Fortunately, the potion had as good as worn off by the middle of next week. Draco and I had been among the lucky ones who had only gotten a few drops on us and rhymed for about five hours before we stopped. Seamus on the other hand had gotten most of the cauldron over himself, and was the only one who rhymed still. No one quite knew when he'd stop, although Hermione had made a decent estimate of about two more weeks. To say the poor boy was devastated would be an understatement. I know for a fact he was on the verge of attempting to hex himself mute, but fortunately, Dean was there to stop him in time. The school would have lost many hours of laughter if he hadn't.
I was sitting in our living room calmly doing my homework and waiting for Draco, when the Veela suddenly came storming through the portrait with Pansy hot on his heels. "Come on, look at him!" Draco said to the girl, and waved his hand in my direction. "Doesn't he look ready to you?" I looked at him in confusion and was about to ask what he was talking about when Pansy came over and pulled me out of my chair.
"Stand in the middle of the floor," she said and when I didn't do as she told me right away she dragged me over until I was in the right spot.
"What in the world is happening?" I asked, looking back and forth between her and Draco.
"Shush, Harry." Was all the answer I got before Pansy was circling me with Draco following her, making comments.
"See the posture?" He said and Pansy nodded and wrote something down in the notebook she was carrying. Then they made another circle and Draco once again said something else along the lines of, "And the eyes, look at the eyes." And Pansy did as he said, looking deep into my eyes before scribbling furiously in the book. All the while I kept asking 'what posture?' or what's wrong with my eyes?', but they just shushed me and continued the scrutinizing.
After a while I was getting majorly annoyed, and I did nothing to hide it. "What in the name of Merlin are the two of you doing!" I exclaimed, grasping Pansy's hand as she was opening up my mouth to look at my teeth on Draco's suggestion. However, it didn't faze the Slytherin girl one bit and she made one last circle around me before turning to Draco and grinning.
"He is ready." She said this solemnly as if passing some verdict, but what that verdict was I had no idea. Draco on the other hand seemed to understand exactly what she meant and started whooping and running about the room like another Indian. He looked quite ridiculous.
"Ready for what?" I asked exasperatedly, not really expecting an answer. To my big surprise, this time I got one.
"You, my dear Harry," said Pansy, and the grin on her face widened. "Are ready to venture into the Slytherin common room."
"Huh?" I said, eloquent as always.
"Draco hasn't wanted to take you into the snake pit before you were ready, but now you are." Pansy answered, and I felt a big urge to shake my head. I wasn't ready at all! I had of course known I would have to meet Draco's housemates some time, but that time was definitely not now! I was thinking more along the lines of next year. Or maybe the year after that. Or shall we just wait until the reunion in ten years time while we're at it?
Draco seemed to sense my reluctance and he put a calming hand on my back. "Don't worry, love, you'll do great. Pansy wouldn't have said you were ready if she wasn't completely certain it was the truth." He smiled reassuringly and I could feel myself calming under his loving gaze.
"You're sure? I'm really ready?" I asked nervously, looking between Draco and Pansy.
"As ready as you'll ever be," smirked Pansy and I felt the panic rising again. As ready as I'll ever be, what did that mean? Did it mean I was ready, but wouldn't become more ready by waiting, so I should just jump into it? Or did it mean I wasn't really ready at all, but I would never become ready either, so what was the use in waiting?
My eyes must have shown some of my alarm, because Draco instantly glared at Pansy and wrapped one arm around my shoulders in a comforting half-embrace. "Don't listen to her, she's just being her usual, nasty self. You trust me, don't you?" He said and when I looked into his eyes I saw nothing but adoration, so I nodded hesitantly. "Then believe me when I say you're ready." He kissed me on the nose, and I couldn't help wiping it with the back of my hand to remove the tingly feeling. That brought a laugh out of both Pansy and Draco, and I took a deep breath before nodding.
"I'll come," I said and Pansy nodded approvingly.
"Right answer, Golden Boy," she smiled. "I would hate to think I'd judged you wrong. It wouldn't look with my reputation as insightful bitch." I snorted and she winked at me before continuing. "Now come on, or we'll be late. The others are expecting you." I didn't even get the time to answer before I was grabbed by the arm and dragged down the corridor to the Slytherin common room. I highly suspect neither Pansy nor Draco wanted to give me the time to change my mind. Before I knew it I found myself pushed inside the common room opening, and suddenly there was nothing left to do but to jump in and hope to Merlin it was water there so I could swim. And if it wasn't, well, let's just say it would be a bloody awful experience. Bloody being the key word here.
I looked around the low-ceilinged room and noticed that every face in the room was turned towards me as if expecting me to say something. However, I was not going to be the first one to speak, so I just stood there staring defiantly back at them. I soon realised that Pansy and Draco had never entered the room, and for a minute I felt the presence of a small panic attack, but I soon calmed myself reasoning that this was something I had to do on my own. Of course, I would still yell Draco's face off the next time I met him for abandoning me. It was only fair.
