Chills and Story Books (Draco Malfoy x Reader)

One of my least favorite things in the whole world was getting sick; it was right next to spiders and History of Magic. Though, I thought as I stared up at the ceiling, I would gladly take one of Mr. Binns hour-and-a-half long lectures right now, if it meant I wasn’t stuck in bed, feeling like I was about to explode. My head was throbbing and, with every breath I took, my chest seemed to rattle with an oncoming cough.
Yuck.
I didn’t mind the way I became sick, though. It was almost worth all of the trouble I was going through. A smile crept up on my mouth as I recalled yesterday’s events—they seemed like an eternity ago. Draco, the boy who nowadays seemed to make my heart beat furiously and my face flush, had found me playing out in the snow during dinner. He had brought me inside and handed me his cloak to use, since I was thoroughly drenched. My eyes shut happily as I remembered the feeling of the warm cloak across my body, the way that it was covered with his smell. After dinner, we had met up again, where he told me to keep his cloak, and where he also had told me that he thought I was pretty while we stared out at the snow.
And then I had sneezed.
That should have been my warning for what disastrous occurrences lay up ahead. I had told Draco that I was fine, that I had just inhaled a little dust, despite the chills that crawled up my spine. Before we parted ways to go to our separate common rooms, he had grabbed my hand and kissed it gently, making the chills disappear and be replaced by extreme heat from my toes to the top of my head. I spent the rest of the night in a hazy state of delight and happiness, and had fallen asleep with a smile on my face.
And then I had woken up.
As I opened my eyes, pain shot through my head, making me call out and close them again. My entire head felt like it was being smashed together by rocks. The chills that had disappeared the night before had reappeared, bigger than before. As I lay in bed, scrunched up into a little heap, the facts hit me—I was sick.
Hermione had heard me call out and came running over. When she had seen the state that I was in, she had pressed her hand against my forehead, checking my temperature. Sure enough, I had a fever.
She managed to usher me up and out of bed, when a wave of dizziness crashed over me, making me stumble. With my arm around her shoulders, we made our way out of the common room, heading for the infirmary.
We had met up with Ron and Harry in the common room, both of whom looked at my dire state in surprise and panic. Harry wrapped my other arm around his shoulder while Ron ran back and forth, unsure of what to do.
“Open the door, you idiot!” Hermione had snapped at him, and he rushed forward, pushing the portrait open. Fred and George sat at a table to the side, snickering at us and we walked through. I tried to shoot them a glare, but my head pounded at the effort and I smashed my eyes closed.
We walked like that for awhile, earning multiple stares and whispers from various students as they witnessed us stumbling down the Grand Staircase. My headache grew worse as the bright lights shone upon me, and I buried my head into Harry’s shoulder, trying to block out the light. I felt him shuffle uncomfortably, surprised by my sudden closeness. My eyes opened slightly as I tried to find a more comfortable position on his shoulder. As my eyes flashed open, I saw a brief glimpse of silvery-blonde hair from across the corridor. I blinked and, when I looked again, I saw that it was gone. Deciding that my mind was playing tricks on me, I closed my eyes tightly and buried myself deeper into Harry’s shoulder.
When we made it to the infirmary, Madam Pomfrey had tsked at us and ushered me into a bed. The brightness and whiteness of the sterile room made my head throb more, and I situated my head against the pillow, which was a welcome change from Harry’s bony shoulder.
“Merlin, (Y/N). You’re hot,” Harry had said, rubbing his shoulder where my fever-struck forehead had touched him. Realizing what he had said, Harry blushed and stammered, “You know. Because you had a fever…”
Normally I would have an excellent comeback for this, but I was too tired and miserable to do much else then mumble incoherently into the pillow.
Coming out of her office, Madame Pomfrey had forced some potion upon me, of which she claimed would make me feel better within a few hours. I had chugged it willingly, despite the fact that it had tasted vile and putrid. Harry, Hermione, and Ron (who had gotten lost on the way there, somehow, but managed to find us) stayed for a few minutes by my side, but had left due to me urging them to have breakfast. While Harry and Ron headed toward the Great Hall, Hermione had gone back to the dorm to grab my school bag in case I felt better and I was struck by a sudden desire to do my homework. I knew that would never happen, but I appreciated the gesture. After she left, I felt a little lonely. Though I was to one who persuaded them to leave, I still didn’t like being alone. The potion hadn’t started to work its magic yet, and I still felt miserably sick.
