Disclaimer: I do not own. Or make any money from this fic.

Chapter one

Harry honestly didn't know how this happened, one minute he was trekking through the dungeons to get to the potions classroom for his detention with Snape – on the second bloody day back – he had been rounding a corner when he heard something up ahead that made him speed up in time to catch three Ravenclaws surrounding a scarily familiar blonde as they tugged his trousers off. After that it was pretty much a blur, he had known straight away what they were doing, an idiot couldn't have mistaken the fact that Draco definitely wasn't willing if the sobbing was anything to go by, then a rush of anger had washed over Harry and before he knew it he stepped forwards and was firing borderline dark hexes at the three boys before going to Draco and throwing his robes around the naked boy and tugging him into his lap, cooing and rocking him as he carried on crying for Merlin knows how long until Snape came around the corner, clearly intent on hunting Harry down when he hadn't shown up for his detention. Which led them to the position they were in now. Snape was trying to get Draco off Harry, Harry was honest to Merlin growling at the man and holding tightly onto the blonde who in turn was clinging to him while three boys bled heavily and unconsciously on the ground around them.

"Potter give me Draco now!" Severus snapped.

"Piss off!" Harry snarled back shifting and actually biting Severus when he tried to take Draco. Yelping Severus jumped back and stared at Harry assessingly.

"You clearly aren't his mate or you would have killed them and claimed him by now, so why are you so protective of him?" Severus sighed rubbing the bridge of his nose. Frowning Harry glanced at the man.

"Mate?" he asked.

"Draco is a submissive veela. But you aren't his mate otherwise you wouldn't be acting like this...that doesn't explain why you are acting like this...or why he is accepting comfort off you as he should only be comfortable with his..." Severus cut himself off staring wide eyed at Harry.

"With his what? Damn it Snape, with his what?" Harry pushed when the man just gawped at him.

"Come with me Potter we need to discuss this somewhere private...and get Draco somewhere safe," Severus added. Harry scowled when the argument died on his lips at the addition knowing Snape had done it on purpose. Sighing he cast a feather light charm on Draco before standing and carrying him through the dungeons and up through the school to the fourth floor after Severus until they reached a portrait of a severe looking man. Severus whispered the password before motioning for Harry to follow into what Harry quickly deduced was Severus's living quarters. Slightly stunned that the man would allow him within three hundred yards of his living quarters never mind inside them Harry turned to look at Severus questioningly.

"What's going on?" He asked cautiously.

"Sit down Potter you might as well make yourself comfy," Severus sighed pouring two glasses of firewhiskey from his decanter while Harry cautiously sat down on the sofa, a hiccup from Draco had Harry's attention back on him and he arranged the blonde comfortably on his lap cooing and stroking the blonde hair again while Draco snuggled closer. When he looked up Severus was watching with mild horror and wonder but upon realising he had Harry's attention he handed him one of the glasses and took the other with him as he sat down in the armchair.

"Professor...please what's going on?" Harry asked again sounding slightly desperate.

"Potter have you had Defence yet?" Severus asked.

"No why?" Harry frowned at the seemingly off sequence question.

"Perhaps it is for the best then, I need to get Lucius in here to explain. I'll be a second," Severus sounded so tired that Harry didn't argue as the man hurried out the rooms, instead he focussed on trying not to wake Draco as he combed his fingers through the light blonde hair. He didn't know where these protective, caring feelings for the blonde had come from but he wasn't fighting them when the teen clearly needed comfort after what had happened. If Harry had been a few minutes later it would have been too late to help him...the thought made Harry want to throw up. His thoughts were distracted when a grumbling Lucius Malfoy walked in following Severus, his grumbling stopped at the sight in front of him though.

"What..." whatever he had been about to say was cut off as he sucked in a heavy breath and sniffed the air frantically, his eyes locking on Harry before turning to look at Severus with enough desperation to shock Harry.

"I came across Potter sitting on the floor comforting Draco after what looked like an attack. He defended Draco to the point of castrating one of the boys," Severus said softly.

"Attack? Is he alright?" Lucius asked quickly as he crossed the room to touch Draco's ankle where it was sticking out from Harry's robe. Something in Harry flared with approval and contentment.

"He's fine, Potter got there in time. He's in shock though," Severus sighed.

"Erm...can someone please explain to me what's going on because I'm kind of getting ready to freak out here!" Harry was pleased with how calm he managed to sound.

"Potter, you know that Draco is a veela, he inherited that from Lucius. Earlier I was going to say that Draco should only feel safe with his sire considering his veela instincts will be going full blast right now, but there is one other person that his veela side would feel safe with, it also explains why you went so protective of him. His Father's mate," Severus explained.

