My Mate

Olivia furtively peeked around the corner and studied the deserted hall to make sure there were no nooks that Simeon might be hiding in. He’d taken to stalking her in the past few days and it was driving her mad.

Coming out of her rooms in the morning; following her into the Great Hall for meals; and even lounging at the door of the Herbology class when she was helping out Professor Sprout. Finally at Olivia’s urging, the professor shooed him away from the door, but he was lingering in the hall when she came out.

Thankfully, she’d been able to dodge a direct confrontation, but sooner or later, he was sure to catch her alone with no one for a shield. Olivia shuddered to think about what he might do when that happened. The closest he gotten was when he beat Ginny to the seat next to her. He’d stared at her with those fathomless obsidian eyes and she’d almost screamed when his long fingered hand had clamped down on her thigh.

He’d caressed and stroked his way up her thigh until he grazed the juncture of her legs, and she’d jumped up, mumbling something about not being hungry and fled from the room.

Whenever he was around, she felt jittery and in general just irritated. The man took extreme delight in tormenting her and she was about at the end of her rope. Footsteps brought her head around and she gladly scurried over to join up with Bill and Michelle Weasley. Thank goodness for safety in numbers!

Draco sauntered into his father’s study and slouched into a large black velvet stuffed chair, twirling his wand insolently between his long fingers.

Lucius scowled malevolently at his son. “You’re late.” The stiff tone conveyed his displeasure as well as words.

“My apologies. It took longer than anticipated to get the Bulgarians in line with our way of thinking. But now they’re on board.” He tossed a scroll negligently on Lucius’ desk.

“Are they?” Lucius was obviously not happy with him and not quite ready to let him off the hook yet. He would fly into a rage if he knew that Simeon had been the one to secure the deal with the Bulgarians.

Draco caught himself. He still had to straighten things out with Simeon. Ginny would have a cow if he didn’t make up with his brother. That thought made him pause. He actually had a brother. After being an only child for over twenty years, it felt very odd. Of course, he and Simeon had been like brothers growing up anyway. It wasn’t that much of a stretch, really.

“Draco!” Lucius snapped. “Stop daydreaming. I need you to take care of a few things for me and for Merlin’s sake, go see Delia. I’m about ready to murder her, what with her sudden appearances and incessant whining about where you were.”

“And you seriously want me to marry this girl?” Draco intoned in a bored voice.

“Of course you’ll marry her! She’s going to make you much wealthier than you already are.”

“What’s wrong with what I have now?”

“If that’s all the ambition you have, then you’ll run my company into the ground. Maybe I should rethink letting you take such an active role in the business.” Lucius snarled and slammed his cane onto his desk.

“Calm down father. I was joking.” Draco retorted flippantly.

“Well don’t joke about such things!”

“Fine. May I take my leave now father?” Lucius narrowed his eyes with irritation at his son’s bored tone.

“Go then, but call on Delia and smooth her feathers. I won’t have you doing anything that might make her father rethink our alliance.”

Draco didn’t look back at his father as he walked out the door.

The masquerade ball was in full swing by the time Draco and Delia pulled up to the doors in the Malfoy’s lavish black carriage. Twenty minutes into her company and already Draco was ready to strangle her. He spent most of his time trying to preserve his dignity while she plastered herself against him in a most improper manner.

Not that any of the wizards or witches at the ball cared about propriety. It was really just an excuse to get the opportunity to illicitly meet one’s mistress or for an anonymous tryst with a lover who usually happened to be married.

But he wasn’t one of those wizards and the only woman he wanted to be here with was Ginny but thinking about her wasn’t going to get this night over with any faster. If anything, it would drive him crazy. So he was going to put her out of his mind. Or try to.

Ginny snuck past the elf checking invitations, by taking advantage of the confusion a group of young wizards and witches were causing. The mansion was much more ostentatious than anything she was used to. More luxurious yes, but also heavier and uglier in it’s overabundance. Simplicity was infinitely more classy than this overdone monstrosity.

She looked around scanning the crowd for any sign of Draco. Michelle had helped her transfigure one of her dress robes into this outfit. It was pearl colored with a fine light pink and silvery sheen. A small intricate circlet crowned her auburn curls on top of her head where they gathered and hung down around her neck and framing her face. Her face was covered with a mask the same color as her gown.

Gaudy costumes filled the room and she strained to catch a glimpse of white blond hair. Finally, after making her way through the crowd towards the middle of the ballroom floor, she caught sight of him. She was still trying to figure out how exactly to work her new senses but now she could feel his presence. Ginny wanted to pull out the little hussy’s hair who was dancing with him. She was blonde and almost sickly skinny with breasts like melons falling out of her dress. Her hands were all over Draco and jealousy exploded through Ginny’s body like a volcano erupting. A vicious hiss escaped her lips and she tried to restrain herself from dashing over and ripping her out of his arms.

Suddenly the music started and couples began swirling around her, obstructing Draco and she lost sight of him. Colors blended into a dizzying kalidescope that made her uncomfortably aware that she was without a partner. Not wanting to draw attention to herself, she backed towards the edge of the ballroom.

