Fascination|𝐴 𝐷𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑆𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 (𝚈𝚎𝚊𝚛 3, 𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 1)

Chapter Fourteen | Stay With Me

Stay With Me, by Sam Smith

   Draco sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at Hermione. It had been a week since the accident and she still hadn't woken up. In that time he had gotten little to no sleep. Madam Pomfrey said that it was normal after a fall that bad that she would not be awake yet but Draco still couldn't sleep. Day after day he'd lay down beside her, waiting for her to wake up. And that's what he did then. Looking down at her peaceful face, Draco sighed gently then laid down beside her, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand. Then, he'd close his eyes and pray she'd wake up.

  All she could remember was hearing him calling her name, over and over. Hermione struggled to open her eyes. The last thing she saw was the pain in his eyes, but then she felt a sickening wave of pain and nausea shoot through the back of her head and everything went black. Hermione winced at the memory and whimpered slightly, trying to force her eyes open. He'd whispered her name and she'd heard him speaking softly. Hermione moaned, the memory blurring. He... he had held her. She remembered him cradling her head, holding her close to his chest.

   With a gasp, Hermione's eyes flew open, her eyelashes fluttering. She blinked rapidly, her eyes trying to adjust to the light. Where was she? Hermione's gaze scanned the room. She was in the... infirmary? Hermione moaned slightly. How long had she been there? Looking over to the window and judging by the light outside she assumed it was about late afternoon. But that still didn't tell her how many days had passed.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Hermione racked her brain, searching for an explanation. What had happened after she lost consciousness? How did she get here? Hermione began to move but froze when she felt someone lying next to her. She looked down and saw a mess of blonde hair. What was Draco doing here? She studied his face and noticed that he was asleep. Not wanting to wake him, Hermione remained still, trying to process what had happened... what was currently happening.

   Suddenly, Draco jerked and let out a small whimper, startling her. He trembled, his face expressing pain and his breathing became rapid. Hermione looked down at him, worried as he cried out in his sleep. "No... no... no!"

Hermione tried to wake him without scaring him, but he didn't open his eyes when she called his name. Reaching out, she took his hand on one hand, and caressed his cheek with the other. "Draco? Draco, it's okay. Wake up." At the sound of her voice, he stopped trembling and his breathing began to slow to a steady pace.

   It took several seconds for him to open his eyes and when he did they were glassed over with tears. Draco shuddered and she gave his hand a gentle squeeze, lacing her fingers with his. At this, he looked up and gasped. Draco reached up, but hesitated, then took her face in his hand and rubbed his thumb across her cheek. "Hermione." He breathed. "Your awake?"

Hermione nodded and Draco gave her a small smile. It was a weak smile and she could see the pain behind his eyes. She cupped his chin in her hand, trying to reassure him. "I'm alright. It's going to be alright." He nodded and closed his eyes, taking several seconds just to breath. Once he was breathing at a normal pace, Hermione looked him in the eye. "Were you having a nightmare?" Draco nodded. "What was it about."

He swallowed and shook his head. "It was nothing."

"Draco, its alright." She said, her hand still on his cheek. He blinked and a tear trailed down the corner of his eye. She wiped it away with her thumb then hugged him. He still shook slightly, but when she pulled away he seemed to have calmed down slightly. "Draco?" He lifted his eyes to meet hers. "You can tell me."

He shook his head, suddenly looking extremely tired. "I... I can't. I won't put that on you."

   Hermione didn't press him further and Draco didn't bother to tell her. She understood that he didn't want to tell her, but she wanted to help him in some way. To relive him of the pain she had just witnessed him experience. But she couldn't help him if she didn't know what it was about, and she wouldn't push him to tell her. For some reason, something deep down pained her to know that he did not trust her enough to tell her. But then she reminded herself that it wasn't that he didn't trust her. It was his way of trying to keep his nightmares away from her. To protect her from whatever had scared him in such a way.