A/N: Before you read on, I can't even begin to explain how sorry I am for forgetting to update etc etc etc. These past few weeks have possibly been the worst of my life, in addition to my looming exams and endless revision - so naturally, I had no time to write. However, I hope you can forgive me and hopefully... I will be able to update slightly more often. But as I just said, I have my GCSEs soon and they are kinda my priority. Whenever I have the time to write I will, though, because I really love this story and it provides a bit of escapism from my otherwise pretty dull life.

If you've stuck with me, I love you. Enjoy!

Stumbling out of bed, Draco Malfoy shoved his still-sleeping limbs into an emerald dressing gown and plodded down the stairs. With the assistance of the banister, he almost appeared as if he wasn't completely exhausted and heavily burdened with his fellow Head Girl's problems. However much he did not want to admit it, he was, of course, profoundly laden with the fact that she had a very limited time to live her life. And however much Hermione wanted to live a satisfying life in these last few months, she knew she couldn't, and was forced to give up the one thing that she considered the epitome of achievement when it came to her education; her badge.

Draco had assumed she would have packed up and gone but when he reached the bottom step, having forgotten that it was only eight in the morning, she was still there. She greeted him before he had had the chance to steer himself away from the gravitations that were forcing him towards his favourite coffee mug. "Morning," he said, his heavily-lidded eyes drooping ever so slightly. "When are you leaving?"

"I don't know." He turned to face her and his eyes focused on the letter shaking in her hands. An owl he had not noticed was perched on the table, blatantly asking for a treat. He ignored it, partly because he had no food to give it and partly because Hermione looked on the verge of tears, and moved over to the sofa opposite the Head Girl. Her hands began to quiver relentlessly and so she tossed the parchment aside. "I'm scared, Malfoy."

He contemplated reading the letter himself. "What does it say?"

"Oh... nothing. It was Ginny telling me that my bed's ready in her dorm and I can go whenever I'd like. It's not that. It's just, it makes it seem so much more real. I came here at the start of the year as Head Girl and now I've given up because of the cancer and I feel like when I leave here I'll be one step closer to dying and I can't... I don't want to let it win." She never would have seen herself crying in front of Draco Malfoy and admitting that she was terrified – but she was. She was past caring.

"Granger –" catching her wince, he sighed, "- Hermione..." He seemed to contemplate this, before continuing. "You can leave her whenever you want to. I'm not convinced they're going to find a better Head Girl before you come running back, anyway. In regards to getting a step closer to dying, that's completely irrational and it's the terrified part of you speaking. Just because you're moving dorms does not mean the illness is suddenly going to flare up."

"Not technically but emotionally, I feel worse." She said, her eyes watering.

"You need to learn to block that out, then."

"I can't."

"You can." He persisted, taking the letter from beside her and hurling it into the fire.

"I can't!"

"Gra—Hermione, do you remember that deal we made? Where we wouldn't lie to each other? Stick to it. You can block it out." She looked up at him, and it was only then that he saw in her eyes how truly horrified she was at the prospect of finishing her own life so quickly.

Draco had warned himself not to get involved, but had completely and utterly ignored this gnawing subconscious thought. He hovered Hermione's trunk in front of them as they walked along the corridor towards the Gryffindor Tower. He felt empty. Something wasn't right, at all. Occasionally stealing glances at the girl beside him, he told himself that they were just doing rounds. He wondered whether they would be doing that together until they found a new Head Girl, before realising that was part of the point she had been relieved of her duties.

Hermione walked alongside Draco with a part of her that longed to turn round and curl up on those deep-buttoned couches without a single care in the world. This part of her made it difficult to remain silent as they approached the swinging portrait of the Fat Lady. It was the noisiest silence she'd ever experienced. "I apologise for leaving you with our duties."

He continued to stare at the passage before them. "I'm sure I'll cope." He said - with a snarl. She was walking on eggshells.

"I'm sure you will." He looked at her, expressionless. They were fairly close to the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room now, so she spun on her heel and forced a smile. "We'll see each other around, anyway. I can ask you how it's going." She trailed off, her mind on another matter. "Thanks for coming with me."

"That's quite alright."

Hermione had stepped forward to speak the password to the portrait when she stopped. Her heart racing, she swayed on the spot. "Kiss me." The words came out of her mouth in a tangled, emotional mess but she seemed to have made them clear enough for him to hear and understand. She didn't know what these words meant and why she was saying them but the urge for her lips to be on his was unbearable and before she knew it, he was replying with an unnerved response.

