Whispers escalated as Dahlia entered the Great Hall. Theo, who had his arm draped lazily over her, only leaned in and publicly kissed her before drifting on to the Slytherin table. A few members of the quidditch team howled at him and winked at her.

She ignored them and sat down at the Ravenclaw table.

Amelia was sitting next to Juliet and Eloise, waiting eagerly for the debrief. Pansy was nowhere in sight. Dahlia braced herself for a shakedown.

"I'm sorry," she said instantly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was going to go gallivanting through the woods with Malfoy."

Amelia waved off her apology. "I saw you beat the shit out of Parkinson, and vice versa," she delivered bluntly, stabbing her fork into a piece of cake.

"I filled them in on what happened in class. And regarding your adventure, I would have done the same," Amelia said chewing and swirling her fork. This was as much of an acceptance of her apology that she would get.

"Did she attack you for running off with Draco this weekend?" Juliet asked regarding Pansy's attack.

"Oh, her and Draco got into it this morning in the common room," Amelia chimed in. "And they fought again after Theo dragged you off. He very publicly ended any sort of relationship they had."

You could always count on Amelia to share the latest gossip. Dahlia sighed in frustration. The ripple effects of her weekend with Draco were all too much.

"I worked things out with Theo, at least," Dahlia admitted.

Juliet rubbed her back in encouragement as she was happy to hear her day had gotten better.

"He told me he loves me," she muttered.

Amelia choked. Her other friends were silent. She immediately regretted telling them.

"I feel you just told us you made a deal with the devil," Eloise replied with clear distaste.

Amelia rolled her eyes. "Please tell me you don't reciprocate his feelings. Dahlia, I just wanted you to have some fun with him. He's a wildly inappropriate choice for a partner. He's not good at the politics of it all. He lacks respect and his moods change like the wind. Plus, given your abilities, it makes it all the worse." Her words cut through like a knife. She looked back down to her cake as she finished it off.

Her friends seemed to be in silent agreement. She hadn't even disclosed their fallout in the Astronomy Tower and she definitely wouldn't now. It would only make them dislike him more. Dahlia suddenly felt self conscious. She was afraid to admit that to them she was falling for him, despite his flaws. She overlooked his impulsive choice to leave her as she told herself he hadn't truly meant it. She loved the way he made her the center of his universe. He had been nothing but honest and upfront about who he was and what his intentions were. He was no saint, but also he knew that, and he worshiped her like he had found a god to believe in. He told her he would break the stars for her and she believed it. Security and unbridled love is what she craved most, and he happily served it to her. She knew in her heart though that she had to try to secure herself. She couldn't solely rely on him even if it felt comfortable.

She glanced up and Draco quickly looked away. He was seated at the Slytherin table across from them. She remembered how cold he had been earlier and her wound reopened. It felt like a rejection of sorts. They had been vulnerable enough to laugh together and now he ignored her. It's like it had meant little to him after all. She knew she shouldn't be surprised. He wasn't a kind person, and he didn't strive to be better. He was content in his cruelty, unlike Theo.

"I don't know what to say. I have feelings for him but I'm also deeply confused right now. Things are just complicated." She felt defeated. Juliet rubbed her back and urged her to continue.

"The Fates told Draco how to amplify my powers in his dreams. That has to mean something, even if they didn't grant me with any additional foresight in the end. Why did they choose him instead of me?" She whispered sadly as she furrowed her brows. She was distraught about it.

"Did you happen to be wearing that necklace over the weekend? Actually, Dahlia, how often have you been wearing that?" Amelia asked noticing the necklace.

Amelia instantly knew Theo had given it to her. She knew the Notts had a long history of enchanting objects and inventing clever things. In fact, she had been the one to pester him into gifting her jewels. He had told her he would give her something as special and magnificent as she was that would protect her always.

"I wore it the whole time, except when I cast the spell. Draco put it on me afterwards. He thought it would help ease the pain. The spell had been quite excruciating, as you can imagine," she answered.

She didn't want to tell them she had in fact worn nothing at all in front of Draco when she had cast the spell.

"You haven't taken it off since?" Eloise asked curiously.

"No, do you think the protective charm is limiting my Sight?" She asked. The puzzle pieces were falling together.

"Oh, absolutely," Amelia said pointing at the thin chain around her neck. "That's powerful magic. I could stab you with this fork and you would probably heal," she added.

Dahlia twiddled the chain between her fingers. The real question was if Theo had still chosen to give it to her after her confession knowing that it might subdue her Sight. She removed the necklace and placed it in her pocket.

