Coming Home

A/N: This is the next installment of Coming Home…hurray! It’s actually a several-part chapter, okay? The first part is irrelevant to the song; sorry, it’s necessary because otherwise I skip him telling Ron and talking things over with his two friends on the train to Hogwarts, okay?

The second part is the first verse of the song and the third part is the second verse of the song. The final piece of the chapter should be the abridged (3rd) verse of the song. The chorus just echoes some of Draco’s thoughts and words throughout the chapter.

Hope you all enjoy this. Please rate and review, I love reading them and I won’t update without them! Also, leave your e-mails as I alert to updates! ~ FA

~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry took his seat on the train, with Ron and Hermione across from them. Ginny was off with some girls from her year at Harry’s request…he wanted to wait before sharing the “ordeal” with his girlfriend. “So, before I came to Grimmauld Place this summer, I had a meeting with Albus.” Harry told Ron. Hermione, of course, already knew all of this and was simply nodding as Harry spoke.

“Yeah, mate, I know.” Ron replied. “Was it about your schedule or training or You-Know-Who or what?”

Harry sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. “Well, it’s about Malfoy, actually.” He smiled weakly at Ron. “It seems the Malfoys have Veela blood and it’s active in Malfoy Jr.”

Ron’s mouth dropped open. “You’re bloody-well joking, right Harry?” When Harry shook his head, Ron said. “Blimey…that’s tough!”

Harry blinked a few times, than asked incredulously. “Ron, did you just say what I think you said?”

“Harry, mate, I know you don’t really understand some things about our world.” Ron said, in a way not meant to be mean. “So let me explain. Veela are very highly looked upon. They’re amazingly powerful and are both feared and praised. They also depend on their mate for their very life and that’s tough. I almost feel bad for Malfoy.”

“Well, I’m his mate.” Harry intoned glumly. “And I feel bad for myself, because I can’t really let him die, can I? But what about my life?”

“Harry, really.” Hermione said, exasperated. “Veelas are wonderful to their mates! They love more truly and deeply than any human can, they’re always loyal, they’re protective, and they will do anything and everything to please their mate! You should be thrilled and honored!”

Ron bit his lip, obviously looking torn. “Harry, I hate to say it, because I know it’s Malfoy we’re talking about here, but ‘Mione’s right. Being the mate of a Veela is considered a real honor and as much as I don’t like Malfoy…”

Hermione nodded when Ron trailed off and continued. “He hasn’t always been the nicest or fairest person, Harry, but that will change because of you. He’ll be nice to us because he’ll want to make you happy and his behavior will change accordingly. His past offences, however horrible they may be, aren’t just cause to let him die.”

Harry nodded sulkily. “I know I can’t let him die, okay? I get that! And it’s not that I don’t believe what they’ve said, and he did look pretty bad when I initially rejected him in Albus’ office, it’s just…he’s not acting the way Veela are supposed to act.” He looked at his friends pleadingly. “I don’t know what to do. I love Ginny and I need to tell her if I’m going to accept Malfoy, but…”

“But you want to be sure before you hurt her.” Hermione took Harry’s hand in hers, a look of understanding and sympathy on her face. “I get that, Harry. And we’re here for you, okay? Just don’t wait too long, or she may anger Draco. Veela can’t be held responsible for harm they cause to those who they view as competition to their mate. Don’t let her get hurt or killed because you’re afraid.”

Ron nodded. “It’s true that he might get it into his head that Ginny’s trying to steal you from him. If that happens, he could really hurt her.”

“What?” Harry’s eyes were wide with shock and anger. “He’s just allowed to go around hurting people if he thinks they like me? That’s just wrong!”

“It’s his nature.” Hermione corrected gently. “And it’s your job, as his mate, to keep him in line. You’ll need to learn Voice, Harry, for the safety of others.”

