Wednesday 2 September 1998
Draco
"And I, yours, mate," my mate says, and whilst I can't hear their voice, I can hear their words, and they are everything.
I am pulled into consciousness by Blaise, who I growl at for doing so. He chuckles at me.
"Good dream?" Yes, I think, it was a great dream, and then scorn myself for doing so. I had sworn last night that I would not allow myself to go to my mate, would not allow myself to get any closer to them. If I fell for them, it would only make avoiding them so much harder.
Draco, please don't do this...
If I don't, they'll reject me. The thought quietens you.
"Sorry to wake you up, Dray, but we need to go to breakfast." I nod, too out of sorts to answer verbally, and begin to get up and ready.
When we get to the hall, the professors are already starting to give out timetables. As with last night, I wait for Blaise's permission before sitting and eating. The unwelcome thought pops into my head that I can't wait to find my mate so they can do this for me, then I remember that they would probably reject me before they had the chance.
Draco, please stop thinking like that.
I know that this hurts you; I can feel you getting increasingly timid the more I think of rejection. And I'm sorry, but I can't stop.
We need our mate, please, Draco, don't make me live without them.
I would rather live without them than be rejected. I feel you wince.
They can't reject us, they're our mate, we were made specifically for them! How could they hate us if we are their perfect match?
Because of who I am. And I know that's not your fault, but it doesn't change anything. And I don't want to talk about this anymore. As much as it hurts you, it does me. I yearn for my mate, more and more each day. The thought of going without them forever hurts me more than words can say. But I just can't bare the possibility of being rejected. It's better this way.
At the end of breakfast, McGonagall stands up, tapping a fork on a glass of orange juice to get our attention.
"Could all seventh and eighth years please stay behind after breakfast. Thank you."
What happened? Have we done something wrong? Are we in trouble?
It's probably nothing. I doubt two whole years could be being punished before classes even start.
Once the rest of the school has left the hall, McGonagall stands up.
"As you all know, this is a pivotal time in your lives. Not only are we all in recovery from the events of last year, but you will be taking your N.E.W.T.s, as well as turning eighteen. In fact some of you already have, hence this talk. As many of you know, with your birthdays, there is the possibility of receiving an inheritance. Normally, we teach seventh years about creature inheritances in a new class dedicated to teaching you both about what to expect should you receive one and how to act around your classmates who may if you don't. However, due to the addition of the eighth years this year, a change in this system is required.
"As many eighth years have already gone through their inheritances, it has become pertinent to teach both years all you need to know quickly. Hence, today, instead of classes, you will be receiving a day-long seminar about the topic. To give this seminar, are specialists Dr Turner and Dr Li."
I feel you relax as her speech goes on. Of course, this is a mild waste of time for me, as I have already been taught everything I know about creature inheritances, although I appreciate the effort for everyone else. It is important that regular wizards understand any changes in habits, and what may be offensive or dangerous.
The seminar begins with an explanation of the different possible inheritances one could receive, and an explanation of what each creature is. It becomes evident quite quickly that they intend to use those of us who have gone through inheritances as examples, something you are rather uncomfortable with, and Blaise is obviously angry about.
They start off by going through the rarer inheritances, such as shiwana and drachael, which no one has received. Eventually, they get on to the more common ones, and go into more detail, starting to ask people to come up so they can demonstrate.
"Some inheritances have many different kinds. Elves are a good example of this, as there is a type of elf for each element, although fire, water and nature elves are the more common kinds. Are there any elves in the room?" Two people stand up: a fire elf from Hufflepuff, who I realise is probably the one Blaise spoke to on the train; and a nature elf from Gryffindor a few moments later. The fire elf is a dominant, and I consciously avoid his gaze, in case he's my mate. If we make eye contact, he'll realise, and my goal of avoiding them would be for nothing.
"Please make your way to the front." They do so, and the speakers look pleased. "Excellent, excellent, thank you. If I am correct, here we have a dominant fire elf and a submissive nature elf. You can see the similarities in them, with the bone structure, pointed ears and hair texture, however there are clear differences, some due to the fact that they are different kinds and some because one is a dominant and the other submissive. We'll go onto dominance and submission in the second portion of this talk.
"What are your names?" she asks.
"Ernie Macmillan," the fire elf replies.
"Neville Longbottom," the other says, more uncertain.
"As you can see, Mr Macmillan's colouring, especially in his skin tone and hair colour, is comprised of warm tones, whereas Mr Longbottom..." she goes on, but I know all of this, and begin to drift off, until I hear the other speaker mention Veelas.
"Now many of you may think you know a lot about Veelas, but your information is most likely incorrect. There are actually three kinds of Veelas. Do we have any in the room?" Blaise grumbles behind me, but begrudgingly stands up. I'm unsure whether I should or not.
"You don't have to if you don't want to. They can't make you do anything," Blaise murmurs in my ear. I'm about to agree with him, but I know that everyone, at least everyone in Slytherin, knows of my inheritance, and will be confused as to why I don't go up, and most likely judgemental. I sigh, rising to my feet. Everyone's eyes turn to look at me, and I can feel you practically withering. I want to do the same, but Blaise places a reassuring hand on my shoulder, guiding me to the front of the room.
"Wonderful," the man says. "What are your names?"
"Blaise Zabini and Draco Malfoy."
"Excellent. As I said, there are three species of Veela: séduisant, which are probably the most common; oiseau; and lastly, as Mr Zabini and Mr Malfoy are, alliage, or, as they are more commonly known, Royal Veela." He went on to explain what each of them were, and point out distinguishing features.
"Now, whilst you two are up here," the woman begins, "we should discuss mates. Many creatures have mates, the most common exceptions being nekos and vampires. However, almost all creatures are either dominant or submissive. Some species have different names for this, the more common example being alphas and omegas, but they are essentially, and for the purposes of this talk, the same thing. It is very important to be aware of the differences between the two, as they will behave differently and expect different behaviour from you."
She went on to explain what subs and doms were, how they act and what they would expect.
"Now," the man continues, "it is fairly easy to tell the difference between dominants and submissives, in their appearances but also in simple things like their stances.
"For example, Mr Malfoy here, is clearly a sub." A few shocked gasps and mumbles come from the crowd. They know. Everyone knows, and I can't take it back.
I keep my head down, for fear of making eye contact with someone. I'm scared that I will look into their eyes and see disgust, contempt. But I'm more scared I will find my mate, and they will hate me.
Blaise senses my unease, placing a hand on my shoulder. It helps a lot; his approval; and I instantly feel slightly more at ease. I didn't realise how much I would come to depend on him.
The man goes on to point out details, first in my appearance: I'm shorter, my facial features are more delicate, I have less muscle mass, etc: and then things like my stature and posture and how I'm ducking my head. He goes on to compare me to Blaise, who in comparison probably looks like the most dominant Veela ever.
Eventually, after what seems like years, they allow us to sit back down. The seminar continues, but I don't listen, instead listening to the word 'sub' echo around in my head and desperately avoiding eye contact with everyone. Because now they know, and there is no going back.
1583 words