Look Into My Eyes, And Tell Me You Love Me: Care
He steadily fastened his arms around her waist, head dipping down to breathe in that wonderful scent of vanilla and mint. It seemed almost too real that all of a sudden Granger was back in his arms. He wasn't going to let go, not this time. He lifted her chin with two of his fingers, and for the first time in a long time, they made eye contact. His grey eyes weren't cold and harsh, instead they looked at Hermione as though she were on a pedestal. He tilted his head to catch her lips gently, not breaking eye contact with her as a form of asking permission to kiss her, and she responded by slowly snaking her arms around his neck. His skin tingled as it came in contact with hers, and he deepened the kiss as she pulled him into her. At that moment, there was no better feeling than that in the world. Her soft lips, so plump and moist, moving against his, as his tongue slowly slipped into her mouth, tasting her again.
The kiss started off slow and gentle, like they were afraid to break each other all over again, but it soon turned into a series of desperate kisses which were meant to satisfy the hunger that they have for each other after being deprived of it for the extended period of time. Running a hand through her wild brown curls, he firmly placed the other hand on her back, pulling her impossibly closer to her, while Hermione moved along his back, sending shivers down his spine. Their tongues fought for dominance as both of them couldn't get enough of the intoxicating taste of the other, and Draco resulted to lifting Hermione up, who in turn secured her legs around his waist, arms around his neck, as he carried her up the stairs.
He pinned her against the wall for support, having no control of the tingles being sent to his groin by the pressure of Hermione's legs pressing her body against his crotch. Breaking the kiss, he started to place chaste kisses on her cheek and then nibble at her ear, eliciting a soft moan to escape Hermione's lips.
'I'm sorry…' he whispered into her ear in between kisses. 'I'm sorry for everything…', then he dipped lower, kissing her jaw line and collar bone. 'I'm sorry…'
Hermione was breathing heavily now, eyes clamped shut, hands grabbing at Draco's back. She was about to pull Draco's face back up for another kiss, when she heard a deafening loud crack. It wasn't any ordinary crack. It was the sound of breaking bones.
'Draco?' her eyes shot open. Draco staggered sideways before collapsing onto the ground, unable to support his own weight. He hissed in pain every time he tried to move himself, breathing heavily and slowly as it was too painful to breathe. She stared at him, eyes widened and too shocked to move. She couldn't imagine what had caused the damage to. That's when she saw it happen. A full-sized bludger flew in from the open air and took another swing at Draco, hitting him in the head this time as it passed from one side of the Tower to the other. Hermione had thought it went away after that drastic hit but it didn't, it came back through the side which it left, but Hermione was prepared this time, creating a protective barrier between the cursed Bludger and herself with Draco. The metal ball continuously banged itself upon the barrier in hopes to break it, and Hermione knew she did not have much time to spare. She dropped to her knees in front of Draco who passed out from the blow in the head. There was sticky scarlet blood pooling next to him, and his platinum blonde hair was soaked with his own blood. His face was sickly pale, and to Hermione's horror it was cold too.
Hermione hurried to find a pulse, her hands shaking as she reached down to Draco's neck to find a pulse. There was one, but it was a series of slow, faint beats. Looking up to her barrier, she knew she didn't have much time, and she couldn't carry Draco down with the Bludger on his tail to attack him. In a state of panic, she closed her eyes and tried to think of the counter-curse to stop the Bludger first. The curse on the Bludger was strong, as it did not cease after it realised the barrier separating it from its target. But the target was already down? So what would make it stop? Wasn't the purpose of the curse to injure the target, because cursed items could not directly murder a person, only disable them in some way. Hermione was kept thinking of pages and pages of Charms and Spells, trying to figure out how to stop it. She looked over at Draco, the pool of blood was getting bigger and if she didn't stop it he was going to die. That's when it came to her. Blood. The Bludger was sent for Draco, that would mean his blood.
Hesitantly, she pressed her hands into the pool of blood then positioned herself in front of the Bludger.
