t/w: blood, minor character death
d r a c o
He knew what would happen before it did.
The moment Belly had sensed the necklace, she had attempted to wrench it from her neck. She had resisted the Apparition entirely, diverted her attention to pulling at the necklace and trying to break its chain - and he had caught her wrist in his hand and Apparated -
Just before they left the Manor, Draco caught a glimpse of his father's furious expression. It travelled with him, circling around him, and he tried to concentrate entirely on keeping Belly close -
Everything felt wrong. The whirling spaces of Apparition seemed claustrophobic and confined; he felt that she was slipping from his grasp, not fully contained within his arms.
Beneath his hold on her wrist, he felt hot, thick liquid begin to emerge.
They landed outside her house. She tumbled from his arms, and he fell forward onto his hands and knees; the force of the Apparition hurling them both across the tarmac. He had barely opened his eyes, had barely taken a breath when she screamed again.
The scream was different, this time. Anguished.
He scrambled to find her.
Belly was already struggling to her feet, one bloody hand cradled in the other. And Draco knew what she was going to do. Knew, after what had just happened, where she was trying to go -
He lunged after her. "Don't Apparate -"
She stumbled backwards, away from him. "You -" she choked out her words, gasping from the pain - "the necklace - I told you not to -"
Draco stepped forward, and she took another step back. "Belly," he said, "you're bleeding -"
"I need to see my mum."
Trying to ignore his pounding heart, Draco focused on her hand. In the dim light, he could not make out any distinct wounds; could only see that dark blood drenched her sleeve and dripped from the tips of her fingers. "We'll go to her," he said, "but let me fix your hand first, please."
The colour was slowly draining from Belly's face. But she shook her head.
"Belly, you've been splinched -"
"I don't care," she said. "It doesn't matter - the necklace, you -"
She broke off, and pulled hard at the necklace with the hand of her good arm. The silver chain snapped.
She cast it aside, and it landed noiselessly somewhere on the tarmac, in the dark. Draco's gaze followed it there; he searched momentarily for the glinting silver, but could not see it.
The trees that surrounded Belly's house trembled in the icy wind, casting shaky shadows across her face. Draco watched, stricken, as comprehension set into her expression, and tears began to brim in her eyes. "She was so ill, the last time I saw her," she said, her voice strained. "I don't know if she could handle the necklace protecting me again."
Belly swayed dizzily on her feet. She blinked a few times consecutively, and when Draco stepped forward, placing one hand on her shoulder to steady her, she didn't shrug him off. "I need to get to the hospital," she said. "They'll fix my hand there, after I've seen her."
Draco clenched his jaw. He motioned towards her wounded hand, dripping with blood. Belly pulled at the sleeve, revealing another gash along the top of her forearm, and his stomach twisted. He steered her towards the door. "You will," he said, his voice hoarse. "You'll see her soon."
