When I returned to the compartment, I found Hermione and Ron still to be in deep conversation. However, I must have looked a mess because they both turned to me and Hermione instantly started fretting.
"Harry, you look like you've seen a ghost!" she exclaimed and Ron looked funnily at her. "Muggle expression," she explained and shrugged, making Ron once again shake his head over 'those eccentric Muggles'.
"No ghost, mate," I stuttered incoherently and I could see comprehension dawn on the face of Hermione.
"Oh dear," she sighed then patted the seat next to her. "Come, Harry. Sit down here and tell Hermione all about it." I could only nod and oblige. "Come on, love, tell Hermione what happened. Did you see your mate?" I nodded my head yes. "That's a good boy. Now, is he someone we know?" Again I nodded. "Can you tell me his name?" Here I shook my head forcefully. "Do you know his name?" Another nod. "Is it Seamus?" Shake of head. "Dean?" Another shake.
Here Ron decided to suddenly acquire a brain, and for the first time in my memory, he thought of something Hermione had not. "'Mione, aren't Veela supposed to be really beautiful and have blond hair and grey eyes? From where I'm standing, Dean looks anything but blond and blue-eyed."
"Oh, of course! But who do we know that are unnaturally blond with blue-grey eyes and incredible beauty?" She thought for less than a minute and came up with the answer I'd been looking for all summer. "Oh no," she whispered. "Harry, is it Draco Malfoy?"
Sometimes, she's entirely too smart for her own good. I hesitated a little, then shook my head frantically. Unfortunately I've always been a horrible liar, and even Ron could see through my poor attempt. And really, that meant it was bad.
"DRACO MALFOY!" he bellowed and glared angrily at me, as if I had chosen him myself. Which I feel the need to point out that I hadn't.
"Well, it does make sense, I guess," mused Hermione out loud. "There has always been something between them, and really, how big is the difference between hate and love?"
"BIG!" roared Ron, finally throwing the temper tantrum I'd been expecting all along. The only good thing about it was that it brought me out of my stupor, and I was able to think clearly again.
"Calm down, Ron," I said, making the universal 'calm down' motion with my hands. It didn't work. Total rip off.
"I WILL NOT CALM DOWN, YOU TRAITOR YOU! MINGLING WITH THE ENEMY LIKE THAT, HOW DARE YOU?"
Now, it is one thing being upset because your best friend is bound to mate with your worst enemy, but calling said best friend a traitor, that is a whole other case. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'TRAITOR', YOU BLAST-ENDED SKREWT! IT'S NOT LIKE I CHOSE HIM!"
"OH, DIDN'T YOU NOW? HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT? MAYBE YOU'VE BEEN FANCYING THE FERRET SINCE SECOND YEAR, EH? HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW?"
Uh-oh, now that was definitely going too far. Ron was going down. "RON, THAT'S JUST STUPID! YOU KNOW I WOULD NEVER FANCY MALFOY WILLINGLY!"
"ARE YOU CALLING ME STUPID?"
Hm, let me think about that for a moment. Yes, I believe I am. "YES!"
"OH, THAT'S JUST PRECIOUS COMING FROM YOU, YOU… YOU… YOU TRAITOR!"
"I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME TRAITOR, YOU BACKSTABBING SON OF A BANSHEE!" I was trying to develop a method of putting someone on fire by only looking at them. It didn't work.
"ARE YOU INSULTING MY MOTHER?"
"Oh, for the love of magic!" Hermione sighed exasperatedly and hit both me and Ron on the back of the head. It really hurt.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?" Ron and I yelled simultaneously before turning to glare at each other.
"That was because the two of you are acting like children. Calm down, punch each other and let us discuss this rationally. Like adults." She stressed that last word, appealing to our mutual wish to be seen as grown ups. I had the decency to feel ashamed at my behaviour. But not before I had landed a pretty nasty punch somewhere in the general area of Ron's nose. Damn, it felt good. Of course, I got as good as I gave, and I would probably get a brilliant black eye by the next day. "That's my boys, now, have you let out some steam?" We nodded. "And you are ready to discuss this rationally?" We nodded again. "Marvellous, now, let us hear Harry's side of it first, then we'll hear yours, Ron. Ok?" We both nodded and I started talking.
"First I would like to make it very clear that I did not chose Draco Malfoy as my mate. As a matter of fact, up until today, I did not know who my mate was. Now I know, but it will not change my opinion of this on any level. I will still go through with it and give it my best. Yes, even though he is Malfoy. Why, you ask, well, because otherwise he will die." Here Ron snorted something that sounded suspiciously like 'so what?', but I went on unfazed. I was on a roll. "I will not have another life on my conscience. Oh, and there are advantages. Since he is the Veela in this relationship he can't help loving me, and that means he can't fight me. And he can't fight you either, because that would make me unhappy. So, in theory, he'll have to play nice."
Here Ron perked up. "You mean I can insult him all I like, but he can't say anything back out of fear of hurting you?"
"Well, yes, in theory." I nodded.
"Oh, well, in that case, congratulations! When is the wedding?" Ron beamed at me and before I could stop myself I was beaming back. Maybe having some control over the Slytherin Ice Prince wasn't such a bad idea after all. If I played my cards right, this would be a dance on roses. Although, I didn't have a habit of dancing on roses. But if it improved your dancing skills, who was I to complain? And if everything went as planned, I'd have the most gorgeous guy in school wrapped around my little finger. Huh. I was beginning to like the sound of this.
