Ortum Infernum [d.m]

Chapter Nine

Odette laid in bed, unable to fall asleep. Her mind was spinning with the events that happened today and the heaviness of Narcissa's words weighed on her chest. There was an oppressive magic in the manor house, it felt intrusive and pressed in on her magic.

That was to be expected. She supposed it was the wards set up around the manor—like the ones back home. She had felt them ripple the moment she entered the estate. The wards made it difficult to ignore the fact that her presence here felt intruding. She was an outsider—unwelcomed.

The mattress felt unfamiliar, the bed sheets scratchy. There was no clock in this room for her to indicate the time. The sense of displacement added on to her anxiety. Just as she shifted in bed to turn onto her side, she heard a knock on the door.

"Odette?" Draco's muffled voice drew a relieved breath from her.

He stepped into the room once he heard her respond, closing the door quietly behind him. Draco's hair was slightly damp and he had changed into his sleeping robes. He brought along with him the crisp scent of sandalwood that filled the room.

Odette immediately felt herself relax at his familiar scent. She breathed in deeply as he lingered by the side of her bed, looking down at her with his piercing gaze. She scooted across the bed to make space for him, feeling her heart start to pick up its pace. This would be the first time they'll share a bed.

Draco eyed the mattress for a long moment, then he toed off his shoes and settled on top of the covers. He sat on the very edge, leaving enough space between them to accomodate two house-elves.

"I couldn't sleep," he said in a hushed tone. His voice sent shivers down her body. "Not when I know you're just a floor below me and there's no school rules to keep me from seeing you."

His silver eyes glinted in the dark, catching the reflection of the moonlight that streamed through the windows. Odette smiled up at him, reaching a hand to rest against his.

"You'll teeter off the bed if you aren't careful," she said softly, watching Draco's eyes as he caught the meaning behind her words.

He smirked and slid closer, leaning back against the headboard. Pleased, she shifted so that she could cuddle up against his side. Draco's arm immediately snaked around her waist, holding her close to his warmth.

His fingers trailed ghostly touches across her bare arm, sending shivers down her spine.

"I can get used to this," he hummed. The sound reverberated in his chest where her ear was pressed up against, near his heart.

Odette smiled to herself, running her fingertips over the veins on the back of his hand. She circled the ring on his index finger, watched with rapt interest as the onyx stone reacted to her touch, emitting a faint orange glow from its depths. It seemed to be pulsing slowly—like a faint heartbeat.

"Tell me about your ring," she requested, just to hear his voice.

He seemed to have caught onto her intention. She could hear the smirk in his tone. "Are you sure you want a boring history lesson right now?"

She nodded as she continued to circle the ring with her finger. Draco gave into her, like he always does.

"A ring is made for every Malfoy heir. The band is made of silver, so it conducts magic in order to expand and fit our fingers. The family motto is engraved inside the band."

Draco slipped his ring off and passed it to her so that she could inspect it in the moonlight.

Flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo.