Hi

She didn't need to see what Ginny had found in that book, or even hear what she had to say. Hermione's suspicions were confirmed by her heart, and she shuddered as Draco began to lift her shirt, placing kisses along her stomach.

Draco was a Veela.

She was his mate.

Now, she just had to find a way to break the news to him.

"No…no," Draco protested, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Draco…look at me," she quietly said, and he obeyed.

She held his gaze, neither of them uttering a word as she did her best to convey that she was entirely serious. The blonde's eyes widened before he abruptly rose from the couch, and began to pace. She sighed, wrapping the blanket around herself tighter, gaze landing on the fireplace.

It had taken her almost an hour to help him compose himself before Obliviating and healing Ron, making sure that he made it back to the Gryffindor common room safely. It was only then did she sit Draco down, and tell him of her suspicions. She was almost one-hundred percent sure. Otherwise, she would never have sprung the information on him, but his violent and erratic behavior had forced her hand.

"You're telling me that I'm some…some bloody bird?"

"No!" she rose from the couch, approaching him. "…only part Veela."

"This has to be a joke," he spat.

"How else would you explain everything that has happened? Your behavior, the mood swings, and the fact that you're physically incapable of sleeping with anyone else?"

He looked thoughtful, eyebrows furrowed with his hands on his hips as he regarded her.

"Your eyes…they've been doing this thing where they change color whenever you get too upset. I first noticed the day at the Shrieking Shack," she confessed.

"…and you didn't say anything?" he inquired, outraged.

"I didn't know what to think! I was freaked out," she murmured. "I should be used to weird crap happening to me by now, but even I have my limits."

Draco huffed, frantically running his hands through his hair like it would give him answers.

"…and your teeth have left some shallow cuts," she whispered.

He paused, looking down at her, eyes wide and filled with concern.

"On you?"

She nodded, and he collapsed back onto the couch.

"I think that we're mates, and I imagine that your body is practically itching to claim me."

"Mates…," he murmured with a frown.

"When we slept together…" she sat down beside him. "I believe it activated your heritage, so to speak."

His frown deepened.

"Of course, us continuing to do that was not helping," she threw in.

Draco sighed.

"I mean…with the two of us living together this year, I think it would have happened, anyway, but when I came to you that night…it sort of sped up the process."

He looked at her then, eyes troubled.

"Are you saying that what I feel for you, what we feel, isn't real?"

Hermione blinked, never having thought of that before. She didn't know the answer to that, and that was what she told him.

"The paranoia, the anger, the impulsive and inconsistent behavior…it's because we haven't completed the bond. I could very well still reject you, and your…instincts are telling you that."

"Are you?"

He was standing, now, and she craned her neck to look at him.

"Veelas mate for life, right? If you accepted this, we'd might as well be getting married," he hissed.

"I don't know," she whispered.

Draco fell to his knees again, the fire illuminating his chiseled features as he gazed at her.

"Don't. At least…not yet. We don't have to decide anything. I'll do better. Now that I know, I can probably control it better, and we can just…be us," he proposed.

"What does that even mean?" she whispered. "Be us, an unmated Veela and his intended, with the whole school watching and breathing down our necks?"

Draco released another sigh, knowing she had a point.

"You know that we'll have to tell McGonagall, right?"

He sharply looked at her, shaking his head.

"Not yet. I'm going to go home for a few days…talk to my mum. If this is true, it more than likely came from her side."

"I know that…it's a lot to digest. I've had the advantage of considering this possibility for some time, now," she whispered.

Draco didn't respond to that, settling for wrapping his arm around her and pulling her into his side instead as he sat back down. She felt content being wrapped up in his arms, the sound of his heartbeat thumping in her ears was soothing, and she imagined that he felt the same way.

"I'll go home this weekend, after the winter dance this Friday," he murmured into the quiet room. "That should give us roughly another week and a half to decide…well, for you to decide what you're going to do."

"Do you want this? I know you've said as much in no uncertain terms, but that was before… Now, that you know…"

She could hear him swallow.

"The thought of being away from you…puts me on edge. The thought of you rejecting me…or never seeing you again causes the kind of grief that can only be explained as supernatural. I don't know what feelings are really mine and what's…not," he confessed, voicing his conflicting thoughts and emotions.

