Chapter Twenty-One
The Cave
After dinner with Harry, Hermione walked through the green flames still a little miffed at her best friend's teasing.
It wasn't like it was the first time she was going to sleep in the same bed as Draco. Besides, that didn't mean something was going to happen between them.
He and Ginny were idiots.
Hermione knew she was still blushing when she appeared in his dorm. She smiled at the thought that this was the third time she had used that fireplace, but the first one she had his permission to do so.
She scanned the white wooden furniture with her gaze as she walked over to one of the armchairs, leaving the small backpack in which she carried a pair of pyjamas, clothes for work and her toothbrush.
As she stared at Draco's gigantic bed, she felt herself blushing again.
She had never noticed how elaborate it was. The white canopy that draped down both sides reminded her of the beds in her dormitory at Hogwarts.
Had he slept there since he was a little kid?
Hermione shook her head, walking to the desk next to a shelf full of books.
There were six of them stacked on one side of the table, and she saw several scrolls with new ideas for the law for the rights of magical creatures in the middle. They were written in Draco's handwriting.
Hermione felt her heart shrink at how much he was supporting her. Even though they had gone several days without speaking, he had continued to search for more information.
She averted her gaze to the bedside table. There lay the silver journal, next to a small lamp that lit on its own as soon as she approached.
Hermione ran her forefinger across the cover of the ancient book with a smile on her face. This was proof that Draco trusted her and that he knew she wouldn't try to read it again.
And she wouldn't, not until he decided she could.
"Minsy?"
The little elf appeared before her with a crack.
"Miss?"
"Where's Draco?" Hermione asked, giving her a smile.
Minsy twisted an ear, staring up at her with her green eyes.
"Master Draco is swimming in the pool."
Without another word, she grabbed one of Hermione's hands and they both disappeared with another crack.
Hermione gasped as her feet hit the ground again, staggering a little. They were in one of the corridors on the ground floor of the manor, standing in front of a dark wooden door.
Minsy released her and stepped back, pointing to the door.
"Master is in there."
Hermione took a deep breath, pulling herself together.
"Let me know when you're going to do that, Minsy."
The elf paled and her large eyes widened further in panic.
"It's all right, don't worry. But I'd like you to warn me so you don't catch me by surprise again," Hermione hastened to add, crouching down to be level with her.
Minsy nodded and her lower lip trembled slightly.
"Minsy will let Miss know before she apparates."
Hermione smiled.
"Thank you."
The elf bowed her head and disappeared again, leaving her all alone in the hallway filled with portraits that ignored her. Hermione sighed and wrapped her fingers around the knob, turning it and pushing the door open.
Her breath caught in her throat as she saw what was behind it.
She hadn't been mistaken, that room was as big as her parents' house.
There were steps leading down into what looked like a cavern. The walls were made of stone and everything was lit with a greenish light reflecting off the water.
It was hard to believe that it was all inside a house. It looked more like Hermione had just found a lake hidden inside a cave.
She walked down the stairs with slow steps, looking around curiously. There were five lounge chairs around, on the dark marble floor, and a door that probably led to the showers.
The pool was rectangular and there was a small semicircular addition on one side, with bubbles in it.
A hot tub?
Hermione rolled her eyes, twisting her lips to the side.
Of course the Malfoys had a giant pool with a jacuzzi included. She didn't know why she was surprised.
The sound of water snapped her out of her thought spiral. Draco was swimming across the longest part of the pool with his face under the water.
He stopped when he reached the edge and rested an arm on it, pushing his wet hair out of his eyes with his other hand.
Draco turned his head and saw her at the foot of the stairs. His lips curved upwards.
"Hi, Granger."
She smiled back at him.
"Hello."
"I didn't hear you come in."
"Minsy brought me here."
"I told her to," Draco commented, resting both hands on the edge to propel himself out of the pool.
Her breath hitched when she saw him getting out of the water. He was wearing only a dark blue swimming costume and she had never seen him in so little clothing.
He stood up and gave her a crooked smile when he saw her face.
"What are you staring at, Granger?"
She averted her gaze to the wall, her heart pounding in her ears and her cheeks burning.
"No-nothing."
Draco snorted as he reached over to one of the hangers, grabbing a towel.
"Liar."
Hermione glanced at him again, ready to protest, but something caught her eye. The Dark Mark on his forearm glowed in the dim light of the lamps that surrounded the room.
He followed her gaze and his face hardened. Draco hid his left arm behind his back as he wiped his face, pursing his lips in disgust.
"You don't have to hide it, Draco. I've seen it before."
"It's not something I'm proud of."
