CHAPTER 13
The darkened stain on the floor glared up at them and four sets of alarmed eyes flew to the now sleeping form in Hermione's arms. Scorpius now looked content and peaceful albeit a little pale and Hermione tentatively touched his cheek.
Draco looked at the small pool of blood that was darkening Adrian's carpets, before he too reached out to his son. Pushing the blond hair away from his sons face, he looked anxiously at Hermione, hoping for some sort of explanation. But she didn't look at him, instead she looked at the boy in her arms to the blood on the floor and then back again to Scorpius.
Both Adrian and Blaise were shocked and while Adrian called for Cersei, Blaise pulled out his wand and cleaned up the blood off the floor. As the elf appeared in front of them, Adrian suggested that Draco and Hermione be shown to the guest bedroom as the young Malfoy was not feeling well. Bowing she waited for both Draco and Hermione to stand before she guided them from the room. Hermione too scared to move with Scorpius in her arms and Draco too scared to move Scorpius from her, simply put his hand on her back and gently pushed her towards the door.
Once they had settled Scorpius in the luxurious room, Hermione pulled out her wand and muttered a few spells and then proceeded to take down notes in the files that had been earlier brought to her. Draco stood impassively in the corner his eyes never leaving his son's sleeping form.
He watched the slow rise and fall of Scorpius chest. Though it did nothing to lessen the worry he felt. He heard Hermione's soft voice but did not register what she was saying to him. Hermione called out again, but Draco was unresponsive. Unsure whether or not to approach him, she threw caution to the wind and walked over to him. He didn't notice her as she tentatively walked towards him, but he did look up at her when he felt her warm comforting hand on his shoulder. He looked utterly lost and confused and for the first time in a long time, Draco Malfoy looked every bit the scared man he felt. It was highly unnerving and Hermione was at a loss of what she should do. Before she could do anything though, he took her hand into his and gently pulled her to sit beside him.
Without letting go of her hand he spoke quietly, "Is my son going to be okay Hermione?"
"He…i…"Hermione uncharacteristically fumbled over her words. She didn't want to lie to Draco, but she honestly didn't have the answer to that question at this given moment. So she opted for what she hoped sounded the most optimistic without having to lie to him. "I can't be sure right now, but he seems to be okay. There's nothing too worrying at this moment. We'll keep a close watch on him over the next few days…" Hermione trailed off, knowing full well that Scorpius was not going to be out of Draco's sight at all over the next few days.
"But he…and the blood…"Draco muttered in confusion. How could he be fine if he was throwing up blood?
"I believe that was probably a side effect. Too much magical exertion on his little body." Hermione answered and then noticed the immensely guilty and pained expression that Draco had on, "it's not your fault Draco, and you did the right thing. And now we know for sure it's dark magic. It gives us some direction to work in." She said trying to reassure him.
"But I hurt him Hermione." He whispered.
"Only because you're trying to save him." she replied softly pausing for a moment before continuing, "It's not your fault Draco. It wasn't an easy decision, but you made the right one." she finished, replaying some of her earlier sentiments. When he didn't respond, she gently squeezed his hand and he looked down at their interlocked hands.
His blonde hair falling into his eyes, he stared down at their hands, this thumb running circles over her warm hands. "Will this affect his magic?" he asked after a moment.
Hermione considered this for a moment along with everything she had taken note off and what Adrian had told them, "No, I don't think it will. The spell was merely to show us his magic and more specifically if Scorpius has been touched by dark magic. Nothing more , nothing less."
Draco lifted his gaze and looked into Hermione's concerned chocolate orbs. He didn't respond further than a small nod, indicating he understood what she had said. She placed a soft kiss on his forehead and then walked back over to Scorpius' sleeping form. She muttered a few small spells and then seated herself on the edge of the bed.
