This chapter contains emotional trauma, throwing up, and mentions of abuse. Please read with caution.

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"Don't you dare leave me."

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''Amelie—'' Draco shoved his mother off him, rising to his feet before he stepped over to her cold body, ''Nott, is she breathing?''

Theodore stood petrified, ''I don't...know,'' The brunet kneeled down beside her, his wand traced circles over her chest again. His eyes shut, ''Come on, Amelie.''

Her chest heaved again.

Draco's eyes flickered, hope sparked in the darkened pupils, ''Amelie,'' He gasped, ''Stay with me, Amelie. Damn it, just stay with me.''

Theodore looked to be grasping for thin air. His hand swayed and danced in the wind above her, ''I can feel it...'' He mumbled a spell underneath his breath as verdant shades began to surround them.

His eyes squinted, ''Please, Amelie, let me in... let me help you.'' He whispered, his fingers arching, ''I can fix you if you just let me.''

''What is happening, Nott? Can you—''

Teddy's head snapped, his eyes peeled wide as he glared at the blond, ''I have an idea, hold her.''

Draco frowned, sitting on his knees beside her, ''What do you mean, hold her—''

''There's this thing, where she might open up to me if you hold her. If someone she truly trusts holds her, and she's not opening up to me, Draco...'' Theodore stared back down at her body, fiddling with his wand.

Malfoy gulped, looking down at his own hands in disbelief. They held red by both his and her blood, and his eyes flickered. He couldn't watch it. He couldn't think about her blood on his hands without feeling sick.

He gazed at her and her soft, calm features. She trusts him. Finally, after a year — she trusts him.

Amelie's unconscious self didn't open up to Teddy. Her body couldn't reveal itself to her best friend anymore because her heart rested with Malfoy.

She trusted him enough for her heart to start beating and her chest to heave.

Draco's eyes prickled in both stars and tears. His forehead layered in a thin cover of sweat, pearls of it rolled down, his hairline damp.

''You trust me...'' He breathed, his arms folded around her chest as he slowly, while Theo followed the movements, dragged her as close as he could. His Amelie, ''You trust me.''

Theodore's jaws clenched. It hurt to him, knowing that she chose someone else to trust — that she couldn't open up to him because her faith rested with Malfoy.

He lost her too. He missed her just as much as Draco did. He was on the close edge of losing the person his heart belonged to.

Amelie was his soulmate, even if she wasn't his.

She'd always be his other half. Somewhere in all of the madness, they never seemed to be able to get a peace of mind from — he hoped that it was possible to have more than one soulmate, that perhaps he was hers too.

He loved her so much that it ached. To see her this way, with the knife he once had to pull out of Pansy's chest, now rested next to Amelie. Theodore wasn't sure for how much longer he could do this — for how much longer he'd be able to take all of this.

He'd give his life for hers, which wasn't questionable, but he was drowning in the constant loss of her. His best friend went missing from his life as well, and all he could do was to keep the people around him together as she did.

''There you go...'' Theodore hummed, his spells constantly falling off his lips to keep her insides from bleeding out, ''I think we can move her now. I think we can save her, Draco. I just—''

Malfoy nodded, looking exhausted by his own wounds, ''Anything, just save her.'' Draco cut him short, ''What do you need me to do?''

''Is she strong enough to apparate?'' Narcissa rose to her feet, brushing her dress off before she stormed closer, ''If Draco isn't strong enough to carry her, I can—''

''She makes me weak,'' Draco whispered as his hands closed around her body and he bent back up, ''She makes me so weak, but I'll be dammed if I don't get to be the one holding her.''

Malfoy kissed the side of her head, ''She knows that she's safe with me. No one is taking her away from me again.''

Her arms hung, her head had fallen back, ''She's mine.''

''Hold her steady, Malfoy, one wrong move, and she could—'' Theodore hushed himself, feeling Narcissa's hand on his shoulder to comfort him, ''Just be gentle.''

