"And who are you?" Harry asked Astoria as her heart began to race and she felt dizzy. Twinkle reached for her hand quickly, but Astoria pulled away. Twinkle stood in front of her, holding her arms out to try to protect the frail witch.
"Lady Malfoy, we must leave," the house elf whispered desperately.
"Malfoy? Are you Astoria Malfoy?" Harry asked in disbelief. "How did you get here? Where is your husband?"
Astoria's hands shook as she held up the simple galleon. The one thing she wanted most now was answers, and she wasn't going to leave without them. "Why does Draco have this?"
"Blimey, she doesn't know, does she?" Ron said, his wand lowering.
"What don't I know?" she asked, her breathing starting to hasten.
Harry sheathed his wand, taking a step towards her. "Breathe. It's okay, we won't hurt you."
Astoria didn't care if they did or didn't hurt her. The care she had for her personal wellbeing was completely gone. All she wanted was someone to be honest with her. Her body felt like it was buzzing, not because she feared the two wizards in front of her, but what Draco was doing in secret. She had seen what happened to her father because of his dealings with the Order, and she refused to believe that Draco would put himself in the same danger, knowing that she and her sister's lives were also on the line.
"What don't I know? Why are you meeting with him?" she demanded this time, her voice nearly cracking under the panic. The two men looked at each other, dumbfounded at what to say. In their eyes, they saw a sickly woman standing before them, confused and in a place where she shouldn't be.
"Astoria, do you not know Draco took over as the informant after your father?" Harry asked, a genuine look of shock in his green eyes.
All she could think about was seeing her father's organs spilling from him as Draco ripped him apart. How that image of him is burned into her mind when she closes her eyes at night before she falls asleep. The echoes of Draco's consistent promises that she and Daphne would be safe, and that he was doing everything he could to ensure they would be taken care of repeated in her head. Did he really think that this was the answer? The same mistake her father made that nearly killed them all.
"He… he wouldn't do that… They made him gut dad because of this… he wouldn't put us in danger…"
Her vision started to blur as her mind raced as fast as her heart. The erratic breathing made it hard for her to stand upright, and suddenly, everything went black.
–
The warm touch of Twinkle's hand woke Astoria from her haze. She opened her eyes to find herself in an unfamiliar place. Looking around, she saw several empty beds surrounding her in a makeshift infirmary. The bedsheets felt rough against her skin, and as she moved to adjust herself in a more comfortable position, she winced in pain. Her arm was wrapped in a white cast and felt sore, likely from Skele Gro.
"What happened?" Astoria groggily asked as the house elf held a cup of water to her.
"Lady Malfoy took a fall after a panic attack. The red haired man and Harry Potter brought us here. Twinkle panicked too after seeing what happened. Twinkle is sorry, miss," she replied apologetically.
"Don't be sorry, Twinkle. Do you know where we are?"
"No, miss. The healer here is kind, she should be back soon with food for Lady Malfoy."
Astoria figured the kindness was more out of the fear of Draco and losing their spy rather than because they were kind by nature. The Order had killed many of her friends and people she knew. And worse yet, never offered refuge for her father after he was exposed. They could have saved him, hidden him away, but they let him die horrifically.
After several minutes, a blonde witch with silver eyes appeared at the doorway to the room. Her curly hair was pulled into a side ponytail, and Astoria noted her interesting attire. She wore an old patchwork pair of overalls over a striped sweater with pink canvas shoes. It seemed girlish to Astoria, in an endearing way, but was so unique that she couldn't stop looking at all of the details embedded into her attire. She held a tray of food, and slowly walked to her.
"I see you're up. That's all good. Brought some soup and pudding. You're probably confused, I'd be too if I woke up somewhere like this. You're at an Order safe house. It's not too far from where you live. Harry told me to fix you up as quick as possible to get you home, but you're healing quite slow. It would help me if I could know your medical history. I'm not the best healer though, so that may be why you're not healing properly. But I'm the only one they can have on this job cause I'm one of the few that knows about Draco."
