Chapter 19. Nightmare

POV Draco

Draco bolted upright, panicked. His eyes darted around the pitch black room trying to orient himself.

Where am I?

He felt around for his wand, "Lumos."

No.

He was in his bedroom at the Manor. A cackling laugh broke the silence.

No!

Jumping out of bed, he paced the room frantic, violently running his fingers through his hair.

"Fuck. Fuck! FUCK FUCK FUCK!" he shouted.

This can't be real. It's a nightmare, wake up.

"WAKE UP!"

He slapped himself, hoping it would wake him from whatever he'll he was in. Nothing.

Again!

Nothing.

Come on, again!

Nothing.

The door to his room blew open and the looming figure of Lucius Malfoy stepped through. Draco pulled his wand out, readying himself for a fight.

"Put the wand away son. You are needed downstairs."

"I'm not going anywhere with you." He raised his wand higher, a thousand curses dancing on his lips.

"Now's not the time Draco. We have guests below."

Guests?

"No."

"Draco. You are the only one who can identify the Potter boy."

"What are you—"

No. NO NO NO NO!

"Potter is here?"

"Yes, well, we think so. He's been jinxed to distort his face, but he has the redhead companion we think is the Weasley boy and the bushy haired mudblood."

Hermione is here!

Draco bolted past his father, down the hall to the stairs, taking them two at a time, his heartbeat deafening in his ears. He had to get there first; get to her before it was too late. He tore through the corridors as fast as his body could go, busting through the door to the drawing room.

"Nephew!"

He didn't pay his deranged aunt any mind. He had one goal, find Hermione. His eyes darted around, before falling on Greyback, who had Hermione pressed tightly up against him.

"Draco!"

What? Did she just say my name?

"Hermione?"

Greyback pulled her tighter, wrapping his arm around her waist. Draco aimed his wand ready to fight.

"Draco, is it him?" he heard his father ask.

"We must be certain, if we call him for nothing, he will kill us all." Bellatrix replied.

The dream was playing out before him as it always had, but Draco kept his eyes trained on Hermione.

"DRACO PLEASE!"

"Expelliarmus!" he shouted at Greyback, but the spell bounced off.

Fuck!

"Stupify!"

Nothing.

"Incarcerous!"

FUCK!

"Please Draco! Don't let them do this!" she pleaded, tears streaking her cheeks

"I don't know what to do Hermione! Nothing I do works!"

"I don't understand what's happening!"

"It's a nightmare, one of us must have pulled the other one in."

"What's that? Where did you get that?"

He jerked his to look at Bellatrix. He knew what would come next. He had to stop it.

"It was in her things when we searched her."

He turned back to Hermione, she was fighting against Greyback, trying to free herself.

"Draco please!"

I've had this nightmare a thousand times. I never thought anything could make it worse, I was wrong. Her calling out for me is true hell.

"Put the boys in the dungeons! I'd like to have a little chat with this one, girl to girl!"

Draco threw himself in front of Hermione, facing Bellatrix, wrapping his arm back behind him, securing Hermione against his back, but it was as if his aunt didn't notice him. She reached around him, grabbing her and dragged her aThe ay.

"No! She didn't do anything, leave her alone!" he pleaded, but the scene continued to play out before him.

"Don't you touch her!" the weasels voice shouted from the stairs.

Irony at it finest.

He returned his focus back to Hermione on the ground, Bellatrix looming over her. She was staring at him, begging for help, and he didn't know what to do.

"How did you come across this sword dearie?" Draco shuddered at the endearment, knowing the venom that dripped behind it.

"We found it, please, I didn't take anything!"

"Crucio!"

NO!

Her screams cut straight through his soul, severing it from his body. He dropped to his knees, struggling to breathe. He wanted it to end, needed it, begged for it.

WAKE UP!

"TELL ME MUDBLOOD! HOW DID YOU GET INTO MY VAULT!?"

"I didn't take anything, please!"

"Hermione look at me! This isn't real. We need to wake up!" he pleaded, taking her hand in his own, noticing Bellatrix pull out that cursed knife. He swallowed the lump in his throat, "Focus on me Granger. It's not real. Wake up! Please!"

Screams tore through him again and he pressed his lips to her hand, tears pouring from his eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! I don't know what to do!"

"CRUCIO!"

PLEASE! WAKE UP!

The minutes that ticked by felt like the end of the world. It dragged on and on, each scream that tore from her throat fracturing another piece of his heart. He couldn't stop it, he tried every spell he knew but they bounced off flying about the room until the fizzled out of existence. He held her hand, whispering to her promises that it would be over soon.

She had gone silent, which should have been the end of the nightmare, but they weren't waking. He looked at her near lifeless form lying beside him. Tears were flowing from her eyes at the same rate as the blood from her arm. He had to get her attention, they had to work together. This had to end.

He climbed on top of her, straddling her lap, placing his hands on either side of her face. "Hermione, I need you to look at me."

Her eyes fluttered open slightly, "Malfoy? What are you doing?"

"Getting us out of here, but you have to help me."

"I cant."

"Yes you can Granger. I need you to reach out to me with your mind. I know you're tired but we're stuck here and I can't do this on my own." She was going limp beneath him, succumbing to exhaustion again.

Fuck.

"Alright Granger, I'll do all the heavy lifting, but I need you to hold on and think of home."

He reached out with his mind, searching for her magic. Even in the nightmare, her magic was giving off weak signals. He worried something was wrong in her actual body.

A seizure maybe.

He caught just a blip of her magic and latched on with all his might. She needed strength so he tried offering some of himself to her, hoping the tether would accept it.

"Come on Granger, please."

Warmth. It was working.

"That's it love, now think of home. Get us out of here."

He closed his eyes, pressing his forehead to hers, and also thought of home. He thought of bacon and eggs, of tea in the sun room. He thought of cuddling on the couch with Hermione watching her awful shows and the night in the tub.

"Wake up."