Broken Without You

Chapter 18 - Shouldn't that have been my choice?

Grace P.O.V.

It had been a few days since the attack at the ball. My father was nearly back to full health and it was all thanks to Draco. I don't know wether it was my emotions running high that night or what but I wrote him a letter. I thanked him for what he did and asked how he knew what to do. I told him that I was thinking about what he said a lot and that I wanted to open up to him but I was scared. I poured my heart out into the letter but I so far had no response. I regret even sending it now. I should have waited until the next day. My parents were keeping very hush hush about what had happened, they were treating me like a child. They wouldn't tell me anything about what had happened, why it happen or how it happened. I haven't spoken to either of them in the last 24 hours after a very heated argument. 

It was a very hot summers day, it wasn't even 8am yet, there was no breeze and the sun was beaming down without a cloud in the sky. Perfect day to spend outdoors far away from my parents I thought. I got myself ready. I picked a navy blue sundress with little white spots on it and some brown strap sandals. I put my hair up in a messy bun, it was going to be far too hot to wear it down. I grabbed my book and made my way downstairs. I could hear my parents chatting in the kitchen, great. I walked in and didn't acknowledge either of their good mornings. I filled up my water bottle and grabbed an apple then left through the back door of the kitchen. I walked to the very edge of ur land where a river runs through it. I looked back up at the house which now looked like a tiny dot. This distance should be enough I thought smugly. I took my wand out and magicked a picnic blanket and a few pillows under the shade of the large oak tree. I made myself comfortable, had a sip of my ice cold water whilst looking around listening to the faint trickle of the river. Perfect.

Just as I opened my book to begin reading I heard a crack next to me, I whipped my head to see what caused the noise. "What the...Draco?" I asked, shocked. He was stood just meters from me. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. I looked him up and down, unsure what to make of his sudden appearance. My eyes made contact with his and I felt the usual jolt of electricity run through me when I am near him. "Really Draco? You're wearing your suit in this heat?" I asked him incredulously. He must be sweltering. His bloodshot eyes soften slightly and he smiled and let out a small laugh. 

"I appear out of nowhere and you're worried about my suit." He smiled again. I looked down at his hand to see a piece of parchment, it was my letter. I shifted uncomfortably on my blanket. 

"Come and sit down?" I asked him, "at least get in the shade before you die of heat exhaustion."

He let out another laugh and walked over to the blanket and sat down. "You're so dramatic Grace." I laughed and hit his arm playfully, a pang of regret hit me, I shouldn't be so normal with him. He sat next to me but made sure there was distance between us. He put my letter into his inside suit pocket. It was quiet for a few minutes, but it was a peaceful quiet, just enjoy each other's company. "Has anyone told you what happened?" He eventually asked me.

"No. They seem to think whatever it is I can't handle it and aren't telling me anything." I couldn't hide the irritation in my voice. "Why are you here Draco?" I asked, genuinely curious. He looked over across the river then turned to face me. 

"I meant everything I said that night Grace. Everything." He looked back out over the river. My body seemed to act on its own accord and before I knew it I was closing the gap between us and as Draco turned to look at what I was doing I crashed my lips to his. He returned the kiss with deep passion. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer. I put a leg either side of him and he used them to pull me in closer to him. I was sat in his lap with my legs either side of him and we sat like this kissing for a while. I had missed his touch so much, his soft lips, his smell, everything. We eventually stopped kissing and he pressed his forehead to mine. "Even after all this time kissing you takes me breath away." He pecked my lips again and laid down. I pulled my legs from either side of him and lay down next to him. I put my head on his chest and he instinctively put his arm around me. We lay like this for a while just drinking each other in. "You know why I did it don't you?" He eventually asked me. He turned to face me so we were eye to eye. "I was trying to protect you Grace. You're the most important thing in the world to me. I knew things were going to change and I couldn't bare the thought of you getting mixed up in things, of you being used as leverage against me. It was bad enough at Christmas, I couldn't put you through it again." His eyes looked sad and filled with worry. 

"Shouldn't that have been my choice?" I asked challenging him.

"Always so stubborn." He smirked at me. "When do you go back to Hogwarts."

"Two weeks. I hate that you won't be there." I sulked. He let out a small chuckle and ran his fingers down one side of my face.

"I wouldn't exactly be welcomed back would I Grace." He smiled at me.

We sat for another few hours talking, Draco told me everything that happened that night. I couldn't help but cry, not for what had happened but for him. He has no choice in these matters, it's expected of him and it truly breaks my heart. I could see the pain and conflict in his eyes as he was telling me about it and about all the things that were going on at Malfoy Manor. How it had become The Dark Lords headquarters, he'd lost his home to Death Eaters. 

"How did you know how to heal my father?" I asked.

"Because, I've had it done to me." My stomach dropped, I felt sick rising up my throat. "That night in the hospital wing, that's why I was there. Potter had caught up to me after seeing Katie and, well, we were duelling and he hexed me. I'd never heard it before. Next thing I was on my back bleeding out. Snape came and healed me. I remember it vividly. I still have faint scars on my body." 

"Draco! Why didn't you tell me that you were that badly hurt!"

"Because knowing you, you would have gone and found Potter and done exactly the same to him." He laughed. I rolled my eyes and let out a smile because it was true. I knew everything now, everything that had happened and everything that is going to happen, or at least all that Draco knows.

"Do you know why my father was attacked?" He shifted uncomfortably. "You do! Tell me now Draco!" I exclaimed but he didn't open his mouth. "Now!" I shouted. He let out a grunt.

"You're a hard person to lie to Hawthorne. Ok. Well think of it this way. You're a member of the oldest, most powerful, influential wizarding family. Does it not strike you as strange that you are neither with the Dark Lord, or against the Dark Lord? Your family has always remained neutral in such matters. This is obviously not without efforts of The Dark Lord trying to sway your family to join him. As I'm sure the other side do also. Unfortunately, the wizard tasked with converting your family to His ways, failed. And out of frustration, attacked. This has never happened before, and The Dark Lord was furious as it has hindered any chances going forward." 

I rolled onto my back and stared up at the sky through the leaves. We were silent for a few moments. What Draco said made perfect sense. How did it not even dawn on me before. Draco propped his head up with his right hand and his left snuck its way gently across my stomach and sat at my waist. I turned to look at Draco, his eyes hungry with desire. "You know, that dress, is really quite revealing. If it was anyone else I would think it to be distasteful. But on you, I just want to rip it off." He moved down and kissed me, I sunk into the kiss matching his same urgency and lust. He climbed on top of me and I wrapped my legs around him. He let out one of his grunts that drive me wild, he traced kisses all down my neck and across my collar bone. He moved the straps of my dress down off my shoulder and exposed my breasts. "Fuck, I've been dreaming about these so much." He said as he began kissing one. He stopped and knelt up removing his suit jacket. He threw it to one side and came back down and kissed me. I started to unbutton his shirt as he ran his hands up my thighs. 

"I need you now Draco." I said against his kiss. I pulled his shirt off. I ran my hands over his bare arms and across his chest. This drove him even more wild as our kiss was filled with craving for each other. I reached down and undid his belt and trousers. I started moving them down with my hands then the rest of the way with my feet. Draco grabbed my knickers from under my dress and, to my surprise, ripped them off me. This seriously drove me insane, I let out a moan of pure pleasure. 

"Grace, you know what that noise does to me." He said almost warning me. I knew exactly what it did and I loved it.