The Dragon's Child Bride

A/N: It is done! Bwahaha! I put it up as soon as it got back from my beta. I have to go to work now, so I will fix formatting problems later. I figured I owed it to my readers to get it up as soon as I could.

Thanks Megan for the speedy and efficient beta work.

CHAPTER 31: Eyes Wide Shut

Pounding, pulsating pain was the first thing she was aware of. Then voices, hushed voices heavy with concern, but she couldn’t quite make out the words. Shouting, a male voice was shouting only to be immediately and sternly shushed. Then something gentle and warm running down her face, the rough texture familiar.

With no small amount of effort she rolled towards the touch. The movement made her head spin, and the pain throb violently.

“Shit.” she groaned softly.

“Lani!” the voice cried. She recognized it as Draco’s.

“Shh.” she said softly. “Quiet.”

His voice dropped to a whisper. “Of course, of course. I’m sorry love.”

As slowly as she could, she let her eyelids creep open to slits, just enough to see. Draco was there, sitting on the edge of her bed in dim light. Behind him stood Madame Pomfrey and Dumbledore. Behind them was a heavy curtain.

“My head hurts.” she said quietly. Madame Pomfrey passed a vial of red liquid to Draco, who uncorked it and brought it to her lips.

“You have a concussion. You’re in the infirmary, love.” She drank the contents of the vial and the pain eased to her usual headache.

“A concussion? What happened?” Draco’s face filled with anguish.

“You fell. On the stairs. I was making you run, and you told me to stop but-” Draco took a deep breath, trying to control his emotions. Composing himself, he went on. “But I didn’t and you blacked out on the stairs.”

Laylani’s brow furrowed slightly. “I don’t remember that.” Squeezing her eyes shut she tried to force herself to remember what had happened; her memory stopped at Charms class. Finally she tentatively asked, “Are you sure?”

Draco could have laughed. He was certain that the time from the moment she fell to the moment she woke up would be branded into his memory with precise detail for as long as he lived.

The moment her resistance had gone slack, time around him came to a standstill. He’d stood frozen as she fell, her small hand slipping out of his as she’d tumbled down the last few stairs, her skull connecting audibly with the landing. It was that sound that broke him from the spell and he’d jumped that last of the stairs, landing a few feet away from her still body. Scrambling over to her, he’d called her name as he cradled her head in his hands. Warm heat flowed over them. Disentangling one hand from her loose hair, it had come away bloody. Unable to stop himself, Draco had turned away and vomited on the stone floor.

When he’d been sure that the last of his breakfast was on the floor, he turned back to Laylani’s. Her breathing was somewhat even but she was still bleeding from somewhere on her scalp, he couldn’t quite find where it was coming from in her dark hair. He knew he had to get her to the infirmary, deciding that that the best way to move her without causing any unnecessary discomfort would be levitation. Wiping his mouth on his sleeve and his hands on his shirt, he drew his wand and muttered the spell. Making sure it was properly cast, he’d begun for the infirmary as fast as he could while still keeping control of the charm.

There had been a few straggling students hurrying to class as he moved through the halls. Each and every one had stopped in their tracks as they saw him pass, their faces plastered with wide-eyed looks of shock and fear before scurrying on their way. He could only imagine what kind of rumors it would generate.

He’d burst into the infirmary, relieved to find it empty of anyone but Madame Pomfrey. His girl would receive her full and undivided attention. Gently lowering her onto a nearby cot, he fumbled to explain what had happened. The mediwitch had pushed him aside then and went to work. Somehow, for some reason, the Headmaster had known that then was the time to arrive. The old man had spies within the school’s very walls, Draco was sure.

All of that had lead up to where they were now.

“Yes, I’m sure.” he answered. Madame Pomfrey stepped forward.

“Miss Stanners, I think the more pressing question is, why haven’t you been eating?”

Laylani’s eyes widened and a blush crept over her cheeks. “I’ve been eating.” she replied, not meeting the mediwitch’s gaze.

Draco frowned. “Laylani?”

“I’ve been eating.” she repeated weakly. Madame Pomfrey put her hands on her hips, a sure sign she was not pleased.

“Do not lie to me, Miss Stanners. Since you last left my care you’ve lost more than a stone, nearly twenty pounds.” Draco stared at Laylani incredulously. Laylani stared at her hands.

“It can’t be that much.” she said softly.

“I assure you it is. I can only imagine such a significant weight loss is the culprit behind your collapse. Now I’ll ask you again, why haven’t you been eating?”

“I…I’m just.…I’m just not that hungry is all.” A quick glance around the room told her that no one believed her excuse. She turned back to her hands.

“Laylani…” Draco’s voice held a warning tone.

“Miss Stanners, I do not have the time or the experience to treat an eating disorder. If you cannot see yourself to proper eating, I’m afraid we’ll have no choice but to send you to St. Mungo’s for treatment.”

“No!” She and Draco shouted in unison. Laylani tried to sit up, but the sudden motion made her light-headed. She collapsed back onto the pillow with a low moan.

“Please,” Laylani went on, “Please just give me a chance. I’ll eat, I promise I‘ll eat. Please don’t send me away.” She couldn’t be sent away, not from Draco. He was the only good thing she had left. He was her protector. Who at St. Mungo’s would watch her as she slept, button her blouse, stroke her hair and soothe her fears? Instinctively, her hand reached for his.

