Chapter Nineteen

Magical Core

Draco was in his huge bathtub with his eyes closed and his head resting on the edge.

Try as he might, he couldn't stop thinking about her.

Her frightened face popped into his mind over and over again. Had she really thought he was capable of hurting her?

Just imagining it sent shivers down his spine. He would never touch her, no matter how angry he was.

Half an hour later, Draco emptied the bathtub and put his pyjamas back on. He stepped out of the bathroom, drying his hair absently with a towel.

Draco sighed as he saw the elf lying on the small bed he had asked her to conjure for herself. They had been cooped up there for two days now but he still didn't feel ready to face his mother, his friends... or Granger.

She had betrayed his trust and he was too hurt. Draco needed more time to move on and forget about it.

He knew that sealing his room with elven magic had been a very childish reaction, though it was the only way to stop his mother from forcing him to go to Grimmauld Place in search of his mate.

On the table were the books he had been reading the night before, and the two pieces of parchment he had filled with new ideas about the use of wands on half-humans. The draft for the new law Granger wanted to present was too ambitious, though not impossible.

Maybe she could do it. He was sure that, if anyone could pull it off, it was the smartest witch of her age.

Draco dropped the towel to the floor, shaking his head. He thought Granger would write to him, that she would try to apologise... but he hadn't heard from her.

She was probably so scared she never wanted to see him again. To her, he was just a monster who could hurt her if he got out of control.

Draco had felt a great sadness coming from Granger shortly after she left and it had made his heart shrink. He hated knowing that she was suffering and that it was his fault.

But, since that day, he hadn't felt anything else. She was fine.

"Master Draco isn't hungry?"

Draco looked away from the little elf, shaking his head.

"But Master hasn't eaten anything today and..."

Minsy fell silent as she met his icy, hate-filled gaze. Draco rolled his eyes at her sad expression and sat down on his bed, snorting.

"Sorry, Minsy. It's not your fault."

"Master will have to leave this room at some point," the elf commented softly, clasping her hands together.

Draco glanced at the large clock by the fireplace.

It was four o'clock. Too early to sleep but he wanted the day to be over as soon as possible.

"I know, but not today. Good night."

He heard Minsy's sigh but decided to ignore her. Draco pulled the covers over himself and sank his face into the pillow, letting out a groan.

Two days without seeing Granger.

The roar of flames woke him.

Draco turned his head to the right and opened one of his eyes, frowning as he saw a figure emerging from the huge fireplace.

He blinked several times in confusion. He could recognise that curly hair anywhere.

Granger?

She approached the bed in slow, silent steps, looking him in the eye with her hands clasped in front of her body.

Once she stopped just next to the pillow, Draco understood.

It was another one of his dreams.

Almost every night Granger appeared in them but, since their argument, the dreams were much more intense. They seemed real, just like at that moment.

Her sweet scent with that tangy apple note was permeating the whole room, making him feel so much better.

And she didn't seem upset. In his dreams she never did.

He smiled, moving up to a sitting position without looking away from her brown eyes. At least he didn't have to pretend anything in a dream, he could do whatever he wanted without thinking about the consequences.

He reached up, grabbing one of her wrists and tugging gently until Granger fell on the mattress.

His grin widened as he heard her gasp of surprise. He wrapped his arms around her, sinking his head into the curve of her neck and inhaling her scent.

She smelled so fucking good...

"Draco, I..."

He covered her mouth with a hand, shaking his head. He didn't want her to talk, he just wanted to hold her and enjoy her closeness.

He would argue with her in real life.

"Shhh. Don't talk," he whispered, leaving a kiss on her throat.

He felt her shudder and grinned again, running his hands up her back to tangle his fingers in her curls. He had wanted to taste her skin for months.

Draco wished he could stay like this forever. The world of dreams was so much better than the real one, where there was the risk of discovering that Granger was no longer interested in him and that he'd missed his chance to be with her.

She was very still, he could hear her quick breaths and the pounding of her heart.

Granger usually responded to his kisses in his dreams, but Draco didn't care. Holding her in his arms was enough.

"I never want to wake up," he murmured as he traced the skin of her neck with his lips.

Draco felt her tense so he ran his hands down her body again, stroking her back to help her relax.

Then he heard a throat clearing.

"Master is not dreaming. Miss is really here."

His eyes snapped open at the sound of Minsy's voice. What was she doing in his dream?

He lifted his head and looked over to the area of his desk, where the little elf's bed was.

Her green eyes were staring at him and she was twisting one of her ears nervously.

His brow furrowed and he looked back at Granger, watching her face closely. She was still motionless, hands on her knees and with his arms still wrapped around her.

'Shit.'

Draco gasped in shock.

Was Granger really there?

Hermione held her breath as the green flames engulfed her. A second later, she felt her feet touching something solid again.

She opened her eyes and saw that it had worked. She was back in Draco's room.

He was lying in bed, sound asleep. The roar of flames woke him up and he moved his head, opening one of his grey eyes.

