Title: There is Always a Way Out

Author: Lady FoxFire

Rating: PG-13

Warning: Death, Not a Pro-Hermione or Ginny fic. Ron has a brain

Summary: Welcome to another Character X is a Veela and Harry has to marry him but with a twist. Warning: Not a happy ending

Disclaimer: Nope. Sorry I don't own the Harry Potter series. In fact I don't own all the books either. And you can forget about the movies. I mean did you see the horrible werewolf in the 3rd movies? It looked like a dog with mange not like a werewolf!

Bad Author Notes: I tried to read Book 6 but the first section of it disgusted me so much that I couldn't and therefore I have never read Book 7. So this is my version of the Harry Potter universe. That means Dumbledore lives, Ron started to use his brain and Hermione is not wonder girl.

"Let me get this straight," Harry paced back and forth angrily in the Headmaster's office. "Malfoy is claiming he's a Veela and that I am his mate."

"I am and you are," Draco said smugly as he allowed his eyes to wander over Harry's body.

"I'm not talking to you," Harry snarled. "Well?" Harry snapped at the Headmaster.

Dumbledore nodded his head as he popped a lemon drop into his mouth. "You're correct."

"And the Ministry says I have to marry him because he says he's a Veela," Harry snorted in disbelief as he glared at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore leaned forward, resting his arms on the desk. "Harry, my boy, you have to understand it's for the safety of the community that you must marry young Mr. Malfoy."

"For the safety of the community?" Harry sputtered in outrage. "It was for the safety of the world that I destroyed Voldemort. It was for the safety of the community that I lost my Godfather. It was for the safety of the community that I lost my best friend. And now you're asking me to marry him for the safety of the community!"

"Yes," Dumbledore said simply, as Draco wisely stayed silent. "Until a Veela is bonded with their mate their powers are unstable. They're more likely to harm those around them," Dumbledore explained happily as he sucked on his hard candy.

"So let him bond with someone else," Harry snarled. "I'm not gay."

"I'm sure you'll come to love Mr. Malfoy in time," Dumbledore said without a care in the world.

"Let me repeat myself. I. Am. Not. Gay. I am not a queer. I don't want to take one up the hole for the good of the community," Harry said. "Let him find someone else to marry."

"I'm afraid there isn't anyone else. You will marry Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore's voice had a note of finality to it.

Harry crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the Headmaster. "And how do we know that he is a Veela? For all we know this could be plot that his father dreamed up to get revenge upon me for destroying his master."

"I can assure you Harry that this isn't a plot or anything like that," Draco said in the soothing tone of voice one would use with an upset child.

"Shut up," Harry snapped at Draco. "I'm not talking to you."

"Harry," Dumbledore scolded, "that no way to talk to your mate."

"He is not my mate."

"But you are, my love," Draco cooed with a malicious glint in his eyes. "Even the Ministry agrees that you are my mate."

Harry looked back and forth between the Headmaster and Draco. "And if I don't agree to marry him."

"Then the Ministry will give you to Mr. Malfoy to do with as he pleases, with no rights as a magical citizen."

"So my choices are to marry him, be raped and have some rights or not marry him and have the Ministry still give me to him, be raped and have no rights or freedoms."

"Harry my boy you will not be raped," Dumbledore tried to assure him. "You will experience the relationship that exists between a joined couple."

"Even if one of them says no?" Harry asked in a disgusted tone of voice.

"Of course not. Why would someone deny their love something, especially something as special as that?"

Harry blinked once. Twice. And a third time. "You are a fool."

Dumbledore stared at Harry in shock before Harry turned away and stared out the window over the grounds of Hogwarts. Dumbledore looked at Draco. Draco looked at Dumbledore.

"Well," Dumbledore suddenly said breaking the silence that had descended on them. "I think we should start planning the wedding, after all there is a lot to do in such a short time."

Harry looked over his shoulder at the Headmaster. "Short time?"

"Well, yes," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Draco wanted to complete the bond as soon as possible. When was it…" Dumbledore asked turning his attention to Draco.

"The 15th," Draco said smugly before reaching over and taking a lemon drop from the candy dish and popping it into this mouth.

"But that's 5 days from now!" Harry sputtered.

"I don't see any test or papers that need to be turned in on that day," Dumbledore checked the schedule books for all the class Hogwarts has. "I'm assuming a short honeymoon before returning to your classes."

"I was hoping for a quick trip to the Riviera but father is insisting we go to Paris," Draco admitted.

"I remember Paris," Dumbledore said fondly. "Lovely city. Definitely a place for lovers."

"I… I need to get away," Harry said out loud as he started towards the door.

"Harry," Dumbledore called out in a firm voice.

Harry turned back to look at the Headmaster and Draco. "I need to think. Too much. It's just too much."

Dumbledore nodded his head. "Oh course my boy. Completely understandable. Go take some time and think just don't leave the castle."

Harry nodded his head as he escaped the office.

Harry's friends found him sitting on the battlements lost in thought staring out at the Forbidden Forest.

"Told you I would find him," Ron boasted as he rolled the Marauders' map back up.

"You only found him because of the map that Hermione suggested we use," Ginny commented as she hurried over to Harry's side and snuggled up against him. "Hi Harry."

"Hey Ginny," Harry gave his girlfriend a one armed hug.

"We've been looking for you everywhere, Harry," Hermione told him. "Have you been up here the whole time?"

"Sorry but I had to get away," Harry admitted as he ran his hand through his hair.

"Was it something to do with Dumbledore calling you to his office?" Ron asked.

Harry nodded his head before taking a deep breath. "Dumbledore called me in to tell me that Malfoy claims he's a Veela…"

"Blimey!" Ron interrupted. "Always knew he was more of a girl than a bloke."