Hermione understood what he meant. Even before she knew the truth, the thought of being exclusive with Draco scared her. To be perfectly honest, it still did, but… Was it the thought of being with him that scared her, or was it the lack of security that being with him would undoubtedly bring? Draco was not known for commitment, she'd told him as such, but this…this changed things.

Draco was correct, Veelas mated for life, and if she accepted him, and they in turn completed the bond, there would be no more questions. There would be no more insecurities or paranoia or the incessant need to be around each other all the time. The feeling of being out of control that they'd felt for so long was only because she hadn't accepted it.

"What are you thinking?" he quietly asked.

Hermione toyed with his fingers, something awakening inside of her as she considered her newfound thoughts.

"I'm thinking…that I wasn't afraid of you, Draco, but of your reputation," she admitted.

She looked up at him, and he did the same. He didn't say anything to that, and so she continued.

"Before, when you first proposed the idea of commitment to me, it had me running for the hills…"

Draco snorted, and she elbowed him.

"The thought of being with you, exclusively, was a tempting one, but my self-preservation was telling me no. I didn't trust you not to hurt me, not to treat me like you've treated a dozen other girls."

"Even without this…mate business, you'd have to know that I have far more respect for you than that, Granger. I do believe that you're probably the only witch in this school with enough bollocks and brains to hex me dick-less," he murmured.

"Still… Look how we got together in the first place. It was simply sex, and that's all it ever was supposed to be, and I had no way of knowing if you were just love struck because I was new and different or if it was more. This is new and terrifying territory for me, but…"

"…being my mate gives you the security that you need," he finished.

She nodded.

"I know that it's…wrong, considering that it just means I don't trust you, but maybe this will give me time to try. Even then, there's still no telling if the trust will be genuine, or only because I know we're mates," she said with a sigh.

"I like to think of it as…clearly, we're meant to be, because even the laws of nature say so," he assured. "You would have trusted me enough to be with me eventually."

"I suppose you're right," she quietly agreed.

"So…what does all of this mean…? What are you getting at…?"

She pursed her lips, intertwining her fingers with his own.

Hermione felt like her face was on fire, and she was tempted to reach up and confirm that it wasn't. It took practically everything in her not to close her eyes, and block out the stares. The only thing that prevented her from doing so was the tall blond Slytherin leading her to his table. Hermione did not enjoy being the center of attention.

Draco couldn't have looked any smugger if he tried. The satisfied look on his face when she'd grabbed his hand and began walking out of their dorm that morning would forever be burned into her brain. There'd been a new spring in his step as he swaggered down the corridors, a smirk on his pink lips every time they passed a shocked student, mouths dropping open.

"Move it," he snapped at two of his housemates who were too shocked to realize they wanted to sit down.

The two brunettes hurriedly moved out of the way, almost knocking some other students over in the process. She sent Nott a nervous smile as they settled across from him.

"Well…this is new," Nott commented, raising an eyebrow.

"Hardly," Draco scoffed, placing their intertwined hands on the table for everyone to see, looking around and daring anyone to say anything.

Hermione glanced around, catching the wide eyes of Ginny and Lavender, before gently shaking her head. She would have to prepare herself for what was probably going to be a long talk. She didn't even look in the other direction, knowing that whatever awaited her, she wouldn't like.

"Whatever brought this on?" Nott asked, waving his hand towards theirs.

Hermione looked at Draco, wondering if he would tell his friend. The blond simply threw the blue-eyed boy a look, one he apparently understood.

"Later?"

"Later," Draco quietly replied, eyes focused on something else entirely.

Hermione was about to follow his gaze, when he suddenly lifted their hands, brushing his lips against her skin, stare unwavering. She didn't need to look to know who he was staring at.

"Don't," she whispered, turning to face him. "I'm yours."

"Unofficially," he mumbled with a glare before finally looking at her.

"Just us being us, for now, remember?"

Draco looked like he wanted to protest, but decided against it with a reluctant nod, turning to dig into his breakfast.

The rest of the morning was a rather uneventful affair. Classes passed without so much as a squeak from Ron or Harry or any of her other housemates, to be honest. There was an awkward moment when Pansy Parkinson had approached Hermione, looking as if she'd burst into tears any second. For a moment, the Gryffindor had thought that she would curse her, but the dark haired girl simply choked out a small token of congratulations before hurrying off. That had been unexpected, to say the least.

However, the time had come when she would have to explain herself, and it wasn't long after classes ended that she found herself cornered by Ginny and Lavender.

