"Draco! Draco!" a girl screamed running down the dormitory stairs into the common room. Draco sat lazily on one of the couches, his eyes boring into the flames. He was lost in them. Angry reflections danced in his cold gray eyes. Eyes that were no longer gleaming or happy. His happiness was lost to him. It lay in Alli's blood dried on his arms. Draco looked up. The girl looked traumatized. "Come quick! It's Alli! She's hurt!" Draco looked back into the flames. Alli was always hurt. She was always helpless. That's the way she was. An attention getter. She deserved those cuts on her arms. She deserved the pain. "Draco! Hurry! I think she's going to die!"

"She's already dead," Draco muttered. The girl narrowed her eyebrows at him angrily.

"What the hell is your problem? She's like drowning in her own blood. Please, help!" she tugged on his arm.

"Let her. I want nothing more to do with her."

"Why do you have to be such an asshole?" the girl huffed. She ran out of the common room. Draco sighed and turned back to the flames. Part of him screamed that he needed to help her. Don't let her die. But the other part of him wasn't listening. Let her die. That's what she gets for shoving him off like that. Draco's eyes drank in the flames again. The girl's words repeated in his head like a broken record. She's hurt! She's going to die. Die. Die. She's drowning in her own blood. Drowning. Drowning. In her own blood. Die. Die. Die. Voices ran through his head. Memories. Draco was protecting Alli. Yes, he's in love with her. In love with her. Yes. In love with her. Draco burst through the girl's dormitory. Alli lay crumpled on the floor in a pool of blood. Draco couldn't breathe. The smell of her blood clogged his thoughts. She's going to die. Draco! Help, please! Die. Die. Die. DIE!

-

Alli opened her eyes. It was dark. Darker than she thought it would have been. She twisted around looking everywhere for something familiar. When she looked down, she saw the face she had wanted to see. The one she'd been dreaming about in her deep sleep.

"Draco?" Alli whispered. She tried to touch him. Make him wake up. But her arm felt stiff and she could barely move. "Draco? Draco, wake up!" She swung her leg over and kicked him in the stomach. Draco jolted away.

"Ow! Goddamn it, what's your problem?"

"I'm sorry, Draco," Alli whispered. He looked up. Draco stood up and bent down to hug her. "I'm so sorry."

"You were brought up a brat. I understand," Draco laughed. Alli smiled, her eyes brimming with tears. "How's your shoulder?"

"In pain," Alli said.

"What the hell were you thinking?"

"I wasn't," Alli admitted.

"The first step is admitting you have a problem," Draco joked.

"Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" Alli asked seriously. Draco stopped smiling and looked at her. He sat on the edge of the bed. Alli pulled his face down to hers. Draco's lips against hers was like coming home after a long vacation. Familiar. Comforting. Wonderful. He pressed against her harder, more intense. Alli began to unbutton his shirt. Draco drew the curtains around the hospital wing bed. He climbed over her, kicking off his shoes. When Draco let go to let her breathe, Alli whispered, "Is anyone else in here?"

"Pomphrey's asleep in her office and Pansy's in the other room. I think we're safe," he mumbled against her lips. Alli looked down and realized that she was only wearing an oversized t-shirt over her undergarments. Draco lifted the t-shirt over her head. Alli winced as it scraped against her hurt shoulder. "Sorry," Draco whispered. Alli pushed his white shirt off his shoulders. She splayed her hands across his chest as he continued to play with her tongue inside her mouth. Her fingers rolled over every muscle on his stomach, memorizing it. She pulled her mouth away desperately anxious to taste the salty sweetness of his pale skin. She kissed his neck and then down his chest following her fingers. When her hands reached his hips, she moved her hands down giving Draco a rush of giddy excitement and chills. She brought her hands back up unsnapping his dark jeans and pulling down the zipper slowly teasing herself. She moved her lips back to his mouth. He licked her tongue out of her mouth as she slid her hands up to his bare shoulders. Draco reached behind her unhooking her bra. Alli moved her mouth away from his.

"Draco, wait," Alli said. He kissed her neck and dragged his hands over her stomach. "Draco," she whispered.

"Mmm?"