A few nights later, Dahlia was settling down for bed as she rummaged through her clothes for something the sleep in. She came across Draco's shirt he had left behind after he had stormed out of the tent they had shared just yesterday morning. It felt like a lifetime ago. She had dumped out her backpack and cleaned all the clothes within it this morning. She hugged the shirt to her chest as she remembered what it had felt like to hear him laugh and look so unbothered.

In a different lifetime, maybe they could have been friends or something more. Even if he was back to ignoring or hating her, she knew she couldn't return to that sentiment after what he had done for her. She would honor Theo's wishes and keep her fondness for Draco, or who he could be, buried within her.

She let herself to have this one small action of comfort. She allowed herself to miss him briefly. She slipped his shirt on knowing that Theo most likely had the same quidditch shirt. Her friend's wouldn't suspect a thing. She carried her secret into her bed as she fell asleep enveloped in his scent.

The clock read half past midnight. Draco paced within the Room of Requirement as he stared at the Vanishing Cabinet. He tossed an apple as he contemplated possible solutions for mending the broken object in front of him. He had made himself quite comfortable within this space as he had been spending more and more time within the mystical room that would change to his will. He had managed to summon a couch and a desk. He wasn't sure if the old cabinet filled with liquor had materialized to meet his needs or merely existed by coincidence. Regardless, he had shoveled through half the bottles already this semester. At least something was being accomplished, he thought.

He should have been focused on the impossible task the Dark Lord had gifted or cursed him with but his mind lingered elsewhere. He was reaching a dead end as to how to fix this damn thing anyway. He leaned against the towering cabinet as his thoughts wandered to Dahlia. He reflected on the events from earlier in the day. Theo had made it clear to Draco that he was very much still involved with Dahlia and Draco couldn't help but notice how she looked at him and held his hand like she might actually love such a monster. Draco just wanted the world to pause so he could sort out his feelings and formulate a plan. However, he knew better than to assume things would go his way. Things had started out hopeful when Theo had ignored her in class. But like unexpected rain on a beautiful day, Pansy had attacked her and Theo had came to her rescue — picking her up and carrying her off the god knows where. The thief was so good at disguising himself beneath knight's armor. If only she didn't see the best in people.

Maybe if he had never given Pansy the impression they had something between them, then she wouldn't have picked a fight with Dahlia. Theo wouldn't have had the chance to fix things between them so quickly. He wondered if things would have been different if he could've put himself on the board before Theo had pulled her back into his void. But did he even want to be on the board? He wasn't quite sure how he felt about Dahlia, but he knew at the least that he was displeased when she was with Theo for how it made him ache. Jealousy bit into his heart. He knew he should push her away but after the visions he saw, he couldn't help but want to discover a path that might lead to the one shown before his eyes by Dahlia's higher form.

He regretted pushing her away and shutting her down. He had never been decent at wading through emotions and controlling them. If she had just been patient, he thought. Draco had felt snubbed that she hadn't hesitated to reach for Theo on the bridge. She had given him hope that she - or someone - cared about him on the bluff's edge but now he felt insecure in that assumption. Was she just a kind person? Would she have done that for anyone and he wasn't special? He should have gambled his heart and embraced her back on the cliff's edge but hindsight is cruel — like him.

He contemplated if he would be any good for her anyway. She had been enraptured by Theo almost immediately who was everything he wasn't. Theo was impulsive, whereas he was calculated. He saw himself as calm, collected and precise. Theo was facetious, unpredictable and unmanageable. Did she crave his chaos or was it draining her? He wasn't sure.

He suddenly heard shuffling within the silence of the cluttered room. His pulse quickened as he went to investigate. Very few people even knew of the existence of the Room of Requirement. He glanced over a mountain of ornate furniture only to see Dahlia Aldair collapse on the stone floor as the door vanished behind her.

He made quick strides to her unconscious frame upon the floor. He gently cradled her head and patted her cheeks to summon her back to consciousness. He noted that she was in an oversized Slytherin quidditch shirt and silk shorts. He saw the tags had been cut out and there was a small hole in the shoulder seam. It dawned on him with a sick thrill that this wasn't Theo's — it was his. He rummaged through his memories and then remembered he had opted to only put on his sweatshirt Sunday morning when he had left the tent. She must have packed his shirt. She must have worn it to sleep. Despite the circumstances, he couldn't help but grin devilishly.

Dahlia came to consciousness shortly after her collapse. Her head pounded as she gathered her surroundings. She was both confused and terrified to discover that she was not in her bed. She was first comforted by the familiar scent of dark wood and apples, but was soon troubled when she realized she was in fact being cradled in the arms of Draco Malfoy.

