Happy Halloween, namelessamelie!
Trick or Treat!
LiveJournal username: jadestrick
Title: Dreamscape
Prompt: scream
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Minimal sexual implications
Word Count: 1,105
Notes: Thanks to caitriona_3, rightxhere & spookysen for the betas. *hugs*
Draco quickened his steps down the long corridor leading to the grand staircase. He glared at the pathway ahead of him, annoyed with himself for being a little anxious. He would never admit it, but Hogwarts felt more than a little scary at night during October, and he imagined it was Dumbledore's way of having a bit too much fun with his students. The moonlight cast shadows on the suits of armor, causing him to look twice to make sure they weren't actually moving. A cool fog had moved into the area a couple of days ago and Hogwarts seemed to embrace it, allowing the mist to cover the floors of the castle.
"No!" he heard a voice scream.
Draco skidded to a stop, the hair on his neck standing on edge. Silence followed for a while and he felt his nerves relaxing, his mind assuming it was probably one of the ghosts. He started walking again. Rounding a corner he heard someone crying. He furrowed his brow and looked around, trying to discern the source. The sobs grew louder, turning into a yell, a sound filled with anguish and on the verge of becoming a scream once more.
Moving towards the voice, he found himself at the entrance to the library. Though it was long after hours, he was certain the sounds had been coming from there. The entrance was open slightly and he placed his fingertips against the wooden door, wincing at the creaking noise it made as it opened. He strained his ears and heard more crying, much quieter and muffled this time. His eyes darted back and forth as he stepped into the room full of dusty bookshelves and huge books. He looked to the left, down the long hallway that ran the length of the room, and saw a girl lying asleep on a couch.
She was shaking with sobs.
He uncomfortably turned to go, but when another small moan escaped her, he felt his heart tug in spite of himself. He quietly placed his bag and books on a table, walked toward the couch and squatted beside the girl. Her face was turned toward the back of the couch and a book about translating Ancient Runes rested on her stomach, held there by her hand. Draco leaned in.
"Hey," he whispered. "Hey, are you alright?"
She turned her head in her sleep, moonlight illuminating her face. Draco sighed. The hair should've been a giveaway.
"Granger!" he whispered forcefully. "Wake the hell up!"
Her head started shaking and tears rolled down her cheeks. Small sounds of protest escaped her lips. He placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her.
"Granger!" he shouted.
Her eyes popped open and she sat up straight, screaming louder than the banshee that haunted the attic at Malfoy Manor. Draco immediately reacted, dodging the falling book and reaching out to hold her still.
"Granger! What the hell?!"
She buried her face in her hands, sobbing more than she had in her sleep. She reached out for him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He recoiled slightly, but when she buried her head into his neck, faint whispers of breath tickled his skin and he found himself wrapping his arms around her. She felt so small in his arms. Her fingers bunched up his shirt into her fists and she slowly slipped off the couch into his lap.
Draco forcibly pulled his mind away from the direction it had begun to wander.
Instead he remembered the screaming nightmares he had about Fenris and how his mother would sing to him and run her fingers through his hair until he fell back asleep. He'd be damned if he would sing, but he reached up and held her head against him, lightly running his fingers through her hair.
It took several minutes for her to calm down and she became so still Draco thought she'd fallen back to sleep.
"Um," she suddenly whispered into his neck.
Draco raised his eyebrows, his skin feeling the heat of the flush creeping up into her face. "Mine were usually about werewolves," he offered, breaking the tension.
She pulled back and looked at him, confusion and questions etched into her face. "Bellatrix," she simply said.
He whistled. "You win."
She smiled slightly at him, rubbing her eyes with one hand while wiping her nose on her other sleeve. Her eyes were red and looked embarrassed and he couldn't help thinking how cute her nose was. Before he could stop himself, he reached up and moved a lock of her hair away from her forehead with his forefinger. He studied the shape of her face, the light dusting of freckles on her blushing cheeks and how full her lips were. He stared at her lips a bit too long before finally looking back up into her eyes.
She blinked and cleared her throat and stood up, perching on the edge of the couch. He stood as well, rubbing the wrinkles out of his pants.
"So," he said.
She flushed again, lowering her eyes.
He turned and gathered his belongings. "See you in class." He turned to go.
"Malfoy?"
He turned around and looked at her. She looked uncomfortable.
"You won't...that is to say...um..." she stammered.
He smirked. "Relax, Granger. No one will ever know. I have my own reputation to think of."
She cocked an eyebrow at his words and gave him a haughty look. Standing and crossing her arms over her chest, she tilted her nose slightly. "Well, it's not like there's anything to talk about."
The return of the Granger he knew so well irked him beyond measure. He chucked his books and bag back onto the table, crossed the room and pulled her into his arms. She let out a small gasp of shock before he pressed his lips against her. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he'd only wanted to shock her, but when her hands moved from pushing against his chest to twirling the hair at the nape of his neck, he shivered and wrapped his arms around her, slipping his tongue into her mouth.
She must've regained her senses because she pushed against him again, breaking the kiss and pulling away. Draco stared at her wantonly as her chest heaved in deep breaths and her cheeks blushed completely red. He found himself smiling and he gathered his belongings again. He turned to look at her, a small thrill lingering in his stomach when he found her smiling slightly at him.
"Now there's something to talk about."
He turned and walked out of the library.