Harry could only glare as his mate stood, collected his books, and exited the classroom as swiftly as possible. A mumbled 'see you later,' the only words Harry received before Draco departed. In fact, they were the only words Draco had spoken to him all morning - and now it was lunch time and Harry was to meet Dean in the courtyard. He hadn't even had a chance to remind Draco about the meeting, so it looked like he was on his own.
"What on earth is going on?" Hermione asked in exasperation as she watched Draco's blond head disappear out the door.
Ron cleared his throat as he shoved his books into his tattered school bag. "Yeah, people are beginning to talk, mate. They think you and Malfoy are having problems, and that maybe you've decided against the mateship. I mean, you don't even have a-"
"Ron!" Hermione hissed. "Harry doesn't need to know what people are saying."
"I don't have what?" Harry asked with a frown as he slung his bag over his shoulder and slowly walked with them from the classroom.
"Er…" Ron glanced at Hermione before replying. "A claiming mark."
Harry gaped furiously. "How is that anyone's business?"
"It's not," Hermione responded immediately, glaring at Ron. "It doesn't matter if you ever get one Harry, what matters is that you're happy, and we're worried that… Well, that you're not."
"I'm fine," Harry replied crossly. "And perhaps I do have a claiming mark and it's located somewhere no one can see it!" he added hotly, causing Ron to grimace. Harry rolled his eyes and stopped to face them in the busy corridor. "Look, no relationship is perfect right? We're just trying to work through some… some family stuff. I don't want to end the mateship or anything like that, I want to be with Draco and that isn't going to change, all right?"
Ron nodded while Hermione frowned, looking as though she wanted to say more.
Harry sighed. "Look, I have somewhere to be, I'll talk to you later, okay?" he said, taking a step back, eyes flicking between his two best friends. He knew he couldn't hold them off forever; he would have to tell them something eventually to appease their concern. At least having Lucius and Narcissa as in-laws was an excellent cover story for any tension in his budding relationship with Draco.
"Promise?" Hermione said, a clear warning in her tone.
"Yes, promise," Harry answered quickly as he walked backwards, away from them. "Sorry have to run!"
Harry turned and strode off up the corridor, leaving his friends staring after him. He would need to discuss all this with his mate to ensure that they had matching stories, he knew how determined Hermione could get when she was suspicious about something; a bit like a dog with a bone. It was all very inconvenient when you were trying to keep an important secret. He suddenly knew how Draco had felt back in sixth year when Harry had been suspicious of all of his mysterious activities.
Harry frowned in thought as he walked, wondering where Draco was having lunch, and what it was that had caused him to put up a wall between them this morning. His insecure subconscious tried to tell him that perhaps Draco thought he was lousy in bed, but his more rational side knew that would be the last thing on Draco's mind right now.
He would have to force his obstinate mate to talk to him later, but right now he needed to focus on interrogating Dean without coming across as completely mental.
Harry walked into the chilly courtyard; the late September sun hidden by a thick layer of clouds. He paused under the stone archway while he pulled his cloak tighter around himself. He quickly spotted Dean seated on a bench underneath one of the large oak trees and made his way over. He sat down next to the tall Gryffindor with a friendly smile, placing his heavy bag on the crushed gravel at their feet.
"Hey Harry," Dean smiled in greeting as he removed a pair of grey woollen gloves from his bag and slipped them on.
"Good idea," Harry said, turning to withdraw a pair of fuzzy, black gloves from his own bag.
"So… was it the Potions essay you needed help with?" Dean asked, reaching for the heavy text text sitting next to him on the bench.
"Erm, no not really," Harry answered awkwardly. "I actually wanted to speak to you about the uh… attack."
Dean's eyes widened and he glanced around the nearly empty courtyard before replying. "I already apologised for that, I… I don't know what else-"
"Oh!" Harry quickly interrupted, cheeks heating. "No, not… not that. The attack that happened to you. Near the lake."
"Oh." Dean's expression cleared and he smiled in embarrassment. "Sorry."
Harry couldn't' help but smile back. "Don't worry about it."
"What did you want to know?" Dean asked, slipping his Potions book back into his bag.
Harry was relieved to see that it didn't look as though Dean was reluctant to discuss the incident. "I was just wondering if anyone had been caught yet or if you had any idea who it was?"
Dean blinked in surprise. "No on both counts I'm afraid. I don't think they're even investigating it anymore. To be fair, there wasn't much information to go on."
"What do you remember?"
Dean sighed and looked at the ground as he shook his head. "Not much. I was walking near the lake and had stopped to take off my scarf because I was getting a little warm and next thing I knew, something had slammed into my back, throwing me forward onto the ground. Everything went black after that."
Harry tried to picture the scene in his head. "Do you think it was a spell that pushed you or a person?"
Dean frowned in thought. "I think it may have been a spell because, from what I remember, it was a single point of contact, not like two hands pushing against me. And it was quite strong."
