**New Chapter** FIC: Trials of Love (8/?) D/Hr **see warnings**
Title: Trials of Love ( 8 / ?)
Author: granger2malfoy
Pairing: D/Hr, B/G
Rating: R for words and dark theme, not a fluff chapter AT ALL
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from HP verse.
Genres: Drama, RomanceA/N: Not HBP compliant. This is sequel to The Given Choices. Thanks to my beta, Tricia. Please know there are some adult themes in this chapter and not a fluffy at all!!!
*~*~*~*~ Chapter Eight - Bringing It Home ~*~*~*~~*
Blaise wakes at hearing commotion in the Head Boy’s common room and saw a cloaked figure walking into the room as he lowered his hood to reveal the light blonde hair of his closest mate, Draco. He quickly removed himself from Hermione’s body and stretched his achy body as he moved to the fireplace. He gave one look back at the sleeping witch and then disappeared with a flash to join his friend and said, “Glad to see you back.”
Draco stayed silent as he removed the mask and placed it almost lovingly on his gloves, which moved slightly to show a smear of blood on the table. But either the blonde didn’t care or didn’t notice the red liquid because he went to his room and left the door open as he appeared to start changing. Blaise’s stomach quivered, not at the sight of the blood but the thought of how the blood actually got on him. If Draco used his wand for whatever deeds he had to do that night, however the blood got on his gloves would indicate even worse acts of pain.
His mate came back into the room tying his lounge pants around his waist but the malicious look on his face was not one Blaise had ever seen before. Draco gave a curt nod to Blaise as he approached the fireplace. “Night, Zabini. You may go.”
But something in the cold tone of his voice and the dangerous look in his silver eyes caused Blaise to step in between his life-long friend and the secret passageway to the young man’s sleeping wife. Draco tried to push by him, but Blaise had nothing of that and for a moment they stared challenging at one and other. “Step down, Zabini. You don’t want to-”
Before Draco could finish his sentence, Blaise stepped even closer to impose his three inch height advantage on his odd-acting friend as he wished he hadn’t left his wand back with Hermione on the floor by the book. Yet, he knew he could always physically hit Draco, if he had to. Though he silently prayed it would not come to that.
Draco quickly used his wand to slash him across the chest with some odd spell, which caused him to fall back and hit his head on the nearby table, to lay unconscious on the floor. With his bare foot he tapped Blaise’s unmoving leg, Draco stared coldly down at his friend as he spoke, “You are a fool to think you could ever beat me, old friend.”
He looked back at the fireplace and reached for the special powder to take him directly to his witch. But the sight he walked into did not please him. She lay asleep on her favorite chaise in front of the fire in a skimpy nightgown. Draco looked back to the mirror above the mantle to think about how Blaise had came directly from this room when he had came back from his meeting with his lord. Then he saw her like that, if not more.
The enraged young man ripped off the throw from her body to reveal how the slit had moved to show off most of her thigh and hint of her matching knickers. He roughly pushed her from lying on her side to lie flat on her back, which the short movement did not cause her to fully rouse and she quickly reentered sleep. Draco knelt on the chaise as he tore her nightgown from the slit up to her waist to give him full access to her knickers. His hand groped her coldly as she began to stir and opened her eyes to smile at her husband, but that smile quickly faltered by the look in his eye and the hasty way he pulled her knickers off her body.
“Draco, are you okay?” she asked as she tried to push his hands away but quickly learned that was the wrong thing to do.
His eyes flashed dangerously as he put his wand to her throat and said, “Now, I am not a stupid man, my little whore. I know you screwed Zabini while I was gone. Couldn’t even wait three hours till I came home to get some pleasure.”
“No, I swear we didn’t do anything, Draco,” she started to get scared and moved back on the chaise to a sitting position with his wand tip still at her throat.
Suddenly, he shoved her off the chaise to the floor and used his hands to force her onto all fours as Hermione began to cry and begged him to listen that she didn’t do all he accused her of, but he refused to listen. He lifted the material of her torn gown up and over her bum to expose it to him as he sat back on his heels and hissed as he untied his pants, “Believe me, you will not get any pleasure from this, my slut wife.”
Then the fireplace lit up and Draco was violently forced back before he was able to push into her. The blow knocked him out as Professor Snape stepped into the room and then Blaise came charging into the room right after. Snape lowered himself to see to Hermione but she shrieked and moved out of his reach but Blaise easily pulled her into his arms. The professor went to check on his pupil with wand still in hand. “He is safely out cold. That’s for the best at the moment. Hermione, you have my deepest apologies. I thought he had been able to handle tonight alright. Are you okay? Do you have any injuries that need tending to?”
She stared at her unconscious husband and then wept into Blaise’s arms as she shook her head. “No. No, I am physically fine. He came in here, accused me of..of .. but I didn’t. Of course, I didn’t. Then he. Then he was going to. Oh, Gods, he was actually going to. To.”
“Shh, Hermione its okay. You’re safe. Its okay,” Blaise cooed to her for the second time that night, but this time her body actually shook from her shock and fear.
Snape pulled Draco’s limp body into his arms and said, “I am going to take him to my quarters. I’ll give him a dreamless potion and then by tomorrow night, I assure you it will never happen again. What he did was completely unacceptable, understand that Hermione. Here is some of the same potion for you. Take this, Zabini, make sure she gets in that bed and takes it.”
“Yes, sir.”
After Snape disappeared with Draco’s body, Blaise lifted Hermione up into his arms and carried her to the large bed. She still sniffed as he pulled the covers up over her, pausing a moment to glance at her stomach before pulling it over her chest. He sat on the edge and held the vial in his hand. “Do you want to talk about it first? You can tell me anything. You know that right, Hermione?”
