Blaire Zabini || Draco Malfoy

53 - Wild Hippogriffs

I stepped through the curtain which had been concealing the sleeping white-blond haired Slytherin from view.

My heart twisted as I took in the sight of his torn pale body wrapped in bandages. He looked so broken; a shell of his former self.

"Drac," I whispered, lowering myself into the chair next to his hospital bed and reaching over to lightly touch my fingertips to his cheek.

His eyes fluttered open almost at once, a flood of warmth filling my heart as his face softened upon seeing me.

"Blaire," he rasped, wincing as he tried to sit up.

"Drac, don't," I said, gently placing my hand on his shoulder, "you've lost a lot of blood. You need to lie down and rest."

"But you don't understand," he said, panic rising in his voice, "I can't stay here; I've got things to do. I-"

"I know, Drac," I said cutting him off and looking intently into his eyes as I moved my hand from his shoulder; down to his bandaged forearm where I lightly pressed the spot I knew a certain dark mark was branded into his skin beneath. "I know."

His eyes widened as I felt his arm tauten, but he didn't flinch away.

"How?" he asked hoarsely, pain etched in his features.

"I worked it out," I said quietly, keeping my hand on his arm, my fingers delicately stroking the bandage, "I mean, it's not exactly a stretch, is it? I literally saw them drag you away. They made you one of them didn't they, Drac? And all this time you've been trying to hide it from me to protect me from finding out the truth of what you are doing."

"Mother said it was the only way to keep you safe," Draco said, his voice trembling, "that if I cared about you then I'd keep you well and truly out of it. And I do, I care about you so much-" His voice cracked and he took a second to gather himself. "But look; I've failed you. I failed you because I was too selfish to keep away from you."

"You haven't failed me, Drac," I implored, immediately cupping his face in my hands as I leant my forehead against his and wiped away his tears with my thumbs, "you could never fail me."

"You shouldn't know, it's not fair on you."

"Not fair on me? Drac, what about you? You've been so alone in all of this with no one to turn to."

"It has to be that way," Draco continued, his voice strangled, "this is my mission and my mission only. I will not have you involved, I could never do that to you."

"Drac, this mission," I said, my mind flashing back to that strange room, "does it have something to do with a cabinet?"

Draco reached up and pulled my hands away from his face as his eyes looked utterly horrified into mine.

"How did you...?" He choked.

I reached into my pocket and retrieved the two monopoly pieces.

"After Snape brought you up here, I went after Potter. I was told he was last seen on the seventh floor so I tried every door up there. One door led me into a room that I was sure wasn't there before."

"The Room of Requirement," Draco murmured. "It's what Potter's stupid army used last year." he added upon seeing my bewildered expression.

"Well, that explains why he was there then."

"Potter was in there?" Draco spoke sharply. "What was he doing?"

"His best mate's little sister if I hadn't intervened." I muttered, rolling my eyes. "Anyway, I blasted him with my wand and he fell against this creepy looking cabinet. It was next to it where I discovered these; our pieces."