The light coming through the tower window seemed so harsh. He really did miss the dungeons, at least he could sleep in without worrying about being blinded, though it was always a bit chilly.
His first movement caused him to wince and he had to work his shoulder to rid it of some tightness. He made a silent pledge to himself to get back in Quidditch shape. It wouldn't due for a Malfoy to be this stiff after running for his life from a werewolf, he thought, smiling to himself.
"Hey, Malfoy, have a pervy dream? Haven't seen you smile like that all school year." Zabini chided. It was said jokingly, but it made him close off the expression. He and Zabini had been close last year, both pulling away from Greg and Vince as they became more and more obsessed with becoming Death Eaters. But after the war, Draco found he just couldn't stand associating with anyone from before. He didn't want to think about the past and he certainly didn't want to hang around with people who reminded him of it. Zabini had got the message, but on occasion they both forgot that they weren't friends anymore.
With no friends from his past a part of his life that had pretty much left him on his own for the year, since everyone else hated him. Well, he had almost cost them their school and their lives, so he understood. He'd hate him too.
Oddly enough the most civil treatment he received was from Potter and Granger. Potter had returned his wand and pledged to testify for his mum shortly after the battle, but aside from that encounter they mostly stayed away from one another.
He threw the covers off intending to start his day when he let out a gasp as pain shot through his chest. Maybe he'd broken something after all. It didn't feel like it last night, but he'd go to the school hospital just to make sure. He noticed Zabini peering at his face. "I fell." He stated solemnly as he gingerly moved to get out of bed.
"Better go to Pomfrey, you sound hurt." Zabini called, as he left for class.
He'd decided to forgo his morning classes and headed straight to the hospital. He hoped that Pomfrey could help him with the pain enough that he wouldn't flinch every other time he moved and would have something to get rid of the mark on his face. The last thing he wanted was people staring at him.
He knocked on the door to the hospital wing when it refused to open for him automatically. Students and staff were usually allowed admittance unless another case was being reviewed. He could wait, but he did want her know he was outside and in need of some assistance.
She opened the door a crack, her eyes widening when she saw him. He set his jaw. God, it wasn't like he'd come to attack the hospital wing. "I fell last night. I think I may have a broken rib.." He jumped back as the door was wrenched from Madam Pomfrey's hands.
"Oh God, Malfoy! Are you okay?" Longbottom said, looking horrified and horrifying. He had dark circles under his eyes and his skin was puffy and red. Draco reckoned it was the result of the transformation.
"Malfoy, you said you were alright." Granger's voice admonished several steps behind Longbottom, who was looking Draco up and down, wincing when he looked at Draco's face.
"Well, let us not have a scene. If you will Mr. Malfoy." Madam Pomfrey waved him in, shooing Longbottom and Granger away from the door as he came through.
"Oh, God Malfoy, if I..you're sure I didn't bite you." Longbottom sounded hoarse and desperate as his eyes continued to roam over Draco. It was making him distinctly uncomfortable.
"No, no bites, though you did piss on me. If you'd like to apologize for that." He replied, following Madam to a table and chair she used when first evaluating patients. Between Quidditch and the insanity of his childhood, he knew the routine well enough.
"Oh..oh yeah. I'm sorry about that, but you said you were hurt?" Longbottom sounded confused and embarrassed.
"Yes, getting taken down by a 12 and half stone creature barreling at you a full tilt does hurt, Longbottom. I had thought only bruises, but I've been feeling extreme pain right here." He said, pointing to a spot on his ribs that was particularly painful.
Madam brought her wand to the area muttering diagnostic spells. "And, if you could do something about the scrapes." He added as her eyes came up to meet his. "Well, good news for you on both counts Mr. Malfoy. It's just a very deep bruise no broken bones, I'll get a potion to assist with the soreness and pain. And, I have a salve that should take care of those scraps."
She looked over her shoulder at Granger and Longbottom, who were watching him intently. "Hermione, if you'll come along, we'll deposit your items in the medicine closet while I fetch Mr. Malfoy's items."
"Yes, of course, Madam," Granger replied picking up a shoulder bag and nodding her head to Longbottom as she left the room.
They sat there silently for a long moment. Longbottom scuffed his foot uncomfortably against the floor as Draco looked around the room noticing that there were no paintings in the room. Had it always been so? Privacy reasons he supposed.
"I am sorry Malfoy." Longbottom swallowed before continuing, "I'd never want to put this on anyone and I really hope I don't hurt anyone else." He finished quietly, still looking at his shoes.
"Yes, well, I'm fine, just gave me a bit of a fright is all. You're an actually agreeable dog." He'd said it has a joke, but Longbottom's movements stilled and Draco regretted saying it.
"I'll just go wait outside." He said, not meeting Longbottom's eyes as he got up, wincing with the effort.
