Decorus Draco

Draco's head shot up from the eggs and bacon he had been enjoying.

"I'm what, again?"

Lucius Malfoy looked up from his elegantly manicured fingernails and repeated, "I said, 'You're 40.45 per cent Decorus, Draco'"

"Okay, first of all, what in Salazar's name is a Decorus? And how can I be 40.something percent of whatever it is?"

Lucius Malfoy sighed. "I knew I should have told you this before. Decoruses are the male counterparts of the Veela, which you must be familiar with. Your mother is actually about 41.7 percent Veela, and I am 39.2 percent Decorus, which makes you 40.45 percent Decorus. Had you been a girl, you would have been 40.45 percent Veela."

Draco, who had never been very good at Maths, promptly conjured up a Wizard calculator, and did some quick calculations. "Okay, those numbers add up. So, what exactly does that mean, Father?"

Lucius rubbed his elegant chin thoughtfully. "I'm not really sure. What it meant for me was that when I turned 17, I suddenly turned into some kind of a sex God, and people all around started lusting over me. We have relatives, like your uncle Marco who turns into a kind of cat when he's upset. Then again, there are some of us who are totally unaffected by the Decorus gene being activated. So, it's anybody's guess how it will affect you."

Draco's face had turned pale, well, paler than it normally was, at any rate, at this information. "Do you mean to say there's a chance I could turn into a cat or some other similar creature when I get upset after my 17^th birthday?"

"Well, Marco is an exception. You could just turn into an utterly desirable bloke whom the whole school wants to jump," Lucius offered helpfully.

Draco sat with his head in his hands, mulling things over.

"Oh," said Lucius, like he had suddenly remembered something. "There's also a possibility that you are destined to be with just one person, your 'other half,' and if you don't end up together, you die. You might end up being unreasonably attracted to this person. And if history is anything to go by, that person will be the last person you want it to be."

"Great! That's just great," Draco muttered sarcastically. "What am I going to tell Blaise?"

Lucius threw Draco a suspicious look. He had long been suspicious of Draco's sexual orientation. "Why would you have to tell Blaise anything? Is there something between you and him that I should know about?"

Draco gave himself a mental thwap for his slip. His father could never know about Blaise being his boyfriend. "Er, Blaise is interested in all kinds of magical creatures. So I thought I'd ask him for...you know, advice or something."

Lucius seemed placated by this. "If you must. Well, that is all, Draco. I have work at the Ministry, so I will take your leave now. If you have any more questions about your being a Decorus, you can ask me or your mother." Lucius rose from the chair, picked up his walking cane, and strode elegantly out of the room, leaving Draco to his thoughts.

~~~~~

Draco spent most of the rest of the day in the Malfoy library, researching Decoruses. His father had been right, Decoruses were the male counterparts of the Veela. Pure Decoruses were beautiful, their pale skin and white-gold hair making them irresistible, and their dance could enchant men and women alike. When angered, they turned into cat-like creatures, growing claws and a tail. Most Decoruses started exhibiting these characteristics only after their 17^th birthday, though some started the process earlier.

Draco wondered what would happen to him after his 17^th birthday, which was in two week's time. Blaise was possessive enough as it was, Draco did not want to upset him further by having the whole school trying to get into his pants. And what an embarrassment it would be if he got into a fight with Potter and turned into a cat? He would never hear the end of it.

Draco closed the heavy book he was reading with a slam, and put his head down on it. All he could hope for was that being only partly Decorus, he wouldn't be affected too much.

He sighed and picked up a quill and parchment and began writing.

Blaise,

You won't believe what I found out today...

~~~~~

Meanwhile, back at number four, Privet Drive, Harry Potter gasped for breath as the pain in his scar grew worse. He could feel Voldemort breaking down all his defenses, getting into his mind...

Harry gathered up whatever strength he had left, and stumbled to his drawer, which he started rummaging through until his fingers found what he was looking for. He grasped the little blue ball in his hands, and muttered "Portus." All too soon, he felt that familiar tug at his navel before he was finally overcome with the pain and blacked out.

~~~~~

Harry opened his eyes and saw the white ceiling of the room that he had become very accustomed to over the last six years. He was in the hospital wing at Hogwarts.

His eyes scanned the room, and he saw Remus Lupin sleeping in the chair next to his bed.

"Remus," Harry croaked, his throat dry and scratchy.

The werewolf got up with a start, and exclaimed, "You're awake! Let me get Madam Pomfrey." He smiled a sweet, sad smile at Harry. "How do you feel?"

"Like I've been sat on by a hippogriff," Harry said, returning Remus's smile with a weak one of his own. "How long have I been here?"

"You've been unconscious for more than two days," Remus told him. "You had all of us worried. I almost got a heart attack when you Portkeyed to my living room, unconscious. I got you here as soon as I could, and you've been in Poppy's charge since then."

Remus got up to fetch Madam Pomfrey, and Harry closed his eyes again. He felt tired, so tired.

Pomfrey was at Harry's side, in a few minutes, running her wand over him, and running tests.

"Glad to see you awake, Mr. Potter. You'll need to rest a bit more, I'm afraid. You've been weakened a lot by the last attack on your mind. I think it's best that you stay at Hogwarts for the rest of your holiday. You will be particularly vulnerable to magical events for the next few weeks, which is why the Headmaster suggested you remain at Hogwarts. You're safest here."

Harry nodded weakly. Not going back to the Dursley's was always a treat, even if school resumed in less than two weeks. He wished he could have felt happier about it though. As it was, his head was heavy and still throbbing, and his entire body ached.

His heavy eyelids dropped as sleep overcame him.