Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise. I do own my right to fantasize. See what I did there?
Chapter Two – Dragon and Water
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I love water.
I love the feel of water being either cool or hot, depending on the temperature.
I love how it is distinct from the area where it originated.
I love how water bends freely, encompassing space like it was meant to be there.
But most of all, I love how radiant I feel, every time I am immersed in it.
I always loved water, how it glistens when it collides on my skin.
Once in a while, when I have water on me, I emulate a golden glow.
I have no idea why, but my skin radiates into a sun-kissed hue when I occasionally touch liquid.
The glowing is especially obvious to me if I get in contact with clear water.
What is really odd is that no one else sees how my skin glows. Not even my parents.
It took me a while to realize that glowing when skin touches water is not a normal thing. It does not help that I am a witch, because I assumed that any form of water in the wizarding world would make skin glow a golden hue. Eventually, I learned that my skin reaction to water is not a natural phenomenon.
After years of research, I learned that skin that have a golden hue when exposed to water is a way for dragon hybrids to know if I could be their soul mate. In the event that my skin glows, apparently the person who is destined for me is nearby, trying to identify his destined lover from a sea of people.
I thought it was ridiculous, to be honest.
And after finishing the final year in Hogwarts, the glowing never occurred again.
And then, after ten years, I have forgotten all about the gold hue of my skin when it reacts to water.
But then I read from the Quibbler today, that a dragon hybrid was able to locate her mate a few weeks ago. From the picture next to the article, I saw the hybrid now happily married to her husband, showing a delicate smile and a satisfied composure. The dragon hybrid looks like any average woman.
However, like all the dragon hybrids that I saw from my research, the woman is also blonde.
Platinum blonde, a rare gene that even muggleborns have difficulty to sustain.
Both the dragon hybrid and her husband looked so happy, contented with life.
Whereas I, am still figuring out how I should live my life at the age of twenty nine.
I didn't think much about my possible soul mate who could be a dragon hybrid.
I never did believe in soul mates, and choosing your spouse based on glowing skins is so primitive.
But after reading that article, I began to wonder whether finding my soul mate is important.
I feel like there is something missing in my supposedly content life.
After the war, I work with Harry and Ron as an Auror for the Ministry of Magic. Specifically, I work enabling law and rights for magical creatures. It is a daunting task, but I would never trade my profession for anything else. Despite being happy with my job, I still have this innate feeling of being incomplete. I feel lost and restless.
As I grow older, my restlessness worsens, I would have bouts of anxiety. Harry and Ron think that it must be Post traumatic Stress Disorder, which I might have gained after the last wizarding war. But that was years ago, and most of us have moved on from the emotional aftermath. PTSD is not the answer.
The nights when I could not sleep is increasing, and I would feel heart ache during any point of the day. When I mentioned the symptoms to a muggle doctor and a healer, both of them told me that I am just in a lot of stress. Eventually, after getting frustrated with no results, I told a healer specializing in the healing of rare magical hybrids about my odd experience of having glowing skin during my adolescent years. The healer told me that my symptoms are due to the dragon hybrid's condition.
The dragon hybrid, who is my soul mate, is running out of time to find me. Apparently, if the dragon hybrid is close to his thirties, I will start feeling escalating anxiety the the dragon hybrid experiences extreme pain and escalating anxiety due to the need to reproduce. Perplexed and conscious about inflicting harm to another, I researched enough to find that the anxiety of the soul mate as well as the pain and anxiety of the dragon hybrud will eventually dissipate.
From my research and the healer's knowledge, the pain of the dragon hybrid is not at all fatal. Based on the records of the Ministry, the lack of a dragon hybrid soul mate, does not cause death. The healer further confirms my research by stating that although the dragon hybrid will not die, the restlessness will not cease unless the dragon hybrid either finds me or reaches the age of thirty.
I just have to wait another year or two and the restlessness and anxiety that I experience will stop; much to my discomfort and the unfortunate dragon hybrid.
However, even though the healer reassured repeatedly that the pain will soon pass when the hybrid becomes thirty, I was told that compared to my restlessness, the dragon hybrid is currently in more despair and agony. The suffering dragon hybrid is currently suffering with indescribable pain, whereas I am just dealing with sleepless nights and occassional heart pangs at any random time. If I wish not to have contact or be in a relationship with the dragon hybrid, his pain is inevitable.
I know that it may seem selfish, but I would rather not be in contact with the hybrid at all.
I don't care if it is destiny or fate, I still do not believe in the idea of a soul mate.
I do not see why I should be with someone just because they are in physical pain.
That is not love. That is a threat. And I refuse to adhere to threats.
But then a very peculiar case was sent to me, a case about a dragon hybrid who is willing to pay the ministry thousands of galleons in order to find his soul mate.
The dragon hybrid is Draco Malfoy, whose mother was intentionally bitten by a dragon in order to ensure that she would successfully conceive.
Purebloods who choose to have hybrid children in order to avoid inbreeding, are desperate indeed.
Perhaps Malfoy's parents prefer to have a hybrid child instead of a squib.
Nevertheless, Draco Malfoy is a dragon hybrid.
And I got curious, very curious.
The years when my skin radiated like gold when immersed in water, was spent mostly in Hogwarts.
Both I and Draco Malfoy are in the same grade for the past seven years, and there are many occasions when his presence is undoubtedly near to mine. So many instances when we were close to any form of liquid, and yet there were enough students for him not to in any way consider me as his soul mate.
And why would he anyway?
Back then, the idea that I am his soul mate was impossible to even consider.
He would never have guessed that I could be a potential soul mate, nor could I myself even fathom the idea of being with him.
But seeing as the coincidence of having the case is too coincidental, I am very curious.
Whether or not Malfoy is my soul mate, I am curious to know how the other side lives without his soul mate.
Even though I have tried my hardest to calm my conscious mind, the idea that someone is suffering because of my intentional absence is making me feel rather guilty.