"What?" His voice was barely a serene whisper. The trunk dropped from his hold and hit the floor with a bang. Neither noticed.

"I don't know. I'm sorry, I just... I don't know why I said that, I'll just go—" And before she could even finish the tense and complicated rant that was begging to spill from her mouth, he pushed her gently into the wall and his lips pressed to hers.

Not a scintilla of their mutual hatred was to be found at that moment in time and, well, from then on. The knotted fingers on his spare hand entwined with hers, the other on the small of her back as he desperately pushed her closer to his body. It was risky. She remained paralyzed against the wall as he tenderly inched his hand into her hair. He caressed her skin, sliding his lithe touch over the contours of her face, her neck, her arms.

"Stop." It was a quick and frightened kiss. She couldn't move, however much she wanted. "Draco."

He pulled back. "Hermione."

She swallowed. "I can't do this." She had lied. She probably could have done that for the rest of her short life.

"No going back now..." He said and then paused, removing his hand away from her waist. "We should not have done that."

"Way to state the obvious." She cocked her head to the side, before pulling at her jumper and straightening her Head Girl badge. From a metre away, the Fat Lady glowered at them. "I have to go."

He didn't need to be asked twice. Draco slid from her grasp and strutted away. He didn't look back. Thankfully, aswell, because she didn't wipe the grin off her face and turn to the portrait until he had turned the corner of the corridor on the way back to her old dorm.

"What was number three on your list, again?"

Hermione sat opposite Ginny on her new bed. It certainly wasn't as big as her old bedroom, but she felt that she had missed this arrangement of dormitory and was sure she would fit in nicely. "To die peacefully." She looked out onto the Hogwarts grounds and smiled sadly. The listless clouds in the sky did not do good to her mood. Turning back to Ginny, she tried to shake of the feeling of discontentment mixed with a hint of smugness. "Why?"

"Define peacefully." Ginny clasped her hands together as she lay back on her bed.

Hermione copied, her head hitting the pillow gently. "With my friends and family beside me. I just want to be able to say goodbye to everyone. Maybe I'll write you all a letter or something."

"But 'Mione... you don't know when it's going to happen."

Hermione bit her lip awkwardly. She could feel the youngest Weasley staring at her. She ignored the feeling of being watched and spoke quietly, "That's true, Ginny. I don't know." She let the silence grow on them. "It's ridiculous that at my age I'm worrying about how and where and when I'm going to die, but you know what would be ideal?" She closed her eyes and knew that Ginny was urging her to go on.

She let herself go as she described the image that was forming in her head. "I'm propped up in bed. Everyone's there. You, Ron, Harry, Mum, Dad... your parents are there, too. All the people I love. Hogwarts: A History is on my bedside table, of course. Oh, and it's a beautiful Summer's day." Hermione paused as she heard a snuffle from beside her. "Honestly Ginny, I don't know why you're near crying; you have an engagement ring on your finger over here!" The red-haired girl, who had summoned tissues from across the room, let out a laugh. "We're in some sort of open-plan room at Hogwarts. Yes, I like the idea of that, being at Hogwarts when it happens. I think, considering I've spent most of my happy life here, that would be the right thing to do... Merlin, is that Dumbledore? He's come to escort me!" She began to smile. In a sort of morbid way, she was enjoying it. "Oh... you're getting up from your seats. Everyone's saying goodbye, in turn." There was a moment as they both were quiet, and Hermione wondered if Ginny was imagining the same scene in here head. "You've all left, except Dumbledore. Actually, I think maybe if you left me me in the end, that would be nice. So I can say goodbye to you all individually, but you won't see me-"

"Hermione." It was only one word, but the word stopped Hermione from going any further. "Please don't."

"I'm sorry." The tranquility was unusually torturous. "Ginny, something happened before and I think you should be the first one to know-"

The door burst open. A bubbly, blonde girl bounded into the dorm. "Oh, hello! Iona Mordaunt." She held her hand out for Hermione to shake. "I'm so happy that you'll be staying with us. We'll have so much fun!"

Hermione grinned. "I'm sure we will." Ginny turned to her with a questioning look. Hermione nodded. "Later."

Hope you guys had a fantastic Christmas and have a Happy New Year! Please review :)

Eve x