A/N: Hello sweeties! Here comes a new chapter full of drama and heartbreak.

Thanks to Cecelia Everhart who betaed it.

21. Down The Rabbit Hole

Draco woke painfully slow. In the background, he could hear hushed, muffled voices, but he couldn't distinguish them. His mind focused instantly on the ice that seemed to swim through his veins, cooling his body down. He was literally freezing, like an ice statue. He could neither move nor call for help, just feel cold through and through.

"Draco." A worried voice made him snap out of it. Hermione. Through pure willpower, he managed to open his eyes and stare at the ashen face above him. He was only dimly aware of the fact that they were back at her flat. Groaning, he carefully stretched his muscles and rejoiced at the feeling of the spell and therefore the cold leaving his body.

"Draco, how are you feeling?" his girlfriend asked softly, her fingers leaving hot trails on his skin.

"Cold," he stuttered with chattering teeth.

She muttered something under her breath and sudden warmth rushed through him. "Better?"

"Mhm," he murmured weakly and moved aside so that she could lie beside him. "Come." He patted the couch. Carefully, she lay down next to him.

"Are you okay?" she mouthed and he felt her warm breath at his neck.

"I am now," he breathed, closing his eyes tiredly. "Just exhausted. That spell wore me out."

"I'm so sorry, Draco!" she apologised at once.

"Hush, love. I don't blame you. Just let me sleep for a while," he slurred, already half asleep. A second later, he was under again.

When Draco woke, Hermione was no longer beside him. Quickly, he sat up, scanning the room. On the table next to him stood a steaming cup of tea, but Hermione was nowhere in sight. Silently, he got up and approached the bedroom. He hadn't intended to eavesdrop, but the sounds that came from inside made him freeze on the spot. Uncontrollable, gut-wrenching sobs echoed through the door. But then, she also seemed to be talking with someone. He couldn't make out the words; they were too broken up and made unrecognisable by her weeping.

It broke his heart.

"Hermione?" he called and knocked lightly.

Immediately, her room fell eerily quiet. Very carefully, he nudged the door open. Hermione was sitting on the bed and clutching Crookshanks, as if her life depended on him. Her curls were a tangled mess, hiding her face.

He swallowed and then asked in a raw voice, "Love, are you okay?"

His words seemed to startle her, but then she pulled herself together, straightened her back, and looked up. All the signs of tears had vanished, but the hard look in her eyes betrayed her. Cracked amber again. "Yes, of course. I was just worried about you," she said, but it sounded like a lie.

Her dishevelled cinnamon hair appeared golden in the evening sun, like sunrays on the water. Quickly, she pulled it into a ponytail and added, "How are you?"

Before he could answer, she suddenly jumped up and pushed him back into the living. "I've made you tea."

"I'm better, thank you," he mumbled and watched her cautiously. "This must have been your worst birthday ever."

She shrugged nonchalantly and busied herself with folding up the blanket. But her back was rigidly upright and her shoulders tense. It was crystal-clear to him that she wasn't all right at all. The bloody Weasleys must have given her a hard time.

"What happened?" he finally asked when it was clear she wouldn't say anything else.

She still didn't turn. "They hit you with some nasty spell; then, Harry and I took you back to my place. That's it," she answered without inflection.

"Why are you so upset, then?" he enquired, reaching for her, but she quickly ducked away and fled to the other side of the sofa, starting to plump up the cushions.

"I'm not upset," she declared blankly. She hadn't looked at him once.

"Hermione."

She didn't react.

"Hermione, stop this and look at me!" he hissed more forcefully than he had intended to.

She stiffened and stared at him like a deer in the spotlight.

"What's wrong?" he asked as soft as he could to not startle her further.

"N-Nothing," she lied again.

Why was there this nervous flickering in her eyes? Was she scared of him? "I'm not mad at you if that's what you think," Draco clarified hurriedly.

Some of the tension in her shoulders loosened, but she still didn't return his gaze. "You have every right to ..." she swallowed. "I'm so, so sorry."

