Not your usual Veela mate [Chapters 39-69]

The Headache That Is Harry Potter [53]

Tuesday Sep 17
D

raco blinked his eyes open and absentmindedly reached up to try and remove the water from his eyes. He had no recollection of falling asleep, but this just had to be a dream. If it wasn't, then now was a good time to start panicking.
He was standing in the middle of a vast field, smack in the middle of the worst thunderstorm he had ever witnessed in his life. Some yards away was Harry, his head thrown back and his arms flung out wide, and he was slowly spinning around in place while laughing. Around him bolt after bolt of lightning was hitting the ground, making the air sizzle, and the smell of ozone was enough to make Draco want to sneeze. Yep, dream or not, panicking sounded good just about now, Draco thought, cautiously making his way over to where his mate was standing.
"Harry? What are you doing?" Draco asked, eyeing the sky wearily, not sure he wanted to know.
"Isn't this great?" Harry asked, grinning like mad and flinging an arm around Draco's shoulders.
"No?" Draco answered, turning the reply into a question. He was wet. He was standing in ankle deep mud, and he was in immediate danger of being fried to a crisp. No, nothing about this situation could be labelled as great. Adding insult to injury was the fact that both he and Harry was dreaming, and although they were wet and dirty, it was not in a manner that Draco could enjoy. Bummer!
"Harry, what is going on? Where are we? What's up with the weather?" Draco asked, reaching up to cup his mate's jaw.
Harry looked down at Draco, turning his full focus on the Veela. "Sorry, Draco, but I haven't the foggiest idea where we are. As for the weather, haven't you ever felt like just standing in the middle of a thunderstorm? Screaming and shouting your anger and anguish away? Secure in the knowledge that no one can hear you? Allowing the rain and the thunder to wash you clean?"
Draco tilted his head to the side, taking in the soppy wet state of Harry's hair, and the sparking green eyes that were alive in a way the blond had never seen before. Smiling gently, he pulled his mate closer and kissed him, ignoring the coldness of their skins, only focusing on the warmth that was Harry's mouth.
Lazily, Draco stroked his tongue over Harry's, revelling in the shudder his action produced. Pressing closer to his mate, Draco carefully excavated that hot cavern that only seemed to get hotter the longer the kiss lasted.
Only when a lightning bolt hit the ground a mere three feet away, did they break apart, and Draco leaned his head against Harry's shoulder, only now noting that it was bare.
"Wow!" Harry murmured, wrapping his arms around Draco tightly. "I don't know which is wilder, your kisses or the lightening.
Draco was tricked into a snorting laugh. "Only you, love," Draco said, his eyes shining with amusement while shaking his head. Wrapping his own arms just as tightly around his mate, he asked again, "So, where did you find this storm then?"
Harry shrugged, leaning his head on Draco's shoulder, going back to watching the lightening bolts. "I don't know. I was... I don't know what I was. I was angry. I wanted to shout. I wanted the world to know that I wasn't happy. And the next thing I knew, there was this gigantic lightning landing a few yards away, and then I just knew what it was I wanted, so I called on the thunder, and then you showed up..." Harry said, feeling a bit silly now that he tried to explain what he had been feeling.
"Hey, after the day you had just had, I would want to do some shouting as well," Draco said, looking up and into mesmerising green eyes. "Personally, I've never been overly fond of rain and thunder, I'm more partial to snow. You know, when large flakes are falling from the sky, the type that sticks to your hair and eyelashes," Draco said, becoming enthusiastic as he described his favourite kind of weather.
Harry listened to him, fascinated by the play of emotions he could see on his boyfriends face, realising suddenly that there was still a lot of child left inside Draco Malfoy, only it was safely tucked away where no one could see it, and Harry felt proud for being allowed this glimpse of that inner child.
"I love you," Harry whispered, reaching up to tuck a wet lock away behind a delicate ear.
Draco's eyes widened at the unexpected declaration of love, but then they softened and he pulled his green eyed beauty into another soul stealing kiss. "And I love you, Harry, with all my heart."
Unnoticed by either boy, the thunderstorm tapered off just as quickly as it had appeared, and the sun broke through the black clouds, creating a vivid rainbow above the two lover's heads. Lost in the pure love they could see in each others eyes, time lost all meaning, and neither had any idea how long they had been standing there, when Harry suddenly whipped his head to the side, staring into the distance.
"Harry?" Draco asked, getting worried over his mate's weird behaviour.
"Love?" he asked again, when Harry didn't react to his call, reaching up to place his hand against a cold cheek.
"Can you hear it?" Harry asked, his voice strangled, and laced with... was that fear?
"Hear what?" Draco asked, truly getting concerned.
"The music. That song. It's the Seeker, Draco, I just know it is her. Can't you hear her? What if she takes me away? I can't go, Draco. Not now!" Harry said, growing more and more agitated by the minute.
"Shush, love, you know that you will have to face the Elven King at some point," Draco said, doing his best to stay strong for his mate. However, he could not deny the sliver of dread that took root at the pit of his stomach when Harry mentioned the Seeker. What if she did take Harry away? What if the king didn't think Draco to be good enough for one of his subjects. Unconsciously, he tightened his grip on the Elf, determined to stay with him, no matter what.
Harry felt his mate's agitation, and it fuelled his own churning emotions. Yes, he knew that he would have to face the Elves at some point. But not now, damn it all to hell! He had things to do, important things, and he just didn't have time to go gallivanting to other dimensions. Hopefully, the king would understand, but if he didn't? Well, tough!
Trying to decide what he should do, Harry was dismayed when the air in front of him shimmered, and then he was there, somehow standing next to the woman who had haunted his sleep for so long.
The scene was just as he remembered. The woman was sitting in a round room built of large stone blocks. The floor was covered in some type of moss, and the walls were covered with some kind of flower, looking similar to clematis, and the pale lavender coloured blooms were filling the air with their fragrant perfume.