Harry frowned. He’d seen that word in one of the books he’d been reading on Veelas, but hadn’t been able to find out what it was. “I’ve only heard of Voice in passing. What is it exactly?” That sent Hermione into lecture mode for the remainder of the journey back to Hogwarts.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The Sorting had just finished when Draco Malfoy arrived at Hogwarts. He’d had to go out of the country briefly to meet with some of his Veela family members and had only just returned. He’d learned a lot, such as how to talk to Sasveria, his familiar, among other things. His powers had slowly awakened and, while most of them were still beyond his control, he felt he was doing fairly well. That is, of course, until he stepped into the Great Hall. Every eye was immediately on him and he felt his Charm turn on and spread in the presence of so many others.

He winced immediately as people began to shout out crazy things and he quickly did his best to reign in the magic he’d let out. He mostly succeeded and everyone went back to merely staring rather intently at him, which was an improvement at least. He walked to the Head Table and smiled at his godfather, then waited while Dumbledore explained to the student body about his heritage.

Harry, meanwhile, couldn’t stop gaping. That was Draco Malfoy? His pale skin was now all but translucent and seemed to glow, like moonlight. His face and body, always narrow and slim, were now more effeminate than before. His cheekbones seemed higher, his eyes more slanted, his waist slimmer. His hair had changed as well. It, like his skin, seemed to glow, and it also appeared to be much finer than before. When had his nemesis become so…beautiful? Logically, he knew that it must be because Malfoy was a Veela, but still…it was almost unnatural!

He tuned in to Albus’ speech just in time to hear him tell the other students to respect Mr. Malfoy’s space and to remember that all Veela have a mate, whom they do not chose but merely find and that Mr. Malfoy and his mate were to be treated with the utmost respect for their relationship.

Albus nodded at Draco, who smiled weakly back and began to walk towards the Slytherin table. Then, he caught sight of Harry. Harry’s messy mop of black hair was falling into his eyes and Draco’s breath caught in his throat. His mind raced with thoughts of claiming his mate and it took everything in him not to simply seize Harry right then and there. Instead, against his will, he merely walked closer. His heart and body ached; this was the person he had waited his whole life to find!

He stopped when he stood across the table from Harry, just behind the Weasley girl – Ginny - and Hermione Granger. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply through his nose, drawing in Harry’s scent from across the table. Heaven, pure and simple. Without a doubt, Harry Potter was his mate.

“Mine.” He whispered as he opened his eyes. “My mate.”

Harry went pale and both Ginny and Hermione jerked around to look up at him. He glanced at them in turn. Hermione gave him a slight smile and an encouraging nod; he supposed that meant he had her support, then? He glanced at Ginny Weasley, who was frowning curiously up at him. “Who’s your mate, Malfoy?” She whispered.

Draco smiled down at her and shook his head before looking at Harry again. “Mine.” He said once more, before turning around and walking away again. He could and would wait until his mate was ready. He was a Malfoy, after all, and strong enough to wait.

~*~*~*~*~*~

It was three days later and the first day of classes. Ginny was seated next to her boyfriend, Harry, and across the table from Ron and Hermione. “How weird was it, though, that he came over and said that?”

Hermione and Ron shared a look, than Hermione said. “I suppose it was a bit strange, Ginny, but he is a Veela, after all. He must have just wanted to let his mate know who they belonged to.”

“They don’t belong to him!” Harry snapped angrily. “It’s not like they’re his property or anything!”

Ginny frowned at Harry and lightly rubbed his back, completely missing the concerned glance her brother shared with his girlfriend. “Harry, sweetie…no, they aren’t Malfoy’s property, but they are his. That’s how it works. Malfoy won’t let anyone take his mate from him.” She leaned in and rubbed her nose against Harry’s. “Just like I won’t let anyone take you from me.” She moved forward slightly to press her lips to Harry’s, but froze at an icy voice from behind her.

“If you want to live, I suggest you don’t do that.” Draco intoned, coldly furious at the sight of some Gryffindor slut touching his mate.

Ginny moved slowly away from Harry and looked up at Draco. “Malfoy.” She said cautiously, looking between the angry Veela and her deathly-pale boyfriend. “Is there a reason why I can’t kiss my boyfriend?”

