Allison Potter was pulled down into a swirling dark madness. An invisible wind pulled back her hair whipping it around her face. Light blazed past her eyes blinding her. And then suddenly the invisible wind, the light, and darkness, was gone. She was falling through the black into a dimly lit room, Draco's room in the Malfoy Manor.

"Hold onto me." Alli reached into the darkness until she found a soft surface touch her fingers. She held onto it as she fell with her eyes shut tight. Pressure. Pulling. Falling. Alli landed with a small thump onto a soft surface. She had just enough time to open her eyes when she felt something else fall down beside her. "Are you alright?" Draco asked touching her arm. Alli flinched at his touch getting off the bed.

"Don't touch me," Alli said wrapping her own arms around her shoulders.

"Alli, what's--"

"Just don't," Alli breathed. "I've been through too much pain already. I don't want anymore."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You, Draco!" Alli yelled. Her eyes blurred with tears. She swatted at them pushing them away. Like she pushed everything away.

"What did I do?"

Alli shook her head unable to see and not liking it one bit.

"Like you even need me to explain it. You know what you did." Alli tugged at the ring on her finger. "Here, you can have your goddamn ring back." She threw it at him and went to sit in the farthest corner from him. She buried her head in her arms and knees. She shook and choked on her own tears. A lump formed in Draco's throat, a force pulling at his heart. Alli whispered things to herself. And Draco heard them.

"Nobody loves me. He lied to me. He lied to me. Nobody cares. Nobody wants me. My parents are dead. And Draco hates me. Draco hates me. He doesn't love me, God. Nobody…" Alli went on repeating and whispering. Draco stood up and nearly tiptoed over to her.

"Alli, I--"

Alli's head shot up. Her eyes were red, blinding with tears.

"GET AWAY FROM ME! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!!" She fell to the floor banging it with her fists screaming, "I hate you!" repeatedly. Draco backed up. Alli stopped banging and laid face down on the floor. She was hurt. Draco couldn't breathe. He couldn't take his eyes off the sight of her lying so helpless, so angry, so… sad. Draco gripped the side of his dresser keeping himself from falling down. And then Draco Malfoy died. His eyes bled with tears. He screamed out. His eyes went blank and he cried. He felt himself falling to the floor crying out in pain. The lump in his throat wouldn't let him breathe and the tearing of his heart wouldn't let him think. He couldn't be strong anymore. He had no more strength. He had no more willpower. He had no more thoughts, no more feelings. And he broke down. He couldn't take it. Alli stopped crying and sat up. She wiped her cheeks and saw Draco curled into a ball crying silently on the floor beside her.

"Draco?" she whispered. Draco didn't answer her. He was dead. "Draco, please answer me. Can you hear me?" She stepped over him falling to the floor beside him. She snuggled herself into his arms. "Draco, stop crying," she whispered holding back her own tears. "Draco?" she whimpered. "Draco, please stop crying." She buried her head into his chest breathing in his scent. "Don't cry. Please don't cry." Alli was silent, finally, for a moment. She closed her eyes listening to Draco's strained breathing. He didn't want to breathe anymore. Alli could tell. She knew. Draco was finally quiet. He opened his eyes. His cold gray ones interlocking with Alli's light blue ones. "Please, don't cry anymore, Draco."

"You know what?"

"What?"

"I'll make a deal with you. I'll stop crying… if you stop hurting." Alli smiled her eyes still brimming with tears. "It's tearing me apart, Allison. Don't say nobody loves you. Don't ever say nobody cares. Don't say that nobody wants you. And don't you dare ever say that I hate you. Do you promise?"

"If I promise, do you promise to still love me?" Draco grabbed her face delicately in his hands brushing away pieces of hair that fell in her face. He slowly moved his lips closer to hers. Closer, until they met. Softly at first. Carefully. Then the intensity grew. His lips moved with hers rhythmically, musically, sweetly. His tongue was a cloud licking her lips. Alli parted her lips hopefully, but he'd already drawn away.

"He lied to you. Voldemort lied to you, Alli," Draco whispered. "I betrayed him, I promise to you with all my heart. I never would have led you there if I knew he'd be waiting. And I'm so sorry." Draco grabbed her head and forced it against his chest. "I love you."

-

Draco groaned rolling over in bed the next morning. Alli lay beside him, breathing softly in and out. One of his black sheets lay wrinkled across her body. Draco put his lips to her forehead softly. Alli opened her eyes.

