Through the eyes of blind love

Ch.4 Secret admirer or?

It had started with her smell. Her perfume. That sweet scent that was the genuine signature of her presence in any room. The combination of lavender, vanilla and a hint of pumpkin, penetrated his nostrils and filled his mind and thoughts of her. Every time he entered a room or an area with her in it, he couldn't ignore her presence at all. He couldn't even turn his head away from her anymore. He was beginning to have trouble not only in his sleep but also in his concentration during the day. She filled every room she would enter with a mouth-watering, intoxicating scent. Of course, only he was capable of perceiving her scent as strongly as if he had his face buried in her chestnut curls. Curse this fucking part Veela of me! He wanted to regret it. Wanted to take away this "curse" which only enslaved him to the witty nymph. But he knew he couldn't. Not after the first time, he knew she was his mate.

It was September 1st, the day when Hogwarts' term starts. Over the summer, he'd removed the amber pendant he'd always wore under his robes since a little after his seventeenth birthday, hiding his Veela inheritance. His mother had told him he was one-quarter Veela, his great-grandfather from his mother's side, being a full-blooded Veela. She'd then told him his great-grandfather had been bitten by one, and that's how he chose his great-grandmother. His mother was a half Veela, but her blood was inactive, dormant; she didn't develop any Veela powers or seek a mate. She was just a plain, "pureblood" witch. It was then, on his 17th birthday when the little amount of Veela blood within him began awakening.

"There are those who are born unfortunate even though they haven't wronged. I was hoping, given the reduced Veela inheritance, that the gene would have stayed dormant in you. I am sorry my child. I believe your life will be much shorter now if you do not find your mate." She'd told him. He'd known everything about Veelas by then. Magical Creatures wasn't his favourite subject, but his family had indulged him with every single detail known about Veelas. Mate? Me? Sod real love, there is none for me! He'd thought. He didn't feel loved. He couldn't be. He was cursed, and for what he knew, love wasn't meant for him. "If my life's to be shorter, so be it!" He'd angrily shouted at his mother as he stormed out into the rain, desperately looking for something that could prevent his Veela blood from awakening any further.

He looked at the amber pendant that laid in his nightstand drawer. I don't need this anymore. He remembered grimly the memories of the sad expression on his mother and the hard face of his uncle. He had given him the magically charmed pendant which prevented his Veela powers from emerging as well as suppressing his requirement to find his mate, making his life a little longer on the way. Since that day he had worn it constantly (even when asleep) dreading that if he removed it, he would find his mate, only to be left heartbroken (again) and would die alone. Over the summer, he realised the prospects of ever finding his mate were almost null and felt the necessity of wearing the amber pendant was no longer needed. Even if I did have a mate, she was most probably killed during the war. He had pretty much lost any hope of ever finding a mate. That's what he'd thought until he smelled her. At first, when he felt her in the Great Hall the first night, he couldn't stand it. He had to excuse himself and fled towards his chambers to escape the overwhelming, intoxicating scent. He knew it was his mate. It must be. He felt his blood boiling in his veins, his senses sharpening and saw his eyes had turned a metallic black in the mirror. I'm damned, and no pendant can stop this now.

He'd spent the next few days having the pendant both on and off, searching for who his mystery girl was until one night, near the library, he smelled the beautiful aroma of lavender. It was her. He hid in the shadows and silently followed the scent until he reached the source. He almost passed out when he finally found out who his mate was.

Hermione sat on the edge of her bed dreading leaving her room. She'd been avoiding both Draco and Ron for the past two days, and she wasn't ready to face the music. Or rather face them. She just slipped away after the scene Draco and Ron had made in class. She knew, of course, that everyone would be either questioning her or talking about her. Are you secretly seeing Draco? Have you broken up with Ron? Have you heard Hermione has two wizards after her? The Slytherin prince with the Gryffindor princess? She just couldn't stand it. She decided she would spend the rest of her day reading in the peacefulness of her room.