"Did you hear anyone casting?" Harry asked. "To at least identify if it was male or female?"
"No." Dean promptly shook his head. "If it was a spell then it was done non-verbally."
Harry nodded, absorbing every detail. "So in your mind, could it have been a wild animal or something from the Forest, or are you fairly certain it was a witch or wizard?"
Dean smiled, bemused. "Why the sudden interest?"
Harry shrugged. "You know me, can't let a mystery go unsolved."
Dean chuckled. "Yeah, I do know you."
Harry smiled and noticed a few students openly watching them with interest from the other side of the courtyard. Harry narrowed his eyes at them before turning back to Dean.
"So… no wild animals or magical creatures then?" he prompted.
Dean leaned against the back of the bench and crossed his legs at the ankle. "No I don't think so. There was no noise. Whoever it was, they were completely silent, can't think of many animals around here like that. "
Harry nodded in agreement. "So they probably used some sort of powerful form of Stupefy to knock you out first," he mused aloud.
"But why?" Dean replied, staring unseeing across the quiet courtyard. "Why stun me and then harm me while I'm unconscious, but not severely enough to kill me? What would be the point?"
"And then leave you out in the open so that someone could find you?" Harry added, just as puzzled. He shook his head and then removed a notebook and quill from his bag. Spreading it open on his lap, he began to scratch out some notes. "Okay, so what time of day was the attack?"
A slow smile spread across Dean's face as he shook his head. "Merlin Harry, perhaps you should work at the Prophet after you leave here."
"Not a chance," Harry laughed.
Dean grinned. "The attack happened just before lunch on the Saturday," he said.
Harry jotted that down then chewed on the end of his quill. "Is there anyone here you would have reason to be suspicious of?" he asked, glancing up.
Dean shifted uncomfortably. "Well… I suppose the only person I would be somewhat suspicious of is Malfoy."
Harry had been expecting that but it still wrenched at him to hear it. The urge to protect his mate was definitely a strong one. "Because of what happened between you and me?" he asked, trying his best to sound impartial.
Dean nodded, looking apologetic. "He's the only one that I can think of that would have a plausible motive. No one knows that I suspect him though," he quickly added. "I didn't know about the two of you at the time of the attack so when McGonagall and the Aurors asked the same question, I didn't have an answer."
Harry raised his brow in surprise. "And you haven't gone back to them since you found out?"
Dean shrugged and glanced up at the watching students who were too far away to overhear anything. "I didn't want to tell McGonagall what I'd done to you; I didn't want to be expelled." He shrugged, looking a little shame-faced. "I figured if it had been Malfoy, I couldn't blame him for wanting to get some sort of revenge on me for what I did to you, and if I just left you alone then he probably wouldn't do it again."
Harry frowned. "That's no excuse," he said. "I would never allow a mate of mine to do something like that."
Dean nodded. "I know, unfortunately it's the only hint of a lead that I have. This might have to be one mystery that goes unsolved - unless it happens again."
"Yeah, I guess so." Harry sighed and forced a smile, disappointed that he hadn't uncovered anything of use. "Thanks for talking to me."
The two Gryffindors stood and collected their things.
"Going to the Hall for lunch?" Dean asked.
"Yeah, you?"
"Yeah, I'm famished."
"I'll walk with you," Harry said as he fell into step beside his house-mate.
"Are you sure Malfoy won't mind?" Dean asked and Harry wasn't entirely sure whether Dean was joking or not.
"Of course not," Harry replied easily. "He's not like that."
Dean snorted as he slanted a glance at him. "All Alphas are like that Harry. No exceptions."
"Draco's not." Harry shrugged.
Dean chuckled and shook his head. "I suppose I'll just have to trust you to keep a short lead on him."
Harry glared but couldn't help breaking into a grin as he pictured Draco in his Nundu form wearing a collar with Harry holding the lead. "I must confess Draco was a little bit jealous of Blaise wanting to go to Hogsmeade with me, so I guess he's not completely innocent."
Not to mention how Draco growled at the other Nundu at the Board meeting, but Harry couldn't volunteer that particular piece of information.
"Jealousy does strange things to a person," Dean commented wryly as they walked through the quiet school corridor.
Harry suddenly stopped in his tracks, eyes widening and mind ticking over faster than he could keep up.
What if someone had attacked Dean, not to get revenge on him, but to get revenge on Draco?
"Harry?" Dean had stopped a few paces ahead and turned when he noticed that Harry was no longer beside him. "Something wrong?"
"Uh…" Harry blinked, eyes a little glazed as he swiftly began to piece together the puzzle in his head. "No, you go ahead; I just remembered something I need to do."
"You sure?" Dean asked with concern.
Harry nodded and wheeled around to walk in the opposite direction. He ducked into the first empty classroom he came across and closed the door, leaning back against it, heart pounding.
"The Greengrasses…" Harry whispered aloud, staring unseeing across the empty room.