Hermione didn't know what to say, so she moved towards him silently.

Why wasn't Draco saying anything either? He just watched her as she approached.

She stopped by the bed, sighing.

'I'm sorry, Draco.'

'Why do you keep hiding things from me? What is it that you don't want me to know?'

'I won't touch that book again, I promise.'

'I thought you trusted me.'

'It hurt me when you insulted me like that.'

'Yes, it scared me, but I'm not afraid of you. I feel very safe around you.'

She had spent many hours thinking about what she would say to him when she saw him again, but now the words wouldn't come out.

Just as she opened her mouth to say something, his hand caught her wrist and pulled at it, causing her to fall onto the bed.

Hermione gasped in surprise.

As soon as she was sitting on the mattress, Draco moved closer and wrapped his arms around her waist. She felt his hot breath on her neck and it sent a shiver down her spine.

"Draco, I..."

His left hand covered her mouth and his hair tickled her throat as he shook his head.

"Shhh. Don't talk."

Her eyes widened as she felt his lips on her neck.

Was he really kissing her? Wasn't he still furious?

A spark of electricity ran down her spine, making her shiver. It was just like that strange sensation she'd felt with each of his kisses, though a little weaker.

Draco was tangling his fingers in her curls as he continued to brush her throat with the tip of his nose.

"I never want to wake up."

Hermione tensed at his words.

Now she understood. Draco thought he was dreaming.

That's why he was acting so affectionate as if nothing had happened.

She turned her head and exchanged an anxious glance with Minsy, who was sitting on a mattress on the right side of the room, her eyes full of panic.

His lips were still trailing down her neck, leaving small kisses along the way.

Minsy cleared her throat and Hermione closed her eyes, bracing herself for his reaction when he realised he was awake.

"You are not dreaming, Master. Miss is really here."

He raised his head and she saw him glancing at Minsy with a confused expression on his face. Then he returned his gaze to her and Hermione avoided it, biting her lower lip and trying not to get even more nervous.

She didn't want Draco to be as mad as the last day they'd seen each other.

She heard him swallow and decided to lift her head, seeking his gaze.

"How...?"

Draco blinked, unable to finish the question. But she knew what he meant.

"The fireplace. I came through it, just like the other day."

His eyes lingered for a few seconds on the fireplace behind her, then looked back up at her. Hermione could see his jaw tighten and his gaze turn cold.

Bloody Occlumency. She was sick of Draco using it to hide his feelings.

"Draco, before you get angry..."

He shook his head and released her.

"It can't be. It's not possible."

He pushed the sheets aside and jumped out of bed, running his hands through his blond hair in frustration.

Hermione felt a lump in her throat at the sight of him.

Did he hate it so much that she'd come into his room? After two days of not seeing each other, she hoped he would be more willing to talk.

Draco moved closer to the wall, leaning his back against it.

"Even this bloody manor betrays me," he hissed, snorting loudly as he glanced sideways at her.

Hermione sighed, crossing her arms.

"I won't use your fireplace again if it bothers you so much."

His growl made her jump.

"It's not that, Granger! Don't you understand what this means?"

She looked back at the fireplace. Her brow furrowed more and more as she thought.

"This house can detect that I'm your mate. Is that it?" she asked, meeting his gaze again.

"You're not officially my mate yet, but the manor already recognises you as such."

"Why?"

'Because the magic in this house knows how I feel about you.'

Draco clenched his jaw, his eyes fixed on one of the bedposts. He couldn't look her in the eye or he'd end up telling her the truth.

"What are you doing here?"

Hermione snorted at the change of subject.

"Your mother and friends are worried about you. Parkinson came looking for me."

"Bloody Pansy," he muttered, narrowing his eyes at the thought of his friend.

"Draco, I'm... I'm sorry I touched your book without permission."

He shot her a hateful glare, returning his eyes to the wooden post a second later.

"I didn't read anything, really. You have to believe me," she added softly, standing up.

Draco watched her as she walked around the bed to lean against the post he'd been staring at.

"And you didn't take a copy with you to read later?" he questioned in a hard voice, arching an eyebrow.

Hermione looked down, wringing her hands nervously.

"I was going to, but I couldn't. I didn't want to betray your trust."

Draco let out a snort.

"It's a little late for that now."

Her eyes flicked back to his and he saw that she was getting mad.

"I haven't forgotten you calling me an insufferable know-it-all either, you know?"

Her voice trembled slightly and Draco frowned.

"Are you angry about that?"

"I'm hurt, Draco! I hated being called that at Hogwarts and you know it!"

"Tell me, Granger... What should I call someone who rummages through my things because they can't bear not knowing something?"

She winced, straightening her back.

"I've already apologised for that."

"And I should forgive you? Just like that?"

"Yes."

Draco wrinkled his nose, leaning his head against the wall and closing his eyes.

"I can't trust you anymore, Granger."

"Try to put yourself in my place. What if you knew I was hiding something from you, and you saw me carrying a book everywhere I went? Wouldn't you be curious if you suddenly found that book in a room? Wouldn't you try to read it?"

