On a good day, anyone could look at Draco Malfoy and his girlfriend, Melody, and think they were the perfect couple. She was a fire-haired beauty, he was a young aristocrat, and it looked like there was nothing in the world that could make them happier than each other, like their relationship was effortless.
The truth was quite the opposite.
There was no denying that they were happy together, but what they had was far from effortless. Melody had grown up in an orphanage where she was beaten on a near-daily basis, and she watched her only friend burn to death right in front of her. For almost a year, the memories had begun coming back to haunt her. When it first started, she became cold and distant from everyone, including Draco. Before he understood what was happening, it looked like the curtains were closing on their relationship, but when he realized what was actually going on, he couldn't just let it die. Staying together didn't come cheap, however.
The first time he'd witnessed one of her episodes, he'd been absolutely terrified. Seeing her wake up from a nap in the common room, kicking and screaming like she was on fire could very well have been one of the worst moments of his life, for three main reasons: Firstly, he realized that there was something seriously wrong with Melody, and he hadn't known about it at all. Second, whatever this was, it was tearing them apart, and he almost let it happen when Melody needed him the most. Lastly and most horrible of all, he had no idea how to help her.
Melody was staying with the Malfoys for the holiday break, having no family of her own to spend Christmas with. Despite Draco's father somewhat disapproving of her, he allowed her to stay in the guest room next to Draco's, which was all the way across the mansion from his parents.
A blood-curdling shriek abruptly tore Draco out of otherwise peaceful sleep. Without a moment's hesitation or even taking the time to turn on a light, he jumped out of his bed and dashed into Melody's room next door. He didn't knock or bother announcing that he was entering. He had dealt with enough of her episodes to know that she was too out of it to respond. When she got that way, she usually wasn't even able to recognize that he was there. Draco prayed that this one wouldn't be too rough. He turned on the lights and saw Melody screaming and thrashing and clawing at her bed like a wild animal, her delusional-nightmare state making the harmless blanket appear to be something terrifying. Even with her bright green eyes wide open, she was trapped in whatever horrible dream she had supposedly woken up from.
"Melody!" he yelled, hoping she was able to hear him, but whatever warped version of reality she was seeing made her deaf to him. He knew that Melody's episode would only get worse without intervention. To try to calm her down before things got out of hand or she got hurt, Draco pulled the covers away and attempted to restrain her. She fought him tooth and nail, giving Draco several scratches and solid thumps before he finally got her thrashing limbs under control. "Melody, it's me! Calm down Mel, it's Draco," he hushed her, repeating it over and over like a mantra until she started to calm down.
Coming to her senses, Melody blinked and shakily whispered, "Draco? Where- How did you get here? Wait... Where am I?" Draco didn't have to wait long for the next stage of her episode. Melody suddenly started bawling uncontrollably, clutching Draco's shirt like he would disappear.
Sadly, he was used to this. The bewildered and uncertain reaction he had the first few times he'd witnessed Melody's episodes was all but history. Instead, he held her close and smoothed out her tangled red hair. "What was the nightmare about this time?" He asked gently, "Was it the orphanage, or was it Annie?"
"Both," she sobbed, "They're getting worse! Everyone at the orphanage was hitting me over and over again, then Annie came in screaming and on fire just like when she died! Then everything else started burning... I could feel it like it was actually happening! It feels like I'm going insane!"
From what he could tell, this was one of the worst nightmares she'd had, and it was the first time they'd been combined like that. He wanted so desperately to help her, but what more could he do than what he was already doing? "It's not real, Mel," he softly shushed her, "Try going back to sleep, okay?"
The mere thought made her tense up like a cornered animal. "No!" she refused, "I don't want to sleep! The nightmares will come back if I do!"
"I'll be right here with you," Draco promised, "I'll stay here, and nothing will be able to hurt you." It took quite a while to get Melody to go back to sleep, longer than it usually did. Once her breathing was slow and even and Melody was definitely asleep, Draco took a breath and finally released the tears he'd been fighting back, unable to hold them at bay any longer.
He always cried after Melody's episodes, but he never let her see. Her condition tore him apart, but he had to be strong for her. For both of them. We're going to get through this, he assured himself while his tears slid silently down his cheeks, We won't lose.
He thought back through the years that he'd known Melody, through all of the times that he knew he's never forget. There was the first time they'd met, when she literally ran right into him. She'd looked so cute and innocent, sitting awkwardly on the ground while she apologized again and again. In the end, he'd wound up helping her pick up her things and walking to potions with her. We were just eleven then. That seems like such a long time ago now. He remembered the day in second year that one of the Gryffindor boys asked Melody to be his girlfriend. She turned the other boy down, but Draco was still upset about it. At the time, he didn't understand why it made him so angry, but he got it now. He'd been jealous. What was I so jealous of? I knew she wasn't interested in him. I guess I liked her too much. I still do. So many happy memories together flooded through his mind, steeling his resolve.
He swore to Melody and to himself, "I won't let this beat us. I won't lose you, Mel."