Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling does.
Warning: I do believe my story might end up being a wee bit dark.
A/N: I hope you like this chapter! Thank you to all my awesome readers and amazing reviewers. Tell me what you think in a review! Reviews make my day.
Chapter Seven
Hermione turned her head away when Draco placed her in the small shower stall. He was standing directly in front of her, towering over her. She was still terrified of him and had hoped not to have to see him so soon after what he had done to her.
She was completely exposed to him, yet he was uninterested in her nudity. Her mouth was raw from screaming when he was hurting her.
Exhausted from struggling for what had seemed like endless hours, she savored the cooling water caressing her burning face and tired body.
A pain, that brought tears to her eyes that mingled with the descending water, was blossoming in her core.
She stood there, as Draco started scrubbing his skin raw, fighting to remain awake when she began swaying on her unsteady feet. Hanging her head low as weariness overwhelmed her, she stared at the strange blue tinged blood pooling below at her feet. Attempting to ignore the agonizing pain at the junction of her thighs, she tried to slightly bend over to clean away the mixture of fluids dripping down her shaky legs, but quickly straightened up as her vision began to viciously blur.
With a sudden wave of uneasiness, Hermione wrapped her thin arms around her abdomen in a protective gesture, and fell forward.
Draco stumbled slightly in surprise when he quickly caught the diminutive witch. He straightened slowly, his icy grey eyes studiously staring down into her face. His aristocratic features remained expressionless as he now saw the visible signs of pain etched in her pale face, and the blue blood running down her slender legs. He stood there, fighting to keep his raging emotions inside. He shifted his grip, his slippery hands making it very difficult for him to sustain her from falling.
The girl in his arms was dainty, her small frame shivering. He gave her a hard shake.
Hermione struggled to open her heavy eyelids, bit down her trembling lower lip, and gasped back a sob when she noticed how Draco's naked hard and muscular body was pressing against hers. Her body felt as if flames were consuming it, she felt very weak, drained, and couldn't move.
She closed her eyes, the feel of his bare skin against hers touching her intimately, was too much for her terrified mind.
Draco began to feel the first stirrings of panic and fear, trickling down his spine and making his stomach drop as he heard her make a faint whimper of pain. Had he hurt her that much? He was always dominantly rough in bed with other witches, but he made it a rule of his not to sleep with virgins because they don't know how to adequately please him. None of the witches he had slept with before had ever bled so profusely or appeared to be in such pain, but then again he had never been with a very inexperienced witch like her. Also, he always was a bit gentler with other witches and more in control.
As minutes passed by, he felt her go limp and finally came to the conclusion that he needed a healer.
"Fuck," he whispered as he turned off the water, effortlessly gathered the unconscious girl into his strong arms, and began moving towards her bed. His long silent strides quickly ended as he gently placed the girl in the bed, and withdrew his wand from his crumpled clothing.
He scanned her white nightgown, torn and destroyed and used a spell to rectify the damage done to it. Draco dried off both their bodies using his wand, approached the girl in the bed, and forced her body into a sitting position.
He was about to put the nightgown over her, wondering how long it would take him to successfully undo the elaborate buttons covering the front, when he paused for a moment, his silvery blond brows forming a frown as he realized that it would take far too long to get her dressed in that troublesome garment. His life depended on hers, and her condition seemed to be worsening by the minute.
In his panic, he didn't use his wand to dress himself or her, and instead manually put on his trousers and easily put his silk shirt over her exposed body. She was so tiny that his shirt completely covered her.
Once he made sure they were both decently covered, he picked up the unconscious witch and cradled her to his bare chest. The platinum necklace around his neck not only represented the wealth and prestige of the Malfoy bloodline, but it also served as a portkey to the Malfoy Manor.
All evidence of his presence and that of the small girl's soon vanished from the unimpressive Hufflepuff dorm as they reappeared in his elaborate and lavish master bedroom in the Malfoy Manor. He deposited the limp girl in the middle of his huge bed, and brought his hand down to rest against her burning forehead, and brushed back a couple of errant strands of her wavy golden-brown hair that stuck to her sweat-drenched face.
He didn't want anyone to know he had been with a mudblood because he didn't want to taint his perfect pure-blood reputation, yet he pushed aside all of his disdainful thoughts, summoned a house-elf to fetch him the healer that regularly attended him, put on a silk shirt, and simply waited in impatient silence.
At last, when the rising sphere in the sky began illuminating the room with radiant warm-colored rays, a young man with freckles cut through Draco's thoughts as he entered the room. Draco slowly dropped his pale hand from the girl's forehead and would have stepped away from her, but the man that had entered the room did not seem familiar to him at all. His eyes narrowed in suspicion.
. . .
The freckled man, named Edric, quietly stood in uncomfortable silence as he watched with barely concealed interest as the silvery blond wizard seemed to unknowingly bend down over the sick girl's body in a possessive manner. He assumed he was summoned to treat Draco Malfoy, but appeared to be incorrect in his assumption as said wizard seemed perfectly fine.
