When I returned to the Room of Requirement after dinner, that night, I was shocked to see that it was already occupied.

"Draco?" I breathed, my heart thudding in my chest as I approached the cabinet to where the white-blond haired Slytherin was working. I couldn't help but feel ridiculously overcome with relief at the sight of him in here.

"Astrid," he said coolly, barely glancing over in my direction.

My heart sank at his unfriendly tone. I made my way over to the sofa, sinking into it as I observed him work.

"Have you not eaten?" I asked, desperate to fill the horrible silence between us.

"I'm not hungry," he said bluntly, his back still turned to me.

There was another silence. I couldn't stand it.

"Draco, have I done something to upset you?" I asked, feeling pathetic and needy.

Draco stilled. His hand on the open cabinet door, he turned his head slowly to look at me. His grey eyes pierced fiercely into mine.

"I see you've been getting acquainted with Zabini," he said, the bitterness evident in his voice, "was Potter not enough for you?"

My mouth dropped open incredulously. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Draco, you haven't spoken to me in days." I said shakily, trying to control the anger in my voice, "I've been stuck in here all on my own feeling lonely and scared and having no one to talk to about it. Blaise offered me some much needed company and friendship this afternoon, after getting Harry off my back, and I took it. I took it because I've missed you even though you've been hanging out with that vile girl!"

"What do you mean he got Potter off your back?" Draco spat, suddenly looking thunderous. "What's he been doing to you?"

"Harry knows, Draco - he knows about this room and that I've been staying in it. And he keeps going on about you. He practically had me up against that wall outside trying to get me to open this room for him, but luckily Blaise came along and told him to do one."

"What?!" Draco roared furiously, a pink tinge rising to his normally pale cheeks. "Did he hurt you? Because I'll fucking kill him if he did!"

"No, he didn't touch me." I said quickly, "He just got a little... pent up, and I couldn't take him shouting at me. He knows too much, Draco, it's actually scary."

Draco's pale grey eyes flashed and he placed his hands on his hips, chewing his lower lip as he seemed to think things over.

"He still can't get into this particular room, though - we would know if he had," he murmured, seemingly to himself. "I might enlist Crabbe and Goyle to keep a look out. I suspect Potter has been following us about under that stupid cloak. It might not hurt for you to use my father's one from time to time, actually."

"If he's using the cloak, what good would having lookouts be?" I enquired, puzzled. I couldn't see anyone agreeing to just stand around wasting their time for any reason.

"It wouldn't hurt, that's all," he shrugged, his eyes studying me intently now. I felt a fluttering of my heart as his gaze lingered on me. "And I'm sorry, Astrid. I'm sorry for not being here for you. Especially when that git has been hassling you."

I closed my eyes, so glad to hear him say those words. I felt the soft thud of the sofa, and when I reopened my eyes, I saw that Draco had joined me.

"You look better for having slept," I said softly, taking in his pearly white skin - the grey tinge now gone, and his eyes not quite so sunken. I itched to place my hand on his cheek, desperate to feel his cool soft skin against my fingertips. But I held back, not wanting to push the boundaries of our just mended friendship.

He let out a soft sigh and I watched as his eyes roamed back to the cabinet, looming accusingly over us, still every bit broken.

"I've managed to get hold of something that might help speed things up," he said, leaning forwards so that his elbows rested on his knees. His foot started tapping in an agitated fashion making me feel anxious. I sat in dreaded silence waiting for him to continue.

"It's a necklace," he went on.

"A necklace?" I asked, wondering how on earth a necklace could ever be of help in this awful mission.

"It's cursed," he explained, his silver grey eyes now fixed intently on mine. "One touch and it will kill you."

I shivered, feeling a coldness sweep through my body. "How- how did you get hold of it then?"

"It's protected," he said, now standing up and walking over to his satchel. He bent down and pulled out a brown paper package. "I need to somehow get it to Dumbledore."

He returned to the sofa, package still in hand. I found myself shrinking back into the sofa away from it.

"How are you going to do that?" I whispered, not taking my horrified eyes off of the package on Draco's lap.

"I don't know," he murmured, sighing heavily, "I was hoping you could help me with that."

"You want me to... no Draco, please, I can't- I can't give that necklace to him." I actually started shaking at the mere thought of handling such a deadly object.

Draco's head shot up in alarm. "No, Astrid, I would never ask you to do that, I just wondered if you could pass it onto another student, claiming it to be a gift for Dumbledore. That way, if it goes wrong then it wouldn't trace back to us."

"But it will trace back to me, and then questions will be asked!" I objected, pointing out this massive flaw in his plan.

"Not if I put the Imperius Curse on them, it won't," Draco said quietly, not quite meeting my eyes. He had already told me all about the Unforgivable Curses.

"But isn't that illegal? You could end up in prison!" I gasped, horrified by how real this was all getting.

"Astrid," Draco said gently, shaking his head slightly in an almost pitying way, "I'm a Death Eater who is on a mission to kill. This whole situation could land me prison."

I could feel hot tears start to prick behind my eyes. My chest grew tight and it felt as though I'd forgotten how to breathe. A horrible burning sensation rose to the back of my throat. I tried to swallow it down but found I couldn't.

"Astrid?" I was only faintly aware of Draco's worried voice from above me. I had moved forwards off of the sofa and sank down to my knees.

I felt arms go around me, hoisting me up. Draco pulled me into his chest, holding me tightly to him, one hand clutching my back, the other stroking the back of my head.

"It's okay," he murmured soothingly above my ear, "You don't have to do anything, I promise, Astrid."

"I've missed you," I sobbed, my hands clutching desperately at his back as I wept into his chest, "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too," he growled, holding me tighter to him, kissing my head, "believe me, Astrid, I missed you too."