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.

Many thanks to Ihrin for her beta skills. Chapter updated 10-21-16 If you still find mistakes please PM me. :)

Music is my muse:
Song for this chapter: Gravity, John Mayer
Lyrics: It's wanting more, it's going to send me to my knees.

Love of a Mate

Chapter 10
Gravity

Hermione eventually had to tear herself away from his arms to help Ginny close up for the night. Ginny shoved her off post-haste and Draco was waiting for her, tensely standing next to a rather affronted-looking Harry Potter.

Hermione sighed heavily, both in annoyance and exhaustion, as she looked at her best friend who was glaring at Draco with total malice. Ginny shoved her, shaking her head.

"Just leave him to stew in it for a bit, 'Mione," she said honestly. "Go home; take Draco with you." She winked and her face set into a devilish grin. "I will go console Harry."

Hermione flushed but nodded, biting her lip and rushing forward to grab Draco's hand. He had left to escort his mother home and she had hoped that she would be done before he got back so he wasn't forced to stand and wait for her with an angry Harry.

"Sorry," she said softly, pulling him out of the building and nodding at the large wizard who was locking up after them.

Draco wrapped his arm around her and shrugged, letting out a small breath and apparently the tension in his body as well as he smirked down at her. "You can't control him, mate. He has always been that way."

Hermione gave him a rueful smile and then shook her head, allowing him to walk with her towards the apparition point. "I know, but it never stopped me from trying to get him to behave otherwise."

Draco grinned and let out a soft chuckle. "I know, I remember. You spent most of sixth year trying to get him to leave me alone. I was worried that he'd fallen under my veela glamour more than once- he was a bit obsessed."

Hermione lost her breath as she shook with silent laughter and then hit him in the stomach- not that it affected him, the man was all muscle. "Draco that's, horrible! He wasn't glamoured by you. He was adamantly certain that you'd taken the Dark Mark." She sobered and then sighed. "Which was true, in his defense."

Draco sobered as well and hugged her closer, leaning down to kiss the top of her head with a slight frown on his face. She smiled up at him and hugged him, pressing her cheek to his chest.

"Take me home?"

He took a deep breath and, wrapping his arms around her, whirled her into darkness, landing near her flat. They walked in silence and Hermione felt her heart starting to race as she realized he hadn't said if he would stay over and she had never actually asked him. She bit her lip in indecision. Should she invite him in? Would he wish to come inside? Could he come inside? She didn't know the rules with mates. Perhaps, if they stayed together, it could trigger something?

Some of her anxiety had obviously bled over to him because he let out a large sigh and took her face in his hands gently.

"I can stay, or I can go," he said softly. "Either way, you are in charge of what happens, mate. It will always be your decision, how fast or how slow we take this. If I am ever too tempted, I will tell you."

Hermione stared into his almost silver eyes and nodded, feeling a bit drugged. "I don't want you to go yet," she said honestly, her voice barely above a whisper.

He leaned down and kissed her lips, softly, sweetly; it almost made her cry. She couldn't explain what she was feeling right now. A terrible sense of loss, a crippling fear that the loss would remain. Her hands clenched in his dress robes, as if holding him would make him stay.

"We have time now," he said against her lips. "This fear that I will disappear, I feel it too. But I am not going anywhere. I will never leave you again. I don't think I could, even if you begged me."

She smiled and let out a small half-sob half-laugh. "I couldn't ask you to, and that kind of scares me," she admitted, with her lips still pressed against his.

She tasted his breath as he let out a small sigh of relief before he groaned and kissed her again, this time more hungrily, making her head started to spin. "Draco, take me inside," she whispered while she still could.

She laughed as he grabbed her wand, putting it in her hand so that she could take down the wards. He shoved into the door with his shoulder, his arm still around her, before he swept down and picked her up, carrying her bridal-style through the small flat with a grunt.

"How do you know where my bedroom is?" she whispered, kissing along his jawline with her arms wrapped around his neck.

"Your smell," he said huskily, kicking her door open. "Although, the she-weasel is mixed in," he said with a face of disquiet.

She laughed as he set her down and looked at her, his face full of indecision and then he sighed. "If I stay the night, at some point I will ravish you."

Hermione shivered and nodded, sitting up on her elbows. "Is that bad?"

