Hermione's eyes opened slowly, and she blinked at the harsh sunlight coming in though the window. Squinting, she was startled to see a human face just inches from her own. With a shriek, she jumped backward on the bed, then groaned. Draco's face creased into a worried frown at her pain, and he grabbed her hand.
"You'll be sore for a few days," he said, moving his thumb in soothing circles on the back of the hand he held. Hermione looked put out, and she sighed dramatically.
"Fine... if you insist." She grinned, showing him she was fine. He smiled, relieved, back at her.
"Do you need anything? Are you uncomfortable?"
"No, silly, I'm fine! But what happened to your father?" She asked, almost fearfully. Draco's face grew stormy, and Hermione could practically see the thunder clouds above his head. When he spoke, his voice was carefully controlled with an undertone of something that almost frightened Hermione.
"He's in Azkaban. I broke both of his legs and his nose. Should've killed him. WHY DIDN'T I!" he suddenly yelled, his eyes wild. "He tried to kill you! He would have deserved it!"
Hermione placed her hand gently on his shoulder, and pulled him around to look into her honest face.
"You did the right thing. He is your father, and nothing you do can change it. The main point is that he didn't hurt me. Don't live in a world of what if's, Draco." Suddenly, he put hands on her face and pulled her to him, passionately snogging her. She kissed back for a millisecond, then cried out, in pain from her curse sore muscles. He instantly let her go, his eyes frustrated with himself.
"I'm sorry! Are you all right?" He asked frantically, his hands roving over her, feeling for injuries. They felt nice and soothing on her tired skin, and she instantly grew drowsy. She logically knew that he was using pheromones on her again, but she didn't care. Drifting off for dreamland, she had one last coherent thought. I love him. And then there was darkness.
When she re awoke, Draco was not in the room. However, she heard the clanging and banging of pots and pans in the kitchen, and figured that was were he was. Looking at the digital muggle clock on her bedside, she saw that it was four o' clock PM, Thursday. She realized that it had been 3 days since Lucius's attack, and then, in a moment of clarity, she remembered that it was the day that she and Draco had agreed on to let him mark her. Experimentally stretching her limbs, she noticed that nearly all the soreness was gone from them. Sliding her form out of the bed, she planted her stocking clad feet on the floor, and heaved herself up from bed. Padding out to the kitchen, she ran smack into Draco, who was coming back into their bedroom. He caught her in his arms, his face in a frown. She smiled innocently back up at him.
"You should be in bed," he said sternly, but wrapping his strong arms around her nonetheless.
"I've been in there for three days, Draco. That is excessive rest time for just one Cruciatus curse all in it's self!" She fired , a memory flashed before her eyes. Draco, kissing her, her falling asleep. That thought! She loved him? The boy, no man, who had tormented her all through school, who she and her friends had up until recently hated the most in the world. But he had changed. She was his mate. He was bound to be perfect for her in every way, she was bound to fall for him sooner or later. She guessed it was sooner.
"Hrmph..." he snorted haughtily, bringing her back to the present. Looking u at him, she caught his eye.
"I have to tell you something," she said, biting her lip nervously. He raised an eyebrow questioningly. She took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eyes.
"I think I love you."
His eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning, and he grinned widely.
"Thank Merlin! It was taking you way long than the average veela mate to fall for their veela. I was getting worried. I love you too, by the way." At this, he smirked and gently pressed his lips to hers. This kiss was different, sweet, and full of love and tenderness from both sides. It was perfect.
When they finally pulled away from each other, Hermione remembered something.
"Weren't you going to mark me today?" she questioned in a suspicious voice. He looked away from her, then moved his eyes back to hers, determined.
"You just got attacked by my insane Death Eater father, cupcake. I'm not going to mark you right after you wake up after sleeping for three days!"
"But you're hurting! And I can't take the fact that the reason for that is me." She said the second part softly, shyly, her face buried in the pillow so she didn't have to look at him as she spoke. His eyes softened as he looked at her. He had been sitting beside her on the bed, but now he moved closer to her, and deftly slid his arms around her, laying down beside her and gently pulling her to face him. Surprised, she opened her copper eyes wide, and was even more surprised to see his face inches from hers. They looked into each other's eyes, slate into mahogany. Then Draco spoke, softly and sweetly.
