Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. It and any characters from the franchise that may appear in this fanfiction are the intellectual property of J.K. Rowling. This story was written for entertainment purposes only and no profit is made from this story.
Author's note: Thank you for all of your comments. They honestly make it so I keep loving doing this, so I keep writing. It reminds me that I used to love writing ever since I was a little girl, scribbling stories in notebooks all over the house. Perhaps, one day, I'll write my own story. For now, let's keep writing Draco and Hermione's.
As a side note, English is my third language so if you see any atrocious mistakes, let me know. I will be forever grateful.
Enjoy :)
- January 5th, 1995, Malfoy Manor –
It had started snowing in Wiltshire, turning awfully cold, and he and Harry had called it quits for the day. They'd been flying all day, keeping their stamina and quidditch skills up, even though there was no cup to play for this school year. Draco argued it would be good to work out physically for the Tournament as well, and Harry had agreed. The day after the Yule Ball, he and Harry had gone home, Hermione staying behind at Hogwarts since her parents had gone skiing in the Alpes and wouldn't be home for Christmas this year. When the boys, and Daphne, had offered her to stay with them she had politely declined, saying she had some research to do for a project no one knew the name of. He'd caught Dobby a few times while sending her some books from the Malfoy Library. What was she up to now? They hadn't spoken or written to each other ever since he confessed his feelings. He sighed and stretched his neck as he took off his quidditch gear in his ensuite bathroom. Had he scared her off?
After he'd showered and put a warming spell around him, he sat down in an armchair in his room to catch up on some reading. 'Mione had gotten him addicted to muggle science-fiction and fantasy novels the first time round and now that he finally had some time to relax, he figured he could read some more. After reading for about half an hour, he could sense her wanting to contact him for the first time in nearly two weeks. He had expected her to try sooner, not just a few days before he would return to the castle for the Spring semester. Knowing her, she'd been fretting about what he'd said on the night of the Yule Ball for over a week.
Right as he was about to let her in, an angry owl flew into his open window. Dobby had opened it earlier to air the room and had cast an extra warming spell on his Master before popping off, ready to enjoy his "time off". 'Mione had convinced Draco to give his elf some free time, and once Draco had agreed, Dobby loved going out to buy socks.
The owl had been holding a package, with Hermione's handwriting on the top. Draco noticed that she had forgotten to put a featherlight charm on it, which would explain the Hogwarts owl's anger. It wasn't common for her to forget such things.
"What's this?" he asked her through their connection after he had given the owl some water and food, letting it rest on the perch which was usually used by his eagle owl Ulysses.
"Some light reading," she quipped. "From the project I was working on."
He chuckled. "Only you would call this light reading, 'Mione. The poor owl was quite angry with me when he arrived here from Hogwarts. Why didn't you just send Dobby?"
"Oh no! I forgot the charm!" she said, suddenly alarmed. "And Dobby was busy." He imagined her crossing her arms at him. "You should let him enjoy his time off."
He mentally nodded at her. The Hogwarts owl was hooting at him and left. He closed the window and put himself down in his armchair, opening the package. The title of the first book caught him off guard. She'd been reading up on Veelas. But why? Oh no. Did she think he liked her just because-
"Instead of running off after telling me you liked me, you should've at least heard me out," she started, interrupting his own train of thought. "Take the second book. It's from the Malfoy family library. You've probably read it before."
"And what exactly does me having a drop of veela blood have to do with what happened at the Yule Ball?" he questioned. "I barely have any left in me. You saw yourself, at the World Cup, what their allure looks like. I have none of that."
"Yet you physically adapted your body to protect Daphne. Which means you have enough of it in you to have inherited some of the magical advantages at least," she answered. "I honestly cannot believe you haven't looked into it more. Creature blood is powerful, Draco. Dangerous even if not controlled. Fleur told me so herself."
It was no surprise to him that she had gone to the French witch to get some extra information on the nature of veelas. Hermione might like to consult books and use them as her primary source of information. But empirical evidence, was what she always strived for when she finally understood the theory. "Fleur Delacour is a quarter veela and still has the allure. I'm not sure her experiences could be compared to mine." Perhaps he should have talked to the French witch. If there were multiple veelas in her family, she might know more about how the creature's blood could affect them. "You still haven't answered my question. What does any of this have to do with the Yule Ball?"
She huffed at him, trying to find the words.
A soothing feeling entered his mind for a split second. Crookshanks must have gone to his mistress to calm her down. Clever boy.
"It has everything to do with what happened at the Yule Ball. Even if Harry mastered his occlumency and legilimency, he and I can't do this, Draco," she finally said.
Oh. So she'd finally figured out that wasn't exactly normal? To be able to waltz in and out of each other's heads. He wondered why that had taken her so long. Perhaps she had tried to do the same with Harry and Daphne and realized she couldn't enter their minds as easily. They would need eye contact. He was honestly still impressed she could reach him all the way to Wiltshire. During autumn, she had started training it, telling him to get her some sweets at Honeydukes while he was in Hogsmeade, and she was in the castle. She'd noticed how contacting him at the World Cup had tired her out and was determined to train so it would start draining her less and less.
"After reading up on veelas, there is only one reason why I would be so attuned to your feelings and your magic. It is because I am your mate." She was so convinced. Looking at the books in his lap, she'd done her research too. Lying to her now would be an insult.
"Don't say it like that, 'Mione," he sighed, rubbing his forehead with his hand. How was he going to explain this to her? "You make it sound as if I want to claim you."
