A Fiery Love ~ Dramione (Sequel to Stay By My Side)

26. Numb

I'm so sorry this update took so long! Something came up that held pretty much all of my attention and there wasn't much I could do. Life just gets in the way I guess.

But to be perfectly honest as well, I needed the break anyway. Most of 2015 was spent constantly writing both this and Stay By My Side which is a lot of work and takes up much of my time. But luckily enough I managed to develop new ideas during most of my non-writing days, so that is a positive thing that came out of it.

My updating routine should be back to normal right now, but considering that I have a lot going on in my personal life I won't make any promises just yet. But I can promise that I'll try not to stretch out any updates out for longer than they need to!

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I'm sure most of you have heard by now about the tragic passing of Alan Rickman who played Snape in the movies. I was really saddened when I found out as I greatly admired him, the same way many others did. He was such a versatile actor and he will be missed. May he rest in peace.

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Enjoy the chapter

My eyes darted open like I had just woken from a traumatic nightmare. My breathing was heavy, like a panting dog, and I struggled to contain it. It took me a few moments to realize that I was lying in bed alone, again. I stretched my arm out to the empty space next to me and I sighed. This was the second night in a row.

After a minute or two of silent debate, I left the bedroom and walked through the dark hallway, knowing who I was going to find in the living room. I swallowed a lump in my throat as I approached the door. I knew already what he was going to say to me - but I just couldn't ignore the fact that he was all alone and suffering.

"Draco?" I said quietly as I stepped inside. The room was dark but the curtains were open so I could easily see Draco with the help of the natural moon-light. He was sprawled out of the sofa with a dead expression on his face. His stormy grey eyes were reddened with pain and his skin was way too pale, even for Draco. He was still wearing the same clothes as he was when he found out his Father died, so therefore he hasn't washed.

Whether or not he registered my presese, I do not know. He didn't turn his head or attempt to speak to me in a rush.

He was still. Numb. And the display shattered my heart.

"Draco." I said again, this time more loudly. I put on a more sharp tone to my voice to grab his attention, and it worked. But only a little bit. He met my eyes briefly before snapping his head away. He stared up at the ceiling and inhaled deeply.

"Are you coming into bed?" I asked him, my voice wobbling slightly. This was the second night that Draco had stayed in the living room, on his own, and merlin knows whether he has actually slept or not. Whenever I checked on him the previous night he was wide awake - almost too awake, and it was scary. Lucius Malfoy's death has a profound effect on him, but he hasn't spoken to me much about it. At all. He shut down. And I was determined to bring him back to life, but I needed to handle it delicately.

I took a deep breath before I asked him my question again. "Draco, will you come into bed with me? Please. You need a good night sleep."

He didn't respond to me at first. He turned his head again, in slow motion, and when his eyes met mine I already knew his answer.

"No."

He was firm and definite. Even if I tried (which I spent much of last night doing) I wouldn't get far. I couldn't force him to do anything - not when he was in this emotional state.