Unfortunately, though Ginny’s tone was mild, she had chosen her words poorly. In an instant large wings had sprung from Draco’s back and his face had transformed, his mouth and nose becoming beak-like. Long, sharp, talon-like claws graced his fingers in place of nails and he let out a loud, high shrieking noise. Then, in a voice eerily similar to Draco’s normal one, he snarled. “Not yours, whore! Mine!”

He swiped at her with his claws and she screamed, jumping out of the way – and away from Harry – just in time to avoid being hit. “MINE!” Draco roared, flaring his wings and a ball of fire appeared in his hands. He threw it full force at Ginny, who screamed again and rolled out of the way just in time. Draco then launched himself at her, prepared to tear her to shreds.

“Stop!” Harry screamed. “Don’t you dare hurt her, Malfoy!”

Draco did, in fact, stop. He stopped with his claws just a breath away from Ginny’s throat, in fact. He let out another inhuman shriek and strained forward, but couldn’t do any damage to the girl lying on the floor beneath him. He jumped off her and turned to Harry in shock.

“I…” Harry said inarticulately. He then realized he must have, in his panic to save Ginny, unintentionally used Voice. “As your mate, I must use Voice to govern your actions and keep others safe from you.” He stated, repeating what he’d been told by Hermione. “You cannot harm Ginny.”

Draco let out an odd, bird-like cry, sounding mournful, and his wings, beak, and talons receded. Before them in a torn school uniform, stood a heartbroken-looking Draco Malfoy. His silvery eyes were filled with tears and he looked small and vulnerable in his shredded clothing. “I’m sorry.” He said hoarsely. “I didn’t mean to…”

He could see the concern and fear for Ginny on his mate’s face and it broke his heart, making it hard to breath. He had hurt his mate because his mate loved another and he’d tried to hurt them. “I’m sorry.” He said again before running away.

He ran all the way to his dormitory, curling up on his four-poster and sobbing. His mate hated him. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” He sobbed into his pillow, over and over again. He could clearly picture the fear in Harry’s emerald eyes…fear of him and the monster he could become. Draco had held such hope…hope of seeing those eyes open every morning after sleeping beside him every night. Hope of holding his mate close. Hope of showing his mate the world and giving him the world. Hope of seeing those eyes he loved so dearly shine with love. Instead, they shone with fear.

~*~*~*~*~*~

That night, Draco finally emerged from his rooms. He was feeling weak and dizzy and knew it was because he’d transformed and not eaten afterwards. His strength was waning quickly. He barely made it into the Great Hall without falling down. He stumbled weakly to Harry’s side and looked down into the face he loved so dearly. That raven hair tumbled, as always, into those brilliant eyes. Those lips, so deceptively innocent and yet capable of controlling Draco’s actions so easily, were parted slightly in surprise.

Draco stood there, swaying on his feet for an instant, before he said weakly. “I’m sorry for my behavior earlier, Harry, and I thank you for stopping me.” His knees gave out then and as he fell, he murmured. “Please don’t hate me.”

The students gasped as Draco collapsed and Harry, with his Seeker reflexes, caught him before he hit the floor. He cradled the pale Veela in his arms and sat back down. “What’s wrong with you?” He asked in a quiet, yet angry, voice.

Hermione provided the answer as Draco stared tearfully up at his mate. “He’s very weak, Harry. His powers are still new and he likely hasn’t eaten since he transformed. On top of that, he apparently feels you’re angry with him. Veela tend to lose strength if their mate is angry or upset with them.”

“Oh.” Harry frowned and scanned the table quickly before sighing. “Hermione, pour me a half a cup of tea, please?”

She did so and he then filled the cup almost the rest of the way with sugar, then added just a splash of milk to cool it slightly. He then held the cup to Draco’s lips. “Drink this, okay?”

Ron’s eyes widened. “Harry, what are you doing? That’s more sugar than tea! He won’t want that!”

Even as Ron spoke, though, Draco was gulping the tea down. He then proceeded to lick the inside of the cup to get the rest of the sugar out. “Veelas feed differently.” Harry said calmly. “Sugar is a staple in their diet and they need a lot of it.”