Madame Pomfrey had retired shortly after to her office, and I was left alone with no company except for an unconscious third-year Ravenclaw. Boredom quickly crept upon me, despite my state of sickness and utter misery. I was one of those people who hated being bored, and always needed something to keep me busy. Hermione tended to get slightly annoyed by my antics, especially when she was trying to study. Therefore, being alone and bored out of mind, I was in quite the predicament. I found myself watching the clock tick as my stomach grumbled loudly. The night before, I hadn’t been able to eat dinner due to my time in the snow and with Draco. I didn’t mind that necessarily, but now I had missed breakfast too. I tended to have quite the appetite, and missing my daily three meals was really starting to take its toll on me.
Tapping my fingers against the side of my bed, I resorted to talking to the unconscious student as a means of entertainment.
“So, what are you in here for?”
Realizing that I (quite obviously) wasn’t going to get an answer, I began talking to them about the one thing that would make this whole situation better: Draco. Hoping that they wouldn’t remember this conversation when they woke up, (Don’t they say that coma patients can hear you if you talk to them?) I spoke on and on about Draco’s and my adventure the other day, assuming that they weren’t in a coma and that they were, in fact, asleep.
When I got to the part about him allowing me to keep his cloak, I realized I was gushing. “He looks like he has really soft hair, you know. While we were standing out in the snow, all the little snowflakes were getting caught in it, and I wanted to touch it so badly.” I was starting to feel better. Warmth spread up my spine and to my head, clearing my head and stopping my chills. I was unsure if it was just the medicine kicking in, or if talking about Draco actually was making me feel better. Either way, I continued talking. “His eyes are also gorgeous, right? And he’s actually kind of sweet, once you get to know him. Everyone always talks about how cruel he is, but he was acting like a total gentleman around me. Gosh, he’s adorabl-“
“I am not adorable.”
I froze, staring in shock at my Ravenclaw companion, wondering if they were the source of the voice I heard. But, much to my dismay and fear, they hadn’t moved a centimeter since I had entered the infirmary. Also, the voice had come from behind me. Heat rushed up to my cheeks, and I felt as though my face was on fire. Clenching my fingers tightly around the sheets, I turned around to see who the source of the voice was.
Standing tall and elegantly a couple feet away, was none other than Draco Lucius Malfoy.
Embarassment was not a strong enough word to describe what I was feeling. It was worse than the time Fred pulled down my skirt in the Great Hall in front of everyone. It was worse than the time I walked in on Harry and Cho snogging in the Room of Requirement, tripping and knocking over a suit of armor as I tried to rush out. This was worse. This was a hundred times worse.
I looked around frantically, searching for an escape. The only available exit was either behind Draco (there was no way I could ever walk near him again) or through one of the windows. Considering that we were in one of the highest towers in the school, that option was a no-go. I was stuck sitting on my cot in complete humiliation, staring up at the ceiling. Please leave.
Meanwhile, Draco was standing behind me, a smirk painted on his face. He was tapping his foot lightly, signaling that he was still there. “I am many things, (Y/N),” he said. “But adorable is not one of them. I did like the rest of your speech, though.  Please, don’t stop. Tell me more about how wonderful I am.” When I didn’t say anything, I heard him walk closer, his footsteps getting painfully louder. I heard the sound of a chair screeching and I was positive that he sitting beside me now. “Carry on.” His voice was soft, teasing.
Before I could stop myself, I blurted out the first thing that came to my head. “I have been drugged.”
Oh. My. God.
I had planned on explaining how I had been given a potion to help with my fever, and how the potion probably had strange side effects. Like giddiness. Or making you say things out loud that you don’t actually mean. (Though I did mean everything I said about Draco. I just didn’t want him to know it.) Instead, I had crossed the boundary and had said something that made absolutely no sense. He probably thought I was the biggest freak in all of Hogwarts.