"Good morning," she whispered. Draco pulled her close to him. His muscles flexed as he wrapped his arms around her. Alli put her lips against his godlike body. "Are we going back to school today?" she mumbled against his chest. Draco rolled over her pulling her under.

"Maybe after a little while," he smiled.

"Mmm," Alli hummed. "I'm tired."

A small knock came on the door to Draco's bedroom. The door knob twisted and a tiny anorexic looking house elf entered the room.

"Aww," Alli squealed. The house else jumped and ran out of the room.
"Nellie is so sorry, Master! Nellie did not know Master had company, sir," the house elf squeaked closing the door.

"Move, Nellie," a deeper voice growled.

"Oh no, Master. Don't--"

Lucius Malfoy entered Draco's room closing the door behind him. Draco squeezed his eyes shut and rolled off Alli. Alli lay with her mouth just barely open in shock. Draco folded his hands on his forehead. Lucius clicked his tongue.

"Mmm, Draco surely you could do better than a half-blood Potter," he said. Alli cleared her throat.

"I'm pureblood," Alli corrected. Lucius raised his eyebrows.

"Is that so, Miss Potter?" Lucius smiled devilishly. "Forgive me." Alli and Draco exchanged glances. Alli pulled the black sheets up to her neck. "Draco, I need to speak with you. Get dressed," he said after a moment of awkward silence.

"What about--"

"Oh, Miss Potter may come if she would like. No need to get dressed." Lucius winked at her.

"I-I think I'll just stay here," Alli muttered.

"Suit yourself," Lucius smiled. Alli swallowed nervously. "Draco?"

"I'm getting dressed," Draco said. Lucius nodded once and left the room. "I'm sorry," Draco apologized.

"I-It's fine," Alli stammered.

"I'll be right back," Draco said throwing on a pair of jeans. Alli nodded. Draco started for the door then rushed back over to her giving her a swift kiss on the lips and then retreated.

Draco met his father in the hall.

"What happened, Draco?" Lucius asked calmly.

"I told you. She's no longer my mission."

"I told you not to get attached."

"I couldn't help it, father. I just--"

"That is not an excuse!" Lucius slapped him across the face. "Get her out of my house and then we will talk about your responsibilities as a servant to the Dark Lord."

"I don't want to be a Death Eater," Draco said sourly.

"Then you are not my son," Lucius threatened.

"I never said I wanted to be." Draco turned his back on his father and went back to his room. Alli was in the middle of getting dressed.

"Hey," she said.
"We have to leave. Now," Draco said.

"But we don't have a way to get back, do we?" Alli asked.

"Apparation." Alli looked confused.

"Do you--"

"I'm 17, remember?" Alli smiled. "Alright. Come on, let's go!" Alli laced her hand with Draco's.

"I'm ready."

"Alright."

"Oh! Wait!" Alli said frantically. She ran over to the dresser, retrieved her ring, and held onto his hand again. Draco nodded once and Alli was suddenly being forced through a small tunnel. It sucked the breath from her lungs and made her lightheaded. It only lasted for a second or two, but it was hell. After those seconds were up, Alli and Draco landed softly in the middle of the Slytherin common room with a pop. Home.

-

Over the next few weeks, rumors of Voldemort hiding out in the Forbidden Forest spread through the school faster than wild fire. Whenever Alli overheard someone mentioning it, she would look over at Draco, catch his eye and smile. It was that night that both Draco and Alli had died. But the fire was back, burning brighter than ever, all in the memory of death's kiss.

The End

(A/N : The song "Cat and Mouse" belongs to the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.)

Ending Credits

Softly we tremble tonight,
picture perfect fading smiles are all that's left in sight,
I said I'd never leave, you'll never change
I'm not satisfied with where I'm at in life.

Am I supposed to be happy?
With all I ever wanted, it comes with a price.
Am I supposed to be happy?
With all I ever wanted, it comes with a price.
You said, you said that you would die for me...

We made plans to grow old,
believe me there was truth in all those stories that I told.
Lost in a simple game cat and mouse,
Are we the same people as before this came to light?

Am I supposed to be happy?
with all I ever wanted, it comes with a price.
Am I supposed to be happy?
with all I ever wanted, it comes with a price.
You said, you said that you would die for me...

You must live for me too'...
For me too...yeah, yeah...
You said that you would die for me...

Am I supposed to be happy?
with all I ever wanted, it comes with a price.
Am I supposed to be happy?
with all I ever wanted, it comes with a price
You said, you said that you would die for me...

You said that you would die for me
You said that you would die for me ohoo
You said that you would die for me oohooo