Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any affiliated characters. I just happened to come up with the plot for this ship. All credit to J.K. for her amazing universe that she allows us to play in.

Warning: Rated M. Cursing, sexual innuendos, lemons, and fluff ahead. Basically what you would expect from a romance novel nowadays.

Eternal love and gratitude to Ihrin, my Beta for this story. Thank you so much!

Music is my muse:
Song for this chapter: Mine Would Be You, Blake Shelton
Lyrics: What's your hangover? Your best night yet?/ Mine would be you.

Love of a Mate
Chapter 8
Mine Would Be You

Draco woke from a rather intense dream and shoved himself out of bed and into a cold shower. When he came back out to get changed, he found that Hermes had managed to push his window open and was sitting on his dresser with a note next to her.

Draco found himself smiling as he walked over, yanking on pants before he petted the rather chilled bird and offered her an owl treat from the bowl on his dresser. The bird hooted at him happily and then set about preening, waiting for Draco to read the letter.

Draco took a breath and then unrolled the parchment, smiling at her handwriting. It was far from elegant, but it warmed his heart to see her small and simple script.

Dear Draco,

I had a lovely time last night with you and your mother. Please thank Narcissa for taking the time to help me find my gown and shoes. I could not have found anything so beautiful without her help and I am very grateful.

Draco, I have so many questions. My dreams were very interesting last night and I recall that you mentioned you had a similar problem. Finding books on such matters would be ideal but I am not sure where to even begin to look. I think I had a text in sixth year but it would seem I have misplaced it.

Perhaps we could meet for lunch to compare notes?

I am free from eleven to one today. If you are comfortable, perhaps muggle London would be our best bet? It is the only place that I can seem to eat in peace anymore, personally.

I await your reply,
Hermione

Draco let out a large breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and looked up at the owl that was watching him carefully.

Muggle London? Although at first he wanted to scoff at such a suggestion, he had to admit that it was probably the only place they could meet where they wouldn't make the front page for being seen together at lunch -besides his own home or anywhere outside of Britain. He sighed and set down the letter, moving to get dressed. At the soft hoot, he rolled his eyes at the owl.

"I am going to reply, you impatient bird. Let me get dressed and figure out what to say," Draco grumbled.

This was met with another hoot from the impatient bird, causing Draco to snort as he pulled on his trousers. He put on a white button-down shirt and a dark green tie as he considered what to say to his mate.

She was right; nothing they needed to discuss should be put down on parchment. He also knew she had to be bursting with questions. What had she dreamed about last night? Clearly she remembered something about the book he had handed her early in their sixth year. Unfortunately. that particular text had been left in the Room of Requirements- specifically, the room that Crabbe had set on fire. He would eventually need to find where in the manor the original was held as that had been a copy, but so far it had not revealed itself to him. In fact, although he knew there had to be many texts in the Malfoy collection on their Veela heritage, he hadn't yet been able to find any of them. His mother had said that the wards on the books had activated when their home had been besieged by the Ministry and then the Dark Lord. Wherever the wards had sent them in the house had yet to be discovered. The Malfoy family secrets were well guarded by the manor and its wards.

He had been allowed to read them all the summer between his third and fourth year when he had been told about his heritage but hadn't seen them since then. The book he had given to Hermione was a copy his mother had made for him, which had always been kept on his person hidden as a potions text to anyone besides him. It had taken some spellwork on his part to make sure Hermione could read it.

It had been Hermione who found more texts in the Hogwarts library, most likely in the Restricted Section. Of course, he wasn't exactly sure how many of those texts had survived the final battle. There was no real way to ask that question without giving away too much- certainly not with Headmistress McGonagall at the helm of the school and no position on the Governor's Board anymore.

Draco, however, tempered his disquiet over the lack of books to hand his mate and concentrated instead on the information he could give her. The question, of course, was how much he wanted to actually tell her and how much she now remembered.

To learn that, he would need to meet her for lunch.

