A/N: THANK YOU very much for all your emails and wonderful reviews! I really appreciate every single one I receive! So there, I'm done… I won't take so much of your time. Here's chapter 10… (finally!)

One more thing, this story was written way before order of the phoenix and the half-blood prince so some of you might think that the plot is inconsistent with those two. So there… you've been warned.

Disclaimer: Characters – JK. Plot – mine!

Summary: Draco is dying, he only has a year left to live and no amount of magic can save him. Now Draco promises to change- to make his few months of living filled with laughter instead of tears. Will be D/Hr, sooner or later. R&r please.

Chapter 10: Assumptions

"Class dismissed!"

First period was finally over. Ruffling of chairs and various footsteps can be heard all through out the dungeons as Professor Snape miraculously (to every ones delight) dismissed the class early because of something he needed to finish.

Hermione, who had been staring in space for a long, long time immediately snapped out of her thoughts, grabbed her bag hurriedly, and immediately stepped out of the room without even glancing at anyone on her way out.

Harry and Ron both stopped and stared at Hermione's receding back. They both looked stumped.

"I can't believe she left us!" Ron blurted out suddenly.

Harry thought it was odd. There was something bothering Hermione. He could sense it. Knowing Hermione, she wouldn't consult anyone until things gets too much.

"I wonder what's bothering her…" Harry muttered, concerned, as he grabbed his things from the table.

"She's been spacing out a lot" Ron observed. "All I know, she's been that way the whole time on the train."

"Do you think something happened to her at home?" Harry asked as both he and Ron exited the potions classroom.

"I don't know" Ron looked worried for a moment. "Maybe, and she doesn't want us to know."

Hermione was starting to panic. Draco didn't appear in potions, which meant that he was somewhere else holding her precious notebook as captive, most probably reading her dream.

"Dammit, Malfoy!" Hermione cursed under her breath. "Where the hell could you be?"

She briskly walked her way towards the unfamiliar corridors of Hogwarts, hoping that she will bump into him again. She stopped for a while and slapped her head with her fist. She was acting stupidly. I should be in one specific place only, she thought. Malfoy will surely look for me because I have his book.

Hermione sighed and decided to stay in the Library. If there was one place he'll most likely have searched, it was the library.

Draco gripped the door knob tightly, his throat too tight to speak. He didn't know how to react.

Pansy was still crying and both of them just stood there at the door, unmoving. She still couldn't stop herself from crying after what she saw in the tower. She could still picture the whole thing clearly in her mind. Him coughing blood, him dying, his funeral… it was too much.

Draco sighed heavily and patted Pansy on the shoulder. "Don't cry, Pansy. There's nothing we can do about it." He muttered coldly, yet silently. "Even my mum knows that."

Pansy looked up; another round of tears fell from her eyes. "Draco, there must be something. There MUST be something to cure you."

Draco opened the door for her and he sat on his bed looking cold and distant. There's no point in arguing with her. He knew she'll eventually take the whole matter in her hands and will do anything in her power to make him well again. Pansy was plain persistent and no one… not even him could stop her once she decided on it.

"How much…" Pansy started, but she couldn't continue. She tried again and this time, slowly but surely. "How… much… time-"

Draco cut her off. "3-4 months" he answered pointblank. "-or maybe shorter, I don't know."

Pansy slowly closed the door behind her and leaned on it. She was trying her best not to collapse. The things she was hearing, the pictures flashing in her mind, the things he was saying to her… it was like eating her up slowly.

"Don't tell this to anyone." Draco said suddenly, his eyes not leaving hers. "I'm serious." He added unkindly.

Pansy nodded. She wouldn't dare spread the news. She would kill anyone who'd have a good gloat about this. She would kill for Draco. She would even die for him. "I promise." She said.

With that said, Pansy's knees suddenly gave away and she slid off the door. She couldn't stand still anymore. She was now on the floor. Staring at the guy she truly loved.

He looked away from her and turned his back on her. "Now we're done talking. You can leave my room now." He said coldly.

Pansy slowly stood up and opened the door; she then looked at his back with defiant determination. "You will get well, Draco." She said clearly. "I'll make sure you will."

She then turned around closed his door and slowly went to her dorm room. When she finally reached her room, she closed the door and like what happened in Draco's room, she slid off her door, crying like there's no tomorrow.

Hermione tapped the table of the library impatiently, earning her angry glances from Madam Pince. Hermione slowly raised her hand and muttered a silent apology at her and then transferred to another table near the door.

She sighed heavily, feeling overly frustrated. She slowly grabbed her bag and got Draco's hardbound book out. She let her hand ran down the cover of the book and very slowly scanned the pages, wondering inwardly why the hell

Malfoy was reading it. It showed different techniques on how to cover up unavoidable sickness like throwing up, headaches and the likes.

"Malfoy is so weird" she muttered silently to herself. "He's borrowing this book as if he has some sort of cancer or something"

She closed the book shut and glanced at the door. She felt thoroughly worried. She knew he'd come and yet… He still wasn't there. She checked her watch and glanced desperately at the door once more. "Please give it back, please give it back…" She sighed heavily this time. "Please give it back, Malfoy…"

"Please…" she muttered silently to herself.