"Mate...wouldn't that be Narcissa?" Harry frowned, purposefully ignoring the obvious.

"No, she was never my mate. My veela genes came from my mother, when my grandfather found out he refused to allow me to find my mate. He forced father to arrange a marriage contract for me when I was a month old, to Narcissa. She isn't my mate, the only time we have slept together was to conceive Draco. I thought...I thought my mate had found out and didn't want me, or that I just wasn't meant to have one..." Lucius broken look convinced Harry more than anything else.

"So I'm your mate?" He sighed. Lucius's head snapped around and he stared at Harry wide eyed before nodding slowly.

"What...where...what happens now?" Harry asked hesitantly clutching Draco closer to him.

"Whatever you want to happen. We...we can be friends or...or we could try to have a romantic relationship...I will...I need contact with you, a certain amount of time in your presence but there is no set type. It's better to have a physical and emotional relationship with you but if you don't want that then I will understand," Lucius explained quickly.

"What...if I said...that maybe...maybe we could have a r...romantic relationship, what then?" Harry asked slowly.

"I would court you, we could go on dates, just spend time together to get to know one another, see how it goes," Lucius said eagerly.

"Why am I feeling so protective and caring for Draco? I don't have veela genes," Harry asked softly looking at Draco's peaceful face.

"You may not have even considered accepting me as your mate but your soul has a link to mine. People like to refer to it as one soul in two bodies because of this. The part of your soul linked to mine recognised Draco as my young and so yours through me, even if you didn't bare him. Because of this you reacted as a veela would at the attack of his young. Veela instincts are based primarily on family...I...I erm I'm a dominant veela which...which means your...erm..."

"Submissive," Harry offered slightly amused at Lucius's sudden embarrassment.

"Yes, in veela relationships as you know there's the dominant and the submissive. The dominant mate traditionally earns the money and food, protects the home and the family. The Submissive is more of the care giver, looking after the young, looking after the home but they are known to be particularly fierce if their young are in danger,"

"So my soul recognised Draco as my young, stole veela instincts down some sort of connection between our souls and set me loose on those pricks?" Harry summarised. It was worth it to see the look on Lucius and Severus's face at his simplified version.

"Basically...yes. Have you decided what you want to do?" Lucius asked hesitantly.

"Oh! I guess...I mean...I think maybe we could try..." Harry couldn't believe how red he was turning. Lucius however seemed to catch the hint and actually grinned happily at him.

"You want to try us being romantically involved?" Lucius clarified.

"Y...yeah," Harry stammered not meeting Lucius's eyes.

"Alright, we'll take our own time with this Harry, whatever pace you want to go at. Will...will you have dinner with me tomorrow?" Lucius asked startling Harry slightly.

"I...oh...sure yeah," Harry smiled before quickly looking down when Draco stared in his arms.

"Are you ok to hand him over?" Lucius asked softly reaching out but pausing when Harry tugged Draco closer to his body.

"Be careful of your hands, I have already been bitten for trying to take Draco," Severus smirked holding up his hand to show them the swollen bite.

"Oh...er sorry about that professor," Harry blushed as he saw the damage.

"It's fine, I got off lucky considering what a protective veela submissive can do when in full protective mode," Severus waved it off.

"Harry, do you feel comfortable with letting Draco out your sight yet?" Lucius asked gently.

"No...I can't..."

"It's alright. Draco has a room in my rooms, you can stay with him there if you aren't comfy with leaving him. I'll be in my own room," Lucius reassured him quickly seeing his uncertain look.

"Alright," Harry nodded standing with Lucius and following him out the portrait door and down a couple to Lucius's.

The room was gracefully but clearly expensively decorated as Harry expected. The main living room was painted in a forest green up most of the wall but cream covered a few meters. A cream carpet sank beneath his feet as he walked across it, a deep green rug lay in front of the fire. A cream love seat sat directly opposite the fireplace with matching arm chairs sitting facing each other, a cherry wood coffee table sat in the middle of the crude semi circle. The fireplace was a green and black veined marble with carvings of dragons twining around the outside. Three ceiling to floor bookcases were filled with ancient looking leather bound tomes and in the far corner of the room a dinning table was set up, grandly carved from cherry wood with matching cherry wood seats and deep green cushions. There was one huge bay window with a cream cushion making a window seat.

"Do you like it?" Lucius asked softly after allowing Harry to look around. Blushing Harry realised that he had been standing staring around the room for a few moments.

"I'm sorry," Harry blushed.