Longbottom was to him in a flash, placing a placating hand on Draco's arm. He had brought a hand up to press against the pain, so Longbottom's hand was rather close to him as was the rest of his body. Draco looked into his eyes, his memory flashed to seeing the man rip his shirt off the night before and he embarrassingly remembered feeling a jolt of arousal.
Something in Longbottom's eyes changed slightly, not the glowing amber of the wolf, but a there was a definite, 'sharpening' was the only way he could describe it. Longbottom leaned closer as the pressure of his hand turned into a grasp. Draco opened his mouth to protest when he distinctly heard Longbottom sniff him.
His mouth fell open. He tried to step back, but was stuck between Longbottom, the chair and the desk. Longbottom leaned in further bringing his nose almost to the juncture of Draco's neck and shoulder as he sniffed again. Draco couldn't decide if he was more horrified by the act or by his body's reaction to it. It was arousing him.
Longbottom stepped closer, they would have been body to body if Draco's arm hadn't been in the way. Longbottom's face rose slowly as his eyes came to meet Draco's again. He let out a soft breath that skated across Draco's skin. The horrible scent of the wolfsbane had been replaced by chocolate. Draco swallowed hard, he loved chocolate.
They spent a long moment looking at each other. He didn't know what to do, at least his head didn't know, he felt his body swaying toward Longbottom until the press of Longbottom's hand into the wound on his chest sent a shock to his system.
What were they doing? He pulled away from Longbottom hard, nearly falling with the effort of getting around him.
Longbottom reached to steady him and he re-doubled his efforts to get away from the man. He was halfway to the door when Madam and Granger came back in the room. Madam calling to him not to forget his potions and salve. He halted and turned walking quickly to Madam and taking the items from her hands harshly. She huffed at him indignantly, "There is no need to be rude, Mr. Malfoy."
"I'm in a hurry." He said, turning so he wouldn't see Longbottom. It didn't matter that he wasn't looking at Longbottom anyway, he felt the man staring at him as he walked out the door.
Except for the previous night, Draco had seen Longbottom in passing on a daily occasion, in the halls and the classes they shared, but they had never touched one another or spoken more than an 'excuse me' since the battle. Today though, he had interacted with Longbottom three times since the odd encounter in the hospital wing this morning and dinner.
The first time Draco had dropped a piece of parchment as he packed up his sack after class. The paper had no more than touched the ground before Longbottom was kneeling to pick it up. He'd handed the paper back from his kneeling position, attempting to catch Draco's eyes the entire time. Several sets of eyes were watching them, so he'd taken the paper with a quick 'thanks' and stuffed it in his sack, taking the long way out of the bench-style seating to avoid scooting past Longbottom, who had remained kneeling on the ground.
The other two incidents wouldn't have been noticeable to anyone else, but he sincerely doubted that Longbottom had suddenly gone so clumsy as to bump into him, not once but twice in one afternoon. Once in the shoulder as they walked opposite ways down a hallway and once from behind when Draco'd had to stop short for a first year who had run in front of him, apparently late enough for class she would risk a reprimand for running in the halls.
He knew there was a sea of students behind him making their way down the hall, but when he'd turned to see that it was Longbottom he'd gone instantly livid.
He was just about to explode at the man to stop stalking him, when he mumbled an apology and all but run down the hall. He decided not to pursue the issue, even when he noticed Granger standing next to the spot Longbottom had been, looking as confused as Draco felt.
He decided that if it happened again he would keep his temper in check, reassure them, once more, that he wanted no trouble and was not going to tell anyone and the could stop their harassment. He knew that Longbottom was probably worried about the Ministry's strict stance on werewolves, but the satisfaction of having one of the great heroes of the war carted off to Azkaban wasn't worth the risk that Potter would retract his offer to testify for his mother. He'd felt the understanding was implicit, but perhaps they were too dim to understand and he would need to make the terms of his silence explicit.
Of course, he hadn't expected the next 'run in' to be during his dinner. He was just getting ready to tell Blaise to bugger off, when he noticed it wasn't Blaise who had dared to join him at the small rounds they now used in the great hall for tables. Evidently, these were supposed to encourage conversation and interaction. They perhaps worked for those interested in talking to someone, but for him they had meant a place to have a quick, quiet bite before retreating to the library or the forest.
He exhaled heavily as Longbottom sat quietly, not meeting Draco's eyes as he began to fill his plate. At least he was alone..."How are you feeling, Malfoy?" The man asked his voice attempting to sound casual, though Draco detected a note of nerves. Draco exhaled heavily putting his fork down. "Listen," he jutted his head forward forcing Longbottom to meet his eyes, "how many times am I going to have to tell you that I'm not going to tell anyone..."
