Summary: Draco made a bet with his friends to seduce Harry Potter and make him say 'I love you,' to Draco in three months time. But, Draco has fallen in love with Harry Potter and discovered that he's a half-veela on the night he was to propose to Harry. The problem? Harry Potter has just found out about the bet.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter-that luxury's reserved for J. K. Rowling. I wouldn't object to sharing though. I intend for this to be a one-shot fic but we'll see how this turns out. Also, if this is OOC, I apologize! Please read and review.Harry Potter and The Half Veela
Harry Potter sat at the edge of the Astronomy Tower, fighting to keep his tears in check while he tried to deal with reality. How could he have been such a fool! How could he have fallen for his archrival? Snow fell from the heavens as if they too felt the betrayal of Draco.
Emerald eyes glazed with unshed tears stared out at the grounds of Hogwarts. He remembered everything that had happened during the first two months of school. How Draco had started helping and defending Gryffindor against ridicule from Slytherin. He remembered everything that concerned Draco and scold himself for remembering the one that had played him for a fool. Get a hold of yourself mate! his inner self screamed. He's not worth remembering!
But try as he might, he just couldn't forget the one who'd shown him the first rare glimpses of happiness and love.
-Flashback-
"Hey Harry!" Draco called.
"Hmm?" he'd answered, a bit preoccupied by his Transfiguration's homework.
"We've never really had an actual conversation before, have we?"
Harry sat up to look at Draco curiously. "What brought that on?"
Draco flushed. "Well, when you think about… we've never really gotten to know each other all that well."
Harry smiled at that. "That's because you've always been a high-strung aristocratic bastard." His attention returned to his homework. Lord, if Draco knew what he was feeling, he'd punch him.
A hand ghosted along the side of his face and he started, turning towards him. "Draco what are you-"
He kissed him.
One thing lead to another and the next thing he knew was that he was lying in bed with Draco snuggled up to him, sleeping with a soft smile on his lips
He, Harry Potter the Golden Boy had gotten thoroughly SHAGGED by Draco Malfoy, Ice Prince of Slytherin!
-End of Flashback-
Harry smiled sadly at the memory. It wasn't his first time with a guy but it had the power to knock the wind out of his sails. It was Draco Malfoy for Merlin's sake! He should have pushed him away but instead, he welcomed it.
He groaned and let his head fall to his knees. He felt so betrayed by him. He thought that Draco really saw him for himself. Instead, the only reason Draco was spending time with him was so he could win a bet! And, he didn't even have the decency to hide the fuckin' slip of parchment that held the conditions in his little 'seduction' act. He'd fallen for it like a beggar wanting affection and understanding.
Last night was probably the best thing that had ever happened to him but Draco probably thought that he was just another notch on his wand.
But then, as suddenly as it came, that betrayed feeling ended. Anger coursed through him at the thought. How dare Dra- no- Malfoy do this to him!
Draco at the moment was running through the corridors in happiness, determined to find Harry and tell him his true feelings. The bet was off! The idiotic bet he made with Pansy and the rest of the sixth years in Slytherin was off. He could finally tell Harry his true feelings without fearing that Harry would someday find out. But that wasn't the thing he was elated about. The real reason he was so happy was because of a little blessing up the family tree.
You see, several Malfoys in their history had the courage to marry magical beings, even though their families objected and some even tried at assassination. One of the beings was a veela. His five times great grandmother (yes, you heard it correctly) Alexandra Rosaline Malfoy had the guts to stand up to all her family (and it was considerably big at that time) and marry Safier, a veela prince. The veela trait had remained dormant but Draco was the unlucky one to possess it. Or lucky, depends if you're Draco or not.
He had awakened this morning to one of the most delectable scents on his birthday, December16. Harry was with him the night before and only he could have generated that sensual, delicious smell that was driving him nuts. He turned to snatch Harry close but found only empty linen sheets and an indentation on the pillow that told him it wasn't just a very delicious dream.
For some strange reason, Harry wasn't in any of his classes. Hermione and Weasley had gotten used to him sticking around them and now he asked them if they knew where Harry had gone. Pansy, the stupid bitch had latched on to him as soon as he'd entered the Great Hall and he was surprised to find how repulsed he was by her touch. Only his mate had the right to touch him. He quickly dragged Pansy to one of the empty classrooms at dinner and demanded that the bet be broken. Pansy had protested but as dumb as she was, she couldn't mistaken what his hand clenching her throat meant.
The bet was gone but now he wanted - no – needed to find Harry so he could declare his feelings for him and propose to him. He fingered the family heirloom, the one that was passed down from generations of Malfoys. The pair of silver rings had an intricate Celtic design; one that looked like it had no beginning and no end. The only adornment on it was a star gem on each. Star gems were rare and to the knowledge of the Wizarding World, only four had ever been mined.