Hermione smiled, forgetting her nerves for a moment and taking several steps towards him.
"That mark doesn't mean anything if you don't want it to."
Draco wrapped himself in the towel, shaking his head angrily.
"It's a part of me."
She stopped in front of him, holding out a hand as she looked him in the eye.
"Can I see it?"
He hesitated, but pulled his left arm out and extended it in her direction. Hermione grasped his wrist and traced the outline of the skull with trembling fingers.
The mark started almost at his elbow and went halfway down his forearm. It looked like a tattoo, though she could tell that the lines had not been made with a needle.
It was the work of some kind of very dark magic.
Hermione stopped moving her fingers over the snake's body and looked up when she heard him hiss.
"Does it hurt?"
Draco shook his head and tugged his arm away, but she held his wrist tighter.
"No, let me see it. I thought it was darker."
He clenched his jaw without taking his eyes off her face.
"It's fading since he died, though it will never disappear completely. It used to be black."
Hermione looked down at the Dark Mark again, watching it closely. As soon as her fingers brushed it again, Draco stepped back and turned away.
"You shouldn't touch something so evil."
She furrowed her brow.
"It's a part of you, as you said. And having it doesn't make you a bad person, just someone who made a bad decision."
Draco laughed half-heartedly.
"I've made too many bad decisions in my life, Granger."
"And you've learnt from them. You're nothing like the boy I met when I was twelve anymore."
His grey eyes looked down at her again and his lips curved into a small smile. He caught one of her curls in his fingers, letting out a long sigh.
"I don't know what I've done to deserve someone as good as you."
Hermione grinned, taking a step closer and wrapping her arms around him. It wasn't long before she felt his chin on her shoulder and his hands on her back.
"You're not so bad yourself."
Draco let out a soft chuckle, pulling away from her. Her eyes lowered to his chest, where she could see two of the long white scars.
"Who did that to you, Draco?"
His eyes lost that warmth they had when he looked at her and he wrapped himself better in the towel, hiding the scars from her view.
"I think you know the answer."
"Harry," Hermione whispered, remembering how angry she'd been at her friend when she'd found out he'd used one of the unknown spells from that damn book on him.
"I was going to cast the Cruciatus curse on him, so I don't blame him. I guess you could say we're even."
"Were you really going to do it?"
Draco nodded.
"I'd been using that curse for months whenever the Dark Lord ordered me to, and I wasn't about to let Potter get in the way of my mission."
Hermione sighed, rubbing the back of her neck with her hand and looking back down at the water in the pool, which appeared to be turquoise.
"Do you want to swim with me for a while? The water is really warm."
An image of Draco kissing her in the water popped into her mind. Hermione swallowed, her nerves on edge again.
"It's quite late and I have to get up early tomorrow."
"Another day, then," he replied, raising his eyebrows in amusement.
She rolled her eyes, turning and walking up the steps beside him. Draco knew he made her nervous and he was enjoying it so much.
"How long have you had this pool here?" she asked, trying to change the subject.
"It was a birthday present."
Her eyes widened as she looked back at him. Draco opened the door, letting her through first.
"I was obsessed with mermaids when I was six and wanted to have a lake so I could learn to swim as well as them."
Hermione couldn't help but smile.
"That's kind of cute."
Draco snorted and a slight blush coloured his cheeks.
"Shut up."
"Pansy and the others have been here?"
He chuckled, giving her a curt nod.
"Hundreds of times. All my birthday parties were held here until we left for Hogwarts."
Hermione nodded, trying to picture Draco, Blaise, Pansy and Theo at seven years old swimming and laughing in that huge pool.
"How long have you all been friends?"
"I've known them all my life, Granger. Most pureblood families have a good relationship, their parents and mine have known each other since they were very young, too."
She clicked her tongue, remembering one of the first conversations they had.
"I guess they need to have a good relationship if they're going to force their children to marry each other in the end."
Draco paused by the door to his room, laughing softly and shaking his head. Hermione opened it and stepped into his bedroom with a big smirk on her face.
Now she knew he would never follow that stupid tradition.
Half an hour later, she was in her pyjamas and lying on Draco's bed, playing with her fingers as she waited for him to come out of the shower.
She heard the door open and he appeared at her side, slipping under the covers and resting his head on the pillow next to hers.
His blond hair was still a little damp and his soft, soapy scent was very pleasant. Hermione frowned at the serious expression on his face.
"I've been thinking about something. You didn't tell me about your parents after all."
She sighed.
"Well... you know they're Muggles."
Draco rolled his eyes.
"I remember seeing them more than once in Diagon Alley with you."
"Yes, they liked to come with me when I bought my new books, although magic has always scared them a little."
