Veela Love

Chapter Thirty: A Necessary Truce

Hermione found Draco sitting halfway around the lake, sitting on the giant stone that jutted out into the water. Stopping several feet from him, she watched the stone he'd just skipping across the lake bounce once, twice, three times before sinking under the surface.

"What are you doing here?" Draco's voice was hollow, and he didn't even bother looking up at her. She noted the dark circle under his eyes, and guilt shot through her. She'd almost killed him.

"I came here to say... well to say I'm sorry."

Draco snorted, and turned to glare at Hermione. She took a step back at the cold look on his face – it was just like they'd stepped back in time to their younger years, and he was about to hurl an insult at her. Her heart twisted painfully in her chest. "Sorry? What could you possibly be sorry about?"

Hermione swallowed. Sitting down as far away from him on the rock as possible, Hermione dangled her feet over the edge. "I didn't mean to make you sick."

Draco grunted but didn't give her any other reply.

Hermione stared into the water's depths and it took her several minutes to realize it was staring back at her. Smiling widely, she raised her hand in greeting.

The returning smile was more intimidating, given it was made up of sharp, pointed teeth. The mermaid swam closer to the rock, making the horrible screeching sound that meant hello. Greeting the mermaid who's name was Viaae, Hermione screeched back as they discussed the recent occurances. The mermaids had heard quite a lot of the gossip through the windows in the Slytherine common room. After convincing Viaae she was absolutely not preganant, the mermaid said her good bye, splashing both Draco and Hermione as she dove underwater.

Hermione glanced at Draco, who's mouth was hanging open. He snapped it shut and spluttered, "You know mermish? I shouldn't be surprised."

Hermione felt herself blush. "Well, after watching Dumbledore fourth year... and with how they're treated... I just... I wanted to help them if I could. Which means I need to be able to speak to them."

"I'm impressed," Draco said, although his face was still impassive. They sat there in silence for moment before Draco spoke again. "What do you want, Hermione? I'm tired and want to go back to bed."

Hermione bit her lip. "I just... we can't let that happen again. McGonagall will kill us."

"And here I was thinking you cared about me!"

Flinching, Hermione gazed at her interlocked fingers. "I don't want you sick, Malfoy. I just... I can't be with you."

"Why?" The question was almost a whisper, barely heard above the soft lapping of the lake.

"Because you don't really love me, Malfoy. You're Veela does, but you don't. Not the person part of you."

"Don't you dare try to tell me what I do and don't feel, Hermione! You don't have that right, especially when you couldn't be more wrong."

Flaring up, Hermione turned to face him and found high blotches of pink on his otherwise pale cheeks. "Don't tell me I'm wrong! You've spent years tearing me down – there's no way you could suddenly change how you've felt!"

"You have no idea how I've felt over the years! You have no clue!" Draco hollered at her. "Even if I wanted to like you, I wasn't allowed to like someone like you! I did what I was supposed to do, but if I'd know that would color everything now don't you think I'd go back and change it?"

"Well -."

"Don't try and tell me how I feel, Hermione. Don't you dare."

Hermione gazed at him. It hurt to look at him – even angry he was so handsome it took her breath away. She wanted to believe him, but she just... couldn't. The memories that'd been forced down her throat were still too vivid. There was nothing he could say that could convince her otherwise. "I'm sorry, Malfoy, I just don't believe you."

His angered expression shuttered, and the cool Malfoy mask fell into place. "I know you don't. So why are you here?"

Hermione gulped. She didn't like this Malfoy. "I just... we have to spend some time together every day, otherwise we're going to get sick. Why don't we met up in our common room to do our homework?"

Draco snorted. "I've moved into the dorm with Blaise, but I can come back up for homework I guess. Don't want you to get sick after all."

Tracing a crack in the rock with her finger, she refused to look up as she said, "I don't want you to get sick either, Malfoy. I'm not cruel. We're mated."

"You know we haven't finished that, right?" His words were hard and cold.
Hermione gulped. "I know. And before the time is up, we'll... we'll finish. I promise."

"No, you won't. I won't go through with it, not like this."

Raising her eyes at the venom in Draco's voice, she met the hard glint in his gaze. "But we have to... have sex."

"I won't, not now. Not when you shudder at the thought that I love you. I can't. I won't."

"But..."

"No."

"But you'll die."

"So be it. I won't rape you, Hermione."

She bit her lip. She didn't know what to say. They sat in silence for awhile before she rose and brushed off her skirt. "I better get back." She turned around.

Draco called after her. "You know they can't hurt you, right? Ron and Pansy? They're in Azkaban, now. They can't get to you."

Hermione froze. She had known they'd been arrested, but she'd tried her hardest not to think about how her best friend had turned into her tormentor. "I know."

"Then why are you still letting them hurt you? Why are you letting them keep us from being happy?"

Hermione took a step away. "You can't make me happy, Malfoy. Not anymore. I'm not a fool." She walked back up to the castle.