Silver Dragon's Mate

Hurt

"Only the strong go crazy. The weak just go along." - Assata Shakur
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The upcoming tests had kept Draco busy throughout the week. The professors seemed to be nursing this strange idea that all the eight years knew everything for the NEWTS and only required practice. And thus, another school year was being wasted in pointless memorization.

Without the fear of death-eaters and Voldemort, the school grounds had become quiet. Draco assumed that it was after effect of the war, most week days covered the castle in a deep lull, everyone was busy trying to rebuild themselves. Classes were where Draco was rebuilding himself, he had lost track of far too much in the war and education seemed like the only place where every agreed that he was true.

That the thing about talent, whether it be used for the better or worse it was always appreciated. That's why

Draco was in the library, his mind floating between the two reasons that had brought him here: Hermione and books.

The woman has decided to live in here, I swear.

Draco didn't want to get her suspicious about anything but staying away from her was getting harder. He was suffering from a constant need to be close to her, the mate bond was getting stronger now that he could smell. And she smelled heavenly, like cinnamon, citrus and cream. It was intoxicating to him, like an aphrodisiac.

Granger was asleep on the table, a potions book and her homework open in front of her, head resting on parchments. Over the year, rest had done her well, she had gained a few well-deserved pounds and had become fuller in stature. Her hair had become tamer and she had started to pay attention to her looks, it made sense with all the time she probably had to herself.

But seeing her here like this made him realize something.

I can't let her go without at least trying.

He had planned that he wouldn't tell her about his inheritance. She deserved better than the broken he was, deserved better than the monster he was. But now he couldn't do it, he had to tell her.

Let her decide the path she wanted walk.

Draco nudged at the sleeping girl's arm but she gave no reaction of waking.

"Granger?" He poked the soft skin of her arm, repeatedly calling her name. When she still didn't wake, he took to shaking her, that seemed to do the trick. Hermione woke with a start, wildly looking around, fear in her eyes.

"What are you doing in the girl's dormitory?" She questioned while shaking her head.

"Dormitory? This is the library." Draco was very surprised at her reaction. He had never pegged her to be someone who suffered from sleep amnesia. How could you blame him? Everyone could suffer from misconceptions about the person they were taught to hate all their lives. Especially if the said person was always refined and calm.

"How did I get here?" Granger asked, her hair fluttering in the wind flowing in from the window.

"I assumed you walked here, but I can assure you that I did not abduct you." Draco jested for once but the girl did not look amused and that made him regret his joke.

"Please don't ever do that again." even the he knew that she didn't mean that in those terms but his heart caught some hope that she was willing to converse with him on future occasions.

Hermione was staring at his face when he met her eyes. "Something has changed in you," her voice was small and drowsy with sleep. "I can't point put my finger on it, yet."

That statement left Draco confused, it wasn't that something had changed, he had completely changed down to the blood in his veins. He told her this.

"Why would you say that?" even though her questions were in concordance, her reaction was not. She looked far too relaxed to be around him, when in the past she would have snapped at him for questioning her choices. Hermione Granger was not someone who had small talk with him, no she was someone who challenged his wits and made him want to win against her at all cost.

"Why are you here Granger? Why are still talking to me?" he couldn't help but ask.

"I do not know." her face showed no regrets about that, and that was what made Draco realize what was happening.

Hermione could never be okay with not knowing something. It was his veela pheromones that made her relax around him. For some unknown reason he wasn't fond of that. He never wanted to take away her choices just because he was a creature that needed her to survive. No, he'd never endanger her freedom even against his life.

"I am a veela." that sentence brought the gryffindor come to her senses, Draco could empathize, it really was unexpected to hear.

"Did you drink something wrong today?" Hermione scooted closer to his face and sniffed. "You're not drunk, what is it then? Are you sick?" She tried to reach his face but he caught her hand and moved away.

"I'm not sick Granger." he said, rolling his eyes at her.

"Well you can't be a veela. You're a pureblood" she said the word pureblood like it was some sort of insult. Her eyes browned eyes seemed to be glaring at into his own grey ones.

" I was once under the same misconception," he nodded the girl "but the wizarding world accepts creature blood as pure too."

"So, what do you want from me?" she demanded.

"You are my mate." there he said it, now Draco was willing to accept any result, whether it was mate or death.

"Stop messing with me, Malfoy" she smacked his chest and Draco let here.

"All these years you tortured me with your insults and now you'll die without me. I don't deserve this." tears welled up in her eyes.

Draco agreed, "you don't, I won't force you to stay with me."

"I can't let you die," she hissed at him. "You can't let him die."

Hearing her crying and screaming made the librarian come around to their corner her wand in hand. She almost walked up to them but Hermione stopped her. Requesting Pince to leave to them alone for some time and promising the teacher to tell her everything later. The older woman looked reluctant but left them alone.

Draco shook her head at him, promising her that she could reject him. But Hermione was not listening to him, tears were now streaming down her cheeks and soaking her shirt. It hurt Draco immensely to see her cry. The veela in him weakened at her tears and he had to try very hard not to take her his arms and wipe her tears.

"I can't let another person die because of me." she slumped against him and let her tears soak his robes, shaking from the weakness in her legs.

Draco didn't say a word. He was too scared that saying anything would break her. Instead he held her closer in her arms. The distressed girl caused his veela to go into overdrive. He released pheromones into the air and purred until the girl fell asleep again.

He had imagined that telling her was going to be hard but now he knew that his hardships were just beginning. He had broken his mate, broke the strongest woman he knew, him who couldn't even fix himself.

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Author's note:

Hi!  I hope everyone is doing well these days. With Covid-19 and the quarantines around the world.

I know I haven't been here but I hope you enjoy the new chapter.

Take care. Stay healthy.