'Finite,' The barrier slowly dropped and the Bludger hurled straight into Hermione's hands. She screwed her eyes shut, afraid that it would not have worked, but it did. The Bludger was twitching in Hermione's hands like a normal Bludger does, but it did not have intent to hurt Draco. She dropped the Bludger to the ground and then went back to Draco, who lay in his own blood, motionless. Granger wanted to throw up at the sight. His skull appeared crushed from her angle and it was a miracle that he was still alive. She didn't know a strong enough spell to stop the bleeding of this severity and at this point of desperation, her only choice was to carry him. She couldn't cast any charm or spell on him because his condition was too weak and it was too risky, so she had to carry him down by herself.
'Draco you listen to me, I know you're in there. Listen to my voice. Don't you dare go. Stay with me,' she practically shouted out her fear. She didn't want him to die, not because of some cursed object. She was going to bring him down whatever it took. Draping his arm around her shoulder, she leaned his blood stained head against her neck, and she clutched his good side- the side of him not affected by the Bludger- for support. Her legs were wobbly as she had to support the weight of this boy who was much heavier than her, but she used all her strength not to drop him on the stairs. Reaching the bottom, she started screaming for help. Her throat was raw and her body felt weak, but she couldn't give up, not until someone came to aid or she got him to the Hospital Wing. The corridors were empty as everyone was at the Quidditch Pitch, which disheartened her even more because not even the ghosts heard her cries.
'Draco, stay with me. It's just a little while longer, then they'll be able to help you,' she said breathlessly, but she was lying. She was far from the Hospital Wing, although she had brought them far away from the Astronomy Tower, and if no one were to help her soon, she wouldn't be able to reach it. Her steps were slow and heavy, her knees buckling under the weight several times, but she was determined. Drops of sweat had began to form on her face and she could feel herself become weaker and weaker.
'`Mione?' a familiar voice called out from the end of the hallway.
'HARRY! HARRY HELP!' she screamed, panting hard now as she was on the verge of falling over herself. Her knees buckled one last time and she trembled on to the brick floor, leaving the only thing preventing Draco from touching solid ground was Hermione's bleeding knee supporting her weight and Draco's.
Harry ran over to lift Draco's arm from Hermione, whose arms were shaking from the exertion. Her uniform was stained by Draco's blood, hair all over the place and stuck to her face by the sweat trickling down her temples. Her pants were reduced to heavy breaths as she collected herself and stood up, and secured Draco's head on her neck for support.
'`Mione I can take him. Just let go of him and come along, you need treatment too,' Harry suggested considerably, for Hermione looked like an utter mess.
'No, just, just start walking,' she said breathlessly. 'Draco, Draco stay with me. I know you're still in there,' she whispered.
Harry remained silent as they made their way to the Hospital Wing, deciding to save his questions for later. Draco lay limp between the both of them, and inside Harry feared that the boy would not make it.
..
'Draco. Draco stay with me.' Granger?
Great, not another fucking hangover. How much did I drink? Merlin it's like someone drove a wand through my head. Why was I drinking anyway? Right, I was dreaming of Granger. In the Astronomy Tower. She asked me to stay with her. Fuck this.
'I demand to know how this happened!' Oh fuck, that voice.
'Mr. Malfoy, if you would calm down please. The only person who knew the exact incident is now resting,'
'You mean this, this girl?' Lucius Malfoy poked his cane at the direction of a girl who was sitting next to Draco's cot, her hand lightly held on to his. Draco slowly opened his eyes, his vision blurred at first but when it became clear he saw his father standing at the edge of his bed along with Madam Pomfrey. Lucius Malfoy didn't look the least bit concerned about his son. Instead, his face expression would have depicted that he was angry that the school would let such a thing happen to Draco. Yet, if there were a time where Draco had to choose one moment where his father was concerned about him, he would pick this moment, for Lucius had never seemed to lift an eyebrow any time Draco was injured until now.
'Yes, sir. And if you are going to be this restless I would suggest you wait outside until your son and Miss Granger wakes up.' The nurse replied, irritated by the elder Malfoy's attitude towards Draco's condition.
'This, is Miss Granger?' Lucius asked in a disgusted tone of voice.
'Yes she is, and she is the only reason why your son is still breathing this very moment,' Madam Pomfrey replied sternly, sensing Lucius' disapproval of Hermione.
