A Bellamort Tale

Part 28

This time he reacted to her hands on his chest giving him directions and stepped away from her, yet hesitantly. Not even his mother dared to show affection since the dark lord had started to live in their home and the only person he had been really in touch with was his newborn cousin. Granger seemed to sense his distress though, He had always felt as if she would get him, if they weren't from two very different and deeply split worlds.

Now she made him sit on the foot end of his bed, then sat next to him, her thigh slightly touching his.

"I will ask you a question and if you answer, please be honest. If you can't or don't want to, just tell me, okay?"

Draco shrugged.

"I have nothing left to lose. Just ask me whatever you fucking want. I'll be honest if I can."

She smiled compassionately, then wondered in the most soft and tender tone she could manage.

"When was the last time 'you' felt that you were loved unconditionally? Or the last time anyone just hugged you and let you know that you're not alone?"

She could see his shoulders tense and then rise and drop at a quick pace and knew he was struggling against his sobs.

"Will you be able to stand the 'mudblood' hugging you?" She asked him half jokingly. The boy's head shot up and he muttered with tears running down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry for every time I called you that. I should have known better. At least I should have tried to build an opinion of my own instead of just spreading my father's hatred. I know, I've hurt you and I would understand if you never forgave me. But I had to tell you how sorry I am. Can I get that hug now?" He begged.

She felt her own heart break for him, for all the pain and all the things he had to go through in his very young life. When she opened her arms he almost fell into her embrace, dove head first into the warmth he was craving so strongly. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and let all the piled up emotions, all the pain from suffering under his solitude and the impossible task he had been given, his suppressed feelings for the muggleborn witch who was now rocking him in her arms as she had done with his cousin before, out.

Hermione just held him close, gently rocking back and forth, softly humming a random melody like her mother had done when she was little. He slowly calmed down again. Feeling too flustered to look at her, Malfoy kept his face still hidden, but tried to speak to her.

"I have no idea what you just said! Just look at me and say it again." She pleaded calmly and he really did look up yet still avoided direct eye contact.

"I said thank you for doing that after all I did to you. All the times I hurt you when I in reality wanted to..." The young man took a deep breath. "I shouldn't talk about those things. Even if you felt anything at all, it would never be possible. Not in the way you deserved it to be."
He took her hand and brought it to his mouth to place a light kiss on the back. Then did the same to the other. Then he kissed both her palms. Afterwards he kept her hands in his, asking quietly.

"Why didn't you say that you were cold? I could have cast a charm or lit up the fireplace. There is no need for you to feel all cold and uncomfortable. I know what the dark lord meant, when he said you could stay here with me, but I promise to do whatever I can to make you feel at home. If there's anything you need, just ask me."

That made her blush and get all worked up.

"Hey!" Draco cooed, "Just tell me. You left your bag behind, right?"

The witch confirmed his assumption.

"Yes. Sadly. It contains not only all of my books but also my clothes, my bathroom things and whatever I could've needed to be in the open. Worst of all my actual clothes are dirty and soaked in water, seasalt and Dobby's blood." She looked sadly to the floor.

The boy winced, then asked.

"What did you just say? Did he get hurt? Dobby was always a little different than the other elves. More rebellious and a fighter. He always brought me all the sweets I asked for, even behind my mother's back. That's why I missed him when he was freed. What happened? Is he okay?"
Hermione just stared at her hands which were still in his and shook her head, now crying too.

"Fuck!" Malfoy cussed and this time overcame his reservation and laid his arms around the crying woman to comfort her and find solace for himself.

"Please", the witch soon whispered, "I feel disgusting. And I certainly look and smell like it. Damn I still have the same clothes on as yesterday. Oh crap, I almost forgot the plan. But without me the plan is almost impossible. Especially because I still have something very essential. And just now I am not even sure if we were doing the right thing. I mean, destroying them all so Harry could defeat him in the end, would take the little girl's father or even both her parents from her. Harry wouldn't like the idea either. But he has come too far to just give up. It's a fucking dilemma!"

She had already forgotten about the state of her body and her attire, was again worrying more about others than herself. Draco stopped her as she started pacing again.

"Hermione, maybe if you told me, we could figure something out together? Like I don't know, maybe we can call a truce? For as long as Delphini is still so small and needs her mum and dad. In their own house! I would miss her and Bella, but..."

"I get it. But if I told you, you were in grave danger. Because what Harry, what we are, what we were doing... He can't be killed until Harry's job is done. Dumbledore left him this unfulfillable task and didn't even tell him how to do it. We figured out one thing that has the power and another we can't get to. The first might be out of reach again soon too and then we're not much further than we were in the beginning. Only that we're one more down." She added numbers in her mind, "That means there are three left. Maybe four if my worst fear becomes true. Either way the prophecy said that..."

"Wait, what? You know the whole prophecy?"

"Well, yeah?" Hermione slapped her hands to her mouth. "Fuck, I shouldn't have said anything. What did you do? How did you get me to talk?"

"Stop, I didn't do anything, And I wouldn't inform him if you told me not to. But... if the dark lord would be able to hear all of it, maybe he would stop punishing my family for my father's mistake."

The young female was shaking all of a sudden. Then she muttered.

"If I let him look into my thoughts again, he would see something else and that would ruin everything." A sudden thought hit her. "Nagini, do you know where she is? Not only does she have to die to defeat 'you know who' but I also owe her some things. Last time we met, she escaped my spell sadly,"

The Slytherin boy's eyes widened at her words. Never would he dare threaten the dark lord's pet snake, until recent events the only living being he seemed able to feel any affection for.

"Damn, Granger, Hermione! You must stop speaking your thoughts out here. You'll get yourself killed before the next week otherwise, maybe even before the evening. Please keep your mouth shut and for once try to not be the Gryffindor 'know-it-all', no matter how much this particular characteristic of you turns me on."

"Malfoy!" The woman sputtered, making him grin cockily.

"Just telling the truth he muttered to himself as he pressed his wand to the dark mark on his forearm. It took Voldemort only seconds until he stood in the room, only dressed in an obviously rather new and to him unnatural pair of boxer briefs, and an open bathrobe. Seeing the young woman look away sheepishly, he grinned lewdly at the boy.