The structure had several large glassless windows, and there was no roof, giving the sun ample opportunity to fill the place with its rays, causing the woman's blond locks to glimmer as if they were made of pure gold.
Allowing the last notes from the harp do taper off, the Elf turned her head and looked at Harry, a welcoming smile on her lips. "Greetings," she said, and for the first time since he started having these dreams, he could actually understand her.
Not trusting his voice, Harry gave her a sharp nod in greeting, clutching even tighter at Draco, scared out of his mind to suddenly find himself alone with the Seeker.
"I see, is he the reason you have resisted my calls? Relax, youngling, you have nothing to fear from me. I merely wish to welcome you to the Elven Realm. The King will be most pleased to meet with you and your mate," the Elf said, giving them both a kind smile.
"Merlin! Please tell me that I am dreaming," Draco said pleadingly, staring around in awe.
"No, young Veela, this is no dream," the woman said, still smiling kindly at them, only a hint of indulgence had crept into the expression, and for some reason that just made Harry angrier. Tell me, young Elf, why have you not come before? It is unheard of for a Lost One to stay away for as long as you have done. If it was not due to your mate, then what is troubling you?"
"Look, Lady, I appreciate that you've been looking for me," Harry said, fighting down his urge to just leave, figuring the Elves deserved some type of explanation. Draco winced at the blunt manner his mate was speaking, and he began to rub soothing circles on Harry's back in an attempt to calm him down. They did not need for Harry's magic to get out of control. The situations was thorny as it was.
"Please, call me Mooncrest, and it was my pleasure calling you here," Mooncrest said with another blinding smile, rising Harry's hackles further. The woman was just too damn... smug!
"Mooncrest," Harry acknowledged, figuring he might as well tryto be civil. After all, he needed the Elves to accept him and Draco, and it might make things go smoother if he didn't piss them off too much. But Merlin, could their timing be any worse?
"Like I said, I appreciate you looking for me. But at first I had no idea who you were, or what you were doing for that matter. Unfortunately, I have learned the hard way not to trust the beings I encounter in my dreams, so I was in no hurry to answer your calls," Harry admitted, running an agitated hand through his hair.
"Once I found out what was going on... Well, I don't how to say this politely, but, your timing sucks! I have important things that needs to be dealt with in the wizarding world, and no matter how much I want to come with you now, I just can't."
"Harry!" Draco hissed, leaning back so he could look Harry in the eyes. "What are you doing? You just don't say no to a king!"
Harry glanced at the Veela, seeing the concern and the fear lurking in those beautiful silvery eyes. "What choice do I have? You know as well as I do that the Dark Mark needs to be removed as soon as possible. Your father and Severus have suffered enough. They have been betrayed by just everybody; their families, Hogwarts, Dumbledore, Voldemort, everybody. I for one refuse to be included in that group! The mark will be removed on Saturday. It is Tuesday today, surely the King can understand that and wait for a few measly days?" Harry pleaded, looking from Draco to the Seeker.
"I know I need to speak with the King. I know that I can't fully bond with Draco until he has given his permission, but I just can't turn my back on Lucius and Severus, I'm sorry but I just can't. I won't!" Harry vowed, his face firming with his determination, and within his eyes danced green fires.
"Look, why don't you call me in a few days time? Say, on Sunday? By then the Dark Mark should be gone and Lucius and Severus bonded with each other. I promise I will come peacefully then, but I just can't do it now, okay? Give my regards to the king, and tell him that I am sorry, but I won't turn my back on my family. I won't!"
"Harry!" Draco hissed, torn between the pride that was threatening to cause him to burst, and fear of what the king would do when faced with such blatant disrespect.
"Hush, Draco, they will understand. If they can't, then I will not become a subject. I love you. I am proud of being part of your family. If the Elves can't understand that, then it is their loss. I will not allow them to sway me from doing what is right," Harry proclaimed, bending down to kiss the Veela passionately, effectively ending any further arguments.
Mooncrest could only stand there and stare. Never, not once in the three thousand years she had been the King's Seeker had anyone refused to come like this young man was doing. Then again, considering who his mother was, she shouldn't be surprised that he was turning out to be different from everyone else. Shaking her head and gathering her somewhat scattered wits, she opened her mouth and said, "Young one, you have nothing to fear. The meeting with the king should be brief, no more than a month or so, and he will return you-"
Harry opened eyes that he apparently had closed during the kiss that somehow had gone from keeping Draco quiet to utterly sinful and erotic as hell, and turned at the Elf. Hadn't he just told her that he had things to do? Lucius and Severus couldn't wait for an entire month! And knowing his luck, something was bound to happen and simple would quickly turn to complicated.
Glaring darkly, he gathered his magic about him, clutched tightly at Draco and focused on Lucius will all his might. With a soft 'pop' the two disappeared, leaving a shocked and astonished Seer behind, never hearing the end of what she was trying to tell them.
"-just moments after you left... Oh, by the stars and the moon, how did he do that? And what will I tell the King? He won't believe this! No, no, no, this was not supposed to happen! By the stars above, how did he do that?" Mooncrest asked, leaping to her feet. Leaving her harp behind, she set off to seek an audience with the King, wringing her hands as she ran. Never before in recorded time had this happened. Why hadn't the Seers predicted this? An event of this magnitude was usually well documented long before it happened. How could they have missed something like this? Then again, the boy truly was his mother's son. This was just the kind of thing Silversky would have done. Chuckling ruefully, Mooncrest increased her speed; suddenly she couldn't wait to inform the King and his Queen of the weird and utterly strange encounter.