Finally dressed, he moved over to write a quick reply telling her that he would meet her two blocks away from the Leaky Caldron and that she should feel free to pick a restaurant that was to her liking.

OoooOOOoooO

Hermione took the note from Hermes, who hooted at her and waited for her to reply. Ginny looked up from the paperwork she was going through.

"So what did he say?"

Hermione sighed. "He would love to have lunch and told me to pick a restaurant in muggle London."

Ginny smirked. "Do you think he has ever gone to lunch in muggle London?"

Hermione shook her head with a small smirk. "I really doubt he has."

Ginny chuckled. "Well I am sad that I am not going to be here when you get back to hear how this went."

Hermione rolled her eyes at her friend. "You're sure that I can take this much time off this afternoon?"

Ginny waved at her. "Yes of course. I have things well in hand. It's just checking things off as they are delivered to the hall. Besides, I know you and you will be spending half the night there tonight making sure it's all in order and set up properly."

Hermione flushed, knowing her friend was correct. "I just want it to be perfect."

Ginny smiled at her. "With your attention to detail and my flare for the dramatic, how could it not be?"

Hermione withheld her reply and just shook her head, laughing at her friend as she sent Draco the address a small Italian muggle restaurant that she liked to visit because it was secluded and nothing any wizard would give a second glance.

She did so enjoy her privacy, rare as it was so at eleven on the dot, Hermione walked around the corner to the meeting place Draco had specified and let out a small breath of air as she saw him standing near a storefront in a perfectly tailored grey muggle suit. His hair stood out in the crowd, as did his height and broad shoulders. She could see a few women watching him and she paused with a small smirk as she saw one brave blond start to approach him. With a raised eyebrow and the classic Malfoy sneer, he sent her scurrying away before she had even got a chance to speak. Then, as if he sensed her nearby, his eyes found hers from across the road. Hermione felt her breath hitch as his eyes flashed at her and then she gasped.

"Are you done laughing at me, mate?"

Her eyes went wide and she rushed across the street.

"How did you do that?"

OoooOOOo

Draco chuckled as he strode to her and took her by the elbow, guiding her away from the crowd and towards the restaurant she had picked which was three blocks away. He had spent the morning acquainting himself with the area after he went to Gringotts to convert some of his gold into muggle currency. The Goblin had spent thirty minutes explaining the money to him and Draco felt reasonably sure he would not embarrass himself.

He smirked as she removed her hand from his arm and instead took his hand, squeezing it in irritation.

"Draco! How did you do that?"

Draco grinned. Always curious, his mate. "We can communicate telepathically due to our bond."

Hermione gasped and slowed down, clearly shocked. "I have never heard of such a thing! Fleur and Bill cannot do that, can they?"

Draco smirked and rubbed his thumb along her hand as they moved through the crowd on the street.

"I would not know, love. We can, or rather we could. It would appear that my link is re-opened to you."

Looking down he could see her chewing on her lip as she pondered this. "How would I know if I could communicate back? Is it a spell? Do I have to make eye contact?"

Draco laughed. "Eye contact helps, I think. From what I understand, it is more of a mental connection we have from the mark. I think, when the memory charm fades completely, you will find it rather simple to do. It's not a spell or anything I can really explain easily- I sent you the thought and it worked." He didn't mention that once they were lovers again and he remarked her he suspected she would be able to communicate with him again. That wasn't something you told someone on a crowded street.

Hermione let out a soft breath and then scrunched up her face adorably. "Oh, there is so much I don't know! So, was I ever able to communicate with you telepathically?"

Draco paused and then sighed realizing she simply wasn't going to let this go so he cast a silent and wandless privacy charm to answer her question as they moved along slowly. "Yes, even before I marked you as my mate our bond was strong. I could communicate with you very easily when we were in close proximity from the start, although it took me a bit to realize that. After we became lovers, that only strengthened and after I marked you it was very easy for us to communicate this way throughout the castle. We were never more than a thought away for a short time."