Astoria smiled, sitting up slowly. "It's not you. I'm sure you're a great healer, I am not the model patient by any means."
The silver-eyed witch looked at her blankly and set down the food. It caught Astoria off guard, as usually when she bantered, people were normally receptive, or at least smiled back. But when she saw the beet shaped earrings the woman wore and the colorfully beaded bracelets around her wrists, she came to the realization of who she was.
"You're Luna Lovegood, aren't you?" Astoria asked, recognizing the iconic jewelry even a decade later.
Luna held up a spoonful of soup to Astoria's lips, a sadness in her eyes Astoria could see clear as day. "Yes."
Astoria ate the bite of food offered to her. It was not long ago that Hermione confided that Draco had killed her fiancé. "I'm sorry about Neville. He was so kind, one time in third year I dropped an entire basket of jumping toadstool and he helped me chase them down. He was a good person when I knew him."
Tears started to fill Luna's eyes. "You don't have to be sorry for anything. It wasn't you. We knew it was a risk of fighting in the war."
"Doesn't mean you can't be mad or angry or sad," Astoria said softly.
Luna gave a small smile. It was small, but it felt warm. "It would be silly if I was those things to you. Now, can you tell me your medical history? Do you have any allergies?"
Astoria shook her head no.
Luna brought out a piece of parchment and a quill and started making notes. "Are you taking any medications?"
Astoria shook her head again.
"When was your last period?"
It had been a while since Astoria had a period, likely from her illness taking a heavy toll on her body. Losing weight and being bedridden for weeks at a time would have its effects. "I don't remember, it's been a few years."
"Are you sexually active?"
For a moment, Astoria thought she might lie to her to cover for Draco, but there wasn't a point in lying to the Order. They probably knew more of his secrets than she did at this point.
"No."
Luna kept writing down notes and listening attentively. "Any preexisting conditions or conditions that run in your family?"
"Well," Astoria started, trying to find the correct way to say what was happening to her, debating on how honest to be, but it felt natural disclosing information to Luna. "I have a blood curse. A genetic one. I'm dying, probably don't have much time left."
There was an awkward pause before Luna reached for Astoria's hand on her unbroken arm. She felt comforting, giving an understanding touch to let her know that she wasn't alone right now.
"You poor thing," Luna whispered. "Do you have hospice care?"
"No, I have family and friends though, they have been helping me through it. I'm okay, but just letting you know that's why I'm slow to recover."
A soft squeeze from Luna's hand let her know that she was seen, but wouldn't press any further on the matter if she didn't wish to speak on it. It was quiet as Luna made notes with her quill, and Astoria saw a very pregnant woman walk towards them. Her red hair was vibrant, and she wore a dress that hugged her stomach and nearly touched the floor. Above all, she looked beautiful, but tired.
"Hi," Ginny said. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine. I probably should get home soon though, if you'll let me," Astoria said nervously. She remembered Ginny well, how pretty and popular she was. Ginny Weasley was adored by most everyone, even Astoria was infatuated with the Gryffindor Chaser.
"Of course we will let you return home, Astoria. Is Hermione there?"
Astoria nodded. "She is."
"How is she doing?" Ginny asked, sitting down in a chair at the end of her bed.
"Better now than before. She's sad sometimes though. She misses you a lot, talks about you and the kids often."
"I miss her too. Can you tell her that for me?"
"Of course," Astoria said with a bright smile. "When are you due?"
"Two more months." She smiled back before a more serious look came on her face. "Can you do me another favor, Astoria? For Hermione too?"
"That depends, but I can try my best." And that wasn't a lie, Astoria would try her best if that meant she could help Hermione in some way.
"Can you ask your husband to bring Hermione to the next meeting? I would like to see her, and Albus and James would too."
Astoria didn't know if Draco would allow for that to happen. He usually said yes to her requests, but when it came to Hermione, it was different. Draco was more cautious when it came to matters pertaining to her.