His senses followed the cinnamon-chocolate scent to the Astronomy Tower and he halted. Something was not right. His mate was angry, that much he could tell by the bond between them. They had only completed the third stage of Bonding. The final stage was the complete baring of one's soul to his Chosen.
He had taken the first steps up the Astronomy Tower when he was suddenly and roughly pushed and bound by the wrists to the castle walls. The moonlight filtering from one of the windows had shown him that it was Terry Boot, a Ravenclaw that had him bound.
"Boot! What the hell is the meaning of this? Let go!" Draco snarled, furiously that maybe there wasn't a perfect day after all
A strange glimmer shone in his eyes. "C'mon Draco, I know you want me."
Draco turned his head in disgust. So he'd been drinking and by the smell of it, first quality firewhisky too.
Boot had leaned in when suddenly, a cold voice interrupted.
"A Ravenclaw? I thought you were better then that."
As much as he tried, Draco couldn't see the person's face but that scent told him immediately who it was. "Harry," he breathed.
Harry didn't answer and suddenly, Draco felt cold. THIS was the reason he was uneasy all day. He prodded the mental bond in his head and was alarmed to find that he'd come up against a glass wall. No matter how hard he tried, the wall stayed firm and smooth, a wall without any weaknesses.
"Harry?" he said, a faint quaver in his voice.
"What's wrong? Did you want to celebrate? Were your winnings from the bet not satisfying enough for you to want to fuck a Ravenclaw?" he asked venomously.
Draco gasped. "Harry!" he cried out softly in a broken voice. This wasn't Harry. This wasn't the kind, gentle, passionate Harry that he'd come to know and love. This wasn't him! It couldn't be him!
Harry gave a small, sad smile. "Yes, you thought I didn't know, did you? That fuckin' disgusting bet." He held up a small slip of parchment Draco immediately recognized. "You know Malfoy, you shouldn't leave things lying around so easily."
Draco shook his head frantically. 'This can't be happening,' his mind screamed. 'I just found him!' "Harry, I can explain, please lis-"
"Save it Malfoy," Harry walked down the remaining steps to face Boot. With a small flick of his hand from Harry, Boot let go of Draco and laid limply on the floor of the corridor, snoring away like he didn't have a worry in the world. Harry turned away.
As soon as he was released, Draco dashed towards Harry, desperate to make things right. "Harry please, listen to me!" He got no closer then two feet of him when he ran into a barrier.
"Harry!" Draco was despairing by now. He had to make Harry listen. He didn't know what he would do if he let Harry walk away. Draco shuddered at the thought. He couldn't believe he'd ever took part in that idiotic bet that was driving Harry further away from him every minute. His Chosen. His brave, passionate, sexy Gryffindor. His only love and he was driving him away. He couldn't accept it. He just couldn't!
"Malfoy, the bet was fulfilled. Why don't you leave me alone?"
Draco was sobbing by now. "I can't. You know I can't. I love you. You're my mate, my Chosen; I'll never leave you. Never!"
But he didn't appear to hear him. Harry kept on walking, leaving Draco to stare, heartbroken and sobbing at his fading form.
Blaise found him later, at the base of the Tower sobbing his heart out and repeatedly saying, "Forgive me, my Chosen. Please don't leave me." Blaise didn't know how to help him so he took Draco to Professor Snape's private quarters.
"What?" A snarl was heard from the other side of the door.
"Professor Snape, you've got to help him!" Blaise cried as the door to his rooms opened.
"Draco… what's happened to him?" asked Snape as stared at the sobbing form. He gestured for Blaise to put him on the couch.
"Sir, I found him at the base of the Tower like this." Blaise felt helpless. His best friend was hurt and he didn't know what to do to help him.
"Blaise, go back to the common room. I'll take care of him," he added as Blaise opened his mouth to object.
"G'night sir."
Severus Snape stared at the heartbroken form of Draco Malfoy, Ice Prince of Slytherin and his only nephew. "Dragon, what happened?" he asked soothingly, determined to get everything out of him.
"H-Harry," Draco sobbed out. That one word reduced him to tears again.
Snape stiffened. "Potter? I'll kill him!" He stood up. Potter again. That little troublemaker was at the base of every single problem.
"NO!" cried Draco as he hung onto his robes. "Please, Uncle Sev, don't hurt him."
Severus sighed. He couldn't do anything when Draco was in this condition. "What happened," he repeated.
"My C-Chosen," Draco managed to get out.