Draco nodded, looking more alert than he had only moments before. “More?” He asked quietly, a slight whimper in his voice.

Harry took the cup and filled it halfway with sugar, then added milk instead of tea this time, stirring it briefly before handing the cup and spoon to Draco. The blonde boy smiled briefly up at Harry from his perch on the Gryffindor’s lap, then began to lap up the sugary-milk like a cat. When he’d drank as much that way as he could, he tipped the cup and spooned the rest of the thick, gloopy sugar-milk into his mouth. The others were staring at Draco in disgusted fascination, while Harry merely watched him with a slight smile.

Draco noticed everyone staring and set the cup and spoon down, glaring at them all. “Can I help you?” He snarled. They all shook their heads and returned to their conversations, at which point Draco looked up at Harry and blushed slightly. “Thank you. I never knew milk and sugar tasted that good. How did you?”

Harry’s lips tugged up at the corner into a half-smile. “I’ve been reading up on Veelas and Hermione and I found a book directed towards their mates. It explains about Voice as well as the bonding ceremonies and even has a few chapters dedicated to the proper way the mate needs to care for the Veela’s needs. That includes what Veela like to eat and drink, as well as what things they can’t have because of new allergies they may develop after the change.”

Draco bit his lip and nodded. “Oh.” He breathed in deeply and was suddenly very aware of the fact that he was utterly surrounded by his mate’s scent. He could see his mate and smell his mate and hear his mate and feel his mate…he started to move closer, all but overwhelmed by the need to taste his mate as well. Then he remembered that his mate had requested time.

Draco quickly stood and began to back away. “Look, Harry, I know you said you needed time…and because you do, I’m trying to be understanding. Really, I am. But…”

Harry frowned, noticing Draco was glowing slightly and the others around him were starting to drool a bit. A few people began to call out insane things. “I’m sorry; I’m still learning to control things. And this is very hard.” Draco continued. “Please, you need to come to terms with this soon. I don’t know how much longer I can last.” He glanced around nervously and added. “I’ll give you everything, Harry…take you anywhere…do whatever you want…just, please…”

He then ran out of the room. While Harry tried to process all of what Draco had just said, everyone else in the Great Hall shook their heads and recovered from the influence of Draco’s Charm.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The way your hair swings over your eyes
The motor in my head turns
Wanting you for such a long time
In my mind, a hard lesson to learn

Do do do do do do do do
You'll never know,
I'm after you

Do do do do do do do do
You'll never know

And you smell like,
How angels oughta smell
And you look like
You're ready to go

So hold my hand
I'll take you everywhere
Anywhere
You wanna go

The way your words keep me in a line
I know what I'm here for
Waking up to the green of your eyes
Is something I'll get used to (Oh!)

Do do do do do do do do
You'll never know,
I'm after you

Do do do do do do do do
You'll never know

And you smell like,
How angels oughta smell
And you look like
You're ready to go

So hold my hand
I'll take you everywhere
Anywhere
You wanna go

So come on and hold my hand (Hold my hand)
I'll take you everywhere (Everywhere)
Anywhere
I'll take you anywhere
So let's go

The way your hair swings over your eyes
The way your words keep me in a line
I'm telling you for the very last time
You better know

And you smell like,
How angels oughta smell
And you look like
You're ready to go

So hold my hand
I'll take you everywhere
Anywhere
You wanna go

So come on and hold my hand (Hold my hand)
I'll take you everywhere (Everywhere)
Anywhere
You wanna go

Do do do do do do do do
Do do do do do do do
Do do do do do do do do
Do do do do do do do

So come on and hold my hand (Hold my hand)
I'll take you everywhere (Everywhere)
Anywhere
You wanna go

So come on and hold my hand (Hold my hand)
I'll take you everywhere (Everywhere)
Anywhere
You wanna go

A/N: Okay, here's Chapter Two. Thanks so much for reviewing, I love reading them! Hope you enjoy the chapter! ~ FA