He clasped it tightly. She would not be sent away; he would not allow it. He’d have her removed from school first before he let anyone take her away from him.

“She’ll not be taken away,” he said in his most authoritative voice. “I’ll see to it that she eats.” Madame Pomfrey arched a brow. After a moment’s hesitation, she replied.

“Very well. You’ll have one week to begin regaining weight, Miss Stanners. If you do not, I’m afraid we’ll have no choice but to admit you to St. Mungo’s. Is that understood?” Laylani nodded.

“I understand.” Draco’s hand squeezed hers.

“Headmaster?”

“Yes, Mister Malfoy?”

“May I be excused from classes today, to stay with Laylani?” After a moment he added, “Please?”

Dumbledore mulled over the request thoughtfully. Really, he shouldn’t. The boy did have three more classes that day, and there was so little time before N.E.W.T’s. Still, Albus had always had a soft spot for young love, and this might be its purest form. Besides, the boy had asked so nicely; Dumbledore couldn’t recall him ever using the word ‘please’ with him in his seven years at Hogwarts. Perhaps one day wouldn’t hurt.

“I suppose,” he said slowly, “That could be arranged, just for today.” A grin broke out on Draco’s face.

“Of course, thank-you sir.” Seemingly becoming aware of himself, the grin quickly disappeared. Albus smiled to himself as he turned to leave. Madame Pomfrey cleared her throat.

“Well then, Miss Stanners, since there is nothing more I can do for you, I suppose I could release you to Mister Malfoy’s care for the rest of the day.” Laylani grinned and the mediwitch turned to her fiancé. “Now, Mister Malfoy, what she needs is rest, I cannot emphasize it enough. I trust you to make sure that happens.”

Draco nodded. “Of course, Madame Pomfrey.” He checked his watch; classes would not let out for another twenty minutes. He didn’t want to have to maneuver her through a crowded hallway.

He helped Laylani sit up slowly. Bits of her hair stuck to the pillow and she delicately pried it away. Looking back, she gasped to see a rather frightening looking bloodstain on the white material and her hands flew to her hair, trying to seek out the source of the blood.

“It was just a cut, Princess.” Draco said quickly, “Madame Pomfrey’s already sealed it.” He gently lowered her hands from her hair. Loose strands stuck to them.

“I need to wash my hair.” she said quietly. Draco nodded.

“When we get back to your room.” She nodded and he continued. “So would you like me to carry you?”

“No.” she said huffily, “I’m fine to walk.”

“You most certainly are not.”

“Am too.”

“Laylani, you are not walking and that is final. Now the choice is yours, would you rather I carried you or levitated you to your rooms?” His firm tone told her he would not be dissuaded. Thinking it over, she decided levitation would be less strenuous on him.

“Levitated, I guess.” she sighed. He seemed surprised but said nothing.

“Alright. Mobilicorpus.”

She tried not to struggle against the feeling of weightlessness, relaxing into a prone position as Draco took her out of the infirmary. They moved in silence for a few moments.

“Alright?” he asked conversationally.

“I suppose. Not the best time to be wearing a skirt.” He smirked.

“I don’t know, I kind of like it.” She grinned as he teasingly ran a hand up her leg. His hand remained on her calf comfortingly as they continued on to her quarters in silence.

He sent her through the portrait first, then back into her bedroom. As gently as he could he lowered her onto the bed and released the spell. Immediately, she began to sit up and Draco frowned.

“Laylani, lie down. You heard Madame Pomfrey, you need to rest.”

“I will, I just-” She tried to run her fingers through her blood-matted hair, “I need to wash my hair.”

Draco sighed. “Alright, let’s go then.” He offered her his hand.

“What? You want to be in the bathroom while I shower?”

“No, I want to be in the shower while you shower.” He seemed oblivious to her look of disbelief.

“Draco!” she finally exclaimed.

“What?”

“I perfectly able to take a shower by myself.”

“Absolutely not. I insist on being there.”

“No!”

“Laylani, what if something happened to you? What if you were to collapse again?”

“Draco, I’m fine!”

“You are not fine.”

“I can take a shower by myself.”

“Laylani, you aren’t well enough for that.”

“Half an hour ago you thought I was well enough to run down the stairs!” She regretted the words even as she said them. Draco’s face filled with shame and he dropped his gaze.

“And I was wrong.”

“Draco, I-”

“Don’t bother.” he muttered. She bit her lip. How could she fix this? She sighed quietly in resignation and took his hand, making him follow her into the bathroom. His eyes slowly rose to meet hers and she gave him a small smile.

“How warm do you want the water?”

He turned on the taps and adjusted the water to a comfortable temperature before shucking his clothes. Turning around, he removed her clothes as well, not wanting her to exert herself.

The moment she stepped under the shower’s hot spray, floods of red began cascading down her back. Draco studiously looked away and tried not to be sick, his hands firm on her shoulder to support her lest anything happen. He felt her move in his grasp and looked back to her; she was attempting to grab the bottle of shampoo that sat at her feet.

“No, let me.” Making sure he was still able to support her, Draco quickly ducked down and grabbed the bottle. Uncapping it, he poured a generous amount of the viscous liquid into his hands and gently began to lather it in her hair.

