Always Remember

IV.

The nightmare was the same with the exception of Billingsgate. He was absent from the nightmare altogether but the rest was exactly the same. The empty-eyed Draco and the haunting, mysterious figure. The effect the nightmare had on me was only slightly dulled by the knowledge that I had fallen asleep in Draco's arms but I still woke up with a start. Draco was lying beside me, his head propped up by his hand, watching me with his eyebrows furrowed slightly. 

"Is it still bad?" he asks, running his finger across my cheek. I grab his hand and hold it longer against my face, the bliss of waking up beside him chasing away the leftover anxiety from the nightmare. 

"Only a little," I reply. I turn over and wrap my arm around his chest, burying my head into his chest. But as I inhale I catch a hint of cologne and look again at Draco. He's already dressed formally for work and I sit up quickly, looking to the clock beside my bed. Seven a.m. 

"Oh, Merlin!" I get out of bed, throwing my closet doors open and pulling out clothes. 

"What's wrong? You still have an hour," Draco says, looking amused. I pause, calculating the time in my head. I usually woke up at four which gave me more than enough time to get ready and now I was limited to only one hour. 

"I'm not used to having so little time. I'm usually up by four!" I say, grabbing my clothes and rushing to my bathroom. I quickly get dressed, wash my face, brush my teeth. The usual routine. When I open the door, Draco is leaning against the door frame, grinning. 

"See, that was quick, now we have all this time left over," he says, quickly pulling me into a kiss. There's a subtle sweet taste of mint on his lips that must have been leftover from when he got ready earlier this morning. I let the kiss linger, indulging in the taste of him and I feel his lips start to curl up into a smile. 

"What?" I ask, finding that his smile is contagious. 

"Nothing. I just think I would like to stay over more often," he places another quick kiss on my lips. I roll my eyes.

"But you didn't stay over the whole night." I pout and he chuckles. 

"You wouldn't want me to stay the whole night. Besides, what's the difference? I'm here when you fall asleep and am back by when you wake up," Before I can interject he changes the subject, "Are you hungry?" I suddenly notice the empty feeling in my stomach and decide to let the former topic slide. When he wants to tell me why he can't spend the whole night or is convinced I wouldn't want him to, he will. In the meantime, I won't force him to tell me. I just smile in response and he leads me to my dining room that is already complete with two plates of bacon, eggs, and toast. I turn to him and for the first time, I notice his cheeks redden in embarrassment. 

"You made this?" I giggle.  

"I did. I've never cooked before but I tried today. I mean... the toast wasn't very hard," he admits and I giggle again, sitting in my chair. The food looked good and I took a bite, conscious of his expectant stare. 

"It's good. Really good. Thank you," I say and Draco smiles. 

"You're welcome," he says, allowing himself to start eating as well, "What do you have to do today?" 

"Catch up on what I missed from yesterday," I admit but then I remember the new committee member, "Oh! And I need to finally introduce myself to the person taking my old position. I feel horrible, Draco, I completely ignored him when he tried talking to me!" 

"I'm sure he'll understand. Besides, maybe now he knows that he won't be able to get any attention from you. You're all mine," he says with a smug grin.