Draco sighed heavily as he gathered the dark haired Ravenclaw into his arms.

He wished they could stay here like this forever, never having to face what lay for them outside of this room.

"We should get dressed," Aurora murmured into his neck, the feel of her lips against his bare skin making him shiver blissfully.

He tightened his hold around her, closing his eyes shut tight against the tide of emotions that hit him.

"Aurora, I'm so sorry." And he was horrified to feel a great big shuddering sob escape his lips.

He hated his father. He hated himself.

He hated all the time he had lost with the girl he loved.

She lifted her head, her hair spilling down around her beautiful face as she looked deeply into his eyes.

"I love you, Draco. I love you with everything I have. I don't blame you for what your father has done."

He lifted a hand, tenderly tucking her hair behind her ear so that he could clearly see her face.

"I love you, too," he whispered, "Aurora, I never stopped. Everyday I missed you. I missed you so much."

A single tear fell from her eye, trailing down the side of her nose and splashing down onto his cheek.

She placed a delicate hand to his face, wiping the wetness away with the soft base of her thumb.

"Draco, do you think we'll ever find a way to be together?"

His heart felt heavy with sadness as he looked up at her.

"I don't know, Aurora. I really don't. I don't even understand how you can even look at me after what my father has done to you."

He sighed heavily, circling his fingers lightly around the wrist of her left arm and carefully pulled it towards him. He pressed his lips against the huge angry scar, trailing light, feathery kisses along the length of it, almost as if he could undo the pain and damage his father had caused her.

He felt her shiver beneath him and he held her tighter to him, never wanting to let her go.

Noises from the common room made them both start.

"They're coming back. We need to get dressed." Aurora said, sitting up to hurriedly pull a vest over her head.

Draco grudgingly pulled on his boxers and shrugged his shirt back on.

"Let me stay with you," he murmured, looking at her imploringly. "I've missed you so much, Aurora. I just want to hold you in my arms."

She looked at him, biting her lower lip. Her eyes glanced at the door as if she was trying to weigh up the options.

"You're worried what they'll think of me being here with you." Draco understood. It was different now, not like before.

They were enemies on opposite sides of the war.

Panic flitted through her eyes, and Draco felt bad for having suggested it. He stood up to put his trousers back on.

"Wait - stay." She said, placing a hand on his arm. "I need you Draco. I need you here with me tonight."

"Are you sure?" He asked, swallowing.

She nodded and, abandoning his trousers, he climbed back into bed with her, drawing the hangings around them to obscure them from view.

He held her tightly in his arms as they heard the sound of the door unlocking and the excited chatter of Aurora's dorm mates.

"Look, she's back."

"Don't- leave her be. She's probably exhausted."

"Do you think it's true? About Malfoy's father?"

"They're saying he tortured her. He was going to kill her if Harry hadn't saved the day."

"Poor girl. And to think that she used to be in love with his son."

"She still loves him. I caught her crying the other day over that moonstone she carries around with her."

"Yeah, well it was her birthday, wasn't it? The poor girl doesn't have much to celebrate since losing her brother and boyfriend within the same year. And technically her dad."

"Shhh, she might hear you."

"Yeah, well one thing's for certain - she's better off without Malfoy in her life. His family will only bring her nothing but more misery and pain."

"I agree with you there. If he knows what's good for her he'd leave her well alone."

Draco's eyes met Aurora's and a silent sadness passed between them.

*****

I jolted awake in the middle of the night. Panic tore at me. I couldn't breathe. I thrashed around trying desperately to get my lungs to work but they'd seem to forgotten how.

"Shhh, it's okay, Aurora, just breathe. Breathe with me, you're going to be all right."

Arms went around me as Draco pulled me to him. The comforting feel of his chest rising and falling against mine calming me.

It was pitch black and silent all around us. I had no idea of what time it was. I wondered if I'd had a nightmare but I couldn't remember.

After a while, my breathing steadied. I squeezed Draco tight to me feeling so grateful that he was here.

"I'm going to have to sneak out," he whispered apologetically in my ear. "I don't think your dorm mates will appreciate me being here when they wake up."

As much as I didn't want him to leave, I had to agree. I couldn't deal with the fallout it would cause, and above all, it really wasn't fair on them.

Draco quietly got dressed and leant over the bed to kiss me goodbye.

"I love you, Aurora." He whispered earnestly in my ear, causing shivers to tingle down my spine.

"I love you too, Draco." I replied, pressing my lips firmly against his.

I fell back asleep after I heard him leave. Images of the past twenty four hours flashing through my mind.

I woke up the next morning with an uneasy feeling inside my stomach.

I realised I hadn't eaten since yesterday lunchtime and was famished. But I didn't know if I could face going down to the Great Hall.

Arms flew around me as I gingerly stepped out of bed after pulling the hangings open.

"Oh Aurora, are you okay?" Cho asked tearfully, hugging me tightly. "I heard what happened. We all did."

"I'm okay." I whispered, although I really didn't think I was. I just didn't have the energy to talk.

She looked down pityingly at my left arm, and I quickly moved it behind my back. I was grateful when she didn't say anything about it. The idea of talking to anyone other than Draco exhausted me right now.

After I showered and dressed, I placed my hand on the dormitory door, trying to mentally steel myself to face everyone.

I felt eyes on me as I walked through the common room. I focused on the door and didn't stop until I reached it.

It was the same walking down to the Great Hall. I just about coped with it until I stepped foot inside the hall and suddenly felt hundreds of pairs of eyes on me. I caught snatches of whispered words as murmurs started up around me.

...Draco's father...

...tortured...

I tried to concentrate on the Ravenclaw table but it seemed too far away and I could feel my heart racing too fast and my throat start to close.

I couldn't do it. Wheeling on the spot, I went to fly on back out of there, but instead found myself walking into a hard, firm - yet familiar chest.

"Draco!" I gasped as his arms went instantly around me. I felt ridiculously grateful that he was here.

"What's the matter?" He asked, his eyes full of concern as they searched my face. "Where are you going?"

"I can't do this Draco, everyone is staring."

"Ignore them. You need to eat. Come on." He commanded, brusquely taking my hand and seating me down at the nearest table.

He took the seat next to me and started spooning scrambled egg on the plate in front of me.

I nervously looked up the table to see a lot of startled Hufflepuffs staring uneasily at us.

"Draco, I don't think we're supposed to sit here. We're eating their breakfast."

"Nonsense." He said, now buttering a piece of toast which he then threw down on my plate. "The food all comes from the same place. What does it matter where you eat it?"

He poured me some pumpkin juice, seemingly unperturbed by the silence around us as everyone stared dumbfounded at Draco Malfoy being kind to the girl his father was in Azkaban for torturing.

"Let them stare," he shrugged, seeing me look around at the sea of faces apprehensively. "I love you, and from now on I'm going to be here to look after you. I heard what they said last night - you've lost so much because of my family, but you haven't lost me." He paused, looking imploringly into my eyes. "If you still want me, that is?"

"Of course I want you." I said at once, a warm smile tugging at my lips. "I never stopped wanting you."

"Good. Now eat up."

He pulled me to him, pressing his lips firmly against my forehead before turning to glare at the table's occupants and giving them all a fuck you look.