"Don't you?" she sounded confused. A rustling of papers entered his mind. Yes, her research had only been based on veelas and not specifically their descendants. Not one that went down the line for multiple generations.
"Hundreds of years have passed since my great-great whatever grandmother was a veela. It's not that strong in me. I don't have a claim on you," he answered as Tipsy popped in with a cup of builder's tea. He smiled at the elf and thanked her silently. She smiled back, snapped her fingers and a piece of French apple tart appeared next to his tea. Who knew that actually being friendly to his elves would make him so spoilt?
"Why not?" she asked. He could see a glimpse of the title of another book that entered her mind. When she knew that he was trying to get a peek, she shut him out, making him focus on her question instead.
"Because you decide your own fate. I won't let some creature magic influence that." It was true. No matter how difficult it was, he would let her decide. It was the least he could do for her. She had saved him, made him better a better man. He refused to lock her down into something she didn't want. Hermione, even if she was a Slytherin now, had always been a lioness. Wild, free, and powerful. It was what made him love her. He would not take that from her.
She was contemplating what to ask next. He could feel her thoughts dart all over. She seemed… Insecure? That was a feeling he'd never quite associated with her. "Do you like me because…" she stopped her train of thought again, even if they both knew where it was going. "Because of your blood?"
Of course, she would come to that conclusion. He sighed, nibbling on a piece of apple tart, swallowing deeply before he answered her. Why would she think it was only magic that made him love her? How could she be so brilliant, yet so stupid at the same time? "Merlin. Hermione, no. Why would you even think that? I liked you way before I even knew what this bond between us meant. You're smart and witty. Driven. Passionate. Loyal. Why would I not like you? Michael asked you out last year. Viktor asked you out now, clearly head over heels for you. They, unlike me, do not have veela blood. And they fell for you too. The only reason any of us has fallen for you is because of you being you."
He could feel the blush spread on her face, the warmth settling in her tummy. When he tried to figure out if it was because he'd said that Viktor was head over heels for her, or because he said he liked her with or without the veela blood, she locked her thoughts to him again.
"You liked me before you realized there was a bond? Since when?" she almost whispered.
He couldn't help but smirk. Perhaps, it was because of him that she'd blushed then. He could only hope. "Since…" he stopped himself. He couldn't tell her it had been almost seven years. When he'd seen her in distress after the Yule Ball, crying in the classroom. When he had talked to her for the first time, when got to know her slowly over the months after that. How he'd slowly fallen for her ever since. How he'd loved her when she was just 'Mione. When she was his girlfriend. When she was his wife. "It doesn't matter since when, 'Mione. I just do."
"So, me going to the ball with Viktor…" she felt unsure what to say next.
"Yes? You can ask me anything. You know that," he said. Well technically, that was a lie. He couldn't tell her about the past. Their past. But anything she wanted to know about his feelings for her, he would tell her. Like Luna had said, he should be honest about his feelings for her. Fuck the consequences. If it was her decision to make, then all he could do was give her logical brain all the facts. The fact that he… loved her.
"Did it hurt you?" she whispered. "That I went with him instead of you?"
He absentmindedly started twiddling the time-turner around his neck and sighed deeply before answering. "Don't make me lie to you, 'Mione."
She was quiet for a while after that, her mind almost tuned out, the feeling of Crookshanks' thick fur on the tip of her fingers. He almost thought she'd forgotten that they were even having this conversation when Tipsy showed up to refill his teacup and take the empty plate away.
"So, whatever I do, you and me, will always…" she barely whispered in his mind.
Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he hoped they would. But the blood running through his veins was his burden to bear. Not hers. "I told you, 'Mione. It doesn't work like that. I don't have a claim on you. The magic just… Guided me to you. Made sure I ran into you that first day at Flourish and Blotts. It makes it easy for me to find you in a crowd, to communicate with you magically."
"So, it's fate?" she wondered. "If you and I wouldn't have met without the bond? It has already been decided and I have no choice?"
"You will always have a choice," he soothed her, sending calming waves her way. "It's me who doesn't."
"That seems unfair," she grumbled. He chuckled. Of course, she would think it was unfair that he had to suffer while she could do as she pleased. She was too kind-hearted for her own good.
"Will you die if I choose someone other than you?" she asked.
He frowned. Her kindness would make her be with him if she felt responsible for him. He had to put a stop to that immediately. "Don't start the pity party, please. I wouldn't die. The magical thread that binds us will always be there. We balance each other out. If you choose to be friends, then we will be. There is nothing I can do to change that."
They were quiet for a little bit longer and Draco noticed that it was getting dark outside. It was probably time for dinner soon.
"Would you marry someone else?" she suddenly asked.
"If I had to," he answered honestly. "To make sure the Malfoy line doesn't die just because…". What would even happen to the Manor? To Deandra? What if there was no heir after him? As the sole descendant of Celeste Malfoy, he supposed Hermione and her children would-. No. He couldn't think about that. The memory of what he'd seen in the Mirror of Erised came back to him. He didn't want to think about her and her children. "I suppose I would marry someone else, yes."
"Would you be able to love her? Would the veela magic allow it?" she whispered.
"She would always come second to you," he answered solemnly.
She was silent after that until another thought jumped into her mind. "How do veelas get married to their mates? There wasn't much in the books I read on veelas, perhaps I should look some more into marriage vows…"
"They marry just like everyone else does, 'Mione. Like you said, with a marriage vow," he answered, curious what she was on about.
"Not by touching? Or kissing? Or anything physical like that?" she remarked.
"What? No. Why would you even think that?" he asked perplexed.
"Just checking."
