Hidden Feelings - A Draco Malfoy Love Story

Chapter Sixty-Three

I've had my fair share of nightmares, yet they never bothered me as much as a complete inability to sleep. While the events of the meeting left me incapable of eating a bite of dinner despite my hunger, they couldn't plague my dreams because they plagued my thoughts first, leaving my eyes wide open in the darkness of my room.

It's the reason I hear the thump in the room a few doors down at two in the morning. I take the sound as an invitation to get up and stop getting lost in the spiral of my memories, grateful for any distraction.

The moment I leave the room, I realize the sound must have been Draco, knowing his room is the closest to mine. After checking down the hall to ensure no one is coming, I sneak over and find his door, opening it tentatively to discover the lights on.

Draco sits at the side of his bed, leaning down with his elbows propped on his knees. His head snaps up the second I enter, his eyes flashing with panic that melts away once he sees me.

"Close the door," he whispers, and I don't hesitate to do so as he says, wrapping my arms around myself as I turn back to him.

"I heard something, are you-are you okay?" I ask quietly, not sure if he's okay with me approaching based on his tense figure. He nods, staring at the floor. He's in a tee-shirt now, revealing his dark mark unlike how he normally covers it up like I do.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." He leans forward and rests his head in his palms. I wrap my fingers around my arms, frowning.

"It's okay not to be fine, Draco," I whisper. He quickly looks up again, his baggy, tired eyes staring at me with an unreadable, almost shocked expression. "What?"

"That's what you said to me when..." He clears his throat. "You said that the day we first kissed."

Slowly, I nod, and take the chance to walk forward, sitting next to him. "You're right."

He watches me, his blond hair hung messy over his forehead, almost over his eyes. I tilt my head, frowning slightly.

"Draco..."

He shakes his head a little, his jaw tightening. "Nightmares."

I nod, holding my hand out. He takes it without hesitation to squeeze tightly, yet unlike most times, the gesture is clearly more to stabilize himself than to comfort me.

"How many times have you seen that happen?" I ask, dreading the answer. He shakes his head again, his eyes wide, somehow innocent, and my heart breaks at how little he deserves this life.

"Too many times."

I squeeze his hand back.

"How about you? Are you okay?"

I break our gaze to look forward, taking a breath. "No nightmares if you can't sleep in the first place."

"Is it bad I think you're lucky?"

"No, no, I am," I say despite wishing I could at least get some rest after weeks of awful sleep. "Nightmares are awful. Do you want to...talk about it?"

He sighs. "No, it's just...it's just what happened at dinner. I hate it when he feeds them to Nagini."

A wave of nausea passes over me at the thought alone. "Yeah."

He runs his thumb over my hand, and I see him turn his head back to me through my peripheral vision. "I'm sorry if this sounds weird, but...would you stay here? Just for tonight."

I glance over, raising my eyebrows. He's so exhausted he can barely hide how scared he is, at this point. "Of course, Draco," I respond.

He nods, gulping softly. "Thank you."