3 Times Fallen (a Dramione fanfiction)

Same as Before...

Hermione

Returning to Hogwarts was a normal occurrence for one Hermione Granger.  Lugging her trunk throughout the busy, tumultuous train station, the young woman stopped to take in the sights before her.  The bright red of the glistening train, the bustle of students new and old, and a familiar voice sounding behind her.

"Hermione!  We're gonna be late!"  Turning, Hermione met eyes with two of her best friends in the world; Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.

"Coming Ronald," she shouted back.  "Don't get your knickers in a twist!"  Drawing closer, she hurried to keep up with the boys as they made their way towards the back of the Hogwarts Express.  Hermione felt the eyes of surrounding parents and students alike pivot to her and her best friends.  Being the heros of the war did have its drawbacks.  The trio had mainly gotten used to the stares and being idolized, yet every now and then they found themselves still in shock.

With the war being over, Hermione didn't know what the boys were going to do with themselves this year.  They no longer needed to focus their extra efforts into the destruction of Voldemort and his army, and with Hermione being appointed as Head Girl, their time together would be cut short.  The new head dorms were on a completely separate floor from those of Gryffindor Tower.  Hermione would throw herself into her education in an attempt to take away that purposeless feeling.

With this thought in mind, Hermione raised her trunk above her head to place into the overhead compartment before the train left.  Sitting down across from Harry and Ron, the door slid open silently and a smiling Ginny Weasley entered the small space. 

"Hey everyone.  Neville made it onto the train this year without an accident.  I think it's a record for him."  The friends all began to laugh as Ginny was followed by none other than Neville and his newly appointed girlfriend Luna. 

"I try," Nevillle said laughing at himself.  Ginny took her seat on Harry's lap, leaving room for Neville and Luna to take residence next to Hermione.  The group began chatting aimlessly, but Hermione, however, tuned out.  Something within her felt strange; off somehow.  It was as if her entire body had a slight buzzing emanating from her core.  The buzzing had been present, but almost in a subconscious-like state for the past few months.  It had grown stronger when she had reached the platform, and had reached a heightened point and she was sure that the others must sense that something was off.  Before she had time to panic, the sensation began to dissipate as quickly has it had started, and Hermione was jostled out of her dream-like state by a knee-jerk from Ron. 

"Are you in there Hermione?" Ron demanded.

"Yeah sorry, just lost in thought I guess."  Noticing that the train was already progressing through the countryside, she said, "I have to go start my patrolling now.  I'll catch up with you all again before we have to change."  With that swift farewell, she exited the compartment and decidedly turned left following the strange buzzing pull.

Draco

12 hours earlier

"But mother, must I really continue a laughable excuse of an education at that bloody school," Draco wined to his mother.

"Yes son you must," Narcissa Malfoy began.  "There is something that I have been meaning to tell you, and now that your father is gone away on business, it is imperative that I do so and that you listen."  Draco edged himself to the corner of his bead and sat down, bracing himself in precaution of the deep lines running across his mother's face.  "Draco...your father was a veela."  She sighed and looked at her son tentatively.  When she saw no apparent distress other than the widening of his eyes, she continued.  "I was his mate.  Veelas are a special type of magical being.  They emanate beauty and radiance on the outside, and attract many around them.  A veela is bound to one person for their entire life; this is their mate.  The veela's entire existence is centered around the health, well-being, and happiness of their mate.  If they feel that something or someone is doing something to threaten their mate or their mates happiness, safety, etc. then they sort of transform.  The veela within them takes over and a sort of protective beast emerges.  They will do everything in their power to restore their mate to the 'ideal' state of being.  Veela's need their mate to survive.  They long to be close to them and a separation from them can be harmful to both parties.  Once a veelas blood has awoken and started singing for its mate, then the veela can feel the distance from its mate.  After bonding through a single kiss, the veela will the  begin to feel the pain and emotions of their mate as if they were their own. Once the blood has woken, the veela has a certain amount of time to find their mate before their blood rejects its host, and ultimately kills the veela it flows within."

"This is all very interesting mother," Draco drawls out in a bored voice, "but I still don't see why father being a veela means that I have to go back to school.  He should have told me himself if it was this imperative.  I'm completely hated by everyone at school, and I don't blame them.  However, my talents have outgrown the confines of Hogwarts and its pathetic headmistress McGonagall.  So truly I have no need to be in that wretched place again-"

"My boy," Narcissa interrupted, "don't you understand?  You, sharing your father's blood, are part veela."  She watched as her son's mouth gaped open in horror and shock.  "Your blood woke towards the end of last year.  At the time, it didn't seem like telling you would have been a good idea, and so I waited.  Your father and I planned on telling you after the war, seeing as how you would have known if your mate had been killed.  Seeing as how you weren't writhing in pain after the battle, I assumed that she was still safe, and couldn't bring myself to tell you.  But, you must return to Hogwarts you see, because that is where you will find your mate: the reason for your existence.  My estimate is that your time is running out and you only have till the end of this school year to find her, or else I will lose you, my sweet child, I will lose you to your own poisoned blood."

12 hours later....

Draco was excitedly looking forward to the perks that came with being Head Boy this year.  After being on the wrong side of the war from the previous months, he needed the solitude of the private dorms to escape the unrefined hate from the other students.  He could also use the extra freedom to research and figure out the bombshell that his mom had dropped on him the previous night.  He assumed that this new information had something to do with the strange buzzing that he had been feeling for the past few months.  It had increased at some point while he was boarding the train.  Abusing his duties already, he was tormenting a first year in the rear of the train, when his best friend Blaise Zabini came up behind him and slung an arm around his shoulders.  Draco quickly scared the child into tears before she ran away in the opposite direction.  He laughed.

"Careful there," Zabini warned.  "That kind of crap now can have us and our families suspended and put under watch."  Draco's eyes narrowed into slits and he huffed out a breath of anger before turning on his heel and leading his friend down the corridor and into the prefects compartment.  Luckily for him the space was empty. 

"Come in here and shut the door behind you.  There's something I need to tell you."

...........

...........

Zabini stared back at him with his mouth open in shock after learning Draco's secret.  "So this girl that you're supposed to find somewhere in the school is supposed to be your soulmate?"

"Yeah pretty much, and apparently I'm extremely protective over her and will always be loyal or something like that." Draco couldn't hide the disgust forming upon his handsome face.  His platinum blonde hair and gray eyes stood out as a stark contrast to such an angry expression.  "Ugh you have to go now.  I cast an enchantment on the door so that anyone who came near would forget why they were here and busy themselves elsewhere, but it's wearing off and I have to go start rounds."  Zabini, who knew that the blond boy before him rarely did what he was asked, and raised his eyebrow questioningly.  "Yeah yeah I know...I'd rather not anger the girl I'm going to be living with for the rest of the year."  Zabini nodded his head in realization and led the way out of the compartment turning right as Draco made his was to the left.  He hadn't realized how early he was.  Rounds didn't start for another 10 minutes. 

Oh well...I might as well kill some time...  Draco kept a steady pace walking down the hallway.  He broke up two disgusting displays of PDA in the hallways within 3 minutes.  He continued down the hall, hardly noticing the buzzing within him growing stronger until it reached a point that shoved it to the forefront of his realization.  He looked to the compartment that he had just passed, and became irritated to see the blinds drawn down.  Why does everything always have to be this hard?  He continued his trek down the hallway, having to resist the pull of his body wanting to stay near the source of the buzzing.  As he turned the corner, of one thing he was certain: his mate had been right behind that door.

A/N:  It actually will get better (at least i think so...), give it a try if you like Dramione!!