A little longer than usual. As always thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, or favorited this. I love you guys! And thanks to all the readers who havn't but still stick with the story!
I made it through the last few hours of the night without any dreams. After Dra- Malfoy had refused to answer my question I had returned to my corner and gone back to bed.
For once I was the first one awake so I took advantage of the silence to have a long, hard talk with myself. I wasn't going insane, it just meant I needed to concentrate. I needed to figure out what was wrong with myself. In five days, today was day six of upstairs confinement, I had, at some point, started thinking of Draco Malfoy as Draco, not Malfoy. It was fine, I guess, as long as it was only in my thoughts. When we spoke I needed to call him Malfoy, or did I? Hadn't he used my first name a few times? Sure he'd denied it, but I knew he had.
And, he had been watching me since third year. I was stuck between feeling that it was really sweet or really creepy. For some reason I was stuck on it being sweet. He had cried over me yesterday, when he saw the bruises. Obviously he didn't know what he had done until that moment. He had even stopped correcting me when I referred to his basement as a dungeon.
He'd used some of that soothing paste on me, and I knew from being fugitives with Harry and Ron that it didn't come cheap, even for a Malfoy. Why did he even have it in the first place?
Of course, I realized, remembering the memory he had shown me. For the first time since that night I really thought hard about what I had seen. At first I had only been focused on how angry I was that he had lied to me, and the hope that had returned with the news of Harry and Ron's successful robbing of Bellatrix's vault and I had thought about it only a tiny bit. Now I could look at the bigger picture. Draco had been tortured... by his father.
I felt a twinge of pity for him. I wish I had said something to him that night, something comforting perhaps, or maybe just a hug. Oh god! What was I even thinking? Hugging Draco? As if he would let himself be comforted in any way. He just had the paste to make everything hurt a little less and he never had to let anyone know about it.
And for the love of god, stop feeling like you are about to cry over Draco Malfoy, I ordered myself as my eyes started to burn.
"Seriously, if you keep thinking that hard you're going to burst an artery," Draco interrupted my thoughts with his usual mocking drawl.
I sat up and looked at him and found myself unable to look away. After several awkward moments I tore my eyes away and looked down at the floor.
He climbed out of bed and left. A few seconds later I heard water running and figured it was safe to leave the room.
I made it safely downstairs, without assistance. The house elves, I had figured out that there were three, were setting breakfast on the table as I rounded the corner. The moment they saw me they hurriedly set everything on the table and scurried away.
I sat down at the table alone, and waited for Draco.
"You waited?" He asked and the shock was apparent in his voice.
"No need to sound so surprised," I answered, watching him sit down. "It was the least I could do."
He looked at his plate awkwardly. We both knew I was talking about what he had told me last night. How he had basically admitted he had cared.
Draco reached for the bacon just as I did. Our hands brushed and he grabbed my wrist. My eyes widened and I froze, not sure what was about to happen. He pushed the sleeve of my shirt up.
"They're doing better aren't they?" He sounded distressed, like he needed to be reassured that they were healing.
"Slowly, but yes," I answered, pulling my hand back and pushing the sleeve back down.
"I... sorry. I didn't even think that I could do that to a person," he murmured as he put a few pieces of bacon on my plate.
I looked at him, and flicked my eyes between my bacon and his eyes.
"I wasn't raised in a barn. I do have some manners."
I grinned slightly. Draco piled his plate with food and practically inhaled it.
"See? Manners."
I actually laughed and he dropped his fork onto the table.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing."
I sighed and finished eating. He clasped his hands together and watched me.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Draco, I survived for three weeks on my own while I was tortured. Believe me, I'm feeling a lot more okay now than I was then."
"What was the first word you said, Granger?" He smirked.
I realized I had let his first name make its way into my speech.
"Well, I'm done," I shot up and left to read in the fireplace room, doing my best to avoid answering.
Luckily he didn't come try to force me to tell him, probably because he already knew what I said.
I started into a biography of the four founders of Hogwarts, which was quite interesting. I was tempted to take notes but I knew I would never need them, so I settled for just reading it.
Around lunch time Draco walked in, with a sandwich. He set it on the table in front of me and handed me a book.
"How do you pronounce that spell?"
