Beneath the Moonlight

The Veela and his mate paused after long minutes of passionate kissing, catching up on their lost breaths. The silence of the room echoed their loud pants as they remained in their position- Draco on top of Hermione; both flustered with the heat of the moment. Time is but a fleeting reality where the present ages into the past and the future arrives before one is fully able to grasp the present moment. Thus, Alas, they could not capture it and force it to remain the same with no worries for the future or regrets of the past, even though they desperately wanted to.

"It's getting late..." Hermione mumbled, still in a daze from the fervent kiss. She didn't dare to continue for the thrilling and addicting feeling was more than what she could handle, at least for that very moment.

Draco wanted to continue, his heart beating uncontrollably, lips tingling and body heating up as he peered down at her with his hooded silver eyes. But, he couldn't because he did not want to force her to do anything she did not want to. He had already lost his mind for moment and he was not sure if he could continue controlling himself for long. He wriggled his perfect eyebrows," Late? For what? Do you mean you want to continue in one of the be-?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes at his teasing tone. An embarrassed girl is a force to be reckoned with, it's just that people underestimate them because of their flushed faces. With one heavy push which included all of Hermione's weak physical strength, she somehow was able to throw her mate's heavy body off of her. Caught off guard, the blond Veela tumbled down from on top of her, uniting with the hard ground.

"Late to sleep, we have classes tomorrow." And with her head high and tousled brown hair, Hermione left the poor boy on his own and rushed up the stairs to her room.

Draco stared at her back before sprawling on the ground in defeat," I have one heck of a mate!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Midnight approached, the inky black sky coated the world with random sounds of owls, bats and other night creatures echoing far and wide in the silence.

Tucked away safely in their respective rooms, the captains of our ship were trapped in a disturbing slumber being haunted by one of their worst nightmares. Rolling and thrashing in their soft beds, the two could not feel each other's agony for their unconscious mind barely registered their own pain. Cold sweat accumulated on their forehead, heart racing as fast as the sprint of an ostrich. Abruptly they both sat up in their beds, in their respective rooms.

They had the same nightmare, reminisce of that horrible incident of the past, but their fears were different.

Draco jumped off his bed and and ran out his room into the one beside his where his mate resides. Seeing her up and awake, he understood and in a brief moment swooped her in his arms, locking her securely in his warm and comforting embrace that they both needed. Feeling the arms she abstractedly yearned for, Hermione let go of the tears that she could not hold in any longer, letting the treacherous, salty drops pour down, leaving a trail on her pale cheeks.

One arm around her waist and the other on the back of her head that he gently caressed, Draco pulled Hermione more into his embrace.

The brunette buried her tear-streaked face in the crook of his neck, too disoriented to care about wetting his soft, silk shirt. The rich brat who slept in silk pajamas, specially customized for him couldn't care less either.

After a few minutes, as their hearts calmed down in each other's presence, Hermione lifted her head. She peered down at her wrist where the scar lay, the one she always had to suffer the pain of receiving again in her nightmares. The inhumane laughter and jeering, dirty taunts and insults and the excruciating pain like knives being stabbed and twisted inside her body- she relived all this in her slumber. She simply could not bare with it any longer. With a sneer on her beautiful features, she angrily started scratching at her scarred wrist with her other hand in hopes of removing it and ending her cycle of torture. Draco was horrified to see her lose her mind like this, her violent actions scaring him. He feared she would hurt herself. He took her hands in his firm grasps and forced her to look at him. Her hazel orbs were cloudy and dazed, brimming with negative emotions.

"Hermione," he whispered softly, brushing her tears away," Wake up and look where you are. It's all over, and you won. You efficiently proved that you are the brightest witch of our generation, regardless of your origins."

He brought his own marked wrist beside hers, "These do not define us. They may have been a part of the past, but we cannot let them dominate our future. We won't, because I will be beside you to keep all your nightmares at bay, I may have been a monster to you back then, but now, I will slice all your demons, each and everyone of them."

He brought her head near her chest, his heartbeat vibrating in her ears.

"It feels as if the bond shows us these nightmares on purpose. I suppose we are not supposed to sleep separately after the kiss, pardon me, kisses that we shared."

A weak fist hammered his chest making a deep chuckle escape him. Draco laid down on her messy bed with her still in his arms. Her head rested on his chest, his arms pillowing the back of her neck and cupping her waist.

"You had a nightmare as well didn't you?" Hermione asked, her voice low, yet clear. "What was it?" Her curious chocolate orbs gazed up at him.

Draco hid his face in the crook where her neck and shoulder met, soothing himself with her intoxicating scent.

"My biggest fear- losing you."

Draco could not control the fear and anguish he felt returning when he remembered the helpless feeling he was captured by in his dream, rendering him incapable of helping his mate who was suffering, being tortured by the Cruciatus curse right in front of him. He screamed, he cried, he begged, but the invisible hands holding him back did not relent. He felt a choking sensation that made stars dance in his vision before complete darkness surrounded him and he woke up panting in his bedroom with the irrefutable urge to see his mate.

Hermione felt his erratic breaths on her nape. She brought her hand to his head and smoothly wove her fingers through his silky locks, the color of which looked pale underneath the illumination of the moonlight. With her endearing caress she calmed him like he had appeased her. No words were needed as her actions pacified his fears. He relaxed in her embrace as the clock continued ticking, the time of the night limited.

Changing topic Hermione asked," That boy from today, Zander, what do you think of him?"

"He seems strange for some reason, I can't put my finger on it, but he does not seem up to any good."

Hermione hummed in agreement," I felt so too. We will have to keep our guard up around him."

The couple fell into a deep slumber, more peaceful this time. As long as they were together what kind of danger could dare harm them?