It was then that she noticed that Draco had rolled the sleeves of his grey sweater to his mid forearms. Peeping out from his rolled sleeves, Hermione could see the tail end of the dark mark. It had lost its dark and imposing look. The colour faded against his pale sign and the skin looked slightly marred. She had never seen what the dark mark had looked like on someone after the war. It was at this moment that Hermione realised that Draco had never voluntarily left the mark open to be seen. In his state of worry over his son he had forgotten all about concealing the mark.
It was not that by hiding it, Draco was running but rather that the mark made others uncomfortable and to ease those fears he hid it away. He knew that neither could he deny his involvement nor could he run away from it. So he had learnt a while back to make peace with that part of his life, vowing to never go back down that path, not that the urge ever did come up. Now looking at Scorpius sleeping, he wondered if it had all been for nothing. He caught Hermione looking at him with a worried look on her face. She was sitting on the edge of the bed; she ran her fingers slowly through Scorpius' hair in the most motherly way, making it look the most natural thing too. She clearly had no idea the sort of effect she had on the little Malfoy. For even in his sleep Scorpius looked all that much more peaceful and serene at her smallest touch. Draco felt her heated gaze wonder to his left forearm and silently fought with himself for a moment as to whether or not to roll his sleeves back down. An unreadable expression graced her features, and Draco deciding he didn't want to make her anymore uncomfortable started rolling down his sleeves.
"Don't" she whispered. He looked up at her shocked for a moment. Most people look apprehensive or anxious when they see the dark mark, but what most didn't realise was that it was a mark Draco would have to bear for the rest of life. All over a stupid mistake he had made as a foolish teenager. Hermione, however seemed to know this and wasn't about to let it bother her. He didn't push her further for any explanations, but he simply rose from his seat and joined her on the bed on the opposite side.
Moments of comfortable silence passed between them and then Draco softly whispered, "Thank you" so quietly Hermione barely heard him.
"What for?" she asked
"Everything."
Before she could respond, there was a knock at the door and then Blaise tentatively opened the door. He walked over to them and stood at the edge of the bed, unsure of how to ask if his godson was okay, he shuffled for a bit before Hermione put him out of his misery.
'He's okay, for now Blaise," she said, "It was a side effect."
Blaise nodded and turned to Draco when the blonde addressed him, "When do you want to leave?"
'Whenever you three are ready I suppose." Blaise replied.
Hermione brow frowned slightly in thought before she interrupted the on-going plans between the two Slytherins, "We won't be able to leave today i'm afraid." The two men stopped talking and looked at her,
"Why not?" Draco asked.
"I don't think it would be a good idea to move Scorpius around right now. it would only make him feel worse," Hermione said looking at them, " he's going to need some rest before he's in decent condition to travel back to London."
"Well luckily we had the good sense to plan for an overnight stay," Blaise commented, "I'll go tell Adrian we'll be leaving shortly." He said referring to the house Draco had managed to acquire for them for their stay in St. Petersburg.
"That won't be necessary Blaise," Adrian say walking through the door at that moment, "You lot will stay here of course, please I insist"
'Thank you Adrian, for you kind offer," Draco said politely, "But we've been enough of a bother today. As Blaise said we've made other arrangements. We will be fine."
"It's really no bother, I can assure you. It would make me feel much better if you stayed," Adrian said, "I would be greatly offended if you left now, and besides Blaise and I still have some catching up to do." He said clapping the Italian on the shoulder.
The three looked at each other unsure of what to do. Adrian capitalised on this moment saying, "Brilliant! It's settled then! You will stay here. I'll have Cersei fix up the other rooms for you." And before any could object Adrian left the room.
Neither of the occupants in the room knew what to say, as Blaise took to standing at the foot of the bed. They realised that it really was pointless fighting with Adrian over where they should stay, and if moving around too much made Scorpius even sicker, then they really had no choice but to stay. Draco shift slightly on the bed and Blaise noted with silent surprise that his best friend had forgotten to conceal the mark. It surprised him even more (though it probably shouldn't have) that Hermione paid no heed to the once formidable mark on his arm. If it weren't for the fact that he had just seen his godson throw up blood, Blaise was shocked to see how just easy they fitted to look like any other family. In that moment, as he saw Hermione and Draco watch over the littlest Malfoy, he felt like perhaps he was intruding on a precious moment between them. He excused himself with the intentions of having a chat with his ex-stepfather.
