Chapter 3
Hermione blushed as Draco tossed his shirt onto his shoulder and crossed his arms causing his muscles to flex under his skin. Hermione cleared her throat and changed the subject, "I just wanted to see if you had any spare nightgowns in the Manor."
Draco reached for his blue T-shirt on his shoulder and handed it to Hermione and said, "I don't know off hand. But, I'll make sure clothes are brought to you in the morning."
"But what about you?" Hermione asked concerned.
"I will be fine. I'm used to this drafty Manor." Draco said.
A few minutes later Draco heard Hermione call out to him asking, "Malfoy, I can't reach the ties to my bodice. Help me."
Draco stood up and walked back to the spare room. He smirked seeing Hermione struggle with the strings. He walked up to her and pushed her hands out of the way and started untying the bodice. Hermione could feel his breath on her neck. She couldn't figure out why her heart was racing. She was use to men. Why him? Draco reached under the strings of the bodice and unzipped her dress and said as his lips were close to her ear in a soft low whisper, "There you go. Goodnight Granger."
Hermione shivered and looked back to see his bareback walking away and gulped. But now she could see the moonlight on him and his skin did glow. Hermione asked, "Why do you glow?"
Draco looked over his shoulder at her and said with a smirk as his braid moved across his back going down to the middle of his back, "I have high Elf blood in my family, about half. Elven blood doesn't dilute. Not house elf. Real elves glow at night. I forgot to hide it from you."
Hermione looked and saw his ears were slightly pointed. Less than an elf, but more then a human. She figured the white hair was also an Elven trait. All Hermione could say was, "Oh. I won't tell anyone."
Draco decided to tell a half truth and said with a smirk, "Good I was only supposed to show myself to my wife when I have one." It wasn't entirely true. The truth was he could show close friends, but never trusted anyone that well. But, it was fun to see Hermione blush and lose her composure. To see her not sad and broken or the know it all he knew at school. Draco walked into his room leaving a flustered Hermione behind to watch him leave.
Many hours later Draco was having a nightmare about burning alive in Hogwarts. In his dream Harry tells him that he is a lost cause and leaves him to die. Draco is shocked out of his nightmare by a scream. Draco runs into Hermione's room and shakes her awake. Hermione bolts right up and hugs onto Draco crying, "He just wouldn't stop. I said no and Ronald just wouldn't stop."
Malfoy's parents came rushing in concerned. Draco shook his head as he held Hermione. They nodded and left leaving Draco to hold Hermione. He picked her up and she wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his chest and shoulder. He took her to his room and laid her next to him on his large bed. He then garbed his pipe and packed it with holy basil, chamomile, green tea, stinging nettle, valerian, kava root, skullcap, and dong quai. This is his herbs he uses to help his PTSD. He said a spell and lit the pipe and puffed it. Hermione curled against him and started to relax to the calming smell of the herbs. She asked, "Why do you smoke that?"
"I have PTSD from the war. Snape told me this would help. Do you have nightmares often?" Draco asked as he continued to puff on his pipe. Hermione buried her face into his side and said a muffled, "Yes, every since Ron got violent."
"Can you tell me what this was about?" Draco calmly asked.
"First we never married. But that night Ron came home late and drunk and wanted to have sex. I didn't want to. I had just heard that Harry was put away. But, he wouldn't take no for an answer. His eyes looked so dark. He seemed like someone else." Hermione said and started to cry. Draco looked down at her frail body shaking as sobs racked through her form and he placed his hand on her shoulder and rubbed it trying to soothe her pain.
"You know you can have what have as well. It doesn't just happen to those who fight in war. Abused spouses or lovers can experience this as well." Draco said as finished his herbs. He reached for a ashtray and tapped out the ashes and set the ashtray on the nightstand as well the pipe. He moved down he was laying down on the bed. He pulled the blankets over them. Hermione said, "For the first time in my life I don't know what to do."