Astoria Greengrass had been promised to Draco almost since birth. Draco had mentioned that Astoria's family knew about the existence of Nundu already, which was why she was a good match for him. Astoria took every opportunity to flirt with Draco and spend time with him; she was clearly infatuated with him…
Could that pretty little blonde really have orchestrated such a vicious attack just because Draco had broken her heart though? An implication that would mean Draco's imminent execution and death?
Harry frowned; he didn't want to believe it but he also knew that it was a theory worth investigating.
He needed to speak to his mate; Draco would have a better idea of what Astoria was capable of.
Harry shoved away from the door and opened it, stepping out into the quiet corridor and swiftly making his way up to the third floor corridor. If Draco was attempting to avoid him, then he probably wouldn't be taking lunch in the Great Hall. Hopefully he had chosen their room to hide out in.
Harry touched his wand to the wooden door of their room and it instantly swung open.
Draco was seated inside at the large desk near the window, a single plate of cold chicken sandwiches and biscuits next to his open schoolwork and a steaming pot of tea.
"There you are," Harry exclaimed with relief, shutting the door behind him and dropping his bag to the floor, glad that he wouldn't have to run all over the castle trying to locate him before afternoon classes began.
"Mm hmm…" Draco hummed in response, not bothering to look up.
Harry scowled at the side of Draco's head, his temper quickly rising; he was tired, stressed, hungry - and he'd had enough of his mate's shit.
Harry clenched his jaw and stormed over to the desk, his magic crackling outwards and abruptly pushing all of Draco's books and papers off the surface of the desk, the plate of food and tea things all crashing alongside it to the flagstone floor and smashing into pieces.
Draco jumped back in his chair, trying to escape the hot tea splashing everywhere, and then glared up at Harry. "What was that for?" he demanded furiously.
"I am trying to get your attention you complete wanker!" Harry bit out roughly, his hands balled into fists. "If breaking things is the only way to get it then that's what I'll fucking do!"
Draco's expression immediately shuttered. "You have my attention now Potter, what do you want?"
Harry saw red. He wanted to scream and throw something, preferably at the cool, distant expression on his mate's face. He turned away from Draco and paced across the room, one hand pulling at his hair fretfully.
"What do I want?" he exclaimed angrily, spinning to face him again. "I want my fucking mate back! I want to work together to figure this out. I also want to go back in time to this morning and not wake up alone! You fucking abandoned me and then ignored me all day as though I'd done something wrong." Harry exhaled heavily and turned away, body shaking, his doubt and insecurity and hurt all creeping back in and pushing out the anger, leaving him feeling suddenly defeated. "I dunno, maybe you're just having second thoughts about us…"
Harry heard a sharp inhalation and then the scraping of a chair. He raised his head and caught Draco's stricken expression before he was firmly pulled into his mate's arms and held tight.
Harry could physically feel the tension drain out of his body like water. He'd forgotten that being separated from his mate would have such a tangible effect on him; that his health and well-being were actually tied up with Draco's proximity and the degree of contact in their relationship. It was just one of the side-effects of having a mate which he wasn't accustomed to yet.
"I'm sorry," Draco mumbled into his hair. "I can't believe I made you feel that way, that couldn't be further from the truth. I… I'm not used to this; I'm used to working things out on my own and keeping to myself when things get difficult."
Harry pulled back and looked his mate in the eye. "And keeping your emotions to yourself?"
Draco nodded stiffly and Harry sensed how hard it was for his mate to admit that.
"Bad Alpha," Harry whispered with faux disapproval, an affectionate smile beginning to tug at his lips, the fight having completely drained out of him at the sight of Draco's exposed vulnerability.
"I'm clearly not handling the relationship thing very well, am I?"
Harry shook his head. "It's okay, this is all new to me too."
"It's not okay," Draco continued with a slight frown. "Regardless of my shortcomings due to my rather unconventional upbringing, my mate should always come first," he said, as though reciting from the Alpha Handbook.
Harry snorted. "Don't be daft. Equal partnership, remember?"
Draco's expression softened as he smiled a little and Harry was so relieved to see it that he pressed a kiss to his lips, and then another one, just because he could, before taking a step back.
"There's something I need to talk to you about," he said earnestly, wanting to get back to the original reason for trying to find his mate.
Harry walked over to perch on the edge of the wide desk, waving a hand over the mess on the floor to wandlessly clean it up and set things back to the way they were before he'd thrown a paddy. Unfortunately the food and tea were a lost cause.
Draco sat next to him, crossing his arms over his chest, waiting for Harry to continue.
"I spoke to Dean," he began.
"I know," Draco cut in. "Do you know how many Slytherins warned me that you were planning to replace me?"
Harry glanced at him, unable to supress a grin. "Hardly surprising when we suddenly have breakfast at separate tables and don't speak to each other," he pointed out. "You were invited, if you remember correctly. You could've been there to stop any nasty rumours from spreading."
