Draven couldn't wait any longer. After what Lucius did to him, he decided to pack his things. He didn't bother to change his bloodied clothes, even patch up his wounds. It still hurts, and he couldn't walk straight or even have the strength to move, but he forced himself to so that he can escape. He just wanted to get out of this hellhole, away from his demonic father.
He left a note for his mother, saying that he'll be somewhere away from him. He didn't mention Sirius' name, or even say the address of his house. He also left one for his brother.
As soon as he is out of the manor, he walked away even though he is still limping from the torture he suffered. Lucius knew that he had formed a friendship with Hermione, but he still doesn't know the relationship they had now. It's scary to know how he could hurt his son because of being friends with a Muggle-born, what more if he would discover that his son is in love with her. But it doesn't scare Draven anymore. Hermione is the only one that keeps him going, that inspires him to fight...
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Thankfully, it's midnight. It's already less crowded in the streets for him to be noticed. His wounds are bleeding continuously, his feet are tired from the beatings of Lucius' cane, and blood oozing on his back from the whips he had. For sure, it would bear another batch of scars.
He arrived at Sirius' home and gathered all the strength to knock.
Sirius heard someone knock on his door. He was never expecting visitors at the moment, though he thought that it was only Remus. As soon as he opened the door, he was shocked to see Draven's bloodied state and he quickly caught him as he collapsed down the floor.
"Draven!" He said, pulling him gently inside his house and lying him down on the couch. "Draven! What happened!?"
"F-Father..." The Malfoy boy said, and tears started falling down his bloodied face.
"Do you want me to send a letter to Hermione?" Sirius asked and Draven slowly shook his head in pain.
"N-No... D-Don't... She doesn't need to know." He painfully said.
Sirius felt madness consumes every inch of his body as he looked at Draven's miserable condition. He whipped out his wand and cast a cleaning charm on him. Once the bloodstains magically disappeared, he tended his wounds. His forehead has some open cuts and his cheek is gashed as well. The side of his lips is also busted.
When he removed his shirt, he saw a lot of whip marks and some wounds from Lucius' beatings. There were a lot of gashes and bruises. His back is also full of whip marks as well as scars that he assumed were from a long time ago. There were also marks of the Crucio spell onto his body.
"How could he..." Sirius muttered while watching Draven who fell asleep. He didn't bother to wake him up or bring him to his spare bedroom because he was exhausted.
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Hermione was worried the whole day she arrived home from the station. Draven said to her that he'll be the one to write him first, and no matter what happens, she shouldn't write to him first.
She waited for Draven's owl when she woke up early in the morning, but still, there was no sign of an owl from him.
"Hermione, breakfast's ready!" Her mother, Monica called her.
"In a minute, Mom." She said and looked back again to her window. "I guess he's only tired."
She went downstairs to join her parents for breakfast, but her mind is still lingering with Draven. She can't help but worry about him. He seemed to be bothered by something before they went back home.
As soon as she was done having her breakfast, she quickly ran upstairs to see if Draven had already written to her. And luckily, there is an owl perched onto her windowsill with something on its claws. She hurriedly opened her window and the owl gave her the note.
Hermione felt relieved reading Draven's letter to her. He's fine and she doesn't need to worry. She hugged the letter and even kissed it. She smelled his scent; this is really from her boyfriend. Her mood instantly changed as she quickly picked up a piece of paper and a quill for her to immediately reply to him.
Draven's owl immediately flew away with her letter, and she knows he'll be able to receive it.
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Draven is staying at Sirius' house for about a week. He and Hermione are exchanging letters almost every day. The wounds from Lucius' beatings already started to heal a bit. He wanted to visit Hermione, but seeing his injured state, he decided to delay it for a while because he doesn't want her to see him like that. He doesn't want her to worry about him much.
For sure his father already knew that he ran away, but he didn't bother to know his whereabouts. He may expect it to happen, knowing Draven's stubbornness.
"Are you feeling alright now, Draven?" Sirius asked him with concern.
"Yeah..." Draven said, trying to move his body. "You've taken care of me better, Uncle Sirius."
"Well, whenever Moony came home from being a werewolf, he also has these nasty scratches and bruises on his body, so Prongs and I were the ones tending him after," Sirius told him. "But this has to stop, Draven."
"He won't stop, you know him. He's a monster." The Malfoy boy sighed and sipped his coffee. "Thank you for letting me stay."
"I read your letter, and that night I was about to reply to you but there, you already stumbled on my front door." The old man explained. "Why aren't you telling Hermione about this? She has the right to know, she is your girlfriend."
"I don't want her to worry about me. Especially now that we're in our last year, and I know she'll push herself in her studies. I just want to be there to support her, not burden her." Said Draven, who seemed to be sure of his decision. "She doesn't need to know..."
"But you know she can help you," Sirius replied. "I know that you're still holding back, and that's fine. But you can't keep this secret forever. Eventually, she'll know."
"Yeah. But for now, it's best to keep it this way." The white-blonde boy said. "I think I'll go to her later. I miss her and I don't want her to worry too much about me."
"Yeah. Just be careful, alright?" Sirius nodded and Draven smiled.
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The journey towards Hermione's muggle home is already a walk in a park for Draven. He knew where he was supposed to go. He could also meet her parents right now. And he may be ready for it.
He stepped on the stairs and knocked on the door, waiting for someone to open it.
"Coming!" A voice from the inside said.
The door suddenly opened and it revealed a middle-aged woman, who has this uncanny resemblance to Hermione. Draven assumed that it is her mother.
"Uh... Hi." Draven greeted. "Good morning. I was wondering if..."
Hermione heard a familiar voice from the front door. Her heart suddenly felt joy as soon as she saw who is outside, talking to her mother.
"Draven?" The bushy browned-haired girl said and she quickly ran towards the front door. She couldn't believe her eyes. He is here. Her boyfriend is here, on a flesh.
"You know this guy, Hermione?" Her mother asked her. "Friend from school?"
"Y-Yeah. He is." Hermione said, looking back at Draven who was just smiling.
"I'm sorry for the sudden visit. I just wanted to surprise Hermione." Draven explained. "I won't be long, I promise."
"What's your name, son?" Her mother asked him.
"Draven, Draven Malfoy." He replied and gave him a warm smile.
"I'm Monica. Hermione's mother." The woman smiled and let him enter. "You didn't catch her father. He just left."
"Oh, it's no problem, Mrs. Granger." Draven politely said.
"I'll just prepare something to eat. Please do feel at home, Draven." Monica said and she left Hermione and Draven alone in the living room.
As soon as her mother left, Hermione didn't waste any moment kissing her boyfriend on the lips. She missed him, and she missed this too. Draven also took the chance to hold and hug her as well.
"I missed you..." Hermione murmured in between their hugs. "I know that it's only a short time but Godric, I missed you like hell."
Draven didn't utter any word and he just hugged her. Throughout Lucius' torture to him, he thought that he cannot see her anymore. He almost died that night from the physical pain he suffered, but here he is now, with the girl he loved the most.
"I love you." He whispered enough for Hermione to hear. "I fucking love you so much."
He loves her even though it hurts. He will love her.
He will do, love her...
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(A/N: And here we go! The second part of Trouvaille. A lot of things will surely happen, and I do hope your hearts are ready because we are definitely in for a ride.)