It was dawn, and he infirmary was quiet. All were asleep, in their own little dream worlds. All but one Slytherin blonde. At his lover's bedside from dawn to dusk , to dawn again. There were telltale black rings around his wary grey eyes , and his face had become sunken and gaunt. He was the ghost of the confident, flirtatious and handsome young man that everybody loved to hate. And here he was, failing his studies, murdering his social life, risking losing his large inheritance. Because of this one crazy muggle born girl.
The clock struck 10 and Madam Pomfrey was doing a morning check on her patients. As she drew nearer to Aryanna's bed, Draco prayed reverently for divine intervention of any kind.
"Mr Malfoy you must get some sleep" the grey haired nurse told him, in a motherly tone. But she knew the answer. She knew that he would refuse to eat, sleep or move until the soon to be mother woke up from her coma.
"No , thank you Madam Pomfrey " replied politely yet firmly .
The days evolved into weeks, and from there into months , and there was no hope , no spark of life in the girl who was once so alive and full of energy and emotion.
On a Wednesday afternoon, Draco was at his usual place, Aryanna's bedside. In his slender hands he had one of Aryanna's many books (she loved to read) , a muggle one at that, called "To Kill a Mockingbird". he wasted away the hours in 1932 , Alabama.
As he turned the page, he saw something move from the corner of his eye. It was probably a fly or something. He went back to his reading, and he saw a hand move. An olive coloured hand with slender fingers and long fingernails. The hand that touched his ice cold heart. A hand that reached out to him and brought him from his dark place. A hand that would soon hold a baby.
The expressionless face that everybody was now getting used to seeing was set alight with a beautiful thing called hope. Like fire on wood it spread from a glimmer in his eyes to a full smile on his pale face.
"Madam Pomfrey! Somebody, anybody! Aryanna's awake! Aryanna DeNicola is awake!"
Then all hell broke loose.
Madam Pomfrey rushed to Aryanna, McGonagall broke through the doors, all other patients and their visitors craned their necks for a glimpse of the girl who had changed Hogwarts history.
But through all the screaming and rejoicing, Draco could hear a little moan, almost silent , " Il mio bambino,mio caro bambino ragazzo,il mio amante,dove sei? Wedey wedey" . It was the voice of the one he loved, of the mother of his child.
"Mr Malfoy we must do some tests on Aryanna now that she is with us again, and we must see on how the baby is. " Madam Pomfrey explained softly . Of course he understood, it was 4 months now, and the bump was beginning to show, he needed to think of what was best for the child now that Aryanna was okay.
"I suggest you go back to your dorm and sleep" she told him quietly. And for once, he listened. With one last look at Aryanna, her eyes still closed but her mouth muttering sweet nothings, her hands slightly shaking, her curly black hair falling down her slender shoulders in a tumble. He left for the Head's dormitory.
Along the way he met Blaise Zabini .who was surprised and happy to see his comrade back in the corridors. " What happened mate? I thought you would be in the infirmary with Ary ?" he looked puzzled. "She's fine Blaise, she just woke up !She and the baby are gonna be fine!" he heard himself say. A smile grew on his face, and he hugged his old friend, who was shouting , "LEI STA ANDANDO BENE! GRAZIE DIO , LEI E IL SUO BAMBINO STANNO BENE!" he was shouting to everyone who passed by, as if they too spoke his motherland's tongue.
"Well I'll let you go and sleep mate, I'm happy for you!" he called back as Draco chuckled for the first time in a long time, his natural stride returning.
3 days later
Draco had slept straight for 3 days, without waking up once for food or to go to the toilet. Like a dead mobile battery, this break was long overdue and he needed to recharge properly.
At noon, around 1:30, he woke up to hear somebody coming into the dorm. It had to be Aryanna. He had had a dream about his baby, that it was a boy with jet black curly hair and eyes such a stormy grey. His skin was olive coloured, like his mother. He was handsome and strong, as he kicked his little feet up in the air and waved his small chubby fingers around.
He couldn't wait to tell her about his dream, and literally jumped out of bed and opened his bedroom door , expecting to see a glowing Aryanna. But instead of jeans and a baggy shirt he saw a long , black official looking robe. Instead of smooth , olive skin he saw hardened, wrinkled yet well kept pale white. Instead of a mane of curly black hair he saw straight, shoulder length white hair . He saw Lucius Malfoy.