Henrietta Potter And The Slytherin Child - (A 'Henrietta Potter' sequel) || D.M

33 - After Dinner Desserts

"I've heard of that!" Scorpius piped up, "didn't some kid die last time it was held? Dickory or something?"

I looked down, feeling slightly winded as the vivid image of Cedric's lifeless eyes staring up at me flashed to the forefront of my mind.

I felt a small pressure against my leg beneath the table, and it took me a shocked second to realise that it was Draco, offering me comfort with his own leg. I glanced sideways up at him, my lips faintly twitching up at the corners to show him I was grateful for his gesture.

"Diggory," I murmured quietly, almost a whisper. "His name was Cedric Diggory."

"Did you know him, Mum?" Albus asked, looking at me strangely.

Slowly I nodded, but struggled to say anything.

"Your mum was a Champion, too," Draco said in a low, solemn voice, and I could feel his eyes watching me carefully, "she won it."

"Wow! Really?" Scorpius gasped impressively.

"You never said, mum!" Albus exclaimed at the same time. "Of all the cool things, why did you leave this one out?"

"Because funnily enough it didn't feel very cool when I watched my- my friend getting murdered right in front of me." I snapped, banging my fist down loudly on the table.

There was a ringing silence in the air.

"Sorry, Mum," Albus said in a small voice, looking down guiltily at his plate, "I- I didn't know."

I knew it wasn't his fault, and I knew I shouldn't have spoken to him like that. But his words had made something inside of me snap.

"It was a difficult time, Al, especially for your mother," Draco spoke gently, his leg applying more pressure against mine.

I suddenly felt so glad that he was here; that, apart from Ron and Hermione, it was Draco who seemed to understand me more than anyone.

"Well, I don't know about anybody else, but I'm starving - let's eat." Draco said, moving the topic away, and throwing me a discreet, empathetic wink as he began to pile turkey onto my plate.

*****

"Okay boys, you can go scarper, we'll finish up clearing away in here," Draco ordered, as he started loading up the dishwasher.

"Will we?" I scoffed, pulling a face at him.

But the moment the boys slammed the kitchen door behind them, Draco abandoned the dishwasher, instantly rounding on me.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, his brow furrowing in concern as he closed the space between us, his hands clasping my upper arms.

I twisted away from him under the pretence of clearing the table, not being able to bear the look of pity in his eyes.

"It was a long time ago, Draco," I shrugged, leaning across the table to collect the empty wine bottle, "a lot has happened since then."

"Look at me, Etta," he growled fiercely, grabbing my arms again and whirling me back round to face him. Grey eyes burned intensely into mine as he removed the bottle from my hand and placed it back on the table behind me. "Don't shrug me off. I was there, remember? I know what you went through."

The ache returned to my chest as I felt a lump form in my throat. I did not want his compassion because I was afraid I would cry and crying in front of him was the last thing I wanted to do.

"Please, Draco," I whispered, my voice shaking. "I can't... this- this isn't about me."

"Of course it is," he murmured, tenderly grazing the back of his fingers down the side of my face, causing me to release a small, blissful sigh as I found myself nuzzling against his touch.

His breathing intensified and I could hear the sound of his heart hammering beneath his chest. Our faces were only inches apart, and I couldn't help but allow my eyes to flicker to his lips, my desire to feel them against mine making me giddy. I could scarcely breathe; my heart racing so fast that I thought it was going to explode.

"Etta," he sighed, the back of his throat making a low rumbling sound as he dipped his head and ever so delicately brushed his lips against mine. He stilled, waiting for my response.

And then, I kissed him.

It was as though something had exploded within me. Heat rose from my stomach to my chest as I flung my arms up around his neck, claiming his lips. Hungry and intense, he pulled me roughly up against him, one hand pressed flat against the small of my back, the other at the back of my head, digging his fingers into my hair.

He lifted me upwards and slammed me down hard onto the edge of the table, enabling me to wrap my legs around his middle so that our hips were moulded together. He shuddered, emitting a sound at the back of his throat, half growl, half moan.

My hands knotted in his shirt as shivers rippled through my nerves, making my whole body tremble. Draco pushed further against me, the movement causing a glass to topple over on the table, but I didn't give a fuck. I didn't care about anything in that moment other than him. I could feel every square inch of my body dissolving into his as my veins throbbed, and my heart exploded.

Gasping, he pulled his mouth from mine, and I could see the swirling hunger in his half-lidded eyes as they briefly met mine before he once again dipped his head and peppered a trail of hungry kisses along my jawline, not stopping until he reached my neck where his lips and teeth began to bruise the sweet spot below my ear, leaving me utterly breathless.

"Draco," I shivered, and I felt his hold on me tighten, crushing me against his chest as he softly moaned into my neck.

And then I suddenly realised what he was doing, and what would happen if I let him continue. And I couldn't let him do that.

"Draco... stop!" I gasped breathlessly, moving my hands to his shoulders, trying to prise him off my neck before he could leave his mark.

He seemed not to hear, instead lost in his own fierce desire as he worked his mouth more forcefully against my skin, his frame pushing heavily against mine, attempting to pin me down onto the table with his weight.

Was this idiot for real? Giving it some force, I shoved him hard, making him stumble back in surprise.

Grey eyes looked up at me in a mixture of hunger and confusion as he panted heavily, trying to steady his fierce, uneven breaths.

Hopping immediately down from the table, my hand flew to my neck, feeling the wetness under my fingers from his impassioned attack.

"Etta?" Draco asked, his voice hoarse. "What-?"

"The boys, Draco," I whispered, my gaze darting towards the direction to where the sitting room lay on the other side of the wall.

He closed his eyes as though in pain, pressing the heel of his hand against his forehead, letting out a strangled groan.

And then the kitchen door flew open, making both Draco and I jump guiltily apart.

"Haven't you finished yet?" Albus asked striding over to the fridge and pulling out a can of coke.

Draco and I exchanged horrified glances.

Thank fuck he hadn't walked in seconds earlier.

*****