to have changed recently." He blushed.
"If you're implying that she's been happier from spending time with me then you need to just stop there. Nothing can come of it. She's just too… good, and I'm not. She deserves the best, and that's not me."
"You don't think you're good enough?"
"No, not at all. Especially not for her."
"What if I told you that you two were meant to be together."
"That's wishful thinking, Mother. Obviously, you still want me to uphold our Pureblood line, why else would you have invited Astoria over the other day?"
She cleared her throat uncomfortably and looked away, "about that…"
"What did you do Mother?" Narcissa scoffed.
"Why do you just assume that I did something?" Draco narrowed his eyes again.
"You are known for your meddling, Mother." She sighed.
"I regret this, and I am truly sorry. You are going to be furious with me on this, I know."
He raised his eyebrow and folded his arms over his chest.
"I noticed something about Hermione the night Pansy came over for dinner."
"So this started several weeks ago?"
She cleared her throat again, "Yes."
Hesitantly, she continued. "When you escorted Pansy to the sitting room, there were some strange changes to Hermione. Her eyes became almost completely black, and she grew… talons."
Draco's eyes widened and he stood up, "you don't think—"
"I don't think, I know." Narcissa opened the book to a page on Coming-of-age Veelas. She watched as her son devoured the page and happiness rolled off him in waves.
"And you think I'm-?" The question hung in the air as Narcissa gave him a fond smile.
"I don't think, I know."
After a few moments of basking in his happiness, Draco gave his mother a confused look, "but if I'm Hermione's mate, why hasn't she told me yet? We should be spending as much time together as possible to help with the transition."
"Well, the thing is she doesn't know yet." She looked away bashfully.
Draco's look hardened immediately, showing Narcissa the dangerous edge to him that she never wanted to see again. "What do you mean, 'she does not know.'" He spoke sharp and slowly dragged out the words.
"I wanted to be sure first, Draco. It will be a life-changing moment, I couldn't just tell her without being absolutely positive. So, I invited Astoria over for dinner… and I just didn't expect her to kiss you."
Draco began pacing and silently seething. "Mother how could you do this? She looked so… lifeless that night. You did that to her. And you don't think she has the right to know?" Draco spat out and curled his lip over his teeth.
"Draco please." She tried to grab his arm to stop him and he jerked it away from her. "Draco please listen. I just wanted to be sure."
"By the sounds of it, you knew weeks ago when Pansy visited. You just had to go invite that whore over to 'make sure.''
"Draco, language." Narcissa hissed.
"Fuck no, Mother. I have every right to be pissed over you meddling with Hermione. I care about her and I don't want to see her hurt from what you're doing."
"Draco, I love her. The last thing I want to see is her hurt. I was going to talk to her about it, I promise. I just wanted to do research first in case she had any questions."
"And your research included letting a gold-digging Pureblooded brat over here and let her climb all over me to see if Hermione had any response to it?" Draco was now yelling at this point, no longer trying to keep his voice low.
"I regret my actions," Narcissa said solemnly, "I really truly do. That is why I went to go find this book. It's beautiful. Can't you feel the magical binding in the pages? What better way to show her than allow her an ancient book filled to the brim with history and forbidden knowledge."
"I do not care, Mother. She needs to know that she is a Veela right now. If she truly is turning soon, she has a lot to prepare for, and I don't want to scare her off if what you think is true."
"I know it's true Draco. You are her mate."
"I honestly don't doubt it. Not with the way things have been changing between the two of us, but I don't understand why you still haven't talked to her about this. Her birthday is in two weeks. She needs to know that she should be around me as much as possible, which I definitely won't mind. I love every time she's around me, I feel much… lighter. But she has to know, Mother. Or I'll tell her exactly what you've done."
"Fine Draco. We'll get her and all talk about this together. Rosie!"
"Yes, Mistress?"
"Please bring Hermione here to Draco and me." Rosie looked around nervously and tapped her fingers together in front of her body.
"But, Mistress. Miss Minnie is already here."
Narcissa and Draco looked at each other for a split second before shooting their heads up in the door. There Hermione stood, looking white as a ghost and practically shaking. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. Draco took a step forward and Hermione bolted out the door, with Draco following shortly behind her.
Draco called her over and over again, his voice becoming more desperate and pleading by the minute. When she finally caught up, her son was standing in front of the fireplace with his head resting against the mantle. He turned around and Narcissa's couldn't tell what broke her heart more; seeing her baby boy cry or the hateful look in his eyes.
"This is all your fault, Mother. If you only told her sooner we wouldn't be in this mess. I can't access her floo and I don't even know where she lives."
"Draco, she'll be fine with a little space. She needs to process what she just found out. She'll be okay." She reached out to comfort him and Draco jerked his shoulder back, snarling at her.
"She may be the brightest witch of her age Mother, but she is a Muggleborn. She doesn't understand Veela like we do. Most likely the only experience she has around them is Fleur Delacour, who's pheromones put the entire Hogwarts male population in a trance in Fourth Year. What the hell do you think is running through her head right now?"
"Oh dear." Narcissa gasped and brought her hand up to her mouth. She watched as Draco swung his arm at the nearest surface, putting his entire hand through the drywall. As he removed it, it looked completely bloody and broken. Narcissa moved to heal him before seeing the look of hatred directed towards her again.
