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: Tell me what you think! Yes, it's short. Sorry in advance about that.
Chapter Sixteen
He wanted to put as much distance between them as possible, but he couldn't will his body to move. It was almost as if an invisible force was shackling him to her.
What was taking Edric so long? He had sent Theo to fetch him at least twenty minutes ago. He stopped pacing, and with a small aggravated sigh, he rearranged Hermione in the middle of his large bed.
Draco inwardly winced as unpleasant memories began to assault his brain. She was unconscious, and looked equally as pale as she had the last time she had occupied his bed. The seething anger inside of him was slowly ebbing away and being replaced with concern.
He had felt such indescribable rage toward the filthy muggles that had laid their hands on her, but he had also felt mad at his own incompetence. He was supposed to protect her in order to protect himself, and look what had happened. He tried to reason with himself that he only cared because their lives were dependent on each other, but a nagging inner voice kept telling him otherwise.
Draco ignored the voice and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to make sense of his misplaced emotions.
A small sound dragged him out of his thoughts. He peered down at her face and unintentionally locked eyes with her. An uncomfortable silence stretched out between them.
She looked as if she were on the verge of tears and he had the sudden urge to comfort her and assure her that no one would ever hurt her again. To tell her that she was his and only his. Her sudden question, however, served as a sharp reminder that quickly brought him back to reality.
"Is my baby okay?"she asked very quietly, her voice low and forlorn.
He scowled darkly and noticed how quickly she tore her gaze away from his, tears finally trailing down her pale cheeks.
He was now thoroughly disgusted by his previous thoughts. Why the hell did he want her? Not only was she a mudblood, she was also a slag. Her pregnancy shouldn't have bothered him, but knowing that other males had been inside of her, like he once had, made him burn with jealousy.
"My healer should be here soon," Draco replied coolly, frustrated that his body still lusted after her.
She briefly nodded in understanding, nervously chewing her lower lip.
He proceeded to sit at the edge of his bed, his back facing her, and felt her shifting.
Draco could feel her staring at him, despite being unable to see her.
"What?" he harshly bit out.
She still said nothing, but he felt her stiffen.
He let out an annoyed sigh, pinching the bridge of his aristocratic nose.
Again, he felt her shift, but she still remained mute.
Hermione tried to control her erratic breathing, but having him in such close proximity, especially in this memorable bed, made her increasingly nervous. She wanted to say something to him, but his cold, imperious voice made it difficult for her vocal chords to adequately function.
Her body hurt, but she fought against the layers of pain to stay fully alert. She slowly sat up, and took in a deep, shaky breath. How bizarre, she thought, that she somehow felt indebted to her tormentor. Should she thank him or would that anger him even more? She decided to risk it.
"Thank you," she finally conceded.
Draco looked back toward his mudblood. He was about to reprimand her about her misguided gratitude when an intoxicating scent hit his nose. The aroma filling his nostrils seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.
He stared at the mudblood as she frantically threw the covers away from her body and gasped.
"I-I-'m bleeding," she stammered, her voice full of panic.
Hermione stared in shock at the blue-tinged blood seeping from in between her legs.
She saw from the corner of her eyes as Malfoy rushed into the bathroom and returned with some towels.
Draco had murder on his mind. Where the fuck was Edric? He forced himself to calm down and control himself. He had no idea how to help her. Kneeling down, he carefully arranged the towels underneath her.
Hermione shivered when Malfoy's hand accidentally brushed against her bare thigh.
Draco misinterpreted her shiver and went to one of the elaborate drawers to acquire a spare blanket.
After he finished covering her body, he turned to leave to find a healer, but her tiny hand latched on to his wrist, momentarily holding him in place.
"Stay," she begged her expressive eyes wide with fear.
He paused for a minute, enjoying the warmth emanating from her hand.
The cold wizard then abruptly snatched his wrist away and walked out of the room, intent on finding a competent healer.
He nearly collided with Theo as he stepped out into the hallway.
"Where is Edric? Draco growled.
Theo cocked his head to the side and gave him a quizzical look. "He just got done checking in on Blaise."
Draco glared and calmly asked, "Why?"
"You told me to get him to the manor, so I assumed you wanted him to check on Blaise," he explained, running his fingers through his light brown hair.
He watched as something menacing flared in Draco's eyes. For a moment he could've sworn he saw his pale eyes flash an orange-reddish color. Theo shook his head, and to his slight relief, he once again found himself looking at a pair of very angry, yet distinctly grey eyes.
"Tell Edric to come to my room. Now," Draco sneeringly commanded.
Theo spared his enraged friend a quick glance to ensure that his eyes were still grey and then took his leave.
Draco forcefully slammed close the ornate double wooden doors behind him. He looked over at the girl and noticed that her face was so pallid that it nearly looked grey.
Her large eyes were closed and her face was contorted in pain. He slowly approached her, not wanting to alarm her. He inwardly rolled his eyes at himself.
He didn't want to alarm her, but he was sure that the thunderous sound of him slamming the doors could have awoken even the dead.
Assessing her small form, he noticed that the coat he had given her to protect her modesty was slipping and exposing far too much of her chest. The bruised flesh made him want to revive the muggle that created them just so he could have the pleasure of properly tearing him to pieces.
Against his better judgment, he gently rearranged the coat around her body.
Draco immediately felt her body tense as he let go of the coat.
She came awake with a start. Her fearful eyes flew open and looked up into his cold ones.
Malfoy was looming over her, a curious glint in his pale eyes.
For once he was close enough for her to notice that his eyes were pure grey, without a hint of blue or green.
Perhaps it was the hormones or the fever, but the next words that came out of her mouth made her face burn with mortification.
"Your eyes are pretty," she blurted. As soon as she said it she covered her mouth with her dainty hand to detain any other strange compliments from springing forth.
Draco grimaced and narrowed his 'pretty' eyes at her. His ego wasn't too fond of her word choice.
On the other hand, at least some color had returned to her face.
Hermione watched him uncertainly. She knew she had insulted him and now felt increasingly wary.
To her astonishment, he just gave her a small, albeit forced smile.
Someone knocking made Malfoy's smile completely vanish.
Draco let his freckled healer inside him room. He was initially angry that Edric hadn't gone directly to him when summoned, but he placed the blame of his healer's delay solely on Theo. In fact, this occurrence definitely required a talk concerning assumptions with his friend.
The uneasy healer nearly gasped at the sight before him, but quickly regained composure.
"Edric,"greeted Hermione in a weak voice.
He merely nodded in response, before he went over to assess the damage done to the petite witch.