- - - HP DM - - -
When we got to Hogwarts I did my best, with the help of Ron and Hermione, to avoid Draco Malfoy. I knew that eventually I would have to face him, but eventually didn't need to be now. It could be later. Or a week from now. Or even a month. I was hoping for a month. Unfortunately, I hadn't expected that Malfoy would involve the teachers. But he did. Well, maybe not him, I highly suspect it was Parkinson seeing as Malfoy was a shuddering bundle of Veela hormones and Crabbe and Goyle only had half a brain between them. But anyway, someone got the brilliant idea to involve Snape in this madness. And he of course, involved Professor Dumbledore. The result was that ten minutes after arriving at Hogwarts, I found myself in the headmaster's office, drinking tea with Malfoy, Parkinson and Snape. The goons had been left behind.
"Lemon drop, anyone?" asked Dumbledore from behind his desk, his eyes twinkling like mad. I suspect the situation amused him.
We all declined politely, and some not so politely. Here I would have to say 'Snape' in between two coughs. I have never quite understood his relationship with Professor Dumbledore, but most of the time they acted like father and rebellious son. Had I not found it utterly revolting, I might have thought it sweet.
"Ah, your loss," beamed Dubledore and took one for himself. "Now, I understand we have an important matter to discuss, is that not so?" Parkinson and Malfoy nodded and the Professor continued. "Ah, yes, Mister Malfoy, why don't you tell us all what is going on?"
Malfoy was really in no state to tell anything at all. He was looking at me with this burning light in his eyes that, to tell you the truth, rather freaked me out. The only thing that kept him in his chair was Parkinson's death grip on his arm, and it was also she who answered for him. "Draco has always known he was a Veela, and on the 31st of July this year, he came into his inheritance. Since then he has felt compelled to seek out his mate, but up until today he has not been able to find him. As you can see, he is getting rather desperate." And the understatement award of the year goes to… Pansy Parkinson!
"Is that to say that Mr. Potter here is his mate?" asked Professor Dumbledore, his eyes now blinding me with their incessant glimmer.
"Yes," confirmed Parkinson, as if we all didn't know that already. He looked bloody gorgeous, I looked like a girl, it didn't take a genius to figure out.
As if reading my thoughts, which, when I think about it, he probably did, Professor Dumbledore turned towards me. "And I take it you had already figured this out when you saw Mr. Malfoy on the train?"
"Yes, Sir." Well, maybe not completely, but I was getting there.
"And will you be refusing the bond?"
I hesitated for a slight second, but when I saw the anxious look on Malfoy's face I sort of felt sorry for him. "No Sir, I will not." Malfoy's happy expression did not make my heart flutter. It did not. Nope.
"Wonderful!" Professor Dumbledore exclaimed and clapped his hands together. "Now that the pursuit has started, I take Mr Malfoy will not want to be too far away from his mate, is that not so, Ms. Parkinson?" Parkinson nodded in affirmation. "Then I will have some special arrangements prepared for the two of you. Am I correct in assuming Mr. Malfoy has his own rooms?" Parkinson nodded again. "And they have their own entrance down the hall from the Slytherin common room?" Another nod. "Splendid! I will have an additional room added to his quarters and Mr. Potter will move in immediately."
Had I accepted one of those lemon drops, I would be choking on it. "Move in!" I spluttered, gaping at Professor Dumbledore.
"Yes, Harry, move in." he positively beamed. "Mr. Malfoy will feel physically ill if he spends too much time away from you, therefore you will have to share accommodations. And I also think that for him to function normally again, the two of you will have to spend some time together in the near future."
I felt like banging my head against the desk. I would have too, if it hadn't been for the fact that I was too stunned to do anything at all. I had figured we would take this whole thing slowly, but moving in together? That was as far from slowly as it could get. Thankfully, I didn't have to think, because Parkinson took the opportunity to ask a question.
"Professor, what about their classes? Will they have to take all of them together?" Ooh, good question, Parkinson!
"Ah, a very good question, Ms. Parkinson," Dumbledore twinkled. "Yes, they will. But seeing as Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter here has chosen pretty much the same classes, that will not be much of a problem. The only thing that will cause a problem is Mr. Potter's Divination versus Mr. Malfoy's Arithmancy, but I am sure we can come up with something, seeing as we are all reasonably bright people." Yeah, we can drop Divination, really, I don't mind.
"Why don't they go alternately? I mean, they both go to Divination one week, and then to Arithmancy the next?" Parkinson suggested, surprisingly enough making quite a lot of sense.
"A brilliant suggestion, Ms. Parkinson! Is that acceptable with you, boys?" Malfoy was in no state to do anything but drool at me, so I nodded for the both of us.
"Wonderful, wonderful," declared the headmaster. "I take it this has been solved satisfactorily on all parts? Mr. Malfoy?" Malfoy gazed longingly my way, and the headmaster obviously took it as a yes. "Mr. Potter?" I nodded. "Well then, that's settled. Severus will you take I upon yourself to refill our supply of the Selby potion? I suspect we will need it. And Ms. Parkinson, after the feast, will you show Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter to their rooms? Marvellous, now if that is all, I think we have a feast to attend, eh?" And with that Professor Dumbledore rose and swept out the room, closely followed by Snape.