Chapter 8
On Christmas Eve Potter had barely escaped death at the jaws of Nagini in Godric's Hollow/ The boy had walked naively into the trap the Dark Lord had set for him. Unfortunately he had once more managed to escape.
Harry had managed to escape yet again a few weeks later when Xenophilius Lovegood had almost succeeded in betraying him in order to save his daughter Luna's life. The Death Eater's had gotten only a brief glimpse of the boy before he had disappeared.
The Dark Lord's fury on both occasions had been terrible to behold. Even Bella had been scared to go near him.
The Dark Lord was even angrier now than he had been then. Harry Potter had been caught by Snatchers that very day and brought to Malfoy Manor. Bellatrix herself had called the Dark Lord there with her Dark Mark. However by the time he had arrived Bella and Draco's wands had been stolen, Ollivander and Luna Lovegood had disppeared and Wormtail was dead. Worse of all Harry Potter had once more slipped through his fingers.
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Draco was in his room. He was trying to read but he couldn't block out the terrible screams coming from two floors above. Despite the two floors between him and the source of the screams he could hear them all too clearly. Because he knew it was Bella screaming.
The Dark Lord had blamed her for the disappearance of Harry Potter and he did not take failure at all well. Particularly not in his current mood. From the sound of things Bella was taking the brunt of his anger at having Harry Potter escape again.
The screams seemed to go on interminably and every one was like a sucker-punch to his gut.
Knowing Bella was suffering and not being able to help her was pure agony. It was all he could do just to keep from running up stairs to help her, consequences be damned.
I really do care about her he thought. More than I'd care to admit. If I didn't I wouldn't have wanted to hurt my father for sleeping with her. If I didn't I wouldn't be this close to going to her rescue.
He knew that there was little he could do to help and that the Dark Lord would be furious if he tried to intervene. He knew he'd probably end up sharing in her punishment. He even knew that going to help her would be the most foolish thing he'd ever done. But he couldn't just sit there and listen to her scream. He just couldn't.
Another scream echoed through the building.
"Fools rush in" he cursed under his breath. He tossed his book aside and left the room. He raced along the corridor and up the two flights of stairs to the 4th floor. He quickly walked along the corridor towards Bella's room. As he got closer he could hear muffled sobs.
"Crucio" The Dark Lord yelled in a cold voice and Draco could hear another scream from Bella. He ran to door and pushed it open.
Bella was curled up on the floor in a ball, her body heaving with great sobs. The Dark Lord stood over her, wand out, fury on his snakelike face. His attention turned to Draco.
"What are you doing here?" he snarled. Draco felt his powers of speech desert him under the Dark Lord's withering gaze. Bella propped herself up on her side, her eyes pleading him to help her. He remained mute. She said softly "Draco."
The Dark Lord whirled around to face her "Quiet" he barked, "Crucio!" Bella screamed again and rolled over on her back, her body arching in pain.
"No!" Draco cried, "Don't hurt her." "You dare tell me what to do?" the Dark Lord said, his voice dangerously low and cold. "Maybe you'd like to take her place?" he said threateningly, pointing his wand at Draco. "Yes" Draco said almost inaudibly.
"You would do that for her?" the Dark Lord said, a hint of surprise in his cold voice. "What could prompt such an act of charity?" Bella's eyes met Draco's, the same question on her lovely pain-wracked face.
Suddenly he felt the Dark Lord in his mind. Pain seared through his head as the Dark Lord searched his memories. He saw everything… the first time they had kissed… her seduction of him in his room…the time they were almost discovered by his mother… his pain over her sleeping with Lucius… even his fear when he had thought she was pregnant.
The pain was unbelievable… he felt his head was about to split open with it. He fought to remember what Bella had taught him about Occlumency. Summoning every last reserve of strength he had he forced the Dark Lord out of his mind.
"So" the Dark Lord hissed mockingly. "You love her." Time seem to freeze as Draco's eyes met Bella's. Her eyes widened in shock. Disbelief, sadness and caring mingled on her face as she looked back on him.
Such a foolish, weak emotion" the Dark Lord said contemptuously.
"You really would take her place wouldn't you?' the Dark Lord said coldly. Draco nodded mutely. "So be it…" the Dark Lord yelled cruelly. "Crucio!"
Suddenly he was writhing on the floor, a thousand knives stabbing him all over his body. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think. His whole world was the fierce pain coursing though every centimeter of his body. The last thing he heard was Bella screaming for the Dark Lord to stop before everything…went…dark.
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Draco swam slowly back into consciousness. The first thing he was aware of was the needles of pain jabbing into his skull. It felt like there was an angry hedgehog in there. The surface under him was firm but springy. A bed he thought.
He groaned as the pricks of pain turned into a dull throb that spread over the areas behind his eyes. Slowly he opened his eyes, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the light.
Bella's face swam into view, pale and anxious as she leaned over him. "Bella?" he said hoarsely. He couldn't remember why he was waking up on a bed with a splitting headache. He saw someone… the Dark Lord… pointing a wand at him… and then there was pain… terrible pain. Suddenly he remembered everything… how he gone to save Bella… how the Dark had seen everything…
"Bella…" he said croakily, focusing on her face. "About what the Dark Lord said…"
"Sssshhh" she said softly, putting a finger on his lips. Slowly she leant down. Her lips brushed softly against his in an almost-chaste kiss. He reached up and put his hand on the back on her neck, deepening the kiss. Her mouth was gentle and soft on his.
She'd never kissed him like this before. Her kisses had been fierce, passionate not soft, not gentle. Somehow this comparatively chaste kiss seemed more intimate than any of the others. And for once he didn't care where it was leading; he just wanted to keep kissing her.
He put his arms round her and she relaxed into his body, ending half on top of him. Her hair fell in a curtain around his face. He ran his hands up her back and wound them in her hair. She traced soft kisses down the side of his neck.
He kissed her mouth again, pulling her body into his. As they kissed her hands went down his shirt, undoing the buttons. He rolled her so she was on her back and started to untie the laces of the black corset she was wearing. When the laces were untied she pulled him down so he was half on top of her and kissed him softly and eagerly.
He ended the kiss and sat up, pulling his shirt over his head. She loosened the corset more and took it off. Under it was a simple full-skirted black dress. He crawled over the covers till he was by her legs. Slowly he rolled her skirt up her legs. He stopped when he revealed the lacy tops of her black thigh-high stockings.
He ran his fingers over the lacy bit and started to roll it down. He rolled it down her leg, planting a kiss on her ankle as he bared it. He did the same to the other stocking and tossed both stockings on the bed.
He crawled up her body to kiss her, harder this time but still soft. She reached down as she kissed him and tugged her dress slowly up her body. He helped her tug it over her head and toss it beside them on the bed. He undid his belt and pulled off his pants. His hands slid over the smooth skin of her back as she pulled him closer.
There was no hurry, no urgency. It seemed they had all the time in world. He kissed all over her body before finally sliding himself inside of her.
Her arms went around him and her lips found his as he started to slowly move inside of her. "Oh Draco" she murmured in pleasure. He was pleased to find that although she loved it when he was rough with her she could also enjoy it if he was gentle. And he was, gentle with his kisses, gentle with his hands on her soft skin, gentle as he moved in slow, smooth strokes within her.
Inch by inch he brought them closer to the edge, taking his time and savoring the delicious build up of pleasure.
They reached their climax together in an explosion of pleasure that was like nothing he'd ever experienced before. As good as it had always been it had never been that good before. They lay exhausted, tangled in the sheets of his bed, her head on his chest.
He woke up the next morning to find that she'd fallen asleep in his arms, her body curled against his.
