Chapter Three

Monday 15 June 1998

Draco

I anxiously pace in my room, waiting for my uncle to arrive. He sent a letter back to my mother almost immediately, saying that he'd be happy to help. He'll be staying for a week or so, as long as I'm right and I am dominant. If I'm not, which won't happen, he will stay for the summer, along with his mate, and teach me how to be a sub.

I honestly don't know why I'm so nervous to meet them. I know who I am, what I am, so this should just be a mild inconvenience. Except it's not.

Because you know, deep down, that I'm right.

Shut up, Alex! You're not right! I hear you whimper in my head. I realised pretty quickly that you don't like being yelled at. I'm sorry. I just... I'm on edge.

Why do you not want to be a sub? You sound almost insulted. If you were anyone else I wouldn't tell you, but the thing about having someone in your head is that you can't hide anything from them. My father. If I was a sub, I would disappoint him. I know he's in Azkaban, I know, but...

Oh, Draco. If he cares about something so superficial, he obviously wasn't the best father.

My father is a great man!

Maybe so, but fathers shouldn't make chicks feel inferior for something out of their control. There's nothing wrong with being a sub, Draco. It means we get a strong, capable mate who will protect us and care for us forever. It means we get to nest and carry our chicks. Don't you want that? The picture you paint... I can't help but yearn for it.

I shake my head. What am I thinking! Of course I don't want that! I want to be the strong, capable one, I want to protect my mate and chicks. Of course I do. I do. That's what I want. It is. I want that.

Draco...

The doorbell rings. It's my uncle. I hear my mother answer the door through my open window, and hear their conversation with my advanced Veela hearing.

"Hi! I'm Narcissa, it's so nice to finally meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too. I'm Michael, and this is my mate, Emma."

"Thank you so much for coming, it means so much to me."

"Of course! When I got your letter, I... well, it's about time I got to meet my nephew and his mother." There's something deeper there, but I can't work out what.

Mother is silent for a moment, before saying, slightly quieter than before, "Well, come in, make yourselves at home. I'll get my... Draco." They enter the house, and soon enough I hear my mother's footsteps outside my door. "Draco, honey? Your uncle's here." I take a deep breath. Right. Okay. Let's go.

As soon as I walk into the living room, I suddenly feel like I'm wading through mud; every one of my movements takes effort. My uncle sits on the sofa, his mate tucked into his side, and it astonishes me how much he resembles my father. His platinum blonde hair is cut short, likely the only difference, and his bone structure is refined and pointed. He is tall, even sitting, and muscled. But he does not seem sharp and cold like my father, instead, he has a warm, calm air about him. He smiles at me, and I feel myself smile back.

There's something in me drawing me to him, and I realise it's you.

He's family.

You sound like it's some sort of revelation. We knew that before, Alex.

I know, but... he's family, and it's taken you this long to meet him?

I don't under-

He's family! They're family!

Okay, okay, I understand. They're family, and that's important. I'm sorry.

I realise the silence has grown thick. I wonder if my uncle is having the same conversation with his Veela. I try to work up the courage to break that silence. Somehow, when I do, the sound is more awkward than the quiet.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Draco."

"I'm Michael. This is Emma, my mate."

Family.

"You're meant to tell my mother I'm a dominant."

"Perhaps. I'm going to push some power out. If you are a dom, nothing much will happen. You might feel threatened, but nothing else. If you're a sub, well, we'll see."

I feel it as soon as he does. It feels like I'm being hit by a tidal wave, and I have no choice but to fall to my knees. The power falls back instantly, and when I look up, I see both Michael and Emma gaping at me. And all I can think is fuck, fuck, fuck. What if you were right, Alex?

"I've never met an untrained sub." I wince. There it is. "I'm sorry, Draco, I didn't know such a small amount would affect you like that."

"So I... I am a submissive?"