"I imagine whatever information Mr. Thomas had to provide, it wouldn't have come so easily if I had been involved," Draco drawled in response.
Harry smiled. "Yeah, you're probably right."
"And did he have anything worth knowing?"
Harry felt a flicker of nervousness, wondering how Draco was going to take his speculation. "No not really, but I sort of had an epiphany of sorts while I was speaking to him."
Draco arched a brow, a clear indication for him to continue.
Harry swallowed and looked at the damp spot on the floor where the spilt tea had begun to soak into the stone. "Well… I began to wonder if perhaps Dean was attacked in the way he was because someone wanted it to look as though you had done it; in order to frame you. Implicate you," he modified, unsure as to whether 'frame' was a Muggle term or not.
"I came to the same conclusion," Draco replied with a nod, tucking his hair back behind his ear when it came loose to fall over his eye.
"Really?" Harry replied. "Did you come up with a possible suspect too?"
"It had to have been someone who knows about my true nature," he replied slowly. "There aren't that many at Hogwarts whom are acquainted with the truth. Unless it was someone outside of the school population, in which case, we don't have any possible leads."
"But who on the outside would want to do that?" Harry replied with a frown. "Surely a student here at Hogwarts has more motive than some random clan member?"
Draco turned to him with a raised brow. "Such as?"
Harry hesitated, biting his bottom lip. "Erm, someone like Astoria Greengrass?"
Draco's grey eyes widened. "You suspect Astoria?" he replied, taken aback. "Why?"
Harry was surprised that it obviously hadn't crossed Draco's mind. "Because she was promised to you. Any time I saw the two of you together, she seemed to be quite taken with you. Plus her family knows the truth."
Draco's forehead creased in consideration. "Yes, her older brother and father are both in the clan," he said distractedly. "But… I don't think Astoria would be capable of such a thing. You don't know her; she's very sweet and caring, not vindictive in the slightest."
Harry ignored the hot flash of jealousy that curdled his insides at Draco's charitable description of his ex. He swallowed the sharp retort that rose unbidden to his lips, surprised by its intensity.
"But she must be heartbroken that you chose me," he said instead. "She had her whole life planned out and now she has to find someone else."
"She always knew there was a chance we wouldn't marry though," Draco replied slowly, thoughtfully. "She has yet to come into her inheritance, and if she had become a Beta, then our arrangement would have been negated."
Harry frowned. "But how likely is that?"
"Not very," Draco admitted with a sigh, leaning back on his hands behind him. "Her family is one of the oldest Pureblood families, the Greengrass' go back generations. Odds are that she will be an Omega."
"But not a guarantee," Harry added, considering. He looked at Draco. "So you don't think there's a chance that she could have done it? Or asked someone else to do it for her?"
"I sincerely doubt it."
"Couldn't we just use Veritaserum on her?" Harry asked.
Draco shook his head. "Veritaserum doesn't work on our kind. It can also make us quite ill."
"But Astoria's not…?" Harry frowned in confusion.
"No, but her father is and it's been proven to be less effective even in the same family, and I wouldn't wish to base our case on a method that can be easily manipulated."
"Well fuck," Harry said with frustration.
They fell into a thoughtful silence for a few minutes.
"But perhaps we shouldn't discount her completely," Draco eventually said with a concentrated frown.
Harry looked up. "What makes you say that?"
"She told me whom her parents had selected to replace me as her future intended and she wasn't happy with their choice."
Harry's eyes lit with a tiny spark of hope. "Really? Well, that's something, isn't it?"
"It could be," Draco replied pensively.
"Anything is possible when dealing with a Slytherin, right?" Harry replied with a slight smirk.
. . . .
"Damn you and your bloody optimism Potter."
Harry glanced over at his mate and gave his hand a comforting squeeze. They were just about to walk into the designated meeting room at Sloane Estate for Draco's official Board inquiry. The meeting was being held in the Board Chair's personal estate home, which managed to comfort Harry a little; he sensed that the man had a soft spot for his mate and he hoped Hugh would try his utmost to protect Draco from a guilty sentence.
Harry swallowed and tried not to think about what would happen if Draco was found guilty, he'd been avoiding envisioning such a thing as it was all too horrible to comprehend. He would have to watch them execute his mate before being dragged off and forced to live out the remainder of his life with some other Alpha. A part of him couldn't believe he'd aligned himself with a group of people who seemed so uncaring and sadistic - and yet another part of him knew he wouldn't change being Draco's mate for anything.
This past week had shown him just how well-suited they were for each other and that, despite going through a tremendously difficult situation, they were still somehow able to overcome the strain and tension, and their relationship was all the stronger for it.
"Optimism is the only weapon you have sometimes," Harry muttered in response, eyeing the deep blue double doors at the end of the hall.
"Spoken like a true Gryffindor," Draco replied but his tone was lacking its usual bite.
Harry stopped them just before the doors, ignoring the small house-elf who had been leading them and who was now glaring at the delay.