I want to know how Malfoy is coping. I have to know.
"Hermione. Hermione are you listening?" Harry says, disrupting me from my thoughts.
I blink twice and bring my attention to his face that expresses concern.
"I'm listening." I answer automatically.
"You were not answering me, you were just staring at your glass for more than a minute." He says, pertaining to the glass of water he offered me.
"Sorry, I got distracted." I reply with an apologetic smile.
"Are you sure you want to take this case?" He asks.
"Yes. No problem." I answer.
"This is Draco Malfoy we are talking about. You have to go to his manor where you were..where you were tortured. You don't have to do this." He says, closing the case file that he was about to hand out to me.
"What happened to me in Malfoy Manor was a long time ago. I'll be fine." I insist, taking the case file from him.
"I can give the case to the RCM. Nevillle is the appropriate person for the job." He suggests.
"The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures is focused on ensuring the protection and rehabilitation of magical creatures. I'm pretty sure Malfoy is still part human. As a wizard, he formally requested an invesigation." I defend.
"Whether Malfoy is more of a wizard than a magical creature is still debatable. Honestly, by the way he treated us when we were in Hogwarts, I would say he is more of a monster than a human being." The raven haired man says as he adjusts his glasses.
"Malfoy requested an investigation. The case is more about investigation instead of regulation and control, Harry." I respond.
The head of the Magical Law Enforecement Department scratches his head, ruining his clean and formal hairstyle.
No matter how much Sleakeazy pomade he applies, his hair is just as uncontrollable as mine.
I tried to fix his hair with my saliva, but he swats my hand.
"Alright. Okay. You can have the case. But you need to pay Malfoy a visit today, or forfeit the case tomorrow. Malfoy is running out of time." Harry warns.
"Thanks Harry. And don't worry, Malfoy is going to have enough time to pay us a handsome check for our services." I say with confidence.
"I just want you to do your best. And be safe Hermione, the compensation does not matter." He corrects.
After lunch and another round of convincing with Harry, I arrive in front of Malfoy Manor, waiting to be permitted access. I have taken the case without much hesitation except for the nagging voice that I hear in my head, telling me that this is a terrible terrible idea. But I would like to quell my anxiety that I feel for being a dragon hybrid's soul mate. Although my personal reason is not associated with Malfoy, I believe that this case can reduce some of my restlessness, even for a little while.
After a few minutes, the elf called Rowdy, returns.
"Master Draco says you may come in, Miss Granger." The elf informs, touching my shoulder and instantly apparating us to what appears to be the family study.
"Afternoon, Granger." An unrecognizable blonde greets from a leather couch. The man lies on the black leather without much care to stand and confront his visitor formally.
"Afternoon, Malfoy." I hesitantly reply, carefully making my way to an empty seat adjacent to the couch that he is in. Without a word, I rest the case file on the coffee table in front of me and wait for his response. I tap my heel on the ancient marble floors in order to have a show of impatience.
"Out of all the people who they could have chosen for my case, they chose you?" He questions.
"I volunteered. I was..I was curious as to how a former classmate is faring with such a predicament." I explain. He scoffs, opening his eyes to look at me with what I assume to be disgust.
"So you have heard of my predicament?" He says weakly.
"Yes." I reply.
"You must be enjoying this." He reacts, bring his tired gaze to the ceiling.
"No. I am not. I know someone who..who is dealing with the same situation. He was able to cope well." I tell him.
"How was he able to deal with the pain?" He asks, somewhat interested.
"He uh..he used a lot of pain-numbing potions and salve." I continue to lie.
He laughs uncharacteristically.
"He's lying. Whoever that is. Pain-numbing potions and salve does not help." He comments, and then taps his chest with his fist, right where a heart should be.
"I feel like dying Granger. The pain is indescribable. But I guess the only way I could describe the pain is having the feeling of dying every day, over and over again." He then grabs my hand without hesitation, resting my palm on his chest. He uses my hand to slam on his clammy skin, wanting to explain better.
I hear his heart beating very fast, as if the idea of letting him live is too difficult to perform.
"Everything hurts, everything hurts and I..wait." He stops explaining his predicament, choosing to note that my hand is resting on his bare chest. "The pain..the pain is gone, what happened?" He says, looking almost instantly better. The dark circles under his eyes disappears, and his heart is beating soundly.
"W-what was that?" I question, noticing the same familiar golden hue on my hand which I instantly took out of Malfoy's torso. My tolerable anxiety that was fogging my mind is now gone, and I feel clarity. I feel refreshed and clear and so content and..and then I feel fear. I feel fear of the possibility.
I feel fear of the possibility that my similarities with Malfoy is stronger than I thought.
"Merlin! I'm cured!" He says, smiling and walking around without difficulty. "What did you do? Granger? What did you.." And then his optimistic face started to fade away, replaced by the expression he was wearing only a few moments ago. "Ugh, Merlin. What happened? I feel terrible again." He says.
He makes his way back to his couch like a dying man, trembling with every step he took.
"Malfoy, are you alright?" I ask.
"No, I'm not alright Granger. Isn't it obvious? Ugh. Sorry. I'm just..I'm not well." He says.
His apology is making my anxiety worse.
I stand with a tremble, silently making my way out of the room.
"Granger..where are you going?"
"I'm leaving Malfoy, I um..I just forgot something at the office so..I'll be back tomorrow or some other time." I answer robotically, trying to keep my voice even.
I need to get out of here. I need to think.
For a few seconds I can feel his frown boring a hole at the back of my head, then he sighs and proceeds to shuffle from where he sat. Thinking that he might exhaust more of his energy, I turn to his direction with the intent to keep him from doing any more physical strain. But instead, I am faced with water.
Water is splashed on my face.
The water is from one of the glasses placed on the coffee table, which I did not give notice until now.
Fearing the worst. I wince, closing my eyes and waiting for a phenomenon to occur.
