The corridor seemed to stretch for miles as the moon cast twisted and sinister shadows. He looked around, pointing his wand into the shadows. He knew they were chasing him, knew they were close behind, but he needed to get everyone out.

He could hear their hoarse, croaking breaths as they scuttled down the hallway, chasing him through the halls. He felt the hot breath on the back of his neck and froze.

He heard the flash and the crackle as every muscle tensed. The teeth in his head wanted to shatter at how hard he bit down. Determined not to cry out or yell. He refused to satisfy them. Hot fire licked at his bones and rolled in his lungs like a salamander waking from a deep sleep. He wanted it to burst free so that he could be free of the pain. He tried to breathe, but the fire serpent had consumed the air. The desire to howl, to escape the blinding pain that bleached his vision was everpresent.

Tears escaped and rolled down his cheeks as he endured, knowing his mother had experienced the same keen agony. Knowing that this endless torment had broken his father. He tried to sob for the loss of his parents, but he couldn't breathe. He clawed at his throat as he tried to scream, the water extinguishing the fire surrounding him but the salamander stayed lodged in his throat. He was drowning, in fire and water, he was dying.

He felt a hand against his face and a soothing voice. He reached for the sound, down that long shimmering lifeline. Was it his mother? Had the pain not stolen her away from him after all? He felt like a child again, sure that his mother would be there this time to answer his cries.

He shot up and sat panting into the air. A floating light and a face hovered over him. He shouted out as he tried to back away.

"I'm sorry. It's only me. Shush, you're safe." Came the voice from the dark.

He swallowed down his fear as his heart threatened to burst out of his chest. The face floated before him; large pale eyes staring at him mournfully.

"Pansy? What are you doing here?" He gasped as the ghostly face came into focus. He rubbed at his face to try and fight off the fear as he relearned to breathe.

"I'm sorry I had a nightmare too. I couldn't get back to sleep," She choked.

He stopped and looked at her. Tears were still wet on her cheeks, as she sat on the edge of the bed. Her distress seemed to mute his own.

"Come here." He said as he held open his sheets. She climbed in beside him, her cold feet bringing a hiss to his throat as she touched his legs.

"I'm sorry," she whispered again. "I couldn't bear being alone." Neville closed his eyes as he waited for his heartbeat to slow.

"It's alright, you just startled me." He wrapped her up in the blankets and his arms and held her close as they trembled together.

"Are you alright?" She asked. He nodded as he pressed his head against hers.

"I'm fine now, come on, back to sleep." He muttered as she nuzzled into his neck.

He awoke amongst creamy mounds and violet fields as his eyes adjusted to the gloom. Dust motes floated in the slit of sunlight as she sighed still deep in sleep, and he wondered whether this was what heaven felt like. He blinked away sleep before staring down at her. Her eyelashes sat like dark crescents against flawless pink cheeks. Every feature of her face was perfect, from the tiny freckles across the bridge of her nose to the slightly parted pink lips. He was completely enamoured. If snow white had been a real person, then Pansy was the personification of the story.

She lay there sleeping, cuddled into his warmth, and he felt like he had woken in a fairy tale. He glanced down and caught sight of her pyjamas. The silken green clung to every bump and curve as it disappeared beneath the cover. He pulled the covers up higher and just watched her as she slept. He kissed the creamy mound of her shoulder as he pulled her closer. Her body fit perfectly into his as he held her. He knew he was already hard, much the same as most mornings, but as much as he wanted to relieve himself, he just wanted to enjoy this quiet moment with her.

He watched as the line of sunlight moved across their skin as she slept. He dozed a few times, drifting in and out only to be woken by his roommates moving about. He slowly reached through his curtain and grabbed his wand before casting a silencing charm and a sticking charm to keep the curtain closed. The last thing he wanted was for one of his dormmates to try to wake him this morning. He closed his eyes again and dozed off.

He felt her move, rolling onto her back as he opened his eyes. She lay there, staring at the canopy above them as she held his arm to her.

"Good morning," He whispered as she turned to smile.

"Good morning," She replied. "Did you sleep ok?"

"Well, it was better after," He smiled. She nodded, her face turning serious as she turned back to the canopy again. "What about you?" he asked. She nodded.

"It was better," she sounded hesitant as she stared blankly at the ceiling above them

"But?" Neville asked.

"You'll think I'm a silly girl." She whispered as she avoided his eyes. He could see the tears building up ready to spill down her cheeks.

"Never!" He said as he stroked her shoulder.

"I just can't get Azkaban out of my head. The thought of it. It's like it's inside me and around me sucking the joy and happiness out of everything. Like I walked away from there and brought some home with me." The tears escaped. "I feel so cold and empty, and I can't shake it." She started to cry. "It's like a constantly sucking black hole that follows me from place to place. I had almost forgotten it until yesterday."

Neville watched as her careful mask crumbled before him. He held her close as he let her cry. He had never been to Azkaban, but he had felt the chilling grip of a dementor. Even though they didn't dwell at Azkaban any more, a dementors essence still lingered. There were certain places in the castle, where they had created a sort of vacuum where happiness and joy just couldn't touch.