Quietly closing the door to the bedroom on the way out, Blaise headed towards Adrian's study. A little smaller than the library, this room was more intimate but had the distinct impression that more than a few shady dealings taken place in there.
Blaise saw Adrian seated in the plush looking armchair behind the dark wood desk, with another cigar in hand. He walked towards his ex-stepfather and seated himself across from him.
"How is he doing?", Adrian asked after a moment.
"Hermione says he's going to be alright…for the time being." Blaise answered and then proceeded to pour himself a generous amount of the firewhiskey that had been placed on the desk.
"Hermione…"he repeated, taking a pull from his cigar, "she's quiet the witch. I can understand why Draco is so taken with her," he said with some humour, "Though he's going to have to something real soon, if he intends to keep her in his life."
Blaise laughed at this truth, "Yes, but unfortunately Draco is as stubborn as they come…as is Hermione. My guess is Draco doesn't want there to be any distractions that could possibly hinder the search for a cure for his son. He understands that Hermione is our best hope…I just don't think he realises that she's probably the best thing that's going to happen to him and Scorp."
"Understandable," Adrian said and then after a moment, "Though I have to agree with you there. She certainly does have quite the effect on both Malfoy's. What about you Blaise? I've heard that you've become quite the playboy in the recent years…" Adrian said sending a knowing look at Blaise.
Blaise shifted under the gaze of his stepfather's before trying to answer, "No…there's no one…" But as he attempted to lie to his stepfather, he found himself unwilling thinking about a blonde haired witch back home. The very thought of her made him smile and as he looked back at Adrian, who now wore a very smug look on his face. He couldn't help but feel slightly nervous under the annoyingly smug look his stepfather was throwing at him.
"A man doesn't smile to himself for nothing Blaise," Adrian said with a brilliant smirk playing on his lips.
"It really is nothing Adrian," Blaise said running his hands through his hair. A nervous habit he picked up from Draco. "I really don't know how I let myself think I possibly stood a chance with her," Blaise said morosely.
Adrian contemplated this for a moment, "What makes you say that? Has she told you, that she would never be with you?"
"No," Blaise answered slightly sullen, "She's different from the other girls I've dated. She's not the supermodel type, or the partying type...Merlin she's in an entirely different league of her own, and I highly doubt she'd want to be with me. As you've noticed my reputation somewhat precedes me."
"Blaise," Adrian chided, "If you want this girl you need to man up and fight for her. Show her you are worth her time and she will look past the somewhat pretentious reputation you've managed to build for yourself over the years." Adrian said looking over the glass in his hand with a slightly disapproving look.
Blaise had the decency to look slightly ashamed as he lowered his eyes to the floor. Off course Adrian would pick up on the fact that his playboy image was all but a front. It might have been who he was at one stage in his life, but not anymore. Those days were behind him. While partying and meeting new girls every other night had been fun, it was not what he wanted for himself.
"She must be something special if she can render you silent for this long," Adrian joked.
'She is," was all Blaise said.
Seeing the seriousness take over the young Slytherins handsome features, Adrian reclined further into his chair, "Well then I guess I have to ask, what you are going to do?" seeing Blaise raise his eyebrows he continued, "Are you going to be like your friend Draco here and make up excuses as to why you can't get the girl…or are you going to prove to her that you are more than what meets the eye?"
Frowning slightly Blaise said, "It's more than that… I-"
"I'm sure it is…look Blaise, take it from somebody who's been where you are now, it's never easy…any of it. But it's always worth it…" he said with a slightly melancholy look. Seeing that his stepson was still not understanding his point, he sighed heavily before leaning forward in his chair. His cigar long forgotten in the ash tray he said, "Look Blaise, I've gone through my life loving all the wrong women, and now I'm here in this beautiful manor, all alone. Given the chance I would go back and fight for the one I believed was worth it…but I can't and it's a regret I have to live with everyday. In all the time I have to myself here, I think about it. When the silence becomes too much and all I have are my memories I wish I could go back. It's something I hope you never have to experience."
