Left Behind 2: Illusions (A Dramione Romance)

Fred

Draco dreamed about the darkness again, and the snake only this time they both turned on him and ate him piece by piece.

He woke sweating and shaking.

"Are you alright?" asked Hermione looking over at him.

"Fine," Draco croaked and reached for a glass of water. 

He downed it in two large swallows  and rubbed his face. 

He was not on board with this new type of night terror.

You have enough demons already, what's one more, the voice in his head mocked.

"How long was I out for?" he asked Hermione as his pulse returned to a normal rate

"An hour, maybe an hour and a half."

"Good, " said Draco. "That means you'll have some real time with Fred." 

Draco got out of bed and he caught Hermione looking at him, her eyes moving over his body.

For the first time in his life Draco didn't know what to do and then her eyes met his and suddenly he was thirsty in a way another glass of water would not and could not fix.

"You're looking better," she said and offered him a smile.

Right, Draco rolled his eyes at himself, you're an idiot. Of course she wasn't looking at you, she was just looking at you.

Yet her gaze hadn't felt entirely clinical. It had lacked that cold analytical edge to it. Still, he had only ever caught Hermione looking at him once before.

You were battered and bruised then too, the voice in his head reminded.

"My mother is a talented witch," Draco said filling the silence. 

Hermione's fingertips were suddenly on his shoulder on the arm that had been burned. Her touch was gentle and her fingers caressed his skin sending goosebumps down his arm.

His gaze met hers and he felt the heat crackle between them.

Draco moved away from her, standing. The pressure on his calf burned.

You need to fix that, he told himself-though he was surprised that the potion he had drunk before sleeping hadn't at least taken the edge off of it.

He dressed with a flick of his wand, unable to handle feeling so bare around her.

When he turned back Draco held out his hand and Hermione came to him placing it in his without the slightest hesitation. It was strange to think how much she trusted him now. 

"Close your eyes," said Draco and Hermione obeyed.

Draco led her over to the wardrobe. 

This time when he said the incantation he watched her face as as he spoke and enunciated it clearly and loud enough that she could hear it. Her eyebrow's quirked curiously and he knew instinctively that she would remember.

It would still take his wand to open it for now-though he had every intention of adding her wand so that she would be able to be safe and escape here if she needed to. 

After almost dying his priority was now, more than ever, keeping her alive and safe. 

She was the one who had called him back from death.

She was the reason he was alive...

And the one person more than anyone else who he wanted to keep living.