Over the years with training alongside his father, the healer that exclusively treated the Malfoy family, Edric had gathered vast knowledge about the Malfoy's health history; partly because he knew that one day he would take over his father's place.
He was aware of the peculiar inherited disease that solely affected the males of the Malfoy lineage. Oddly enough, the disease was traced back many generations in the aristocratic family, yet no conclusive cause or cure was found. He was a bit confused at finding himself in the odd situation, but thoroughly intimidated by the tall wizard in the elegant room that seemed to exude an arrogant and menacing power.
Determined to retain his newly acquired professionalism, despite the apprehension coiling in his belly, the freckled man introduced himself. "Mister Malfoy, I am Edric Fitzgerald, the son of Alec Fitzgerald."
As the words of introduction registered in Draco's head, he scrutinized the young man's freckled face and finally found a resemblance to the healer that generally treated his bruises and lesions since childhood.
"Why are you here?" asked Draco suddenly breaking the uneasy silence. His words were unabashed and cold, betraying nothing of the chaotic emotions of fear and worry swirling inside him.
"My father passed away last month, and now I take his place as your personal healer, Mister Malfoy," said the healer with a hint of anxiety in his voice.
"I see. Have you taken the oath of secrecy?" questioned Draco as he stared down at the petite witch, seeing the creases of pain more pronounced in her drained face. He studied the uneven rise of her chest, and for one nightmarish moment he thought she had stopped breathing, but soon witnessed her unsteady breathing return.
He only raised his gaze when the freckled wizard started speaking once again.
"Yes, I am not allowed to reveal any of information about my medical practice, which is at your disposal," confirmed the young healer. All the time he was confirming his oath of secrecy, Draco's icy eyes never left his face.
"Very well. As you can see, I am not in need of your abilities. I called you here because the girl in my bed requires your medical attention," Draco said, finally stepping aside. He clenched his fists as the healer audibly displayed his shock when he took in the witch's full body and the extent of her bleeding.
Edric gave the tall wizard a questioning look, seeing that the blond still offered no explanation for the unusual colored blood that Edric knew derived from a blood bond or gave any sort of information that may be useful in the inevitable examination of the apparently wounded girl. He tried to ignore the harsh glare directed at him, hoping that by doing so, the blond wizard would provide him with some sort of answers to his questions.
"Mister Malfoy, do you know what happened-" began the healer.
"She was... Treated rather crudely during a sexual encounter," explained Draco in a grave voice as he once again gazed at the witch with a concerned expression. He was worried that if something was to go wrong, and the mudblood did die, he would undoubtedly die along with her.
The freckled healer completely misinterpreted the wizard's protective posture and gentle gestures. "I'm sorry to hear that. I hope the rapist was caught-" said the healer in an apologetic voice, but was caught off by Draco's slow hiss of anger.
Draco scowled. His usually expressionless features began twisting in anger when he heard the healer indirectly call him a rapist. "I didn't rape her," he growled.
Realizing that his uncalculated words were distressing the dangerous wizard, Edric let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding in, and became determined in taking back control of the current situation, "Thank you for the provided information, Mister Malfoy. As you can see, I have quite a bit of work ahead of me, so if you would excuse us..."
Draco Malfoy tried very hard to fight down the sudden burst of fury, and deadly thoughts that overwhelmed him as he saw the healer approach the small witch, and without another word walked out of his room before his violent thoughts decided to make a physical appearance.
. . .
Forcing himself to forget about the sick girl, having already determined that the healer would soon reveal what her fate would be, Draco looked away from the ornate double wooden doors. He slightly turned his head and raised a silvery blond brow at a nervous house-elf. "What do you want?" he questioned in an annoyed voice. The house-elf then proceeded to inform him that his grandparents had left and never returned. Draco let out a sigh and told the house-elf that he was the master of the house and to not point out the obvious.
The scared house-elf quickly disappeared from his view.
Draco already knew his grandparents had left the Malfoy Manor to live out their remaining days traveling the world. He knew that as soon as he graduated in two weeks, the responsibilities of running the numerous business properties that once belonged to his deceased father and had then been temporarily handled by his grandfather would fall into his permanent ownership.
His withered grandfather's health was rapidly deteriorating, and Draco knew that it wouldn't be long before his beloved grandfather also succumbed to the disease that was known to kill Malfoy males at a young age. In fact, he thought it was rather shocking that his grandfather had survived for as long as he had, but he had always been a strong wizard. A once strong and proud wizard that was now bound to a wheelchair, depended on his elderly loyal wife for nourishment, and could not perform the most mundane tasks without being in extreme agony.
Thinking about his unavoidable future, and all those cursed before and after him, made his head hurt with resentment, sorrow, and anger.
Suddenly, the sound of the opening doors cut through his dark thoughts, drowning them out in the realization that the freckled healer had reached a diagnosis and hopefully treated the mudblood's ailment.
"I have bad news," said Edric.
Draco Malfoy silently cursed the incompetent healer and railed against him in his mind, yet on the outside he appeared perfectly calm and normal as he nodded his head for the healer to continue delivering his poorly received bad news.
