Not Quite Dark Magic

Aftershocks

Draco wasn't sure how he had been removed from the binding room, nor how his hands had ended up around Theo's throat with him pressed against the wall. When he came to— truly had his wits about him once more— there were several wands pointed at him and Theo sported a black eye.

He dropped his hands immediately, stepping back several paces.

"Harry's apparated away. I assume he took Hermione with him." An airy voice from behind spoke, but Draco couldn't pay it any mind. He focused on breathing.

He felt a pull in his chest, begging him to leave the house. Where it intended to take him, he wasn't sure, but he knew that if he gave into the urge he would find Granger on the other side of his apparition. It was an unsettling feeling. His body felt heavier in a sense, but not in a bad way. It was as if he had been floating a few inches off the ground before, and the weight of the new magic in his veins brought him back on the floor. He found it was easier to think now, like the clouds had been cleared from his brain and his emotions had been dialed down a few notches.

After he was sure he could speak without his voice breaking, he glanced around the room.

Pansy was sitting in Longbottom's lap, arms circled around his neck and a concerned look on her face. Theo had joined his Weasley in the corner by the counter, and Lovegood stood a few feet away from him, inspecting his face.

"You've broken his nose, Theo," Pansy shot the man a venomous glare.

"He was choking me, Pans. Surely I can't be faulted for this transgression completely." Weasley was in the process of healing his black eye and he flinched against her touch.

"What happened?" He remembered entering the magical circle and falling to his knees, but everything else seemed fuzzy, as if he was drunk while it happened.

They all stood staring for a moment. He wondered if they had already tried explaining this to him. The Weasley— Ginny, he was going to begin calling her Ginny, lest Theo chew him out again— spoke.

"You were lost to the bind. At first it seemed normal. We know you two are trying to keep the bind superficial, so we removed you from the room." She reached for a rag, wetting it before dabbing it lightly at the side of Theo's face, where blood was sliding down to his throat. "That was when you lost your shit."

He hated when other people performed theatrics. "Meaning?"

Pansy stood up, approaching him slowly with her hand reached out.

"You weren't speaking. You were in on yourself, focused on the bind. We could tell so Theo tried to talk to you and get you out of it, but when he reached out, you.. you went mad and started hitting him muggle style."

Draco noticed, for the first time, the throbbing pain in his nose. He reached up and felt sticky warmth staining his fingers. Pansy cast a quick episkey before cleaning the blood off his face.

He glanced at Theo when she was done. His eyes were swimming with pity and Draco found he couldn't meet them.

"Sorry mate. I don't know what came over me."

Theo shook his head. "It's not easy. I'm just glad Potter was able to use his brain and get Granger out of here."

On cue, there was a cracking sound and the two stood in the center of the kitchen. It was silent as the pair took in the scene in front of them. Everyone was currently on their feet with wands in hand and bloody rags littered the countertop.

Granger turned to face him slowly. "What," she bit out slowly, "in the name of Godric happened?"

He kept his eyes on her shoes. They were simple trainers; practical for the everyday life of war, he thought absentmindedly. When those could no longer distract him from the longing he felt, he moved to her pants. They were some type of black cotton material that hugged her tightly. They seemed reasonable for days that required a lot of physical activity and training. He assumed most days were like that. Much like everything else in her life, she was smart about the way she chose to dress.