Ineffable. [D. Malfoy]

III

So close, almost there.

But before she can reach for it, her vision goes hazy again and she blacks out.

The sounds of shuffling around the room catch her attention. Esme feels her limp body being pulled up into the arms of another. Her fingers tremble slightly from the after-effects of the curse. Her eyes locked with Draco's, and a force of air had pushed straight back into her lungs. The scent of vanilla and oakwood flooded into her nose, allowing her to relax in his hold. He was in her reach, and she could breathe again. The daylight shined through her room windows, outlining his tired features.

As he placed her down onto the middle of her bed, she notices his disheveled hair, the platinum strands falling to the sides of his face, hanging over his forehead. Quiet whimpers leave her lips as her eyes shone with tears. His jaw is strained, holding a stressed expression over his face. The silver in his eyes was dull, with an undertone of red. 

Her stomach twisted as he met her stare- watching as his lip twitched and his face hardened. He was wearing a mask to prevent her from seeing how he truly felt. His eyes morphed into grey- hard as ice. It was as if he was staring daggers into her soul.

"I told you to check the books Esme," His voice a low growl.

A small whimper left her lips, and he lifted his wand frantically, casting a diagnostic over her hand. From her peripheral vision, she could see his free hand using wandless magic. He mumbled several spells under his breath, gathering all different types of potions to use. 

Her lips cracked open to speaking, and his eyebrows narrowed as her voice came out weak, "I was being dumb, and I forgot."

"You should have called for me. Don't forget next time," he scolds her. Draco begins to draw out each ingredient with the previous measures. His eyes moved back and forth between her and his tools as if she would blackout for a second time.

"Stop scolding me, I know I made a mistake."

He ignores her, his lips sealed shut in a tight line, as he clicks his tongue from the inside of his mouth. He was hardly keeping his anger to a low minimum, fueled with guilt for leaving her alone. Her eyes cleared from the wetness of her tears, sending him a soft smile, "It happened so suddenly. My vision went blurry, and I blacked out," she murmurs after a couple seconds of silence.

His eyes flickered momentarily before muttering incantations under his breath. His head would look up at her every couple of seconds, scanning her features for any signs of discomfort before he would focus his attention back on his diagnostics to decide which places in her hand were the most damaged and needed a heavy healing procedure. 

Each time his fingers grazed upon the top of her skin, she could feel the coolness in her touch contrasting against the heat of her hand. She was on fire, raging on the outside with an underlying heat of passion. 

He was ice, freezing its way through layers of shielded crystals. 

Completely different, yet so similar.

Esme noticed his glasses slipping down, and without thinking, her right-hand reached over, pushing them back up to the arch of his nose. She pauses, keeping her fingers against his skin and then slowly moves her fingers up towards his forehead, pushing away the silky strands that came in his line of view. His eyes remained locked with hers the entire time as his chest tightened and he grew stiff. He releases long breaths, barely moving his shoulders to show he was breathing.

His eyes flicker.

"I'm going to stun you. It will be painful."

"Okay."