"Well?" Ginny prodded.

"We believe it's true. It's the only thing that makes sense, but he's going home this weekend to talk to his mother about it," she explained.

"Would either of you care to fill me in," Lavender said, eyes flitting between the two of them.

"We believe that Draco is part Veela…and I am his mate," she confessed.

Lavender's eyes widened, having not expected that, at all.

"You're serious?" she questioned, looking between them.

Hermione nodded.

"Bloody hell," Lavender breathed. "How do you know?"

Hermione sighed, glancing around the school grounds before answering.

"We slept together at the beginning of the school year…"

Lavender's eyes widened, glancing at Ginny before glancing back.

"Ever since then, his behavior just…changed, scarily so. He's done some things that are…" she swallowed. "…alarming, to say the least."

"Are you going to accept the bond?" Ginny suddenly asked.

"I'm not sure. I…think so," she slowly admitted.

Lavender's eyebrows rose, and Ginny blinked.

"Are you sure? You'd might as well be getting married," Ginny said, repeating Draco's sentiments.

"It's not that simple though..."

"She's right. They're mates, and it's clearly that way for a reason. It's in their…makeup or basic instincts or whatever it's called," Lavender agreed.

"So…are your feelings even real?"

Hermione glanced down, recalling Draco saying the exact same thing the night before.

"I don't know. Draco expressed the same concerns, and I think that really bothers him…the fact that his feelings are influenced by outside forces."

"…but all of this didn't happen until the two of you shagged, right? That kick started the whole thing," Ginny said.

Hermione nodded, and Lavender smiled.

"Well, there was already some interest there otherwise you would have never approached him, and he would have never accepted," the blonde assured.

"Perhaps you're right," Hermione said, mulling over this.

"So I'm guessing that the rumor of him putting McLaggen in the infirmary is true then?" Lavender questioned.

"Unfortunately," Hermione sighed. "He has these spells, I guess you could say, where he sort of just spaces out, and doesn't really realize what he's doing."

Hermione contemplated telling them about Ron. While Ginny might agree that Ron had a punch to the face coming, she wasn't so sure she'd share the same sentiments about Draco trying to kill him altogether. She knew for a fact that she wasn't going to utter a word about Fay. While it may have been a not-so-accident accident, it didn't change the fact that a former schoolmate was dead because of him. Not everyone would be able to wrap their minds around that as easily as she had.

"Isn't that rather dangerous?" Ginny asked, concern dripping from her lips.

"It can be…but we've pretty much got it handled, now, especially since we both have more of a better understanding of what's going on."

"Are you going to tell Harry and Ron? They'll be hounding you about this new development, no doubt," Lavender said.

"They can shove off," Ginny replied. "This has nothing to do with them. This is a serious situation that Hermione really needs to think about, and that would be better done if they weren't hurling accusatory questions at her."

Despite the fact that Hermione was leaning closer to yes, Ginny was right. It still needed to be thought about, long and hard. Unfortunately, Hermione didn't think that they had the amount of time a decision like this required.

Friday was fast approaching, and over the week, Hermione had done a decent job of dodging questions she didn't want to answer. The repetitive occurrence of she and Draco arriving to breakfast together had sparked an onslaught of inquiries from nosey students that she was prepared to handle. They'd ask, and she'd just smile and walk away as a response. The definitive confirmation of what they were was still up in the air, and because things had changed, within a few weeks, they'd either be together for life or…

Hermione shuddered as she recalled what she'd read about the mating aspect of Veelas. There'd only been three recorded cases of a rejected Veela, and in two of the situations, they'd died while the non Veelas had lived. The theory was that the surviving Veela was strong enough to handle the rejection, but not without lack of trying from her own body. She'd fallen incredibly ill after the rejection, and had barely been able to pull through. After reading that, Hermione had pretty much made up her mind. It wasn't that she thought Draco was weak, but she wasn't the type of person to put someone through such an ordeal even if they did survive, especially if there was something she could have done to prevent it.

On the other hand, Hermione wasn't sure that she was ready to make such a commitment. The hilarity of the entire situation was not lost on her. She'd rejected Draco's advances because she didn't think he'd ever properly commit. Now, he most definitely would…for life…and that was what unnerved her. Logically speaking, she knew that she'd never grow tired of him or grow to hate him because he was her mate. However, the fear was still there. It was hard for her to imagine that not happening. It was a normal justified fear, only…their relationship wasn't normal.