As the silence stretched and stretched, I could feel my hands starting to get sweaty, but I forced myself to keep them hanging down by my sides as they had done all along. This was not the time to show any weakness, not if I wanted to be accepted as Draco's mate. I had nearly given up hope that anything would happen at all, when suddenly a Slytherin first year, at least I think it was a first year, got to her feet and walked over to me.
"State your name and business," she said, her chin up and her eyes steely. Suddenly I was very much reminded of Draco at that age and my lips quirked into the faintest of smiles as I acknowledged her presence.
"Harry James Potter, here by the coercion of Draco Lucius Malfoy and Pansy Zoe Parkinson."
The girl nodded and sat down, only to be followed by a boy who looked to be about a year or so older. He was dressed in dark robes with short, brown hair and a sallow complexion. "Potter," he sneered, baring his teeth. "Do tell us, why should we let you stay?"
"For Draco's sake," I said simply, looking the boy straight into the eyes. He looked back for a long time, before turning and going back to his seat. He was soon replaced by a pretty third year girl with blonde curls and brown eyes. She looked at me for a while, her head cocked to the side, before simply nodding and sitting back down, not even asking a question.
Next came a big fourth year boy I was certain I'd seen before, and from somewhere I dragged out a name to match the face. "Baddock," I greeted, my eyes not once leaving his. The three before him had seemed to think eye contact was important, and if that was what would get me these people's acceptance, who was I to argue?
"You know, as Malfoy's mate, he won't be able to harm you or see you harmed, nor will he be able to compete against you on a very high level. What do you plan on doing about Quidditch? Obviously both of you can't keep your positions." The question almost made me take a step back. To tell you the truth, I hadn't even been aware it was a problem, but now that he brought it up, it did make sense. I wondered why Draco hadn't said anything about it, but it didn't take me long to figure out. He had probably seen it as his duty as the Veela to please his mate, and then just decided to quit the team and not tell me about it, just to keep me happy. The mere idea made my eyes flash dangerously. I knew how much Draco loved Quidditch, and I was not about to let him quit.
"Has Draco quit the team?" I asked and Baddock nodded an affirmative. Growling, I suddenly felt the need to hit something. Preferably Draco. "Well, then you can tell that blasted Veela that unless he gets his arse back on the team, I'll personally castrate him! If anyone is quitting anything, it's me. I don't even like the dratted sport!" And the minute I said it, I knew it was true. I had always loved flying, but the Quidditch I could do without. It was nice enough, and I didn't mind playing, but I didn't love it like Draco did. As a matter of fact, I think that if it hadn't been for Ron, I would have quit the team some years ago anyway. Flying, I could do on my own.
Baddock nodded and was replaced by Harper, a thin girl with a mass of black curls running down her back. If I were to guess, I'd say she was a fifth year. The pattern so far certainly seemed to suggest it. "Define the Dark Arts," she said and I thought long and hard before answering.
"The Dark Arts are spells, charms, jinxes, curses, potions and magical devices invented for the purpose of hurting, killing, taking control over and/or forcing someone to do something against their own will, or that require any of the aforementioned to fulfil their purpose." I didn't know if that was the right or wrong answer, but, as I saw it, it was the only one I could give. However, the girl seemed satisfied, as she nodded and sat down.
Next was Blaise Zabini, a dark boy in my own year. He also cocked his head to the side as if studying me, before asking his question. "If Draco decided to move to Russia, would you go with him?" The question confused me somewhat, as I knew Draco had no such plans, but I answered as best I could.
"Well, yes, I guess so. I mean, he wouldn't survive long if I didn't, now would he? I'd put up one hell of a fight though." That seemed to amuse the other boy, and his eyes danced with laughter as he nodded and sat down.
The last to stand up was a seventh year girl I didn't remember the name of, but whom I knew had a little sister in my year. A Daphne something. She nodded at me, before proceeding to her question. It was bold, and said with and edge of defiance, but that was not what startled me the most. No, that was the question it self.
"Do you love him?"
The room had suddenly gone eerily quiet as everyone waited for me to answer. I thought it through carefully, and came to a startling conclusion. "Yes," I said softly. "Yes, I do." I lowered my eyes to the ground as a blush slowly made its way up my neck. However, it seemed to be the right answer, because when I looked up most of them were smiling, in their own smirking way of course, and a fire blazed in the hearth, making the room seem much warmer. Draco and Pansy suddenly emerged from a doorway to the side, and they were both hugging me until I almost lost my breath.
"Guys, you're choking me!" I managed to get out, and Draco instantly pushed Pansy away and looked me over.
"You'll live," he said, and his left arm resumed its place around my shoulders. "I'm so proud of you," he murmured, his breath tickling my ear. "You did wonderfully." I looked up at him in surprise.
"You heard everything?"
"Of course," he smirked. "We're Slytherins, Harry, we couldn't not listen in!" I blushed more at the realization that Draco had heard everything I'd said, I was sure he'd tease me something terrible, but when I looked up into his eyes they were grave. "You know I love you too, don't you?" He said and I nodded in response before following him over to the couch, where I was unceremoniously hauled down into his lap. I knew, and it made me happier than I could ever remember being in my entire life.