Little Bird

Chapter Thirty-Four

Eve

            The next two weeks at Draco's home passed pretty quickly; which was odd, because the two of us rarely left the house or did anything aside from sit around all day. We usually just stayed in his room during the daytime, sitting on his bed either in a comfortable silence or talking quietly. Even though his parents had set aside the guest room for me to sleep in, Draco would usually sneak into my room late at night and curl up next to me—because he knew I didn't want to be alone.

            After he'd told me the Dark Lord would be returning to the Manor soon, I couldn't help but be a little freaked out.

            Draco promised me that the Dark Lord wouldn't request to see me, so he told me I could just stay upstairs when he came here again. But I knew Draco was going to have to meet with him, and I wasn't going to let him go alone while I waited safely upstairs. Although I hadn't told Draco, I wasn't going to let him go to the meeting without me—no matter how scared I was.

            But just a few days before the Dark Lord would be coming to the Manor, I woke in the middle of the night to the sound of Draco screaming.

            He wasn't beside me like usual, and as I blearily opened my eyes, I realized I could hear him from all the way down the hall. I was already throwing back the sheets and halfway off my bed before I could even think, stumbling blindly through the dark. As soon as I pushed open the door and entered the hallway, I could finally make out what Draco was screaming from the inside of his bedroom.

            "Please—no, I'll do anything—"

            I was running now, practically sprinting down the length of the hallway in my bare feet and over-sized shirt. Tripping over the rug, I frantically reached for the doorknob to his room.

            "Don't do it, please—take me instead, take me instead—"

            My fingers slipped against the smooth metal of the handle, but I was eventually able to twist it and throw open the door, stumbling inside his bedroom. Through the light of the moon streaming through his window, I could see Draco tangled in his bed sheets with his eyes squeezed shut, screaming at nothing but an empty room.

            "No, don't—please—stop it, stop it, stop—"

            I ran to him, tripping over sneakers in the dark and grabbing him by the shoulders. Shaking him, I yelled over his screaming, "Draco, wake up—"

            But it was like he couldn't even hear me; Draco kept screaming and even tried to push me away from him in his sleep, but I gripped his arms tightly and attempted to hold him down. "Stop—Draco, it's just a dream, please wake up—"

            His eyes snapped open suddenly, his pupils dilating wildly as he thrashed against me—like he still didn't know where he was. Over his terrified muttering of, "No", I held his shoulders and said breathlessly, "Draco, it's me. It was just a dream, you're okay—"

            Draco's eyes finally focused on me, and I could see the disbelief in them as he struggled to recognize me. He grabbed me then, looking me over in shock with his breath coming out in ragged gasps. Draco pulled me against himself so quickly that my chin knocked painfully against his shoulder, nearly being crushed underneath him as he wrapped his arms around me tightly. I could barely breathe as he held me as close as possible—like he had to make sure I was real.