"I will try my best. I know she would really like that."
Ginny nodded a thank you and left the room. Luna gave Astoria a few more potions, checked her arm, and casted a few charms to clean her up. It had been a while since she had seen a healer. Usually if she felt sick, she hid away in her room and waited to feel better.
Astoria thought that Luna might have been one of the more attentive and gentle healers she had been seen by. And when she laid on the uncomfortable bed or thought about trying to function normally if someone so close to her was murdered, she understood why Hermione had been so mad with her in the past. She would be angry too, if her life was like this.
And the sweet witch that was tending to her wounds was healing the wife of someone who had taken her fiancé away from her in a brutal manner. To do so with kindness was something Astoria couldn't fathom.
"Thank you for being nice to me," Astoria whispered as Luna pulled the sheet over her.
"You are free to leave when you are feeling better. I would give it another few hours before Aparating, to avoid splinching and such. Stay safe, Astoria," Luna said before spinning away in her pink canvas shoes.
—
"Looks like someone's been a bad girl."
Hermione's wand was drawn, and she was standing and facing the tall vampire. His eyes were roaming her body, despite Hermione wearing a turtleneck sweater and long leggings. The distance between them was close enough for him to close quickly if he made another move.
Weighing her options, she knew that if he did wish to harm her, she would have to fight. If she screamed, she didn't know how far her voice would go in the deep library. But he wouldn't kill her, right? That would ruin the relationship between vampires and the Dark Lord.
Or did he simply underestimate her importance to Draco? Thinking she was just a concubine, easily replaceable, nothing more than entertainment.
"Tsk tsk. You're not supposed to be in here," he said, his eyes finally removing themselves from her silhouette and to the stacks of books on the table. "Not just a pretty face, I see. What could you possibly be reading about?"
Slowly, he walked towards her and the table, unphased by Hermione's drawn wand. Sanguini read each of the titles, thumbing through the pages of her opened book. He picked up a sheet of notes Hermione had been scribbling on, reading each word carefully.
"You are really quite naughty, aren't you Miss Granger? Books like these are especially forbidden for human eyes," he sighed, but a smile still crept on his lips. "Therefore, you must decide, do you want to become a vampire, or do you want to die?"
A nauseating feeling came over Hermione. "He will kill you if you touch me."
"Draco's always been a tease, hasn't he? Never wanting to join me or learn what it really means to be a vampire. But I could show you, Miss Granger."
Before she could even decide what spell to cast to protect herself, Sanguini had her wrist in his grasp, squeezing so hard her wand clattered to the floor as she yelped. He pressed her against the bookshelf, the smell of iron wafting heavily off his tongue as he leaned down to her.
"You could have everything you want here. You'll never go hungry a day in your life."
Hermione tried to push away from him, but she was wedged firmly against the shelves, with breathing becoming more difficult as she struggled.
"Let me go," she demanded.
Sanguini's hand went to the side of her face, the cold touch making her flinch. A sharp nail pressed into her cheek, drawing blood. His tongue licked along where the trail of blood had dripped.
"God, you do taste good. No wonder why Draco won't share you," he whispered against her.
His fingers went to her turtleneck ripping at the threads. Swallowing hard, Hermione could only think about how stupid she was. Draco had told her, warned her even, not to leave his sight. The moment she did, it became deadly, foolishly thinking she didn't need him.
Long, cold fingers retched her head to the side, and she felt Sanguini's thin lips press against her throat in the opening he made in her jumper. The fear she had been suppressing was spilling out now, as she was unable to accept her fate.
As she closed her eyes, waiting to feel the sharp fangs sink into her neck, she felt the pressure of Sanguini's body against her release. A hard cracking sound made her eyes jolt open, and she saw his head shoved into a broken shelf, eyes wide in horror as Draco's fingers squeezed down on his skull.
"Draco, old friend, let's play nicely," he groveled, his voice shaking, the confident demeanor completely vanishing. "I was simply joking with her. You know I wouldn't have done anything to displease you or the Dark Lord."
