A Memory Of Shadows

17 - Blood Rush

"How is it possible that I wake up this morning to an Owl telling me you are gone from St. Mungo's? Have you gone mad? Did they bombarda your brain?" Draco waved the rolled up remains of a torn Daily Prophet through the air. "What were you thinking? Were you even thinking? Your injury is no joke, Verin."

"Relax, Draco," the witch rolled her eyes at the fuming wizard. "I simply prefer the comfort of my home instead of that ghastly place." She crunched the bits of newspaper she had not let go of. From her place on the sofa, she easily chucked it into the fire Ebbie had lit early this morning. "Don't be so dramatic. Look, I even brought my pet Mediwizards." Marcelo and Joaquin looked up from their window seats. It was shift change and the latter Mediwizard gave his report of the night, underlined by grunts of disapproval and annoyance from the other. "We are trained professionals, Miss Yaxley." Verin smiled at them "Of course you are, darlings. So are my owls."

"Don't even try to play this down," Draco fired back, a flicker of amusement glinting in his eyes. "That was reckless." For a couple of moments, they stared at each other. Draco had dark circles under his eyes, hair untypically disheveled. Without breaking eye contact, Verin's attention wandered back to the Mediwizard. "Could you give us a minute, please, boys." Joaquin grunted. Both looked less than happy to give up their front row seats to the argument but obeyed. They did not like her attitude, but money smoothed a lot of rough patches. Verin sighed as the door closed behind them and carefully moved her legs. "Sit with me," she padded on the blanket. He did not move. "Please, Draco." His face was a mask of calm as he nodded, yet Verin thought she saw his hands shaking as he took of his cloak and sat down. He reached for her hand, pulling it in his lap. The silence was deafening as he studied their intertwined hands.

"Draco?" she had asked before she felt the tear on her skin. His tear. Suddenly he leaned forward and kissed her. Not like he had done a couple of weeks ago, a quick kiss on the lips to startle her. he properly kissed her. As she felt herself replying to him, his kissed deepened. Hungrily, he pulled her bottom lip between his, his arm snaking around her healthy side and pulling her closer. The wetness of his tears brushed against her nose as his tongue slid over her teeth and in between. She groaned as their tongues met, her fingers gripping the button border of this shirt. He misunderstood, taking her groan for one of pain, and pulled back. Her face felt warm, she must have looked flushed, and her stomach fluttered.Panting and wide-eyed, Draco's gaze wandered to her injured shoulder."Sorry, I.." She smiled at him. "Don't. I am not in pain. At least not worth mentioning." "But..." he looked confused for a minute as Verin raised an eyebrow. "Oh. I understand. Still, my apologies." "What exactly are you apologizing for? Again?"

"Don't you ever do this again," he pressed out through his teeth. "If you mean helping..." As if the kiss had not happened, they were back to arguing. Draco must have found his composure and rage again, remembering what brought him here in the first place. He was not angry at her, she knew that. His switch, though, triggered her own anger. "You could have died, Verin!" "You could have died!  Do you really expect me to sit around while that IDIOT Saint Potter claims to safe you?""Of course, next time better sent the one who defeated the Dark Lord himself. OH WAIT""He is still AN IDIOT I DON'T TRUST FARTHER THAN I CAN SPIT! AND I DON'T SPIT, DRACO!"

The blood rushed from her face as she shot up from her lying position. The pain pushed her back instantly. "By Merlin," she gritted her teeth, swallowing down the bile that rose up. Draco's face had drained of colour as much as her own. "It's fine, I'm fine," she quickly breathed, reaching for his hand again. "You are not fine. Do not play this down, for Merlin's sake." He swatted her hand away. It hurt that he could just go back like the kiss had been nothing. Like it had been purely his own need to take something he felt belonged to him. "Come on, now, Draco. It is no compar-" "I do not recall seeing anyone I love almost dying from blood loss because they got freaking bombarded." "Love? You love yourself most and I remember very vividly it happened to you. becaus of that Potter person, no less." "That was different." "It was not." They fired back and forth.

"It was deserved. You did not deserve this, Verin. Any of it." "Stop it. Stop pretending I was a victim. All you ever do is handle me like I am an abused dog that is asking for more."

"Then stop acting like one." He had crossed a line and they both felt it. For an instant, Verin thought he might apologize. Silly. Good old Draco Malfoy. He had tried to make something up with her. To absolve himself from his sins. Together, he had said. Together for himself he had meant. It had been stupid of her to feel bad. To pity herself and fear the judgement of her former friend's. She was just a tool to help him on his way to inner peace.

"It is better you leave. I have seen how you treat your belongings; Draco. I must say this dog much more prefers to be a stray." Verin hated herself for her words. All she wanted was to go back to that kiss. She wanted to smell his cologne again, dug her fingers into the perfect smoothness of his shirt as her knuckles brushed the muscles of his stomach. She wanted together  to mean something. If only lying in bed and pretending the world out there did not exist. When that feeling towards him had changed, she did not know.But it did and she wanted it, needed it, so badly.

As Draco scanned her one last time, Verin thought back to the moment he had appeared in this very parlor after she had practically run from him in Diagon Alley. On the cold glass pressing against her palm and the absence of it as he had taken the Firewhiskey from her. The words unspoken. She was scared of his reaction then, as she was scared of his reaction now.  Now, as he turned around and left, the words unspoken were quite different.

You are ridiculous.

You are obnoxious.

I am not sorry.

I am not sorry.

And yet...

Don't leave me. Come back for me.

A/N

Hello lovely readers of this story!

Sorry for the short chapter. The next one will be the usual length.

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