"It's going to be fine," Harry said firmly, reaching up to grip Draco's chin with his fingers and turning his face towards him. Whatever Harry was feeling, he knew he had to try to remain calm and confident - for Draco's sake. It was his mate's life on the line, not his. Draco had the most to lose, the most to fear. "I won't leave your side in there," Harry promised.
Draco swallowed and nodded, and Harry could see the warring emotions in his eyes; fear and anxiety, and struggling to rein it all in in true Malfoy fashion. Draco had stopped trying to shut Harry out after that first day, but he still had problems freely acknowledging what it was he was feeling. Harry had come to realise that Draco was scared to show any vulnerability in fear of it changing Harry's opinion of him, or of appearing weak to his mate. The combination of being an Alpha and a Malfoy was an emotionally stunting mix, and although it could be utterly frustrating, Harry also couldn't help but find it endearing too.
"Have you ever known me to lose?" Harry added lightly, forcing a smile.
That seemed to snap Draco out of his mounting haze of panic and he took Harry's hand in his and squeezed it. "What could go wrong with the Boy-Who-Lived on my side, right?"
Harry smiled encouragingly before turning to the house-elf and giving him a nod to show that they were ready to proceed.
The little elf, clad only in two washcloths held up by a thin piece of pink rope, opened the doors with a snap of his bony fingers.
Harry took a deep breath and let it out slowly as they walked forward, his heart pounding furiously in his chest. It was a much smaller group this time that was gathered before the Board. No children were present and almost all of the assembly were in their cat form, but seated and still, just the odd twitch and flicker of a long tail disturbing the stillness.
Harry spotted Narcissa seated in a chair off to the side, her pale blonde head held high and expression focussed. There was a large, elegant cat standing next to her which Harry could only assume was Lucius. There were two empty chairs set up in front of the Board who were sat behind a long black desk in the centre of the rather cold room.
Harry lifted his chin and moved forward beside Draco, who at a glance was cool and composed, only his tight hold on Harry's hand giving him away to be anything other than perfectly poised.
They took their seats in the two chairs and nodded in greeting at the silently observing Board.
Hugh Sloan cleared his throat and shifted some parchment in front of him. He raised sombre eyes to Harry and Draco. "I wish it was under more agreeable circumstances that we meet again gentlemen, but as a serious accusation has been brought forth we must of course investigate its legitimacy."
"Of course," Draco accepted steadily, gaze unwavering.
Hugh nodded at him and glanced down at the documents in front of him. "Now, the student in question who was attacked is not one of our clan and so we cannot question him with regards to this matter."
"I spoke to him sir," Harry interjected as respectfully as he could. "Without revealing the truth behind my interest of course."
Hugh looked up. "And?"
"He couldn't remember much of the attack, only that it was most likely a spell that knocked him out first and not physical force."
"But no details on the actual attacker?" Perpetua Bagnold asked.
Harry shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not."
Hugh sighed heavily. "I must ask if you have any evidence at all of this attack being carried out by anyone other than young Mr. Malfoy."
Harry shared a look with his mate and Draco turned to the Board Chair.
"We don't have physical evidence or a witness to the attack, but we do have someone whom we suspect," he stated.
"And who is that?" Terence Fancourt asked, quill poised over his parchment.
Draco glanced at Harry before continuing in a strong voice. "Astoria Greengrass."
There were some low rumblings from the gathered clan and Harry had to force himself to keep his gaze facing front; he knew Astoria's parents were most likely present.
The Board members all seemed to be taken off-guard by this statement, some of them glancing at each other with raised brows or frowns of disbelief.
"And what makes you think it was Miss Greengrass?" Sophie McDougal finally asked with narrowed eyes, one hand resting atop her pregnant stomach, thumb rubbing in unconscious circles.
"I was originally promised to her," Draco explained clearly. "She has always been obvious about her attraction to me and often spoke fondly of our future life together. It was clear that she was pleased with the arrangement."
The Board all looked to Harry for a moment and Harry could see their minds working through this new information.
"Astoria, along with the rest of my house-mates, knew of my regard for Harry. I began to spend time with him and I believe she knew of my intentions and that her place by my side was suddenly at risk."
"And so you think that she - in a fit of anger and revenge - attacked a student so that it appeared as though youhad done it?" Lorcan Hipwell asked sceptically. "Would she not have simply attacked Mr. Potter instead?"
Harry remembered Lorcan from the last meeting; he'd been the young, horrible Board member who had demanded that Harry be Obliviated.
"You do not simply kill off Harry Potter," Draco replied, a slight smirk quirking his lips and causing Harry to be amazed by his calm demeanour. "If the Dark Lord couldn't do it then a seventeen year old girl certainly wasn't going to achieve it." Draco's expression turned serious once more. "Astoria is one of the very few at Hogwarts who knows of our kind and would know exactly how to implicate me."
