NATALIA [Draco Malfoy Fanfiction]

Thirty-Two | Figured We Could Take a Day Off

"You didn't tell the others where I had gone."

I had spoken up only after a brief silence, trying to figure out how I was meant to respond Narcissa's comment.

"I don't necessarily adore the idea of child casualties," Narcissa told me, "and if I had said something, there was a good chance that both of you would've been killed."

"Right."

She wasn't a monster. I knew that. It was just hard to picture compassion among those fighting on the other side, even if it was my boyfriends mom.

I felt both her and Gemma watching me as we made our way to the manor, possibly for a variety of reasons as I felt a sort of nausea washing over me as we entered through the front doors.

My blood runs cold as I actually smell the blood before I see it, a metallic tang in the air, mixed with what I will learn to be decaying flesh. So, I actually gasp when I hear Dracos voice, the first proper breath I take since being greeted with the fear that the blood was his. "You shouldn't be here," Draco says, emerging from the kitchen with a bloodied cloth in his hand, his brow furrowing as he notices Gemma on his moms other side.

"I told you she'd come back, Draco," his mom sighs, while I'm still taking in his haggard appearance, the impact of his torture standing out against his pale skin, his expression unreadable as he meets my gaze. But, it didn't stop me from rushing forward and pulling him into my arms.

"It's not mine," he says after a moment, gesturing to the bloodied towel in his hand, "it's goblin blood, so you can stop looking at me like I'm some disabled orphan child."

"Goblin blood?" I question.

"The dark lord paid a visit after the order left. I'm not too sure of the details, but it had something to do with Gringotts."

"The dark lord was here?"

I watch as he glanced past me, sharing a quick look with his mother before responding. "I wasn't... present for it. Aunt Bella and the others had their minds altered so that they didn't remember my arrival."

"So all this..." I gesture to the cuts and bruises that seem to be evenly dispersed throughout his body.

"Was Bella," Draco finishes for me, clicking his tongue when he catches my reaction. "And there's that disabled orphan look again."

"Draco..."

He gives me an irritated look, clearly dissatisfied by how I've failed to get over the fact that he had been tortured. "I must ask what Gemmas doing here," Draco says after a moment, changing the subject.

"Came along for the ride, of course," she pipes in, "don't mind me."

"I wasn't going to."

I hear her scoff, before Narcissa cuts in. "Might I suggest you come with me to the living room?" She asks her, "Ms. Blackwell and my son will join us soon, I'm sure."

Draco gave his mother an irritated look as she purses her lips, an unspoken conversation going on between the two of them before she leaves with Gemma, and I'm left with him.

"Draco..." I start slowly, only stopping with whatever I was about to say when I catch sight of his expression.

"Do I... have I... fuck... I honestly don't know where to start," Draco finally says, running his hand through his hair and exposing the large gash that danced along his forehead. "You shouldn't have come back," he decides on, "you had no idea... an entire fleet of death eaters could've been here."

"But they weren't," I pointed out weakly.

He makes a noise, and honestly... honestly? I thought I pushed it too far, and he just had an aneurysm or something, but he recovers after a moment of physical restraint. "Do you seriously want to die or something?"