Longing for an escape, I grabbed my pillow and my sheet and dove under the bed, hiding from his piercing gaze. It wasn’t necessarily the most effective or mature way of handling the situation, but I was desperate.  Underneath the bed I stayed, trying not think of all the gross things that could be hiding under there with me. Like spiders. I shuddered.
“(Y/N).” Draco’s voice sounded muffled, due to the fact that I had the pillow wrapped around my head, covering my ears. “What in the world are you doing?” Amusement tinted his voice, and I was sure that he was making fun of me.
“Nothing.” My voice sounded extremely high-pitched and I winced. “Go away.”
“That’s rude. I came here to check in on you. You could at least come out to say “hi”.” I could hear his fingers tapping against the end table impatiently. “It’s disrespectful to keep your guests waiting.”
“La, la, la. I can’t hear you.” Maturity and its finest, (Y/N).
“You answered me earlier.”
Shoot.
“Go away.”
There was a brief moment of silence. I heard the chair scratch against the floor once more, signaling that Draco was getting up. I snuck a little peak up to see his shoes a couple feet away. They looked new; shiny and polished. Draco had really nice shoes.
Focus!
“Y/N?”
“…Yeah?” I bit my tongue, my heart racing.
“Are you really sure that you want me to leave?”
The truth was, even though I had told him to leave, I really didn’t want him to go. I wanted him to stay. I wanted him to sit by me and talk to me as I tried to get better. I wanted him to read stories to me in his drawling, beautiful voice as he played with my hair. My eyes stung and my cheeks reddened, and I buried my head back into the pillow. “I dunno.” My voice was muffled and I doubted he could hear me.
He tsked and I heard footsteps slowly retreating. “Too bad. I had brought you breakfast from the Great Hall, assuming you would be hungry. You didn’t have dinner last night, correct?” He paused, as if he had given away too much information. I could almost see him shake his head. “Anyway, I guess you’re not hungry. I’ll just be going then…”
His footsteps started again and I panicked. Get some courage! You’re in Gryffindor, afterall. I took a deep breath and stuck my head out enough that only my eyes were visible. I blinked back the sudden brightness and tried to focus on Draco. He was standing a bit away, closer to the door than to me. In his hands was a tray full of food that I hadn’t noticed earlier in my rush of embarrassment. Come on, (Y/N). You can do it. “…Food?” I whispered helplessly.
Yes! She can speak!
Draco turned around and saw my head peaking out. A smile slowly appeared on his face, and I felt heat rise to my cheeks once more. Stop blushing.
Draco walked a step closer to the door and my eyes widened.
“If you want the food,” he drawled, turning back to the door. “Then you have to come out from hiding.”
As I weighed out the pros and the cons, my stomach grumbled. Deciding that I could put up with embarrassment for the sake of food, I stuck my hands out onto the floor in front of me and shimmied my way out. I sat with my knees up and my arms wrapped around them. “Food?” I whispered once more.
“You’re covered in dust, you know.”Draco turned around and grinned at me. He actually grinned. It wasn’t one of his signature smirks, but was instead an actual smile. He continued speaking. “It seems like every time I see you, you’re covered in something. Snow, and now dust.” His voice was muffled due to the fact that I was still focusing on the way he smiled a few moments ago. His smile lit up the room and paralyzed my mind, leaving me staring at him and possibly drooling. He should smile more.
He walked back over to me setting the tray down on the table and sat back down. I continued staring at him wide-eyed, wanting to see him smile again. Draco tapped the cot, signaling me to hop back up. Grabbing my sheet and pillow, I scuffled over to the bed and plopped down, ignoring my stomach growling. Food was on the line here—I could worry about embarrassing body noises later.