He shook himself and shrugged, his hands clenched into fists. "Not bad, no. Complicated."

Hermione smirked and scooted up the bed before she patted the spot next to her. "Complicated?"

He let out a frustrated sigh, sweeping off his cloak and kicking off his shoes before he threw himself beside her on the small bed and took her hand in his, bringing it to his lips. "Complicated."

She shook her head and took a deep breath as lust washed over her before she narrowed her eyes and hit him playfully. "Stop it, you don't need to do that. I already want you, but it's not fair that you know how this will complicate things and I do not."

With a very put-upon look and a heavy sigh, she felt the wave of lust recede and Draco leaned his head back, closing his eyes. "It will reactivate our mating," he said after a moment of composing himself. "Our bond will be renewed and I will bite you again. I'm afraid it will be sealed this time as both of us are not full of indecision." He frowned opening his eyes and studying her. "Or, rather, I'm not."

Hermione nodded, biting her lip and running through everything she could remember. "Will my memory return fully?"

He shrugged but was still frowning. "I am not sure. The memory charm is not as well documented as the spell we used to put our bond on hold. Usually both mates would remember each other, just do not want for the other and waste away from it. The memory charm was your little addition."

She was thankful that his tone was teasing and not angry but she still snuggled into him and kissed his neck softly. "I am sorry."

He nodded and ran his fingers up her arm to her scar where he traced the lines, his face thoughtful. "I was angry for a long time," he admitted. "And watching this happen to you," he shuddered and gripped her arm tighter before he sighed heavily. "But you were right and you survived, against all odds."

She looked at him her face full of pain that she would never forget. "You survived living with that madman. I'm not sure which of us had the harder task."

Draco nodded and then sighed, moving his hand away from her arm. "I will always want you, my mate. I will always want to protect you, to save you. It will irritate you greatly, I'm afraid, because you can probably save yourself."

Hermione smiled and ducked her head into his shoulder. "Yes, I can," she said firmly, although he could hear the smile in her tone.

He grinned dropping her arm. "Veela are possessive and protective. It's a non-negotiable part of our personality when it comes to our mates. You must be ready to accept that before we take our physical relationship further. I can control it a bit now, or at least I think I can."

"But you won't be able to after?" she asked curiously.

He paused and then shrugged. "To a point. I shouldn't kill anyone. I had great restraint in our sixth year," he said, looking at her haughtily. "Potter and the Weasel are, after all, still alive."

Hermione shouldn't laugh but he looked so serious. "Oh, Draco," she finally said, shaking her head and hugging his arm. "Thank you for not killing my best friends and I don't know that I am ready for- well- all of that."

He nodded again looking put upon. "You are welcome and I realize that."

She did laugh now and leaned up to kiss him, allowing him to deepen the kiss before she finally pulled away, breathing heavily.

"Will we always be this needy?" she asked, resting her head on his chest.

"Most likely. Our relationship will always be very physical," he said softly, running his hands through her hair and pulling it down from the elaborate styling Ginny had placed it in. She felt the magic move through him, releasing the sticking charm, and sucked in a breath of pure lust as his magic washed over her. "My parents were rather embarrassing and I'm more veela than my father."

"So it's your father who passed it on?" she asked, looking up in surprise.

He nodded, a half-sneer on his face. "Yes, the Malfoy line has veela magic in it. It is how we always have silver hair and eyes, as well as why people are drawn to us- our charisma, if you will."

Hermione was suddenly very interested in his hands on her back before she shook herself out of her lust and growled. "Stop doing that!"

Draco looked at her innocently and she pushed herself up glaring at him. "You keep dropping important information at me and then swarming me with lust to distract me."

He threw back his head laughing and hugged her back to him. "I did not realize I was doing that, my apologies."

She shook her head and then sighed. "How much veela? Ginny and I wondered, it seems amazing there is any, with how documented your family is."

Draco grunted and started rubbing her back, again she felt his magic caress her as he removed the sticking charm on the dress pulling it aside so his hands could sweep under it.

"It has been three centuries now that Malfoy men have carried this trait. Perhaps it would be passed to a daughter, however none have been born to the house in a very long time."

Hermione shivered at his sweeping hands but frowned at what he was saying. "We won't have daughters?" she asked sadly.