"You found your mate today? Who was it?" He knew that half-veelas had a tendency to be overprotective of their mate.
"H-Harry hates me!" he said, finally getting some control over his frazzled emotions.
"Potter's your mate? Merlin, that IS troublesome." Severus rubbed his temples. He didn't need more complications. He already had more then enough trouble with the Dark Lord increasing his attacks on the Wizarding World and the increasing detention rates. "Tell me it all from the beginning."
So Draco talked. He told his uncle everything, from the bet to the veela part to the recent break up. His tears started again when he got to Harry appearing near the base of the Tower. By the end, his lips were chewed raw from his attempts to stop his tears.
"He hates me and I can't tell him I'm a half-veela or he'd think that I'm playing another prank on him again! I can't tell just tell him 'I love you, please forgive me' either. He'd think it was part of that idiotic bet." Draco couldn't deal with it. The look on Harry's face was way too much like the time when he'd insulted his deceased mother. There was loathing for the first time since the start of sixth year and was mixed with betrayal. He just couldn't deal with it. So, in the end, his body decided the escape for him.
He fainted.
Severus rushed towards him. "Dragon, how're we going to get you out of this mess?" he murmured as he levitated him to a cot he conjured.
There was tension in the air next morning as Harry entered the Great Hall. He sat with Hermione and Ron, ignoring their attempts to pry out the facts of last night. He'd come rushing in from the common room and had placed a silencing spell and a barrier around his bed so he could sob his heart out in peace.
Harry sat with his back to the Slytherin table, an action that was noticed by all. Harry had rarely sat with his back to the Slytherins if ever since the beginning of sixth year.
Draco came in the Great Hall looking so crushed. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his normally well-groomed hair looked like it hadn't seen a comb since yesterday. He almost skipped breakfast because he couldn't face Harry. Everyone saw his beaten form. Severus was especially worried and barely restrained himself from dragging Potter out the Great Hall and demanding that he make peace with Draco after what happened. Yes, Draco did lie to him but he wanted to prevent what was happening now.
Halfway through breakfast, Harry noticed a disturbance in the cold air. A tipping of the balance in Hogwarts was the best way he could've described it. He stood up, his ebony haired head tilting this way and that cautiously.
Dumbledore noted Harry's form with worry. He too stood up. "Is it…?"
Everyone was quiet as they watched the unspoken exchange. Harry nodded gravely. "Yes."
The teachers exploded into action. Explaining as quickly and as clearly as they could to their different houses, they told the school that all first, second, third and fourth years were to make their way with Professor Sprout to the underground passages. The rest were to be formed into a battle formation.
Many were unsurprised when Dumbledore announce that the time had come to fight. No sooner did he say this then the wall behind the teacher's table exploded with great force, showering all remaining with rubble.
The battle had begun.
By some unspoken agreement, everyone in the room left the Dark Lord to Harry. The Deatheaters knew of this and did their best to obstruct the Dark Lord. A wave of teachers and students attacked ferociously. This was the final battle and they were all determined to win it, be it Light or Dark.
"Draco!" cried Lucius furiously. "You ungrateful brat!" he said as his only heir took down McNair and Avery and with a simple Wingardium Leviosa, causing a large piece of rubble to fall upon them.
Draco looked at his father then around him with a calculated surprised glance. Lucius fell for the trick and Draco stunned him before you could've said Slytherin. A bit of veela magic bound him and kept him unconscious and out of the way until the Ministry came for prisoners.
Harry hit someone's back and spun around, the other doing the same. "Ron! You alright?" Snow had blown in from the destroyed wall and made it all that more difficult to fight in.
Ron gave a feral smile. "This is it mate. Let's do it!"
Harry nodded, praying to the gods that his friends made it out in one piece.
The way to Voldemort was clear. The Dark Lord knew that too.
"Potter," the Dark lord hissed out.
"Tom," Harry said calmly.
He hissed angrily.
"Let's have a little one-on-one, shall we?" Harry asked as he came face to face with the nightmarish creature before him. There was no longer fear inside him.
Voldemort gave an ugly smile before creating a barrier large enough to give them quite a bit of room near the front of the hall. It would be a fight to the death for one of them.
"NO!" Draco cried out. He'd lost Harry once; he didn't want to lose him a second time to death.
Nearly all action stopped to watch the magical fight inside the bubble. Dust and smoke clouded the barrier making it difficult for those outside to determine who had the upper hand. All of them silently agree that whoever emerged would be the victor for the entire battle. Unnecessary fighting wasn't needed though there were a few who tried. Those who tried were all Deatheaters, who were surprisingly stunned by their own people. The stunners told the victims to 'shut your trap' and turned back to watch the fight intently for a victor.