"Nothing," Alli said changing her mind. She looked up at him. His blond hair fell in his excited gray eyes. His pale skin glowed in the darkness looking translucent on his blue veins that wound their way up his arms and around his muscles pulling his skin tight against it. His jaw was perfectly cut, shaped making his appearance that of a guy a couple months past 17. Her eyes loomed now over his stomach. His skin pulled once again tight over his built figure. He was slim maybe only a couple inches. She traced her finger over his muscles and dragged lower to wear his body curved in below his hips and his skin grew tougher. She felt him move under her hands, blood pulsing with the rhythm of his heartbeat against her ear. She twisted her shoulders, moving her body back in alignment with his, letting another piece of clothing fall away from her chest. Draco kissed her collar bone and down her body. His tongue moved over her breast, caressing, breathing. Then he stopped for a moment turning his head. Alli held his head to her chest and his arms wrapped around the curves of her body. Alli breathed in his scent and locked away this memory in her mind. Because at this moment, Alli saw how it differed from anything else she'd felt whenever she'd gone this far. It was seen as a goal. She was seen as the prize at the end of a tournament as one guy after another borrowed her heart just for the moment. This time, she felt true love pulsing, beating as a heart of its own, between them. And that's what made this special. That's what made Draco, different. She was ready. Alli kissed his head making him wake back up. He moved over her swiftly kicking out of his jeans, pulling down the thin piece of lace that kept them separated. That pressure that had once lived in a dream was back. It was soft this time. Not forced. Not too much. Draco pressed against her, harder. Alli began to whimper as the pain began. It forced a breath out of her lungs.

"Draco," Alli breathed. He lifted up looking at her. Alli arched her back, squeezing her eyes tight, trying to focus on that heartbeat. Her voice let out a breathy cry. Draco grabbed her face in his hands wiping away her tears with his thumb. Alli put her hands on his shoulders, her body reacting to the pain, pushing him away.

"Alli, shh," Draco whispered in her ear. She twisted her hips and then moaned. Draco smiled. Alli choked on her breath. She twisted and moved continuing to push against his shoulders. The air was filled with her breathy cries and moans. Draco stopped for a moment. Alli lay gasping underneath him. He stroked her cheek again. Moving her hair away from her eyes.

"Breathe, Alli," he whispered soothingly. Alli's shoulder throbbed from all the movement and the air was silent for a moment. Draco traced Alli's scar. It began to burn. Alli turned her face away from him.

"Stop," she whispered. Draco was confused.

"What's wrong?"
"My scar…it's burning," Alli whispered. Her eyes caught something on Draco's arm. She grabbed his arm and brought it up to her eyes making her scar sting again. Etched on his arm was a black symbol. The Dark Mark. "No wonder," Alli breathed. Draco closed his eyes wishing it wasn't happening. "You're a Death Eater?!" Alli exclaimed. She felt betrayed. Tricked. She pushed him away.

"Alli, wait. Don't," Draco said.

"Why?"

"Don't do this now, please."

"You lied to me!"

"I didn't. Just wait."

"Oh so you can fuck me again and get the only thing you ever wanted from me?" Alli growled.

"No, it's not like that. I don't want to argue with you again. I just," Draco sighed. "If I tell you, will you listen to me?"

Alli sighed and sat up crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm listening."

"Lord Voldemort was using me, Alli. My mission was you. I… Voldemort is after you, Alli. He wants to kill you. My mission…my mission was to get you close to me. Get you to trust me. Then I would take you to Voldemort and everything would be carried out as planned and I'd be rewarded. My whole family would be. But… they've lost faith in me. I'd been warned not to get attached, but I was the moment I met you in the Leaky Cauldron that day. At that moment, I doubted myself. And on the train… that was when I gave up. You'd won me over and there was no way I could do anymore hurt to you than what had already been forced. The truth is, Alli, I'm not going through with it. I don't want this. I don't want to kill people. I don't want to be the Dark Lord's servant for the rest of my life. I want you."

"I'm not letting you do that, Draco," Alli said finally. Draco looked confused.

"What do you--"

"If Voldemort doesn't get what he wants, he'll kill you. I don't want you to die for me. I'll die for myself," Alli told him. Draco grabbed her arms.

"You are not going to go looking for him, Alli. I'm not letting Voldemort take you. I've already promised myself that. You are not my mission any longer. You're my life. I'm not letting you throw that away."

"Draco…" She was silenced by his lips forcing against hers again. She didn't protest. And when he slid back over her, she welcomed him wrapping her arms around his warm neck again, pressing her body close to him.

"I'm not letting you go."

-

"Alli?" Hermione's voice called out the next morning. Alli opened her eyes. Sunlight streamed through the white curtains drawn around her bed. Alli turned her head to look at Draco. His white-blonde hair floated against his eyelashes. "Alli," Hermione said again.