Draco's heart dropped because her body shifted colder and colder for every second in his arms. It was a heartbreaking sight. Malfoy carrying her soulless body out of the house she'd taken her own life in. He walked, steadily with her, close to his chest.

His hand gripped hers numb, chilly one, and he kissed her knuckles before placing it over his heart, ''Feel my heartbeat, Amelie.'' Draco pleaded, ''Feel my heartbeat, and please let yours beat with mine.''

Theodore spun around as they exited the Pucey residence, keeping an eye out for other Death Eaters. They weren't safe, not just yet. His eyes snapped to the yard, watching as a glint of something shiny caught his attention. He looked at where Narcissa and Malfoy were walking before he bent down, snatching what seemed to be a piece of jewelry off the ground.

His heart clenched.

It was her bracelet, the plain silver bracelet Draco had given her, with a small raindrop attached to it. It nearly stung in his hand, and his eyes pooled as the thought of Adrian even taking that away from her — as if he hadn't robbed her of everything else, he craved to take that one piece of Draco away from her too.

Theo shoved it down in his pocket before he rushed after Malfoy and his mother, stopping as they did.

All three of them only looked at her, noticing how light she was breathing.

''Ready?'' Narcissa rose her wand. Malfoy and Theodore nodded.

Amelie's body was ice cold. She was on the far edge of barely being alive as they apparated themselves back to the Malfoy Manor. Landing safely inside the foyer.

''Take her upstairs, Draco. My room, your room, her old one — it doesn't matter, just lay her in a bed, and I'll get my herbs.'' Theodore mumbled before he hurried off into the kitchen.

Malfoy's jaws clenched as he walked up the stairs with her, through the hallway before he shoved the door to his room open, and he halted. His eyes flickered as if something stopped him for a second.

''You're home now.'' He whispered, squinting not to let his tears out, ''You're home now, Amelie, and you're not going anywhere.''

He walked carefully up to the bed before he laid her down on it as gently as he could, but he didn't want to let her go. He didn't want to let his arms off her. Draco felt as if she needed him close to keep those shallow breaths.

He was terrified — more than it that she'd cease breathing if he weren't near. Malfoy kneeled next to the bed frame, hovering over the mattress as he took her hand in his. He traced kisses over her skin because he didn't know if she could hear him being there. Perhaps she could feel him.

Her hand was insensible in the palm of his as he studied it. It never came to his mind how small her hand was in comparison to his, how Draco's fingers were at least twice her size. She was so fragile contrasted to the world yet so strong.

He couldn't even reach the thought of her pushing that knife into her own chest without being in awe of her strength, that she chose to save the world from Adrian before saving herself.

The world truly rested on the tips of those adorable fingers of hers.

He always knew that. She was remarkable, breathtaking.

Draco slowly let his mouth collide with her knuckles again, still resting on his knees next to the bed. He kissed her skin, savoring it.

''Here...'' Theodore mumbled as he stepped inside, his arms filled with different vials and bottles, his wand in his hand as he climbed over the mattress, and he faltered inches away.

''I'm going to save you—'' He hushed, making eye contact with Draco for a slight second, ''We are going to save you because we're a team now. That's how much we love you, Amelie.'' Theo flipped the stopper of a bottle open, ''We love you so much that we get along now, and I know that you don't want to miss that, so we are going to save you.''

Draco's sight stayed on her, ''You're going to be okay,'' He leaned closer, pushing his lips into her head.

Theodore poured what looked to Draco like small, cut-up leaves all over her chest. He began to hum underneath his breath again, speaking inaudible spells.

''Do you think we are allowed to remove her shirt? Does she have anything underneath?'' Theo questioned, ''It's hard to make the herbs—''

Draco's jaws ticked. He knew how vulnerable she was with herself and to put her skin on display. Other than that, they had no idea what was hiding behind that fabric of her shirt — what torment Adrian had caused her, and they couldn't be sure.

''Let me—'' Malfoy quieted, his hand as slowly as he could, slipped underneath the fabric of her shirt, to brush his fingers against her ribs, to feel if she was wearing something other than her jumper and she was.

