Though Draco had ideas of several possible members of the order, he most definitely hadn't expected the morning when breakfast was interrupted by a visit by Professor Snape. And perhaps most shocking of all was that everyone surrounding the breakfast table greeted him civilly. Snape had merely given a curt nod, nothing different there, but when his eyes found Draco they'd widened substantially. "Draco?" "Hello Professor." Snape's nostrils flared a bit at the attempted casualness of Draco's greeting. "Draco do you have any idea how worried I have been about you?" This question acquired the attention at the table. "Worried Professor?" "Yes, worried!" snapped Snape. "Since your escape and your parents' death, the Dark Lord has been livid. He has questioned me more times than I care to count, asking if I had any knowledge of your whereabouts. Several of the other followers have even questioned my loyalty to him. How stupid of you to leave in the manner you chose!" Draco felt his face flush, but was thoroughly shocked when an unexpected champion came to his rescue. "Now, just a moment Professor. We've all heard Draco's story, and especially since you've seen firsthand the same things as Draco, you can't blame him for wanting to get away!" Weasley! Draco couldn't believe his eyes, but Snape was not to be deterred. "Silence Weasley! I neither require, nor requested your opinion on the matter. The fact remains that Draco has put my life in even greater danger than ever before by his treachery. If you were so concerned with his wellbeing, why wasn't I notified that he was here?! I am his godfather! And what do you know of what either of us have seen? You've been here, protected from..........." Draco couldn't explain the sudden surge of rage that he felt bubbling within his soul. "Don't you dare speak to him in that manner!" Snape rounded on him again. "You will not raise your voice to me Draco! You forget that I have seen you, seen your new place of residence. What would the Dark Lord think if he were to find out that one of his followers had chosen to take up residence with the very group who oppose him strongest?" The force with which Draco leaped across the table, catching Snape by the throat, and subsequently pinning him against the wall, surprised even him. "How dare you threaten me! I can assure you, Severus. I know from firsthand experience, experience acquired after my leaving that son of a bitch's presence, that there actually are things to be more feared than simple death!" For the first time in Draco's life he saw a flicker of pure emotion on Snape's face, fear! And as Draco stared into the wide, black eyes, he remembered that Snape hadn't known about his transformation. A hand was on his shoulder. "Draco! Draco! Let him down. Draco, stop or you'll choke him to death!" Ron. Draco turned to see the rest of the table sitting goggling at them.
It was evident that even Hermione, with all her knowledge and text books, hadn't expected such a transformation after Draco's infection. Truth be told, almost everyone in the house had avoided him for the rest of the week after his incident with Snape. The only person who didn't seem to avoid him was Ron, er, Weasley. For all those years of cursing and hexing each other at school, Draco found that they'd gotten along quite splendidly in the weeks he'd been here. Though he couldn't explain why, Ron seemed to be popping up in his mind at the oddest times. He'd jerked awake a few nights ago after dreaming that he and Weasley had been sitting alone, just sitting and smiling at each other. Another night had brought another incident of him waking to the tantalizing aroma that had roused him weeks before. This time he'd propelled himself from the bed, throwing the door open to find Weasley creeping down the hallway towards his room. Ron had jerked to see who he'd awakened. "Drac....er...Malfoy? What are you doing?"......................Draco felt his face flush. "I..........I just thought I smelled something." The times when he found himself jerking from his deep reverie to someone staring impatiently at him when they'd realized he hadn't been paying attention were most embarrassing. He'd grandly humiliated himself at the dinner table a few nights ago when he'd been so enthralled by Ron's blue eyes that he'd not heard Mrs. Weasley warn that the night's soup had just been pulled from the stove. Everyone had laughed hysterically when he'd taken a sip, only to spew the scalding soup on Mundungus' vest. Finally Draco was forced to admit that he was going to have to seek help from someone in the house. He began considering the people who frequented the house. Lupin! Yes, Lupin was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and being a werewolf himself, he probably knew about dark creatures.
