I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.

- Joshua Graham

I woke up stat as I felt his hand move. I looked up, but he didn't seem to be awake, simply stirring in his sleep. I gently rubbed my thumb over the back of his hand.

After my shower, I had gone to the Hospital Wing right away. Madame Pomfrey didn't want me to see him yet, but I could be very scary if I wanted to. Eventually, she let me in and I had been sitting next to his bed ever since.

Madame Pomfrey told me that he'd be just fine. The counter-curse Snape had used had healed all the wounds. He was only left with some minor scarring that would fade over time. His body still needed to recover from the very stressful moment, which is why she had given him some Sleeping Draught. He wasn't going to wake up anytime soon, so I just laid my head down on the side of the bed, trying to get a little bit of sleep.

The next time I woke up, the sun was starting to rise, the early rays of sun pulling me from my sleep. I yawned and stretched out my muscles, not breaking my hold on Draco's hand. Madame Pomfrey walked over and quickly inspected his chest.

"He should wake up soon. I'll keep him here for an additional day, but he should be fine", she said before walking off again. I nodded and looked back at Draco, the early sun shedding light on his peaceful face. What a contrast it was from last night.

I felt so incredibly drained. He'll be fine, I kept reminding myself. I didn't know what I would do if I ever lost him. What I felt last night, the helplessness, the anxiety, it was horrifying. I never wanted to experience anything like it again.

I brought his hand up to my lips and kissed it softly. His skin was cold, so I rubbed his hand between mine, trying to warm it up. His eyebrows knitted together very briefly, so I stopped, but he was already awake. He blinked a few times, before opening his eyes, taking in his surroundings.

And then his eyes landed on me and I felt such a relief wash over me.

"Oh thank Merlin", I sighed, standing up. I put my both hands on either side of his face and took in his features that looked a lot more alive than last night. "Thank Merlin you're okay." He smiled weakly and I couldn't help but kiss him quickly. I just needed some validation that he was still here with me.

"What happened?" he asked and slowly sat up, groaning a little at his sore muscles.

"Draco, you should lay down", I said urgently, trying to get him to rest.

"I'm fine, Ellie", he chuckled, rubbing his face.

"The young lady is right, Mr Malfoy, you should rest", Madame Pomfrey said as she walked over again. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm good", Draco said, pushing the covers off him.

"You should take it easy for a few days", she said and then she left again.

"You heard her, Draco, you have to rest", I persisted. I knew it was no use, but I'd make sure he didn't get hurt anymore than he already had. Potter was going to regret ever touching him.

"Calm down Ellie, I feel fine, honestly", he said, grabbing my hands, forcing me to look at him. "Instead, tell me how I got here."

"Harry Potter, he, he used some kind of spell on you. There was a whole lot of blood and I thought you were going to die", I said, my heartbeat picking up again when thinking about last night's events.

"But I didn't, Draco said as he noticed my reaction, his thumb gently stroking the back of my hands. I took a deep breath. He is fine, I kept repeating.

"Snape knew the counter-curse and then brought you here", I said. I looked up at him and felt the sudden urge to be close to him, to make sure that nothing could ever hurt him again, so I would never lose him. So I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him as close as I could without hurting him.

He hesitantly wrapped his arms around me too. "We should be careful here", he whispered. It was no use anymore anyway. I pulled back, feeling sad again. I had messed up last night.

"Snape already knows. He's the one that fixed you up last night. I'm sorry, I couldn't pretend, I was too shocked, I couldn't-"

"Ellie, it's okay", Draco said, bringing his hands up to my face. "It's fine, we'll be fine." He smiled slightly, which made me feel a little better. My heart was still racing in my chest and I felt so anxious all the time, more than I had in a while.

"Come here, it's still early", he said and scooted over a little, making room for me. I looked around, but Madame Pomfrey was in her office and the only other patient in the room seemed sound asleep, so eventually I climbed into the bed with him and wrapped my arms around his torso. He pulled me closer and pressed a kiss on my forehead.

"Everything will be just fine", he whispered, pulling the covers back over the both of us. "Everything will be okay."

I watched as Ellie's eyelids slowly fluttered close, but the worried look didn't leave her face. I wanted her to stop worrying, but I couldn't help but do a little myself. Snape had found out, which was a huge problem.

I didn't know what to expect from Snape. I suspected that he wouldn't immediately rat me out as he had to make sure I finished the task first. He had made an Unbreakable Vow so if I died before I completed the task, he would too. But I knew that as soon as the task was done, I'd be done for. He cared a lot more about his position with the Dark Lord than he cared about me, so he'd sell me out when he had the chance.

Maybe he would tell Lord Voldemort right away and then look for a different way to punish me. He couldn't have me dead, but he had found out a better way to punish me last night. I looked down at the sleeping girl in my arms. Nothing could happen to her, ever. I had to make sure that she didn't get hurt under any circumstance, especially not when I could have prevented it. She couldn't get hurt because of me. She meant too much to me.