Hermione stopped in her tracks and looked up at him in shock. "Will that return? That ability?"

Draco looked down at her and, unable to help himself, he traced the side of her face with his finger. "Yes, it will," he said huskily, entranced by the excitement and wonder showing on her face.

Hermione gasped before she simply said. "Amazing!"

Draco smiled and then pulled her along. "Come, let me feed you and then you can pepper me with more questions."

OooOOOooO

Hermione allowed Draco to pull her along as she pondered what he had just told her. They had only been a thought away? That was simply amazing. She had to research this! Her mind raced as she walked to the restaurant, hand-in-hand with Draco.

Once they were inside and seated, she glanced at Draco watching him carefully. She knew he was uncomfortable, but you couldn't tell that from his body language. She frowned at this. Once they had ordered, she cast a privacy charm and decided to ask him about this ability she had to read his emotions.

"I can tell you are uncomfortable. How can I know that?"

Draco looked up and grimaced a bit, taking a deep breath. "Again, the bond. We will feel each other's emotions. I can feel your excitement and nervousness."

Hermione flushed and then nodded. "When I was reading your letters, sometimes, I could tell what you meant even though it wasn't clear to Ginny. It was this sense that I knew what you were trying to say."

Draco frowned and then shook his head. "We are a unique pair, Hermione. When I marked you, it was very intense. I am not sure if it's because of how powerful you are magically or if it's that our own magic is so compatible."

Hermione frowned and then sighed. "Draco, what about my blood status?"

He frowned back at her and then grimaced. "I know this will shock you but, truthfully, blood status is irrelevant. It's your magic that matters. To mate with a male Veela, a witch has to have very strong magic. If you were not as magically powerful as you are, I could have killed you by marking you."

Hermione sat back in shock. "And you knew that? Did I know that?"

Draco nodded and shifted slightly, his face thoughtful. "You knew. It was you who told me about this. Once you figured out how rare male Veela are, you spent so much time in the library I started to worry you would make yourself sick."

Hermione rolled her eyes but didn't doubt his sincerity. "What did I discover? Did I write it down? Did I destroy all my research?"

Draco sighed and sipped his water before he said, slowly, "You removed all traces of our relationship from your life, Hermione. So, I would assume that also meant the research you had done."

Hermione let out a disappointed breath. "Am I right that the memory charm was my idea?"

Draco looked up and he was frowning. "It was. I had never really heard of such a thing. I was pretty upset at you when you came to me that night and told me that you wanted to-" He paused and then took a deep breath, obviously calming himself. "I didn't wish to do this."

Hermione felt her heart hitch. "Then why did you?"

Draco wiped a hand down his face and sat back. "I could never deny you something you truly wanted; you knew that too."

Hermione flinched, shifting uncomfortably as she considered what he was telling her. "I compelled you to do this?"

Draco thought of that for a moment and then shrugged. "Not in the way you are thinking, but yes. You protected me- us- because you knew that I could not. You asked for the charm, knowing I couldn't refuse the request and then you demanded that I take an Unbreakable Vow so that I would not betray myself and get killed."

Hermione sat back stunned. "And that is why you didn't stop Bellatrix when she was torturing me, isn't it? You couldn't. I had tied your hands by the charm and the Vow."

Draco nodded, looking sick with anger and regret. "It worked, and we both lived, although it is not a memory I care to revisit."

Hermione had to look away and force herself not to grab the scar on her arm but she let out a slow breath. "Draco I am dreaming about us, but it's like I am seeing things from a pensive. It's not everything; it just seems to be important pieces. Last night it was our first interactions with each other, I think. But you handed me a book and you-" she took a breath and then glared at him. "Dammit, Draco, you wanted to die! I could tell, you just had no hope! I was so upset at you."

Draco sat back, stunned, and then she watched as he threw back his head laughing. She bristled, still angry with him.

"It's not funny," she said, grabbing her glass of water.