"I am not in pain, Hermione. I want to mark you when the time is right. I am completely comfortable when I'm with you." Then he pressed a sweet kiss to her lips.
"Are you sure? You'll be ok?"
"Of course, gorgeous." Hermione smiled at this.
"Well, if you're positive, snookums," she said with a sarcastic enunciation on the pet name.
Draco snorted, then wiggled underneath the covers and pulled her as close as he could, nuzzling into her neck. She sighed with pleasure, feeling content and cozy. Slowly, they drifted off to sleep.
A splatter of blood paints the window in a grotesque masterpiece. In that hazy and slow dreamlike state of motion. Hermione's head whipped around, frustratingly slow. What she sees, she is familiar with, for she has this nightmare often. However, that doesn't make it any less frightening. She is back at the Final Battle, back at Hogwarts. Susan Bones, who was a good friend of Hermione, has been slashed across the face with a Sectumsempra by a Death Eater, Mulciber, and stares back at Hermione with wide brown eyes full of pain and fear. It is her blood running in rivulets down the pane of glass that is the trys to scream out, someone, anyone, help, but her voice is not there any longer. A non verbal crucio wracks Susan's broken body with waves of pain, but Hermione cannot help her. She is rooted in place, unable to move, just forced to stand and watch her friend in pain. She is crying, screaming, pleading to Hermione, help her, please, just stop the pain. But Hermione is trapped, and then the fatal spell explodes, green light enveloping Susan's body, leaving a corpse with blank eyes still staring into Hermione's. Mulciber turns to Hermione, a horrible, sadistic smile on his face as he advances upon her.
Hermione wakes with a start, eyes wide in the darkness, shaking with fear from the nightmare. The worst part is that this is not a scene her mind cooked up, to scare her. No, this is a memory, replayed over and over inside her unconscious mind. She sighed. Looking around and gathering her bearings, she sees Draco, peaceful and sleeping next to her in the bed, bathed in moonlight. His presence comforted her, and watching him, her heart rate and breathing came back down to normal. Burrowing herself back down into bed, she wiggled back into the circle of his arms, warm and secure once again. Unconsciously, his arms tightened around her, pulling her ever closer to his robust chest. He a small noise of contentment in her ear, and Hermione slowly fell back into a dreamless sleep, no longer plagued by her memories.
When she woke up, Hermione felt rather claustrophobic. In his effort to be close to her, Draco had literally rolled on top of her, and all that muscle from Quidditch was quite heavy, especially for small Hermione. She squirmed under him, but it was no use, none at all. She was going to have to wake him up. Draco was not someone who took kindly to being ripped away from dreamland against his will, and he was rather fiesty when he didn't know what was going on. This would not end well, thought Hermione grimly. Deciding to be as gentle as possible she stretched her neck as far as it would go, as her arms were pinned beneath her and of no use to her that way. The closest exposed skin was his shoulder. This was because his chest was bare, and all the clothing he was wearing was a pair of sweatpants. She gently scraped his skin with her teeth.
When this got no reaction, she stretched further and repeated the action on his neck. He was more sensitve there, and he moaned then turned away. Frustrated, Hermione bashed her head against him and he was up. He yelled out, swinging his arm out at an unknown attacker. Then, seeing no one, he realized that he was squishing his mate. Quickly, he rolled off, and she was able to breath again. He began to apologize repeatedly, but Hermione waved him off, assuring it was fine. He still looked upset with himself, though, so Hermione softly brought his face to her own. After a second of kissing, she ripped her face away from his and rushed into the bathroom crying, "I have morning breath!" He laughed, and watched her leave, but wishing she was back in his arms, morning breath regardless. However, with this start to the day, it was looking like a good one.
A/N: Hello! I know that it has been a while since I updated, but I worked extra hard on this chapter, just for you:) Anyways, hope you liked, and I would read the next chapter. It's gonna be interesting... hint hint. Alright, adios for now, my dear readers.