Mine

[27]

The first day of classes had been long and uncomfortable, so I was glad to finally be back in the common room. Dinner was once again quiet, and I missed the loud chatter that once filled the Great Hall. I had less classes this year, which should mean less schoolwork, but the amount of reading and preparation was heftier. I think some of our professors were loading it on to give us something to do in hopes of it keeping us out of trouble.

"Come with me." Draco said, having apparently entered the common room while I was trying to read. Before I could react, I was being pulled up to my feet. I barely had time to grab my bag as he began leading me towards the dormitories. We entered a single bedroom and I turned to Draco, giving him a confused look.

"I have my own room this year." Draco explained. "This room allows for apparition."

I didn't need him to explain further, nodding my head in understanding. The castle grounds generally didn't allow for apparition, so Snape must have removed the spell blocking it from this room incase Draco was needed elsewhere.

"Merlin, I've missed you." Draco breathed out. He was standing on the other side of the room, staring at me. I stared right back, just taking in his appearance and the fact that he was finally here with me, just as he was doing with me.

"I've missed you too." I whispered, finally closing the distance between us. I crashed into his chest, wrapping my arms tightly around him. His arms made their way around my waist, holding me just as tightly as he pressed his face into my hair.

We stood like that for a while before Draco pulled back slightly. His hand cupped my jaw, lifting my face so that our eyes could meet. My eyes fell shut as he pressed a soft kiss to my lips, his thumb gently stroking my face.

"This time last year, I never imagined I'd be back here." Draco said softly, just swaying slightly in place with me. "I came back for you."

"I'm glad you did." I hummed back. "Now look at you, the big man with his own room. It has some perks, ya know. Like no snoring roommates."

"I was thinking more along the lines of now I can hold my gorgeous girlfriend at night." Draco murmured in my ear, making me blush lightly.

"Oh?" I murmured back, to which Draco nodded, pulling back slightly to look at me once again.

"Stay with me tonight." He said quietly as he tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "I've only gotten snippets of time with you over the past few months."

"Okay." I replied with a nod, making Draco smile. He pulled back from me, flopping down onto the bed with a grin and patted the space beside him. "Shouldn't I at least change first?" I asked.

"Whatever for? You don't need clothes." Draco smirked.

"Draco." I chuckled, rolling my eyes at him as I made my way over to the bed. He sat up as I reached the edge of the bed, his hands going to my waist as he looked up at me. I placed my forehead against his with a soft sigh, feeling so much more content being back in his presence. Our lips met and Draco laid backwards, pulling me down with him. He kissed me soft and slow, and I melted into him.

"You really are the most gorgeous girl I've ever laid eyes on." He murmured as he gazed up at me. "Every night I'd find myself picturing you when I closed my eyes. Knowing I'd be with you again kept me sane in that cold house."

I rolled off of him so that we were laying side by side, my head turned towards him and his head turned towards me. Our fingers were intertwined, our hands resting on the mattress in between our bodies. He pressed his lips to mine once again, letting the kiss linger. I knew that we had a lot to talk about, but it could wait. Right now, we just wanted to be close to one another and feel each other's touch. As he moved over me and our clothes were tossed to the floor, I felt my worries slip away for the first time in months. Each touch was soft, each kiss gentle, and we both just existed in that moment, no rush, no worry.

We remained naked as Draco held me close to him, my head resting on his chest. I'd never slept beside a boyfriend before, but the thought of sharing a bed with Draco and being cuddled up to him made me happy. I listened to his heartbeat as he played with my hair. Everything felt perfect in that moment despite the reality of our world. I knew that moments like these were precious, and I wanted to soak in every second of it.

* * *

I was woken up to the sounds of whimpering and a body thrashing slightly beside me. For a moment I felt confused, not remembering when I had fallen asleep, but then as I heard incoherent mumbling I was snapped out of my confused, groggy state.

It was dark in the room, but my eyes quickly adjusted so that I could see Draco, his hair stuck to his forehead with sweat. His head was moving side to side as he let out a small cry in his sleep.

"Draco." I said quietly, putting a hand on his chest. "Draco, wake up." When this didn't work, I sat up and shook him by his shoulders, not too roughly so that I hopefully wouldn't scare him. "Draco, Draco, wake up."

His eyes suddenly snapped open and he looked around frantically before his eyes landed on me. His breathing was erratic and the look on his face was one of pure terror. I pushed his hair off of his forehead and pulled him to my lap. "It's okay. It was just a bad dream." I said softly. I felt his arms wrap around my waist in a tight grasp as he buried his face into my chest and took deep breaths. I just held him to me, running my fingers through his hair as I waited for him to calm down.

Draco's breathing finally began to level out, but I continued to hold him close to me. "How long have you been having nightmares?" I asked softly.

"Um, a while, I guess." He whispered shakily. "I'm not sure. I think it started after Dumbledore died, but maybe before. It doesn't happen every night."

I just nodded, pressing a kiss to his head. I hated the thought of him having endured this alone for months, especially seeing how greatly they affected him. It was more than just a nightmare that made you uncomfortable or spooked you. He had been thrashing about and crying out in his sleep, and after he had woken, he was shaking.

"Is it the same one every time?" I asked.

"No." He whispered, shaking his head slightly. "Sometimes it's of me getting the mark, or of Dumbledore dying, sometimes even me having been the one to do it. There's been a few where, uh, where you were taken, and I had to watch you be tortured."

My heart sank for him and I pressed another kiss to his head. "They're just nightmares. Horrible ones, I know. But that's all they are, nightmares."

"Some of them are real and I have to keep reliving it." He said in a tight voice.

"I know." I murmured, knowing there wasn't much else I could say. All I could do was be there for him, and I would be.

I waited until Draco had fallen back to sleep, making sure his breathing was peaceful, before I allowed myself to close my eyes and try to fall back to sleep as well. I wished that I could make all of the bad things in Draco's life go away and that I could take away his pain, but I couldn't. I'd have to settle for trying to be his light in these dark times and find ways to make him smile. There was no denying that this boy had my whole heart and that I'd do just about anything for him.