"That's not," Longbottom interrupted, his voice a little loud even for the hall. They both looked around to see if his outburst had drawn attention. It had, Blaise was looking at him as were Granger and Potter, but maybe they had been looking the whole time and he hadn't noticed.
"That's not why I asked." He said, his voice much lower this time. "I just needed to make sure you're okay." He finished putting his eyes on his plate as he went about shifting the food around to suit him.
"I'm fine. The potion took care of the pain and the salve will take care of the scratch. Then we can just pretend that it never happened, all right?" Draco said, trying to stay calm. Longbottom nodded to him and forced a forkful of meat and potatoes in his mouth. Which drew Draco's attention to his mouth. He pulled his eyes away and took a sip of his juice. He wanted to tell him to leave, but it would draw too much attention for Longbottom to get up and move now that the hall had settled.
Draco's eyes skated around the room. Potter and Granger were still looking at them, whispering to one another and the Weasleys at their table. Blaise though had gone back to his conversation. He felt Longbottom's eyes on him again and saw him following the line of Draco's gaze. He turned to ask him what he was on about, but when their eyes met, he could tell that Longbottom was angry about something, so he kept his tongue and attempted to finish his meal.
He'd given up after two more silent bites, feeling Longbottom's eyes boring into him, though he did his best to ignore it. He used his serviette to wipe his mouth and threw it down, leaving without a word. He'd looked over his shoulder at the door and felt a little tug when he saw that Longbottom's head was tilted down as he was nervously chewed on his lip. He resisted the urge to go back and instead headed for the library.
The library hadn't lasted long, he was tired from the day and the potion. He'd retired early drawing the curtain to put the salve on the cuts on his face. By morning he'd be rid of the physical evidence of his encounter with the werewolf. The only other werewolf's he'd ever known where Professor Lupin and Greyback.
There couldn't have been two more different views on the affliction. Apparently, Lupin had spent his life hiding his nature, taking Wolfsbane to lessen the effects of transforming. Greyback, on the other hand, had embraced his condition, creating other werewolves and building a pack.
He'd heard about the pack, but never met any of them, just Greyback during his frequent visits to the Manor when He was there. Draco could never understand why the creature was loyal to Voldemort, not only did he openly detest any and all beings not of pure blood, he tortured the man repeatedly.
Draco remembered being woken more than once by the screams of those who failed had him. He usually tried to block the sound by casting silencing spells and hiding in his room. Except, well, except for that one night. He had been angry with his father that day. Draco remembered lying there, unable to stop thinking that perhaps that had been his father's voice tearing through the manor.
He had plastered himself to the wall, walking slowly toward the sound. He was almost to the open doorway when he saw his father and mother standing in the room. He remembered feeling relief wash over him. He couldn't see much, just that their backs were turned in conversation with..with someone he didn't know. Whoever it was being tortured was still screaming deeper in the room. He was just getting ready to turn back when he felt a presence behind him as a hot breath skated across the fine hair at the nape of his neck.
"Ah, nephew, what are you doing up at this time of the night?" Bella had sing-songed in his ear.
He'd replied, "I heard something. Just wanted to make sure.." He had stopped talking when she cackled, "To make sure your daddy's not getting his balls torn off. We'd have to find them first, Draco." Her voice had the slightly amused lilt to it that spoke of her at her most mad.
It was always best to keep interactions with her, when she was in such a state, at a minimal. He'd always found it best to just avoid eye contact and agree with whatever she said, but he wouldn't stand there and hear his father insulted. "Why aren't you in there, Aunt? I thought torture was your specialty."
She'd laughed again, "Oh, Draco. We all play a role in service to our Lord, but this is a special project between our Lord and his dog."
Dog was what Bella called Greyback. He had shuddered when another scream tore through the hall. Bella cackled at him coming to stand in front of him rather too close for it to be interpreted as anything less than sexual. "You should get back to bed, dear nephew. It wouldn't due for Greyback to see you in the state he's in." She leaned in closer as Draco pulled as far back as he could with the wall at his back, "He just adores playing with little boys like you." She'd said, smiling when he cringed at the suggestion.
He'd all but run back to his room to get away from her and the screaming. Greyback? Greyback had been promised wizards for his pack once the battle was one. It almost had to be him, didn't it. Draco knew little of Lupin, but he was sure the man had been far away from the school last year, apparently in hiding with his cousin and their child.
Draco turned on his side. He couldn't imagine what it must have been like to be attacked by that creature. One that enjoyed preying on children. He wondered how his mother had been able to stand the presence of that filth in her home. He decided that he just couldn't dwell on those thoughts anymore tonight so he attempted to empty his mind and find some rest pulling his cover around his shoulders.
That night he dreamed of Bella's deathly cold breath ghosting across skin while Longbottom's screams filled the manor.