When I open my eyes, nothing happened. I am only faced with a scowling Malfoy, who now looks more livid than ill. He scrutinizes me carefully, watching for any reaction of some sort. But then sighs and turns away without a word, making his way back to his leather couch.
"What was that for?!" I question, coughing out the water that managed to enter my mouth.
"You read my file, correct?" He points out.
"Yes, I did." I answer irritably, wringing out water from my hair.
"Just checking Granger. The bathroom is the door on your right." He says, not bothering to give me a glance, choosing to look at the ceiling blankly.
"Unbelievable." I comment, half in anger and half in dread. Hopefully I was able to act rightly insulted. I would usually say a word or two on such rude behavior, but I am still too disturbed to properly react.
I make my way to the bathroom to clean up, and I could feel my legs giving up on me. Thankfully I am able to reach the sink before my trembling knees drop on the hallway. As much as I pretended to be angry, I am actually terrified. Getting water on me, right in front of him, made me feel so lost.
I know that as soon as he sees my skin glowing, I would lose control of the situation.
But when I opened my eyes, his reaction was not as I expected.
I kept my eyes closed so I could not really tell if my skin had a golden hue when the water reached me.
Perhaps my skin did not glow at his presence.
Since he is acting like nothing significant happened, it is safe to assume that I am not his soul mate.
As I fix my hair and blouse with a simple drying spell, I could not help but feel both relief and a bout of disappointment. Although I am satisfied to find that I am not a candidate for Malfoy's soul mate, I have this strange feeling of regret or sadness that my assumptions earlier were just mere assumptions.
Perhaps, I had a thought that having Malfoy as a soul mate is not the end of the world.
And perhaps, I also had a thought that spending the rest of my life with him won't be too bad.
And maybe, just maybe, I actually thought that I would live a contented life with Malfoy.
But I guess those are just assumptions, humid hair and a damp blouse is my reality.
Slowly getting rid of my nervous reaction to being splashed with water, my thoughts are now disturbed with the running water silently introducing itself on the background. I turn towards the direction of running water, to find an overflowing small pool situated outside of the manor. The pool glows gold.
Entranced with the pool, I absentmindedly went out of the bathroom and unknowingly arrived in front of the pool, like I was in a trance for a few moments. I do not recall getting out of the manor and taking a five minute walk towards this mysterious body of water. Oddly enough, I am not at all worried.
My assumption that the pool is made out of gold is wrong. The water that resides in it only shimmers gold, but it looked like a mass of semiprecious metal from the bathroom; below the pool, is a golden egg. The reflection of the egg must have made the pool glow golden from my point of view.
I do not know why I was entranced with the pool, perhaps it reminded me of the times when my skin glowed those many years ago. Looking at the golden egg, I am so engrossed with my thoughts that I did not notice the presence of someone who is actually standing beside me the whole entire time.
"What happened? I thought you were leaving?" He asks me cautiously, but I was still surprised.
"Malfoy, don't scare me like that." I simply commented, calming myself by keeping my gaze at the pool.
"I am a former death eater who feels like Azkaban is a better alternative than the pain I am going through, scaring you is the least of my concern." He tells me weakly yet with his usual spiteful flare.
"You should be indoors, your condition might get worse." I warn him, sparing him a concerned glance before returning to the egg located at the bottom of the pool.
I thought he was going to make another snide remark or two, but he decides to stand beside me silently for a few minutes, before choosing to utter another word.
"That is a Fabergé egg." The tall blonde tells me.
"Are you..are you serious?" I comment.
He does not reply, choosing to simply glare at me like I was the outrageous one.
"A Fabergé egg is a rare jeweled piece created by the House of Fabergé. One egg can cost millions of pounds, thousands of galleons. Why do you keep a priceless muggleborn artefact at the bottom of your garden pool?" I question, truly disturbed at how the egg is being treated in such a dire manner.
"Karl Gustavovich Fabergé and his family were dragon hybrids, not muggleborn. They created Fabergé eggs in order to assist dragon hybrids to locate their soul mates. As decades past, and their family genes where introduced with neutral genes, wizard or muggle, the eggs are now rarely produced." He replies.
Having been provided with such lucrative information, I look at the golden egg in front of me with awe.
"Fascinating." I simply reply, more drawn to the egg than I was before.
"My parents purchased the egg twenty years ago, in an attempt to assist me during my current years of suffering. But since I am yet to find my soul mate, the egg remains inactive."
"How does..how does the egg work?" I warily ask.
"The egg largely carries the portion of my magical core that is affected by my dragon heritage. If my soul mate is nearby, she should be drawn to it like a fish out of water." He explains. "The egg is the only thing that is keeping me alive, if I have most of my dragon heritage in my magical core, I should be dead."
I look directly at him, alarmed at the mention of death.
Instead of his usual grey silver eyes, he looks back with golden irises.
"Malfoy..your eyes." I point out.
He looks down at the pool, looking at his reflection.
He sighs.
"Ah yes, every time I am near the egg, more of my dragon characteristics show." He says, proving his point further by showing his ears that are getting pointed and teeth that are looking sharper.
"What happens if you keep most your dragon heritage?"
"Dragon hybrids with no controlled magical cores would die if they do not find their soul mates."
"What?! I heard dragon hybrids do not die from not finding their soul mates." I react.
"Your sources are wrong, Granger. Dragon hybrids die if they do not find their soul mate. But since we can contain our dragon features through vessels such as a Fabergé egg, death is avoided."
"Oh. So this egg keeps dragon hybrids from dying. Instead, they only have symptoms of dying. This information will be very useful for my department Malfoy, for your case as well." I tell him.
"Perhaps. But the egg temporarily keeps me from dying due to my failure of not finding my soul mate. Eventually, in a few years, I am most likely dead." He adds.
"W-what do you mean? That doesn't make sense. No Dragon Hybrid in the records of the Ministry ever died due to the failure of finding a soul mate."