"What…being alone?"
"No… the regret you feel knowing you had the chance to change it all." Adrian said sadly.
Ron swore to himself as he almost tripped over an unknown object in the dark. Assuming it to be a haphazardly placed shoe, he felt around on the wall for the switch. After moving out from the apartment he and Hermione had shared, Ron thought it best not to move back to the burrow, but rather to give the whole bachelor thing a go. He undoubtedly missed Hermione and a small part of him hoped that maybe she would change her mind, but he knew how head strong she was and knew that that was very unlikely to happen. And so as a result he was left to eating take outs most nights, tripping over all shorts of misplaced objects and taking his dirty laundry every Sunday to the burrow.
As he found the switch, lighting up the apartment, he moved towards the kitchen when he felt a presence behind him. Grabbing his wand he spun around ready to attack his intruder but stopped short when he realised who was sitting on his couch.
No, that cant be right, he thought to himself. Maybe he was seeing things.
"Greengrass?" he asked confused, wand still raised at the poised female.
"Weasley," she answered casually, "About bloody time."
"Wha…what are you doing in my apartment?"
She hadn't moved from the couch, and she simply shifted slightly in her chair, before indicating to Ron to take a seat opposite her. he approached slowly, but didn't sit.
"What are you doing here?" he asked this time a little steadier, "How did you get passed the wards?"
She merely shrugged, "I have my ways. But to answer your first question I have a …proposition to offer you." She answered with a smile that made Ron slightly uncomfortable.
"No thank you, I'm not interested in any sort of proposition you have to offer, now please leave." He stated firmly and then made his way to the kitchen. So engrossed in his own thoughts he didn't hear her follow him. Astoria gracefully leaned against the door frame inspecting her nails, while Ron fidgeted around the kitchen.
He turned around and jumped a little at the fact that she had was still there.
"I thought I made it quiet clear that you should leave…"
"Trust me Weasley, you want to hear what I'm offering you." She said mysteriously.
"Trust you…no thanks." He sighed and leaned against the counter.
Not fazed by the red-head's dismissive behaviour she continued as if he never spoke, "You and I have both been unfairly treated, and I think it's time for some redemption. I can give you what you want most."
"What makes you think I want redemption so badly? In fact what makes you think I need it? "
"oh I know it's not the redemption you want so badly, but it does happen to come with a curly brown haired healer…" she said smugly watching his face contort into a painful grimace at the mention of Hermione, "So… are you interested now?"
"Say I am…what exactly do you want from all of this? I highly believe you'd help me because you feel like it…so what exactly is it that you want Greengrass?"
Knowing she wouldn't be able to lie about her true intentions, she decided to give him some remnants of the truth, "I want my family back Weasley. Draco had no right to take it away from me. Given I could have been better, but it all just happened so fast. I just want too see him again.
"What are you tal – …oh hells you're his mother aren't you? Draco's son… that 's what you want?"
"He's mine too!" she yelled forcefully at him, " and I want him back. What does Draco think of himself! He has no right to keep me from my son!"
"This sounds all very sad and tragic…but isn't there someone …more trained to deal with this…like perhaps a lawyer or something?" Ron asked slightly squirming under Astoria's gaze.
"Off course there is!" she replied frustrated, "but I have no chance. Nobody goes against Draco bloody Malfoy and wins. I want my son back, now are you going to help me or not Weasley?" she demanded.
"I'm interested…just what makes you think I can help?"
"You're a resourceful auror I have no doubt you will be extremely helpful."
"What is it that you want me to do?"
She smirked and sat down at the table, waiting for him to join her.
