Chapter 10
Draco's POV:
"Bye, Tori." I say still holding Astoria as I wait to get on the Hogwarts Express at the last minute.
"Bye, Draco. I love you so much." She mutters trying to hold back the tears. "Promise me that you won't do anything stupid to make You-Know-Who angry?"
"I promise." I say knowing her fear of not seeing me again. I have those same fears every time I leave her. "As soon as I can leave to see you, I will be here."
"No, be with your family for Easter. I'll be fine by myself." She says looking at me. Her green eyes always make me feel that I made the right choice by choosing to be with her.
"I love you, Tori." I say putting my forehead to hers.
"I love you too, Draco." She whispers as a tear falls down her cheek.
"I'll be back as soon as possible." I say wiping the tear away and kissing her. "Bye, my love."
As she walks away, I feel as if I might not see her again for awhile.
"Blaise!" I shout catching him before he leaves to go back to school. "Watch after Astoria for me."
"Sure, man." Blaise answers and I turn to leave.
The ride back to London was excruciatingly long and dull. I wanted so badly to have Astoria with me as a comfort. My mind reels at what could happen to her while I'm gone leaving her in a school with three Death Eaters and dozens of Dementors. I can't even imagine what would happen to me if I lost her. She is my life now and I am grateful that my parents chose her to be mine.
I arrive at the Malfoy Manor within a few hours and I can feel the cruelness that has been going on here.
"Draco?" I hear my mother call from the sitting room and I go to her. "You're home!"
"Hello, Mother." I say as she gets up and kisses my head.
"Hello, Draco." My Aunt Bellatrix says from behind my mother.
"Hi, Aunt Bella." I say politely as possible.
"How's Astoria?" Mother asks as she sits back down.
"She's good but a little upset that I had to leave." I say.
"Oh, is she not going home for the Easter Holiday?"
"No, her parents went on a trip and Daphne is away with Marcus Flint." I answer hoping Astoria is alright.
"Ah, I see." Mother says. "Go unpack and wash up for dinner, dear."
"Yes, ma'am." I say leaving the room to quickly walk upstairs to my bedroom. I walk in to see everything still the same just a little neater due to the house elves. Every Slytherin artifacts, pictures, books, and various other things still where I left them.
I spend majority of my time in my room as the break went by. I would come out for meals and anything I was needed for but never enough to get in to a brawl with Father. One day as I was sitting in my room reading, Mother came in.
"Draco, we need help figuring if a boy the snatchers brought in is Harry Potter. Come along." She stated and I followed wondering what kind of idiot Potter was for being caught.
I walk into the drawing room to see Fenrir Greyback holding someone whose face is very swollen and disoriented. The other snatchers, Scabior and the other's name escaped me, holding Ron Weasley and Granger.
"Come, Draco, look to see if it is Potter." Mother says coldly.
"Well, is it him, Draco?" Father asks looking at me. "Look closer."
"I can't-I don't know for sure." I say avoiding eye contact with Greyback and Potter. Honestly, Potter isn't that bad just terribly annoying.
"Draco, if we are the ones to hand over Potter to the Dark Lord, everything will be forgiven and go back to normal." Father says gripping the back of my neck.
"Come, Draco, look closely." My Aunt Bella says coaxing me to kneel in front of Potter. I look at his face I know it is but can't make myself tell.
"I don't know." I say carefully standing back up. I start towards Mother when I hear the crack of someone apparating. I turn to see Blaise hold a frail Astoria beside him. "Astoria?"
I walk over to them and catch Astoria as she almost falls. She weakly looks up at me and I see small cuts along all of the skin showing, bruises starting to form, a few burn places, and the tear stains on her face.
"What happened?" I ask quickly.
"Pansy and her got in a fight and let's just say Pansy beat her. Draco, Astoria was Crucioed various times before I could do anything." Blaise answers.
"Draco, make the pain stop." Tori mumbles in a groan of pain.
"I will, I promise." I say holding her closer. "Blaise, go kill Pansy for me."
"Will do." He says before leaving.
I carry her over to the fireplace by Mother and held her against me.
"Draco, is it Potter?" Aunt Bella demanded.