He could almost see her scratching something off a list. Of course, she had made a list with questions. Or… Theories? Was she trying to write a book about veelas? He laughed. That sounded like her.
Tipsy popped into his room, announcing dinner was ready.
"'Mione, I will talk to you later, all right? I want to eat dinner with my Mother and I still need to pack my trunk." He started getting up from his armchair, walking over to his closet to put on some more casual dress robes to join his mother for dinner. A Malfoy always had to be dressed impeccably after all.
"What do I do now?" she sounded so desperate, so unsure and confused, that he had to hold himself up by leaning on his dresser. Her feelings made him dizzy.
He ground his teeth together, not liking what he was about to say. "'Mione, if you want to date Viktor, then date Viktor. Even if you decide to just be my friend, I will always protect you."
"Why? Because of the bond?" she asked, again unsure about his feelings for her.
Draco sighed deeply, closing his eyes. Why couldn't she get it into that thick skull of hers? "'Mione, the bond has nothing to do with it. It just makes it easier for me to protect you. To find you when you need me. I didn't save Daphne and her sister because I had feelings for her. Yes, the veela magic allowed me to save Daphne and Astoria as well, and I don't feel for either one of them, what I feel for you. I will always protect my friends and family, a group of people to which you belong. You were my friend before you were my… Before I started liking you."
She was quiet for a second, giving him a moment to regroup his thoughts and get dressed. His mother would be displeased with him that he was running late. As he walked out of his room, making his way to the west wing, she spoke one last time.
"What about you? What if you get hurt protecting us? Protecting me? I don't want you to get hurt because of me." She sounded sad. Conflicted.
"That will be for me to deal with, love," he answered as he felt her tune out of his mind, needing some time on her own.
- January 21st, 1995, Hogwarts Dungeons –
Hermione and Daphne were off to the side, working on some Draught of the Living Death, as Draco and his godfather were talking to each other, a privacy bubble around them so they would not disturb the girls from their work.
"What do you think, godfather?" Draco asked as he held the vial in his hands, purple liquid swirling around.
"What I think, is that you have been holding out on me," he answered. "Care to explain how you came up with this? You might be a potion prodigy, but you've never shown the same interest in learning more, unlike your friends." His eyes slid over to Hermione and Daphne who were adding an infusion of wormwood to their cauldron. Snape had his arms crossed, one eyebrow raised as he looked back down at his godson. This is what Draco had always been scared of. That his godfather would see right through him. He'd see at once that Draco's skill far surpassed that of a child. If only he knew that he'd been the one to teach Draco, back in the old timeline. A way to keep him safe from the Dark Lord, showing his usefulness as Snape's assistant.
"Seeing your friends get hurt is quite the motivator," Draco simply replied. "After Greyback attacked Daphne and Astoria… I can't imagine what would happen if he attacked anyone else. This has to stop."
His godfather smirked down at him. "Does this mean you two will start producing the cure en masse?"
"For those who want it," Draco nodded. "For those who don't and instead want to bring suffering like Greyback… For them, we have this." He swirled the vial around. It had taken him many tries. Many months. But he'd succeeded in making it airborne. If he ever encountered the werewolf again… He'd make him live through his darkest fear. To be human.
"The death eaters will not be pleased when they find out what you and Hermione did," the head of Slytherin House said as he waved his wand, cleaning up the leftovers of Draco's potion.
"That is kind of the point, godfather," Draco smirked.
His godfather walked over to him and put his hand on his shoulder. "Because I know that your father will never say this to you, Draco, I will. I am proud of you. A cure." A soft, genuine smile played on his lips. "I only wish that Lily could have been here to witness it. She and Lupin were always thick as thieves."
Draco clasped his godfather's hand and bowed his head at him politely. "I couldn't have done it without Hermione," he said.
Snape smirked back at him and looked over at his other two snakes who were making faces as they had to add sloth brain to their potion. "No, I suppose not. Miss Dagworth-Granger and you make quite the pair. Almost as if… it was meant to be."
He raised his eyebrows. Did his godfather know?
"I was born a half-blood, Draco," he said, seemingly guessing his thoughts. "Wizards, especially bigoted ones like your father, do not look further than the eye can see. He is convinced he is as pure-blooded as can be. Has no respect for his ancestors. Anyone with half a brain can deduce that there is some veela blood in your veins."
"Then why did my father never…?" He knew his father loved his mother. But he also knew that his actions had hurt her. And no matter what Draco did, he could never willingly hurt Hermione. So if his father was capable of hurting his mother, then… That simply meant she was not his mate.
"Perhaps," Snape mused as he started moving towards the girls, "one needs to be able to love someone more than they love themselves before magic deems them worthy with a mate of their own?"
Draco waved at Hermione and Daphne, motioning to them that he was going upstairs. They smiled and nodded at him, telling him they would come upstairs after they were done brewing the potion. Things had settled between him and Hermione after their conversation a few weeks earlier. She wasn't exactly dating Krum, but she still spent quite a few hours a week in the library with him. One time, he'd walked into the library, looking for a book when he spotted them. She and Krum were sitting at a table with Cedric and Daphne, all four of them working on some transfiguration homework. Krum was looking at her with his puppy eyes, trying to get her attention while she was nibbling on the end of her quill, some ink smeared in the corner of her mouth. He hadn't learnt yet that the Slytherin witch was completely out of it when she was in research mode. But then, even before he'd properly reached their table to greet them, she'd felt him coming. Her face lit up when she greeted him, smiling widely. "Draco, what brings you here?"
