What is...is this...an...update?
Yea, it certainly is.
Sorry for the massive 2-ish year delay. But, like, I've been legit busy, you know?
I moved to another country on the other side of the world where I have to learn the language and I started a new job in said new country.
And I've been trying to take advantage of being in a part of the world that has access to other countries I've never been to either.
Please forgive my insanely slow updates!
I'm SORRY!
Enjoy the chapter.

Enchanted

Chapter 10

Hermione didn't see Draco for another week, and she was beginning to get nervous about the possibility of another withdrawal episode. Fortunately though, she received a letter from the Headmistress just in time, asking to see the pair in her office. As usual, Hermione made her way there early in order to help set up the barrier, and the women asked a house elf to bring up some lunch options. Also, as per usual, the wizard had impeccable timing and made his appearance just as Hermione was sitting down in her self-designated chair.

"Granger." Hermione flinched at the use of her last name. He was probably still upset with her.

"Draco." His face gave nothing away as he took his own seat and began plucking at his lunch in silence.

"Look, Draco," Hermione began, deciding to just bite the bullet and apologize. "I'm sorry about what I said the last time."

The blond's expression still gave nothing away, ever the stoic Slytherin. The veela fought the urge to glare at him from her side of the barrier. This was an apology after all...but he couldn't make this easy, could he.

"You've been very…accommodating though all this, so I shouldn't have said what I said." Silence reigned for a beat before either of them spoke again.

"Thank you. Apology accepted," he said very simply, popping a piece of strawberry tart in his mouth.

That was it? After seeing him so crestfallen after their last meeting and feeling so terrible about it for the past week, Hermione's only a response was 'thank you'? Honestly, she didn't know what else she had expected, and polite society didn't exactly dictate that the wizard say anything more, but the brief exchange seemed so anticlimactic.

"You seem upset."

The girl focused back on the Slytherin, who had moved on to his mashed potatoes. He had an eyebrow raised, but otherwise gave no indication that he was anything but content.

"That's it?"

"What's it?"

"Just a 'thank you'?"

"Yes, and 'apology accepted'." Hermione lips pursed in a way very reminiscent of Professor McGonagall when she's caught Harry and Ron acting suspicious in class.

"What else did you want me to say?" He finally showed some measure of emotion, eyebrows coming together a bit and the corner of his lips quirking in amusement. Amusement that Hermione was very unimpressed by.

"I don't know! Be angry! Call me names or something!"

"Call you names, Granger? Who knew the Gryffindor princess was so kinky?" Still the blond sat calmly, picking at his food. His mate, however, had stood from her seat and her hair was crackling with temperamental magic. She would realize later on too, that her back had that same damn itch that she sometimes noticed since her birthday. Once she processed his words though, she could feel warmth take over her cheeks as she blushed as his implication.

"I-! Just… What? No!" She sat back down. Suddenly not angry at all, and instead incredibly embarrassed. "That's not what I meant and you know it!"

Draco grinned at her.

"You're really not mad at me?" The veela asked skeptically. Her mate gazed back at his plate, a slight crease marring his forehead.

"I've learned to let the little things go. We have bigger problems these days. Besides, I know it was just a slip of the tongue. I just needed a few minutes to get over it."

"So why haven't you asked for another meeting?"

"Why haven't you?" Touché.

"Well, I… didn't think you wanted to see me."

"Why not? You're not half bad when you're not in a classroom. Ever since you stopped coming to lessons, I'm the resident know-it-all. Though, I don't raise my hand every 30 seconds like a swot." Hermione scoffed at that, only partly unamused by his suggestion. The realization dawned on her and she realized maybe he wasn't half bad either. Horrifying.

"Careful, Draco. Someone might think you like me." Hermione's eyes crinkled as a mischievous smile graced her features. In return, he looked back up at her, meeting her gaze.

"Well, that's the point of these meetings isn't it? We're going to basically be spending the rest of our lives together. We should like each other." Damn. He wasn't reacting the way she had hoped.

He had a point though. If she didn't think he was half bad after only a few of these meetings, what might she think of him in another month? Or a year? They'd had a very turbulent history, but could she see herself liking, or even loving this pale Slytherin in front of her? Time would tell she supposed.