His grip tightened, almost hurting her, before he growled slowly and then took a long breath, obviously trying to calm himself. "We may. My forbearers all married pureblood women, who are notoriously hard to breed with. Most were never truly matted. You are an enigma."

Hermione let out a quiet moan as his hands moved down to her bottom, sweeping her dress down, and then another moan as what he said washed over her. "You want children?"

Draco didn't hesitate. "With you? I want ten."

She laughed and then shook her head. "Two- at least two, and then we can negotiate."

He growled and pulled her up so that he could kiss her. His breathing accelerated before he bit her lip and said firmly, "I would not discuss this unless you want to start on them tonight."

She watched him for a moment and then nodded. "It excites you?"

He nodded curtly. "Past endurance."

She wiggled in his hands and then moved her own to his face, forcing him to look at her. "You surprise me."

He frowned down at her, obviously confused. "You thought I didn't want children?"

She nodded biting her lip before she said. "I just- I am muggleborn and you are-"

He sighed heavily and closed his eyes, pain washing over his face. "I see," he said, his hands moving off her bottom and up to her back.

Hermione felt her heart hitch, realizing she had hurt him. "Draco-"

He cut her off. "No, you are right. I can understand why you would be surprised. We had this talk many times before." At her shocked look, he elaborated. "Not about children, but about the blood status situation." He frowned as if thinking something over.

Hermione sighed feeling her heart break a little. "That has to be awful. For me this is all new but for you it's like repeating painful history."

Draco gave her a half smile and then nodded before he sighed heavily and leaned down to kiss her gently. "I do not care who your parents were, Hermione. You are my mate, my match, the only woman I could ever want, could ever bear children with. I might have been able to bond myself to another if I had not found you, but when I did you became the only woman I could ever tie my life to. My father was able to marry my mother because he never found his mate. They share a deep bond, yes, but it is nothing compared to us."

Hermione gasped. "I didn't realize that was possible."

He tilted his head. "Mates are actually rare. You are, in every sense, an enigma. You were made for me and I for you and we managed to exist at the same time in the same place. It is-"
He leaned down and kissed her softly before he whispered, "Miraculous."

She smiled against his lips and deepened the kiss before her curiosity forced her to pull back. "But I thought you could only be with a mate?"

Draco snorted and rolled his eyes before he scooted them down so that they were laying, still dressed, on her bed. "If a mate is found, then yes. If one is not, you can create a bond with another."

Hermione rubbed her nose into his robes, cuddling into him, and then said. "So you found me and that was it."

Draco rubbed her back in smaller and smaller circles. "Yes, that was it for me. I would either claim you or I would die. Veelas usually are somehow compelled to look for their mate before they can bond with another. My father spent a few years traveling and searching for his before he agreed to the contract with my mother."

Hermione sighed and sat up. "I had better put on pyjamas," she said, flushing as she held up her dress.

He nodded at her with a soft smile. "I find that our conversation has cooled my previous thoughts." He looked around and grimaced before he said ruefully, "And I want our first time since school to be in a room with more amenities."

She smirked at him. "You are such a prat; this room is perfectly lovely."

He raised an eyebrow at her and then looked down at the bed before he transfigured it to be larger. She laughed at him and grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt- it was rather cold tonight. When she returned he had removed his outer robes and smoothed the bed covers out.

She cuddled in towards the wall and pressed her body to his, drinking in his warmth and scent and allowing herself to just be still with him. She felt at peace, warm and safe.

"Will you stay?" she whispered sleepily into his chest. "Just until I fall asleep?"

His arms tightened around her and she felt him take a large breath before he said in a calm voice,

"Of course. Sleep, my mate."

OooOooOooO

Hermione awoke the next morning alone but with his scent all around her. She shuddered and rolled over before she heard Ginny slamming the door with some force.

"It's so good to be home!" she yelled loudly.

Hermione snorted before she sat up and yelled. "He isn't here."

Ginny stuck her head in frowning. "Why not, for Merlin's sake?"

Hermione frowned and then shrugged. "It's complicated," she finally said.

Ginny looked at her as if she had grown an additional head overnight. "So un-complicate it for me? You two looked as if you could've climbed into each other's skin last night at the ball. What happened?"

Hermione sighed and threw herself back down on the bed. "I was scared," she said honestly. "There is so much emotion attached to every kiss, it's overwhelming. He said that when we make love again, the bond is redone. That seemed very official."

