Lunar Cost - Dramione

(•_•)...24...(•_•)

The air was stiff and cold. 

"Could you ever forgive me?"

"I'm still figuring that part out."

She stared into the floor, his eyes boring into her forehead before he reached out to touch her hand that had been resting by his side on the hospital bed, her eyes flicking up to his.

"I'm glad you're here Tami Lynn," Draco managed a small smile and Tami Lynn didn't know what to do.

Was she supposed to smile back? Take his hand in hers? She decided on a small nod; Draco let go and turned his head toward the ceiling. They sat in comfortable silence, the stiff air growing warmer between them and Tami Lynn began smile to herself as Draco eyes fluttered closed to indicate him taking some more much needed rest. His eyelashes fluttered as his eyes danced across his eyelids with visions of a small field of grass and variously colored flowers, a blanket draped across the ground, where a woman sat.

A woman and a child. Draco moved toward them, sure that once he got there he would be as happy as he'd ever been. The woman had long golden brown hair, the child's shoulder length, wavy, and blonde, like his; Draco was getting closer to the scene when the woman pointed at the sky and the child followed suit. His heart stopped as he looked at the sky. Nothing extraordinary, just normal clouds, white and fluffy, not shape in sight. She looked so beautiful, the child too, as he approached the blanket at a faster pace.

The woman turned her head and flashed a dazzling smile and the child ran into his legs, taking a seat on his left foot as he finally reached the woman and held her in his arms.

"Draco," a voice spoke, but the woman's mouth didn't move, "Draco, can you hear me?"

The field started to shake, as if an earthquake was rattling the entire world.

"Draco."

His eyes started to open, burned by the brightness of his surroundings until his eyes rested on the face of the beautiful woman he had seen in his dream.

"Draco?" she sighed happily, her face tattooed with a joyous glow. "How are you feeling?"

Before he could answer Tami Lynn piped in.

"I forgive you, Draco. I'll leave you two to it," she smiled, teary eyed as she watched the love between them strengthen with just eye contact. He had to, she thought, he's just as broken as I.

Hermione mouthed a "thank you" toward Tami Lynn which she returned with a smile and a small nod, slipping through the small slit between the large wooden doors. Hermione began to speak but Draco pulled her closer to him to pull her into a soft, gentle kiss. Pure love filled his veins. The kiss wasn't heated like some of their previous ones, but the love they felt from it was ten times as great.

She pulled away with the biggest smile she could physically give him, bathing in the glory that she could finally kiss him whenever she wanted, in front of whomever she wanted, and for reasons that were whatever she wanted.

"Blaise?" Draco whispered, her face still only an inch away from his, "Has anything happened?"

"Parkinson came to the Headmistress and confessed."

"Pansy? What the bloody hell would she do that for?"

"This is just speculation, just things I've heard around the corridors, really just whispers, but everyone's saying Blaise rejected her courting request so she wanted to play a little trick on him and mess with his potion since she knew he was like me," she chose her words carefully, "if that were the case, I don't think she knew what the extent of her actions were. When she went to see the headmistress I was already in the room talking to her and she looked like she'd been crying."

By now Hermione took her seat at his side on the bed, aimlessly running her fingers in his hair, his hand on her waist, subconsciously fiddling with her robes.

Draco slid his hand up her arm and pulled her into another kiss, the same as the last but this time, longer and more passionate. Her hands cupped the sides of his face, warm against cold. Dangerously, he slipped his tongue across her bottom lip, hoping to deepen the kiss. It wasn't hot and heavy fueled by burning passion and rage, but slow and tender as his tongue slow danced with hers. They stayed that way, basking in the raw emotion until they both felt it was time to cease.

"I love you, Hermione," he stared into her eyes, golden brown irises that reminded him of chocolate and caramel. He pressed their foreheads together, no words from Hermione needed as they were understood.

"Your friends?" Draco questioned, smoothing the pad of his thumb over her freckles. She looked down, sadness filled her eyes; Draco slid his fingers under her chin to beg her to look back up at him, ready the express his love and concern for her through his eyes. "Ron?"

Hermione nodded sorrowfully.

"Harry and Ginny understand, at least. They know that love comes first. Ronald doesn't actually believe that you could ever love me..." she down and started to twiddle her fingers. She made way to get up off the bed, but a pale hand crawled into hers.

"You know I love you," he smiled warmly, "I always will."

Hermione stayed standing, but didn't move any further from him. Worry shot across her face and she could feel an odd lump forming in her throat as her eyes grew tired with more tears.

"How are we going to do this, Draco?" she barely spoke above a whisper. "How do I deal with my condition an—"

"Love, you're a werewolf." His voice was sharper than it was before, but softened as he pulled her close once more. "It's not a condition, it's who you are and there is nothing wrong with who you are. And how we get through this is together. Me and you. That's all that matters."

Hermione dropped down to her knees as to make her and Draco at the same eye level, adamant on making Draco see the love she felt for him and have him understand it is never-ending.

"Love comes first," she replied, tears leaving her eyes.

"Indeed it does."