Draco shook his head, smirking, and took the top off of the tray to reveal stacks of pancakes, bacon, toast, and a glass of orange juice. If I wasn’t drooling before, I was now. Draco grabbed a fork from the side of the tray and turned to me. He motioned for me to lean back. Confused, I did as he asked, looking from the food to him. He stuck the fork into the stack of pancakes and cut out a bite-sized piece. I glared at him, wondering if he was going to eat my food. I started to growl a little in the back of my throat, but then I stopped, blushing. Nice. Now I’m acting like a wild animal.
Draco gave me an amused smile before lifting the fork up to my mouth expectantly. I stared at him in surprise. “You’re feeding me?”
He rolled his eyes, annoyance flickering in the gray pools. “Obviously. Now eat, or I’ll throw it away.”
Not wanting to let the precious food go to waste, I didn’t state that I could feed myself. I opened my mouth and he plopped the pancake into my mouth. It was probably the best thing I had ever eaten. We continued like that for a while until most of the food was gone. By then, I was blushing fiercely, trying not to make eye contact.
“Well,” Draco said slowly, putting the lid back on the tray. “What do we do now?”
I tried not to melt when he referred to us as “we”. Instead I tried to focus on the obvious. “Shouldn’t you go to class?” I looked around to find a clock on the wall. My eyes widened. “First class started twenty minutes ago! Draco, you have to go!” I tried to usher him out of his seat, but he refused to move, glaring at me.
“Why are you so convinced on trying to get me to leave?” He grabbed my hands and I jumped, my hands tingling where his touched them. “Anyway,” he continued. “It’s not a big deal.”
“’Big deal?’” I was trying not to focus on our hands, which were still entwined together, and instead focused on the problem at hand. “Draco! It’s class! I don’t want you to get in trouble over me! You could get detention!”
Draco rolled his eyes and held my hands against the cot, looking into my eyes. “Merlin, (Y/N), calm down. I told Flitwick that I was told to come here and check on you for the whole of class. It’s fine.”
I blinked. “You did that for me?” A big smile crept up on my mouth, the kind that takes up your whole face and makes your heart flutter. I was sure that I looked like a demented pixie, but that didn’t bother me.
Draco shifted uncomfortably in his seat, taking his hands away from mine. I pouted a little inside, but tried to keep a straight face on the outside. Draco kept his eyes away from me and instead looked out the window, leaning back in his chair. “I thought that was obvious,” he said after a few moments of silence. “I mean, I’m involved. I was with you when you were in the snow. If I had given you my cloak earlier, maybe you wouldn’t be sick. By the way, are you feeling any better?”
I smiled wider than a kid on Christmas, my heart rushing. Draco’s worried about me. “It’s not your fault,” I said, trying to remain calm. “If you hadn’t come along and dragged me away, I would have been out in the cold longer. Who knows how much sicker I would be now, if that was the case.”
Draco squinted at me. “Dragged?”
I ignored him.  “Also, I’m doing very well, now that you’re here.”
I watched him as a bit of pink tinted his cheeks. He tried to hide it from me by looking away, and I grinned.
“Anyway,” he continued awkwardly. “You didn’t answer me. What do we do now?”
“I don’t know,” I chirped, leaning back. I wracked my brain for possible things to do when one was stuck in the infirmary with an adult not too far away. Suddenly, a thought hit me. I turned to him, batting my eyes innocently. “Draco, can you do me a favor?”
He looked at me out of the corner of his eye, his eyes squinting as unease crept over him. “What do you want?”
I tried to make my smile less mischievous and more soothing. “Can you read to me?” I tried to muster as much eye-batting and swaying into asking him, trying to persuade him.
“Read to you?” he asked incredulously. His fingers were tapping against the end table again, and I began to notice that it was a nervous habit of his. I smiled to myself. As much as he wouldn’t admit it, one thing was true—Draco Malfoy was adorable.
“Yes, please,” I said, laying down and snuggling into my pillow. I looked up at him expectantly.
He cleared his throat. “What the hell am I even supposed to read?”
My eyes lit up and I turned to the schoolbag that Hermione had brought in earlier. I pointed. “There’s a book in there.”
Draco turned to me helplessly. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
“Nope,” I said, popping the ”p”. I bit my lip excitedly. “Get reading, hotshot.”
