Save Me

RIDDLES

The next morning, he woke at 5 am. She was drooling on his bicep and he ran his fingers through her hair as he gently lifted her head and slid the pillow under her. He needed to run and work out. He ran 5 miles around the ministry which was awkward, to say the least and then he did pushups and situps until he couldn't anymore. As he was finishing his last set he felt her panic.

Draco! Where are you!? What's wrong? Draco!?

He rushed to her. She was crying. "I thought something happened to you. I- I didn't know it was 5 yet. I was- I was really sleeping. More than I have in months. I just wasn't thinking about it, I'm sorry. You were gone and your heart rate is high and you're angry. Is it me?"

He took her face in his hands and wiped the tears away. "No love, it's not you. I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you. Nothing is going to happen to you I promise. I'm here." He pulled her close to his chest and waited until her breathing relaxed. "I'll go get you some peppermint tea okay?"

"No. I only like it when you make it, you mess up the ingredients and somehow it's better. You can't buy it."

"Okay, let's use the floo to the Weasley's."

"Are you sure? I really don't need-"

"We're going. Get dressed."

–

In Molly's kitchen Draco rolled up his dress shirt sleeves and set the kettle to boil. He grabbed a blanket and sat Hermione at the counter where she watched him carefully. He washed and crushed the fresh peppermint leaves, and combined them with the water. He added sugar and honey, and then a peppermint candy.

"You add a peppermint candy?"

"Yes. It's peppermint tea. Now drink it."

Her face was red from crying when she was scared, and he knew she was crying about a lot more than him briefly being gone. It was probably because if they didn't succeed they would all die. He would definitely die. He took an ice cube from the freezer and titled her head back, rubbing it under her eyes and on her cheeks to contrast the heat of the tea. She sighed and relaxed into his palm as he cupped her face. She was beautiful, he thought.

"Draco- don't leave me."

"Never."

She pulled the collar of his shirt down and kissed him. He memorized every part of her- the way her lips felt on his, the way she tasted like strawberries, and the way her arms wrapped around his neck as he picked her up, pressing her to the wall.

She was his everything. He would never love anyone the way he loved her.

Suddenly, he pulled back, out of breath. "Hermione! What if it's not just one prophecy that we're looking for, but information from multiple that's the key!?"

"What do you mean? Kiss me again."

He slammed into her. Kissing her as he thought 'I mean that it would make sense why no one has every figured this out before.' Her hands were in his hair. 'The dumbest prophecy you've heard remember? It asserted there's only one true love someone has in their lifetime. Maybe that's important' He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. 'Someone can die in more ways than one? Maybe it's not suggesting the literal ways people could die, but saying they can die more than one time.' She nodded and pulled him in, deepening the kiss.

"Oi, what are you two DOING in my kitchen!?" Molly Weasley asked. "It's 7:30 in the morning and I come downstairs in my night gown thinking the ministry has broken in here from all the loud...slamming."