This Bitter Earth

TEN

Thank you so so much to everyone who voted and commented! I have been LIVING for the notifications haha. It means the world to me to see your support so I want you all to know how much you mean to me. THANK YOU! And a huge thank you to Bree @mysweet_bree for helping me by betaing for me for this chapter! She is wonderful and makes me feel like I might not be a crazy person.

A small note about this chapter, I know some people have had a hard time accepting Draco's actions in this story so I just want to put a content warning that there are some pretty graphic and dark things he does this chapter in the section starting with Theo talking about Quidditch pretty much until the end of the chapter. If you are having trouble with some of his choices and don't want to read that part or aren't ready to, feel free to message me if you have any questions. I don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable while reading.

Soundtrack- "Face Me" by The Plot in You and "Whispers" by Halsey

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TEN

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Draco wasn't surprised to find Hermione at the window. He started leaving the curtains open because she seemed to like looking out over the grounds. Her rich chocolate eyes would scan over them, watching the snow fall softly past the high window in thick flakes. Today, she lifted her hand up and pressed it against the glass. The window fogged as she leaned in, her breath hitting it before she rested her forehead on one of the panes and let out a long sigh.

He swept across the room towards the window, stopping behind her. Granger hadn't moved. She just stood there, head against the glass with her thick, twisting curls falling around her like a curtain. Draco's hands landed on her shoulders, still so small. She was eating a bit more, but not much.

Did Muggles normally eat different food? He didn't know. She seemed to eat the food at school and liked it well enough. Maybe she just didn't like his food.

Maybe she just didn't like him.

Draco glanced back at Crookshanks who slowly blinked his piss-yellow eyes at him. He sneered and turned back to Granger.

"Come away from the window," Draco said softly and pulled Granger back, turning her to face him. Her cheeks were wet.

He quickly reached out and yanked the curtains back closed, shutting out the bright snowy landscape before taking her face in his hands. His fingers spread out on either side of her neck, pushing under the soft curls to get at the warm skin and his thumbs lifted to wipe the wetness from her cheeks.

It was so quiet that Draco could hear each one of her small breaths and they moved softly in and out of her, filling and emptying her chest over and over.

Granger looked up at him, straight into his eyes. She was right here, in his hands, and in that moment Draco could not force his marble walls back into place.

In fact, he didn't want to. He wanted her to keep looking at him like that. Shit, he wanted that more than anything. And... maybe she did too.

Without the white walls, Draco's heart was free to beat a little faster and he felt a rush of... something... something he hadn't felt in so long pushed through the veins by quickening blood.

Granger lifted her chin, staring defiantly back at him. Then, she tilted her head back and the column of her throat pressed up against her fine skin. Bare. Unblemished. He ran his thumbs down over it, dragging them back up and watching her mouth open as she sucked in a breath. Her lips glistened slightly from the tears he hadn't been quick enough to wipe away and he pulled her face ever so slightly to his as he hunched his shoulders, leaning down towards her.