"Shit," she whispered. "Um, yes, Hermione?" Alli answered. Draco stirred.

"I have your breakfast. Would you like me to open the curtains?"

Draco opened his eyes.

"What's going on?" he asked. Alli put her finger to her lips.

"Um, that's okay. I'm not really dressed. Just set it on the table there," Alli said.

"Oh, its fine, Alli. We're both girls," Hermione said. She opened the curtains. She jumped seeing Draco sitting up beside Alli. Alli kept the sheets wrapped around her. Hermione cleared her throat. "Ah, um, g-good morning, M-Malfoy," Hermione said. "I-I'm just going to set this here," Hermione said placing Alli's breakfast on the table.

"Hermione," Alli said. Hermione looked at her. "Please, don't mention this to anyone." Hermione nodded.

"I promise," Hermione said. She hurried out of the hospital wing. Draco drew the curtains back around the bed and began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Alli asked. Draco shook his head.

"It's nothing," he laughed. Alli grabbed his arm pulling him back under the covers with her. She moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around his stomach. She closed her eyes trying to get back to sleep.

"I wish we had more time," Alli muttered against his chest.

"Why would we not have time?" Draco asked.

"You have class," Alli told him.

"I don't have to have class."

"You need to go, Draco. I refuse to let you skip." Draco climbed over her playfully.

"What if skipping means more sex?"

"Then I'd say you need to go to class." Draco groaned falling back into his place in bed. Alli grabbed his arm and began to trace his Dark Mark tattoo.

"You know, I was thinking about getting a tattoo," Alli mused. Draco raised his eyebrows.

"Where?" Alli pulled down the sheets all the way to her hip.

"Right here." She pointed at her hip bone.

"Where?" Draco asked again playfully.

"Here," Alli giggled. Draco slid down putting his mouth on her hip bone.

"Here?"

Alli nodded. Draco moved his lips up her stomach. "Why not here? Or here?" Draco laughed kissing her stomach in different places. He moved up her body kissing her in random spots muttering, "Or here?" Alli giggled as his lips and the morning stubble on his chin tickled her body. Draco reached her face kissing her cheek near her ear, her forehead, her eyelids, her nose, and finally her lips. Alli held his neck feeling his tongue twisting around hers. His knee pushed her thigh away so much like he had in her dream which seemed an eternity ago. It made her shiver. Alli felt his pelvic muscles crush her hip bone. Alli pushed against his chest. "What?" Draco whispered.

"Not now," Alli told him.

"Alli…" Draco protested.

"Later," she promised. She kissed his lips and handed him his boxers. "Get ready."

-

Draco started out of the hospital wing wearing wrinkled clothing, messy hair, and lips swollen from kissing. His green striped Slytherin tie hung loose around his neck. A group of Slytherins stood gathered around a bed in the next room. Draco observed them curiously as he walked by. One of the whisper-giggle girls saw him and rushed over to him. She wore an expression of extreme confusion and sadness on her young face.

"Draco, come quick! You have to see what happened!" Not giving him time to protest, the girl yanked on his arm dragging him to the bed. She pushed him through a crowd of crying girls.

"It's Pansy!" one of the girls cried. "She's dead!"

Pansy Parkinson lay pale and cold on the white sheets of the hospital wing bed. Her blue eyes were wide open and her face twisted into a look of fear. Her blonde hair spread out around her. Her fists were closed as if she were about to fight off whoever had attacked her. Draco's face paled. He touched her cheek lightly with his fingers. The warmth he had secretly been hoping for wasn't there. It had been replaced by cold hard death beneath his fingertips.

"I'm so sorry, Draco," the whisper-giggle girl said putting her hand on his shoulder.

"No," Draco whispered. "It's fine. Me and Pansy, we were over anyways."

"But you must be sad," the girl told him as he pushed his way out of the group. Draco shrugged.

"It's complicated." He turned around to face the girl as he said this.

"Why were you back there before?" The girl nodded towards the room where Alli lay. Draco shook his head.

"Just visiting," Draco said. The girl stood on her tiptoes looking behind Draco into the room.

"Who? Who's there?"

"Allison." He looked down trying to hide the smile that had formed on his lips when he mentioned her name. The girl's face brightened.

"Oh, may I go see her?"

"She's sleeping," Draco said. "Maybe later." The girl nodded. "I've got to go. See you."