Malfoy laughs bitterly, not at me, or anyone in particular.
"The ministry is not the most accurate source for any magical creature, Granger. Even a book is not efficient in explaining magical creatures. You should know better, you read books more than anyone I know." He says, not bothering to express himself in sarcastic or superior manner.
"The egg only keeps me from death temporarily, because the pain never goes away. Although they have an egg, there are dragon hybrids who killed themselves due to the pain they need to suffer for the rest if their lives. To be honest, I am already losing my motivation, Granger." Malfoy confides calmly.
"No..No you can't. Life is..life is so much more than pain. You can endure it. There must be a cure." I reply illogically, rambling for reasons I am yet to comprehend.
"Granger, are you actually trying to encourage me to live?" He asks with a hint of wonder.
"Of course! Everyone has a right to live. You included." I automatically answer.
He looks away, trying to hide his face for a moment.
But I saw a glimpse of emotion beyond his negative demeanor.
"I have learned that a handful of dragon hybrids survived with no soul mates, but they also lost most of their sanity." He tells me, choosing to be calculative. "I'd rather die, Granger. I'd rather die than lose myself over the pain I currently have. Even if I have time, the pain is too much to bear." He says.
"Don't lose hope, Malfoy. I can get this case done, we are going to find her. Your soul mate." I assure.
"I haven't lost hope, Granger. I'm just being practical. If I cannot find my soul mate, then so be it. Euthanasia might be a sin in some cultures, but being properly cultured does not allow me from being narrow minded. In a universal view, death is just an end of life. Nothing more." He says bluntly.
Before I could say another word, he turns in order to walk away. Not sparing a glance.
"Go home, Granger. This is a case you cannot easily solve. I am going to request a different Auror." He decides nonchalantly.
"I'm not giving up this case, Malfoy." I reply.
"Yes you will. I am the client here, and I am requiring you to do so." He answers.
"You're not my boss. Harry is. And he would never yield to your decision to die instead of making me responsible of locating your redemption." I say defiantly.
"Redemption?" He scoffs, regarding me properly once again by looking at me with his eyes that shimmer with gold. "Big word, Granger. And my soul mate is a redemption for what exactly? My death eater background? My racist family? What exactly do you mean by redemption?" He says with spite.
"Redemption for yourself, Draco..Redemption for trying to stay alive." I explain patiently, trying to calm the man in front of me who continues to glare with his gilded but beastly features. His eyes are looking more feral towards me, his sharp canine teeth are showing. His breathing is uneven and inhumane.
He realizes that he is losing control, stepping further away from the pool and reigning himself.
"This is a first time for you to call me by my first name." He says with a failing smirk.
"There is a first time for everything, Malfoy." I answer with a light laugh.
His tired grin dissipates for some reason. He chooses to look at me strangely.
And then I realize, that this is also the first time that I am regarding him like a normal person.
No..I am regarding him like I would with a friend.
During this very rare moment, I see emotions that I haven't seen from him before.
First, I saw wonder. And then a twinge of happiness.
But then he had this expression of realization, guilt, sorrow, and then resignation.
Guilt and sorrow are his most peculiar expressions.
"I don't deserve redemption, Granger. I don't deserve her." Malfoy says, reverting back to a controlled façade. He is hiding something. Something that I do not know.
As he continues to walk away, I evaluate the conversation we just had today. At one point, he was considering his options, but then he expresses conflict over me..and then casualness which reverted to cold acceptance. I notice that his composure back in the Manor was not as calm as it is in this moment.
And then it dawned to me.
"For the sake of the case, which I am going to give to Neville.." I start to explain, noting that Malfoy is more motivated to give attention to me, when he learns that I am giving up the case. Despite getting his attention, he is choosing not to stop in making his leave and leaving me on my own.
"If your soul mate is found, and she will be, what is she supposed to do in order to keep you from dying?" I ask, making my voice louder since he is still walking away but in a much slower pace.
"She just needs to touch the egg really. My magical core contained within the egg will react to her, and then the rest of my magical core will be released to her. My magical core will be whole again, with her by my side for most of my life, and my pain will eventually disappear overtime." He says as he leaves.
"Malfoy." I call to him, he looks back with irises that are returning to the usual silver color.
A pity, I actually like how his eyes glinted like the golden hue I am familiar with.
A golden hue that reminds me of my skin when reacting to water.
"You know who she is, don't you?" I ask.
His mouth drops momentarily, but recovers to an unreadable stance.
"It doesn't matter now." He says, hiding his trembling hands on the pockets of his trousers.
"What did you see, Malfoy? When you intentionally threw water on me. What did you see?" I question.
His pointed ears prick with attention, his face shows another wave of foreign emotions.
"Do you really need to know?" He murmurs, lowering his eyes.
"I don't have to know, Malfoy. I want to know." I tell him before I make my way to the edge of the pool.
I remove my coat and boots, and then I dove into the water.
The pool is actually deeper than I thought, the Fabergé egg is at least twenty feet. I struggle as I try to get down, regretting that I did not take in enough oxygen. The water is cold and my reserved air is painful. Nevertheless, I use my arms and my legs to get lower and lower towards the egg.
I few feet away from the egg, the glow that is coming from the jeweled artefact is brighter, and the water around me is oddly even warmer than the surface. Encouraged, I make my way to comforting light and warmth of the golden egg which is opposite to the cold dark areas of the astoundingly deep pool.
Despite the light and the warmth, I am running out of air.
I am getting dizzy, nauseated. My vision is blurring, but the egg is so very close.
A few more kicks, and I can reach the egg. But I am losing my consciousness.
Before my body starts to shut down, something grabs me on the waist, waking me up enough to see what is taking me away from the egg. My waist is surrounded by an arm that has the same white scales which are similar with the scales that my head is resting on. I find that I am being held by a creature.
The creature is part man and part beast. I could tell because the arms and chest have more human features than an animal. I would have screamed if I could, when I see a large pale reptilian tail that is directing us to the surface, but hearing the heart of the creature close to my ear, calms me.