“Turn around.” he said and she complied, feeling him work the lather down her long hair. “Christ, you’ve got a lot of hair.” He’d used about three times as much shampoo as he did in his own hair and still the suds were barely reaching the ends.

“Draco, I can do this myself.”

“No, I’ll do it. You just relax, love.” She shrugged.

“Alright, but you’re going to have to scrub a lot harder if you’re going to get my hair clean.” He’d been moving the shampoo through her hair, but his touch was much too light. “Like this.” She placed her hands over his and put firm pressure on them, directing him. If he insisted on washing her hair, he was going to do it properly.

“Do you always use this much pressure? I surprised you haven’t scrubbed the hair right off your head!”

“I grew up washing my hair with soap; I don’t feel clean unless I scrub enough.” He nodded and began to rub more vigorously.

Shampooed, conditioned and gently washed by Draco, Laylani emerged from the shower squeaky clean. Pulling on his trousers and grabbing his wand, Draco muttered a drying charm before scooping her up in his arms and carrying her into the bedroom. He gently placed her on the bed before moving to busy himself with her closet.

Grabbing a green nightgown off a hanger, he turned around to find that Laylani wasn’t where he had left her. Heaving an exasperated sigh, he called out for her.

“In here, Dragon.” Scowling, he stomped into the front room to see her standing naked at her desk, looking through some books. She glanced up at him innocently. “I just wanted to get a book.”

“Damn it Laylani, you are supposed to be resting! If you leave that bed again without my help, I swear I will hex you until you can’t move a muscle.”

“I just wanted to get a book.” she repeated.

“Then I’ll get one for you. I’m here to take care of you, you’re here to rest. That means I do everything and you stay in bed. Is that understood?” He ran his hand irritably through his hair, a gesture she’d never seen him use; after all, it mussed his perfect hair. ‘The poor boy must really be frustrated.’ she thought.

“Understood.” she sighed, quickly adding, “But just for today.”

“That’s all I ask.” In one hand he took the books she held while the other latched on to her wrist, leading her back into the bedroom towards the bed. She picked up the nightgown he set out for her but Draco took it from her hands.

“Arms up.” Rolling her eyes, she complied, letting him slip the garment on her body. He pulled back the covers to her bed, helping her climb in. She settled back and he pulled the blankets up.

“Are you comfortable?”

“Just fine.” she replied, her voice sharper than her words let on.

“Good. I’m going to get dressed. Stay-”

“Stay in bed, I know.” He nodded and without another word walked into the bathroom. She’d just picked up a book when came out still only in his trousers,

“My shirt’s gone.” he said with a frown. She shrugged.

“Probably gone to wash. I’m sure it’ll be back.” She wasn’t quite sure how laundry worked in the castle, but every once in awhile her dirty clothes disappeared and shortly after returned clean. “I think I have one of your practice shirts.”

Pulling a gray Falmouth Falcons shirt from her wardrobe, Draco tugged the garment on and collapsed onto the purple chair at her bedside; he’d neglected to return it to her front room before he’d left that morning. He relaxed into the yielding softness of the chair and she relaxed into her book, reading what was to be the day’s study in History of Magic.

It was the sound of a poorly muffled yawn that caught her attention. Turning her attention away from her book, she watched Draco from the corner of her eye as his head began to droop, slowly inching its way off the hand it rested on until it dropped. Snapping his head back, he blinked hard several times. She shut her book and set it in her lap, turning to him.

“Do you want to sleep?” she asked gently. He was conflicted about the offer, she could tell. She knew the allure of sleep far too well.

“I shouldn’t. You-”

“I won’t get out of bed, I promise.”

“Are you sure you’ll be alright? I mean, I don’t want to sleep if you need-”

“I swear I will wake you up if I even need to sneeze.” His lips tightened in a thin line; he was on the verge of giving in, she could tell. “Cross my heart.” she said, drawing an ‘x’ over her chest with her finger. He grinned.

“Alright.” He grabbed her clock on the nightstand.

“What are you doing?”

“Setting the alarm. I want to be up in time for lunch. You need to eat.”

“Oh, Draco, that’s less than two hours away. You need more sleep than that. Why don’t you set it for two or three?”

“And have you miss lunch? I don’t think so.”

“Draco, it’s alright. I can-”

“No, Laylani.” He stated firmly. “You’re eating lunch. You’re going to start gaining weight.”

“Fine.” she said quietly.

“Good.” He replaced the clock on the nightstand and took his side of the bed, facing away from her. He shifted restlessly for a few moments before finding a comfortable spot.

“Draco?”

“What?”

“I didn’t do this on purpose.” With a sigh, he rolled to face her.

“I know, Princess. It’s just…important that you don’t get sent away.” He reached out and squeezed her hand. “You need to eat, alright?” She nodded.

“Alright. Get some sleep.” He smiled and rolled back to his other side, quickly drifting into sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The doors burst opened as the Golden trio ran into the infirmary.

“Is she here?”

“Is she okay?”

Madame Pomfrey looked up from her work, startled.

“Please, keep your voices down. This is an infirmary.” Harry took a deep breath.

“Is she here?”

“Is who here, Mister Potter?”

“Laylani.”