He couldn't help but smirk at Krum's face when the Bulgarian realized that Hermione had been ignoring him for the better part of five minutes but had immediately dropped everything when her best friend arrived. Just to taunt the Durmstrang student a bit more, Draco had leaned over and whispered something in her ear, making her blush and usher him out of the library again, hiding behind her book.
As he walked away from the library that day, even forgetting about the book he was looking for, he could feel that Hermione was trying to hide her feelings from him. From herself perhaps even. It almost felt as if she was waiting for something. He just didn't have a clue what.
Distracted by his thoughts, he suddenly realized he'd already reached the seventh floor. He'd told his friends he just "happened upon" the Room of Requirement when he was looking for the loo as he was on his way to get Harry down from the Gryffindor Tower so the boy would not stay after curfew and get them all into trouble. The Hogwarts elves down in the kitchens had then confirmed to Draco and his friends the existence of what they called the Come and Go Room. Once they'd learned how to use it, it had transformed into their private training ground and study area. The excuse to Cedric was that they were training Harry for the Tournament. In reality, they were also preparing to face whatever was waiting for Harry at the end. If it was anything like the last time, he would need to be prepared. At least boy wonder had that piece of Horcrux stuck in him, protecting him from the killing curse. It wasn't protecting him from harm, though. Harry needed to learn how to fight. They all did.
When he walked in, ready to begin training in concealment and disguise spells, Harry and Cedric were already there. For some reason, Luna was also sitting in the room, seemingly doing her homework. She had braided her hair and had earrings looking suspiciously like smaller kiwis. They were flopping around when she turned her head.
"I told you Draco was just around the corner," she said to the two other boys, smirking. She was hanging out too much with the snakes, making expressions like that. Draco shook his head, walking over to her.
"Luna," he greeted her with a smile. He'd become closer to the small witch ever since she had told him that she knew who he was. What he was. They had spent quite a few evenings near the Black Lake, and here in the Room, talking about his past. He was just so relieved he finally had someone to talk to. Who understood why he'd made the decisions he'd made. One time he had even asked her if Hermione would be his wife again. If there was a path of decisions that would lead to that. Her only answer was to smile into her teacup and tell him to be patient.
"Little dragon," she greeted him, winking. Deandra preened in his mind at Luna's use of her nickname.
"Please stop calling me that when they are around," he sighed jokingly, looking at Harry and Cedric who were trying to hide their laughter, Cedric conjuring a tiny dragon to fly around their heads. "They might start bullying me."
She finally looked back at the two of them, frowning. With a wave of her wand the dragon had turned into a pixie that was trying to steal Harry's glasses. "You can always use that life-debt to make them stop."
"Life-debt?" Cedric questioned as he caught the pixie in between his hands, making it disappear into dust.
"You'll see," Luna cryptically answered as she got back to studying Ancient Runes.
All three of them blinked at Luna's strange way of announcing things. "Alright, what's up next? Have you been practicing your disillusionment spell, Harry?" Draco asked as he threw off his Slytherin cloak and undid his tie. No use in training if they were restrained by their uniforms.
"Well, I did for a while, but… we still haven't figured out the egg," Harry sighed. "Whenever we open it, it keeps screaming."
"Like I've been telling you, Harry James Potter," Luna interrupted them, twiddling a strand of her hair around her finger. "They are singing a beautiful song. All you need to do is listen properly."
Harry grinned at Cedric and walked over to Luna, pulling out the chair next to her and sitting on it backward, his elbows leaning on the top of the chair's back. "Luna, love," he began, batting his eyes at her, "you know how I've always appreciated our friendship. So, if you, just this once, could stop speaking in riddles and just tell us how to listen properly?"
Luna looked up from the essay she had continued working on, tilting her head. A sign she was looking at the possibilities. "And what will I get in return, Mr. Potter?"
"I will name my first-born daughter after you," the raven-haired boy joked, making Draco facepalm.
"That was already a given," she simply shrugged, picking up her quill again, seemingly disinterested in what he had to offer. "Just like her father, Lily Luna will go into the Forbidden Forest with me to meet the thestrals and unicorns. How else will she become the greatest magizoologist of the twenty-first century?"
Harry looked at her, completely taken aback. "Lily?" he whispered. "Like…"
"Your mother, yes," Luna smiled now, taking his hand. "If you figure out the clue to the egg, you might meet her someday. And her brothers, James and-" the blonde's eyes flickered for a second. "Oh. Well. We're still undecided about your second-born his name it seems. No matter. I'm sure you and Ginny will come up with something."
"So you are telling him who he will end up with, but not me?" Draco huffed at her, teasing.
"You don't need to be a seer to be able to answer that question," Luna simply said. "Harry and Ginny have been darting around each other for years now. Mrs. Weasley practically has the wedding planned already."
Harry had turned completely red and started stuttering after Luna had indicated that he and Ginny would be having children. Cedric and Draco looked at one another, grinning. Oh, youthful innocence.
Cedric suddenly looked flabbergasted, however. "Wait, Luna can actually see the future? I thought you guys had just been joking."
"I see the possibilities," she answered. "Some things are set in stone. Others are…" She tapped her chin, looking for the right words. "Flowing, like water. It's hard to see it properly."
Harry, who had been hiding his head in his arms as he was still leaning on the chair, suddenly looked up and grinned at her. "If it is difficult to see properly in the water, then would it be easier to hear?"
"Perhaps," she winked at Harry.
"You're the best, Luna!" Harry yelled as he got up from his chair and gave her a big wet kiss on the cheek. "Cedric, get your egg. We are going to the bathrooms."
Lune laughed. "There's no need for that, Harry. We are in the Room of Requirement, after all." She clapped her hands above her head, fully focused, and it started pouring. The boys all groaned when their clothes got wet and were sticking to them.
"Well, what are you dunderheads waiting for? Open it," she urged them on, waving her hand at them to get on with it.
Cedric got his egg out of his pocket and enlarged it, pressing on the top. The three boys were all already wincing, ready to cover their ears, when they heard the song.
"Come seek us where our voices sound, we cannot sing above the ground. And while you're searching, ponder this: We've taken what you'll sorely miss. An hour long you'll have to look, and to recover what we took. But past an hour — the prospect's black. Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."
Once the song was stopped, so did the rain. Luna clapped twice as wind started blowing through the Room, drying all of them up, but also leaving all of them with frizzy hair like Hermione's. Both Draco and Cedric tried to tame their hair, but Harry's was a mess as usual and he didn't care.
"We'll have to go underground?" Harry pondered, replaying the song in his head.
"Considering we opened it in water, it might be underwater," Draco suggested, trying to use at least some logic instead of just his knowledge of the future to put both Harry and Cedric on the right track.
"The Black Lake!" Cedric yelled. "The Merpeople live down there. But we'll only have one hour to retrieve what we'll sorely miss?"
"Our brooms?" Harry shrugged. "They can't be taking our wands. And I don't know about you guys, but for a bunch of teenage boys, what is there to miss?"
"There's one thing," Draco grimaced. "Daphne. Ginny."
"They wouldn't," Cedric said, disgusted. "We signed up for the tournament, not them. And what is with that nonsense that it won't come back after the hour? No. They wouldn't put anyone's life in danger. The Headmaster would not allow it."
Both Draco and Harry looked at each other knowingly. "Actually, the Headmaster knew we were in danger plenty of times already and let fate play out," Harry said sheepishly.
As they were all contemplating on how to make sure that they would be able to see, swim, and survive underwater, Neville, Blaise, Daphne, and Hermione walked in, a bunch of plants floating behind them.
"Draco," the Gryffindor said. "I got some more plants from Longbottom Manor. Maybe you could use some in your potions? Hermione and Daphne already had their pick."
He nodded at Neville, clapping him on the back in thanks. The Gryffindor had often joined them for their training, claiming he wanted to get better at Defence after he'd heard what happened at the World Cup.
Hermione pointed out some of the plants to him as Neville had walked off and was getting ready to train as well.
"Is that… Gillyweed, Neville?" Draco asked, perplexed that he'd grown this particular plant. The one they would need for the second task.
"Oh, you've heard about it, have you? My Uncle Algie threw me into the lake at home one time, trying to get my magic to come out," the wizard said as he was taking off his sweater. "It didn't, but I had some gillyweed in my pocket and I chewed on it. I was lucky I was so into plants and read about them ever since I was small. It makes you breathe underwater, you see," he explained to Harry, Cedric, and Blaise. "I had to stay underwater for almost an hour before the gills disappeared. It was fun though, it makes you a better swimmer too."
Harry and Cedric grinned at each other. "Neville, mate," Harry said, swinging his arm around the other boy's shoulder. "Have we ever told you that you're our favourite Gryffindor?"
He blushed at the attention and shook his head. "Don't let Ginny and the twins hear you say that."
- February 23rd, 1995, Headmaster's office –
"Draco," the oldest Weasley greeted them. He was dressed in his usual casual cool style, jeans vest, long hair tied pack, and a silver earring in place. "Perhaps you can help us solve this conundrum?"
He had stood there, stunned, when Bill was angry at the Headmaster for even considering taking four innocent people down to the lake. Dumbledore had waved him off in his grandfatherly way, eyes twinkling. "They will be perfectly fine, Bill, the Merpeople…"
"Are not to be trusted," Bill ground out. "None of them are of age, especially not Ginny and Gabrielle. As Lord Prewett, and on behalf of my father Lord Weasley, we refuse to let you take Ginny and put her in stasis at the bottom of the lake. If you'd dared to inform Lord Delacour of this sooner, he would be standing here arguing with you as well."
"And why is it, that you are the one arguing for the French witch's safety?" Dumbledore had asked, smiling.
"That is beside the point, headmaster," Bill answered. "Ginny will not be taking part in this. Draco can take her place instead. Right?"
Oh. They were arguing about who to send down to the lake. Hermione's consciousness brushed his.
"Bill stormed in about twenty minutes ago," she said, looking away so that the Headmaster would not notice their silent conversation. "He's quite displeased with the fact that we are being sent down to the lake for the second task. But we'll be fine. Right?"
He wished they were still in front of the fireplace in the Slytherin common room. They had been lying there, peacefully, Draco reading one of her science fiction novels out loud to her and some of their friends. When Snape had come to get Daphne and Hermione half an hour ago, he knew that trouble had been brewing.
He walked over to her. "You are Viktor's to save?" he asked, trying not to let his anger seep through. She had made it clear that Viktor was nothing but a friend and that she'd felt honoured that he wanted to take her to the Yule Ball. Apart from their interest in reading, Hermione quickly realized that they had nothing in common. The Bulgarian just hadn't given up on her yet, something Draco could not blame him for. "Doesn't he have any friends from Durmstrang he would sorely miss?"
Hermione frowned. "He's always been quite lonely due to his status as an international quidditch star… His friendships don't run as deep as yours and mine does."
Draco almost scoffed out loud. "But his feelings for you do?"
Hermione blushed, not wanting to enter into an argument with him, looking straight ahead as Bill kept arguing with the Headmaster, McGonagall seemingly getting more annoyed by the minute.
