I Would Have Searched Forever 

Chapter 52

                It had taken Draco nearly 3 months after talking to Andromeda to finally locate Anna in London. Draco had searched London from one end to the other with no luck, until it hit him to check under the name Lupin. He didn’t know why he hadn’t thought about the fact that she might use her father’s last name.

                Draco walked slowly down the street looking for the number on the line of townhouses. It was nice neighborhood and Draco was thankful for that. Some of the places he had looked for Anna were rather shady areas and it terrified him at the thought that she might be living in something like that. But somehow she’d had the money to afford a nice place to live.

                It was a cold and windy morning for late November and he pulled his jacket and scarf tight against the wind. He was dressed like a muggle. In fact he had taken to wearing muggle clothing and really liked them better than the old designer black suits he had been used to. The clothes he wore were stylish yet comfortable, and they helped him blend in with his muggle surroundings.

                Draco finally found the townhouse number he was looking for, but fear hit him. Draco was afraid to knock on the door. What if Anna didn’t want to see him again? Or what if she’d found someone else, like Rafe Montgomery? He didn’t know how he would react or if he could take it. Draco did not know what had come over him, he had never been a timid or shy person, but he was now. Draco went over to the front window and tried to catch a glimpse of Anna in the room.

                As he looked through the window he caught sight of an older woman, holding a baby. A beautiful dark-haired baby, with curling hair and tears came to Draco’s eyes as he realized that it was his daughter he was seeing. Then he saw her light blue eyes looking at him out the window. They were his eyes looking back at him, a light blue, almost silver. It took all his strength to contain himself and not march over and pound on the door, demanding to see his child. And then Annabelle walked into the room and his breath caught in his throat. It had been so long since Hogwarts. She was so beautiful, her long dark hair hanging in waves down her back. She was even lovelier than he remembered and the sight of her had tears running down his cheek. He had finally found her.  Draco had been on the verge of giving up on her, but her she was, right through the glass in front of him.

                Draco watched her walk into the foyer and grab a dark gray wool coat from the rack and began slipping it on. Anna had gotten her lovely curvy figure back after their baby. She was wearing a slim pair of skinny jeans and a tight fitting, light pink cashmere sweater and a pair of dark pink ballerina like slipper shoe. He watched her with longing, his heart beating faster just looking at her. Anna walked back into the room and he had to duck down a little so she didn’t see him at the window. Anna kissed her baby girl and then headed for the front door.

                Draco quickly stood back in the shadow of the tree outside her townhouse and watched her leave down the steps, and she made her way quickly down the street; completely unaware of him as he followed her in the shadows, keeping a good distance behind Anna.

                Several blocks later, Anna arrived at a cozy little bookshop called The Turning Page. Draco watched her unlock the door and looked through the window as she cut lights on and got everything ready for customers. Another employee who ran the little tea and coffee shop inside came in, so Draco waited until other customers started coming in and pulled his hood up over his head as he went into the shop.

                Anna couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched. She had felt it the entire walk to the shop and she felt it now. She was busy on the rolling ladder, organizing some of the lesser selling books on the upper shelves. Their little shop had just about every book imaginable so it made for a lot of book shelves. When the service bell rang at the customer service desk Anna made her way down and through the aisles to the front of the store, but no one was there. Anna looked down at the counter top where a small stack of books had been left. There sat a small leather bound copy of “Romeo and Juliet” , a copy just like the one she’d had back at Hogwarts when she first started and Draco had made her read it to him, threatening to turn her in to Umbridge is she didn’t. This book was the very first book she had read to Draco, when he had used her books as an excuse to spend time with her, but he had ended up enjoying them as much as she did. Anna felt a shiver run through her as a sense of something about to happen came over her.

                Anna took the book and put it lovingly back in the shelve where it belonged and headed back to the ladder and started going back up to finish what she had started when a voice spoke up, “Excuse me, but could you help me find a book? I have a particular fondness for William Shakespeare.”

                Anna had been about to step up onto the third step when she cried out and tripped going up the step, falling backwards, only to be caught by a pair of strong arms from behind, arms she remembered and dreamed of just about every night, “Hello Annabelle.”

                “Draco?” Anna gasped out softly.

                “It’s me,” he said against her ear softly, sending a shiver and goose flesh over Anna. She turned in his arms. He was just as beautiful as she remembered, even more so now that all the stress of the dark lord’s control was no longer hanging over his head. The sight of him brought tears to her eyes. He was dressed like a muggle. Draco was looking at her with a hurt and wounded look on his face; his own eyes filling with tears, “I’ve missed you so much,” he whispered, running his hand along her cheek and back through her long silky hair, “Did you think I would just give up on us?” he asked hurt.

                A sob burst out from Anna; she hadn’t even realized how much she needed him or how bad she’d hurt him until now, “I’m sorry,” she burst out, sobbing, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face there.

                Draco grabbed her to him fiercely. He had tears running down his own cheeks and swore to himself that now he had her again he would never let her go, “I’m so sorry about your father and Tonks,” Draco whispered against her hair, inhaling her lovely scent that was uniquely Annabelle, “I came back to Hogwarts and tried to find you during the battle. Do you know how terrified I was when I couldn’t find you? And then to find out days later that you had been taken to saint Mungoes and I had a daughter, only you were already gone and still I couldn’t find you,” Draco reached and took her face in his hands gently, his hands shaking slightly, “Look Anna, I’m sorry I didn’t stay at Hogwarts when you asked me to. I let you down and should have been there with you.”

