Daddy issues

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE: The 422nd Quidditch World Cup (part 1)

TW: Survivor's guilt and a slightly unhealthy coping mechanism

*Draco's POV*

I understood why it had taken Bella so long to get ready now. There she was, the perfect image of beauty and grace, gently descending the stairs in front of me. I couldn't help but smile like a silly little schoolboy, she looked so fucking gorgeous. Considering the hell she went through yesterday, you wouldn't know it. She carried herself so elegantly and with a smile on her face, she could probably fool just about anyone. Almost fooled me for a second... Almost. I would never forgive my father for obeying those orders. I just couldn't. I would rather be dead than have her be in that much pain. I couldn't bare to imagine what that was like, I didn't want to. The thought of someone else touching her disgusted me, someone else that wasn't me had their hands all over her. And that someone was my father! It boiled my blood, but I kept a straight face whenever I talked to him. I extended a hand for her to take, half-expecting her to ignore me, but to my surprise she didn't.

We had argued earlier. I tried to comfort her but she got angry. I guessed that I should just give her space after that, but she approached me later on. I knew she had gone to talk to my father and she seemed in a weirdly good mood afterward... She apologised for her behaviour earlier to which I replied with, 'Don't apologise for that, I was being too pushy, I understand...' She had hugged me after that, but set out some ground rules. They were:

• Don't talk about the incident or Borgin and Burke's at all.

• Don't smother her... she wants to have time to breathe and process everything.

• Don't touch her without permission.

She was big on that one. It was as if she were trying to reinvent herself, which worried me a bit, but I let her do her thing. I suppose it was better than her shutting me out completely. Bella wanted the control over her own body which I understood entirely. I just feared that when we went back to school, others wouldn't be as respectful of that rule. She was a pretty girl and there were some guys (and girls even) who I knew were only waiting to make their move until she was sixteen. It disgusted me, there were complete animals, only thinking of her as a sex object... Bella deserved better. I swore to myself that I would protect her when we went back. She would probably hate me for it but at least she would be safe and still be respected. Together we were powerful, she knew that.

"Draco? Hellooooo? Draco! Oi, you great loon!"

"Huh?" I answered as her sultry voice disrupted my train of thought. I looked into her deep emerald eyes. Great Salazar, they were so interesting. It was like taking a walk through a forest, over a meadow and a run through the garden when you looked in her eyes. All different shades of green captivated my gaze. I noticed the slight hazel flecks nearer her pupil and the deep sea green colour on the outer rim of the iris. Once could get lost in those eyes of hers.

"Is something wrong? You've been standing there, looking into my eyes while smiling like an absolute weirdo... Are you okay?" She chuckled, nudging my arm slightly, but returning my gaze nevertheless with a slight blush on her pale cheeks.

"No..." I answered, "No, I'm fine. You look beautiful by the way... Can I?" I gestured for my hand to touch her cheek. She grinned and nodded. I brushed my thumb against the apple of her cheek, cupping her face as I brushed some hair from her eye. I smiled. "So beautiful..." I let out a sigh.

I felt a hand tug on my blazer, pulling me closer in to her. She placed a kiss on my lips, causing my smile to only get wider. She let out a chuckle before I deepened the kiss, still keeping it gentle. I missed her soft lips, we hadn't kissed in a while as she had told me a couple weeks back that she thought that whatever we were doing, we were going too fast. Which I must admit, bruised my ego quite a bit. All I wanted to do was love her, make her feel like the only girl in the world, because in my eyes she was. Of course, I would never tell anyone that, that would be showing a weakness... And then yesterday happened, so I was quite shocked that she kissed me. Apparently so was Bella.