"I'm sorry," he said, taking her hand in his. He'd had another growth spurt and her hands were starting to feel so small again. "It makes me very uneasy to know you will be down there. What if something happens to you?"
She smiled up at him, squeezing his hand, the blush on her face deepening. "Then you will be there to protect me."
He blinked down at her as McGonagall had joined the argument, actually opposing the Headmaster. She too was quite displeased that one of her lions, two of the school's star pupils, and a little girl were about to be sent to the bottom of the Black Lake.
"'Mione," Draco warned her. "Don't play games with me. Either you return my feelings, or you don't. Blushing at me and seeing me as your protector means something to me when you say it. If you want to be with me and tell me you do, then there is no going back on your word," he said.
Her anger flooded him for a second, disappearing as soon as it had risen, occlumency walls tightening around her. "That's rich, coming from you. I thought you were good at going back on your word," she said.
"What is that supposed to mean?" he asked incredulously. He'd never gone back on his word, not concerning her. Had he?
Bill and McGonagall had then interrupted their conversation, making Draco nod stupidly, agreeing to be Harry's victim instead of Ginny. Bill was still displeased with Gabrielle being sent down there and mentioned he would definitely be contacting both Lord Greengrass and Hermione's father, before he stormed off, taking his sister by the hand. He did not want to be present when they were stunned and put in stasis for the second task.
Hermione's sigh filled his mind. "It's nothing. I'm sorry. I just need to wrap my head around this whole veela magic thing," she admitted. "I need more time to think about it. To accept that you like me not just because you are a veela."
"I understand," he said as he squeezed her hand, Gabrielle and Daphne were already out cold. "Be safe, little bookworm."
Her indignation at the nickname disappeared as soon as the Headmaster cast a spell on her, Draco following suit closely after.
- February 24th, 1995, Second Task –
When his head rose above the surface of the Black Lake, all he could remember was Hermione's indignation at calling her a bookworm. If all had gone as it did last time, she would already be ashore, waiting for them.
"Didn't know you were into boys, Potter?" he jokingly coughed at his best friend as Harry smacked him on the back, making the last of the water leave his lungs. "I knew you couldn't miss me."
"Maybe in your wet dreams, Malfoy," Harry laughed. "Or do you actually want to marry Lord Slytherin? Your father would love that." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and Draco knocked him in the shoulder, laughing along with him. "Ugh, swimming is more difficult now that the gillyweed has stopped working," the raven-haired boy complained as they started swimming towards the stands.
"Speak for yourself, git. You're not the one trying to swim in robes," Draco told him, being dragged down by his wet clothes. The least they could have done was give the victims some swimming suits, just like the champions had been wearing. This was beyond uncomfortable.
"Good stamina training," Harry laughed, Draco dunking his best friend underwater for a few seconds in retaliation.
"McGonagall and Bill were furious when they wanted to send Ginny, considering what she'd gone through two years ago. Said it would traumatize her even more. So, I suppose, I was the next best thing," he answered almost out of breath as they had reached the shoreline.
He saw Daphne huddled in a towel, her wet hair sticking to her face as Cedric was checking her over. He'd opted out of the gillyweed and decided to use a bubble-head charm instead. Ced sighed gratefully when he saw his two Slytherin friends swimming closer, Daphne following his line of view.
"Where's 'Mione?" she frantically asked. "Harry, did you get 'Mione?"
"She wasn't mine to save," he said, confused that Krum and she had not returned yet when he'd seen Krum pass him by earlier. "Besides, Krum-"
Fleur, who had been attacked by grindylows just like the last time, had started screaming before Harry could even finish his sentence. As Draco looked behind him, Krum's body was floating and he was bleeding. Suddenly, he felt a consciousness brush his. No. She couldn't be waking up. Not now.
"What's the time?" Draco asked as McGonagall and Pomfrey pulled them out of the water, handing them towels and casting drying spells at them. Severus put a Pepper-up potion in his hand, noticing the panic in his godson's voice.
"It's been nearly an hour, Mr. Malfoy," McGonagall answered as she took a look at Harry, making sure he was alright. Even if he hadn't been sorted into Gryffindor, she had always had a soft spot for both him and Hermione. "Seems like Mr. Krum has also been attacked by the Grindylows, what a shame. We will have to go and retrieve Miss Delacour and Miss Dagworth-Granger ourselves."
"How long were we protected for? Underwater?" Draco frantically asked the deputy headmistress, downing the pepper-up potion quickly. "How long were we supposed to be in stasis?"
"Well, it would run out an hour into the second task, of course, as long as the task would-"
McGonagall suddenly realized what she'd said. They had assumed that everyone would be able to retrieve their victims within the hour. If they woke up now, even the Merpeople wouldn't be fast enough to get them up to safety.
Draco whipped his head backward to the giant clock. Three minutes. He could see flashes of her thoughts enter his mind, showing she was waking up.
"Harry, do you still have some more gillyweed?" he desperately asked his friend. Harry frantically emptied his pockets, his eyes wide in shock when he shook his head.
Draco pulled off his robes, leaving him only in his underpants and t-shirt, casting a warming charm around himself.
"I'll go with you," Cedric urgently said, kissing Daphne on the forehead before he jumped in the water again. "Harry's bubblehead charm is not as good as mine. Do you know how to cast it, Draco?"
Draco nodded, jumping into the water, and swimming after Cedric.