Draco glared at me as if to say, don’t call me that. He got up and walked reluctantly to my bag, searching through its contents. Through my mess of schoolbooks, he came upon the book that I was talking about. Turning it around, he read the back cover. His eyes widened. “(Y/N). This is a Muggle book.”
“Aaaandd?” I tried to ignore his attitude. “It’s my favorite book.”
He looked up at me, his eyes dark. “You can’t be serious.” (A/N: Sirius Black, anyone?)
I patted his chair and motioned him to come over. “I’m dead serious.” (A/N: Sorry. I had to.)
We spent a long time staring at each other, each person trying to get the other to back down. After what felt like eternity, Draco groaned and dragged himself over to the chair, plopping down loudly. He turned to me, his eyes steel. “If anyone hears about this, you are dead. You hear me?”
I nodded excitedly and held out my pinkie expectantly. Draco stared at me blankly. I sighed. “It’s a pinky promise. It’s like shaking hands or making a deal or whatever. You interlock pinkies and it means that you have to promise to keep a secret.” I grabbed his wrist and forced our pinkies together, smiling triumphantly. “There. Now read.”
Draco Malfoy had one of the most beautiful voices I had ever heard. Listening to him read to me was like reliving a dream, the kind of dream that settled into your heart for only you to keep. As I watched him read to me, I locked this moment into my memory, never wanting to let it go. No matter what happened after this, I wanted to always have this moment with Draco, to remember him beside me like there was nothing else more important to him in the world. I memorized every detail of his face, every eyelash and every breath. I never wanted to forget that moment. I wanted to be in that moment forever.
“Are you cold?”
I was shaken out of my fantasy and I turned to Draco, who was drumming his fingers against the arm of the chair. “Huh?”
“I asked if you were cold.” His cheeks were turning pink again, bright in comparison to his pale features.
Though I was actually slightly warm, I decided to play along. “Uh-huh.”
Draco nodded and got up from the chair, stretching a little. I tried not to blush at the fact that his shirt rose up a little as he did so, but I wasn’t very successful. Draco pulled the sheet back and I look up at him, confused. Ignoring me he sat down next to me, spreading his legs out and pulling the sheet back over us. Very slowly and gently, he raised his arm up and brought it over my shoulders, pulling me close to him.
My face was on fire. Draco’s body was warm against mine and I could feel every contour and dip of his side. His smell took over me, making me dizzy and ecstatic. He smelled like soap and pine, surprisingly, and something a little bit sweet. I fought back the urge to grab his shirt and pull him closer to me so that I could smell him better. I became aware of the fact that if I leaned in a little bit more, I would be able to hear his heartbeat. That fact was so personal and vulnerable to me, that I couldn’t help but feel honored and special that he let me that close to him.
“Do you want me to keep reading?” His voice came out soft, almost like a whisper.
I looked up at him to notice that his cheeks were bright pink and I grinned. “Draco, you’re blushing.”
He stiffened a little. “Malfoys don’t blush,” he said whilst blushing.
I shook my head, grinning at him. “You’re adorable,” I whispered gently.
He stiffened even more, and I had to hold onto his shirt to make sure he didn’t pull away. “I am not adorable. Malfoys are not adorable. We are dangerous and regal and mysterious, but we are not-“
“Just shut up and read,” I said, cutting him off and snuggling in closer to his side. I felt his breath hitch and I grinned, loving my new-found power over him.
And he continued reading.

At around noon, Madame Poppy Pomfrey walked out of her office to check in on (Y/N). As she rounded the corner, she stopped in her tracks, surprise washing over her. Next to you lay a boy with silver-blonde hair who had his arm around you.
“Mr. Malfoy and Miss. (L/N),” she began. “This is not a brothel that I run.”
But, even more to her surprise, she realized that they were both asleep, a book discarded in Draco Malfoys lap. Upon further inspection, she realized that it was a Muggle book, which caused her to raise her eyebrows slightly, knowing that this was unusual behavior for the boy. Looking back and forth between the two, she couldn't help but smile. Turning on her heel, she walked away, leaving the teenagers to themselves.
“Kids,” she whispered under her breath.