Angels and Devils (Harry Potter Fanfiction)

Chapter 11. Mistakes Happen

"Bloody hell, Potter," Malfoy said eventually; "how powerful are you?"

"A lot more than I want to be," Harry replied with a sigh. He wanted this to be over. "Look can't you just go and shag someone, please? You must know the only way to get me off your back," that conjured mental images he didn't want, "figuratively," he added and tried to banish the thoughts, "is for you to die or go off with someone else."

Malfoy laughed at his discomfort but sobered quickly.

"And did it occur to you that me having sex with someone else might not be enough?" Malfoy asked in a reasonable tone. "Seraphim are much more to do with magical interaction than physical and me shagging someone might not fulfil the criteria."

Harry did not want to think about that, it was the only plan he had.

"It's the closest thing to a solution there is," he replied pointedly, "isn't it worth a try?"

For a while Malfoy looked at him with a pensive expression on his face and slowly, he shook his head.

"I can't," he admitted.

"You're in heat too," Harry concluded: Hermione had been right, "which probably has a lot to do with why we're in this mess."

"You're the one trying to get into my trousers," Malfoy pointed out as if he was insulted.

Harry opened his mouth to deny the claim and then shut it again as he realised that that was what this all boiled down to. It would be stupid to deny it.

"Look," he tried again, "Hermione speculated that you can't go near a girl because you'll end up getting her pregnant, but what about a boy?"

At that Malfoy gave a dismissive laugh.

"Granger will never cease to amaze me," he said and shook his head. "For your information, she's right, but it's more complicated than that and I would like to point out I'm only telling you this because otherwise undoubtedly Granger would dig it up anyway. A successful Veela mating can take up to four days. If I let myself go into full heat, I could end up pinning someone to a bed for ninety six hours, which would go down so well don't you think. If I chose a girl there is almost a one hundred percent likelihood that she'd come out the other side expecting my child, contraceptive charms or no contraceptive charms. If I choose a boy there is the delightful possibility of about five percent that my heritage will kick in at full strength, I will become a hermaphrodite and I'll end up pregnant myself. Now call me paranoid, but I'd rather not risk either."

"Shit," Harry said with venom.

They lapsed into silence again and he tried to find something in the tatters of his plan to help. It occurred to him that Malfoy was as at the mercy of his ancestry as he was; only he seemed to be handling it better.

"If you don't mind me asking," he said eventually, "if you're in heat how is it you haven't fixated on someone like I have?"

"Will power," came the snide reply.

Harry was not taking the inference that he had not will power lying down.

"I didn't know this was coming," he protested in his own defence, "no one told me I had magical creatures up the family tree. I was having enough trouble with the bloody wings; no one told me I'd suddenly start lusting over my worst enemy."

They glared at each other for a while and then Harry turned his eyes to the growing storm clouds. Arguing was not going to help.

"How long will you be in heat for?" he asked trying to get back on track.

"Probably another two to three months," Malfoy replied, "it's difficult to tell."

"And after that you can go and shag who the hell you like?" Harry wanted to be sure.