"No, if things go well then hopefully you will be spending time here, I want you to like it," Lucius said reaching out hesitantly to touch the small of Harry's back. Harry felt a rush of warmth through his entire body radiating straight from Lucius's hand, the feeling of rightness and security scaring and calming him.

"It's lovely, it looks comfy," Harry smiled.

"You sound surprised," Lucius chuckled.

"A little, not sure what I thought it would be like but it wasn't this," Harry admitted.

"Come, the bedrooms are this way, there are two, each has an en suit. My bedroom is in here if you need me for anything. Not that I'm suggesting or insinuating anything, I just mean if Draco wakes through the night or you need anything at all, because I would never pressure you for anything that you aren't ready for at all I promi…"

"Lucius you can stop rambling. I know what you meant," Harry said totally amused by the normally calm and collected Malfoy.

"Sorry, I'm a little on edge…I have waited a long time to find my mate," Lucius sighed leading Harry through a door which led to a small corridor with two doors opposite each other and one at the very end which was the bathroom. Stepping into Draco's room Harry made his way over to the huge four poster bed. Lucius reached out and tugged back the covers so Harry could place Draco in the bed.

"Its just very different seeing you like this. Its been hard? Waiting for your mate…for me?" Harry asked as he gently tugged the covers back around Draco, running his fingers through his hair to keep contact with Draco and ensure he was settled.

"Its been like having a part of me missing, a part of my soul removed. Then when I saw you in there, it was like being able to breathe properly again," Lucius smiled at the thought.

"How long will I be like this with Draco?" Harry asked glancing down at the sleeping face.

"You'll need this level of contact until the fright of what nearly happened to him fades, your instincts are on high alert right now and worried for him. From now on though you are going to be protective of him and most likely want to keep an eye on his like you would your own child, especially until he finds his mate," Lucius sighed.

"Because he is submissive?" Harry stated rather than asked.

"Yes. He is more vulnerable than a dominant veela would be, submissive doesn't mean weak, but he is going to have a lot of people vying for his attention, sometimes that attention is shown in…uncivilised ways as you saw tonight. It is known among the pureblood circles as well that the Malfoy family have Veela blood in them, getting a submissive veela is like having your own personal sex slave if you rape them while they are unmated," Lucius glowered at the corner of the room, the anger visible in his body.

"They were purebloods, I recognise some of them. They were trying to…" Harry stopped speaking as pure fury choked the words in his throat. Turning Lucius blinked at the furious glowing green eyes before tentatively reaching out. He cupped Harry's face with one hand and pressed the other on top of Harry's on Draco's chest.

"He is safe, you protected him, and now we will keep an eye on him. He's fine Harry," Lucius spoke softly, brushing his thumb over Harry's cheekbone soothingly when his touch wasn't rejected. Lucius's touch on him, their joined connection to Draco, for whom he could feel a bubble of affection and protectiveness forming in his chest gave Harry a sense of being and belonging that he realised he had longed for for years.

"I know. I'm just sorry I didn't do more to those bastards now," Harry sighed lifting his free hand to cover Lucius's.

"You castrated one of them," Lucius smiled amused.

"Should have done it to all of them.," Harry pouted. Lucius let out a low chuckle that sent a shiver up Harry's spine.

"You did enough, they will be expelled and sent to Azkaban, raping a veela is a prisonable offence, attempted or not. And I will ruin them so they have nothing when they come out. You protected our young and I will finish it," Lucius growled faintly.

"Our young?" Harry grinned as Lucius realised what he had said.

"Sorry, my veela is adjusting my way of thinking I…"

"Its fine, kind of how my brain is thinking right now. Its…kind of nice to hear. Will Draco…" Harry hesitated glancing down at the sleeping teen.

"His veela will recognise you as my mate and so his effective bearer. Any awkward moments or past affects on either side was well and truly destroyed tonight," Lucius assured him brushing his thumb over his cheek bone again. "I should go now, thank you, for protecting our young and for giving me a chance," Lucius sighed smiling warmly at him.

"Thank you for giving me a chance at having this," Harry smiled leaning up to lightly brush his lips against Lucius's before pulling back and biting his lip nervously to see Lucius's reaction. What he saw nearly made him laugh, Lucius looked as though all his birthdays had come at once and was smiling honestly as he stooped and brushed a light kiss along Harry's lips.

"I must leave now or I won't be able to," Lucius sighed. "Goodnight Harry," He smiled.

"Night Lucius," Harry waited until Lucius left the room and quickly stripped to his shirt and boxers before slipping into the bed next to Draco and hugging him close. Shaking his head he really did wonder how he got into these situations.