Based on the familiar heartbeats of the creature, I have a strong notion of what the creature is.
Looking up fearlessly at the creature's face, I see his unmistakable large golden irises.
The creature is Draco Malfoy.
His blonde hair is longer, flowing around his head. His head has several prominent horns that are similar with a Hebridian Black dragon that Charlie tames, numerous black horns from his brow to his spine. He has a mild snout to him. With a low growl, his nose and sharp teeth are more beast than human.
He was trying to save me, trying to reach the surface as fast as possible.
But I did not want to be saved.
I struggle at his hold, kicking and trashing weakly. I am still running out of air, and I can pass out any second. Realizing that I am losing energy to resist, he pauses halfway through and regards me with an inhumane whimper. He then transforms before my very eyes, looking more human than beast.
He regards me face to face, holding me with his arms that are now less rough than it was. His facial features softens into the face that I am familiar with. Quickly noticing my weak composure, he holds me close and brings his lips to mine. He pushes air into my mouth, carefully making my lungs work better.
Eventually my nausea disappears enough for me to have energy to open my eyes.
With my eyes now open, I can clearly see his face that is focused on keeping me alive. His eyes are closed, directing his attention to breathing evenly for the both of us. He then draws his hand on my chest, checking if I am breathing normally. He still his hand above my heart, checking my heart rate.
It took a while for my body regain balance, I started to worry that he might be running out of oxygen. But I notice the gills below his neck which he points out. I guess my heart rate spiked up a little bit and he probably thought I was fretting on why his lungs are not yet giving out or failing him.
Wanting him to know that I am okay, I rest my hand on his. Realizing that I am more conscious, he opens his large eyes to look directly at mine. He tried to take his hand away, but I link my hand on his. His hand is large and rough, his nails are claws and the skin is scaly. But I didn't mind. I hold his hand confidently.
Alarmed with my hand, he looks at me with worry and conflict.
Not wanting to reflect on my actions any further, he again attempts to get us out of the pool. I then retaliate by thrashing around in order to get away from his hold. Alarmed by my actions, he lets me go and then I am able to swim back down to where the egg resides. But then he blocks my way.
I try to swerve past him, but his tail pushes me back. I frown at him in protest.
He frowns back, adamant to keep me from the egg.
And then, I hear his voice on my head.
'What are you doing?' He says with irritation.
Surprised, I opened my mouth but quickly close it again in order to prevent air from coming out.
'Speak with your thoughts, Granger.' Malfoy instructs.
'Are you..Oh Merlin..are we practicing telepathy right now?' I question.
'Yes. Dragon Hybrids can communicate with whoever they wish to communicate with. Which is why I am a natural Occlumens and Legilimens. I rarely telepath with anyone, since no one can answer back. The only person who can answer back to me is either a telepath or..well..you." He directs me carefully.
I lower my gaze, peculiarly conscious.
But then I notice that my skin is shimmering the same but duller color, of the egg beneath us.
And then I remember my objective.
'Am I glowing?' I ask.
'What?' He replies, too distracted in order to properly answer.
'Am I shimmering like gold? Is my skin glowing like the way it did, when you threw water at me back in your study?" I revise my question.
He pauses for a moment, blinks once, and then nods reluctantly.
Without a word, I make my way to the egg. The egg is so bright that I had to cover my eyes with my hand as I approach it with my other limb. I was about to reach for it when Malfoy confronts me again.
'Granger, I know you are a self-sacrificing self-righteous fool. But touching that egg would mean a million regrets for you. You don't have to do this, I don't want you to do this.' He says.
Ignoring him, I was about to touch the egg with my fingers but he grabs my hand.
I close my eyes, not wanting to draw out anger and frustration. And then I regard him with resolution.
'I knew for a long time, that I was a dragon hybrid's soul mate.' I confess.
He looks at me with shock, taken aback.
'My skin was glowing since Hogwarts. It would be odd for me not to research the phenomenon.'
'Typical, Granger.' He agrees with a nod, realizing the obvious reason.
'But I never believed in fate and I believed that my soul mate will survive without me, based on my research. But I was wrong. I was just trying to convince myself that such a..that my soul mate can live his life without me. And that..' I bring my hand to touch his face, he hesitated but relaxes with my touch.
'I wanted to believe that I can stay away from this, from you.' I say, brushing his stray hair.
'Granger, this is a curse. You were right to stay away. Your life will be better without me.' He argues.
'Maybe this is a curse, maybe not. But you saved my life three times, and I won't just do nothing about saving your life, when I have the capacity to do so.'
'I did not save your life three times, when did I ever do such a thing?' He asks with a confused look.
'First was, when you threw water on me and my skin glowed, but you pretended that I was not your soul mate. You wanted to spare me from a life of being in any way associated with you.'
He was about to interrupt, but I prevent him from doing so by making a silent gesture with my hand.
'Second was, when you dove into the pool. You knew that the pool was too deep, and I was going to drown before I could reach the egg.'
'And the third?' He asks.
'The third time that you saved my life, is when you still wanted me to stay away from the egg. Even though I already took initiative to save your ass. You didn't want me to save you in order to spare me from what you assume to be a horrible stupid mistake of misjudgment towards life with you in mine.'
'I don't think those instances are considered lifesaving events.' He corrects.
I bring my lips to his. Taking the hint that I needed air, he provides enough for me to keep me going.
'Okay, the first and third events are perhaps marginally related to saving my life. But the second is no doubt lifesaving as well as the first and second time you kissed me in order to keep me from drowning.'
'That was not kissing, that was—uh okay keeping you from drowning. But not kissing.' He objects.
'Well it was not mouth to mouth resuscitation because I am very much aware of what was happening the whole entire time. I have no idea how to term the action, so I just used kissing. No big deal.' I say, brushing off the growing discomfort of describing his actions in a more intimate manner than expected.