The tips of his fingers rubbed against something soft as he bowed his head towards Theo, ''Have you guys ever...'' Theodore cleared his throat, ''I mean, this isn't going to be strange, right? You've seen her—''

''Just save her bloody life, Nott. For God's sake.'' Draco grew impatient with his childish behavior, ''Tell me what you see.'' He began to thread one of her arms out of the sleeve and then the other.

His blood fumed as Theo's eyes flickered before Draco's hand closed around her neck, gently lifting her head up to drag the shirt off entirely.

''Oh my—'' Theodore gasped, his eyes pooled, ''Perhaps you should leave, Malfoy. You can't see this.''

Draco's eyes gazed over her exposed skin. It wasn't human what Adrian had done to her, and there wasn't a way to explain how it looked like. Her skin was so ruptured that it looked like burns. Wounds covered her whole chest and stomach.

''Tell me—''

''Draco... You can't be here right now.'' Theodore whispered, ''She wouldn't have wished for you to see this—''

''Tell me what you see.'' The blond stated sternly. He looked sick, his skin paled, and his eyes glinted, ''Tell me about her injuries.''

Theodore rose to hum, his wand shifted over her body, ''Are you sure, it's a lot—''

''Just fucking tell me.''

''She has...'' Theodore swallowed his own pain. He couldn't focus on himself right now. He needed to think about Draco and Amelie. He wasn't capable of showing how much seeing her like this hurt him too.

''She has several broken ribs. It looks like he broke them, healed her only to break them... again.'' Theodore could feel the lump in his throat as it grew, ''She has burns over most of her chest, which I'd say indicates that she's been exposed to heated water. I think he used that torture method—''

''What else?'' Draco snapped, his face completely cold, not one emotion showed, ''Tell me what else.''

More humming, ''No internal injuries except for the knife's damage, but a lot of broken bones and...''

''I'm sorry—'' Draco growled. He quickly forced himself off the floor, and he ran out of the room. His hand slammed over his mouth, and he made it out to the front yard, right before he threw up.

He couldn't help it. Malfoy's insides wrenched, and he couldn't take the pain of seeing — hearing what Adrian did to her. He leaned against a pillar, leading out to the entrance of the property as he bent over, wiping his mouth with the ends of his sleeves.

''Oh god, dear.'' Narcissa called out from behind him, making his spine straight and eyes shut, ''Draco, what happened, did something go wrong with Amelie? I thought Theodore said he could save her—''

Her face fell as she watched the mantle of Draco. How ashen his skin had turned and how he'd been throwing up just seconds before. His body shook uncontrollably at what he'd witnessed.

''My dear son...'' Narcissa's head tilted as she, without a second thought, strode closer to her son, wrapping her arms around him, ''She's going to make it Draco, I promise.''

''You don't—'' Draco heaved for air, feeling as if everything is crashing down over him, ''Her body, Mother, it's—''

He couldn't say it.

It was too much, everything she'd been put through while being under Adrian's abuse was too much for him, and he couldn't begin to imagine how much it must have been for her.

''I know, Draco...'' Her wavy strands of her drifted in the wind slightly as the warm spring breeze circled them, ''But there isn't a thing we can do to change that now. He's dead, Draco.''

''She has marks and broken bones and—'' He held back a sob, trying to gather himself, ''I want vengeance, mother. I want everyone who was loyal to him to die.''

Narcissa's heart dropped. Her face shifted in a grimace to what her son spoke as she leaned back from him, ''Is Theodore still up there?'' She asked, comfortingly as Draco nodded, ''I know that you see this as being defeated, but you're not. She's still here, Draco, and that's the greatest vengeance you'll ever have. She made it.''

Malfoy's features held in complete devastation, ''For now, but I swear if she dies—''

''She won't. She won't die. You saw her body, her bruises, and everything she had to go through. Amelie is stronger than all of us. She will make it, Draco.'' Narcissa's hand moved up to cup his cheek as he leaned his chin against it, ''You know that, so don't doubt her. She'll come out of this even stronger than before.''