The first whispers had begun at lunch when neither Draco nor Laylani were present. By the end of the meal, it was common knowledge that a blood-stained Draco had been seen running through the halls with Laylani’s levitated body. That‘s where the rumors started. By dinner time, when the couple still had not been seen, rumors ran rampant, the most popular being that Draco had killed her and disposed of the body. It was up for debate whether he’d gotten away with it and was now in hiding or had already been sent to Azkaban.

“No, she is not here presently.”

“Is she alright?”

“Nothing a good rest won’t remedy. She’ll be quite alright.”

“So it’s true. Malfoy did try to kill her.” Ron gave Hermione a pointed look of vindication. They’d been debating the likelihood of the various rumors since lunch.

“Heavens, no!” the mediwitch laughed. “Nothing quite so exciting, she simply had an unfortunate fall on the stairs.” Harry’s features darkened. He was acutely reminded of the many times the Dursleys had sent him to school black and blue with the excuse that he’d ‘fallen down the stairs.’

Hermione grinned. “I told you so. Really, it’s such a ridiculous rumor, I’m surprised you fell for it.”

Harry ignored their bickering. “Where is she now?”

“I believe Mister Malfoy has returned her to her quarters.” Harry and Ron took off, leaving Hermione to bid a polite farewell to Madame Pomfrey before chasing after them.

Minutes later they were pounding on their portrait.

“Laylani!” Ron hollered. “Laylani, open the door!”

“Laylani!” Harry called. He drew his wand, ready to hex the portrait into opening.

It swung open to reveal Malfoy. “Will you shut up, you fucking sods!” he hissed. He stepped out into the hall, nearly shutting the portrait behind them. “What do you want?”

“Where’s Laylani?” The tip of Harry’s wand pressed dangerously against Draco’s throat. He was dimly aware of Hermione’s gasp in the background, Ron yanking open the portrait and calling for Laylani over Malfoy’s shoulder. “I swear Malfoy, if you’ve so much as looked at her wrong…”

“What the hell are you talking about Potter?”

“Draco?” It was Laylani’s voice, weak and nervous, calling from the bedroom, out of sight.

“Just a minute, Lani.” He called, his voice calm so as not to worry her.

“Get inside.” Harry stated coldly, his features emotionless.

“What? Merlin Potter you’ve finally gone ‘round the be-” The words stuck in his throat as Harry’s wand added pressure.

“Inside.”

Cursing himself for leaving his wand in Laylani‘s bedroom, Draco took a step back over the threshold into Laylani’s quarters.

“Alright, Potter, I’m inside.” he sneered. “Now what?”

“Back into the bedroom.” Draco’s thin scowl tightened.

“Absolutely not. Laylani’s resting. I don’t know what you think you’re doing Potter-”

“The bedroom, now.” Trying a different tack, he turned to Hermione.

“Are you planning on doing something about this Granger?” Hermione stood by flabbergasted. She’d never seen Harry act like this. She didn’t know where to start.

“Harry, what…What?” Draco rolled his eyes.

“Thanks Granger. Great work.” Hermione glared at him. Harry jabbed Malfoy with his wand to regain his attention.

“Turn around and walk into the bedroom, nice and slow. Now.”

Draco bristled at being told what to do, by Saint Potter no less, but at an obvious disadvantage with no competent help insight, he grudgingly complied. Potter’s wand moved to dig into his spine.

Harry expected bruises, cowering, tears. Maybe that she’d have locked herself in the bathroom while Draco had been gone. What he did not expect was to see her sitting in bed peacefully, not a mark on her, thumbing through an open book with a plate of Shepherd’s pie sitting in her lap. She looked up from her book.

“Hi guys.” Her eyes nervously flitted to Harry. “Hi Harry.” she added uncertainly. They hadn’t spoken since January.

Harry stood almost directly behind Draco, his wand jabbing painfully into his back, urging him forward. Draco took a stiff step in her direction.

“Are you alright, Laylani?” Harry asked.

“I’m-I’m fine Harry.” What did he care how she was?

“What happened?”

“Nothing. I fell on the stairs. It happens.” Carefully she moved the plate of food aside.

“Stay in bed, Laylani.” Draco warned, earning him another sharp poke in the back from Potter’s wand and he took another step forward to escape its sting. He was nearly in reach of his wand. She rolled her eyes.

“I know.”

Tension hung heavy in the room, making Laylani uneasy. She scanned Ron, Hermione and Harry’s faces; none of them smiled. In fact, only Harry seemed to be looking at her; Ron and Hermione’s gaze flitted back and forth between Harry and Draco. Draco kept glancing at the side table. Nervously, she cleared her throat.

“So, um, what brings you here?”

“You weren’t in class-” Hermione started.

“Or at meals. We were worried.” Ron finished.

“People are talking.” Harry stated darkly. Laylani frowned.

“What do you mean?” She sat up straighter in her bed, pushing herself to shift closer to Harry. Draco shot her a warning glance.

“Laylani-” Draco received another sharp jab in the back from Potter’s wand, taking another short step forward.

“Stay in bed. I know, I know.”

But Draco wasn’t focused on her. Snatching his wand from the side table, he rounded on Potter, meeting his wand with his own. He smirked.

“Alright, Potter. I believe it’s time for you and your friends to leave. You’ve seen Laylani; she’s fine. Now get out.”