He closes his eyes and covers his face with his hand for a moment.
'And I am pretty sure I will have to kiss you more than twice in order to get out of this pool with the egg. Perhaps five or six times since this conversation is taking so long to finish. So that would mean that you will be saving my life more than ten times. Being your soul mate is not enough to atone for that.'
I pull his neck and bring his mouth to mine once again, demanding air, he obliges.
'You are impossible to argue with.' He comments.
I quirk my lips while taking in oxygen, I could feel him smile in return.
'All this time, I thought I didn't believe in fate. But I end up running towards it. Swimming to be exact.' I tell him, resting my hands on his shoulders.
'It is not your fate to save me, Granger. Your life is better without the boy who watched as you were being tortured by his aunt. You are going to regret me.' Malfoy says, adamant in rejecting my decision.
'I will definitely regret saving you, Malfoy. But if you keep me from saving you, I will also regret that for the rest of my life. The difference is that, if I will choose to save you, I still have the chance to be happy.'
'How can you be so sure that I would make you happy?'
'I don't. But I trust that you are going to try.' I tell him nervously, looking away and trying to look anything but his face or his tail. But the pool is dark as night, and I have no idea how to react with the words that subconsciously came out of my mouth. Perhaps the oxygen deprivation is getting to me.
He started to look anywhere but me as well, his nose sniffling. I swear if we are not underwater, his face is reacting as if tears are coming out of those stormy looking gilded eyes. I try not to notice but he brings both of my hands on his own, careful not to scratch me with his claws. Then he looks at me directly.
'I don't deserve you Granger. But I am going to do everything I can to keep your trust.' He says, before bringing me back to his arms and pressing his lips into mine, supplying me with air.
'Let me save you, Malfoy.' I tell him seriously.
After giving me oxygen, I thought he was going to let me go. But he tightened his grip on me and escalated his movements by going beyond sharing air. He deepens the kiss and then makes me shiver when his tongue hesitantly enters my mouth. I didn't return the gesture, stunned by his actions.
Thinking that I am probably horrified by what he did, he tried to back away.
Before he would finalize his insecurity, I kiss him back. I was gentle at first, careful not to scare him. But really, I am being careful for myself. I am unsure whether he is really seriously kissing me or if it was just a mistake. But he kisses me back confidently, harder even, caressing my face and my waist as he did.
His tongue caresses my mine in a slow excruciating manner, causing me to moan.
My eyes are closed, but I could tell he is smirking from getting me to react with his teasing.
He rests his forehead on mine for little while, and then lets me go without a word.
He stands in front of me with uncertainty, but waits patiently for what I am going to do next.
'Oh you are definitely not going to die.' I say, before reaching the egg, pressing my hand on the trinket.
Touching the Fabergé egg causes an explosion of light, I was blinded for a minute or two. All I could see was constant burst of gold, but eventually the lights stop and the egg does not glow anymore. I take the egg and find it opened in order to reveal nothing inside. The egg is just a simple empty vessel now.
Something large and fast catches my eye, a shadow of a large being hovers above me. But when I look up, there was nothing but the reflection of the sky. Then I am surprised by a white beast that come from below, the shadow is actually this beautiful dragon with opal scales who patiently hovers next to me.
'Malfoy is that you?' I ask the creature.
'Hold on to my neck.' The beast replies with a familiar voice.
Taking the egg with me, I grab hold of the creature's large neck without hesitation.
'Hold tight.' Draco says.
After tightening my grip, he bolts towards the surface of the pool, assisted by large powerful wings and a tail that is much larger than before. His form is anything but human, he has turned into a complete dragon. When we reach the end of the pool, he has to lower his long neck so I can reach the ground.
As soon as the dragon finds I am safe, he changes. In awe, I watch as the large beast gradually reduce in size. At first he was two stories tall, but he then returns into the size and features of the man who I am accustomed to. Although he may appear to be normal, Malfoy still has a few reptilian features.
"Your ears are still pointed, and one of your eyes is still colored gold." I tell him with my voice this time.
"I heard that dragon hybrids will maintain a few reptilian features after regaining the missing part of their magical coil. My tail and wings are gone, eventually my voice will go back to normal. But I think these are permanent." He says with a beastly voice, feeling his pointed ears and prominent fangs.
"Are you sure your voice will go back to normal?" I ask, finding the voice to be too rough for his features.
He coughs a few time. "Yes." He says with his usual human voice, his eyes are now also both silver grey.
"So, what now?" I say, smiling at him triumphantly.
"Now?" He repeats, abruptly sweeping me off my feet. I almost drop the egg from his sudden move. "Now I recuperate, get my strength back." He answers as we make our way back to the manor.
"Oh, well I suppose one does get tired from all that effort we just did. But you can put me down now, I can walk on my own. And I left my coat and shoes by the pool, I need to get those." I tell him.
"Forget your coat and shoes, I am going to buy you new ones. Hundreds if you want."
"I beg your pardon? That coat is Armani and those heels are Prada. Take me back to the pool so I can collect my things." I tell him but he does not listen. "Put me down now." I demand.
"I am very very tired Granger, I do not want to go back just to get your coat and shoes. Besides, I think it is going to rain very soon." He tells me. Sure enough, I hear thunder and see lightning on heavy clouds.
Almost instantly, drops of rain started to fall from the sky. The rain becomes stronger as we cross the garden and make a shortcut into the entrance of his home. As we are being impaled by heavy rain, I notice that my skin is not glowing anymore. I look at Malfoy to find that he does not notice.
"Your skin doesn't have to glow anymore because we already found each other." He says, carefully bringing me down in front of the manor's entrance.
"Are you..are hearing my thoughts?" I ask, opening the wooden doors of his home.
"No. But I can sense your feelings better than I used to. And you were looking at your hands and arms." He explains, before ordering an elf to fetch us towels. Within seconds the elf returns to give Draco the towels he asked. Malfoy thanks the elf, much to my surprise.
