Draco let the piece of parchment flutter to the ground by his feet, slowly stepping back from the cabinet as his heart rose up into his throat.

He had done it.

White lights suddenly dotted his vision as he turned on the spot and fled. He suddenly realised he couldn't get to her fast enough; needing to feel her reassuring body in his arms before it was too late.

Although it was three o'clock in the morning, he hoped she'd be where she usually spent her nights these days; in his bed.

"Drac, what is it?" she murmured sleepily, stirring awake as he hurriedly crawled under the sheets and pulled her tightly to him. "Your heart is going like crazy."

"Nothing," he said at once, fervently pressing his lips against her temple, "go back to sleep, I just wanted to hold you."

He felt her nuzzle against him; their bodies relaxing into one another's embrace. He suddenly felt so regretful of all the time that had been wasted that year.

Time he should have spent holding her in his arms; time he should have used telling her just exactly how much she really meant to him.

But now they had less than twenty four hours left and he couldn't even warn her about the horror that was about to unleashed on their world because of him.

He felt her body slacken as she drifted back into a heavy slumber, cocooning his arms tighter around her, trying to memorise everything about that moment; willing the clock to just stand still so that he never had to leave her.

But sadly, the sun came up and it was suddenly time to roll apart and start the day.

Monday the thirtieth of June; nineteen ninety seven.

The day he was going to end a life.

*****

"Earth to Blaire."

I blinked as fingers clicked in front of my eyes; bringing me out of my reverie.

"Sorry, Nev," I sighed, pushing the book in front of me aside. "I'm just not in the mood for homework."

Like I ever fucking was.

"Yeah, well, it's harsh Flitwick giving us homework when there is literally just a couple of days left till summer." Neville agreed, snapping my book shut for me. "Man, we should be busy planning for my epic seventeenth right now. I'm picturing feather boas and Freddy Mercury face masks. Or is that too much?"

"Umm... sure, sounds good," I said, biting on my thumbnail.

"Girl, I was joking; as if you'd ever catch me wearing a feather boa," Neville chuckled, leaning over to yank my hand away from my mouth. "And quit biting your nails, that's how you get stumpy looking fingers."

I blinked again, looking down at my unnaturally chipped nails.

"Seriously, what's up?" Neville frowned, concern suddenly flooding his face, "you seem a million miles away tonight."

The truth was, I couldn't stop thinking about my last encounter with Draco. Something in the way we had parted seemed so... final.

And it hadn't just been that; he'd been acting strange since the moment I had woken up - to a pair of mournful grey eyes staring down at me as though he thought it was my last day on Earth or something.

He'd insisted on pulling me into the shower with him where he fucked me slowly and sensually against the wall as water spattered down on our connected bodies amongst hot swirling steam. When he kissed me, it was with an ardent and longing desperation, and I could have sworn I could taste the distinct saltiness of tears.

He had said barely a word over breakfast, and every now and then, out of the corner of my eye, I caught him watching me; his expression sad and longing.

I couldn't help but notice that he'd seemed a million miles away during classes throughout the day; lost in his own haunting thoughts. I kept giving his fingers a gentle squeeze under the desk to let him know I was there, that I was always there.

And at the end of dinner, as we hovered in the Entrance Hall, he had seemed reluctant to part ways.

Instead of saying our usual swift goodbyes before he would normally go off up to the seventh floor and me to wherever; he instead engulfed me in his arms, holding me tightly against himself so that I was able to feel the steady beat of his heart beneath his warm, firm chest.

"Drac?" I had asked, pulling back slightly to curiously search his face. "What is it?"

He could barely meet my eye; his breathing suddenly becoming short and ragged as his tongue swept swiftly across his lips.

"I just- I just want you to know that you've been everything to me, Blaire," he said, his voice a strangled whisper as he finally looked into my eyes, "through all of this, I- I never deserved your friendship. But I'm glad I had it. I'm glad I had you."

His use of past tense was terrifying me.

"You've still got me," I said desperately, my heart hammering fearfully as I clasped his hands in mine, "you've always got me. Please, Drac; stop trying to protect me all the time and just let me help you for once. Please."

Hesitation flickered in his eyes, and I experienced a flutter of hopefulness as he slowly parted his lips. "Blaire, I...I-"

But it was at this point when Neville descended upon us, tentatively enquiring if I was ready to go and work on our Charms homework together.

"She is." Draco had said abruptly, letting go of my hands to catch my shoulders and wheel me round to face Neville.

"Wait," I said, panicking as I turned back to Draco, and saw, to my dismay, that the hesitation I had seen in his eyes just now had gone; his face hardened and closed off to any emotion. "Drac, I-"

"Go," he said firmly, avoiding my eyes completely. "I've got things to do."