"The young witch suffered a considerable amount of blood loss from vaginal abrasions and forced tearing. A prolonged panic attack caused her to faint, along with the pain from the... crude sexual encounter. I was able to heal most of the cuts inside her and bruises on her thighs, hips, and back, but I cannot administer a blood-replenishing potion on her," informed the healer in a perfectly unbiased monotone.
Clenching his jaw, his grey eyes now narrowed, Draco approached the healer. "What do you mean you can't administer a blood-replenishing potion?" growled Draco.
Although Edric could practically feel the poison of the tall wizard's words, he maintained his professionalism and explained, "Mister Malfoy, you may not be aware of this, but the muggle-born witch inside your master bedroom has a blue tinged blood type due to a blood bond. Judging by the markings on her hips and back it is safe to assume that a min formed the blood bond. As a result, her blood type is only compatible with the male that she was bonded to. I must implore you to seek out the male, and bring him here at once. The girl didn't give me the name of the wizard before I put her in a deep sleep. I need to make a blood transfusion, and I need the male's help in retaining physical contact with the witch in order to speed up the healing process and ensure that the blood transfusion is not rejected. The lives of two individuals are at stake here.
Draco paled. The healer's words grated against Draco's already thinning patience. Why was it that women always seemed to depend on men to save their lives? If it weren't for the fact that his life was eternally tied to hers, he wouldn't even bother contemplating giving away his precious blood.
He shook his head, and nonchalantly replied," I'm the one she was bonded to."
Edric's eyes practically bulged out of their sockets when he heard the unexpected declaration coming from the blond wizard. Never in his life did he think he would live to meet two individuals blood bonded by a min, yet there he was discovering that a Malfoy wizard was bound to a muggle-born witch. He knew that the Malfoys valued wealth and judging by the small and brief conversation he had with the small witch before he put her under a sleeping spell, she wasn't rich. He also knew from first account experiences that the Malfoys were strong believers in blood purity, which is why he now stood in shock at hearing the surprising revelation coming from Draco Malfoy, a notorious pure-blood supremacist.
"Well? Are you simply going to stand there all day staring at me!" Draco impatiently yelled. He was furious that the damn healer didn't seem to move. As far as he knew he didn't pay for ineptitude.
"Um... Please follow me inside, Mister Malfoy," Edric stammered, his freckled face blushing furiously in embarrassment.
Mentally scowling for being invited into his bedroom, he merely agreed and stepped inside when Edric held open the door for him.
Edric merely stood with a perplexed look on his face, so Draco took the initiative and motioned for the healer to sit in his vintage French style sofa, while he stood opposite to him.
"Explain to me how you're going to perform this transfusion," demanded Draco.
"Ah, yes. Well, it's quite simple. I need you to place your hand on top hers, and remain connected while I recite a few spells. It shouldn't take more than a couple minutes," replied the healer in a quick voice.
Draco approached the small girl that was now close to the left side of his bed, studied her ashen face, and opened her small hand to place his much larger one over it. He tried not to enjoy the touch of her skin on his, but it felt too soothing. He let out an exasperated sigh, and could feel his heart racing as the healer began chanting a spell.
He knew that his reaction to simply touching a witch's hand was highly unusual, and attempted to avoid the pleasing sensation by instead focusing on her face that now seemed to be regaining a healthier hue. The chanting finally stopped and he quickly withdrew his hand.
"Now what?" he asked, pinning the healer with a glare for making him touch the mudblood.
The freckled young man lifted an eyebrow at him and said, " Mister Malfoy I'm going to need you retain much more physical contact with her until she fully recovers."
"Do you really think that's a good idea after... what happened?" he asked in an uncertain voice.
"Yes, it is for her health. I highly recommend removing yourself from her once she starts stirring in order to avoid frightening her any further. A simple embrace for a couple of hours will suffice," calmly explained the healer.
Draco almost stumbled back in alarm. "What do you mean?" he demanded again, although he had an awful feeling that he already knew.
"Well... I meant what I said. Embracing her for a couple hours will restore her health, but please refrain from engaging in... Questionable behavior with an unconscious witch," said the healer in a somewhat contemptuous tone.
Angered, he grabbed the unsuspecting wizard by the throat, and yanked him against the nearest wall with lighting speed, raising him a couple of inches into the air as he glared at him. "Don't forget your place, healer," hissed Draco.
The feeling of menace in the air, made the freckled man feel completely terrified.
The angry wizard released the healer from his deathly grip, and stepped away from him.
"I suggest you take your leave now," dismissed Draco.
Once he made sure that the idiotic healer had left and that none of the multiple house-elves that resided in the Malfoy Manor would approach his bedroom, he went to shut the curtains of the large stained glass windows that were illuminating the room in a golden tint.
Draco felt like ripping something to shreds at being forced to share his own personal bed with the girl. He stood in front of the bed, silent, staring down at the witch. "Damn mudblood," he sneered as he got in bed with her and gathered her petite body against his chest. Draco stared into the darkness of his bedroom, and decided to take a small nap. He was a lot more tired than he predicted because he slept until the small girl in his arms began struggling.