“Maybe tomorrow, we’ll talk. I’m just too shaken up at the moment. I can’t. Not tonight.”
“No, that’s fine. I’m here whenever you need me,” commented her friend as he patted her hand gently and softened the candlelight around the room. Then Blaise held out the light purple potion that the Potions Master gave him for her to take.
Hermione nodded as she took the vial and poured it straight back to avoid as much of the bad taste as she could. “Snape, being as much of a brilliant Potions Master as he is, should really create a better tasting form of that concoction.”
“I have no doubt that he does but solely for his own use, I bet,” he said as he tucked in the blanket around her legs and smiled as he continued, “Now, you get some sleep. I’ll stay here with you.”
He kissed her forehead as she took his hand in hers for a moment and looked like she was about to say something. But then she let go of his hand and simply said, “Thank you, Blaise, for everything.”
“Think nothing of it, Hermione.” he stood there for a moment as her eyelids got heavy and sleep quickly found her. His eyes darted to the large empty space behind her; he leaned over her to snatch a pillow as he avoided the temptation to kiss her and walked back over to the chaise.
Blaise’s indigo eyes flared as he thought back to the sight of Draco about to rape her. Deep down he knew it was because of whatever happened at the revel he went to. But he would never forget the sight and knew she would not either. He kept his wand in his hand as he watched over her sleeping form, even though he knew Snape would not let Draco back there tonight. Yet, Blaise felt the need to protect her at all costs.
The pregnancy book came floating to his free hand and Blaise began to read from where he left off to get his mind off the rage building inside of him. The book would keep him focused on the good things of life and the hope of the future because she would not get accosted like that again or the other person would pay dearly for hurting her.
Every hour he would get up to stretch his legs and walk over to the bed. The scene of her body curled up against a pillow almost made him crawl into the bed to have her do that against him. But he spent those long hours thinking over his feelings for the Head Girl and concluded that he had to keep it nothing but friendship. It was best for all, really. Not exactly an easy choice and he would try to put some space between them once what happened last night settled down.
Blaise loved Ginny and wanted to see where their relationship was going. Having old feelings for his old crush was only going to ruin a lot of lives and he couldn’t be responsible for that. They were just not meant to be. Well at least not at the current moment. Who knows what the future holds but he was not going to hold on to pipedreams. A part of him will always love her, but just had to channel that love into a more constructive use than pining over a married friend, who carried his best mate’s child.
After the clock on the mantel chimed eight in the morning, the flames in the fireplace ignited and Blaise stood to his feet in surprise as Mrs. Malfoy came into the fireplace. She remained impeccably dressed as always and a small matching purse dangled from her wrist. Mrs. Malfoy pulled Blaise into a hug as she whispered, “Thank you so much for looking after her last night. You did the right thing, even if it was my son and your best friend.”
“Yes, ma’am,”
She walked over to the bed and laid her bag by Hermione’s covered feet and Blaise followed close behind to sit at the end of the mattress. “Has she woken at all yet?”
“No, not yet. But she should be able to in a couple minutes given the time she took the potion last night. She didn’t have any nightmares, of course. But anyone could’ve been able to tell, it was not a restful sleep. Of course, after being physically attacked by one’s own husband, I can understand why.” Blaise looked up and saw the woman pause for a moment at his last statement and then clarity of the whole situation became realized to his sleepless mind.
“Yes, well. I’ll take care of her while you go get some food and much needed sleep. You’re a good friend, Blaise.”
Blaise nodded and picked up the book to put it back on the side table. He looked back once more at the sleeping form of Hermione as he replied softly, “Yea, a good friend.”
Mrs. Malfoy heard his statement and witnessed his staring at Hermione before he flooed out of the room. “Hm. That is odd, but for later thinking on. Hermione, time to wake up.”
Hermione began to stir as she slowly opened her eyes and saw her mother-in-law bending over her. “Mrs. Malfoy, what are you doing here?”
“I keep reminding you. Please call me, Cissy. All my close friends do,” she tutted and helped pull back the large blanket. “But Severus asked me to come here and spend the day with you.”
“Well, I am fine. Last night just startled me, but we will be fine.”
“Oh, yes completely fine and your hands shake all the time. But now is not the time to go over last night, we need to get you fed and dressed. I have a splendid Mother-and Daughter-In-Law day planned for us. And do not put up a fight or use the word ‘study’ with me. I can be very persuasive, just ask Severus.”
She pulled a small box out of her purse and then enlarged it with her wand. “Now, put this on as I get a house elf to fix you some goodies. Anything you feel in the mood for?”
Hermione sat up in the bed as she said, “No, Mrs. M-I mean Cissy, I don’t have much of an appetite.”
“Ah, a little bit of everything will just do the trick. You have twenty minutes to shower and dress, if you see anyone, just tell them you have to go on an outing for the Headmaster. Yes, he was informed of what happened last night and was the one to suggest a girl’s day out, well with my input at least.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy, for everything.”
She smiled and nodded, “Now, Hermione, no sad thoughts. Just get dressed mechanically and not let your mind wonder or you will have to answer to me. All right then, I will meet you in your Head Girl’s common room shortly.”
Mrs. Malfoy disappeared, leaving the young woman alone. Hermione pushed all thoughts and worries out of her mind as she took the wrapped package to the fireplace. She intended to give herself this day off because she knew it was going to be a long one anyway.
~*~*~*~*~ To Be Continued *~*~*~*~*~*