She wasn't accepting this as easily as she thought she would.

She sighed, glancing up as soon as she heard the portrait open and shut. She fingered the page of her book as he approached, a rather unreadable look on his face.

"What?"

"Come with me," he invited, grabbing her hand and pulling her up from the couch.

She reluctantly dropped the book, following in confusion as he led her to his room. At first, she didn't find anything out of the ordinary. At least, that was until her eyes landed on the fancy periwinkle blue gown on the bed. She hesitantly approached it, certain that it cost more than she could ever hope to afford.

"You wore blue for the Yule Ball… I remember it so clearly, because, for the first time in my life, I didn't have the urge to insult you," he said.

She snorted, fingering the material.

"You looked good, better than good, actually, you looked bloody magnificent. I remember thinking that the color suited you…"

"I was never really one for pink," she replied. "The color had been forced on me so much as a child, I'd grown to hate it. I had wanted a color that I felt was more…me."

Hermione was surprisingly touched that Draco remembered something so small, something she thought was so insignificant. The color of her dress had not been the most important thing about that night. It had been about Viktor, and her feeling desired and…pretty. Unfortunately, it had all come crashing down, but the moment had been nice while it lasted.

She felt his hands ghosting over her shoulders, and she exhaled.

"I could feel it that night, you know… The minute you even mentioned possibly going to someone else…it didn't sit well with me. I know that you thought I was lying when I said you were the best I'd ever had, but it was true. Everything was so much more intense. I could…"

"…feel it in your bones," she finished.

"Yes," he confirmed.

"I had thought that it was…extraordinary, more extraordinary than I'd heard it described, but I had written it off to my lack of experience. Something akin to drug users and that first high, but…"

"The feeling never went away…"

"No," she shook her head. "It didn't."

"What happens if you don't accept?"

Hermione had dreaded this, unsure of how he would take it. She was still unsure of how she was taking it.

"…you could die," she answered.

"That sounds about right," was his only reply.

She turned around, gazing up at him. The moonlight was peaking in through his window, casting shadows over his angular features. Half of his hair and one of his eyes looked like they matched.

"Would you…would you have really killed Ron?"

"Yes," he said without hesitation. "I hate him. That night, I saw him as nothing more than a threat, a threat that needed to be dealt with."

Hermione had known the answer, but she still wanted to hear him say it. It was why over the past week, they'd only ever sat at his table. She wasn't stupid, she knew exactly what would happen if she invited him to sit with her. It would probably be the last straw for Harry and Ron, and it wasn't something she wanted to deal with. However, she knew that it was inevitable…

Her eyes fell closed as Draco leaned in and brushed his lips over her neck.

"I know that this could make things worse, but…," he softly began. "…I need to touch you…as just us. No anger or jealousy or a jumbled mess of feelings involved. Just us…"

She let out a shaky breath when he trailed his lips over hers, barely enough to be called a kiss. Her heart pounded, and suddenly, it felt like that first night all over again as her body yearned for his. She tilted her head up, capturing his lips with her own in a heated kiss. It wasn't long before they were ridding each other of their clothes, her gorgeous gown being pushed to the floor as he laid her down.

They'd never had sex like that, and the newfound intimacy shook Hermione to her core. Not once did his lips ever leave her body. They were on her mouth, her neck, her shoulder, anywhere he could get them. His hands never stayed still for long, maybe two seconds at the most before continuing their journey of trying to memorize the feel of her. Every couple of minutes or so, he'd whisper things into her ear, things that would make her heart clench, shudders traveling down her spine. "You look radiant" or "Only you can make me feel like this" or "I love when your legs shake like that". It was slow and sensual, but no less intense, and Hermione was finally satisfied three times over late into the night when he whispered that she felt like heaven.

There was one upside to having Draco on her arm that Hermione had never considered before; nosey buggers were too scared to approach. From the very first moment that they'd entered the hall, the majority of people had given them a wide berth. It had been rather awkward, at first with Dean unsure of how to proceed as he stood beside Ginny. He'd eventually relaxed though, reassured by Ginny and Lavender's own calm dispositions.

Despite the annoyingly curious gazes, Hermione was enjoying herself. For a while, whatever it was that she and Draco were, it felt normal. She didn't feel like she had a decision hanging over her head with all of the severity of a Guillotine. At least, it lasted that way for a while.