Maybe it had been foolish to start dating again, as it was always going to end badly in one way or another, it was inevitable. The two of us weren't meant for happiness, it was not in our blood. We never had been happy for a long period of time and the universe would make sure we wouldn't this time around. But just thinking back to the past month made me forget about those worries. It was all worth it. I just had to make sure that she didn't end up hurt. I didn't care if I got hurt, but I had to protect her, at any cost.

The door opened again and a couple familiar faces walked in: Daphne, Tracey, Blaise and Theo.

"Good to see that you're still alive, mate", Blaise said as they walked over. Ellie stirred slightly and woke up at Blaise's loud comment. I looked at the boy annoyed. He noticed Ellie and smiled apologetically.

"Oh, did I fall asleep? Sorry", she mumbled as she sat up, noticing the visitors at the end of the bed. She blushed slightly as she noticed that she was still in the hospital bed with me. She was absolutely adorable.

"How are you feeling?" Daphne asked.

"I'm all good, don't worry", I mumbled, stretching out my sore muscles again. I didn't feel great, but I was not planning on spending much more time in this place.

"That's good. We thought we'd quickly check in on you before breakfast. Do you need anything?" Tracey asked.

"Nah, I'm good, I won't be staying very long."

"Madame Pomfrey said she'd keep you here for another day, Draco, you have to listen to her", Ellie objected, looking at me sternly.

"I'll try", I chuckled, knowing that arguing with her was a lost cause.

"Well, we have to go to breakfast if we don't want to miss it, but we'll come by over lunch if you're still here, okay?" Blaise said, checking his watch.

"Good", I shrugged. "Ellie, you go with them, you have class in a bit", I said.

"I'm staying", she protested, crossing her arms.

"Madame Pomfrey will kick you out in a while anyway", I chuckled, not surprised by her stubbornness.

"I'd like to see her try." She glared at the office where the woman was filing some paperwork. I looked at Daphne and Tracey for help, who nodded understandingly.

"Come on, pitbull, you have to eat before class", Tracey said and grabbed Ellie's arm. Daphne grabbed the other and they pulled her off the bed. She didn't struggle too much as she knew that there was nothing she could do anyway.

"I'll be back right after class, don't you dare to move and make sure you eat", she said whilst being dragged away by her friends. "And get some sleep if you can, maybe ask Madame Pomfrey for a Sleep-" I didn't hear the rest of it as the door closed behind them, but they would only be more worries. I smiled slightly. It was nice to have someone I cared about worry about me like that, to know that I meant something to her.

I waited a couple more minutes to be sure that she'd be at breakfast. Then I put on my shoes and my cloak and grabbed my wand.

"You shouldn't be out of bed yet, Mr Malfoy", Madame Pomfrey called from her office. I ignored the complaints and walked out of the Hospital Wing. I had more important things to do.

I walked to the third floor where I knew he'd be preparing for his next Defence Against the Dark Arts class. I opened the door and sure enough, he was at his desk, preparing some sheets to project.

"I didn't expect you so soon", he said without looking up. I hated this man. He had replaced my father as the Dark Lord's second without batting an eye, without ever even mentioning him. I hated him.

I cast the Muffliato spell and marched up to his desk.

"You can't tell the Dark Lord about Eleanor", I stated, clenching my jaw. His bored expression annoyed me.

"And why not? You are lying to him, foolish boy", he said finally looking up.

"Because if you do, he'll kill either me or her. That blood will be on your hands then."

"You two got yourself into this situation. Do you really think I care enough about either of you to keep up your silly little act?" Snape raised his eyebrows.

"You have to!" I spat. "You can't tell him. If you do I'll ... I'll pitch myself off the Astronomy Tower and then ... then you'll die, because you made an Unbreakable Vow. I'll do it, I swear."

Snape narrowed his eyes, confused at my passionate plea.

"Stop wasting your time with that girl, you have more important things to focus on", he said eventually.

"I am focused", I scoffed. If anything, I had been more focused with "that girl" around.

"You're not, Potter caught you of guard, you have to-"

"That has nothing to do with her!" I yelled. "And you better not do anything that will hurt her, because I swear you'll regret it."

Snape rolled his eyes, not remotely impressed. "Is the cabinet finished then? Can we get going on your task, since you're not at all distracted?"

"Almost", I said. "It will happen. It will happen sooner than you think." I had nothing else to say, so I just walked out.

I wasn't lying when I said that I'd pitch myself off the Astronomy Tower if he told the Dark Lord. If the Dark Lord took Ellie away from me, there was nothing left to live for anyway. I'd give my life to hurt the person that hurt her any day.

I had to protect her at all costs.