And with a determined expression, he stepped right around me, giving Neville a curt nod as he swiftly strode passed him before disappearing up the staircase.

And now here I was, sitting in the library and biting my nails; a habit that my mother would scold me for if she'd bother to stick around and love me.

I looked at Neville, hating that I couldn't tell him what was really going on.

"I'm just worried about Drac," I said eventually, "he seemed... not himself today."

"Well, I must admit, I did think it was strange when he didn't insult me just now."

"It's probably nothing," I sighed, although not believing my words in the slightest.

But what could I do? Draco was still determined not to talk to me about anything to do with this mission of his; insisting that all he wanted was to keep me safe, no matter how much I implored that he didn't need to protect me.

"Come on," Neville said, checking his watch, "it's almost curfew anyway, perhaps things will be better in the morning. Gran always says nothing cures a problem like sleeping on it. But then again, she also says a box of chocolates a day keeps the Healer away."

"Sounds like a good motto to live by." I shrugged as we exited the library.

"Yeah, except now she's developed type two diabetes and is on first name terms with the Healer who treats her on a weekly basis."

We hadn't even reached the end of the corridor when Ginny Weasley came hurtling around the corner, red faced and breathless.

"Neville, thank Merlin!" She cried, barely seeming to notice I was there. "Hermione's been trying to reach you. Did you not see your coin?"

"Huh?" Neville said, suddenly reaching his hand deep into his trouser pocket and coming out with nothing. "Must've left it on my bedside table. What's going on? I thought the DA had disbanded?"

I looked up in interest. They were referring to the army that Draco had help bust.

"Harry thinks something bad is going to happen and wants us to keep watch out on the seventh floor." Ginny explained in a rush.

"What?" I said at once, my heart immediately hammering in my chest.

Ginny blinked at me as though just noticing I was stood there. Her face immediately screwed into a scowl.

"If you know what's going on then you need to tell us everything, now!" She barked, taking a menacing step towards me. "Or is this some petty revenge thing you and Malfoy have concocted between the two of you for what Harry did to him?"

"Calm down, Gin," Neville said, holding up a hand to her shoulder as if to placate her, "Blaire's been with me in the library all evening."

"Believe it or not," I snarled back down at her, "Draco and I have better things to do than sit around discussing your precious boyfriend."

"Oh really?!" Ginny spat, swatting Neville's hand away and pushing her face up into mine, "then why does he spend all of his spare time locked in the Room of Requirement whilst you're stuck left hanging out with Neville?!"

"Hey-" Neville began, hurt sounding in his voice.

"I LIKE HANGING OUT WITH NEV!" I roared, feeling a fury start to bubble in my veins.

"Look ladies, let's just calm down here," Neville said, forcing himself in between us. "Ginny, you're saying Harry wants us to keep a look out for anything suspicious on the seventh floor?"

"Yes," she nodded, "he's pretty sure that whatever Malfoy's been planning is happening tonight."

I felt a coldness trickle down my spine. Although I would never admit it out loud, Harry's theory sounded more than plausible given Draco's behaviour all day.

So, I made an on the spot decision. I was no longer going to stand back just keeping my fingers crossed for him anymore.

"I'm coming with you," I declared.

"What, so you can warn your boyfriend that we're onto him?" Ginny scoffed, "I don't think so."

"For fucks sake, I'm on your side." I snapped, feeling a flicker of irritation. "And so is Draco, believe it or not."

"Well he has a funny way of showing it; he stamped on poor Harry's nose!"

"No doubt he deserved it."

"You little-"

Neville quickly stepped in at this point, dragging us both up to the seventh floor, whilst Ginny and I continued to bicker about Draco and Harry behind him.

In fact, we were bickering so much that neither of us noticed the door to the Room of Requirement appearing.

"Uh- guys," Neville hissed as Ginny started to list off Draco's faults one by one on her fingers ("He's way too obsessed with his hair; his face is stuck in a permanent scowl; and Mudblood seems to be the only word in his vocabulary!" "WELL AT LEAST HE LOOKS GOOD IN A SUIT!").

And then, without warning, we were plunged into darkness.

"What happened?" I asked once the darkness had lifted and we could see again.

"Ummm," Neville said, tugging nervously at his collar and not being able to look me in the eye, "Malfoy just came out with a bunch of Death Eaters."

"SEE!" Ginny spat at me, her eyes dancing gleefully in her smug face.

"Whatever," I muttered as we strode down the corridor with our wands aloft, ready to face whatever chaos Draco had unleashed upon the castle.

Turns out, it wasn't particularly pretty.

******