"This is sickening, is what this is," a familiar voice spat. "You laughing it up with the likes of him and Nott like you've been best mates for years."

Hermione frowned at Ron as he approached, blue eyes troubled.

"What do you care?"

"He's a snake! Have you forgotten what he's like?"

"People change. We've been down this road before," Hermione said.

She had felt bad about what Draco had done to him, the act forcing her to Obliviate the redhead, but his behavior was making it hard for her to sympathize.

"Is all of this just some elaborate ploy to get back at me?"

Hermione scoffed at the audacity, almost dropping the drink that she was getting. Ron's face showcased that he was entirely serious.

"Are you mental?"

"Be honest! You've always hated Malfoy, and now… I knew that you liked me, okay? Is that what you want to hear? I knew how you felt, and I dated all of those girls, anyway," he said, eyes desperate.

"Ron, I swear on Godric's grave that this has nothing to do with you. This might come as a shock to you, but a good majority of my decisions really have nothing to do with you, at all," she replied.

"Then what is it?" he practically yelled, drawing unwanted attention.

"I like him!"

There was a tense, awkward silence, the sound of music and laughter still surrounded them, but it was far away, the students near them having quieted at their spectacle. Ron's eyes were wide and disbelieving as he looked at her as if she had two heads.

"I like him. I've liked him for some time, now," she finally confessed, to him and to herself.

Ron only clenched his jaw, taking a step back. Hermione wasn't sure what else there was to say. Luckily, she didn't have to decide, because she saw a familiar head of blond hair approaching. He ran his eyes over her, very briefly, before cutting them to Weasley and back again.

"Are you alright?" he asked, ignoring the redhead altogether.

She nodded, taking his outstretched hand as he pulled her away. Hermione had hoped that was the end of it.

"Oi, Malfoy!"

The both of them had turned around just in time for Draco to move out of the way of Ron's hex. The confrontation hadn't drawn the attention of the present teachers yet, but it wouldn't be long before it did. Her eyes widened, reaching for her own wand.

"Enjoy it while it lasts, Malfoy, because you'd have to be pretty thick to think you're going to get a happy ending with her," Ron hissed, wand raised.

Before anyone could react, Draco had drawn his own wand, eyes blazing, and Ron was suddenly on the floor, thrashing in pain. Her eyes widened as Ron's back arched, teeth clenched, and she was screaming before she knew it. With a flick of her own wand, Draco's was sailing through the air and into her hand.

He gazed at her with wide eyes, mouth parting just the slightest as he realized what he'd done. A hush had fallen over the hall, now, the only sound being that of Ron's whimpering and the sound of approaching feet as McGonagall and the rest of the present staff came to investigate. Draco quickly glanced around at the fearful faces of his schoolmates before briskly exiting the hall.

Hermione glanced down at Ron, Harry and Ginny and Neville and Dean kneeling around him, before following Draco.

He wasn't hard to find, because she could hear the sound of his expletives three corridors away. The moonlight blared into the corridor, shining a spotlight onto her pacing lover.

"Draco," she quietly called, hesitantly approaching.

"They're going to send me to Azkaban," he rushed out, fingers twisting into the strands on his head.

Hermione swallowed.

"No…we'll tell McGonagall about… She'll understand," she weakly protested, trying to convince herself.

He shook his head, approaching the window.

"We'd have to tell her everything," he quietly replied, leaning against the wall.

"They were all accidents," she said, approaching him.

Draco blinked, jaw clenching as he turned to look down at her.

"No," he whispered.

Hermione frowned in confusion.

"No?"

"Not all of them were accidents, Hermione," he replied, barely loud enough for her to hear.

She felt her heart drop to her stomach, hands sweaty and throat incredibly thick all of a sudden.

"What are you talking about?"

But she knew what he was talking about.

A bitter smirk danced over his lips as he reached out to brush a stray curl back up into her intricately styled hair.

"I didn't trip Fay. I didn't just have the intentions of hurting her. I had been thinking about it for a minute, actually, deciding how I would do it. I pushed her…with my bare hands…with the intent to kill."

Hermione opened her mouth, unsure of what to say to a truth she'd known for a while. She never had the chance to. Draco glanced up with hard eyes, a look that could kill on his face. Hermione turned around, eyes landing on Ginny as she stood there with wide eyes, mouth slightly parted in horror. There was no question as to whether or not she'd heard.

~ SD ~