Left Behind 2: Illusions (A Dramione Romance)

Awake

Draco checked on Fred several times throughout the day, each time flicking a spell Hermione's way. After the third time he did it when he came back to the room she was frowning.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing..."she said. "I just have this weird feeling like I'm missing something," she shook her head. "I keep zoning out."

"You have been reading for..." Draco looked at his watch "The last six hours."

It felt awful deflecting her question.

He wanted to tell her the truth.

He wanted to reunite her with her friend and make her smile and bring her joy.

But given the fact that Fred hadn't even been able to remain conscious this morning he didn't dare risk it.

He would not put her through loosing him twice.

-

They ate dinner together and all the while Draco was distracted thinking about Fred.

He was far more emotionally invested in the redhead's recovery than he was willing to admit even to himself.

When Hermione finally went to sleep Draco returned to the wardrobe once more to check on Fred.

This time he found the Weasely sitting looking rather disgruntled and waiting for him.

"How are you feeling?" Draco asked.

"Hungry," the twin answered flatly.

He eyed Fred. Did he remember their conversation from when he first woke? Judging by the fact that Fred was not yelling at him Draco presumed so.

"If I let you out of those bonds I want your word you aren't going to try and attack me."

Fred shrugged.

"Your word," insisted Draco.

"Fine, what word would you like? Flamingo? Prankster? Aphrodite? I'm not sure the last one could be called 'Mine' per-say. Either way you are going to have to be much more specific."

"I'm not in the mood to play right now Weasel," said Draco. He had a headache from stress and had hardly slept, and he had spent all day worrying about Fred only to have him acting like a petulant child. Tt did not bode well for Draco's levels of patience.

"Do you mind not calling me that?" Fed asked with just a hint of vulnerability. 

Draco opened his mouth to answer and that look on Fred's face vanished immediately as the redhead puffed out his chest. 

"I'm more of a fox don't you know. Red hair, clever, dashingly handsome."

"Have you looked in the mirror recently?" Draco lashed out instinctively and then immediately regretted it. He wished he could take back the words. That was the kind of thing he would have said in school.  

Draco felt nauseous.

Fred would never be handsome again, at least not by the standards Draco had been raised.

How could he be so cruel as to point out such a giant flaw to someone who had to hate that he was now scarred for life?

You're a real bastard sometimes Malfoy, Draco told himself..

"Ah, character," said Fred with a smile surprising Draco and startling him from his thoughts. "Women love a man with a character ridden face. This is a war wound."

Fred lifted his chin and Draco saw only a hint of sadness hidden behind the jovial expression.

"It will be a great story to tell and I am sure there are those around who would find it dashing. Besides," Fred smiled for real this time. "I'm thinking of having a black eye patch. I can walk around looking like a dashing pirate."

Draco realized that Fed was both playing and being serious. The redhead wasn't about to let missing an eye drag him down.

You wouldn't be able to handle being maimed like that, look at how much having that scar over your eye has affected you. You'd be ruined if you looked like Fred.

Just another reason you don't deserve her, his inner demon tormented. You're too damn shallow for her.

"I brought you food," said Draco stating the obvious because he had nothing else he could think of that was appropriate to say out loud. 

He waved his wand undoing Fred's bonds.

"I can see that," Fred tapped his one remaining eye. "This one still works."

"Thankfully."

"Yes, thankfully," said Fred a little more seriously and he dug into the meal.

"Careful don't eat too fast. I don't want you getting sick everywhere."

"Since when did you become motherly Malfoy?" said Fred raising an eyebrow.

"Shut up and eat. I just don't want to clean up the mess."

"Sure," Fred ate for a few moments in silence stabbing a some of the vegetables with his fork.

Draco pulled out several vials of potions setting them out one by one of the side table.

Fred looked at the potions pointedly.

"Those for me?"

"Yes," Draco said nodding.

"Any of them turn me into a toad or other creature?" asked Fred teasingly.

"No," Draco shook his head.

"Invisible?"

"No."

"Give me special powers?"

"No."

"Any of them poison?"

"Merlin's beard," exclaimed Draco exasperated. "No, they're just healing potions."

"Boring," said Fred.

"What?"

"You've got to get more creative with your potions there oh blond one."

"Why?" asked Draco crossing his arms over his chest and choosing to ignore the blond one comment. "Healing is the only thing you actually need, it's the only practical thing."

"Ah," Fred took another bite. "Got to get me healthy before the torture begins. Eh six fingered man?"

"What?" asked Draco not getting the princess Bride reference since, as a pure blood wizard, he didn't watch much in the way of television.

"I'm not going to torture you," said Draco. "And no one else is either unless you do something stupid and get yourself caught. Right now I am the only person in the world who knows you're alive."

"Nothing, never mind," Fred waved his hand muggle movie reference, obviously not your cuppa' tea"

Fred set aside the food and took a deep breath. Draco was reminded of the fact that Fred's father worked studying muggles. Fred and the Weasely's had more in common with Hermione than he ever would. At least they understood the world that she came from.

I want to know the world she came from, the thought took Draco by surprise. He had never had any interest in anything muggle...ever. 

And now here he was sitting wishing he knew a reference because it would give him something more in common with the beautiful woman upstairs.

"So my family thinks I'm dead too?" Fred said changing gears completely.

The quiet of the room was his only answer.

"Well that's shitty," Fred wiped his hands on a napkin and took a drink of the water Draco had brought. "Hand me one of those potions will you?"

Draco handed over a vial and Fred took it down in one swig and then made a face.

"That tastes like cat vomit," said the redhead making a face.

"Well it's not meant to taste good," retorted Draco with a frown. "It's meant to help you."

"Ever heard of putting a spoon full of sugar to help the medicine go down?"

"No."

"Of course you haven't" Fred took another sip of water and smacked his lips together. "Well if it's all the same to you, I'm going to wait a bit before I finish this meal. I feel quite full already."

"Do what you like, I don't care," said Draco getting up.

"Can I see her tomorrow?" Fred's voice had just a hint of pleading in it.

Draco didn't bother to pretend he didn't know what Fred was asking.

"Yeah, if you're doing this well you can see her tomorrow," he took a breath. "Wait a while for the second potion, drink it right before you go to sleep, it will knock you out cold. Drink the other when you wake up and I'll try and find a good time to come get you."

"Where am I anyways?" asked Fred.

"You're in the Malfoy Manor."

"Doesn't feel like it."

"Well you are," you just happen to be inside my oasis in my wardrobe in the family manor, thought Draco wryly. He went to the door.

"I'm trying to decide if I believe you," Fred called out after him. Draco didn't bother to reply. He silently prayed the Weasely twin would.

-

Draco lingered a little in the oasis for the first time since Fred being there.

He went for a swim, needing to exercise and get some of the tension out of his skin.

It wasn't as relaxing or as much of a solace as it would have been had he been alone in his sanctuary, but it was still something.

When he returned to his room he found Hermione in the throws of a nightmare...

-

I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and the way that I am writing Fred. I have always liked his sass and I figure he would deal with this super stressful situation via dry humor, sass and a little bit of teasing. If you loved it please leave some love. Next weeks updates are gunna start off pretty intense...