'Very well, you are to contact me when Draco regains consciousness,' he ordered, prying Draco and Hermione's hands apart before storming out the Hospital Wing.
Draco wanted to link his hand back to Hermione's at that very moment to irritate his father, but his arm felt like dead weight and it took a few moments before his hand laced his fingers with Hermione's. Madam Pomfrey so happened to catch Draco's gesture and smiled, clasping her hands together.
'You know she came in here with Potter, almost crying as she explained what had happened to you. During your entire treatment, she insisted that she was right next to you. Even put up quite a fight when we tried to remove her from the Hospital Wing to get some rest. She was injured too when she brought you, but wouldn't let me tend to her until your condition was stable. You're a lucky man, Draco Malfoy. Treat her right.' The nurse ended, letting out a content sigh at the young lovers before walking away.
Draco peeped from beneath his lashes to see if the Matron was still there, and then peered at Granger who was fast asleep on the chair next to him. She looked calm, although there were still hints of dark circles under her eyes, she couldn't be more perfect at that moment. Draco found himself staring at her, for how long he wasn't sure himself, but he wasn't keeping track of time. It was until the moment where her lashes began to flutter when Draco realised he had been staring at her for quite some time.
'Hi,' she smiled the moment her eyes met his.
'Hello sleepyhead,' he managed a smile, although his body was stiff.
'How are you feeling?' her eyes scanned his body for any signs of injury, and to her relief she found none, except for the fact that his head was bandaged.
'Like a wand's been drilled through my head.' He responded jokingly, but Hermione took it seriously anyway.
'It hurt's that bad? Do you want some pain potion? Are you going to be alright?' she bit down on her lip, her eyes wide with worry.
'Granger, I'm fine. It's not as bad as it sounds,' he reassured her with a smile.
'Really? Because if there's something wrong you have to tell me immediately. Okay?' she wasn't convinced by Draco.
'Yes Granger, really. Calm down alright? I'm fine,' he started laughing. Hermione frowned at him.
'I was watching you die less than two days ago! You were about to just die and leave me and I couldn't do anything about it! You don't get to tell me to calm down!' she cried, her eyes reddening with tears. Draco had never seen Granger this way. She was scared, not she was terrified out of her wits for Draco, something which Draco had never experienced before because his family rarely expressed their concern for him.
'There, there. Come here,' he gently spread his arms and Hermione leaned in to lie on his chest, crying into his shirt. 'Shh, it's okay. I'm not going anywhere, remember?' he cooed in a silky tone of voice. Hermione turned her head to look at him, unsure of what he was speaking of.
'I promised, remember? I'm not going anywhere. Well, anywhere without you at least.' He winked. Hermione smiled and lifted her head up to kiss him on the lips, placing her hands on both sides of her face.
'Am I interrupting something?' Hermione broke the kiss to see Blaise Zabini standing at the edge of the bed, smirking at them.
'Bloody hell Zabini, was that necessary?' Draco growled.
'Actually no, but if you prefer that I stand here and look at you two go at it, be my guest. Maybe I'll get the knack of voyeurism,' Blaise raised both eyebrows cheekily. Hermione blushed at Zabini's words but Draco simply rolled his eyes.
'Zabini, ever the pervert.' Hermione stifled a laugh and looked away when she saw Blaise's face expression change.
'Right, what are you doing here anyway?' Draco changed the topic.
'Just came to check if you were breathing,' he replied casually. Of course, this was Blaise Zabini. He wouldn't admit that he cared even if he did, but Draco understood him.
'Well I am breathing, your consideration is much appreciated.' He said mockingly, knowing that Zabini was lying.
'Oh and uh, Nott sends his 'sincere apologies,' Blaise mumbled, scraping against the floor with his foot and looking down with his hands in his pockets.
'Theodore Nott?' Hermione tilted her head to look at Blaise, trying to meet his gaze.
'Er, yeah. He's the one that…' Blaise's voice trailed off, and he looked at Draco, pointing a finger to his own head.
'Nott was the one who attacked Draco?' Hermione stood up, furious.