Draco was now lying in bed, his hands delicately placed in front of his eyes, as if protecting it from the glowing lights of his room. Visions of what transpired minutes earlier kept flashing dangerously in Draco's mind like a flash back movie. He wished Pansy never knew… he wished she never found out anything.

"But she did." The words slipped out unintentionally in his mouth. "She really caught me out of guard this time." He groaned inwardly and suddenly sat up straight. "Why do you always have to know everything, Pansy?" he asked, frustrated.

"You will get well, Draco. I'll make sure you will"

Draco slowly smacked his head, trying to clear off his little mental debate out of his head. He sighed and caught a glimpse of Hermione's notebook in his cabinet. Without giving it a second thought, he slowly reached for it and opened one particular page and read its content silently.

He scanned the first two pages and found how boring it was. He skipped a few pages until suddenly a very unlikely paragraph caught his attention.

The next dream I'm going to share is the most heartbreaking of all. This dream still lingers whenever I am alone and it brings tears to my eyes for reasons I can never explain. I know these dreams aren't real.

I am hoping and praying that these dreams are not real.

For this particular dream, the person I've been dreaming of and the guy who I love so much, died in my arms. It was painful to experience such brokenness. I felt helpless because I know I can never help him.

I cried a lot. I felt such unbearable pain like it was torturing me to surrender. I loved him against all the agony that was headed towards me.

And yet…

I still don't know him. I can't remember his face.

Some may say that what I did in the dream was the stupidest thing I ever did. Maybe they're right. But I don't care… for in that dream I felt secured seeing that person breathe the air as if savoring every second.

And despite the condition of that person and the pain I knew I was going to feel… I knew I was right in choosing him. Because in the look of that guy's face, despite the fact that I can't remember him now, I know he needed what I was giving him.

I knew it from the moment I was in the dream that that guy needed my love more than any other person in the world.

And if ever I meet him… I wouldn't be ashamed to love him.

I will love him as if dying is just a normal day-to-day routine.

Love him as if there'll be no pain.

Love him without receiving anything in return.

Draco stared at the page for a long time before flipping the pages to see if there was more. A small piece of parchment fell from the last empty page of the notebook and he delicately picked the note up.

To Lavender and Parvati:

Sorry if I was being over-sentimental. I can't help it. Anyway, guard this with your life, okay? Keep this diary of dreams a secret. Thanks.

Hermione

Draco stopped reading. He then placed the note exactly where he found it and closed the book shut. He smoothed the surface of the book before placing it gently in his bed. He didn't know what came over him but then he felt a twinge of sadness over what he just read. He sighed and got up. Draco knew deep inside that he needed someone like her to love him and yet thinking about it literally was a very unbelievable idea.

He stared in space for a long time, thinking whether it was indeed unbelievable when a sudden thought paralyzed him in the spot.

Find someone who'll love me…

He stared back at the notebook and Hermione's words echoed in his head.

And if ever I meet him… I wouldn't be ashamed to love him.

He closed his eyes and tried not to listen to the voices in his head. For some weird reason, he wanted to know more about this guy she was referring to. He slowly reached for the notebook and opened it on the same page. He skimmed the page until he reached the part where he left of:

Oh! And there was something else… in my dream; I was also wearing this simple yet very beautiful silver necklace. It is a necklace with a very distinct pendant: it was a sword, shaped like lightning.

Draco gasped and dropped the notebook in surprise. He shuddered, and unconsciously touched his silver necklace; his heart was pounding hard in his chest. He couldn't understand how somebody can describe something no one knew existed?

Draco slowly removed his necklace and stared at it for a minute. It was as she describes it, a sword shaped like lightning. It was a family heirloom and only the first-born Malfoy of every generation can wear it. It was sad to think that he will be the last Malfoy to wear it.

He sighed deeply. His heart was still pounding hard on his chest. Could it be coincidence? The last deed in his list was still echoing repeatedly in his head like a haunting memory.

Find someone who'll love me…

Draco closed his eyes wondering whether Hermione was actually the one he was looking for. "Could it be her?"he questioned, doubting.

He sighed again and positioned himself on the edge of his bed. He slowly bent down to get the notebook from the floor, before gently opening it to the page where she described his necklace.

He took a deep breath, and without even thinking about it, placed his silver necklace in between the pages of the notebook before closing it tightly shut.

"Well" he muttered silently to himself. "Let's see what happens next,"

And with that, He stood up and slowly went out of his dormitory, his necklace secured tightly beneath the pages of the notebook, with Draco holding it tightly, planning to give the metallic notebook back to its original owner.

A/N: DONE! Chapter 10 is done! I hope you liked it.

Sorry again for the delay. Review please! Your feedback really means a lot to me. No flames as usual.

Sorry for grammatical errors and all that. English is not my native tongue. I'm kinda struggling here.

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