"Mr. Malfoy, what do you think you are doing? You are not a contestant! You are just a fourth-year student!" McGonagall yelled after him. Even Snape seemed to want to pull his godson back ashore. "I assure you, as the Headmaster did yesterday, that Ms. Dagworth-Granger and Ms. Delacour will be absolutely fine. The Merpeople are probably returning them as we speak." She sounded unsure herself, and some of the people sitting closest to the commotion were starting to notice, Draco's mother one of them.
"With all due respect, professor, I disagree," Draco grunted out as he could feel Hermione's sleepiness invade his mind.
"And why is that?" she pursed her lips.
"Because I can feel Hermione slipping into consciousness," he answered as he cast a bubblehead charm around himself, surprising more than just McGonagall that a fourth-year had perfected that particular spell. Cedric followed suit and they started swimming underwater again.
"He- He can feel her slipping into consciousness? But how?" McGonagall said, looking at Harry and Daphne.
"Oh, don't mind him, Professor, that's just a thing they have," Harry shrugged as he went over to Daphne and hugged his friend closer to him. She too was scared for her friends' safety. All they could do now was wait. Harry blamed himself for not practicing the bubblehead charm more. Madam Pomfrey had now levitated Krum out of the water and was tending to his wounds. Behind them, Snape was barking out orders to some of the other Professors and ministry workers around, Draco's mother making her way down to the shoreline, taking Harry's hand in hers. She was scared for her son.
Bill Weasley, who had seemingly decided to stay and watch the event after he stopped the Headmaster from sending his sister down to the lake, suddenly ran past them. He threw off his leather jacket and kicked off his biker boots.
"A thing Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked, dumbfounded. She almost jumped when she noticed one of the previous Head Boys standing in nothing but a shirt and his underpants next to her. "Mr. Weasley, the professors and ministry workers will come soon. Where do you think you're-"
As the oldest Weasley son jumped into the water, having partially transfigured himself in what seemed to be a black marlin, he splashed water over his previous Head of House, making her blink as water dripped down her face and soaked her clothes.
Harry, unbothered by the events, still replied to her question. "Yes, you know Professor, using their occlumency and legilimency to find each other. It's honestly annoying when they use it to communicate because they are scolding me internally. I swear-"
Narcissa looked at Harry, intrigued. So her son had finally gotten some of his veela powers?
"They can use occlumency and legilimency?" she asked wide-eyed, Snape casting a drying charm at the Deputy Headmistress who seemed to be in shock.
Harry looked into her eyes, winking before he entered her mind, throwing her off guard. Clearly, constant vigilance was not something she had upheld after the First War. "Of course Professor, most of the snakes can."
Snape smirked proudly when McGonagall staggered back, one of her hands on her heart.
"You mean to tell me you haven't taught your cubs to protect their minds, Minerva?" the head of Slytherin House quipped, making the Deputy Headmistress go red in the face.
Unbeknownst to what was happening above the water, Cedric and Draco were now swimming down as fast as they could. Draco could feel his body change, just like it had that night when he'd saved Daphne and Astoria in the forest. His limbs grew longer, and more muscular, making him get the build of a professional swimmer. He made long strokes, passing Cedric with ease.
The Merpeople poked their tridents at them when they reached the girls. "Only one can be taken," they hissed in his mind. "And you, you are not one of them."
Hermione's eyes suddenly opened in pure panic, a stream of bubbles engulfing her as she screamed. Draco aimed his wand at her, Cedric trying to help Fleur's little sister, both of them casting a Bubblehead charm to save them from drowning.
"Draco!" she yelled as he got poked by another trident, pulling blood this time. The Merpeople were clearly telling him to stay away.
"Don't use your oxygen," he warned her. "Just, stay calm."
"Is that really you?" she wondered. "Your eyes… your hair… Your body."
"The task is over," Cedric argued with one of the other Merpeople. "They should be returned to the surface."
One of the merpeople grinned and sang. "But past an hour — the prospect's black. Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."
"That's just a riddle," Draco argued.
"Wizards too stupid to make deals," one of the Merpeople grunted. "They stay with us now."
Fleur's sister was crying, as the Merpeople were starting to untie them. Hermione looked at him in utter panic. She didn't have her wand on her so she couldn't get them out of this.
Something inside of Draco raged. No. He couldn't lose her, not now when she was finally starting to understand what his feelings for her actually meant... Just because that stupid prat Viktor couldn't protect her when he should have. He refused to have her leave him. It was one thing if she wouldn't be his. Another if she would die. Be taken by the lake. He had his wand in his hand, starting to strategize which of the Merpeople he could strike down first.
"Draco, be careful," Deandra said. "You do not want to anger the Spirit of the Lake."
"The what now?" he asked.
Suddenly, a half man, half black marlin, swam straight at them. "Enough," he thundered at the Merpeople, transfiguring back into himself, a bubblehead charm around him. His ponytail had gotten loose, and what seemed to be a shark tooth was pierced through his ear as an earring. "Your lord does not approve of what you are attempting to do here. He has sworn to protect the students of Hogwarts and their loved ones," he stated.
"This one not a Hogwarts student," one of the Merpeople grinned, pointing his trident to Gabrielle, making the little girl flinch.
"But she is a loved one of a Hogwarts student," Bill replied. "Or she will be. Kanaloa, some help here, please?"
"Who the fuck is Kanaloa?" Draco thought when an enormous dark shadow suddenly approached them from the side.
"Impossible," Cedric gasped.
"Hello, old friend," Bill greeted the giant squid. "Glad you could join us."
The Merpeople started whimpering and scattering about as the squid got closer, his tentacles flicking them away from both Hermione and Gabrielle.
"Come now, my children," an ancient, deep, and rumbling voice said in their minds as he grabbed all five of them carefully with one of his tentacles.
