I heard a loud boom and with that the door swung open.

There stood Draco but a Draco I wasn't familiar with, this one wasn't cool and collected this one was near shaking with anger. The veins in his head looked like they could burst at any second. My mind was concentrating too much on his face to notice anything else.

"Oh my god Draco! Your hand! What did you do?" Pansy threw her arm up and as it fell it slapped onto her thigh.

My eyes darted to his hand, nearly all of the top of his hand was more red than it should be but the knuckles were violently red. There was already shades of crimson coming through where bruises would stay behind. I jumped off the bed and quickly made my way over to Draco.

I took great caution whilst I lifted his hand closer to me so I could get a better look. "Draco what did you do?!"

He pulled his hand away from eyesight swiftly. "Nothing that he didn't deserve".

"For fuck sake Draco! Who do you think is going to come out worse in this? Us or the beloved Harry Potter! Are you stupid!" She wacked her hand around the edge of his shoulder.

"No I'm not fucking stupid Pansy!!" His tone silenced both me and Pansy from uttering another word.

"Ivy, you need to tell Draco what you told me." She walked slowly over to the door, squeezing past Draco who was nearly blocking the entrance way. She flashed me one last smile before disappearing behind the door.

"We should go somewhere else, Umbridge will kill you if she finds out you're up here".

"Come on" he held out his still functioning hand, a simple gesture that still had the ability to make my stomach do a flip. I was suddenly back at the Yule Ball all alone with that one hand reaching out to me... 'May I have this dance' rang around my ears. The smile creeped onto my face almost turning into a laugh of joy. I caught Draco furrow his eyebrows in confusion at what on earth I could be finding so wonderful at this moment in time.

"And what are you smiling at Miss. Drayheart"

"Oh nothing just a memory came to mind. Just you holding your hand out like that...it reminded me of when you asked me to dance." I blushed slightly as the moment replayed in my head.

"Oh you mean when I did this." In one quick motion he had pulled my tight to him, so tight my chest was pressing up against him and like my memory was coming alive he had pushed me out and began spinning me around under his command.

A hysterical laugh escaped from deep in my stomach, the feel of the release felt so bittersweet. Despite knowing all the shit that had just happened in the last hour I was miraculously somewhere else, the power he had to take my mind away from anything in an instant was something I knew was rare. Something that for the last two years I had longed for. To be be taken away from my darkest thoughts and my crippling reality.

I span and span and span, with each turn I was further away and the only thing that was holding me up from crashing to the ground was one of the only things left in my life that stopped me from crashing into my deepest sadness.

Slowly but surely I came to a halt. I could feel the ache burning in my cheeks from how long I'd been smiling for and even though I wanted to stop from the pain I couldn't. I mean how could I not looking at him.

He pulled me back into him again, just like that night but today I wasn't going to walk away. I was going to stay right here in his arms. I rested my head onto his shoulder as he wrapped one arm around my waist and the other pressed lightly on my shoulders as he rested his hand in my hair.

We stood like that for a while until I was ready to talk.

"Dumbledore said to stay away from you Draco, he said that you were going to end up getting me hurt" I spoke so quiet it was nearly a whisper, like if I said it too loudly it was out there in the world and it would make it true.

He remained silent for a moment. "Do you believe him?"

Truth be told I hadn't given it much thought, the last hour had been a blur with highs and lows. I hadn't had time to let Dumbledore's words sink in, maybe I just didn't want them to.

"I don't understand it if I'm honest. Why he would think there was anything to be cautious of, I know the obvious answer is because of your father but I don't understand what that has to do with me. I mean like you said you're not like your father are you?"

"No."

I took a deep breath. "Draco I wasn't honest with you about my family" just like everytime I mentioned them images flooded my mind.

"I know" his words sent me back in shock. I looked up to him with confusion covering my face.

"How do you know?" He never let go of me even though I'd pushed myself back slightly.

"I was there when you told Harry." I pressed my hands on his chest to push myself back further.

"You were there?" My voice was stronger now, no longer was I whispering.

"Yes. I was trying to find you. I couldn't walk away for summer and not tell you..." he took a breath. "Not tell you that I couldn't stay away from you. I couldn't get you out of my head and when I walked out the astronomy tower that night I heard you cry and it sent an ache through me that I've never felt, I was weak. I wanted to tell you that..I was sorry." A small burning hit the corner of my eye. I looked up to him and I could see the pain on his face just from saying those words, admitting how he felt. Admitting that for one moment he wasn't in complete control of himself.

"But then when I found you, you were already with Potter. I was ready to turn around but then I heard you cry and at first I thought it was because of him and I was ready to fucking kill him but then you spoke and I couldn't walk away. I know I should of done, but I couldn't. I couldn't process what you said...it made little sense but then over summer I spent nearly every second of the day thinking about you. Thinking how hard you must be hurting and then I knew the moment I saw you I had to tell you...how I felt even if you didn't feel the same. I needed you to know that there was someone out there that you infatuated, that thought about you all the time, that it physically pained not being able to hold you. That would go to the end of the earth for you."

I couldn't help but allow the tears to roll down my cheeks. His words had hit me with so much impact that I felt breathless.

"But then I saw you and you told me you hadn't thought of me and my ego got in the way. But I'm saying it now Ivy and I mean it."