Chapter 12

It couldn't have been what it looked like, what it smelled like. Draco was desperately trying to convince himself of that fact. Veelas mate for life. Theo couldn't cheat on him, he wouldn't, but what if he was wrong? Draco hadn't thought that Veelas could have two mates either and Theo was clearly courting Granger. Salazar, Draco could even smell Granger sometimes, the tantalising magical aroma that had a hint of something necessary to his happiness. He didn't even understand how that would work either. What connection would the two mates of a Veela have? They'd have to be compatible themselves wouldn't they? Theo needed to have the two of them accept their bond in order to live after all.

Theo wouldn't risk his life by dallying with Pansy.

Draco skipped a stone across the Black Lake with vigour.

But why had the room reeked of Theo's scent, Draco had been instantly half hard from it the moment he had walked in and there Theo had been, caging Pansy in with his arms. She'd slapped him, that much had been clear. What had Theo done that had caused Pansy to slap him? Had he touched her inappropriately? Had he said something crass and vulgar to the witch?

Pansy had been particularly volatile lately. He'd caught her taking Daphne's head off twice in the last two days. That wasn't typical at all.

Maybe it hadn't been what it looked like. Draco wanted to believe the best of his mate, he truly did, but was he being a fool? He had tried to believe the best of Lucius too, where had that gotten him?

A Dark Magic infected tattoo and a ten year probation sentence if he was lucky and Theo was right about the magic his solicitors could do with Draco's Veela mate status.

He skipped another rock and this time a tentacle popped out of the water and caught it.

Draco hid behind a tree in case the giant squid tried to toss it back.

He attempted to reason with himself that he wasn't a fool and that Theo would never cheat on him.

But the words felt like bile in his mouth. He felt as though he was going to be sick.

As he walked through the trees, Theo knew that Draco was nearby, but he hadn't been able to find him. His scent was all over this part of the trail that surrounded the lake. He was barely able to stop himself from spreading his wings so that he could search more effectively for his mate, when he heard Draco's voice cursing.

His mate was still angry.

That wasn't a good sign.

Theo had made a colossal mistake, he was going to have to beg for forgiveness.

Salazar, he hated begging.

Draco smelled Theo before he saw him. Theo was soundless now when he walked, so there wasn't so much as a crinkle of grass as he moved toward him. Draco turned that way that he knew Theo was coming from and his mate's contrite face did not make Draco feel any better about what was about to come out in this conversation.

He felt as though he was going to be sick.

Theo could feel that his mate was upset and he just wanted to soothe him, to make him feel better.

"Are you here to tell me that it wasn't what it looked like Theo?" Draco said, coldly, disgust dripping from every syllable. "Because I can tell you what it smelled like."

Theo didn't say a word yet, simply moving closer to him without speaking.

"It smelled like betrayal, Theo. What does Pansy have that Granger and I don't have? I know you haven't claimed her yet, but you have me! What do you need!? Why would you do this?"

"Draco, I would never cheat on you, I swear it on my mother's grave." Theo fell to his knees in front of Draco. "Never. I was just trying to use my Veela pheromones to get Pansy to tell me what is going on with her. She's not eating, she's moody, she's staring at the Gryffindor table more than we do. I'm worried about her, but my smell didn't work on her. She told me that I was being creepy and she slapped me. Also I'm pretty sure she suspects about our relationship." Theo gazed up at his mate, desperate for forgiveness for being so stupid.

"You deserved the slap." Draco looked down at him with blank features, clearly occluding against their connection.

"I did," Theo agreed. "I'd deserve it if you wanted to slap me too." Theo took Draco's hand and set Draco's palm against his cheek as he looked up into Draco's face.

"Theo, I'm upset with you but I don't want to hit you. I'm not Lucius. I'd never treat you that way." Draco tugged Theo to his feet. "You swear you weren't trying to get into Pansy's knickers?"

"I certainly didn't even consider attempting that," Theo promised, wrapping his arms around Draco. "I don't want to marry Pansy and that would be the price of getting into that witch's knickers. That would be hell. She's impossible to please. I wouldn't wish her on my worst enemy."

"That's not really fair. She has to marry someone. You shouldn't say things like that." Draco said, but all the fire had gone out of him. "Especially when we have to deal with Daphne who is a thousand times worse than Pansy could ever dream of being."

"I'm so sorry, love," Theo whispered, so grateful that Draco seemed to have forgiven him so easily. "I won't do anything like that again."

"You had better not. Your pheromones are for me and Granger only." Draco sighed. "I'll find out what's going on with Pansy so you can stop worrying about her. Because I agree that something is wrong."

"Thank you my love," Theo breathed.

"If you ever do anything like that again, you can have only your hand for company for a month while I sleep alone," Draco stated. "And I won't touch you at all, no matter how much it hurts me to do it."

Theo nodded, knowing that he would never be such a fool again. He was lucky that Draco loved and trusted him, Hermione did neither. If it had been her that saw him, that would have been a very bad way to start things. She'd have no faith in his fidelity after such a show.

After all of that drama the rest of the weekend was very calm.

Draco and Theo spent the majority of their time at the lake reading and studying. Theo napped with his head in Draco's lap on more than one occasion as his dragon ran his fingers through Theo's curls while he read aloud from one of their texts.

Pansy managed to force Hermione to eat at least once a day, because the Gryffindor princess refused to leave her room and Pansy's forceful attitude seemed to work.

Blaise took the time to watch Luna interact with others and discovered that he had very little competition in the courtship department, at least that was what he reported to Theo over fire whiskey on Sunday night. They hadn't managed to get the couches in the eighth year common room that night as the Gryffindors had gotten there first. So Blaise, Theo and Draco were lounging on Theo's bed, the window open and evening birdsong wafting in.

"And of course," Blaise was saying. "I believe that the biggest point in Luna's favour is that she seems very unlikely to kill me in my sleep when I am at my most vulnerable."

"I rather think she'd poison your tea and announce it as she served you if you ever strayed though," Theo pointed out.

"She is very direct and it's one of the things I like about her most." Blaise sipped his drink. "And I have a healthy fear of women so no mistress to become an issue on my end. Did I tell you about what my mother did to her fifth husband after she found that he had a mistress?"

"Please don't," Draco requested, his mouth twisting in distaste. "This fire whiskey is expensive and I'd rather not vomit it up. Terribly wasteful."

Blaise laughed and Theo smirked at his mate, who offered a coy smile in return.

"So you are set on her already?" Theo asked, curious about the speed in which his friend had made such a momentous decision.

"Mother sent me a list of the witches she is considering if I can't find someone on my own," Blaise shuddered. "Three of them are young widows whose husbands died under mysterious circumstances. I believe that I will take my chances with the nargles."