"I was told that the victim, this… Dean Thomas," Mr. Fancourt said, glancing down at the parchment in front of him, "had assaulted Mr. Potter only the day before he was attacked. It would seem that you, Mr. Malfoy, have the more likely motive."
Draco staunchly held Mr. Fancourt's gaze. "When the news of Dean Thomas' assault on Harry spread through Slytherin house, I believe that's when Astoria saw her chance."
"May I ask a question Mr. Sloan?" Harry interrupted, looking to the Board Chair.
"You may."
Harry licked his lips and kept his gaze on Hugh, ignoring the suspicious looks from the other Board members. "If Draco, or any other Nundu, transformed into their cat form in order to attack someone in vengeance, tell me, would that person have walked away from the incident?"
Hugh frowned, considering the question.
"Or perhaps a better question would be: has anyone everwalked away from being attacked by a Nundu?" Harry amended, leaning forward in his seat.
Surprisingly it was Lorcan who answered. "The only people to ever survive a Nundu attack are fellow Nundu," he said arrogantly, "and even then, they are almost always severely injured."
Harry privately thought Lorcan looked quite proud of that fact but Harry didn't care in that moment if it supported their case.
"This is true…" Hugh murmured, glancing at the other Board members to ensure that this point had been received by all of them.
"Astoria Greengrass would be capable of using magic to injure another student but I do not think she would have been willing to kill him," Draco added, looking between the Board members, clearly sensing their vacillating positions. "I believe she injured Mr. Thomas with a shallow cutting curse, left him out in the open to ensure that a passerby would happen across him, and then brought her accusation to the Board in order to enact her revenge on me." Draco paused and arched a brow. "She was the one who brought forth the accusation, was she not?"
Harry held his breath while Hugh pressed his lips together, deliberating.
"Yes she was," Sophie McDougal replied stridently before Hugh could make a sound.
Harry started and spun around in his seat when there was a very loud roar from behind them which seemed to vibrate through the floor itself. He immediately withdrew his wand and held it clenched in one hand as he quickly tried to seek out the source of the outrage. Draco, meanwhile, had stood up out of his seat and placed a knee on the side of Harry's chair, hovering over him like a human shield, his free hand gripping his wand and leveling it to the rear left-hand corner of the room.
Harry quickly spotted the large cat who was growling and spitting in protest, tail slashing the air violently, as those around him took a few steps back, their own tails flicking backwards and forwards in agitation.
The Board Chair rose out of his seat and beckoned to the cat. "Mr. Greengrass, please calm yourself and come forward," he said in a commanding tone.
The livid Nundu narrowed dark eyes and stalked forward, large head low to the ground and gaze pinned to the Board Chair.
Harry tensed as the feline walked past him on silent paws, close enough to see that his dark eyes were in fact a deep chocolate brown and some of his black whiskers were tipped with white.
Draco sat down and wrapped an arm around Harry, pulling him into his side, wand still in hand and darkened grey eyes locked on Mr. Greengrass.
Harry would have protested the overly-protective behaviour, but in truth, he was quite glad for it; Mr. Greengrass cut a very imposing figure in his feline form.
Hugh Sloan remained standing. "Mr. Greengrass please transform so that we may discuss this matter."
Harry held his breath, half expecting him to refuse and pounce on the elderly Board Chair.
The large cat shook itself as though shaking his coat free of water, then there was a brief flash of light and instead of a large, prehistoric-looking jungle cat, there was now a man who appeared to be in his early fifties, very thin, with greying hair, standing before the Board with a fierce scowl on his face.
Harry relaxed a little, relieved that Mr. Greengrass was now in human form and therefore on a level playing field so to speak. Draco didn't lessen his protective hold on him though.
"Philip, you know we must explore every aspect of this case," Hugh said before lowering back into his seat.
Mr. Greengrass swiveled his head to glare at Draco and Harry's grip tightened around his wand.
"He is throwing out false and detrimental accusations about my daughter!" Mr. Greengrass exploded, turning back to the Board. "She is a child and not capable of such a monstrous act!"
"May I remind you that your daughter is nearly of the same age as Mr. Malfoy, so be careful of what you say Mr. Greengrass," Hugh pointed out evenly. He paused, staring hard at Mr. Greengrass for a moment before looking to the male house-elf at his side; the same one that had led Harry and Draco into the room. "Popkum, would you please fetch Miss Astoria Greengrass from Hogwarts?"
The stern little elf nodded and disappeared with a loud crack.
Harry slipped his hand into Draco's without looking at him, needing to ground himself, and hopefully ground his mate as well. If they couldn't prove that it was Astoria, they had no other leads. This either worked or it didn't - and if it didn't, then Draco would be executed tonight.
Harry clenched his jaw and his hand felt clammy as it tightened around his wand. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he did know that he wasn't going to let that happen. He'd thought about it all week; if the Board decided that Draco was guilty, he wasn't going to let them execute his mate without a fight.