"Why don't you live with them, Granger?"
The question she hated so much. Hermione let out a shaky breath.
"Because they live in Australia."
Draco blinked several times in confusion.
"That's a long way from here."
"Well, I... I altered their memories before I left to search for Horcruxes with Harry and Ron. I made them forget their names and that they had a daughter and, after that, I sent them to Australia. They started a new life away from the war, and when it was over I was able to restore their memories with the help of an Obliviator and two healers from St Mungo's. It took a couple of months, but they managed to remember almost everything."
His whole body had tensed more and more with each of her words.
"Did you... erase their memories?" he asked, very surprised.
"It was the best option. I knew that, as my parents, there was a high chance that Death Eaters would torture them for information about me. I couldn't risk them being killed because of me. Besides, that way they would still be happy if... if I didn't survive. They would never know that their daughter was dead."
He was still staring at her, not knowing what to say. His face had lost some of its colour and he looked guilty.
Hermione bit her lower lip when she noticed that he was no longer using Occlumency to hide his feelings, so she kept talking.
"They decided to stay in Australia after I explained to them what had happened to our house. And I've been living with Harry since the war ended."
"What happened to your house?" Draco asked quietly, furrowing his brow.
"The Death Eaters destroyed it, there's not much left. We've put the lot up for sale but so far no one's been interested."
He held his breath, his eyes widening.
"They did what?"
Hermione shrugged, trying to play it down.
It had been hard at first, but she'd come to accept that her home was gone forever.
"It probably didn't sit well with them to find out that they were late when they went looking for them, and they decided to do to the house what they had planned to do to my parents."
His jaw snapped shut. He grabbed one of her hands, interlacing their fingers and squeezing gently.
"I... I had no idea, Granger. The Dark Lord only called me to help him torture those who didn't do his bidding, and my father didn't tell me much about what they did when they left the manor."
"Don't worry. None of that was your fault."
"Do you know who did it?"
Hermione shook her head.
"There were traces of dark magic, but I don't know who was there. I suspect it was several people."
He gritted his teeth, clenching his fists to contain his fury.
If he found out that his father had been involved in the attempted murder of the Grangers...
"All of that doesn't matter now, Draco. My parents are well and happy, and I get to visit them using a portkey. I usually go once a month."
Draco nodded, letting out a long sigh. He remembered well the Muggleborn register set up by the Dark Lord, and the persecution that had befallen all those who could not prove they descended from pureblood families.
"You saved their lives, Granger. He... he would have killed both of them after reading their minds to find out where you were."
Hermione nodded, her eyes filling with tears.
"Still, sometimes it's hard for me to be so far away from them. But I know I did the right thing, and I would do it again."
Draco sniffled, putting his arms around her and pressing her against his chest.
"Bloody Gryffindors, always so brave... You should have run away with them."
Hermione shook her head, sinking her hand into his hair and twisting her fingers through his soft locks. She didn't feel like crying anymore, his body heat calmed her down.
"I could never leave Harry."
The two of them were in silence for a few minutes, thinking about everything they had shared. Just when Draco thought she had fallen asleep, she raised her head and looked into his eyes.
"There's something I need to know."
He arched an eyebrow.
"What is it?"
"Why didn't you tell me anything when you found out I was your mate? Why didn't you ask for my help?"
Draco ran his tongue over his teeth, narrowing his eyes.
"I'm sure Potter told you at the time."
"I want you to tell me."
He sighed and didn't look away so that she knew he was telling the truth.
"I didn't want you to have to be with me out of obligation, Granger. You had suffered enough because of me and my family, so I decided to be noble for once and accept my death so that you could be free and happy."
Hermione buried her other hand in his hair, smiling as she watched him close his eyes.
"That was another one of your mistakes, Draco," she whispered, leaning closer to kiss him.
Draco gasped and enjoyed the warm sensation of her lips on his, shuddering as he felt his magic react.
Not looking for Granger in the first place had been the wrong choice. If Potter hadn't given him away, he wouldn't be enjoying her company or her kisses now.
She was his perfect match, meant to be since he was born. The bond of a Veela and her mate surged just as they were both born, though he hadn't discovered it until the day he turned eighteen.
Draco broke the kiss and sighed, pressing their foreheads together. He smiled when she opened her eyes and looked up at him through her long lashes.
"You need to sleep, Granger."
She smiled too and nodded, lowering her head to rest in the crook of his neck.
Draco wrapped his arms around her, burying his nose in her hair and letting her sweet scent envelop him completely.
He wouldn't mind sleeping like this every night.
Aaand we have the title of the story! Haha