-

Draco sat through DADA staring blankly at Alli's empty seat in front of him. At lunch break, Draco headed up towards the hospital wing. He put his hand on the doorknob and began to turn it when a hand landed on his shoulder. Draco turned. Severus Snape smiled silkily at him.

"Professor."

"Going to see someone, Mr. Malfoy?" Draco didn't answer. "Allison, perhaps?" Draco's jaw tightened. Snape sniffed.

"Don't you dare lay a finger on her," Draco growled.

"Now, where on earth would you get that idea, Mr. Malfoy?" Draco glared at him.

"I know what you did to her last week." He looked at Snape daringly from under his lids.

"Do not threaten me, Mr. Malfoy. Or I shall be tempted to deduct points. And you don't want any of the others to beat out Slytherin for House Cup again do you?"

"Points mean nothing compared to the shit you give her every time you lay on hand on her," Draco snapped. Snape clucked his tongue.

"Pity," he muttered. "You see yourself as strong though you are no match for the authority a professor carries over his students. Excuse me." Snape pushed Draco to the floor and entered the hospital wing. Draco stood up as quickly as he could and followed Snape into the wing. As Draco got closer to Alli he noticed the fear creeping onto her face as Snape came closer. Her eyes darted to Draco. Draco felt his own fear leak onto his face. Alli's eyes caught Snape's again.

"You wouldn't dare," Alli said to Snape as he got closer.

"Or would I?" Snape smiled. Alli bit her lip as Snape sat on the edge of her bed. He put his hand on her hurt arm. "May I?" Alli was silent. Snape slowly rolled back her sleeve rubbing it against the gash. Alli pierced her teeth into her lip. Draco growled. "Oh my," Snape whispered seeing her shoulder. He clucked his tongue again in distaste. Draco stepped closer. "Have you been hurting yourself again, Allison?" Snape ran his hand over her arm. Alli whimpered in pain.

"Don't touch her!" Draco burst out. He darted over to her bedside. Snape snapped his eyes to Draco.

"Do not perceive to tell me what I can and can not do, Mr. Malfoy."

"Draco…" Alli whispered. Snape stood up with a little laugh. Draco backed up pulling his wand out of his back pocket.

"Is that a threat, Mr. Malfoy?" Snape asked. "Pulling your wand out on a professor."

"You are not a professor of any sort. You're a dirty, perverted bastard forcing your stepdaughter to fulfill your needs because you can't get anyone else to do it willingly."

"Draco…" Alli whispered again.

"My, my. Such language," Snape laughed pulling out his wand.

"Draco…"

Draco took another step back into the wall. He tried to hold his ground, but Snape was extracting his hidden fear.

"Draco…"

"Silencio!" Snape yelled turning his wand on Alli. Alli grabbed at her throat, trying to speak, but no words came out. Then it was all a blur. Draco lunged at Snape, tackling him to the ground. Draco put the tip of his wand at Snape's throat. Snape managed a manic laugh. Alli jumped out of bed ignoring the pain in her shoulder. She grabbed around Draco's neck, holding him back.

"Get off, Alli," Draco snapped. Snape reached up, petting Alli's head.

"There, there. Draco will be fine, Allison. Leave him be," Snape said soothingly. Alli narrowed her eyebrows at him.

"Don't touch her!" Draco growled stabbing his wand into Snape's neck.

"If you were going to do something to me, you already would have, boy," Snape laughed. Alli tugged on Draco's neck again and helped him stand up. She pulled him away from Snape grabbing around him under his arms. Draco held her. "Aww, isn't that sweet?" Snape cooed. Draco put his wand at Alli's throat now, muttering a small incantation.

"Thanks," Alli muttered. Draco kissed her head. Suddenly, Alli saw it all in a flash. Snape jumped at them. Alli pulled her wand out of her pocket.

"Sectusempra!"

"Expelliarmus!"

Snape was thrown backwards. The curse, thrown off its course, disappeared. Snape stood up quickly pointing his wand at Draco. Alli stood in front of him protectively.

"Leave!" she demanded. Snape flipped his oily black hair out of his eyes.

"I'll be back for you, you insolent little brat!" He said this pointing at Alli with an evil smirk. And then he was gone. Draco wrapped his arms around Alli's neck, putting his chin on her shoulder.

"I'm not letting you leave my sight," Draco promised. He kissed her cheek.

"Draco, calm down, it'll be fine," she said with a smile. She turned to face him.

"He threatened to hurt you!"