"For a second there, I thought you could read my mind." I say, taking the towel he gives to me.
"I can but, I choose not to. I know you like your privacy. Besides, I am going to know you in better ways anyway." He answers with an obvious wince of regret with his choice of words.
"What do you mean? Do you mean when we get married and time will pass?" I jokingly inquire.
Without a word, he carries me again. Despite my protests, he does not stop until we reach what I assume to be his bedroom. "Malfoy, what am I doing here?" I question.
"Granger, although I am looking better. I have not yet fully recovered. I am still in pain, and the pain will get worst if I don't get your help. I am sorry, but I still need you to do something for me." He says.
"Okay, what would that be?"
"I want you to make love with me." Malfoy replies.
I laugh, but he doesn't.
"You're serious." I conclude.
"The pain won't end until we officiate our union. Consummation will make us official." He says, taking off his wet shirt.
"Shouldn't a wizarding marriage, make our union official? Why should we have to..consummate right away?" I ask, getting nervous, covering my face just in case he decides to take of his pants as well.
"Marriage make the union of wizards' official, but not for dragons. Beasts are..well beasts." He says with labored breathes. Ever since we arrived in the manor, he is more labored when it comes to breathing, and his body is getting more erratic. He looks hot, his body is sweaty, and his eyes are changing again.
His irises are turning into gold, and his pupils are dilated.
His eyes are full of lust.
"I'm sorry Granger, but I have to do this. But if consummating is uncomfortable for you, you should leave as soon as possible while I am still in control of my actions. My dragon characteristics are getting stronger. My instinct to consummate with you will be beyond my will if we don't start soon."
"I'm not..I'm not uncomfortable with the idea of consummation. It's just..it's just that.." I didn't want to offend him, but the idea is rather overwhelming.
He sighs and looks at me with concern.
"You're a virgin, aren't you?" He points out.
I nod.
He curses.
"Now I want to have sex with you even more." He expresses, feverishly combing the hair on his head.
"I was putting my career first for the past ten years. I have been to numerous relationships before but, I never got that far." I reason, wringing my towel because I was getting more nervous as I admit to my past experiences with the opposite gender.
"You don't have to explain to me..you just..You don't have to do this." He sits on the side of his bed and closes his eyes, he tries to control his breathing but is failing miserably. "You can still back down, Granger. Leave now." He warns.
I stay where I stand.
"Please, leave." He repeats, startling me with his voice that is turning to a growl.
"I won't leave. I just..I just need a moment." I say, making my way to his bathroom without a word.
In the bathroom I run cold water on the marble tub. I start to pace back and forth, weighing my options. But my thoughts are too scattered. I take out my clothes without delay and enter the tub, letting my body shiver and contort from the icy cold water. The feel of being cold is soothing, and then I reflect.
I reflect on the events of this day, and I am able to narrow down to one option.
I have to do it.
I have to.
Having made my decision, I stand out from the tub and wrap myself with a towel.
I went out of the bathroom, hoping that I was only gone for ten minutes before chaos happened. Fortunately I still find Malfoy at the side of his bed, his fists resting on each side of his head. He is silent, and his breathing is more controlled, but he looks very tense and his upper torso is covered in sweat.
Cautiously I look at my surrounding, he broke some furniture and punched a wooden wall. He must have been trying to get the edge off, calm himself down. I am afraid that I stayed in the bathroom longer than ten minutes. Fearful that any sudden movements might aggravate him, I make my way to the exit.
The door to his room is wide open. I close the door, but did not leave the room.
"Why didn't you leave?" He says, his voice more tortured than before.
I look at his condition, he is still maintaining his composure. But I can tell that his body is heating up, the sweat on his skin is turning into steam, and his breath is fogging up the room. Scales are showing in some areas of his skin. He was doing his best to control himself, but he is failing very fast.
"I never intended to leave Malfoy. I just needed to sort my thoughts. I was never in this..situation before. And this all so sudden and I..I just needed to clear my head. I'm sorry." I say, slowly making my way to his side but cautious enough to maintain a safe distance.
"You don't have to apologize. Merlin..you're too good for me." He says.
Gradually, I let my fingers rest on his shoulder.
He shivers.
"You're cold." He comments.
Choosing not to reply, I craw to the middle of the bed and then rest both of my hands on his back. He shivers in response as I give him a light massage. He relaxes by leaning to my touch, his breathing more even, and his temperature going down. I take off my towel and reluctantly rest my torso on his back.
Immediately, his body becomes tense.
"Are you..are you sure?" He asks me without looking behind.
I bend down to bring my lips next to his ear. He groans, feeling my breast on his skin.
"Yes." I whisper to him.
He starts to hyperventilate, and then confronts me with his gorgeous gold irises. He grabs me on the shoulders and then pins me down by having a strong grip on my wrists. "I'm going to control myself as much as possible, but I won't make any promises." He tells me with as much control as possible.
"It's okay." I say soothingly, tracing his face with my fingers. "I trust you, Draco." I assure him.
He closes his eyes for a second, his face contorted with the pain of trying to stay in control.
"I'm going to make you call me by my first name, over and over again." He says, before he rests his forehead unto mine and then kisses me long and hard. I tried bringing my hands on the back of his head, but he drives my wrist on the mattress.
"Don't touch me just yet. I don't think I can control myself. Just..relax." He says, before choosing to trail kisses on my neck and then on my chest. When he suckles on my right breast and kneads the left with his fingers, I gasp. I start to tremble, overwhelmed with his touch.
"Merlin..you're so sensitive.." He comments as he continues to violate my chest. After a few minutes, his kisses becomes lower and his hands are now resting on my waist. I try to keep my hands off of him, but then he started to lick my clit and it took everything for me not to raise my hips and pull his hair.
"Draco.." I call out to him, afraid of his next move.
"That's right, love. Say my name." He says, before he licks me even harder.
