I raced back to the castle as fast as I could, my heart beating violently against my chest and my lungs working overtime.

I needed to find him. I needed to find Draco.

"Aurora! Calm down, you need to be careful!" Cho cried as she chased after me.

I barely heard her over the pounding of the blood in my head. Why would he do this? What would he have to gain from trying to kill someone?

Hands grabbed me from behind, arms snaking around my middle, halting me in my tracks.

I looked up to see Blaise staring fiercely down at me.

"Don't be fucking stupid, Aurora!" He growled, as tears started to cascade down my face. "If Draco had to do this then he had good reason!"

I collapsed against him, my body sagging resignedly in his hold.

"But I love him," I sobbed. "I love him so much."

"I know," he murmured, pressing his mouth against my ear as he continued to hold me. "I know."

I allowed him and Cho to walk me back to the castle, with Blaise promising to find out all he could as he left Cho and I outside Ravenclaw Tower.

Cho stayed with me as I crawled under the covers of my bed and sobbed myself to sleep, cradling my stomach as I did so.

I spent the rest of the day in and out of restless sleep, Cho checking up on me constantly and handing me the occasional apple, assuring me she'd let me know as soon as she heard anything.

But the day came to an end, and I was still none the wiser.

The following morning was broken with news that Katie was going to be okay.

As relieved as I was, I still felt utterly sick as to why Draco had done it.

I was desperate to see him, and ask him why, but I knew Blaise was right.

I had to let Draco get on with things. And I needed to concentrate on looking after our baby.

He wasn't at breakfast; he wasn't at lunch. In fact, I didn't see him again until two days later, at our next Potions lesson.

He looked worse than I'd ever seen him.

"Draco," I breathed as he heavily sat down beside me.

I nearly gasped out loud in horror when I got a close look at him.

Grey eyes, which used to twinkle lovingly into mine, were now sat lifeless and sunken in his gaunt, pale face. His thin, tired frame sagged exhaustedly beneath his crumpled shirt.

He looked like death.

I went to reach out a hand to touch his arm, but I quickly pulled it back again at the warning look he shot me.

Tears sprang to my eyes as a mixture of hurt and fear flooded my veins.

He refused to look at me again. Although he still fetched my ingredients, he barely offered a grunt when I thanked him.

Ice cold fingers were clenching around my heart.

I didn't know what was happening. I was frightened. I was confused.

I just wanted my Draco back.

But I felt as though I was losing him, and there was nothing I could do about it.

*****

It had to be this way.

He had no choice.

It was the only way to keep her safe.

She had Fred Weasley. And as much as he hated it; he knew they would be safer with him.

Aurora and his child.

They were all that mattered.

He'd do anything for them. Literally anything.

Even if it meant shattering his own heart into a million pieces.

*****

"There's my baby mumma!"

Fred's arms wrapped around my protruding waist as I stepped off the train.

His hold tightened a fraction as I burst into tears, my face sobbing uncontrollably against his neck.

"Shit, sorry," he murmured, stroking my back. "Too much?"

I lifted my face, wiping my eyes with the sleeves of my cloak.

"Hormones," I sniffed.

Fred looked down at me, sighing sadly.

"I know this hasn't been easy for you, but it's Christmas, and I want you to sit back and let me look after you. Yes, I know we'll be at my mum's, but we'll make it work!"

Molly had made Fred and I up a double bed in the twins old room, whilst poor George was forced to sleep downstairs on the sofa.

"I hate this," I sobbed on our first night there, as I lay next to Fred. "This is a complete lie."

Fred looked at me sadly. He had been a true gentleman and offered to sleep on the floor, but I couldn't allow him to do that and I trusted him enough.

"You really love him," he said. It was not a question.

"More than anything." I answered anyway.

He clasped his fingers around mine, as he did every night that Christmas.

I appreciated the comfort.

But I still wished it were Draco.

*****

"So, I assume you're going to get married?"

"Mum - we're modern people," Fred said, languidly wrapping an arm around my shoulders as we lounged on the sofa, stuffed to the brim with food. "Us young 'uns don't believe in it."

"Speak for yourself," Ginny scoffed as she shoved another mince pie into Harry's mouth.

I glanced furtively up at Fred who shot me a discreet wink.

"We're happy as we are, aren't we, Aurora?" He grinned at me, before turning his head back to beam at his mother.

"Yes," I whispered sadly, before a sudden jolt in my stomach made me suddenly sit bolt upright.

"What's wrong?" Fred asked startled, alarm in his eyes, "is it the baby?"

"I- I think I just felt something move." I said, my heart racing as I placed my hand on my stomach.

"That, my deary, is your baby kicking," Molly smiled. "It'll annoy you rotten soon enough when you're trying to get to sleep at night. Welcome to parenthood."

Fred beamed proudly as he placed a hand on my bump.

"Come on, little one," he spoke down at it, "give a kick for daddy."

My face dropped. Fred slowly lifted his head, his eyes meeting mine in mutual horror as he realised what he'd said.

"Aw, what a lovely family you make," Ginny grinned, beaming over at us.

"I need some air," I said, jumping up from the sofa.

I ran out, ignoring Molly's calls of concern. A wave of nausea washed over me and my chest felt like lead. The lies were too much; they were eating me alive. I was a fraud.

I couldn't breathe. I didn't want to.

Not without him, I thought, as tears rolled down my cheeks. Not without Draco.

"I can't do this anymore," I cried, as Fred came out to see if I was okay.

I soaked his jumper as he held me to him.

"Yes you can, Aurora," he murmured, holding me tight. "You need to remember why we are doing this."

And then, as if someone was sending me a sign; there was fire.

A cackling witch and a hungry werewolf; Death Eaters.

They burnt The Burrow down. They were after Harry.

"You see, Aurora," Fred said. "This is not a game. This is serious. And - just like Malfoy's actually doing - you need to put that baby first."

And so the lies continued.