A thoughtful look crossed Hermione's face. "Since neither of Draco's parents are Veela then it must be a trait that he inherited from an ancestor. The gene passed down on both lines until it combined into Draco making him a Veela."

"Which means that for all of Draco's preaching about how pure he is, he's far from it. The hypocrite," Ron chuckled evilly at the news.

"But why did the Headmaster want to tell you that, Harry," Ginny looked up from where she was snuggled against him.

"He wanted to tell me that Draco was looking for his mate," Harry struggled to say.

"He's not after Ginny, is he?" Ron exclaimed. "Did Malfoy want to warn you off of Ginny since he was trying to claim her as his own?"

"Now Ron if that's the case then there is nothing Harry can do about it. The IWC set down strict guidelines with regards to Veelas and their mates," Hermione stated in her most teacher-like tone of voice. "If Ginny is Malfoy's mate then there is nothing we can do but accept it."

Ginny pulled away and look at Harry with concern in her eyes. "I'm not Malfoy's mate, am I Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "I am."

The world seems to stop as Harry said those two little words.

"Oh," was all Ginny said as she pulled completely away from Harry.

"Yeah," Harry replied glumly. "I've been up here trying to think up a way to prove that Malfoy isn't a Veela; that it's all trick so they can get revenge on me for defeating Voldemort."

"I… I didn't know that you were that way, Harry," Ron said uncomfortably.

"What?" Harry said in confusion.

"Liking blokes and all that," Ron explained with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I don't!" Harry exclaimed. "I like girls! They're trying to force me into marrying him and if I don't they'll give me to him anyway but this time as a slave."

"Harry Malfoy. It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue but I'm sure you'll get used to," Hermione said.

"No!" Harry exclaimed angrily. "There has to be a way out of this."

"I think I better leave," Ginny said softly as she edged towards the door. "I mean it's been fun Harry but you belong to Draco now. And I don't want anyone saying I tried to break up a marriage or anything."

And with that Ginny fled through the door but they faintly heard her say, "I wonder were Dean is at?"

Harry stared at the door that Ginny had escaped through before letting out broken laugh and collapsing back against the wall of the battlement. "I didn't expect that. Of course with the way my day's been so far I don't know why I didn't."

"Well you didn't expect her to stay when she couldn't have a life with you, now did you," Ron said in defense of his baby sister.

"It's call tact, Ron. She should have waited until after the marriage before moving on," Hermione explained. "She could have given Harry some moral support in his time of need."

"I need your help," Harry turned to his best friends before they could start arguing. "I need your help proving that Malfoy isn't a Veela and that this is all a trick."

"I'm sure the Ministry has already done that, Harry," Hermione told him.

"Riiiight," Harry rolled his eyes at her faith that the Ministry would actually do its job despite all the evidence she had to the contrary. "The Ministry always does the right thing. Just like they gave Sirius a trial and proved he was guilty before throwing him in jail. Or how they proved I was lying about Voldemort being back until they saw him in the Ministry."

"That was then, this is now. I'm sure the Ministry made sure that Malfoy was telling the truth on this and if they didn't Dumbledore would have," Hermione countered. "You just have to face the facts, Harry. You're going to marry Draco."

Harry stared at Hermione in shock. "I never thought you would be an advocate for slavery, Hermione."

"What!" Hermione exclaimed. "I'm not! I never! Slavery is wrong!"

"And yet you're supporting the Ministry's attempt to force me to marry Malfoy and if I don't then they'll give me to him anyway, no matter what I say on the matter," Harry replied.

"Harry's got a point there," Ron chimed in.

"Keep out of this, Ron," Hermione snapped before turning back at to Harry. "I can't believe you are accusing me of supporting slavery."

"Then what would you call what they're forcing me into, if not slavery? Because I sure as hell don't want to marry Draco and be raped whenever he wants to because that's exactly what it would be rape," Harry shouted.

"You don't know that, Harry," Hermione tried to reassure him in soft tone of voice one would use to help sooth a scared animal. "You might enjoy it. You might even come to love him."

Harry stared at Hermione in shock for a moment before blurting out, "Are you completely bonkers!"

An expression Ron and Harry had seen on Professor McGonagall's face many times when they'd done something wrong appeared on Hermione's face.

"Of course you're not," Harry said in a sarcastic tone of voice. "This is Hermione Granger, we are talking about after all. She, who is the smartest witch of her generation. Well known crusader for house elf rights, even though she has never listened to them about what they really want or need. She knows better than they do what is best for them and she'll just force it on them regardless of what they think. Of course she will completely ignore those who would beg for a fraction of that drive and determination to be applied to their problems. I'm sure that those who suffer lycanthropy would be more than happy for you to fight for their rights. Or you could have fought to get Sirius a trial before he died."

Hermione took a deep breath before slowly letting it out. "I realize that you're upset right now, Harry and do not realize exactly what you're saying. When you come to your senses you can apologize to me."

And with that Hermione walked away leaving Harry and Ron behind.

Ron looked at the door Hermione had disappeared through then back at Harry. With a shrug of his shoulders he said, "I don't know what to tell you, mate. I can owl my dad and see if he can find if anyone who checked on Malfoy's claim. Aside from that I can't think of anything I could do to help."

"I would appreciate it, Ron," Harry ran his hand through his hair. "Bill didn't have this much trouble when he married Fleur."

"Yeah. Well Bill wasn't dating anyone when he met Fleur. Beside both of them insisted on taking it slow; to get to know each other but both of them knew they were destined for each other," Ron explained.

Harry slumped in his seat. "I'm screwed, aren't I?"

Ron nodded his head. "Yeah, unless we can prove Malfoy's lying."

"Even if I can I have a feeling they're going to force me into it anyway," Harry admitted. "I don't know what to do."

"I don't know either. I wish I knew how to help you Harry but I don't."