Ginny's eyes were wide when Hermione looked over at her and she held up her hands in surrender. "Okay, fair enough, that sounds very official." She paused frowning and then said, "Well, damn!"

Hermione looked over at her friend curiously. "What?"

Ginny laughed. "I lost a bet with Harry. He said you wouldn't sleep with Draco and I said you would."

Hermione sat up, horrified. "Ginny!"

Her friend shrugged totally unrepentant. "What? You two really were all over one another last night. I wasn't the only person thinking it."

Hermione went cold. "Oh- there was a reporter there for the Prophet."

Ginny nodded raising one eyebrow. "And Witch Weekly. You two will be the talk of the town."

Hermione groaned and covered her face with her pillow while Ginny chuckled, before moving off to start the day.

OooOooOooO

Draco had slept in his same clothes, since they still smelled like his mate. As sunlight poured in through his windows, he pulled off his dress robes and quickly took a bath before dressing.

His mother was already in the dining room looking fresh and alert. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before he sat down.

"You look lovely this morning, mother."

She smiled at him and gave him a glance over. "You look like you did not sleep."

Draco grimaced and then gave her a curt nod, sipping his tea. "I stayed with Hermione until she fell asleep and then came home."

His mother frowned, looking him over. "You didn't… ?"

Draco sighed and shook his head. "Of course not, mother. I would not be having breakfast with you if I had."

His mother flushed and then let out a small chuckle. "Well, I thought not, but you two were rather... involved with one another last night."

Draco raised an eyebrow and gave his mother an annoyed look. "I danced with her."

His mother shook her head smirking at him her tone playful. "You devoured her with your eyes, never took your hands off of her, and basically peed on her leg in front of all of Wizarding Britain, son."

Draco felt his lips pull into a satisfied grin before he said reproachfully, "I did not pee on her leg. How crass, mother."

Narcissa Malfoy raised a perfect eyebrow at her son and sipped her tea before she said calmly, "When shall I put the announcement in the Prophet? I'll need at least six weeks to plan the wedding."

Draco sat back, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Mother," He said warningly.

She huffed and tossed the paper at him. "How about you read that and then we can talk."

Draco closed his eyes as he saw that there was a picture of he and Hermione staring into each other's eyes as they danced, right on the front page. He didn't even see the headline because he was so focused on how beautiful his mate was. When he tore his gaze away from her, he let out an audible moan.

"Shite!"

"Language," His mother said, still sipping her tea. "And do invite her over for tea, dear, once you clear this up. I didn't get enough time with her last night."

OooOooOooO

Hermione was in her robe, sipping her tea, when Ginny finally pulled the paper forward, yawning herself.

"Merlin's balls!" Ginny yelled, causing Hermione to spill hot tea all over the table.

"What?" she asked, looking at Ginny with a frown.

Ginny waved her wand, clearing up the spilled tea, and threw down the paper, moving over to stand behind Hermione.

Hermione sucked in a breath as she stared at herself dancing with Draco, lost in his gaze, their body language screaming that they would probably spend the entire night locked in each other's arms. No wonder Ginny had bet they would have sex! Then she saw the headline and groaned.

Ginny nodded, her tone horrified. "Harry is going to love this," she said, shaking her head.

Hermione set down her cup and stood up, her hands shaking. "I am going to burn that stupid paper's printing press to the ground."

Ginny looked up and then starting giggling. "Well, it could be worse."

Hermione turned her glare on her friend and pointed at the offending headline. "How?'

Ginny smirked. "They could have claimed that you dosed him with amortentia."

Hermione groaned, falling back into her seat as her best friend fell over in a fit of laughter, and dropped her head on the table before she said firmly in her head, "Draco, we need to talk."

Notes:

Sorry, I know I thought they would totally be making love too. However, my muse had them talk. Blame my muse.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Just to let y'all know my four year old will be having his tonsils out tomorrow so if you don't hear from me that is why. I promise I will be back when things clam down. We also might get really lucky and he just wants to snuggle with his tablet and I get lots of writing time.

Until next time when we find out what Hermione and Draco are going to do about this amortentia nonsense.

Cheers,

Cjean

P.S.
I have no idea what the headline is. Something scandalous I am sure. Stay tuned!