There was a tense moment of heavy silence, a silent battle of wills. Laylani frantically searched her mind for disarming spells, knowing a duel was in the making. His scowl deepening, Harry shot one last appraising look to Laylani before turning to leave, his friends following in his wake. Making sure they had left the bedroom, Draco sat down in his chair next to Laylani’s bed.

“Oh, and Granger,” he called over his shoulder, “I believe that’s fifty points from Gryffindor.”

“What for?” Ron shouted, clearly irate at this unexpected and likely unfounded loss of House points.

“For attacking another student with intent to harm.”

“It was hardly an attack, Malfoy!”

“You could always contest it, of course; we could take it up with Professor Snape and Ms. Parkinson.”

Hermione scowled. While it wasn’t exactly the same, for one could hardly compare Harry to Parkinson, Malfoy was right. She hated that.

“Fine.” she said tightly. “I trust you’ll record this.” Turning on her heel in a huff, Hermione left after the boys.

Draco grinned, chuckling to himself as he pulled Laylani’s plate into his lap. Breaking off a piece of the pie with his fork, he held it up for her, meeting her worried eyes.

“What just happened, Draco?”

“What? Nothing happened.”

“I’d hardly call that 'nothing.'”

“It’s nothing important, love. Nothing to worry about.” He brought the fork closer to her, forcing her to take the bite and cease questioning him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was a surprise to everyone to see Draco and Laylani at breakfast. The Great Hall fell silent as the couple walked through the doors. The low buzz of whispers of those around them began as they took their seats next to one another at the Slytherin table. The surrounding students made no effort to disguise their stares.

Laylani glanced around nervously before settling her gaze on her empty plate. Why were they staring? She looked to Draco for an explanation, or at least reassurance, but he seemed oblivious to those around him, his attention focused on the surrounding food. She resumed staring at her plate, wishing she could just disappear.

Quite unexpectedly, Draco dropped a large helping of scrambled eggs on her plate, followed by thick, greasy sausages. Her stomach churned in protest. Quickly, she pushed her plate away with a groan of disgust.

“Ugh, Draco, I can’t eat that.” He pulled it back towards her.

“You most certainly will.”

“Not that.” He sighed.

“Then what?” She lifted her head to look at the food around her, her stomach rolling.

“Fruit.” she said finally.

“And? What else?”

“Some muesli, I guess.”

“Alright.” He switched his empty place with hers and filled it with the foods she’d requested. Setting the plate in front of her, he set about loading his own plate and began to eat, his eyes flitting towards her every few seconds to make sure that she was eating as well.

Blaise strode purposefully into the Great Hall, his eyes immediately searching the Slytherin table for the Head Boy.

He’d sent missive to his father the moment class had let out the afternoon before that he had a prospective buyer, careful to mention no names, including the parameters Draco had set. His father had responded by nightfall with the appropriate documents, no questions asked.

Blaise wedged himself between Malfoy and Crabbe, who sat at Draco’s left with Goyle.

“I’ve got some prospects for your proposition.”

Draco looked over from Laylani to Blaise.

“Not now, Zabini.” he said tersely.

Laylani leaned forward, looking past Draco to Blaise.

“What proposition?”

“It’s nothing, love. Just business.” Laylani frowned.

“And, of course, I wouldn’t understand that.” She stabbed angrily at a slice of melon with her fork. Draco rolled his eyes.

“Just keep eating.” He turned to Zabini. “We’ll discuss this later.” Blaise nodded and got up to find an empty seat.

Draco returned to his plate, every so often looking over to Laylani, who continued to spear loudly at her plate but ate little. This went on for a few minutes until he finally turned to her with a sigh of exasperation.

“Laylani, we are not leaving this table until you have finished your plate, so I suggest you concern yourself less with pouting and more with eating.” She threw down her fork.

“Do not treat me like a child, Draco.” she snapped.

“What? I am not treating you like a child.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“You are too.” Students around became quiet, intent on listening to their raised voices.

“If I am treating you like a child,” he grit out, forcing his voice to remain quiet, “Perhaps it might be because you are acting like one.”

She threw aside her napkin and pushed her plate aside, obviously readying to storm away from the table.

Draco did the only sensible thing to do: he pulled out his wand.

The collective gasp of the students in the Great Hall covered the spell he muttered. There was a moment of pause as the members of the Great Hall waited for the effects of the spell to reveal themselves.

At first Laylani simply seemed shocked that he would draw his wand on her, then there was a brief expression of confusion that quickly gave way to anger.

“Draco Edmund Malfoy…” she hissed, but he had already turned back to his plate, paying her no mind.

“Eat.” he said nonchalantly, between forkfuls of eggs.

She pressed her lips tightly together, desperately searching her mind for a counter to the charm, but could think of none. Hissing an angry sigh, she picked up her fork and once again began to pick at her plate.

At last the meal ended and Laylani had eaten most of what Draco had put on her plate. Satisfied that she had eaten enough, Draco released her from the spell.

Laylani stood up and left the table in a huff. Rolling his eyes, Draco slung his bag over his shoulder and went after her. He followed her into the hall.

“Laylani. Laylani, stop.” She didn’t; he picked up his pace and caught her by the shoulder. She stopped but did not turn to face him. “Laylani-”

“Draco, you’re a jerk.” He scowled.

