Deliverance | Draco Malfoy

Twenty-Nine

"Yeah. She gets restless when you start tossing and turning every night, so I let her roam around for a little while and then put her back." He scrunched his face a tad and closed one of his eyes like it was taking most of his energy to focus and stay awake.

"Every night? Do you just hang out outside my door every night and hope I'll come out begging for your services if I get too lonely?" I cocked a brow and crossed my arms tightly across my chest, trying to beat the chill in the air of the hallway.

"No."

"Then why are you staking out outside my room and letting my cat out while I sleep-"

"Because I want to make sure you're okay."

I froze for a second and realized how soft and velvety his voice had been this entire time compared to my threatening tone. My shoulders slacked and the sizzling under my skin cooled.

"That I'm okay?" I asked slower than my other responses had been.

"Yes." He sighed for a few seconds. It wasn't an annoyed sound, but it was one of exhaustion.

"Why?" I tried to find more bite for my words to sink into him because I knew I was supposed to be upset, but I couldn't find it in me.

"Because you've been screaming for the last few nights, and I wanted to know you were safe." He ran a hand back through his hair to push it out of the way and looked up into my eyes across from him. "If I stay out here, I know you're fine without pushing my presence onto you before you're ready to talk. No one's hurting you, you're still here, it's all just in your head. Just dreams." He pulled a shoulder up into a weak shrug. "It makes me feel better when I can see it for myself."

"Why would you do that when I'm mad at you?" I felt confused. Here it was again. The male that's a complete douchebag, but also has a good heart that so rarely makes an appearance, it's hard to believe it when it does.

He stared into my eyes for a minute or so before he answered. He wasn't trying to win me over. His posture was more relaxed than he usually ever let it be around me. He was slowly learning to trust me more and more each day. He looked worn out like he had been draining himself of any life the last few days.

"Because you're my girl." He replied softly.

Everything inside of me felt like fire and ice, ash and concrete, water and poison. I was crumbling. I needed to hold my ground and remember what I had been standing for these last few days, but it was so hard to do when he said things like that.

"Are you..." I found myself stopping the question before I gave in to him too quickly.

"Am I what, sweetheart?" He patiently leaned against the wall and twirled his wand between his fingertips, his forearms resting over his knees again so his hands hung between his legs. I straightened up and tried to put on a brave face again.

"I'm giving you 5 minutes. You may come in and tell me what you want to say, and then I'll decide what I want with you." I turned and left him as I crossed the room to my bed again.

"Can I ask what you've been dreaming of?" He picked up the candle holder I had dropped by the door and flicked his wand at the fireplace so more light and warmth filled the cold room.

"I, uh-" I cleared my throat and sat down on the edge of the bed. "It's been different every night, but they all end the same way." I shrugged as he stood by my door to give me space. "I never remember all of it when I wake up, they all just end in me being drowned by someone... or drowning because I can't swim..." A shock of goosebumps crept up the flesh of my arms, making me tug on the sleeves of the shirt I had been sleeping in. Draco watched the movement before he opened his mouth again.