Draco nodded sobering. "I know it's not, love, but I know exactly how angry you were at me for that. I remember you shoving me into a deserted classroom and throwing that book back at me, screaming at me that I was a prat. I also remember you saving me- piece by piece you put me back together that year. I had given up, Hermione, but you wouldn't let me. I couldn't tell you much, but you still found a way to help me. I didn't die because of you, love."

Hermione gasped as his eyes flashed and then she felt her mark burn and suddenly she fell into a memory. She watched as they argued in a classroom, the scene moving too fast for her to keep up with as she felt a swirl of emotions crash into her.

Anger, fear, and finally desire. And then they were kissing, right there in the classroom before she yanked herself out of his arms and took off.

Blinking she looked up at him. "Did you just do that?"

He shrugged and nodded. "It was our first kiss," he said while looking away, his face a bit flushed. "It stunned me-, your passion, you anger at me, your fear for me. And then you kissed me. I must have stood there like an idiot for about an hour."

Hermione smiled and then laughed. "I remember all of that from the dream. The anger and fear and even the desire." Hermione played with the rim of her glass and then laughed again. "Ginny is probably right, you know." At his curious look she smiled, shaking her head. "When I told her about this, she said that in all likelihood it was my fault you didn't die. She said I wouldn't have let you."

Draco smirked and then his face went soft and he smiled at her with adoration. "No, you wouldn't let me die. I blamed it on your Gryffindor optimism."

Hermione knew her smile was probably too wide but she couldn't help herself. "Of course I wouldn't. I was and will always have that optimism, so don't mock me once it works out in the end."

She watched him snort but smirk and then she sighed, looking at her watch. Draco held up his hand for the bill, smiling at her.

"We need to get you back. How is everything coming along at work?"

Hermione smiled at him gratefully for understanding. "It's going well. I will have a few long days and nights because I am anal retentive and have to triple-check everything, but I don't expect any problems."

Draco gave her a stern look. "Don't overdo it."

Hermione laughed. "Yes, dear. I wouldn't worry about me though; Ginny is pretty good at reining me in when I start to go crazy."

Draco paid the bill, smirking at her when she couldn't hide her surprised expression when he handled the muggle currency so well.

"Worried I would embarrass you, mate?"

Hermione ducked her head, controlling her laughter, and then allowed him to pull her up and out of her seat, gasping as she landed in his arms.

Her eyes flew to his and she felt her mark tingling. Slowly, he raised his hand to cup her cheek and she knew her lips had parted in expectation. Slowly, as if in a daze, she watched Draco's lips move closer and closer until he was just a breath away.

Kiss me, please kiss me.

"I will."

Her gasp was taken by his lips and then she was moaning, falling further into his arms. It was a simple kiss, lasting just a few seconds but it took her at least half a minute to open her eyes. When she did, it was to find Draco watching her his own eyes wild with desire.

"Why did you stop?" She didn't speak but sent the thought to him, somehow knowing he would hear her.

"I will want more, and we are not alone."

Hermione flushed and took a shaky step back before she took a quick look around the restaurant to see that it was very busy with the lunch crowd and more than one person watching them curiously.

"Oh." She said in an embarrassed rush.

Draco inclined his head and took her hand, leading her out of the restaurant.

OooOOOOooO

Ginny looked up as Hermione rushed into the ballroom with flushed cheeks and gave her a knowing grin.

"Well, I think lunch was a success; you look positively giddy."

Hermione nodded but then scowled, going to grab her clipboard. "Shush, you. Not now. Where are we? Has the wine arrived?"

Ginny hid her smile as she filled Hermione in on what she had missed.

Notes:

I am very sorry for the long delay. I have a beta who is working with me now and if my kids and my muse cooperate we should be back to bi weekly if not weekly updates again.
Thank you so much for the favorites, follows and of course the reviews, which keep me warm at night.

Cheers,

Cjean

Up Next: The Ball