Draco's eyes were filled with hate, it was something Heremione had seen a few times, but this was the most intense it had ever been. He was almost shaking with rage as his bare chest heaved. He stood towering over both of them in nothing but his gray pajama pants from the night prior.
"Granger, grab your books and wand and go pack up. Wait for me in the room. We will be leaving soon," Draco said, his voice so cold it felt stabbing.
Hermione quickly grabbed her wand from the ground and several books off the table before rushing out of the library. With a wave of her wand, all of their items were packed neatly in the center of the room. She paced in front of the fireplace and waited several minutes for Draco to return, the blood from her cheek dripping onto the cream colored rug beneath her.
How could she have been so careless? Why didn't she just listen? Now, Draco was going to kill Sanguini all because he wanted to taste her blood, ruining his cover. How the fuck did he expect to explain that he killed a prominent vampire leader because of some fucking mudblood?
Hermione was startled as the door of their room flew open, holding her wand in front of her and shaking. There standing was Draco Malfoy, covered in blood. It streaked in his hair, coated lips, and was smeared across his chest. The look of anger still was clear on his face, his jaw was sharp, and his eyes narrowed.
She couldn't help but think he looked beautiful standing there, covered in the blood of a vampire who had tried to harm her. Draco kept true to his word, and that itself was more than most had given her. The monster in the pit of her stomach was trying to claw its way out to greet him.
Draco stormed over to her, his bloodied hand reaching for her throat as he brought his face close to hers.
"You never fucking listen to me," he said through his gritted teeth, the blood on his hands transferring onto her skin as if to say that she was equally as responsible for the carnage he had inflicted.
"You didn't have to kill him," she argued back, feeling his hand tighten around her neck, something that should have sent fear through her body, but just stirred the monster inside of her.
"Of course I had to kill him," Draco muttered, his fangs and teeth coated in blood that seeped into his gums. "He was going to feed on you."
"That wouldn't have killed me."
"I don't give a fuck, he should have never touched you."
"You're touching me," she said, feeding into his monster, grabbing his wrist with her hands, feeling his faster than normal pulse.
"You are mine, Granger," he growled in her face, as he squeezed her just a touch more. The anger in his eyes made her weak, the possession he had over her was as intoxicating as the vampire liquor she had been consuming. She wanted to give in and lose control.
"Then own me, Malfoy. Make me feel that I am yours," she whispered, getting lost in his silver eyes.
Slowly, he leaned down and pressed his blooded lips at the corner of hers, so close to where she had been begging for him to be. His lips trailed down her body as he began to rip away at her already torn sweater, the yarn falling onto the floor. The contrast between the fireplace and his skin felt like two worlds colliding, the warmth trying to pull her back to reality while his cold flesh tempted her into his arms.
His fingers looped in her waistband, ripping away at the remaining clothes she had on until she was bare, standing in front of him. There wasn't an urge to cover herself or hide her imperfections, Hermione wanted him to see everything.
"Merlin, you are so fucking beautiful," he said into the crook of her neck, lifting her up under her thighs. Her legs clung onto his waist, the blood from his body smearing onto her skin. "You are beautiful, and you are mine."
Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck, and she felt his hard cock press against her ass as he weightlessly held her. His hands went to her waist, and he positioned her opening right at the tip of his throbbing length. She looked down, seeing his cock span between them, the width trumping anything she'd ever had inside of her, wondering how much it would hurt to feel it spread her open. In a desperate attempt, she tried to lower herself onto him, but the grip he had on her sides prevented her from moving.
"Are you mine, Granger?" he asked, looking into her eyes.
"I am yours," she said softly, fully succumbing to him, her monster fully emerged. Draco slowly pressed the head of his cock into her, barely breaching past her lips, and she moaned softly. Cold precum coated the outside of her cunt, making her shake.
"Tell me what you want," he demanded, his fingers digging deep into her.