"Ah..hmm..stop..Draco please..too much.." I plead, gripping on the sheets. I gasp when his fingers started to massage one area as his tongue continues to press into my folds like a muscle with a silk surface. My body was cold a few minutes ago, but now I am melting due to the temperature of his body.
I moan when one of his fingers slowly enter me. I start to tremble even more, reacting with the invading penetration. He stills perfectly, waiting for me to adjust. Only when my muscles started to relax that he drove another finger into me, and then drives his digits even deeper. I scream, reacting with pain.
The pain is sudden, breaking into a thin layer of skin. I feel the pain vibrating to my bones.
Tears started to fall from my eyes. I sob when he starts to move, because the pain becomes worse.
"Sshh, it's going to be okay Hermione. I'll make you feel better, just keep breathing." Malfoy says, kissing me on the lips, distracting me with his touch while pulling his finger away before plunging them inside me again. "Draco!" I yelp, arching my back and pushing my head to the pillow.
He kisses my neck and continues his ministrations with slow and steady repetition.
Eventually the pain becomes dull, and I start feeling pleasant sensations. The pain that was excruciating like electricity coursing through my veins, becomes euphoric and addicting. My hips want to move with his rhythm, so I let my hips follow his control. And then I want more, I want more pain, I want more.
As soon as he returns to kissing me on the lips, I take his face with my hands to get his attention.
"Draco..I want you..inside of me." I tell him.
His golden irises revert to a warm honey color, regarding me with what I can only describe as..
Devotion.
"I know you don't believe me yet, but I think I love you Hermione Granger." He says, filling my heart with emotions, making my eyes brim with tears.
"I think I love you too, Draco Malfoy." I reply, watching as my words sink into his thoughts.
And then I see him smile.
He hovers above me, kisses me thoroughly, as he steadily enters me.
Like earlier, my body feels electrified. His penis is larger and thicker than his fingers. Even though he is staying very still, the pain is too much. He tells me to bite his shoulder to ease the pain, I bit hard. Drawing blood, I decided to bite my lips instead. To prevent me from hurting myself, he kisses me.
He deepens his kiss with his tongue so I that I would not be tempted to bite my lip. I was distracted for some time, letting him play with my tongue lazily. But then I hear him groan, he was obviously suffering from the strain of controlling himself. With hesitation, I roll my hips towards him, he groans.
"Don't do that Hermione..unless you want me to fuck you hard." He warns.
"Do it Draco.." I raise my hips once more., making him snarl in frustration.
"Fuck me hard." I challenge him.
Baring his sharp canines, he grabs my hips and pushes into me violently.
I gasp and then whimpered as he drives into me even more.
The pain is such a high, followed by indescribable feelings of pleasure that transcends.
And then I feel a remarkable feeling of strong and ancient magic.
I can sense his magical core connecting to mine, enveloping my magic with raw pure energy from a being that feeds on natural forces. I look into his eyes, wondering if he feels similar sensations. His gold irises react with understanding and then pure want to be completely immersed with the experience.
He growls in an inhuman manner, and then shifts into a new position, driving himself deeper into me. The new position is touching areas that drifts me into a euphoric state. I can feel his movements react even further to my core, and then I feel like something was gradually tightening in me.
"Draco..I feel..I think I'm close to.." I gasp as his thrusts becomes even harder.
"Me too..we're almost..we're close.." He says, reining animalistic stamina to pound at me.
As he pushes into me, I widen my legs even further. Almost instantly, I am drawn into this world for a moment. A world of a deep and silent ocean and then open skies with snowcapped mountains. I think I experienced something phenomenal, out of reach. But his touches deliciously bind me to him.
"Draco.." I call out to him, knowing that we are close to the end.
He answers by pushing into me one last time.
And then, we reach the highest point of euphoria.
He fills me with a strange liquid that made me savor the sensation even more, but the liquid does not settle in one place. Instead, I can feel it being absorbed into my body. I observe that my skin started to glow gold, residing into my veins before arriving into my chest and making my heart glow underneath.
"What's happening?" I whisper.
He pushes into me a few more times, before getting satisfied. I hold on to him as he finished.
"We officiated the union. Now, part of my core will always be with you." He explains as he slowly pulls away.
"I thought..I thought your core will be completed with the union. Why is part of your core given to me?" I ask in between gasps. The glow in my heart starts to dissipate, but the feeling of new magic remains.
"Don't worry, you won't make me vulnerable. This time, part of my core will keep you more connected with me. Our bond is much stronger. Someday, we can even read each other's thoughts without permission. You could even get similar dragon features like me, a more discreet version of course."
"Well..just as long as I won't have a tail. I won't freak out." I reply.
He laughs and rests on my side, sharing my pillow.
"Dragons are said to have an insatiable need for sexual intercourse." Malfoy informs with a raised brow.
"If that is a dragon characteristic that we are going to share, I'm looking forward to the rest of our lives." I answer. He smirks in return.
"My my Granger, I never thought you would say such naughty words." He teases.
"Haven't you heard Malfoy? Dragon Tamers are always naughty." I tell him, before kissing him goodnight.
Sleeping soundly in years, I dream a safe place with water.
I always loved water.
I love the feel of water being either cool or hot, depending on the temperature.
I love how it is distinct from the area where it originated.
I love how water bends freely, encompassing space like it was meant to be there.
But most of all, I love how radiant I feel, every time I am immersed in it.
I love how water made me realize that fate shouldn't be controlled or conquered.
Fate is like a silent river, calm yet dangerously deep.
Destiny is like the ocean during a storm, soothing yet devastatingly strong.
Rain will always pour down, but living also begins after the storm.
Going against the flow is a good thing.
But we can't keep ourselves away from the current of life all the time.
Either we ignore the possibilities or we can keep ourselves from unexpecred happiness.
Like water, we should submit ourselves to what could be.
We should stop fighting sometimes, and see where the current takes us.
By letting the current take me, I find myself content in his arms.