The hand that gripped her arm tight enough to leave bruises came as a complete shock. Another hand clamped over her mouth and she was yanked backwards into a dark room she hadn’t even noticed before. Her struggles amounted to nothing but she kept fighting until something penetrated. Draco. She could sense him now. Right behind her damn him! Dismay pierced her. In her anger, she had forgotten that he could sense her as well and probably even better than she could him.

A gasp escaped her lips when she felt teeth sink into the vein running along her neck. It was a hard bite, but not enough that it broke the skin. When he released, Draco cursed viciously in her ear.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing here?” He rasped. “Are you insane? If my father found out you were here there’d be hell to pay. I’ve woven a very delicate web of lies here and one little out of place element could cause everything to come completely unravled.”

“And I suppose that coming here with that little slut is part of your ‘web of lies’ is it? Because it looks to me like that’s part of it that you’re enjoying a little too much you bastard! Is there some life threatening reason you had to escort her to a ball? No, let me guess, she’s really a…” She was cut off as he shoved her against a wall and crushed her lips with his own. Little whimpers escaped as he stabbed his tongue deeply into her mouth.

His hands palmed her breasts and squeezed tightly causing fireworks to shoot off in her belly. It was too hard to concentrate on her anger when he was kissing and fondling her like this. Ginny felt is slipping away like the tide and try as she might she just couldn’t hang onto it. She blamed it on her new senses. His anger was apparent, but probably being mollified somewhat by the opportunity to make free with her body. It had faded significantly from the rage it had been when he first caught her. Other emotions were swirling around him as well. Lust and need, possibly, she was still too new at this to accurately pinpoint and decipher them.

A roaming hand was traveling up her thigh dangerously close to the juncture. “So beautiful.” He mumbled. “You look like a fairy. Will you grant me my wish, little fairy?” Draco plunged his tongue fiercely into her mouth.

“Fairies don’t give wishes.” Ginny replied inbetween kisses.

“You can give me mine.”

“What is it?”

Draco whispered in her ear and she gasped, a fiery blush colored her whole body.

“Such deceit.” He said.

“What?” Ginny protested. “I didn’t lie!”

“You’re no fairy.” He paused. “You’re a siren.” He punctuated it with a plunge of another type. Ginny’s scream was muted by his mouth, her body rippling from the aftereffects of her release coming in the wake of his probing fingers.

Draco leaned his forhead against her own flushed one as she tried to catch her breath.

“You have to get out of here right now.”

“I don’t see why. It’s not like he could recognize me.”

“Virginia, I am not letting you within ten miles of my father. He’s evil and I’m not taking any chances with you, do you understand?” Draco shook her hard once. “Now get yourself outside and apparate back to Hogwarts and I’ll make sure Severus is there to meet you. How did you get here anyway?”

Ginny looked away guiltily.

“Never mind, you can tell me later. Right now I want you out of here.” He steered her out into the hallway and toward the doors.

He shoved her outside and dragged her deep into the gardens away from prying ears. The cold air had a sobering effect on Ginny’s lust fogged mind and she abruptly recalled their argument and how angry she was at Draco.

“You jerk!” She knocked his hand off her arm and spun to face him. “How dare you chastise me when you’ve been hiding a secret girlfriend this whole time? And you lied to me! I read that letter Draco Malfoy! It was disgusting and I think you’ve been more than a little hypocritical about this whole thing!” She glared at him.

“Maybe instead of going back to Hogwarts, I’ll pay a visit to Bradley. I haven’t seen him in a while and I’m sure he would appreciate my company!”

Ginny was flat on her back on the ground before she even knew what was happening. Gulping air, she stared into his furious molten eyes. He had her wrists in a painfully tight grip pinned to the grass.

“You listen and you listen good, Virginia Weasley. If you go meet your doctor lover, if you so much as set foot anywhere other than Hogwarts…” His voice was silky soft and menacing in a way that made her body go cold. Quiet and controlled was when Draco was at his most dangerous.

“…first I’ll turn you over my knee and bloody well paddle your bum till you can’t sit for a month.” He ignored her gasp of outrage. “Then I’ll drag you back to my bedroom by your hair if I have to and I’ll consummate our mating and to bloody hell with any hesitations you might have.” Draco snarled.

“You seem to conveniently forget that I’m holding on by a thin thread, pet. You push me again and I’ll be on you like a lightning bolt and I won’t be a gentleman!”

Ginny closed her eyes as he dove for her lips and cursed herself for being an idiot. He told her and showed her every time how tightly he had to hold onto his control, but she kept letting her temper get away with her. He was hot, hard, and pulsing against her body.

Abruptly he pulled away and yanked her to her feet. “Apparate back to Hogwarts and Severus will meet you on the grounds.” Ginny nodded shakily, still taken aback by the extent of his anger.

“I’ll see you on Saturday, Virginia. Then we’ll finish this between us. We’ll complete the bonding and you’ll see what it is truly like for veela mates.” His voice was husky. Ginny shivered at the intensity of his eyes and the seductive promise there.

He stood there until he watched her disappear with a pop. He wasn’t about to let her out of his sight until she was safely out of here back to Severus’ care.

Severus waited and waited, cursing the red head for making him wait in the snow and the cold that was seeping into his bones. She never came.