Everbloom Chapter 10
A/N: Hello again for like the third time tonight lovelies! Yet another chapter for your reading pleasure. Hope you all love it as much as I do. Love you all.-MoonlitShadow
It had been three long weeks since Draco's new fiancé and mate Ottaline had gone into a magical coma that no one seemed to know how to wake her from.
True to his word the night she had gone into it, he had stayed by her side the entire time never once leaving her.
His father, mother and The Queen had been by to see them every single day and had offered small words of encouragement.
But that wasn't what Draco needed.
He needed his mate.
His fiancé.
The one that was destined just for him.
The strange thing was, The Queen and the other court members of the Fae couldn't determine the exact magical signature that was holding Ottaline hostage within herself, but Draco could.
He could feel her just beneath the surface, her magic crying out for his own.
He could practically hear her thoughts, feel her feelings as she stayed the same day after day.
Their wedding date was fast approaching and everyone thought it was looking rather grim at this point.
But Draco knew he couldn't lose hope.
After all, he was the only one who knew where she was.
Just beneath the surface, waiting to be found.
He found himself talking to her and whispering sweet words and devotions of his love to her every single day as they lay side by side.
And every night when the Healers and mediwitch's left them alone, he wrapped her in him arms so tight that he was sure she could feel it wherever she was.
Three long weeks without her.
He had managed to last this long, but he could feel himself fading slightly, his magic growing weak and restless trying desperately to reach her own.
All he could hope for was that she could find a way out of herself and bring herself back to him from wherever she had lost her way.
Today was a day just like any other to Draco as he woke up with the early morning sunlight and yawned sleepily before turning over to give his fiancé a sweet kiss on the cheek reminding her that he was still here.
He would always be here.
They would be here together.
Forever if need be.
He knew he could never leave her side.
He had vowed to her himself that very pledge.
And if it was one thing he knew of Malfoy men, was they always kept their word.
A small knock sounded on the door and he called a quiet come in, almost as if Ottaline was asleep and he was afraid to wake her.
A mediwitch popped in and gave him a pitying smile as she went about her daily tasks of monitoring their daily magical signatures.
Yes, that was right.
The Hospital was now monitoring both their signatures in favor of finding some way to link their magic together as mates to bring her home once and for all.
"How is she today?"
He asked tiredly as he propped his head up with his hand and looked up at the mediwitch knowingly.
The mediwitch smiled politely and pointed to the magical screen that read off her magic's measurements.
"As you can tell, Lord Malfoy she's doing quite well. Same as always, I suppose. But I'm sure you already knew that."
She said almost a bit too kindly for his liking.
He smiled the fakest smile he could muster and nodded a small thanks to her as she left them alone once again.
His fake smile dropped as soon as she left the room and he turned to whisper in his fiancé's ear about his daily thoughts and opinions.
"Well she was rather kind, I suppose. Of course I know you're doing well. I can look at you and see that. I also know exactly where you are, my love. You're right here. Just waiting to come out and see me, I just know it."
He whispered to her as he placed his hand gently over her heart.
He could feel it beating strongly beneath his fingers and his magic reached out desperately trying to stroke and caress her own.
He longed to feel her once again.
The soft caresses of her fingers and the loving touch of her lips against his own.
He sighed heavily as he watched her breath in and out and her chest rise and fall with every breath and beat of her heart.
It had been a long time since he had heard her sweet voice even though sometimes he swore he still could, somewhere deep within his mind calling out to him to save her and their love forever.
But as the day wore on, he found that he still got up and did the same routine.
Wake up, get showered, get dressed, eat, lay there some more, eat, put up with Healers, see family and eat again before a shower and bed.
But today he didn't realize was going to be very different.
He had just finished pulling his dark green long sleeved shirt over his head when the door to their room burst wide open startling him almost off his feet.
His mother, father, Blaise, Theo, The Queen, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley followed by Kingsley Shacklebolt entered the room making it crowded and tight.
"What the bloody hell?!"
He exclaimed as he looked around at everyone who was oogling his fiancé and trying hard not to stare at his messy appearance.
"Mr. Malfoy-"
Kingsley began but Draco held up a hand and then pointed to his father who gave him a chipper smirk and waved.
"No sir, that is Mr. Malfoy. I am Draco. Now on with it. What are you all here to bloody bother us about?"
He said in a rather tired tone making them all look at him with varying degrees of concern.
Hermione's gaze was locked on his fiancé like she was trying and failing to figure out some sort of puzzle, Harry and Ron were trying to look anywhere but at either Draco or the girl who lay almost dead in the bed behind him, Kingsley looked straight at Draco politely making sure to keep his eyes on him at all times, and his parents and his fiancé's mother opted to blatantly look around the room as if it was a museum of some interest.