"I want you," she said, nearly begging, dripping onto him. The entirety of her body quivered for him. "I want you to use me because I am yours to use."
Draco's hungry eyes watched her mouth gape open as he lowered her inch by inch onto himself. Her breath hitched with each subtle movement, feeling her eyes flutter as he stretched her. The slight discomfort of him entering would wash away quickly with desire, the frigidness of him soothing her, fluttering between pain and pleasure. It had been months since she had felt anything even close to this, but the size of him alone was an entirely new sensation in addition to how cold he felt. Hermione didn't know the noises that she was making could come from her throat, but they did. Practically purring for him as he nestled himself entirely inside of her.
"Fucking hell," he moaned out, his eyes looking down at where their bodies met. He didn't move for several seconds, and she felt the iciness of him start to warm inside of her. "You are so perfect at taking my cock, Granger. Look at how good this looks."
Hermione's knees started to shake when she looked down, their foreheads touching as he slowly pulled out of her, leaving only the head nestled in her. The blood between them smeared at every point their bodies had touched. The fingers on her sides hurt as they held her up, but she loved how it felt as they pulled her quickly back onto him. She was gasping for breath as he continued to move her body over him, pushing right on the spot inside of her that made her head tilt back.
Every stroke made her want to scream out for him, and she dug her nails in his back so hard she thought she might have drawn his own blood.
"Are you on birth control?" he asked, slowing his movements for just a moment.
"Y.. yes.." she whimpered, wishing he had continued with the pace he was fucking her. She pulled her arms up around his neck, and placed her lips on his ear. "Come inside me."
"Fuck," he moaned. "If you keep running your mouth like that I will."
"Please, come inside me, Malfoy. I want you to fill me," she breathily whispered.
"Shut the fuck up," he growled, slamming harder into her. "I'm not done with you yet."
Hermione mewled into his ear, digging her nails into his neck, whispering to him how badly she wanted him. It was only seconds until she felt his cock twitch inside of her as he moaned, holding her close. She felt his cold cum dripping from her, making her feel feral, wanting more.
"Don't stop," she begged. She moved herself up and down on him, desperate for him to stay hard inside of her, his cum making her slide effortlessly. "I haven't finished yet, keep going."
Draco slowly laid her onto the rug as he kissed her neck, never exiting her body. He laid on top of her, sliding in and out of her wet cunt, muttering in her hair how warm she felt and how beautiful she was between breaths.
"I'm so close," she murmured.
"Do you want to come?" he asked, propping himself up to look down into her eyes as he fucked her. "Tell me you want to come on my cock, Granger."
Her eyes fluttered, not able to speak, feeling so close to the edge. "I… want…"
He slowed his movements, "Say it properly."
Grunting in frustration, she opened her mouth to say exactly what he wished to hear. "I want to come on your cock so badly. Please."
"Spit," he commanded, holding his fingers up to her lips.
She followed his order, and watched as he moved his hand down, pressing his wetted fingers against her clit, making circular motions that made her eyes roll back. The monster in her stomach gorged on the sensations that filled her body, taking over her fully.
Hermione screamed as she tightened over his cock, feeling a sense of relief she hadn't in so long, her body twitching and aching at his every movement. As she fell back onto the rug, his hand went to her throat once more, and he looked into her eyes as he finished inside her again, feeling both of their cum spilling from her as he continued to bury himself into her.
As she caught her breath, Draco fell onto the rug beside her. He kissed the side of her face, holding her close to him, their bodies caked in dried blood. The monster inside, now fully satisfied, crept back into the depths, leaving Hermione in a frozen state of disbelief.
How could she be so weak?
"Please, don't tell me you've regretted doing this," he whispered into her hair. It was almost heartbreakingly sad the way he pleaded. Hermione sat up, looking at the cream colored rug that was now stained red, her body covered in the blood of a man who had laid a hand on her, and Draco Malfoy holding on to her arm.
I'm a monster.