“Maybe, but I’m a jerk who loves you and if casting spells on you to make sure you eat is what it takes to keep you, then that’s what I’m going to do.” They were quiet for a moment.

“Oh, you silver-tongued devil.” She laughed dryly. He smiled.

“So all is forgiven then?”

“For now. But cast another leg-locker curse on me and you’ll need a lot more than nice words to deal with the hell I’ll give you.”

Draco wordlessly slipped his hand into hers and they continued down the hall. He would make her no promises.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Zabini had wisely chosen one of the tables nearest to the back where Trelawney hardly ever strolled in her meandering teachings and was fairly obscured by shadows. Draco casually crossed the room, passed his usual table where Goyle sat and took a seat next to Blaise.

“Zabini.”

“Malfoy.”

“I believe you have some prospects to show me.”

“I do.” Blaise reached into his bag and pulled out five rolled scrolls, each tied neatly with green ribbon, and set them in front of Draco. Draco drew his wand and lit a few of the small tea lights on their table for proper reading light. Professor Trelawney had just floated in as he unfurled the first scroll.

It was immediately clear to him the first offer would not do. It was not only too large to be inconspicuous, it also held a small village. There could be no one present on their island, just Laylani and himself. He could not trust anyone else.

The second one held some promise. It was rather small, but much further north than he had requested. He would make sure Laylani’s stay would be as comfortable and pleasant as the situation allowed for. Still, he would keep it as an option.

The third was too close to a major island. It was just over a mile away and in clear view of the shore. Absolutely unacceptable.

He unfurled the fourth parchment with little hope. He read over the description, pleasantly surprised with what he saw. It just might be what he was looking for. It was a very small crescent spot of land in the south Pacific, several miles away from the nearest populated land. The scroll detailed lovely warm weather for most of the year with only a short rainy season, as well as a cabin built near the shore that would suit his tastes; no need for him to be miserable during their stay.

Without even bothering to look at the fifth and last scroll, Draco passed his chosen parchment to Blaise.

“This one.” he said. “I’ll take it.” Blaise looked over the parchment.

“Excellent. I’ll notify my father that we have a buyer. Of course, you will have to meet with him for the paperwork.”

“Of course. Next Monday morning at the Hogshead, 11 o’clock?” Blaise nodded.

“I’ll make the arrangements.”

Draco smirked. Perfect. The Saturday before would be his birthday, and he would gain complete access to the Stanners vault. Between now and then, he would begin stockpiling the things they would need for their stay.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

He found her just down the hall from her classroom, chatting with a blonde Ravenclaw they both had Arithmancy with as she walked. He quickened his pace slightly, but not obviously, to catch up with her. He carefully slid his arm around her waist as he fell into step with her. She stiffened for a moment until she realized who it was.

“Hi.” she said quietly.

“Hello, love.” Draco pulled her closer. “How was your day?”

“Fine. Yours?” He paused, thinking of what was to be their island.

“Beneficial.” She arched her brow.

“Oh.”

“Where are you off to now?”

“The library. I need a book for my Transfiguration project.” Perfect; he imagined that would take up the bulk of her afternoon. Draco nodded.

“I’ll be by your rooms to pick you up before dinner, then.”

“You’re not coming with me?”

“No. I thought you might like some time alone, and I need to sleep.” He added a small, muffled yawn for dramatic affect. She nodded; it made perfect sense. Again he had watched over her as she slept the night before, letting her rest until nearly three in the morning when she announced she could sleep no more and giving him her place in bed for a few scant hours of sleep.

“Alright. Sweet dreams.” She raised herself on her toes to give him a quick kiss. He caught her elbow as pulled away.

“Be careful.” he said quietly. “Don’t run.” She nodded.

“See you at dinner.” With one last smile, she turned away and walked down the hall to the stairwell leading to her rooms.

She’d only been walking for a few minutes when a hand caught her by the arm. Laylani instinctively spun out of the loose grip, turning to face Arianna Chambers. She looked nervous.

“Laylani, right?”

“Um, yeah.” The girl was silent for a moment.

“I’m Arianna.”

“I know who you are.”

“Oh.” There was a pause.

“Well?” Another pause.

“Well…Er, right. Well…Look, this isn’t easy for me, alright? And before I tell you, you need to know I’m incredibly sorry, I know I shouldn’t have done it and I swear it’s over and will never happen again.” A deep sense of foreboding settled over Laylani. Whatever revelation came after a speech like that would not be good.

“Al-right.” she said slowly. Arianna took a deep breath.

“Right…Merlin, this is awkward. Alright, I’ll start from the beginning I guess. Back in fourth year, I had a bit of a fling with Malfoy; it wasn’t much, didn’t last more than two weeks. He was my first kiss.” Arianna paused, a dreamy smile on her face. Laylani cleared her throat, seeming to bring the Ravenclaw back to the matter at hand. “Anyways,” she went on, “It was no more than two weeks and it was over. Quidditch season was coming up and all. We’d been pretty much ignoring each other since then, at least, until about a month ago.” She paused. Laylani took a deep breath.

“And?”

“And a couple weeks ago he approached me, and well …We sort of picked up where our fling left off.” There was a beat of silence.

“Pardon?”