"I mean, Draco. My apologizes. I am so used to dealing with your father it is hard to tell you apart sometimes."
Kingsley said in a polite tone that struck Draco the wrong way as he and his father shared a withering look.
"What is it, Minister? I heard you were elected now that the old Barty is gone for good."
He said in a rather sarcastic tone making his mother quirk an eyebrow at him, Harry and Ron trying to disguise their snorts of laughter as coughs, Hermione to roll her eyes and Kingsley, his father and the Queen to remain unphased by his icy demeanor.
"Draco we come to you today with a solution to the problem that has devastated you and your family these past weeks.
I took the liberty of asking Hermione to research some things about your fiance's culture as a Fae and also the history of her people.
The Queen was gracious enough to lend us her library on the subject of her people and her rulings.
It has been quite useful I think in determining where to go from here."
He said as evenly as possible knowing that any minute Draco could explode like a wild animal that had been couped up for too long.
Hermione had been researching the bond between the destined princess of the Fae and her beloved mate who shared equal and dangerous powers that matched her own.
Everyone in the room had been made aware of Draco's high potency of magic that ran through his veins which his parents and the Queen were neither surprised nor shocked at.
Apparently they had remained mum on the subject for quite some time.
Hermione stepped forward making Draco take an involuntary step back towards his fiancé unconsciously moving to block her from any harm.
The curly haired witch held out her hands in a surrender motion watching as Draco's shoulders heaved up and down as his breath began uneven and ragged.
"Draco I know that your magic is very, very strong and that at any minute you could destroy us all if you so wished, but I have to ask that you refrain from doing so in order to protect yourself, your fiancé and last but not least all of us who are trying to help you both."
She said calmly making Draco wonder where she had learned the art of peaceful negotiating.
He shook his head and ran a hand through his messy hair before gently taking his fiancé's limp hand in his own and stroking his fingers lightly over her knuckles.
"How can you, Potter and Weasel possibly help me, Granger when I can't even bloody help her myself?"
He asked as pain tinged his voice making Hermione's heart go out to him.
She nodded slowly in understanding, still holding her hands up in a surrender as she slowly took steps towards him.
"I know that you must think we're crazy trying to help after all you've done yourself. Not even Ottaline's mother fully knew the extent of what we're dealing with. But now we do and now we can help you both."
She said as she looked at him hoping that he wasn't too far gone already to continue understanding her.
Draco stared down the curly haired witch before looking between each person that stood in the room with her.
He knew none of them were there to harm either him or Ottaline but his Fae side that was nearly molded with his mate's own soul still felt the need to care and protect her at all costs.
He held up his hand that wasn't holding Ottaline's silently telling her to not make a move any further making Hermione glance back nervously at the others who waited to see what his response would be.
"I understand what you're saying, Granger. But how can I be sure that these really are your intentions? After all, you and your band of golden hero friends were on the bloody opposite side of the war from me and my family."
He stated as a dark expression came over everyone's features that stood in the room.
Hermione sighed heavily and lowered her hands before muttering "screw it" under her breath and rushing over to wrap her arms tightly around the startled blonde.
Draco had no time to react as he dropped Ottaline's hand onto the bed sheets and caught Hermione in his arms as she hit him square in the chest.
"What the?"
He started but was silenced when he heard the curly haired witch's voice speak from within his arms.
"I know the pain you feel Draco. My own bloody parents were taken from me because of a spell I did to protect them while we were at war. When I went to reverse it, they were too far gone to be saved. To this day, I will always regret what I have done and maybe, just maybe by helping you I can fulfill some type of redemption from the damning circumstances that I've landed my ass in."
She said as raw honesty leaked out of her quiet tone.
Draco was stunned at her words and found himself clutching tightly to her, showing affection to a witch that was once his enemy, treating her almost as he did his own mate.
"I'm sorry, Hermione. I had no idea."
He rasped out as he too became emotional at the sight of the broken witch in his arms.
Hermione's head slowly lifted from where it lay on his chest and he saw that tears were shining brightly in her eyes as she gave him a small, sad smile.
"So am I, Draco. Now will you bloody stop being an idiot and let us help you save her?"
She said as she nodded towards his mate.
There was a pause for a moment before he slowly nodded making everyone in the room burst into celebration.
Hermione clung to his lithe figure tightly and he found himself clinging to her right back as he rocked her to and fro in his arms.
He found a certain sense of comradery in his former enemy and when he looked up, he couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that both Harry and Ron were smiling back at him with tears of their own in their eyes.
"Alright then. Let's get to it."
Hermione said over the ruckus that had started in the room.
Draco nodded and freed her from his grasp and stepped aside so his mate's healing could finally begin.