Draco stormed out of the room, the orange beast of a cat following behind him. Crookshanks turned his head back around and hissed at Narcissa before exiting the door.
The loneliness finally overtook her and she broke. Finally allowing her emotions to control her. She cried and begged for Hermione to come back. All Narcissa ever wanted was for her family to be whole and complete again. All she could do now is hope she didn't mess everything up for that completely.
. . . . .
Draco let his feet drag him into Hermione's room, but it didn't feel the same. He could smell her all around him, but without her presence, it just didn't feel right.
He sat on the bed and called for Daisy to heal his hand. He groaned as the bones snapped back in to place but didn't regret his outlet of rage. He was terribly afraid of doing or saying something he would never forgive himself over. He knew his Mother thought she was doing the right thing; he knew she just wanted him to be happy. But he couldn't forgive her right away, she took Hermione away from him after he had heard the best news of his life.
Veela mates were something of legend; a fantasy.
Two people who were made to fit together perfectly, it sounds like a childhood dream.
But Draco couldn't imagine anyone more suited for him than Hermione Granger. A beacon of lightness to balance his darkness. A beaming optimist whenever his pessimism overcomes him. Hermione Granger was love, beauty, and kindness, and he knew he didn't deserve her after all he's done and put her through.
However, if he was her Veela mate, then he would be selfish not to take the opportunity to be with her. Because any world with Hermione Granger gone would be dark and dreary. No, he couldn't let that happen.
He yearned for her to come home; to be with him. Every second Hermione spends away from Draco over the next two weeks would cause her unimaginable pain during the transition.
He would give her some time. He would see if she would let down her walls to let him come to rescue her. He would rush through her fireplace and fall at her side the moment she unlocked her floo.
But he could only give her so much time before he found his own way to her. He would not let her bushy-haired brain overthink what she learned. He would not let her sacrifice herself when all that could possibly make him happy was her.
He would do anything to make sure she was safe, even if that meant contacting Potter.
. . . . .
Three fucking days. He's waited three whole days pacing the length of the sitting room for Hermione to come to him. Draco's tried absolutely everything to get her floo down from the Manor, but it wouldn't come down.
He itched to be close to her, three days seemed too long. It certainly was the longest he's gone from seeing her in months.
Everything seemed to put him more on edge; the only thing that could slightly calm Draco down was the ginger-haired beast Hermione called a pet. Her familiar, who usually was indifferent, at best; towards Draco barely left his side. He let Draco take out his frustrations out my scratching his back and ears, but swatted at Draco if he manhandled if too much. The damn beast drew blood on a few occasions.
He refused to do anything else for fear of missing a single opportunity of Hermione allowing him in. His absence was noticed at work, Daisy popping in often to let him know people were at the Manor looking for him. He ignored it all, better yet he let his mother deal with it.
His mother was a completely different story. She often came into the sitting room with guilty eyes and looking vulnerable. She pleaded with him to talk to her. She promised she would find a way to Hermione, but he couldn't even look at her in the face.
He knew he hurt her by doing this, but there was a part in him that wanted her to suffer just as much as he was.
The floo lit up and Draco sprinted to it, hoping that Hermione finally came to reason. The disappointment he felt when he saw Harry Potter poke his head through was obviously evident at the 'saviour's' eye roll.
"Malfoy."
"Potter."
"Hermione told me she has been staying here recently, is she around? I can't get through her floo. It's odd because she never locks it from me, even if she's away."
The little colour Draco had on his face drained, "She blocked you from the floo too?"
"Malfoy let me through this minute," Harry snapped. Draco complied but did not suspect to be roughly thrown against a wall.
"What the hell did you do to her." Harry had his wand tip to Draco's throat and snarled at him.
"Fuck! Potter, I didn't do anything. If you need to blame someone, you can blame my Mother on this."
Harry let go of Draco's shirt and paced as Draco rubbed his chest. "Well, what did happen? Hermione hasn't locked her floo since right after the war and she didn't want anyone to walk in on her having a violent nightmare."
"But that's the time she's supposed to have someone there with her. Tell me that someone stayed with her because no one should be alone for that."
Harry looked at him questioningly, "I agree with you Malfoy. She's as stubborn as a bull, but I snuck into her apartment every night. She scolded me every day, but she needed someone by her side to get through the night."
Draco's eyes widened, "Can you still get in somehow? I'm worried about her Potter. She overheard my Mother and I fighting three days ago and I've been trying to get in constantly. I don't know where she lives or I would be there now running the door down."
Harry looked confused as to what to do. He obviously didn't want to believe Draco, but couldn't deny his genuine concern about Hermione.
Harry's shoulders sagged, "Alright Malfoy, come on. Do you have an apparition point nearby?"
Draco led him outside of the Manor grounds to their apparition point. Harry apparated them to a dingy alley and grabbed Draco's arm. They walked a block down the Muggle street before entering a building that seemed to be falling apart. They walked up three flights of stairs to an apartment labelled 32B. Harry knocked on the door five times with no answer before asking Draco to help him dismantle the complex wards.
It took them thirty minutes together to get it down, leaving them breathless and sweating. However, nothing could prepare them for the horror they walked in on.
A/n: So this update starts where I've made some major changes to the plot if you had previously seen this before my revamping. Again, I am so much happier with the changes.
I hope you enjoy this chapter!