It took nearly all of Ron, Seamus, Dean and Blaise's strength to prevent him from rushing towards the barrier. Even that human barrier was strained to its limits. Draco's vela strength was nearly unstoppable when the life of his Chosen was at risk.
"Let me go! Harry needs me!" cried Draco in determination and anguish as he fought to be free of the restraints. "That bastard's going to murder him. Let me GO!"
"Malfoy!" Ron shouted. Draco looked at him. "Get a hold on yourself. Harry needs to do this himself."
Draco sank down sobbing. "I can't lose him. I can't go through that again. I love him."
There, he said it. Those who were unclear to the situation between Draco and Harry became notified. Those who suspected had their suspicions proved. But none of that mattered. To Draco, the only thing that mattered was that Harry get out of that barrier as safe as he could be after a fight against the Dark Lord. He didn't care if he got forgiveness or not as long as Harry got out there alive and safe.
Meanwhile, Inside the Barrier
"Playing hero again?" asked Voldemort. "Look what happened the last time you tried. The boy died. Why don't you just give up right now?"
Harry ignored him, even though it didn't manage to stop the guilt and concentrated on dogging all the curses. Although he did manage to get hit by a few Imperio spells, he threw them off pretty quickly as Professor Snape taught him. This is probably the only time I'll hear myself blessing Snape, he thought with grim humor.
The physical training helped as well. Dodging and ducking spells no longer took his breath away. The training from Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt did have its use after all.
A blinding spell rendered Voldemort useless for some time and Harry took the time to do his most complex summoning.
Harry did a complex dark spell that involved 'gifting' one's opponent's soul to the demon hound Cerberus as food. This spell involved the use of blood magic and since he was the heir of Gryffindor and the indirect heir to Slytherin, his magic was plenty strong.
He took the Dagger of Sacrifice when it appeared and sliced his wrist so three droplets of blood dripped towards the floor. Three drops. Past, present and future. This was to ensure the complete destruction of his opponent and he couldn't risk letting Voldemort coming back to life again.
The Dark Lord straightened just as Harry finished the ritual/spell. The true and complete essence of Cerberus rose from the ground as it was summoned.
"You summon me again mortal?" asked Cerberus in Demonic.
"By blood rite, I sacrifice the soul of the man standing before you," Harry said. He understood Cerberus He had done this once before when the souls of a long deceased Dark Legion attacked him in the midst of the Forbidden Forest.
Cerberus sat looking at Voldemort for a long time, his silvery essence waving. "I cannot take the soul of one who is already dead."
"What?" Harry exclaimed.
"If you wish to vanquish him, then you must simply snap his wand. That is the only thing connecting him to the living. His soul is already among the depths of hell. I would be glad to devour his soul for you. He has terrorized the souls in hell long enough and as annoyed me for quite sometime."
Harry bowed. "I thank you."
The three-headed dog nodded before his silvery essence disappeared into the granite floor.
He let Voldemort get under his guard while he thought about his words. Spell after spell of two of the three Unforgivable curses were cast upon Harry's body as well as quite a few of cutting and puncturing spells.
All of Harry's friends shouted for Harry's pain. Quite a few of them tried to stop the duel but were instead knocked unconscious by Deatheaters. Ron and Hermione cast the best counter spells they knew but all of that just bounced off the barrier.
None of them, however, compared to Draco when he saw Harry in that state.
His screams of pain echoed both inside and outside the barrier. Draco went totally crazy at the sound of his mate's anguish echoing around him. He didn't care if this was Harry's fight. He was dying!
Draco threw Ron, Seamus, Dean and Blaise off him with inhuman strength and rushed towards Harry, uncaring if he got hurt in the process. He knew from experience that most people could only stand the Cruciatus and Imperius curse for a maximum of a minute before they went totally mad with pain or died from it. He couldn't let that happen to Harry. He would die before letting his mate die from an insane maniac.
Harry fell to the floor, writhing and twitching, though he refused to let more screams from his mouth satisfied the demented bastard. His pain showed through with the blood that trickled from his mouth. He'd bitten the inside of his cheek raw through.
"Harry!" screamed Draco. His voice, laced with despair, triggered his Transformation. No longer was he Draco Malfoy, Ice Prince of Slytherin. He became Draconis, half-veela with silvery-black wings and the full determination of a descendant of the veela prince Safier. His platinum blond hair grew until it reached his waist and the Transformation changed his eyes from a storm-gray to a beautiful silvery sheen.
