Baton Rouge

- 27 -

Draco had found the right room. In fact, he was more than sure, because the noises continued to come through the closed door. And they ignited an indefinable rage in him that was about to erupt with all its might.

Before he could think about it further, he turned the knob and rattled the door, but it was locked. He drew his wand, hissed an Alohomora, and kicked the door hard. It flew open and Draco entered the room, taking in the whole situation at a glance.

Granger was kneeling on the bed, arms propped on the mattress, her back oddly arched because the man behind her had buried his hand in her curls and was obviously tugging at them painfully. She had her eyes closed while craning her head back to ease the strain. Tears had already left a wet trace down her cheek and the side of her face that Draco could see shimmered with a variety of colors.

The man behind Granger thrust into her roughly, his free hand gripping her waist. And suddenly so many emotions exploded inside Draco that he could hardly control what he was doing.

With a few steps he reached the bed.

"Get your dirty fingers off her, you miserable bastard," he swore as he yanked the wizard away from Granger.

She too was swept away by the force, fell out of bed and collapsed to the floor. Draco didn't know if she even noticed what was happening to her, but she would have to wait a few more moments.

With a tremendous crash, he threw the man who - naked, unarmed, and surprised as he was - didn't have much to oppose him against the wall. Draco whipped his wand and within a second locked the door and cast a Noise Reduction Charm over the whole room. It didn't even cost him any effort. He was well-tried in battle.

When he got back to the man, he pressed his wand firmly to his throat and growled. He was barely able to contain the anger that had flared up in him. That hadn't happened to him for a long time, but now it was almost impossible to keep it in check.

"You fucker, how dare you?" he hissed.

The wizard stared at him with wide eyes.

"Merlin, I paid for this. I didn't do anything wrong." He held up his hands. All of the aggressiveness he had unleashed on Granger's vulnerable, fragile body seconds ago was gone now. Draco wouldn't have been surprised if he had already pissed himself in fear. "I'll have to complain, Sir. This is the performance I paid for and I must insist that you let me go."

Draco toyed with the idea of making the wanker feel his Cruciatus right here and now, but changed his mind. The feelings that had welled up in him were looking for a more appropriate outlet. He tossed his wand carelessly on the bed, pushing himself off the wall and throwing the man to the floor, who still wasn't able to fight back.

Then he was on top of him, punching him square in the face, which actually sounded duller than Draco would have expected given the force he was hitting him with. One, two, three times. The man was bleeding. He whimpered and tried to protect his head. And Draco would certainly have punched him again, fuck yes, maybe even killed him, if it wasn't for that soft voice behind him.

"Draco."

It was just a breath, but it was enough to make him freeze, and the ringing in his ears grew until he could barely bear it. He gasped and sat back, noticing the sweat on his forehead. He hadn't felt the effort the last few minutes had taken. Now, however, he could feel every fiber of his body, but it wasn't what had stopped him from continuing.

He looked down at his shaking hands, at his torn knuckles, not sure if it was his own blood or the other man's that was on them. Then he released him. The man sank to the ground, gasped, and didn't move any further. He was no longer a threat.