A/N: Another late chapter, for another story. Once again, I am unbelievably sorry for the delay. Seriously.

June 26, 1998. Day Eight, 11:35PM

"He ran and hasn't come back," I said lazily to Ginny in the mirror. I was up, tired, hungry, and feeling horrible with myself, and was laying in the hallway, with baggy sweatpants and a tank top. "Blaise tried kissing me, and he caught me there with him."

She shook her head. "Your getting way too deep in for your own good."

"And I found some scroll with Latin, but I saw words that mean 'death' and something that meant 'Voldemort. I'm not sure what it meant, though. And a picture of his parents. I went back downstairs, and the chandelier was cut by a boomerang with a blade up the side." Ginny cringed.

"Maybe an assassin from the Ministry, the government is so corrupt nowadays," she sighed.

"I-I know," I said, nodding when messed up black curls appeared on my face. She laughed at my messed up hair, but I had a grimace on my face. I felt tears come to my eyes, but only this time, I couldn't stop them.

What was I doing with my life, pretending to be someone else? I bit my lip and tears splattered onto my lap.

"I'm disappearing, aren't I?" I cried. "Everything about me, even my own name, I don't even know who I am anymore!" Ginny noticed this.

"'Mione, don't talk like that, you'll always be-" she started, but I cut her off angrily.

"Oh, be quiet!" I exclaimed, and chucked the mirror across the room before slamming the door. I took the scissors, and I began to cut my hair, madly. I wasn't sure why, but I just did.

Clip, clip, clip, clip.

"I can't take this anymore!"

Clip, clip, clip, clip.

"I want out already, I cant do this!"

Clip, clip, clip, clip.

"I just want to-"

Clip, clip.

"BE ME!" I shouted. I dropped the scissors and was shocked at the amount of hair that was on the bathroom floor. I looked up, horrified; I had cut all my hair up to my shoulders messily. My head was pounding from all this emotion and frustration.

"Draco, where are you?" I cried, looking up, tears still pouring down my cheeks. I leaned against the Jacuzzi and under the immense pressure of my head, slowly began to drift into unconsciousness.

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I yawned. Claire must have been worrying about me crazy all night since I had yelled at her, than ran off like that. I'm a great bloke, aren't I? I opened the door and gagged, the taste of dull whiskey in my mouth with the old smell of air in the house mixing together. I dragged my feet upstairs and opened the bathroom door, and I nearly fell at what I saw.

Claire was slumped against the side of the Jacuzzi on the floor, her usually beautiful long hair slumped over her face and cut horribly. I couldn't believe what I was seeing; if I had not been such a bastard, I could of come back before anyone who did this too her had a chance to! Without a thought, I scooped her up in my arms and onto the bathroom counter, leaning her head against the mirror when she woke up.

"Oh, God, Claire," I said, shaking her furiously. "What happened?" She looked at me miserably before hopping off, and walking out of the room and into hers.

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I wiped the tears off of my face. I couldn't believe, now of all times, I was breaking down. I lay down on my bed, trying hard not to cry, not now. What was happening to me? It was almost like I was self destructing, inside out. I had to tell sometime.

Draco came in, strong faced and staring at me with an unintelligible look. Before I could do anything, he picked me up.

"Don't, let me go," I pleaded, but, still strong faced, he walked to his room. He sat down on the bed and, lifting me by my arms, put me in his lap, my head over his shoulder. I looked at his face; still determined and strong, looking forward and no where else. He then put his arms around me and his eyebrow twitched, as if he were trying to force something back. The blonde haired man opened his mouth, then closed it slowly, indecisively.

"Just do it," he said. "I don't want to know why, because I don't care." He still was looking forward, and I was still confused as to why I was here.

And then I knew the purpose of this, because, clutching his shoulder, I began to cry.

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June 26, 1998. Day Eight, 1:25PM

I woke up later that day in Draco's arm, who was still asleep, laying down on the bed. I stayed there, my head on his chest, hearing his heartbeat along with mine. I guess earlier,that was his way of letting me solve it. But my problems had just began, when you think about it. As I got up, he woke up.

"Hi," I said softly.

"Hey," he said. I scratched my head, and saw hairs fall out from earlier, and grimaced. "Come on." he grabbed my hand and led me down the hall, into the bathroom where he saw the pair of scissors. I propped myself on the counter, and he took out the following: A bottle of a green, fizzing liquid, scissors, and a comb.

"Now stay still," he commanded, and I did. 15 minutes later, I gasped. My hair was not cut in choppy quarters, but it was in perfectly trimmed layers, also sleek and shiny.

"How did you..?" I asked running fingers through my hair.

"My Mum loved doing her own hair," he said. "Thought the Muggle way was so 'contemporary' or 'chic' or whatever the bloody hell she was talkin' about."