"It's not your fault," he reassured her and sat down on the couch. "Will you talk to me now?" Invitingly, he patted the spot next to him.

She paused, then shrugged, and finally sat down beside him. She didn't touch him, though, and the space between them felt like a wall he couldn't cross.

"What happened?"

"I've already told you –" she began, but he interrupted her quickly, "Not to me, to you."

"Nothing," she repeated brusquely.

He searched her gaze, but she deliberately looked away. "You don't need to lie to me. "

Finally, she turned her head. "It's not important. We simply won't visit the burrow in the near future."

"I don't underst–"

"They don't want to see me anymore, okay?" she snapped and stood up. "They made me choose: you or them. I chose you."

Suddenly, he felt so many different emotions all at once, stabbing in the chest like a branding iron. Why would she do that? He definitely wasn't worth it, to be chosen over family. But, on the other hand, there was this small tingling of happiness he didn't quite understand yet.

"Why?" he asked because he really couldn't grasp why she'd choose him.

She sighed. "Because you are good for me, and they don't understand that. They think you're my next mistake after V-" She didn't finish her sentence.

"Viktor?" he whispered.

Hermione nodded. Abruptly, he jumped up as well. "I need you to answer me a question." Without waiting for a confirmation, he blurted out, "Did he cheat on you?"

She flinched. "No. Why would you think that?"

"Then, what did that guy do that just about everyone freaks out about it? I deserve an answer." He grabbed her wrist, before she could turn away. "Don't walk out on me again. I got hexed today because your stupid friends feel they have to protect you from me, due to something that happened between you and Viktor. I want to know what that was."

"They said something about Viktor?" she nearly squeaked.

"Not directly."

"Please, Draco." Her eyes turned pleading. "Not today. I promise I'll answer your questions, but not today."

Looking in her deep in the eyes, he realised that he'd lose her if he pushed her any further. The hidden agony inside of them sent strange pains through his chest.

"Okay," he whispered and made a step back. "Please, forgive me."

She nodded and looked up at him through her lashes. Then, faster than he could react, she'd thrown her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Gently, he pulled her even closer and put his cheek on her head.

Finally, he said softly, "I should go. We need to go to work in the morning."

"Please, don't," she breathed. "I don't want to be … please, Draco."

He felt exactly the same. The thought of going home to his cold, empty flat and leaving her here in this forlorn place made him already miss her more than he should.

"Kay." He nodded, tugging a strand of lose hair behind her ears. "But I probably won't be able to sleep for a while. Just let me shower first."

She smiled weakly and nodded.

When he returned in his newly conjured pyjama, she was already in bed. They hadn't slept in one bed since the holiday. Very carefully, he slipped under the covers.

"Thank you, Draco," she whispered against his lips and kissed him gently.

Finally, they separated, and she snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his chest. "Good?" she asked.

"Perfect," he smiled, stroking softly over her hair. The soothing movement made her fall asleep in minutes, but Draco lay awake for a long time, reviewing the day in his head. He hadn't quite realised her words before, but now it came rushing at him, like the ground to a falling man.

She had chosen him. She had chosen him over her friends.

The thought filled him with the warmth of a thousand suns. Because it made him realise that he wouldn't know what to do if she had chosen otherwise. He couldn't be alone anymore; no, it was more than that. He couldn't be without her, even for one day, much less the rest of his life. And suddenly Draco only knew one thing, and he wanted to hold on to it and to live inside of it forever.

He loved her.

The thought was so overwhelming and so powerful that he felt like waking her and telling her at once because she needed to know.

But she looked so peaceful. He didn't have the heart to wake her.

But tomorrow, tomorrow he would tell her.

I hope you liked it! Please review, everyone!

Oh, and btw, don't forget to check out the stories I write for the House Competition. (- Short Story Collection) Chapter 2 and Chapter 4 have won the Judge's Pick so far. It would really make me happy if you'd have a look-see and leave a review as well.

Thaaaaank you!