"As he's always done. It's fine."

"Alli, this is not fine!"

"It will be though. Eventually, everything will be just fine," she mused with a far off look in her eyes.

-

By dinnertime, Madam Pomphrey had released Alli from the hospital wing. Alli surprised Draco by turning up in the Great Hall with him for dinner. Before food was set out, Professor Dumbledore stood up by the podium.

"I would like to let you all know that this morning, Miss Pansy Parkinson, of the Slytherin House, has left us. She was found in shock on her hospital bed and it is unknown at the moment of what killed her. We shall have a ceremony this evening after dinner for all who knew Miss Parkinson or for whoever is willing to attend. Thank you."

Alli caught Hermione Granger's eye from the Gryffindor table. Hermione looked at her in questioning as if Alli had known how Pansy died. Alli gave Hermione a half-smile and looked down.

"I don't think she knows what happened," Hermione told Harry and Ron.

"How could she not have known what happened?" Ron exclaimed. "She was in the hospital wing the whole time."

"Maybe she was busy," Hermione suggested secretly knowing what Alli had been occupied with that night.

"Doing what?" Ron argued.

"Sleeping maybe?"

"I'm going to go talk to her," Ron said angrily. He stood up and headed towards the Slytherin table. Harry shook his head.

"He's always looking for a reason to talk to her," Harry laughed. Hermione ignored his comment.

"It's so strange though."

"What?"

"Pansy just….getting killed like that. She was fine. She only got a couple punches in the face and she was going to be released."

"I dunno," Harry said.

"You know what this reminds me of?"

"Huh?"

"Moaning Myrtle…"

Harry looked at her weirdly.

"Hermione, Pansy didn't get killed by a basilisk. I think we can let that theory go right now."

"You don't think…"

"What?"

"That Alli killed her…do you?"

Harry laughed.

"And why in the world would Alli randomly murder Pansy Parkinson? She may be a bitch, but she's not evil."

"Are you completely blind? Pansy and Draco were dating during the summer. Then Draco broke up with her and met Alli. Now he's been getting close to Alli and Pansy got jealous. And then Pansy tried to take him back and Alli threatened her and she slapped Alli and then Draco beat her up for it."

"So?"

"So, Alli's a girl and… girls get jealous."

Harry laughed loudly.

"So… let me get this straight. You think that Alli killed Pansy…over Draco?!" Harry cracked up. Hermione stood her ground.

"It's not funny. I was being serious."

"I don't think Draco would have that big of an influence on her. Do you?"

-

As Ron neared the Slytherin table, he caught a glimpse of what Draco was saying to Alli.

"Hey, um, I was wondering. Would you like to go somewhere with me tonight?" he asked.

"Like where? There's not that many places we can just run off to here."

"I was thinking…" he paused dramatically, "the Forbidden Forest."

"I thought there were werewolves in the Forbidden Forest," she reminded him skeptically.

"No, that's just a rumor."

"And you would know this how?"

"I've been in there."

Alli jumped up excitedly.

"When? Was it frightfully scary?"

"First year. And the only thing we saw that was remotely terrifying was Voldemort. But it's not like he's just gonna turn up. Plus, I have something a little bit more special planned."

Alli smiled.

"Alright. Let's do it."

"Hey, Alli," Ron said sitting down.

"What do you want, Weasel?" Draco asked. Ron ignored him.

"Harry, Hermione and I were talking and we were wondering since, um, you were in the hospital wing the whole night last night… if you knew anything about what happened to Pansy."

Alli shrugged.

"I don't know. I was..." she glanced at Draco, "busy."

Ron nodded his head once.

"Alright, then. Uh, yeah, thanks." He pushed himself up and headed back to Harry and Hermione.

"So, did you find out anything intriguing?" Hermione pressed sarcastically. Ron was quiet. Harry laughed.

"Loosen up, Ron. Listen to what Hermione thought."

"Wait," Ron said quickly. His two friends were now listening noting the seriousness in Ron's voice. "I heard Draco talking to Alli about meeting him in the Forbidden Forest tonight for something special."

"Aww," Hermione sighed.

"No," Ron corrected her. "I don't think its something special like that. I think… remember your dreams, Harry?" Ron said turning to Harry.

"You don't think he's going to…" Hermione asked. Ron bit his lip.

"Actually, I think that's exactly what he's planning on doing."

"So what are we going to do?" Hermione asked.

"I think it's time to get my dad's cloak out again."