Accountability feels like an attack when you're not ready to acknowledge how your behaviour harms others. You have to silence your ego in order to take accountability for your own actions.

- Tamara Renaye

I woke up to Eleanor frantically running around, hopping on one foot to get her shoe on.

"What are you doing?" I asked as I stretched out my sore limbs. I hadn't slept this well in ages, even though I had slept on the floor with my back against a couch. I hadn't had any nightmares.

"I've got Arithmancy in three minutes", she said as she shoved her book into her bag. "I have to go right now." She ran towards the exit, trying to fix her hair on the way there. She looked beautiful anyway.

"Meet me in the library in two hours, okay?" she said and then, the door closed behind her. I didn't even care if anyone had seen her exit this room. All I could do was smile at where she was just standing. It felt good to smile again.

She had been in my arms all night and it made me never want it any other way again. I sighed as I stood up, just to sit down on the couch again. Had last night really happened?

I had cried in front of her. I had never cried in front of anyone except for my mother. But she didn't leave me. She stayed and she pulled me into her embrace and told me that everything would be okay. And for a moment I believed her, and maybe I still did.

I closed my eyes again. Just a couple more days and then we'd go home for a week for Easter break. After that, I had less than three more months to get this cabinet finished whilst also trying to find out how the bloody hell I was going to go through with this task. I could bring a hundred Death Eaters in the school, but I still had to kill him.

I didn't think Eleanor fully realised what I had to do. I had to take someone's life. Would she look at me the same afterwards? Would she still love me when she knew that I had murdered someone?

I took a deep breath, trying not to panic. I still had three months to get this done and I was close. I just had to pass by Borgin and Burkes to discuss it with the owner again and then I was sure that I could fix it.

I was scared of what would happen afterwards. We'll figure something out, Eleanor had said. Could we? What would happen when Dumbledore was gone? Who would be in charge of Hogwarts? It wouldn't be long before the Ministry was overthrown. We'd be around Death Eaters all the time. Could we figure something out? Was there any possibility at all?

I forced myself to stop thinking about it because it was driving crazy thoughts into my mind again. I had Ellie back, she didn't hate me. I couldn't mess that up now. We'd see what would happen during the summer, but right now I needed her.

For a moment, I was scared that he wouldn't show up, that he had changed his mind. But at exactly eleven o'clock, he walked into the library, scanning the room until his eyes met mine. I had sat down at the far back of the library, where no one else was.

"Hi", he said with a small smile and put down his bag. I felt warm inside when I saw him, I felt proud.

"I got some books that might help", I said, pushing the stack his way.

"I read that already", he said whilst he put the first book to the side. "And that one, and that one." He went through all the books, but none were new to him.

"Well that was a waste of time", I chuckled as he put the last book to the side.

"It's fine, I've got some books I wanted to check out", he said and got out a piece of parchment from his bag. "I'll get them, you stay here."

I watched as he walked to the other side of the library, before entering one of the rows. He was dressed in a black suit again, like he always was lately. He looked incredibly handsome in it. A fifth-year walked by and I forced my eyes away from the blonde. We were still in a public place. I searched the bookcase nearby for some more books that Draco probably would have read already. Luckily he came back soon, a stack of books in his arms himself. He put the stack down and sighed. He quickly cast a Muffliato spell before he spoke.

"I just need to find out why the cabinet is resisting my fixing spells, no hard task at all", he said sarcastically. "I've been at it all year, but I haven't made much progress lately."

I noticed professor Slughorn walk towards the back of the library, so I quickly cast the Invisibility Spell on myself. Slughorn spoke to Snape regularly and he wasn't known to be short on words. The professor passed by without as much as glancing in Draco's direction.

"You have to teach me that spell sometime", Draco said as I reversed it once Slughorn was out of reach. A mere moment later, Slughorn turned around again, a disordered look on his face. I grunted and performed the spell again.

"This is no use", Draco sighed and started shoving the books in his bag. "Come on."

I frowned, but followed his lead and packed up my stuff. I kept the Invisibility Spell in place as I walked out of the library with him.

"Where are we going?" I asked as he walked up the second set of staircases.

"Astronomy Tower, there's no one up there during the day", he said. I smiled at the thought of spending more time with Draco. Lunch was in an hour, though, and I would make sure he'd be at that table.

He pushed open the door and held it open as I walked through as well. I had never been here during the day before, only at night during Astronomy classes.

"I come up here often. It's a good place to think", he said as he leaned against the railing. I joined him, staring at the scenery in front of me. We were mid-March and that was always a weird period weather-wise in the Scottish highlands. Spring was slowly but surely settling in, colouring the trees in the Forbidden Forest green again, but one in a while, snowflakes would still fall from the sky, signaling that winter had not yet left us completely.

I remember standing on the terrace at the Ministry's Christmas Ball this year and last year. Both had been highly confusing times. I remembered the snow that fell down that day. Gently, as if saying that everything would be okay.

"Draco?" I asked softly.

"Yeah?"

"If you could put one scene of your life in a snow globe to stare at it forever, which one would it be?" I asked. I closed my eyes as I answered the question for myself. I'd like to capture one of the days during the second week of summer, when Draco stayed at Selwyn Keep for the week. It had been the only week in my life that I had felt happy, completely happy. I wondered if there'd ever be a time where I could feel like that again.

Maybe, just maybe, if our side won the Wizarding War, we could slowly disappear into the background. There surely would be other supporters ready to fill the spot in the inner circle.

I was distracted by Draco who wrapped his arms around my shoulders from behind me, resting his chin on the top of my head. I leaned into his touch and took in the intoxicating scent of mint, cologne and green apples.

"The day when you taught me how to produce the Patronus charm", he said eventually. I felt a blush rising to my cheeks. I didn't often blush, but he managed to do that every single time.

"A dragon", I whispered, smiling as I looked over the Hogwarts grounds. I liked being here, although my parents and other surroundings kept trying to convince me that Hogwarts wasn't a good school. I believed it was. I felt happy here, safe here. I already dreaded the time I'd have to leave. It wasn't even that long anymore, a year and three months. I didn't want to leave.

Draco pressed a kiss on my head. My fingers found his and I intertwined them, caressing the ring on his finger.

"Is it the one from your dad, or the one I gave you?" I asked curiously.

"Yours, of course. It's always been yours." He tightened his arms around me and pressed another kiss on my head. This was my favourite place to be, in his arms. I felt warm, I felt loved and I felt protected. Why hadn't I fought harder to get here in the past six months?

"I missed you", I whispered and turned around, looking up at him. His eyes were silver again, flickering in the soft sunlight. He smiled and gently caressed my cheek. He leaned in slightly and I felt his cool breath on my cheek. I realised that I hadn't kissed him in a very long time. I had been just content with his presence, his touch, but now that he was so close again, I yearned for the feeling of his lips on mine, where they belonged.

"I really want to kiss you right now", he whispered slowly, a smirk on his lips. I blushed again, but I felt a little confidence bubble in my stomach. He made me feel powerful and daring.

"Then what are you waiting for", I said, gently placing a finger under his chin and bringing his lips towards mine. Not long after, I felt the soft touch that made my knees go weak. One of his hands traveled up to my hair as his other one gripped my waist firmly. I wrapped both arms around his neck as I leaned into him, wanting to be even closer. He gently bit my lip and I parted my lips slightly. He smirked at the natural reaction before closing the gap again.

It were these moments that made running away seem not half as bad of an idea. Wherever the future went, I wanted it to be with him, always.

What I felt could only be described as limerence, another one of those beautiful words from my list.