"Yes." I squeeze my eyes shut. No, no, no, this can't be happening. What will my father say? He's going to hate me. My friends at school; I'm going back for my eighth year, they all expected me to be dominant. What am I going to do?

Draco, breathe. It's okay, you're going to be okay. Your father's not here, he won't know, and if your friends are true friends, they'll except you. Everything's going to be okay.

I try and breathe, like you say, but all I can think is sub, sub, sub, echoing around my head. I didn't want this. I don't want this. I try not to cry, squeezing my eyes shut until I feel like my eyelids might fall off. I'm a sub. I'm a sub.

It's going to be okay, Dray. You'll be happier this way, I promise. We'll get that life, Draco, a mate to protect us and chicks to love, okay? We'll be happy. It'll be okay.

At the thought of my mate, I start calming down. Maybe you're right. I'll get a mate who can protect me and look after me, like you say. Maybe that is what I want. The thought fills me with unexpected warmth. Maybe it will be okay.

"Are you alright, chick?" Mother asks. I open my eyes, still kneeling, and nod.

"Y-yeah. I'm okay, I guess. I just... what's Father going to say?" At this, Mother wraps me in a hug.

"He will say nothing. I love that man to bits, but what he expected of you wasn't right. He doesn't need to hear of this, and if he does, I will talk to him. I won't let him hurt you, my chick, my Draco."

"I love you, Mother. Thank you."

"I love you too."

—-

My mother and uncle leave me and Emma alone. She seems to have relaxed a bit, presumably because she knows there is no unmated dominant around her.

Emma is pretty, there's no doubt about it. She has long, chocolate brown hair curled delicately into ringlets, and wide hazel eyes. Her skin is on the darker side of caramel and her frame is delicate.

"It's good to meet you, Draco."

"You too."

"Do you have any questions?"

"Is it... is it scary, being a submissive? Knowing they could have that kind of control over you?"

"A bit, but once you're properly trained it'll get better, especially after you find your mate."

"Is it nice, having a mate? Like, feeling protected and everything?"

"It's the best feeling in the world." I nod. Okay. It'll be okay.

"How do we start training?" She flashes a smile at me.

"Let's start tomorrow. You should have some time to get used to the idea of being a sub. We'll start with posture and stances, okay?"

"Sounds good. Thank you for helping."

"It's my pleasure." She pauses, smiling softly at me. "It is really great to meet you."

"You've said that."

"I know. I just... you're family."

"That's what my Veela keeps saying." She chuckles.

"Mine too."

Out, out, out, let me out.

Before I can even reply, you're pushing your way forward and taking control, almost falling to the floor when you do so too fast. In reply, Emma's Veela takes control too.

"Nephew. Mine. Family," she says, and you move to her side so quickly it disorientates me.

"Aunt." She whimpers, tears filling her eyes.

"I'm sorry nephew. Shouldn't have taken this long to find you."

The door flies open, and Uncle Michael- no, his Veela- rushes in, wings spread. I will realise later it's because he sensed his mate's raging emotions through their bond.

I see his eyes soften and body relax, wings lowering so I can see Mum standing behind him. Neither of them speak, just come and join us. I realise all of a sudden that I am a little bit more whole than I was this morning, and immediately after why; my family is a little bit more whole too.

Aunt Emma said I would start lessons tomorrow, but she was wrong. The first of my lessons is this: to a Veela, family is first.

—-

Aunt Emma and Uncle Michael stay for the remainder of the holidays. I train with Aunt Emma almost every day, learning theory and posture and reactions. Sometimes Uncle Micheal joins us, mostly because he misses his mate, but under the guise of allowing me to get used to dominant pheromones and power. I'm still not as resistant to it as a regular submissive, but I don't collapse every time he releases some. The more time I spend acknowledging my submissive side, the more I fall into the role, and the more accepting I become of it. I understand what you meant when you said I would be happier as a submissive. I don't think I could ever be a dominant. I suit this. I like this. And now, more than ever, I can't wait to find my mate.

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