                Anna cried even harder hearing him apologize, “I should have let you know about our baby,” she sobbed out.

                “Yes, you should have, but I understand why you did it. You were hurt and I caused a lot of it. If I’d had any sense, I would have stayed there with you and fought with Hogwarts I have been looking for you every day since the battle at Hogwarts. I am so sorry for the pain I caued you. Can you forgive me for hurting you?” he asked her desperately.

                “Only if you can forgive me for running away and hiding and not coming to you?” Anna cried.

                “I could forgive you anything,” Draco whispered, kissing away the tears on her cheeks, “I just know that I need you, Anna, and I can’t live without you." Then he captured her lips softly, but Anna deepened the kiss, winding her fingers into his platinum hair and pulling him closer. She felt like she could consume him, her mouth opening as they both got caught up in the passionate kiss. Merlin’s beard, how she missed his touch. Draco Malfoy had always been able to set her on fire and the heat right now was almost more than she could take. She wanted him more than anything.

                Anna was running her hands up through his hair, his hands touching her all over her waist and back as the kiss continued, Anna finally broke the kiss loose, “You don’t know how much I have wanted to go to you,” she kissed his neck softly, tasting his skin with her tongue, making him moan softly, “I just knew you didn’t want me anymore. I figured you were probably engaged to some wealthy pureblood by now.”

                “Never,” he moaned roughly, his hands tangling into her hair, “I would have searched for you forever. I love you, Anna,” he captured her lips harshly, but that was want Anna wanted. They both caressed each other fiercely, forgetting for the moment where they were. But then out of the corner of her eye Anna noticed they had a small audience in the book shop and broke the kiss off breathlessly. The people all had smiles on their faces.

                “Can we get out of here?” Draco asked desperately. He needed Anna now and he didn’t think he could wait or else he might have her there on the bookstore floor. Anna grabbed his hand and left the shop in the capable hands of the other employee. They walked down the street, holding each other tight and stopping to kiss, their hands could not stay off of one another.

                When they made it back to Anna’s townhouse, Anna introduced Draco to Miss O’Donnel and then Anna told her she could go. Dora was sleeping in her baby bed upstairs.

                Draco looked down at his beautiful daughter, tears gathering, “I should have been there with you when you had her,” he said hurt, “I am sorry for that too.”

                "I wish you had been there, and the nurses claimed I was calling for you, but I really do not remember much of it after I arrived at Saint Mungoes,” Anna told him about the pains and early labor that had caused her to leave Hogwarts that night after she had discovered Lupin and Tonks were dead. Anna told Draco that she had named her Meredith Nymphadora Malfoy.

                “Dora Malfoy, I like that,” he said smiling, “she is beautiful, just like her mother.”

                “But she has her father’s beautiful blue eyes,” Anna said, grabbing his hand and pulling him over to sit on the bed. Anna stood between his legs, taking his face in her hands, “I have missed you, Draco Malfoy,” she said in a whisper, placing a gentle kiss on his lips, “If you had not found me, I had made up my mind to come to you. I just had to work up my courage. I’m sorry I never contacted you, but I was trying to get over everything and our world had too many memories for me, good and bad. But one thing I do know is that I love you and there has not been a night that has went by that I haven’t wished you were here in this bed holding me in your arms,” she leaned down, kissing him with all the passion and love that she felt, her hands running down through his hair to his neck and shoulders. Draco’s hand went to her waist to pull her tight against him. Draco lay back in the bed, pulling her on top of him, feeling her soft beautiful body pressed tightly up against him.

                It wasn’t long that between kisses and touching each other, they were both lying naked on Anna’s bed, facing each other, hands on one another, their lips never leaving each other. Draco made love to Anna slowly, both of them looking into each other’s eyes, trying to keep the moans of pleasure down so as not to wake up the baby. As they both climaxed together Anna had tears in her eyes, from the pleasure and Draco said her name against her ear over and over in a low whispered shout. The explosion left them both breathless and Draco collapsed on top of Anna, Anna running her hands along his back and butt softly and then back up to his shoulders, hugging him tightly. Draco shocked her when he suddenly rolled them over, still inside Anna, and pulled the covers up over them. They made love again, this time Anna was on top, Draco’s hands all over her body and holding her waist as they increased the tempo until they both exploded again. This time Anna collapsed on Draco and he pulled the covers up over them and held Anna to him, her head on his chest, her body lying over his own. Draco grabbed his jacket that was lying nearby, “Anna, there is something that I need to ask you?” he reached into the pocket, taking out a little black velvet box, “I have been trying to do this for a long time and it is past overdue. Anna, will you marry me?” he looked deeply into her hazel-green eyes, and he could see her love shining there and knew this was all he ever wanted in life.

                “Yes, Draco,” Anna smiled sweetly, this time tears of joy made their way down her cheek, “I will marry you.”

                Draco slipped the ring onto her finger, kissing her hand and the ring afterwards, “So do you want to do it tomorrow?”

                Anna laughed at him, falling back on the bed with him and holding him tight. She looked at the beautiful ring on her finger and laughed again, “You should do that more often,” Draco smiled, his happiness coming straight from her own. Anna was considering taking him up on the offer of getting married tomorrow.

                That night Draco got to hold his daughter for the first time and it was as if Dora knew him immediately as her father as Dora touched his face. Draco doted on her and Dora did not like being separated from him. It warmed Anna’s heart to see it; she had always known that Draco would make a wonderful father. And now he was going to be a husband, and she would be his wife and they would be able to spend the rest of their lives together without any worries from the dark lord.