He stared at me a bit before I broke the silence. "He made a move on me, I swear." He stared a bit more, then nodded.

"I see," he replied. "And how did you get that bruise?"

I covered it up quickly with a nearby green towel. "Uhm, you." he had a horrified look on his face.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"No worries," I said uncomfortably. I stared away, out the window when he leaned forward, closing the gap between us. it had been a while since we kissed, so it had been, as I predicted, full of love and passion.

"Claire, I've got to admit, these past few days have been crazy, erratic, and...crazy," he said, and i laughed. "But....I've never...strangely enough, you bring out a different side of me. And..I...words can't express...." He tried to find the words.

"I guess you can say it is possible to find and fall in love in a week, hmm?" I asked jokingly.

"I guess so," he said softly. I smiled.

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June 26, 1998. Day Eight, 4:55PM

The devilish grin appeared on my face as Hermione and Draco, Draco disguised of course, hand in hand went to the park. I wonder how it could've been done. I've already contacted the Ministry's Aurors, the one's against the Order, who were probably getting ready to burst into Draco's manor and arrest him and Hermione. I ducked behind the bushes. It's only to protect you. Never forget that when you're in prison, rotting away with him. It was just to protect you.

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June 26, 1998. Day Eight, 5:00PM

"So, love, what are your plans for tonight?" he asked me sweetly. I pecked him on the cheek. I was sitting in his lap on the couch, my hair pulled into a ponytail as I flipped through a spell book.

"There isn't much to do here," I said quietly before looking at Draco. It almost made me dizzy with love when I looked at his smile. When I looked back down, he pulled my face back up, and swiftly, traced a finger along my jaw line, and around my lips, which parted as he did so. He began to caress my right cheek slowly with the back of his hands, as if he were to press too hard, he would shatter me.

"You don't have to do it so lightly, I'm not sensitive," I said, feeling my face heat up and his face full of curiosity and he continued on as if I hadn't said anything.

"You're porcelain, beautiful and breakable,," he whispered. I flushed darker, but regained my composure.

"I believe the word your looking for is 'fragile', my incompetent Draco," I said with a unfathomable look on my face, trying to not giggle.

"Don't be such a bookworm," he said scornfully.

I rolled my eyes; after all those years, I had grown accustomed to that one."Aw, don't feel bad that I'm smarter than you," I turned, smirking. He playfully scowled, and I lightly kissed him suddenly, leaving him in a slight daze as if he had no idea what had happened, and I still smirked to myself. I still had him wrapped around my finger, he just didn't know it.

I took a plushy pillow and threw it on the ground, pulling out my wand and pointing at it. "Alici Vercili!" The plush pillow began move around to my astonishment and to Draco's too, I felt his body stiffen. I couldn't believe it; the green pillow sprouted two green legs and began walking around the room, bumping into things and shaking it's wooly body.

"Claire," he said, surprised. "You actually made life!"

"Not really," I shrugged, looking down at the book. "I tried a method of combining spells, and it works. You take a couple of simple transformation spells, and I combined the syllables. I hoped it wouldn't make your house explode. I guess it's a...Re-Animation Spell."

He stared at me incredulously, and I just grinned, doing the counter curse. When I was done, I slipped it back into my pocket and leaned against Draco's broad shoulders and barreled chest.

"Take out your ponytail, you look better," he said. I had to admit, the tiny ponytail wasn't working for me, so I took it out revealing my hair's layers. "Much better." I leaned against his again, and he took my hands into his and we sat there, relaxed as even, listening to the birds chirp outside. I looked up at him silently, and he looked back with intense eyes, and I looked back down, blushing. He leaned his head forward and brushed his lips against the nape of my neck, which, as predicted, made me tense and freeze instantly. I hadn't expected his breath to be so warm!

"I wonder," I breathed.

"Hmm?" he asked against my neck.

"We've been together for the past seven days! Day One, I hate you. Now it's Day Eight, and I ..yeah," I said uncomfortably.

"You've been counting the days," he said with narrowed eyes. It was less of a question and more of a accusation.

"Well, the way you were treating me earlier, I might've left," I said worriedly, fiddling with my T-Shirt.

"Why did you stay?" he asked against my neck again.

"Because..I had no where to go and you...I felt as if you were to one to stick by," I said softly. He merely "Mm"ed against me again.

"I love you," he murmured.

"I know," I said, laughing.

After a few seconds, I stopped, and looked up into his grey eyes which were very intense again. I realized he had meant it. "I love you too." I said to reassure him.

It seemed to work, for his chin dropped on the top of my head again and our hands were intertwined. We rocked back and forth a bit, but other than that, complete silence. I loved him so much it would've brought me to tears. Everything seemed to so perfect. Oh, how I should've known better.

Nothing golden stays.