With the weather still brutally cold, and Scorpius unable to travel till further notice, the group found themselves confined to Adrian's manor. As Hermione had assumed, Draco had not left Scorpius' side. Instead, she had returned to Adrian's library, hoping to make good use of it. Now that they had some direction to work in, it made everything that much easier. Adrian had business to attend to and Blaise had disappeared for a while with a strangely confused look on his face.
Hermione had spent the remainder of the day going through the books, jotting notes and furiously comparing theories.
"Have you been in here all day?" a voice asked from the doorway.
Hermione looked up to see Draco leaning against the door frame, arms folded. She smiled at moved out of her chair, "Yes, I figured I would start going through Adrian's books to see if I could find anything."
"Have you?" he asked nervously walking towards her.
"Not quite what we need," she answered, "But there are still lots to go through." She placed her hand on his shoulder as he leaned against the desk. "We will find something Draco…I know we will."
He didn't say anything but simply nodded as he looked at the area where his son had thrown up earlier. He took her hand in his and it finally struck Hermione, just how odd it was to see this side of Draco. Though she had become accustomed to seeing this much gentler Draco, it still shocked her every now and then with the tenderness to which he carried towards her. What really had shocked her was the way her body still reacted to his every touch. Even now, as he was gently rubbing small circles on her hand, she felt her skin tingle with joy. Off course she knew that by going down this path she was inevitably playing with fire, but she couldn't help it. Nor could she ignore it…this was truly something else. The oddity of all of this however was not the feelings she was trying to hide for Draco, but the sudden attachment she felt towards the littlest Malfoy. While she had worked with children before, she had never gotten so …emotionally involved before.
She had been so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't realise he had been pulling her towards him. Now, she stood inches from him and he looked down at her much smaller petite frame.
"What did you find out?" he asked softly drawing his arms around her.
"hmm?" she mumbled as she snapped out of her thoughts and finally realised where she was.
He chuckled, "What did you find out …from all the books?" he asked again, gesturing to the piles of books around them.
"Oh! ….well I managed to adapt the spell we used earlier to keep track of how fast the dark magic is spreading." She said and noticing that his hold on her had tighten considerably she explained further, "Don't worry, I made some adjustments… so it wont be harmful to him. It won't be so harsh on his body."
"You sure?' he asked slightly unconvinced. She nodded and didn't say anything further knowing she was going to have to explain it all to him at a later stage. Seeing the conflict in his eyes, she moved forward into his arms and wrapped hers around him. Slightly shocked that she had initiated this, he shifted and tucked her head under his chin without letting her go. They stood in each others embrace for a while, simply enjoying the warmth and comfort they felt from each other.
It took a while but Draco found his voice again, "So what do we do now?"
"Now we wait to see how Scorpius is feeling in the morning." she answered.
"And whatever shall we do in the meantime?" he asked moving his eyebrows suggestively with a play smirk set of his handsome face.
Hermione laughed and playfully slapped his shoulders, "Honestly Draco, have you no shame…flirting with your son's healer…" she said with a laugh as she teased him back. She moved away from him and seated herself back in her chair.
Draco, of course had thought about this…a lot. He knew that this was ethically wrong, that starting something, anything with Hermione might probably not end well…but then he kissed her and all sane thoughts flew from his head. Kissing her had been like finally being able to breathe again. It was like finding a reason to believe again. She had done so much more than give him hope... When Draco held Hermione in his arms, or when she ran her fingers through his hair as he kissed her, it made him feel alive again. She closed up the deep, aching crater Astoria had gouged from his soul. He knew that telling himself that watching Hermione's natural affectionate interaction with Scorpius was the most enthralling factor, but as he watched her now, pouring relentlessly over the books on the desk, he knew he had made up his mind. Draco knew it would be totally stupid of him to let Hermione go, after all that she has come to mean to him. He was definitely not stupid, he was after all a Malfoy, which also meant he always got what he wanted… that wasn't about to change now.
Moving to the desk, he stood next to her chair before he spoke, "Hermione," he said softly.
