I found my thoughts were prone to get extremely heated whenever I was near Draco.

He had lit a fire in me, and it was burning with a passion.

"Earth to Aurora!"

I blinked. Cho was waving her hand in front of my face as I had been staring dreamily at the Slytherin table, watching Draco slowly sipping his pumpkin juice.

"As I was saying," Cho continued, seeing that she had my attention back. "Blaise Zabini has been looking at me a lot lately and I'm worried that it'll be like cheating on Cedric if I enjoy it?"

"Wait- what?" I asked, completely thrown by Cho's admission.

"I- I just feel so... guilty." Her voice wobbled as tears sprang to her eyes. "I get all tingly when I see Blaise checking me out and then I remember that's how your brother made me feel."

I looked on in horror as tears cascaded down her cheeks. I awkwardly patted her on the back, silently praying she wouldn't say anything more about Cedric getting her tingly.

"It's okay," I murmured, continuing the patting of her back, "I'm sure Ced would want you to be happy."

"Th-thank you." She blubbered, wiping a tissue across her face and smiling at me through tears. "I'm glad you think so because I was thinking of asking him to walk with me on the next Hogsmede trip."

"Oh." I blinked, dropping my hand from her back. "Well - I hope it goes well, I guess."

"I was thinking maybe you could go and ask him for me, actually," she sniffed, mascara tracks heavily staining her cheeks, "seeing as you're dating his best friend."

"Umm, okay." I answered, ladling soup on my spoon.

"I mean right now. Can you go ask him?" She said, beckoning over towards where Blaise was sat with Draco. "I'm just desperate to know."

I slowly lowered my spoon back into my bowl, forcing a smile as I pushed my chair back and stood up, Cho grinning at me gratefully.

Draco's lips twitched into a smile as I approached his table, his silver grey eyes glinting in delight, making my heart flutter. My mind flashed instantly back to our heated kiss from the previous day and I felt my stomach flip in longing.

"Hey, it's our former Beauxbatons girl!" Blaise chirped, smiling warmly as I took the seat opposite them. "How are you finding being in the house of nerds?"

"Better than being in the house of snakes," I teased, poking my tongue out.

"Hey!" Draco barked, a frown creasing his brow. "Who are you calling a snake?"

I laughed, gently nudging my foot against his leg under the table. "I didn't say I didn't like them, did I?"

Our eyes met and a frisson of electricity filled the air between us.

"All right love birds, I'm not going to sit here playing gooseberry." Blaise muttered, looking between the two of us.

"Don't worry, I'm about to go to detention with Umbridge, anyway," I sighed, completely dreading it. Not once had I gotten detention or even slightly told off for anything in my whole school life. Until now.

Draco's face fell, concern sparking in his eyes. "You need to be careful, Aurora. I don't like this one bit."

"Draco, I've already told you. I not going to put up with her saying that Harry was lying about Ced-"

"For fuck's sake, Aurora!" Draco bellowed, slamming his fist down on the table, making me flinch. "Forget Cedric! Forget bloody Potter! You need to be careful with that woman!"

"Chill, Drac," Blaise muttered, his eyes darting concernedly between the two of us.

Shakily, I stood up, glaring down at Draco. The voice that came out of my mouth was surprisingly steady, despite my heart thumping furiously with rage.

"Don't you ever tell me to forget my brother. Don't you dare."

I turned on the spot, marching away, ignoring the desperate pleas spluttering from Draco's mouth.

I realised, as I reached the door, that I hadn't done what Cho had asked of me. I hesitated, but then decided to march on.

I didn't have time to matchmake my dead brother's girlfriend.

I had a detention to get to.

...

"Oh, you won't need ink for this."

Umbridge's voice rang, with the merest suggestion of a laugh, as she beamed down at both Harry and I.

She had just informed us that we would be writing lines using the quill and parchment set out in front of us.

I glanced nervously up at Harry to the desk next to me. He sat, however, with a steely expression set in his face, glaring intently at Umbridge.

"Now, Mr Potter - I must not tell lies should suffice. And Miss Diggory," She swivelled on the spot, staring down at me gleefully before she said the words that I must write.

"Harry Potter is a liar."

"What?!" I looked up at her incredulously. "And how many times do you want us to write this?"

"Oh, as long as it takes for the message to sink in. Now, chip chop."

Sighing, I picked up the pink feathered quill and placed the tip upon the piece of parchment in front of me.

As I started to scratch the first letters of Harry's name, I found myself gasping in agony.

The back of my right hand felt like it was on fire. As I clutched it, closing my eyes briefly, it hadn't escaped my notice that Harry, too, had made a sudden, sharp noise.

We exchanged a quick, furtive glance as we simultaneously rubbed the backs of our hands.

"Anything the matter, dears?" Umbridge asked, her eyes dancing gleefully as she looked at us both.

Harry shook his head and continued to write. I noticed him clenching his fist in pain, trying not to cry out.

Shakily, I turned back to my parchment, my heart thudding in my chest as I carried on writing, the pain returning almost immediately. This time, I looked down at my hand and was horrified to see the letters of Harry's name form in red droplets of blood upon my skin as it flamed in ferocious pain.

And it was then, I realised, with a feeling of utter horror - we were cutting the words into our own flesh.

We were being tortured.

...

Draco frantically paced the corridor outside of Umbridge's office. They had been in there for fucking hours.

He wanted to apologise for what he had said in the Great Hall. He hadn't meant it like that. He had just wanted to warn her about Umbridge.

Yet it had all come out so wrong.

When the door finally opened, and she emerged with Potter following close behind her, he was shocked to see just how pale she looked.

"Aurora?" He asked, worry dripping from every syllable.

He went to take her hand but she quickly flinched it away out of his reach. Alarm hit Draco's chest, knowing something was very wrong.

"What happened in there?" He asked, his eyes darting between her and Potter.

"None of your pissing concern, Malfoy," Potter spat, as he stormed past, making sure to smack his shoulder against his as he did so, before disappearing up the corridor.

"Aurora?" Draco asked again, looking at her pleadingly for answers.

But her eyes avoided his, and Draco was dismayed as she tried to side step around him.

He reached a hand and grabbed her arm to prevent her from doing so.

Her eyes looked so startled when she looked up at him, that he felt absolutely dreadful.

"Please, Draco," she begged, tears swimming in her eyes.

He didn't hesitate to pull her to him, clutching her close to his chest. He could feel the anxious beating of her heart against his body and was relieved when she didn't try and pull away, but instead sobbed in his arms, burying her face under his chin, drenching the collar of his shirt.

Something bad had happened in that office, and Draco didn't know what, but he vowed he would wait for her right here, every night that she had that detention. And when it was over, he would be there to hold her and let her cry in his arms.

He would be there for her as long as he had any breath left in his body.