“We’ve - Draco and I - have been seeing each other behind your back. Well, he’s been seeing a lot of girls but that’s not the point. The point is, he’s - Gods, I don’t know, he…” Laylani took a deep shaky breath.

“He what?”

“He wants out. Of this arrangement, this marriage to you. He’s been talking about, how much he dreads it, how desperate he is to get out. But lately, lately he’s been sounding really dangerous, and I think he, well the rumor is…” Arianna paused for a breath. “That he tried to kill you. He pushed you down the stairs.”

Laylani took a step back.

“That’s not true.” The words came out with more conviction then she felt.

“Laylani-”

“No, it’s not true. You’re lying.”

“I’m not lying!”

“You are. I don’t know why, but you are.”

“You have to believe me!”

“No I don’t! I have absolutely no reason in the world to believe you!”

“Arianna!” A group of girls stood by the stairs, obviously waiting for the Ravenclaw. She gestured for her friends to wait a moment and turned back to Laylani with a sigh.

“Look-”

“No, you look. I don’t know why you’re doing this but it is going to stop. Stay away from me. Stay away from Draco. Got it?” Arianna’s lips pressed into a tight frown.

“Got it.”

“Good.” Laylani spun on her heel and stalked away, furious. How dare she? How dare she go about lying like that? Yes, lying. She had to be lying. Draco would not cheat on her. Draco could not cheat on her. No, that couldn’t be true.

Laylani made sure she had rounded the corner, out of sight of Arianna, before she stopped short, leaning against the wall and drawing a shaky breath. Arianna had to have been lying. It hurt too much to think she wasn’t.

Taking another deep breath, she straightened her stance. Making sure her strides were steady, she quickly began in the direction of Draco’s quarters.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

He’d made good time through the castle, stopping briefly at his rooms to grab his cloak and compose a short list of the necessary items he would need. He would get only a few things here and there, staggering out his purchases so as not to draw his father’s attention with large withdrawals. He’d just come into sight of the statue of the humpbacked witch.

“Oy! Malfoy!” Draco stopped short, turning to see Ernie Macmillan, the veritable poster boy for all that was Hufflepuff. Draco despised him; the only reason he bothered with him at all was because the boy was, by some small miracle, a prefect. Still, Draco made no pretense to like the hapless Hufflepuff.

“What is it, McMillan? I’m busy.” The other boy grinned stupidly.

“Forgetting something?”

“No, McMillan, I really don’t think so. So if you would kindly fuck off-”

“Didn’t anyone tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“Emergency prefect meeting.” Draco hissed a frustrated sigh.

“Great. When?”

“Now.” The Head Boy scowled, muttering a few choice curses. He had no choice. He was Head Boy, he had to attend this meeting. Hogsmeade would have to wait.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Laylani spotted the familiar platinum blond head turning the corner at the end of the hall as she reached the landing.

“Draco!” she called, but he seemed not to hear her. Quickening her pace to a jog, she set after him, following him around the corner and further down the deserted hall.

“Draco!” she called again, and he turned to face her. “I’ve been looking for you.” She slowed to a halt as she reached him. She hesitated a moment, waiting for him to admonish her for running. She was surprised when instead of disapproval, he wore a strange smirk.

“Laylani.” He gave her a formal nod.

“You look… pleased.”

“I’ve gotten some particularly pleasing news.” he replied, pulling a letter from his robes. Laylani put on a smile that she didn’t quite feel; he was behaving strangely.

“Oh. That’s good. Can I read it?”

“I was just about to suggest it.”

His dark eyes danced and his strange grin broadened as he passed her the parchment. Quickly she read the page.

***

Son,

Long nights of exhaustive searching have finally come to fruition. As promised, I’ve found the loophole and your escape from your unfortunate entanglement to the Stanners girl.

Fortunately under section 23.5.0 of Olde Law, your matrimonial bonds may be dissolved if the mate in question has brought dishonor upon themselves, and there is no lack of that in Ms. Stanners. In keeping with the old traditions, the Lord of the house may renounce the mate’s claim; I do that wholeheartedly.

I shall contact the Ministry immediately to begin the official proceedings. Expect to hear from me soon.

You, and in turn the family, shall be relieved of any obligation to the Stanners girl. Rejoice son! You shall be a free man.

Sincerely,

Lucius Malfoy

***

Her hands began to shake and the page started to crumple in her tight grip. She looked to Draco, searching for an explanation. He met her gaze evenly.

“Really, much easier than to keep up this charade.”

“Charade?” He laughed coldly.

“Of love, of course. You really didn’t think it possible for me to love someone like you, did you?” He sneered at her distastefully.

Why would he say something like that? Was he joking? If he was it wasn’t funny.

One look at his face told her he wasn’t. He was serious. He didn’t love her. Draco Edmund Malfoy didn’t love her. He never had. It felt as if she’d just been kicked in the gut repeatedly. She couldn’t breath, she couldn’t breath. She could feel her empty lungs contracting but the air wouldn’t come.

Why? Why was he doing this? God, why was he doing this now? Why, fuck, why hadn’t he told her? From the very beginning, why hadn’t he told her that he hadn’t loved her? She would’ve, could’ve accepted that. Why had he waited? Why had he waited until she had fallen so completely in love with him that without him now her world was collapsing around her?