"I feel so void of everything." She cried. He held her close and kissed her, he wanted to fill those empty places with every ounce of love he felt for her. He held her and stroked her hair as she kissed him back, hungry for the love. He covered her face in warm and gentle kisses, pushing away the tears as he stroked away the pain. He let his hand roam across her skin, feeling the heat rise as goosebumps rose across the surface. She held onto him so tightly as he kissed her as if she was afraid to let go and be consumed by the emptiness.

He took her breast in his hand and rubbed at her nipple, making her moan into their tight kiss. He moved his fingers the way he knew she liked, making her gasp and move beneath him. He pushed up and away from her, her eyes wide with surprise and uncertainty.

"Trust me," he whispered as she lay back watching him. She nodded as he pushed her top up, taking her small breast into his mouth. Her eyes fell closed as her mouth fell open. He could hear her desperate pants and was thankful he'd cast a silencing charm. He took her other breast in his hand, rubbing the hard pebble against his palm before tightening his fingers around it. She cried out as she pushed her fingers into his hair, holding him steady. She tightened her grip, making him gasp. She copied as he bit down onto the delicate flesh.

Her hands released him as she gripped onto the covers. He pulled her into his mouth as he threw his glance up to her face. Her cheeks were pink with the start of a flush as her chest rose and fell between them. He wanted more. He wanted her to forget the darkness and pain, to forget her name and how to breathe. His hand travelled lower, pushing under her silk shorts. He kept his eyes on her, waiting for her to tell him to stop. Her eyes remained closed as he continued to assault her nipple. He teased her with his fingers running along the downy hair. She writhed under him as he gently added more pressure until his fingers pushed into the warmth of her core. She stilled for a second as a shuddering breath escaped her. He paused before he started to move his fingers.

His mind flashed back to their date at the waterfall as she moved and bucked beneath him. It still wasn't enough. He pushed himself off her chest as he looked down at her as his fingers made her dance. Her watery eyes looked up at him as she fought with the pleasure his fingers were building. He smiled as he hooked his thumb into her shorts and pulled them down, exposing his hand.

She looked at him, her eyes wide with surprise as he settled lower on the bed. He moved his hand and bowed his head, his eyes meeting hers as he replaced his hand with his tongue. He parted the flesh allowing him to touch her most sensitive parts. He clamped his mouth over her and used the flat of his tongue to lick the length of her. He watched as her eyes closed as she sighed back into the bed. She tasted tangy and sweet and like nothing he had ever tasted before as his tongue moved around the velvety flesh. The skin was so soft as he swirled his tongue around. He tried stroking and tapping and sucking, listening to the noises she made as she shuddered and moved above him.

He pushed his fingers lower, sinking them into the delicate opening below. She cried out desperately as he pulled his fingers out. Then, without warning, he pushed them back in again, building up speed.

He would have to thank Ginny and Luna for being over-sharers another time.

He started a rhythm as he alternated before sucking and swirling. Before long, he felt her begin to shudder, her knuckles white and tightly twisted within the bed covers. He picked up the pace and listened as she crashed into the bed. He continued to stimulate her until her breathing slowed.

He collapsed onto the bed next to her after covering every inch of her body with kisses. He needed her to know how much he cared for her. He knew that for him it was too late for anything but the big word, but he wasn't going to say it, not yet. It was far too early for such a large gesture. He could barely admit it to himself yet. Despite how deeply he felt, he pushed it all into caring for her body and making her feel wanted.

She held her hair as she continued to breathe hard. He smiled at her smugly as she rolled her eyes. He pulled her close wanting to feel her skin against his own.

"Where did you learn that?"

"Luna and Ginny are over-sharers," He chuckled breathlessly.

"Remind me to thank them. Oh, Neville!" She sighed as he pushed his fingers back into her pyjama bottoms. He wanted to see her fall apart from up close. "Again?" She asked as the words whispered across her lips.

"Is that a problem?" He asked as he kissed her neck.

"Only as long as I can help." She gasped as she took his erection into her hands. He moaned as she palmed it, pulling the silky skin. He closed his eyes as he tried to concentrate on what his fingers were doing. He could hear her breathing quicken, and he tried to focus in on that as he tried to ignore what her expert hands did to him. He opened his eyes as they lay nose to nose. He could see her soul behind her mercurial eyes as she gazed into his. He watched as her eyelids faded closed as she pulled him in for a kiss.

She moved her hand, gaining a better angle making him groan. She sucked on his tongue as he twitched his fingers. Before he knew what was happening, they had become this writhing, pulsing organism where neither knew where one ended, and the other began. With every twitch and stroke of his fingers, she seemed to heighten the sensation around his cock. It wasn't long before he cried out.

He listened as she whispered encouragement as they crashed over the wave together. Staring into her eyes as they panted through their ecstasy almost brought him again. They lay entangled as they caught their breath. They smiled at each other as they held the other close. This was most definitely heaven, and he was willing to put up with any hell for another taste.