Draco's breaths still shallow as he peered over his mother's shoulder, looking inside the foyer, ''What if she doesn't? What if she doesn't make it? How am I supposed to live with myself if she dies?''

Narcissa huffed, her thumb stroking along his drained skin, ''She will make it, Draco. It's Amelie. She hasn't fought her whole life for it to end here. She sacrificed herself so that the world could be safer without... Adrian in it, and that doesn't tend to go unnoticed.''

He frowned, snapping his head away from hers, ''Three months, mother. She had to stand that torture for three months. How do I make amends for that? How do I fix her when I can't look at her without fucking—''

''That's not your choice, and let's not get ahead of ourselves before we know what Theodore says. I will go up there and look after them. You can stay here—''

''Not a chance,'' Draco breathed, sucking in a harsh breathe before his teeth gritted, and he walked past his mother, through the doors, ''I'll stay with her.''

Draco understood that it was foolish of him to run downstairs, to leave her at a time when she needed him the most, but he didn't want to seem weak around her — not at this time. He wished to stay strong for her sake.

With heavy steps up the stairs, he burst into the room again, noticing how Theodore had spread more things around her and how a mauve color sparkled through her chest.

''What are you doing?'' Draco muttered, striding closer to the bed, ''How is she doing?''

''Well,'' Theo looked exhausted. Not once had he preform this much magic and the number of spells he did now. It took a lot of him to do what he did for her,  ''She's healed, but she's not waking up,''

Draco's heart stopped.

''I think her body needs time to process this. It's as if it shut down to protect her and now when she's safe—'' Theodore's sight dragged over his best friend as he tucked the covers around her, ''She needs time.''

Malfoy blinked quickly, not in his right mind to take in the information he just received, ''But she will wake up?'' He asked, kneeling next to the bed again, ''She has to wake up, Nott.''

''I think she will when she's ready, but all we can do now... is wait.'' He crawled off the bed, strolling around it, ''Do you feel anything after the curse? Do you need me to—''

''Can you give us a minute?'' Draco didn't let his view off her. He needed to see that little rising and falling her chest did as she breathed, ''I need a minute alone with her.''

Theodore nodded, gazing over the two before his hand moved to Draco's shoulder, squeezing it lightly, ''I'll be in my room, cleaning up a bit, and I'll come back to check on her later, but Malfoy?''

Draco swallowed at the mention of his name.

''We can't do more than giving her time right now,'' Theo said on his way out, closing the door behind him as he went, leaving Draco and Amelie's unconscious body alone.

''Damn it, Amelie.'' Draco's forehead tipped against her arm, and he felt as if he was able to let out his feelings with her around, ''You can't leave me. You can't leave me like this.''

He felt so at fault. If he just had given her a sign, anything that would have spoken for him being alive when she believed he wasn't — would've saved her. He heard as his eyes squinted shut and his veins rushed in torture by Adrian's magic that she did this for him.

Amelie didn't believe that Draco was alive, so she didn't feel like she'd pull through without him.

He tried to clasp his teeth together — to not let one single sound out as his tears burnt in the corner of his eyes, ''I can't live without you, please don't make me do this without you.''

Draco was crying, holding onto her hand as tightly as he could without hurting her, ''Don't make me do anything without you. You made me love you and now—''

Sobs erupted every word he sought to speak. It was impossible for him to stay in pieces when she was shattered.

''I love you,'' He kissed her arm, ''I love you, so don't you dare leave me,'' His note broke utterly.

His eyes flickered, and after several moments of catching his breath, he stood tall, climbing over the mattress to lay next to her. He didn't know if he was allowed to do that, but he felt as if he needed to.

He needed to have her close and somewhere in her numb state — she needed him too.

"I'll wait for you," He whispered, "I will always wait for you."

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I also decided to try and make this book 100 chapters, and even if it doesn't look like it right now — I'm so excited to show you what I have planned.