"Harry, you have to let me in. Please," pleaded Draconis. He needed Harry to let down the wall that had come between them in their bond. He couldn't let his mate die without a true chance of letting him know that he loved him… even if it meant Harry's hatred for the rest of his life. He could bear anything as long as he didn't have to watch Harry die in front of him. He kept on screaming, hoping that somehow, his words would reach Harry.
From far off, Harry heard someone scream his name. Someone he knew. Someone he loved- no, loves. Something about letting the barriers in his mind down. 'No, his mind screamed. 'What if it was a trap?' Harry didn't care. All he knew was that the ones he love and trust didn't betray him. So he let his walls down.
Draconis nearly wept with relief at the trust he could now feel through the bond. He would do anything it took to keep that trust with him. Without hesitation, he shoved what remained of his powers to Harry through their bond.
Energy filled Harry, enough for him to lift his wand slightly towards Voldemort and rasped out, "Accio wand."
Caught off guard, the Dark Lord's wand flew towards him and with the last of his strength, snapped it in half with the help of his knee.
The wad crumbled in his hand. Voldemort had just enough time to scream before he too crumbled into dust. From the distance near Death, he could hear the crunching of Cerberus.
He gave a faint smile before his eyes slipped close. He felt a pair of loving arms tenderly holding him. The last thing he heard with 'I love you. Don't leave me,' before he slipped into darkness.
The barrier vanished.
Deatheaters scattered in a panic only to be stunned and bound by Professor McGonagall.
Draconis changed back into plain Draco without his powers. Reaching Harry's side, he hugged him close.
"Madam Pomfrey!" he screamed. "Anyone!" Tears dripped from his face onto Harry's wounds. "Don't leave me alone. Live, live for me. Please… I love you, don't leave me alone," he muttered as he rocked back and forth, cradling Harry tenderly. He too fell unconscious before a battered Madam Pomfrey rushed over.
When he awoke, it was with Harry by his side, still unconscious and Dumbledore looking at him. Draco was frantic about Harry.
"How is he?" Draco asked as he brushed a tender kiss over Harry's brow.
"I'm afraid he has less then a fifty percent chance to wake," Dumbledore said sadly.
Draco's eyes turned furious. "No! Get out!" he said angrily, bodily throwing the Headmaster out the Hospital Wing before turning his eyes on Harry.
"You can't leave me," he whispered brokenly before weeping at Harry's side.
It is said that he keep vigilance over Harry for weeks. All his friends came and went everyday but Draco was the only one who stayed by his side. His beautiful features were haggard but he still maintained that quality that made him uniquely Draco. Lucius and the rest of the Deatheaters' trials had come and gone and they were all given a life sentence to Azkaban. The Daily Prophet had printed all they knew about the battle and called Harry a 'courageous man who saved the wizarding world.'
Over five weeks had past and Draco was losing hope.
"Come back to me. I can't lose you," Draco whispered as he clasped Harry's hand in his.
He couldn't do this anymore. Tenderly, Draco bent over and kissed Harry's forehead. "I love you."
A small twitch in Harry's hand startled him. He'd had so much false hope over the time. He couldn't bear to hope and lose again. Another twitch came and it wasn't until the third one that Draco was finally convinced that Harry was really conscious.
He waited patiently, gray eyes brimming with unshed tears before Harry opened his eyes for the first time in over five weeks. "Water," he rasped out. Draco leaped for a glass of water and helped Harry sit up before tilting the glass so he could drink.
"'Lo Draco," Harry rasped finally as he got a good look at his face.
The tears finally came out and Draco hugged him tightly, fearing that if he let go even the slightest bit, Harry would slip away from him again. "Love you… I love you so much," he muttered as he rocked back and forth with Harry in his arms. "Forgive me please. I'd ended the bet. I'd never do that again." Draco was shaking with anxiety. Would Harry forgive him or was he doomed to live for the rest of his life without Harry by his side?
"Draco," Harry murmured. "I love you."
Draco looked at him with growing hope. "You won't leave me?" He winced as his words came out needy. It was tough. He couldn't lose him again.
"I forgive you."
Those were the words he needed and he pounced on Harry with happiness.
Over the next few days, Harry's recovery was rapid. Draco didn't let Harry out of his sight for more then two minutes before he rushed in to make sure his boyfriend was still there. It was hard for him to get over his fright of losing Harry but they were working on it.
Harry and Draco did the Bonding Ceremony in the newly rebuilt and structured Great Hall. The star gems shone as if they too celebrated the Chosen and his mate. They also exchanged wedding vows there with Ron as Harry's best man and Blaise as Draco's. It wouldn't be a bump-less ride but Draco and Harry were finally together, for better or for worse.
The Wizarding World finally was at peace.
Finite
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