Popkum reappeared with another loud crack of elf magic, his gnarled hands firmly gripping the arms of both Astoria and Daphne Greengrass, both of them wearing their dressing gowns and blinking in wide-eyed surprise.
Popkum released his hold on them as Mrs. Greengrass rushed forward from the back of the room and pulled her daughters into her arms. The house-elf walked up to Mr. Sloan and took up his station next to his chair once more.
"We were expecting only one girl," Hugh said with a frown of confusion, glancing at Popkum.
"They were together and the other one insisted on coming too," Popkum explained subserviently.
"I'm sorry for the disturbance," Hugh said, his tone kind as he turned back to the two girls who were standing huddled together with their mother.
Harry would have felt sorry for them if not for the fact that his mate's life was on the line thanks to Astoria.
Hugh cleared his throat and folded his arms on the desk in front of him. "Now, which one of you is Astoria?"
"M-me," Astoria replied, hands clenched around her mother's arm as she stood plastered to her side, looking much younger than her seventeen years.
"Miss Greengrass, we have brought you here tonight because we're trying to find out the truth about the incident that you recently brought to our attention."
"T-the truth?" she stuttered anxiously.
Hugh nodded. "Yes, the attack on your fellow student," he said calmly. "Mr. Malfoy has claimed that he is innocent, and has, in fact, said that he suspects you in this event."
Astoria's blue eyes widened. "M-me?" she repeated, stunned. "But why… why would I have done it?"
Harry felt his insides twist as he watched the fear play across her face; she was either a remarkable actress or she truly was innocent.
"You were promised to Draco before he found a mate in Harry Potter, were you not?" Hugh asked.
"Yes," Astoria answered quietly, glancing at her mother. "But… I didn't do it, I didn't attack Dean."
Hugh's expression lost its sympathetic appearance as he narrowed his eyes at her gravely. "This is a very serious matter Miss. Greengrass; Draco's life is on the line. Do you understand that?"
Astoria's face crumpled a little and her eyes filled with tears. "Y-yes I know. I didn't want to tell… I don't want Draco k-killed."
Harry glanced at Draco and was met with a look of hopeless defeat that tore at his heart. Draco was thinking the same thing; that Astoria obviously didn't have anything to do with it after all. Harry felt his pulse race and his palms sweat, mentally preparing himself for the worst. He subtly glanced around the room, checking for possible exits. He knew they couldn't Disapparate out as there were wards in place to stop them, but perhaps he could create a distraction and make a run for it…
Harry glanced at Astoria again and wished for the hundredth time that they could just use Veritaserum - on her or Draco. If only…
Harry sat up suddenly and turned sharply to the Board Chair. "Mr. Sloan?"
"Yes Mr. Potter?"
Harry licked his lips and glanced at the huddled Greengrass family. "Couldn't you just use Prior Incantatoon Astoria's wand to see if she used some sort of cutting spell?"
The Board members glanced at each other for a moment before Hugh replied.
"Yes, I don't see why not," he answered slowly. "It may not help you if that's not how it was carried out or another wand was used."
"I know," Harry replied desolately, "but we don't have another option right now."
Hugh nodded and looked to Popkum. "Fetch Astoria Greengrass' wand please."
The little elf instantly disappeared and reappeared next to Astoria, who startled and leaned back against her mother. Harry crossed his fingers, hoping against hope that this would work. He didn't know what the punishment would be for Astoria if she was found guilty but he didn't care. Even the terrified looks on Astoria and Daphne's faces didn't soften his feelings.
Popkum snapped his fingers and a wand shot into his hand from out of the belt loop on Astoria's dressing gown. He disappeared with another loud crack and appeared next to Hugh in the blink of an eye.
Hugh took the wand and placed it carefully on the black table in front of him. He withdrew his own wand and pointed it at Astoria's. "Prior Incantato," he cast quietly, a pale beam of ivory light flowing from the tip of his wand to encompass Astoria's.
Harry held his breath as one by one the stationary wand regurgitated a visual history of previously cast spells; all the typical student spells were there and Harry watched as Wingardium Leviosa gave way to Aguamenti and so on until…
Portens Stupefy and then Diffindo, popped out of the wand - seven times in a row.
Hugh held up a hand to pause the stream and muttered a few words under his breath.
Harry watched in surprise as the date of the spell suddenly materialised next to the spell name itself. He frowned and quickly tried to work backwards to see if the dates matched. A noticeable hitch in Draco's breathing had him turning to his mate in a hurry; the hopelessness was gone from Draco's eyes, replaced by something that made Harry's stomach leap.
The room was heavy with an expectant silence, nobody was making a sound or even moving, even Mr. Greengrass was staring frozen at the floating symbols.
"Miss Greengrass, please explain this," Hugh finally ordered.
Astoria quailed in fear, shrinking back against her mother, eyes fixed on the floating evidence. "I…"
"It wasn't her."