"hmmm," she answered as she flipped through the pages of yet another book.
"Hermione," he said again, this time gaining her full attention. She looked up with her beautiful brown eyes, and all thought was lost on him again. Instead of attempting to string words together in some form of a coherent sentence, he gently pulled the quill from her hands and pulled Hermione to her feet.
'Draco what ar-" Hermione started but her words cut off and Draco's lips made contact with hers. This kiss was unlike the other passionate surges of deep carnal hunger. This one resonated a sweet affection, one that made her lightheaded in a pure, unfiltered way. She wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him closer while he tightened an arm around her waist, the other sinking into her mass of chocolate curls. He pressed his lips more firmly against hers trailing the tip of his tongue lightly against her lower lip. Her senses went into over drive as she felt Draco's hand slip from her waist and trail a soft line against her slender curves, shivering when his fingers lingered briefly on her neck before stroking her cheek fleetingly, eliciting a soft gasp from her. When the necessity for air became unbearable, Hermione pulled away, her head spinning wildly. Draco leaned his forehead against hers, their noses barely tipping each others, both breathing deeply. The effect of that one simple kiss was shocking to say the least. Far beyond the emotions elicited from their previous passion-driven kisses. Far beyond the usually standard and bland kisses she had come to expect from Ron. This left her reeling for more. While it had been passionate in a meaningful way, it left no doubt in her mind that what transpired between Draco and she was something much more than a purely physical relationship.
Hermione took a moment to breathe before looking up to his eyes which confirmed her suspicions. While it was usually laced with desire and the desperate need to continue, now his stormy greys gave her the undoubted feeling that this was leading to something more. Somewhere at the back of her mind, a voice was speaking, and for a moment she contemplated tuning it out but then Draco cupped her cheek. His stormy silver eyes never left hers as he stood in front of her and moved her now disastrously curly hair aside. When had this flirtatious friendship of sorts become something so meaningful?
"Hermione," Draco said huskily drawing her from her thoughts, "Remember what I said this morning before we left?" he asked giving her a second to think back, seeing the confusion in her eyes set in he pushed forward, "I told you that I was tired of wasting my time doing what others told me was right. Well I wasn't lying Hermione, I think the evidence that going against what feels right never ends well," and as he said that his gaze dropped for a second to his left forearm. "For the first time in a very long time I am sure of something, and this… this feels right."
Hermione stood astonished for a moment; this was not at all what she was expecting from Draco. Nothing of this seriousness at least, she numbly touched her lips as she tried to find a coherent thought. "I…I….Draco, this is a very serious…"
But she never finished as Draco silenced her with another kiss, this time with a soft tenderness that had her heart melting.
"You don't have to tell me what you think right now. I know it's something that requires a lot of logical thinking, your area of expertise no doubt, and before you can think of all the reasons why this isn't right let me tell you why it is." He said softly taking hold of her hands, "You, Hermione Granger, are an exceptional witch. You're the smartest woman I know. You're opinionated and are willing to fight for what you believe in. You're braver that I could ever imagine to be and stronger than even you know. The care and compassion you have shown towards Scorpius is something I know he will never forget. Moving back to London and helping Scorp seemed like this near impossible mission, but with you here, we've managed far beyond what I expected. You're helping me, of all people to save my son and I will always be in your debt for that. And I know it's your job but you could have easily turned us away or given this case to some other healer. But apart from all of that… I can't ignore the fact that you have come to mean so much more to me." He paused for a moment and saw that Hermione was silently fighting the tears back.
"Draco… what …" Hermione stuttered out completely at war with herself.
