𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐲 𝑨𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕| 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐨𝐲

{𝑿𝑿𝑿𝑿}

Elise falls to her knees as the pain shoots and spreads throughout her body, as soon as she hits the ground she curls into a protective ball around her wrist.

Charlie laughs. "Pathetic."

"That's your fiancée," Draco says anger already boiling through him.

"I decide whether a weak little thing like that has something to with me, not you, escort boy," Elise tightens her ball, and more tears stream down her face, they are warm.

"If you're calling her weak then your obviously the one with problems. Want me to start naming them off? Blind, senseless, careless, I could go on forever. But those are just the roots of the whole thing."

"You think you're her knight and shining armour don't you? Well wake up blonde boy, she will sweet talk you, and put on a whole show and when you try to take her on a nice date at a bar, she denies you over some kids who aren't even real—" that's when Draco's anger was overflowing and he couldn't handle it anymore, his fist flew and hit Charles right in the jaw and sent him flying back into the bar front door.

"You're going to bloody pay for that—" Draco punched him again, this time across the face, only firing Charlie up and getting a punch to the jaw. Draco's face flies backwards but he recovers quickly and punches Charlie in the stomach, causing him to yell out in a coughing fit his arms go to his stomach to protect it, and that's when Draco goes for his face another time, Charlie falls to the ground, and Draco takes that as a sign that he has won and runs to Elise who is in her protective ball biting her lip to ease the pain and to hide her cries.

Draco kneels down in front of her and places his hand gently on her head and strokes her head. She gasps and wacks his hands away and tries to stand up but Draco takes her into his arms and holds her to his chest, so she knows, it's Draco and not Charles.

"Shhh" He calms her, her heart is beating fast, and she is breathing heavily, as tears flow down her cheeks.

And though she feels weaker than normal, Elise closes her eyes and relaxes into Draco's chest, and eventually falls asleep from exhaustion from crying and hurting.

⚤⚤⚤

Elise wakes up in a panic, her eyes shoot open and she quickly realizes where she is, her flat, at Hogwarts, in her bed. Draco's there too. Elise turns her head to the blonde boy sleeping, on his side of the bed. They were asleep like the couple they were supposed to be, but, then she remembers the babies, and she tosses the covers with her left hand and she feels pain.

"Merlin!" She whisper-screams and Draco is awake and has one hand on her back and the other softly grabs her injured hand and rubs comforting circles with his thumb on her wrist.

She sighs. "Feeling any better?" His morning voice is low and scratchy. Elise takes a deep breath, after being distracted from the soft circles being traced on her wrist. After a moment of her silence, Draco stops his thumb circles and sits up fully to look at her to see what had happened. "Are you alright, darling?"

She meets his eyes and she notices his black eye and swollen jaw, she sticks in a breath and a tear falls down her face, Draco notices and wipes it away, his touch is light and soft. "What is it, Elise? Does it hurt? Madame Pomfrey said if it continued to hurt we could get some pain potions." She shakes her head.

"I'm sorry." She finally says, and it feels nice to confess this.

"For what? Darling, you did nothing." He opens his arms for her, giving himself out to her as a comfort. She nods, and smiles softly, and cuddles into his chest, and they lay there for long moments, her beating herself up and him breathing softly into her hair loving every second he has her in his arms.

Then, when she was ready she spoke. "Draco, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything I've done for you. I was horrible, and I was only thinking about myself. And I didn't even have good reasoning for the things I did. I'm sorry, I want to make it right to you, I want to..." she stopped not wanting to say what she was thinking.

"Please continue Elise, I want to hear you say you are wrong for the first time." He smiles, and Elise laughs softly.

"Keep that behaviour up and our kids might turn out like you." He laughs.

"Keep that stubbornness up and our kids might turn out like you." they smile even wider.

"What's so wrong with that?"
She jokes, and he stops laughing and takes her head in his hands.

"Nothing, you're absolutely perfect Elise."

She locks eyes with him and shakes her head. "I'm not Draco, I'm a hot mess and a weakling," she looks down at her hands in embarrassment. "We've learned that in multiple different ways."

Draco tilts her head up so she can meet his eyes. "Everyone has weaknesses, even if they hide them well." He takes a moment to collect his thoughts then takes a deep breath. "Beating yourself up for the mistakes you have made is an awful thing, Elise. I can tell you are doing it to yourself all the time, your eyes give away more than your face does." More tears begin to burst from her eyes as his words sink in. "I've spent years of recovery from the war and the awful things I've done, but I have forgiven my mistakes, and you need to as well. It makes you stronger to let go and accept. Elise," Draco drops his hands from her face and takes her hands. "We are parents for the time being,  but after this assignment is over, we will start to grow closer together and once we are close enough to have the right amount of strength, we can start our own family, and be strong for and with them. Please be by my side throughout our lives." He tightens his hold on her hands, and she is crying even more.

"Draco, you read my mind. I want to grow in strength and in many more things, with you. I've learned through, this assignment, and almost being married to a horrible man, that you make me happy, and annoyed of course because apparently, you think I'm wrong, which makes you wrong, by the way," they laugh. "But happy, I do want to try this life with you, if you're okay with my weakness and emotionalness." She laughs and he takes her into his lap and cuddles her close after wiping her tears.

"I love you." He whispers in her ear.

She takes a deep breath nods to herself for encouragement then says: "I love you too, Draco Malfoy."