With that in mind, the pair set to sharing their remaining lunch time together in peace. They discussed how their week apart had been, what they'd done with their time, how Draco's classes were, and how Hermione's independent studies were progressing. A few times, both students could even be caught with small smiles on their faces.

~~~~0000~~~~

"How'd it go?" Pansy asked as soon as Draco got back to the Slytherin common room.

"Could've been worse."

"So, are you in love now? You look completely smitten." Draco did not look smitten. "You're going to make sweet, sweet love and have ten babies."

"Yeah, ha! Dream big." What had gotten into Pansy? She was acting like Draco was a character in one of her romance novels. He could just imagine the title. Something cheesy.

"OK, for real though, are you at least friendly with each other now? You don't wanna drag out this courtship thing," Pansy suggested as she returned to her usual self and played with the ends of her hair.

"Courtship?"

"Would you call it something else?"

"I-" Before answering, Draco remembered they were still sitting in the Slytherin common room, with several other students. No one seemed to be paying them any attention, but looks could be deceiving. He quickly grabbed Pansy's hand and led her to the stairs.

"Draco! Where've you been, mate? Missed you at lunch again." Blaise very suddenly appeared at the foot of the stairs to the boys' dorm, on his way down to his next class.

"Oh, you know. Around. Gotta go," the blond attempted to brush off his friend, but somehow got pulled into a lengthier conversation about some homework assignment or another. Draco wasn't sure. He wasn't really paying any attention, as he still grasped Pansy's hand and glanced nervously at the staircase.

"This has been fun and all, Blaise, but Draco and I were just on our way up to the boys' dorms to…you know," Pansy mercifully interjected. The wry grin that sprung up on Blaise's face expressed exactly what he thought of their 'plans'.

"Oh, I see. Well don't let me get in your way then. Make sure to have the elves bring you something, if you wind up missing dinner." Draco aggressively nodded and pushed past the boy, still holding Pansy's hand like a vice.

"We're not in love," the blond told his friend as soon as they closed the dorm door and made sure no one else was in the room. "We just…have an understanding."

"Yeah, an understanding that without shagging every other day, you'll go insane."

"We haven't-! We're not-! We just…"

"'Just'…?" Pansy was quite possibly the most infuriating witch Draco knew and he sometimes didn't understand why they were friends.

"Just….seeing what happens."

"Fine, fine. Have it your way," the raven-haired witch dropped herself onto Draco's bed and grabbed his journal that was sitting on the bedside table, which he quickly snatched from her hands. He didn't write in it often, but of course he still didn't want anyone reading it. "So, when's your next date?" Draco cringed a little at Pansy calling it a 'date,' but chose not to address it.

"Two days."

"Oh, that's so soon. Gonna get her flowers?" She asked as she rolled to her back and started mentally counting the blocks in the ceiling.

"No? Why?"

"No wonder you haven't had many girlfriends. You have no idea what to do with them."

"You've stuck around."

"I'm a very sexually frustrated person," the witch responded simply, waving her hand in the air as if it would answer the accusation on its own. "And now that you're off the market I'm going to have to find someone else to see to my needs. Thanks a lot."

Draco scoffed, as he tucked his journal into his trunk.

"But…seriously speaking," Pansy piped up again after the pair had sat in silence for a good ten minutes. The blond's head perked up from his spot on the carpet, where he had begun reading a text on arithmancy, curious at her supposed sincerity. "I know it's a tricky situation. But you should really try to make the best of it."

"You don't think that's what I'm trying to do? I'm meeting with her. If we both survive this bloody war, marriage is inevitable." Wow, Draco hadn't actually admitted that out loud before then. But, it was true, wasn't it? Or at least, a long term, committed relationship was inevitable. Merlin knew that since they had discovered they were a destined pair, the Slytherin had had trouble getting it up without the veela around.

"Good."

"…yea."

"Ok, well I'm gonna go look for Theo. Maybe he'd be interested in being my new you."

"You're not gonna tell him why are you?"

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Draco jokingly made a face that told her she was, to which she slapped the back of his head, before heading out of the boys' dorms to begin her search.

~~~~0000~~~~

It wasn't until a week later that Draco suspected anything was amiss.

He had met with Hermione twice and both times had been cordial. Both parties could sense that the ice was thawing between them, slowly yes, but it was happening. It was on this particular Wednesday that Draco was almost cheerful. He'd been sleeping better and feeling more energized, likely thanks to his repeated exposure to the veela.

An owl came for him.

It was from his father.

Draco,

You are needed at home urgently.

-Your Father

This couldn't be good. The only reason his father would have not to directly address what he was needed for would be if because it involved the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord wanted to see him.

He knew he would need to leave for the manor as soon as possible, even though he desperately didn't want to go. A sinking feeling in his gut told him that You-Know-Who had somehow found out about his relation to Hermione and that would most definitely spell trouble. Glancing up towards the Professors' table, Draco met eyes with Professor McGonagall, silently motioning that he needed to speak with her. The Headmistress didn't seem to think twice about it before she nodded her agreement.

"Is something the matter, Mister Malfoy?" Draco shifted uncomfortably several moments later, as he stood in front of the Headmistress. He stressed that he didn't have enough time for a formal meeting in her office, so the pair had detoured to an empty classroom.

"I've been summoned." The professor's mouth formed a grim line and her eyebrows came together. "I suspect he knows."

"I don't think I need to tell you to be as discreet about your situation as possible." The blond barely held back a scoff. If the witch didn't think it was necessary, then why bother saying so at all?