"How is this possible?" Hermione asked Bill, as the water started to clear up, meaning they were nearing the surface.
"My first year," Bill chuckled. "I fell out of the boats on my way to Hogwarts. The Giant Squid, Kanaloa, picked me up from the water and put me back on the boat. We've been friends ever since."
"Friends might be an overstatement, William," the rumbling voice said again, as he put all five of them down next to a stunned McGonagall, Snape, and Pomfrey. Harry and Daphne just looked at them strangely, Narcissa gasping when she saw her son.
"Don't be a stranger!" Bill waved to the Lake as the last tentacle hid itself underwater again.
"Well, that was quite the adventure," the eldest Weasley said as Fleur ran past him, hugging her little sister to her.
Cedric clapped Draco on the back, telling him they did well. He picked up Daphne in a tight hug as she ran straight at him.
"Whoa, mate," Harry said as he looked up at Draco, punching his chest muscles with his fist. "I was just joking with that stamina training earlier. You didn't need to go and show off. Nice hair, by the way."
Draco shrugged, looking at his mother intently. They would definitely be talking about this later. His shirt was ripped in all places again. Thank Merlin the rest of his attire had survived.
Fleur and Gabrielle were also staring at him now. "A male veela?" the eldest sister said in her thick French accent. "I 'ave not heard of one transformeeng so easelee een decades."
He could sense Hermione behind him now, her hand taking his, looking up at him as he was almost three heads taller than her. It had been unfortunate that he was still looking the way he did. The press would have a field day with this. He could already see the cameras flashing. Perhaps he could convince Luna in doing an interview with the Quibbler to deny whatever rubbish the Daily Prophet would come up with. Somehow, he was still on edge, his body not realizing that she was safe.
"Are you alright?" he whispered as he lifted their hands, pressing a kiss on her knuckles.
She looked up at him, nodding dumbly, a flash going off right next to him. He whipped around and actually growled, making the photographer stumble back. Oops.
Fleur and Gabrielle had now approached them, both girls stunned. She reached out and touched Draco's hair, intrigued by its silver colour. It was exactly like her own.
"You jumped eento ze wahtair, knoweeng what you were? Knoweeing you might show yourself? You steel wanted to save zem?"
"I would never let any harm come to Hermione," he said, understanding dawning into Fleur's eyes.
"House Delacour owes you three a life debt," Fleur said, turning around and looking intently at Cedric and Bill. When her eyes rested on Bill, however, she gasped. "Lord Prewett."
"Miss Delacour" he bowed his head towards the quarter veela. "I was hoping to meet you again, albeit not in such circumstances. I hope you will excuse my rugged attire once more, just as you did when we first met at Gringotts in Paris."
The veela smiled at him, making all the men in the stands behind Bill swoon. Even Snape seemed to be affected slightly, even though all he did was raise an eyebrow as he handed out pepper-up potions and calming draughts to his two snakes.
"Why is Bill not affected by her?" Hermione asked as she noticed even Harry's eyes glazing over, Cedric thankfully not affected since Daphne was still holding onto him.
"Because she doesn't need to affect him," he answered, looking down at their hands, still joined together. He smiled. "He's already accepted that he is hers."
Draco's mother cleared her throat right after he finally started shrinking back to his regular size. "Miss Delacour, might I suggest you tone down your happiness a little? I fear Lord Prewett might have to fight off some contenders for your hand in marriage if you keep this up," the older witch smiled.
The French witch blinked, suddenly noticing she'd let go of her allure and reeled it back in, making most of the male Hogwarts population as well as some of the girls, gasp in relief when they had been taken out of the trance.
"Still a powerful and wonderful witch," Bill smiled at her, as he took her hand in his, kissing her knuckles. "Just as I had observed when I first met you."
"You told me the mate had a choice," Hermione scolded in his brain.
"He does," Draco answered. "He chose to follow the thread linking them together. You heard him. They met before. Bill isn't stupid. He thought this through. His magic felt that she was his, as much as he was hers. He probably determined if they were suitable before he even decided to show up. It also explains why he was so protective of Gabrielle yesterday evening. If he was planning on courting Fleur, it meant that Gabrielle was his sister-in-law."
Krum suddenly came from inside one of the tents, seeing Hermione and pulling her from Draco's grasp, hugging her to him. Another camera flash went off. "Hermyown," he said. "I vas so vorried for you. I should have come to save you. I don't know vat happened ven I got struck by the… Grinly lows."
Hermione smiled at him, trying to calm him down. Snape came over, handing him a calming draught, Poppy mad that her patient had left the confines of his bed.
"My friends came to save me," she said, pointing at Bill, Cedric, and Draco.
"How did they even know you vere in danger?" he asked, stunned.
"Draco, he-" Hermione seemed to mull over her answer. Everyone had seen what he was, but she wasn't sure if he actually wanted to share his heritage. If he wanted to share that their connection ran deeper than just simple friendship.
"Lucky guess," Draco shrugged as he shook hands with Viktor, who was now thanking him for saving his Hermyown. Draco smiled through gritted teeth at the exclamation that Hermione was his. Even the brunette witch next to him seemed to be displeased when Viktor referred to her like that. As if she was his. Something to be owned.
Another flash went off when Harry finally came over to the witch he called a sister, leading her into the medic tents to get her checked over. Oh, bollocks. Seemed like there would be a lot of damage control to do, concerning the media. First, he'd have to talk to his mother, who was pursing her lips at him, an eyebrow raised. "Care to tell me what all of that was, Dragon?" she said.