"Hermione, for once in my life I know what the right thing is. For once in my life I want to fight for what's right… and that's you. I have done many stupid and bad things in my life for which I will always be sorry for, but I won't be able to forgive myself knowing that I let you go without giving …this …without giving us a chance. You just have to give me that chance. That's all I'm asking for." Draco said as he ran his thumbs across her cheeks wiping the traitorous tears that had fallen. He held her face gently but firmly between his hands as he continued, "This… all of this feels so right, it can't be wrong, and I will fight …I will fight till I get to hold you and tell you that you are mine…and only mine. So… tell me that this is wrong Hermione," he whispered and she shivered as he ran a taunting finger along the base of her neck. "Go on… tell me this is wrong…"
She closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his taunt, but all too soon it was gone and all she was left with were the now rising goose bumps across her tingling skin. It was a dangerous thing he was asking, and it made her happy beyond belief that she was able to help them, but was it enough for her? Hermione felt her head spin slightly as everything sunk in, it was all just so confusing. She wanted this too, perhaps more than Draco would ever really know, and maybe the only thing really holding her back from accepting it was her illogical fears.
"Draco…I …" she stammered still feeling completely lost.
"Tell me this is wrong Hermione," he whispered his lips inches from hers. She looked into his eyes expecting to see the desire and lust she had become familiar with, but instead she saw something else. Something she couldn't quite name, but not only had it made her feel warm all over, but it stirred something within her.
"I don't know," she said softly, looking away from his piercing gaze, "But this…"
Hermione never got to finish as there was a slight pop and Cersei appeared in the middle of the room. Hermione let out a heavy breath she didn't realise she was holding.
"Cersei is sorry to bother, but Master Blaise asked that you come to the young master's rooms immediately."
Draco and Hermione pulled apart quickly and walked out the library following the elf towards the room in which Scorpius was in. They walked in and saw Blaise sitting on the edge of the bed with an almost conscious Scorpius.
"Oh good you're here," Blaise said looking relieved; "He sort of woke up and asked for you, I'm not really sure if he's awake, I mean if he was the he'd be awake properly right?" Blaise nervously babbled.
Hermione smiled at the concerned godfather, she put a hand on his shoulder putting an end to his nervous babble. Blaise moved away from the bed and Hermione sat down taking Scorp's hand in hers.
Draco, giving Hermione her space stood on the other side of the bed. He pushed his son's blonde hair back nervously observing him.
"Sweetheart," Hermione said softly as she checked him over once again. She tried asking him a few questions but only managed to get incoherent mumblings from the little boy. She stood and faced the two Slytherins, "He's doing much better, just a little weak I assume. Nothing to troubling at this time."
Both Draco and Blaise breathed a heavy sigh of relief before Blaise addressed Hermione, "But he's still not in any condition to travel is he?"
Hermione shook her head as Scorpius stirred again, "No, unfortunately he's still too weak for that at this time. Just give him a little more time."
Blaise nodded and excused himself as he went to find Adrian. Draco seemed to have better luck at understanding Scorp's incoherent talk.
"Of course Scorp," Draco tentatively whispered to his son, "I'm not going anywhere son. I'm right here."
Hermione was about to leave the two Malfoy's alone and return to the study, when she felt Draco's hand close around her wrist. She turned and saw that behind the brave façade he had on for his son, he was both scared and worried. In that moment she realised, there was no where else she was supposed to be than in that room.
A silence fell over them as she retook her seat on the edge of the bed. Scorpius shuffled slightly and as Draco pulled the covers up further up for him he said, "I promise I'll be here when you wake up."
Hermione leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Scorpius' forehead. She saw the faint smile on his lips before the little Malfoy mumbled sleepily, "Night mum."
Hermione instantly froze unsure of what to do, as she felt the heat of Draco's gaze fall on her once more. Oh Merlin…
A/N: Hello's again. I'm very sorry that this chapter took so long to upload. I do hope you enjoy it !
I always look forward to hearing what you think, so please drop me a review or PM me. Your reviews inspire me...so the more reviews the sooner you get chapter 14...
THANK YOU to all that have reviewed, followed and added C.E to their favourites! I most definitely have not given up on this story...and I hope you haven't either.
Katy, my dearest, thank you for all your amazing help with this chapter! where would I be without you?
Happy reading,
xoxo
Immortal Dragon Empress