'Of course I would. I'm very curious myself.'

Draco clicked his tongue.

"No."

She sighed, shaking her head.

"I don't know what else to do to make you forgive me."

"You don't have to do anything. Besides, it doesn't matter much to you either. You haven't even written to me these days."

Her eyebrows raised at the same time.

"Would you have replied to my letters?"

'No.'

"Probably."

'Liar.'

Hermione rolled her eyes. His conscience could rest easy because she wasn't buying any of his lies.

He saw her look back at the elf and smile in her direction.

"You can break the seal and get out of here, Minsy. Tell the others that Draco is fine."

His lips curved into a sneer.

"Minsy doesn't answer to you, Gran..."

The cracking sound the elf made as she disappeared left him speechless.

Draco opened his eyes wide, staring at the small empty bed in disbelief. He looked at the door of his room and saw that the blue glow characteristic of Elven magic was gone.

He gritted his teeth and looked back at Hermione. She had gone pale.

"Why did you say she doesn't answer to me?"

Draco clenched his fists, trying to maintain control.

"I told her she couldn't leave my room. The manor elves only answer Malfoy's orders."

Hermione hesitated, holding a hand to her lips.

"So she shouldn't have listened to me?"

Bloody ancient magic.

Draco threw his head back, staring up at the ceiling and letting out a long sigh.

They had spent so much time together that both the manor and the elves had already accepted her as his mate.

"Why don't you ever answer my questions, Draco?" Hermione asked, throwing her arms in the air angrily.

"I have my reasons."

"Is it something bad? Why don't you want to tell me?"

"Because I'm fucking in love with you!"

Draco froze at his own voice.

He'd said that without thinking, and her surprised face confirmed his suspicions. It was too soon.

He had planned to wait a little longer until he was sure she felt the same way... but his bloody impulses had doomed him. He started pacing the room, cursing under his breath and avoiding looking in her direction.

"Draco."

"Shit. I just ruined my own life, I'm so fucking stupid."

"Draco!"

He slowed his pacing and glanced back at her with a grim face.

"You don't have to say anything, Granger. I know you still don't feel the same way."

Hermione clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"You know nothing, Draco Malfoy."

That made him stop and he stared at her.

"Are you going to listen to me now?"

Seeing him nod, Hermione took another step towards him.

"I'm starting to... to have strong feelings for you. I told Harry a couple of days ago that I think I'm falling in love."

Draco felt his whole body freeze at her words. It couldn't be true.

Once she was close enough, he put his arms around her and pressed their foreheads together. Hermione cupped his cheek with a hand, smiling when he closed his eyes.

"Are you trying to protect me? Is that why you keep things from me?"

His gaze returned to her and Draco stepped back, breaking the embrace.

"Believe me, it's better if you learn about this step by step."

She let out a shaky breath, relaxing her posture.

"All right."

"All right?" Draco repeated in surprise.

Hermione nodded with a smile on her face.

"I trust you, Draco. If you don't think it's time for me to know... I'll wait. It's going to be a little torture because I like to know everything, but I'll do it."

Draco watched her for a moment, running his tongue over his teeth.

"I'll answer one of your questions."

"Just one?"

"Exactly, just one. Choose well."

Hermione looked around for a moment, trying to decide what she wanted to know.

"Do you think that, if you transform and you're really mad at me, you could unintentionally hurt me?"

He folded his arms and shook his head.

"There's no way I can hurt you."

"Why are you so sure?"

"I told you that a Veela's bond with his mate is quite unlike any other, Granger. Though ours is not yet complete, my body knows I mean you no harm and it will not hurt you."

Draco took two steps towards her and lifted one of his hands. A second later it was engulfed in flames.

"Do you trust me?" he asked, looking into her eyes.

Hermione nodded, not understanding what he was going to do.

He reached up and placed his palm on the side of her face, on one of her cheeks.

She gasped as she felt the fire on her skin. It was nice, like feeling the warmth of the sun's rays.

She looked up at Draco with wide eyes and he gave her a smirk.

"I bet you I can't hurt you with my claws either."

He pulled his hand away and closed his fist, making the flames disappear.

Hermione was dragging her lip into her mouth again and he could almost hear her brain working.

"How long have you known?"

"My ancestor's book explained it."

"Giorgio's diary?"

Draco nodded, running his eyes over her face and stopping at the freckles on her nose.

Fuck, he'd missed her too much and it had only been two fucking days apart.

"Am I forgiven?" he asked in a whisper, cocking his head to the side.

Hermione blinked and looked him in the eye.

"What about me?"

Draco smiled again.

"You are since you came out of my fireplace."

He ducked his head when she smiled and pressed their lips together, gasping against hers as he felt his magical core reacting.

It felt like flames spreading through his body, but it was actually his magic trying to reach out to his mate's.

And Draco suspected that was something she didn't know either.

Did someone notice the reference to Game of Thrones? Haha