“Why…Why?” was all she could manage. He laughed cruelly, another dagger in her heart.

“Did you really think it was possible that I could ever care about filth like yourself? You’re even dumber than I thought.” Her mind was reeling.

“But - you said you said that didn’t matter. You said you didn’t care.” She was dying, she was sure of it. Tears began to run down her face without her notice. His laugh became louder. “Why did you lie to me? You told me you loved me!”

“How would it look to have trash like you leave a Malfoy? I certainly couldn’t have that.” She didn’t know what to say. A million thoughts were spinning in her head and none of them would form on her lips. Her mouth opened and shut without a word and he went on. “At least now I can quit hiding the other girls. You wouldn’t believe how troublesome you made things.”

“Other…girls?”

“And just so you know, you might be the worst fuck ever.”

Her heartbreak increased tenfold. She’d had sex with him. She’d given him her virginity. The one thing - the one thing - she’d been able to keep for herself despite everything, the one thing she’d hoped to make special and it had all been a lie. One giant joke and she had been the punchline. She felt herself collapse heavily against the wall behind her but she didn’t care.

“Then…What, what am I suppose to do now?”

“Honestly, I couldn’t care less.” He said it so casually, so carelessly, as if he were commenting on the weather. By this point, she was sure she was hyperventilating, she was delusional, she was dying. Draco had turned away all ready.

“Oh, and by the way,” He turned back to her, and in her mind she was begging for it all to be some kind of sick, cruel joke. That none of this was true. That it was all a dream. Something so that he still loved her.

Instead, he backhanded her hard across the face.

“That is for all the time I’ve had to waste on you.” And he walked away, out of her life forever.

He fell out of her vision. Everything around her was spinning, melting away into nothingness. Her must have legs collapsed underneath her because she felt the ground under her side as she sobbed.

She didn’t know when someone found her. For all she knew she’d been lying in the hall for a few minutes or all afternoon. It didn’t matter anymore. Nothing mattered.

It took a few moments for her to identify the talking head, to process the words coming from its mouth. It was Harry, kneeling next to her. Words washed over her like waves on the ocean shore, just as cold.

“Laylani? Merlin, what are you doing here? What’s the matter? Christ, you’re shaking.” She was. In fact, she was nearly convulsing. And she didn’t care. It didn’t matter.

She wasn’t aware he was trying to lift her until he had her standing, sort of, leaning heavily against the wall with his hands under her arms carrying most of her weight.

“Merlin, Laylani, what the hell happened?” Harry noticed the blooming bruise on her face, dark and ugly, creeping up her jaw and onto her cheek.

Of course, it would be Harry that found her. It would be the first time he spoke to her after she had been so carelessly dumped. He would come along only when all those awful things he’d said to her were confirmed to be true.

“Oh sweet irony.”

“Pardon?”

“You would show up now.”

“Pardon?” he repeated.

“He doesn’t love me. Never loved me. You were right. You must be so happy. It was all a lie, just a fucking joke. Have a good laugh Harry, everyone else is.”

‘Yes, everyone else,’ she thought bitterly. All those girls, those girls she’d been ‘imagining.’ Apparently he’d been fucking them too, and not only that but finding her performance…lacking. She’d been so stupid, so easily swayed by all those sweet words he’d probably used on all the others. How foolish she’d been, so eager to believe he thought her special, beautiful, even loveable and all that time he must have been forcing himself not to be sick.

Harry was saying something again, but she couldn’t make his words connect meaningfully. Something about an emergency, a meeting, something. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. Quickly she pushed him off her, stumbling to walk on her own. Recovering quickly, Harry followed her.

“What are you doing?”

“Leaving.”

“Alright then, where are you going?”

“I’m leaving.” She picked up her pace, hoping he would just leave her alone but of course, he wouldn’t. Not today. He chased her up the stairs, reaching the landing of her floor.

“We’ve established that. Where are you leaving to?” Laylani scowled, reaching her portrait and muttering the password.

“Away. Just fuck off Harry.” Harry stopped outside her portrait as she stepped through.

“How far away?” he asked nervously. He couldn’t let her leave.

“As far away as I can get. So far away that I’ll never have to hear the name Draco fucking Malfoy ever again.” She slammed the portrait in his face, and he heard her muffled shout of “Draco Malfoy is a cocksucking bastard!”

Harry stood at her portrait for a moment, completely unsure of what to do next. He couldn’t let her leave, but how would he stop her? He couldn’t, not by himself. He needed Hermione to talk to her, to make her see reason. He needed Ron for support.

Still, before he could fetch his friends, he had to make sure she wouldn’t leave in his absence. Drawing his wand, he used the most powerful sealing spell he knew, the one Hermione had taught him over the summer. With a blinding burst of bright light and a loud squelching sound that he hoped Laylani hadn’t noticed, the portrait was sealed and, in theory, wouldn’t open for anyone but himself. With a backwards glance over his shoulder, Harry took off in the direction of the prefects meeting, hoping Laylani would still be there when he got back.


***

A/N: Hey kids, don't forget to review. It makes me giddy with joy in my small little life. I do try to personally reply to all of them. Leave your email addy and I'll be sure to get back to you. Also, I do have an email list for updates, let me know in an email (princess_tygris@hotmail.com) or review if you'd like to be on it.