Lies, Buried and Bound - A Dramione Story

Part Four

The inside was indeed bigger than it appeared on the outside, but not as big as the one she'd lived in with Harry and Ron on the run. It was cold inside and Draco knew he needed to set the stove.

"I'm sorry, it's not much. I haven't been able to make the proper adjustments to it since it was pitched. And I can't make you food because it could attract animals and snatchers alike with its smells. I have some stale biscuits. It's not much, I realise, but it's the best I can offer you."

"Draco," she said, "it's lovely. Thank you for bringing me here."

He nodded solemnly. "Right, well. You're not going to like this, but you need to get out of your clothes, otherwise you might catch a terrible cold."

She groaned. "Right."

After gingerly setting her down on his cot, he disappeared behind a curtain and pulled out some spare clothes. "I'm really sorry about this, but these should keep you warm through the night." He passed her a long white button-up and a pair of trunks.

"You're not doing this to see me naked, are you?"

"What? W-wait, no."

"You're stuttering again."

"Believe me, I... I have no intention to make things worse between us than they already are."

"Good." She took off her boot and shook it for water. But she reached down for the other one and pain shot up her leg, seemingly hitting her spine as well. She shrieked and worried her lip between her teeth. "Christ - Malfoy, help me - help me. It's too swollen to get out of the boot."

He pulled apart the laces of her boot and loosened it. He realised that removing the laces entirely wouldn't have made a difference; the boot was not coming off without hurting her. "Damn. Granger, take this cloth into your mouth and bite down as hard as you can, alright? I'm going to pull it off, but it's going to hurt like hell."

She complied and clenched her jaw together over the towelette. Then she grappled the edge of the cot and braced herself.

"Ready?"

"Jus' f'cking do it a'ready!" she shouted through the cloth.

"Okay."

And he pulled as hard as he could. But the swollen skin would not yield. The horror-stricken screams she let out, though muffled, broke his heart, but he tugged and jostled her leg around anyway.

He began to make some headway when she begged him to stop, just for a moment. She took the towelette out of her mouth, "Just wait - just wait. I need... I need a minute."

"Take all the time you need." He too was gasping for a breath. "I'm sorry."

"Why? You didn't do anything," she said, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Well, I mean... no. Not in this instance. But for everything I did before to... y'know, hurt you." The last two words were spoken very softly.

"Forget it, Malfoy. I already have."

"Why, though? Don't you hate me?"

"I will if you don't shut up and help me pull this bloody boot off my foot." She bit the cloth and nodded.

"Granger, I don't want - "

" - Go!"

And he pulled on her foot once again, the fluid inside her skin resisting with every fibre. She groaned and squealed, and in the moments between hauls, she whimpered and cried.

"It's nearly there. You've got this. Ready, go!"

And with a resounding squelch, the boot slipped over her heel and released her.