Left Behind 2: Illusions (A Dramione Romance)

The Worst Timing Possible

This chapter and the next are serious reasons for my trigger warning. They are very important chapters. They were both hard and cathartic for me to write. Please do not read unless you have read the trigger warning. Its also a longer one.

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"Draco?!" Narcissa's echoed from the top of the stairs and Draco felt his shoulders tense.

No, not now, he thought. If his mother came down now she would see only what had happened and what Hermione had done, not everything leading up to it and not that torn look on Hermione's face which behind the anger, screamed that she had not meant to cut him.

"Its fine," Draco tried to will his mother from coming down with his voice. In his heart he knew it was futile.

His mother had told him to stay in bed. He hadn't listened and now he had just let out a yell from the cellar. Fat chance she was just going to believe that everything was okay and leave them be together down here.

He looked at himself and the red bleeding down through his shirt, then to the knife in Hermione's hand. At the very least he had to get the knife out of her hands before Narcissa came down.

"Dammit Granger," Draco growled. "Give me that knife."

As soon as he finished uttering the words he found himself blinking back stars from his vision as his legs threatened to give out beneath him.

"Fuck you Malfoy," Hermione shot back. Her anger clearly overriding her guilt at having hurt him.

Draco bit his tongue back against a retort.

You shouldn't have said those things about Greyback, his mind pointed. It was beyond cruel. She may never forgive you.

I don't care if she forgives me right now, what I care about is if my mother kills her.

Just as he finished thinking that thought, Narcissa apparated into the Cellar with a pop.

She took one look at the knife in Granger's hand and the blood on her son she struck immediately sending the knife flying against the wall with a clatter and Granger backwards into the stone wall.

Narcissa lashed out with several more curses back to back, each striking Granger directly, until finally Draco could stand it no longer and had to step in.

"Enough," he said.

Narcissa turned to him, her pale face tight with fury.

"You let her keep the blade?" her voice was high and tense.

"I thought she had lost it in the woods. Forgive me for not checking," he snapped smartly.

The slap hit him hard across the face, with the condition he was in it was enough to knock him down. He heard Hermione's gasp from across the room.

Please don't do anything stupid Granger...

"I warned you Draco!" his mother yelled. "You are not taking her back up to your room. This is my house. She is going to stay here."

Shame bloomed in Draco's chest.

This was the second time his mother had struck him in recent history and both times had been for him acting rashly on Granger's behalf. The throb in his cheek hurt less than the pounding in his head and yet he would rather have the pain in his head than the one from his mother's strike.

Heat built up behind his eyes.

Draco glanced across the room at Granger who wouldn't meet his gaze.