Harry gaped in surprise as Daphne Greengrass took a small step forward, chin lifted, eyes defiant and challenging.
"I did it; I used her wand and injured Dean Thomas to make it look as though Draco had done it."
Mrs. Greengrass gave a tiny gasp of horror while Harry sagged in his chair; too weak with relief to feel the boiling anger that he knew he should be feeling. He shared a stunned look with Draco before turning back to Daphne.
"Why would you use your sister's wand?" Perpetua Bagnold asked, shocked.
Daphne sniffed. "I didn't think anyone would suspect her. I didn't want her involved - truly. I love my little sister."
"I think what we would all like to know is why you orchestrated this attack," Hugh Sloan said, still looking amazed by the sudden turn of events.
Daphne swallowed and glanced at her mother and father before turning back to the Board members. "My parents selected a mate for me, an Alpha of a traditional family in good standing, but I wasn't very fond of him. He wasn't young and attractive and…" She paused and turned her gaze towards Draco. "He wasn't Draco," she said boldly.
Harry narrowed his eyes as she smiled at his mate, the adoration clear underneath all the bravado. He couldn't believe he'd missed how infatuated Daphne had been with his mate. Harry suddenly remembered Daphne snapping at him in the library during their first group study session, and now that he thought about it, she'd been rather rude to him all year.
Daphne turned back to Mr. Sloan. "But then my intended was killed in the war."
Sophie McDougal frowned, hand still resting atop her pregnant belly. "But Draco was already promised to your sister…"
"Yes, but if she doesn't become an Omega next year…"
Hugh, and the others, suddenly nodded in understanding. "It would have fallen to you to marry Draco in reparation," he said.
Harry's brow rose to his hairline. He was feeling distinctly out of his depth; attempting to navigate this complex maze of traditional Pureblood crap.
"Yes, I should have thought of that," Draco quietly murmured next to him, a slight crease between his brows.
"So then you asked your sister to accuse Draco of attacking Mr. Thomas?" Mr. Fancourt asked, tapping the end of his quill absently against his cheek.
"Yes, I convinced her that Draco was guilty and she agreed to bring the accusation forward," Daphne explained with a rueful glance towards her sister. "She is a much better person than I and I knew her sense of righteous injustice would compel her into doing it without a second thought."
Astoria shook her blonde head, eyes still shining with unshed tears. "How could you Daph?" she whispered, clearly distraught.
Daphne's expression became pinched and unhappy, appearing remorseful for the first time that evening. She reached out towards her sister but Astoria stepped away and refused to look at her. The entire Greengrass family seemed unable to meet Daphne's gaze, too embarrassed and stunned to do anything more than stare at the floor in silence.
Hugh Sloan cleared his throat. "Now that we have a confession, I believe this inquiry can be dismissed. The Board will meet to discuss the matter in private and another meeting shall be held in order to determine the punishment for Miss Greengrass' deception. Astoria you may return to Hogwarts if you wish but Daphne you are hence-forth placed under house-arrest within your family's home until further notice."
Harry tuned out of the rest of the conversation as his head buzzed with ecstatic joy. He breathed out, suddenly lighter than air; the heavy, world-weary burden he'd been carrying around all week was gone in a flash. He was almost dizzy with the abrupt loss of it. He belatedly realised that Draco was on his feet and tugging at his arm.
"Come on Potter, we can go," he said, eyes twinkling with a giddy amusement that Harry had never before seen in his mate's eyes.
Harry allowed himself to be pulled to his feet, grinning from ear to ear. He really wanted to throw his arms around Draco and hug him for all he was worth, but he restrained himself as he spotted Draco's parents walking towards them.
Narcissa placed a gentle hand on her son's shoulder, gazing at him with warm eyes for a moment before silently beckoning for them to follow her and Lucius, who was back in human form, out the door.
Harry held fast to his mate's hand, still grinning, as they walked out into the corridor. They didn't speak another word until they had reached the empty entrance foyer. There were two house-elves stationed at the doors but the rest of the clan were still in the meeting room, clearly discussing the matter further amongst themselves.
Harry nearly jumped when Narcissa slipped an arm through his, an oddly conspiratorial look on her face.
"Mr. Potter, now that this messy business is over with-" Draco rolled his eyes at his mother's dismissive term for his possible execution - "we must hold a party to honour your bonding with Draco."
"Oh," Harry replied in surprise, cheeks heating. "Erm… is that a thing? Yeah, sure. That would be… fun."
Draco snorted and took Harry's arm, gently pulling him away from his mother. "I think what Harry means is, yes we would be ever so grateful to you for throwing a party in our honour so that Harry may meet our family friends and notable acquaintances."
"So it is a thing," Harry mumbled moodily under his breath.
Draco laughed, clearly still running on a high from the outcome of the meeting, and Harry smiled back at him, unable to be upset by anything in that moment. After this past week, Harry knew facing a party full of Nundu and Purebloods would be easy.