"I don't know." I say coldly.
"What about them? Is that Granger and Weasley?"
"I…maybe…yeah." I say just wanting this to be over. I stand still and hold Astoria close as all chaos breaks out about a sword. My aunt goes mad when the snatchers reply and ordered Weasley and Potter to be taken to the cellar by me.
"Bella, he is too worried about Astoria to-" Mother said defending me.
"Be quiet, Cissy!" Bella shrieked in frustration. "If Draco was smart he would realize that she is weak!"
"Don't you dare say that about her!" I say carefully pushing Astoria behind me and she clutched onto me back.
"How dare you scream at me, boy!" Aunt Bella shrieked as her wand let out a stream of fire that she whipped towards Astoria.
"No!" I say letting the spell fly off my wand as I protectively stepped in front of Astoria. I reached behind me to steady her as I felt her grow weaker.
"I will deal with her later!" Bella screamed madly. "Leave the Mudblood!"
I keep Astoria behind me as Bellatrix tortures Granger. I hear Astoria whimper as Crucio is muttered and the screams fill the room. I find myself cringe as I watch it take place.
"Oh, Merlin! It hurts!" Astoria cries and I turn to help her stand up better. She clutches to me and puts her face against my neck as I wrap my arms around her and put my face in her hair. She smells of blood and roses, which she always smells of. She sobs as I feel tears sting my eyes as I feel how weak she is.
"Crucio!" Bella cries and the screaming sounds again. Astoria's body goes ridged and then she starts shaking slightly. I see a gleam of a knife digging into Granger's arm and the scream gets worse. I pull Astoria closer and I put my face back in her hair trying to hide my guilt of letting this happen.
After a while, Potter and Weasley run in the room. Weasley looks like he might kill someone and then chaos breaks loose again. Spells fly around the room and I am knocked off my feet. I quickly manage to take more of the fall and keep Astoria from getting hurt. I watch as Bella has Granger by the hair with a knife at her throat when a peculiar grinding noise sounds from above. I see Dobby, my old house elf loosening the chandelier and letting it fall. I quick turn to block the glass from hitting Astoria. I see Potter, Weasley and Granger Disapparate with Dobby as Bella's knife flies through the air and is gone.
"Draco, take Astoria to your room before the Dark Lord gets here and take care of her. I'll come with a potion later." Mother says as I pick Astoria up and walk quickly to my room.
I lay her on my bed and look at her. My heart clinches as I see her with dozens of cuts, bruises and she looks so weak. Her robes are wet with blood and sweat.
"Tori, love, can you hear me?" I say pushing her hair back.
"Draco…?" She moans and winces as she moves. "I'm sorry…I needed you…"
"I'm glad you came to me." I say as I carefully try to take her Ravenclaw robe off. "Try to just breathe and let me move you. If I hurt you tell me."
"Okay." She mutters and sucks in a breath in I pull her up to take the sweater off.
"I'm sorry, baby, I know it hurts." I apologize as I carefully lay her back down. "Where does it hurt the most?"
"My back and sides." She answers before letting out a cry of pain as I help her sit up.
"Okay. I'm going to take your shirt off and look, alright?" I say and then Mother walks in.
"Alright, Astoria drink this and I will look at where it hurts." Mother states as I take the goblet and help Tori drink.
"She says it hurts in her back and sides the most." I say as I watch Astoria drink.
"Okay, when she finishes the potion I' m going to have you help her stand so I can look." Mother says giving me a look of remorse as I try to be strong.
"Alright, she's done." I say carefully helping Astoria stand. For the first time I notice how much blood she has lost.
Mother gently rips the soaked shirt down the middle and gasp as she sees what I can't bare to look. I suck in a breath and see that her back is cut in zigzag like cuts and bruised terribly.
After hours of working on healing in every way we know possible, I finally lay Astoria on now clean sheets and let her sleep with my arms around her. I watch her sleep as she is wearing one of my shirts, in my bed and can't help but hope that we will be like this in the future.
A/N: I really, really enjoyed writing this chapter! I loved being able to show Draco's feelings and emotions. Should I do more in his point of view? Please review!