Finding private audience with Lupin proved harder than Draco had expected. It seemed he was forever surrounded by someone from the order. Potter was forever bubbling to Lupin, gushing with sickening affection and asking about his wife Nymphadora. Finally came the day when Draco found Lupin studying in the library. "Uh, Professor Lupin, do you have some time?" The haggard looking werewolf looked up and met his gaze. He stared at Draco a moment and then smiled faintly. "Come in Draco. I've been expecting you." "You......you've been expecting me?" "Yes. I've been wandering when you'd start having some questions." "What are you talking about?" "You've been realizing the truth about you and Mr. Weasley, haven't you?" Draco's heart almost stopped. Though he was relieved that the werewolf knew why he was here to speak with him, he couldn't believe it was that obvious to him. "I don't understand. Has it been that obvious to everyone?" Lupin chuckled. "No Draco, I don't think anyone suspects but me, but you have to remember. I am considered a 'dark creature' myself, so I do know a thing or two about other dark creatures. I was the reason Arthur brought you here to begin with. He thought I might know how to treat you, though I confess I didn't. But down to the reason you've come. You've started having feeling for Ronald, haven't you?" Draco could've fallen over. He couldn't believe what Lupin had asked. "Well, I.....I......I wouldn't exactly say 'feelings.' I just wanted to..." "You just wanted to know why you suddenly seem obsessed with him? Maybe you suddenly want to know why you can't get him out of your head, regardless of how hard you try to concentrate on other things." The werewolf wore a wicked grin, but his face gradually turned more serious. "Draco, it's okay that you feel this way, and I actually can help you with this. I know the answer, but I won't guarantee you'll like it." Draco was a bit apprehensive to ask, but knew he must. "What is the answer?"............... "Ron is your mate." ................................................... "My what?" "Ronald is your vampiric mate." "What the bloody hell kind of an answer is that? That's the fucking stupidest thing I've ever heard!" Lupin's eyebrows arched. "So, if I were to ask you if you've not been suddenly intrigued by his appearance, you'd say no? Or if I were to ask you why you nearly killed Severus the other day, you'd say you weren't trying to protect Ron from him? I'd be willing to bet that, by this time, you've even started picking up on his scent!" Draco's mouth fell open. "No! You've got to be joking!" Lupin's eyes twinkled as he stared at Draco. "I'd hardly joke about something like this Mr. Malfoy. Here, I suggest you read this." He handed Draco an ancient, very worn book. "This will give you enough information for now, at least enough so that you'll understand what's happening."
Draco rushed with the book back to his room. Lupin had already marked pages he found would be most useful.
They Mysteries Of Magical Creatures And Their Mating Rituals
Section: Vampires
Though vampires are considered to be among some of the most evil creatures to roam our world, they are observed to be very affectionate with their own. A vampire discovers their mate shortly after transformation is physically and magically complete. Many vampires studied have been surprised to find that their mate may is someone who has been part of their life for many years, though both parties have been unaware of the true magical bond. Commonly vampires find their mate through an overwhelming sense of smell (usually one said to be erotically pleasant to the vampire,) though other signs of a vampire's growing bond between their mate and themselves are obsessiveness, protectiveness, and the calming effects their mate can have on the vampire's disposition. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That night's dinner was the normal bustle of chitchat and talk. Lupin sat at one end of the table staring at Draco. Occasionally he would catch Draco's eyes and mouth "you need to tell them." But Draco couldn't. He just couldn't. This couldn't be possible, not Weasley! But his internal turmoil was to be interrupted. There was a loud clearing of a voice. "Mmmmm...Mmmmmmm. Excuse me everyone, but I believe Draco has an announcement to make. Draco?" The table grew quite as all eyes fixed on Draco. Draco searched the table for something, anything to stare at, and then he saw them. Two blue eyes were boring holes into him, but they didn't hold the usual friendly twinkle. No, tonight they seemed to hold a fear. "Draco?" He jerked from his reverie and tried to regain some form of his composure. "Well.......uh.........I wasn't planning on announcing this tonight, but since Professor Lupin has brought it up. I need to tell everyone that I know who...." "Malfoy!" Ron's voice had almost cracked as he'd shouted at him. "Sorry to interrupt, but I need to speak to you, in private."