'Okay now calm down Granger, but yes, it was Theo.' Blaise put his hands in front of himself, as Hermione looked as if she were going to pounce on him. Instead, she crossed her arms in front of her and bit on her bottom lip, thinking hard.
'What are you fucking talking about Zabini?' Draco growled, failing to sit up as his ribs were still healing.
'Nott charmed a bludger to beat the shit out of you,' Blaise put both hands on the bars at the end of the bed and leaned forward, sighing. Unable to contain his anger, Draco forcefully pushed himself up using his hands, only to crumble back onto the cot with a painful groan.
'Easy there,' Hermione rushed to support him, and propped him upright against the back of the bed.
'When I get my hands on Nott, he'll be-'
'Dead?' Blaise cut in sarcastically.
'Yes, dead.' Draco glared at him angrily.
'Wow, the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree then,' Blaise retorted immediately.
'Get to the point Zabini,' Hermione blurted out.
'He's under trial, Nott. Your father's charging him for attempted murder,' Blaise explained, gaining a gasp of shock from Hermione as she covered her mouth with a hand. Draco looked at his best friend in disbelief. Would Lucius go to such extent about the matter?
'But that would mean he's going-'
'To Azkaban. Yes, Granger. That is, if he is found guilty.' Blaise nodded towards the front door of the Hospital Wing. 'You see, Dumbledore's helping him wiggle out of it, since he's still underage and all. But your dad, mate your dad's making it hard.' Blaise concluded.
Draco lightly knocked his head back against the dashboard although it already hurt, and he groaned in pain when he realised it hurt more than he expected.
'That bastard…' he mumbled to himself.
'But Dumbledore can do it right? He'll get him out of it?' Hermione asked, her voice full of hope. Draco looked over to her, wondering why she cared to bloody much about the guy who nearly killed him, when he realised, this was Granger. She cared for everyone, although they didn't deserve it, like himself. She didn't have to stay with him but she wanted to. She didn't have to care about the Weasel because he had his tongue tied with Brown's anyway, but she still did. That was who Granger was; caring, sweet, considerate, and his, all his. He smiled at Granger- his Granger- and all his anger flowed away.
'Draco, mate. Dray' Draco blinked and turned his back to see Blaise waving a hand in front of his face. He raised his eyebrows in response.
'You have to convince your dad mate. Or Nott is in deep shit.' Blaise explained.
'I don't need to.' Draco looked down at himself for the first time. He could see his stomach wrapped tightly in bandages, and his legs lay limp by their sides on the bed.
'You'd let him go to Azkaban?' Hermione cried, her voice a mix of disbelief and confusion.
'No, of course I won't,' he answered Hermione calmly. 'Father's going to use that as a bargain. Nott's life for my detention to be revoked.' Draco sighed. His father's plan was quite obvious. There would be no other reason why he's putting so much effort to care about Nott's case. Draco wondered if he would secretly pay Nott for beating Draco up if it were in a different situation.
'Oh, wow. That's just…' Blaise's voice trailed out. He would not have thought Mr. Malfoy would be so cunning.
'Terrible…' Hermione completed his sentence, staring blankly at the brick wall opposite them.
'No, it's not terrible. It's absolutely disgusting. Which proves how much of a slimy bastard he is.' Draco rolled his eyes.
'Well, I got to get going now.' Blaise nodded to the both of them before leaving. Draco watched as Zabini walked out of the Hospital Wing, feeling trapped from figuring out his father's plan.
'Hey,' Draco turned to see Hermione smiling at him, her face much closer to his.
'Hello.' Draco smiled back, tilting his head to catch her lips in a kiss. Hermione sat on the cot next to him and put one hand on Draco's shoulder, deepening their kiss. They kissed passionately and their tongues moved in unison against each other, just like before.
'Draco Malfoy!' a voice shouted from the end of the bed. Draco knew this voice almost too well, and his stomach tightened at the sound of it.
Standing at the edge of Draco's cot in the Hospital Wing stood a man which Draco called father his entire life; Lucius Malfoy.
Yay, turns out I did have time, so here's the next chapter (:
And to the lovely reviewer who asked me to get beta; yeah I would but I don't think anyone would want to do it ahahha x)
To everyone else, thanks for reading once again x Loves.