"I understand," was all he could bring himself to say before the Headmistress pardoned him from classes for the rest of the day and they went their separate ways.

It was a bit of a hike to the apparition point, made even longer since the Slytherin was first making his way to the owlry. If he was about to come clean to the Dark Lord about his relationship with a veela, he should at least warn her before all Hell broke loose, possibly literally.

Hermione,

I've been summoned back home. I don't know ow long I'll be gone, or what I'm needed for, but I have my suspicions. I just thought it would be prudent to warn you and give you enough time to brace yourself for whatever comes next.

-Draco

He had grappled for a moment with how to sign the letter. 'Love' wouldn't do. He certainly didn't love her, so his name alone would be sufficient. Honestly, he was annoyed that the thought had even crossed his mind.

The wizard watched the overweight barn owl take off towards Gryffindor Tower and continued on his way. He would've taken his time to avoid the meeting for as long as possible, if doing so would not surely make the Dark Lord even angrier than he probably was. The pull of apparition took him straight to the grounds of Malfoy Manor, where he nearly collided with a peacock, but quickly recovered and hastily sauntered to the Grand Ballroom, where the Dark Lord took all of his 'meetings'.

"Draco, my boy," came almost hissing voice of the heir of Slytherin as soon as Draco dropped into a bow before him. A shiver ran down his spine that he wasn't sure was a result of his fear, or the chill that seemed to follow the snake-man wherever he went.

"Some interesting news has been brought to my attention. Would you care to enlighten me?" This could be a trap. The Dark Lord hadn't specified what it was he had heard, leaving the possibilities up to Draco. If he answered incorrectly, Draco could be volunteering valuable secrets, but if he denied knowing anything at all, he would be severely punished if the Dark Lord truly knew something. Of course, he knew something; he wouldn't have called Draco here on such short notice otherwise. But it was possible he had incorrect information. Draco had to respond carefully.

"It sometimes feels as though there is something interesting happening every day. To what might my Lord be referring?" The blond flinched a bit on reflex, knowing that he always ran the risk of being punished, even for a perfect answer.

"Very well." Although the blond wouldn't dare raise his eyes to his 'Master', he could sense the snake-man shift to a more comfortable position, likely to better observe Draco's reaction. "Tell me about your veela girl. Word has begun to spread that you have been selected as her mate."

Fuck.

"Yes, my Lord. There is a veela at Hogwarts who has recently come into her inheritance." Draco paused, attempting to be careful about how he should continue.

"And you are her mate." Draco could feel blood-red eyes bore into him from atop the serpentine throne that had been fashioned in the center of the room.

"I…have been identified as her mate, yes."

"Then, where is the lucky young lady? I am so looking forward to meeting her."

From his submissive posture, Draco raised his eyebrows at his 'Master's' statement. He also wasn't sure how the Dark Lord would consider his mate 'lucky'. Perhaps to join the ranks of Death Eaters? Draco would never let that happen; he was trying to get out himself. For now though, he could think of only one acceptable scapegoat.

"There is some difficulty in our situation, my Lord," he paused for the man before him to say something if he saw fit. He didn't, so Draco continued with his hastily formed lie. OK, it wasn't entirely a lie, but it would do for now. "Our…mating hasn't been completed. Since discovering what has happened, we have been kept away from each other by the Headmistress at Hogwarts." The entire time the boy had his head bowed, he could feel a nudging at his mind as the Dark Lord attempted to enter and see the truth for himself. And Draco showed him…at least, he showed the times he had been almost violently thrown out of rooms by Professor McGonagall for nearly going too far with the veela.

"I see," the evil man finally said when he was done perusing the young man's thoughts. Draco continued to wait, hunched over partly in fear, waiting for the Lord's verdict. "You will need to find a way to finalize things.

"Yes, my Lord."

"She can be incredibly useful to our cause."

"Yes, my Lord." Damnit.

"And, Draco?"

"Yes, my Lord?"

"I was unable to see the girl's face in your memories. Who is she?" Fuckfuckfuck. He could think of no acceptable lie. If he tried to, the truth would come out and he might be killed.

"H-Hermione Granger."

There was a heavy pause. So long that Draco almost thought the other man had left the room, but just as he was about to look up to confirm, the Dark Lord broke the silence.

"Remarkable. We will truly need to celebrate once your mating is consummated."

"Yes, my Lord."

"And don't disappoint me, Draco."

"Of course not, my Lord." Shit.

Draco was dismissed and he rushed out of the Hall, feeling as though his stomach was going to relieve him of his breakfast. Through the Manor halls he practically ran, ignoring the few other Death Eaters who greeted him as he passed. He made his way out the front door and past the peacocks in the garden. It was only after he had apparated back to school and collapsed on the side of the pathway that he allowed himself to get sick in a bush.