I looked at the spell.
"Car-pay re-track-tum. Emphasize the 'car' and 'track'. CARpe reTRACtum," I explained.
He nodded and pointed his wand at one of the books I had piled up.
"Carpe retractum."
Ropes shot out from his wand, wrapped around the book, and pulled it towards him. He looked surprised and levitated the book back where it belonged.
"Eat... and thanks," he said and left.
I smiled. It was nice to be helping someone with schoolwork again. For a minute I wondered if he had asked me because he knew how much I enjoyed it. It was hardly a difficult spell. A little tricky on pronunciation perhaps, but didn't require a lot of focus. Then again, I probably wasn't the best judge of hard versus easy spells.
I ate the sandwich, which was delicious, and decided on a quick nap. I didn't know why I got tired so fast, it's not like I was doing anything. Maybe it was how hard my body was working to heal itself. I laid the book on the table and stretched out across the couch. No nightmares. No nightmares. I repeated to myself. No nightmares.
Draco's hands were at my throat, squeezing. My head hit the wall once, twice. I couldn't breath. He was going to kill me.
"Draco! Please let go!"
I broke into a fit of coughing, gasping for air but unable to get it.
"Draco! I can't breath," I choked out.
"Hermione! Please wake up! It's okay, you're safe, you're safe," Someone called.
It's not real.
"Hermione!"
I surfaced from the dream, staring into Draco's eyes. I felt my neck, no bruises. Tears streaked their way down my cheeks. Draco turned and walked out of the room. I tried to call after him but I was crying to hard. I wanted him to stay. I wanted a hug, a little comfort.
I sat up and pulled my knees to my chest, shaking and breathing heavily sobbing into my knees. Several minutes passed and the tears weren't slowing, even a little. An arm wrapped over my shoulder.
Draco was incredibly warm, and surrounded by an aroma of chocolate. He pulled me closer and I buried my face in his chest.
"Shhh. It's okay. It's okay," he murmured, stroking my hair.
I didn't even pull away. I couldn't control my dreams but I wasn't going to be scared of him anymore when I was awake. After a couple minutes my tears started to slow and I pulled away from him.
Draco forced a warm mug of hot cocoa into my hands. It was piled with whipped cream and topped with a Hershey kiss. I took a tentative sip. Not only was it the perfect drinking temperature, it was delicious.
His thumb brushed away the few remaining tears. He handed me a chocolate chip cookie.
"What is this?" I whispered.
"You're right, I do care about you," he admitted.
"I've picked up on that. But you brought me a cookie and hot chocolate."
"That I made myself. Cookies are not easy to make, but hot cocoa has always been a specialty of mine," he added proudly, as if his ego wasn't big enough.
"Why?"
He sighed, "That muggle book with the depressed donkey, and the blond bear that's addicted to honey..."
"Winnie the Pooh?"
"Yeah, Winnie the Pooh. According to that aren't you supposed to give upset people a cookie and a kiss or something? There's your cookie, and that's a Hershey kiss on your hot chocolate."
I released a tiny squeak of laughter, "It's actually when you get out of the bathtub, but this works for me. When did you read Winnie the Pooh?"
"My mom used to read it to me when I was little. It was her way of defying Lucius, normally after he beat me."
I flinched at the casual way he said those words.
"What are your nightmares about?"
"You. Hurting me. In this particular one you were... choking me, and I couldn't breath and I thought you cared but I guess that I am just afraid that you don't really care and that this is all just a sick trick to break me even more."
He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me against him. I looked up into his eyes.
"It isn't a trick Hermione. I promise."
As I gazed into his eyes I knew he was not lying. He cared.
I was a little unsure about whether or not I'm taking this too fast but it's chapter 12. About time he says he cares in my mind.
About writing this in Draco's POV I will do that! Once I get to 60 reviews. Ultimately my goal is 100 but 60 and I will do Draco's POV.
Next chapter is the biggest change I think! I am so excited to write it, I can't even.
Please keep reviewing I love them! If I can have a quick heart to heart with you guys... I really want to be an author of my own novels and these reviews are not only motivation for this story but also for my writing in general which means a lot to me. More than I can possibly express here.
Have a great night everyone!