Chemistry ; draco malfoy

t h i r t y o n e

the pain is immediately blinding. i feel everything, yet nothing at the same time. i'm overwhelmed by the twisting of my muscles, the burning of my skin and the bile rising in my throat. my knees curl into my chest instinctively in order to protect myself. my vision is barely there, i can only see shadows and lights as i'm being crucio'd. even with what little vision i have, i can still make out dracos silhouette standing beside the chair where bellatrix resides.

it seems like it goes on for hours, but it most likely was under a minute. she finally finished her cast, i feel myself suck in a shuddering breath. i can't seem weak, i think. i push myself up off the floor on shaky arms.

"bellatrix," i nod my head as i greet her. my eyes shoot over to draco for a split second, he looks awful, his knees look like they're about to buckle at any moment.

she hums, taking short strides until she's standing in front of me. she traces her wand across my jawline, not breaking eye contact.

"tugwood," she trails off. "pure blood, yes?" i nod my head, breathing in sharply through my nose. "and baby wants in on the games?" her tone is condescending as she twirls her wand in my hair.

"yes," i finally find my voice.

"oh!" she exclaims, looking around the room in mock shock. "she speaks." her eyes are wild when they meet mine again.

she turns on her heel suddenly and heads toward draco. she whispers something that i can't make out, but i watch as his face scrunches up in disgust. he drops his eyes down and shakes his head gently. from what i can see she looks taken aback.

"fine, i'll do it." she turns again and points her wand at me. "crucio." the words roll off her tongue as if they're nothing. i try to keep myself up for as long as i can, but the pain forces me to collapse. i can feel myself screaming, but i can't hear anything but ringing.

after seemingly getting bored, bellatrix finally lets up. the light pouring out from her wand ceases, and she leaves the room with a wicked grin on her face. it's only when she's completely out of sight that draco comes to my side. he places a hand on my elbow, helping me stand up. my knees are shaky beneath me.

"come on," his voice is soft as he brings me up the stairs of the manor.

fuck, why are there so many stairs?

dracos bedroom is the first room on the left, it's large with hints of green. a large bookshelf adorns the far corner, filled head to toe with hardcover books.
they're separated by genre, starting with arithmancy and ending with the wizarding wireless network on the bottom right corner. his bed sits in the middle of the room, with the bed frame pushed up against the wall. his sheets are obviously satin, they're solid grey.

he keeps his grip on my elbow until we reach the bed. he lowers me down gently, making sure that i'm as comfortable as possible. my body feels numb, i can barely feel the sheets below my body. draco leaves to his en-suite, whether or not he tells me he's going there i'm unsure of. my eyes shut on their own accord, it's too tiresome to keep them open.

i'm jolted back to the presence when i feel the burn on my wounds. dracos disinfecting them the muggle way. he tears open a new antiseptic wipe to dab at the gash above my eyebrow. i don't remember getting cut there, i must've hit my head when i fell. he places a bandage over it, his eyes are masked as he does so. i know that he's angry. he's angry at me for revealing myself to bellatrix, and he's angry at bellatrix for involving me. i get it, i was in his place just last week.

he motions for me to scoot up the bed with the nod of his head. i try to lift myself up but my arms don't allow me to. for a split second i see sadness in dracos silver eyes, but before i know it it's gone. the mask is back. he nestles an arm under my bent knees, and places the other one under my back. he barely moves me a foot, but it's the most comfort i've had since i got here.

"stay, please." i look up at him pleadingly. he nods his head. he discards his white shirt, throwing it to the side before crawling into the bed. he pulls my back flush to his front, tangling our legs together. his pointy chin rests on my shoulder, it hurts but it's worth it.

"venus," he starts," you don't know what you just did," he sounds disappointed. but i think he's wrong. i know exactly what i'm doing. i know that i'm not letting him go through this alone. i know that i'd do anything to help him. that's why i'm doing this.

although i'm not too sure what this is yet.

we're able to sleep for a few hours before i'm abruptly woken up by draco thrashing in his sleep.

"muffliato," i i cast, not wanting to wake anyone in the manor up. i turn to face him, bringing my hand up to cradle his jaw. "hey," i whisper," draco." his screams are pained, i feel a tug in my heart.

"you're fine, you're dreaming." all his movements stop. his breath is coming out in harsh pants, hot compared to the cool air of the room.

"sorry," he mumbles, his eyes reflecting with the light of the moon.

"it's alright," i whisper. i untangle myself from the sheets, my legs feel sore and unused. "come over here." i make my way over to the cushioned ledge by the window. i cross my legs, patting the spot in front of me. draco stumbles out of bed, his mind still groggy as he sits on the cushion, resting his head against the wall behind him.

"tell me about them," i point out the window, motioning to the constellations. i know that i need to take his mind off of everything else, and the stars are the best way to do that. his breathing begins to even out as he tells me about his favourite constellation: draco.

"that's not egotistical at all," i laugh, grinning at him. he smiles back at me sheepishly.

"today it's quite close to my favourite planet." he points out the window to a small speck in the sky. i feel my cheeks heat up as i glance at him.

"venus?" i ask.

"no, saturn." my jaw drops as he smirks at me.

"git." i mumble, nudging him slightly. i'm glad that he's feeling well enough to make fun of me.