She lurched away from him and onto the cold stone floor of the foreign room. Draco must have read the fear and confusion upon her face.

"It's alright," he said as he removed his hands from her.

"Where am I?" Her eyes were wide and glassy.

"You're in the Room of Requirement," he said assuringly.

He then realized that the statement meant nothing to her.

"You're within the castle in the astronomy wing."

She looked around and processed what he had just told her. She suddenly became self conscious when she noticed she was in her pajamas. She hoped he didn't realize that this was, in fact, his shirt. She assumed Theo had the same one.

Her eyes drifted to Draco. He was still in his uniform but his tie was missing. He looked quite rumpled, which he wore well. He must have spent all night here.

"What time is it?" She asked as she collected herself.

He pointed to a clock nonchalantly. "It's two in the morning," he answered.

"Why am I here?"

"You tell me, Aldair." He demanded with sarcasm and exasperation.

He slighted himself internally for his response. He wanted to be kinder towards her to make amends.

There was a quiet moment between them that bordered on awkwardness. They had both thought through endless scenarios of what they might say to each other but when the chance came; they stood apart in silence. She now believed she had been guided here for a reason. She began fidgeted with her hair.

"I must have slept walked. I don't remember," she mumbled.

"Well, you want a drink?" He asked awkwardly.

He committed himself to the effort of keeping her here. His mother would have been proud of him for being such a courteous host. He didn't wait for her to respond as he started making his way deeper into the Room of Requirement.

She followed. Theo's request to stay away from him softly dancing in the back of her mind, but she chose to ignore it. It was suddenly clear that her and Draco had unfinished business. Once she had closure, she would obey his wishes.

"What is this place?" She asked intrigued.

"My version of hell, if you were to ask me personally," he sighed in frustration.

Dahlia noted that his stance was more relaxed than usual. She couldn't help but smile to herself as the hope that this might be the Draco she had grown fond of while exploring the mines filled her heart.

He continued, "it's a charmed room within the castle that can alter itself to one's needs."

They reached a small, comfortable space within the hoards of antiques.

"And this is what you need?" She snickered regarding the piles of junk that surrounded them.

"I would presume this is the room's natural form. Remember how I told you I needed your help fixing a certain object?"

She nodded as she sat down on a plush, grey velvet couch and criss-crossed her legs.

"That's it," he said pointing to a massive cabinet. He turned to pour them both drinks. He handed it to Dahlia and caught her with a small smile upon her face.

"You look awfully pleased for someone who just knocked themselves out," he said bluntly.

He watched her cheeks turn a shade darker and her eyes become mystified. He thought to himself that she must have felt comfortable here moments before his comment and he had just made her feel unsure. He wanted to fix her broken expression.

"I would probably deny it outside of the confines of this room, but I rather enjoyed getting away from the bullshit inside this castle," he paused then added, "with you."

He threw an olive branch to make up for his comment and for his behavior over the past few days. He couldn't help himself. He wanted to open the conversation they were both desperate to have. He was bewildered at how she so thoroughly pushed him to lose himself.

She took a sip of her drink and sat back against the arm of the couch.

"It was nice at first, wasn't it?" She sighed.

"Almost peaceful. Maybe I'll go back. Live by that starlit lake in the mines," she laughed.

Dahlia was suddenly aware of how calmed she felt by the quietness of Draco's presence or the ambience of this room. Theo always left her feeling like she swirling within his mayhem. She was subject to the chaotic highs and lows of his emotions. He had doted on her constantly but his possession of her only grew with time. He seemed terrified to let her out of his sight.

Draco rolled the dice. "It can be overwhelming to be the center of Theo's world."

Dahlia sharpened her eyes at Draco as he leaned against the cabinet. She could sense by his comment that he was testing the waters. He wanted to know if they had patched things up completely and if they were officially back together. Why he would be so curious was the question on her mind. She was a little curious about what would happen if she dipped into new waters too, so she was vague in her answer.

"It's in his nature to be jealous and all-consuming," she shrugged.

"Is that what you like?" He asked lowly. He looked up at her under hooded eyes.

She caught his glance with a thrill that he was crossing this line.

"Sometimes," she answered sweetening her voice like honey.

She took another sip of her drink. She broke eye contact. She felt like she was free falling and she wasn't sure if he would catch her. But maybe she had him just where she wanted.

"Draco, do you really dream of me often?" She asked smoothly.

If someone had told Draco she had the power to stop hearts, he would believe it. He had forgotten that he had yelled that to her amid his outburst. She saw too much of him too soon. It made him grossly uncomfortable.

"Don't flatter yourself." He rolled his eyes. "I occasionally dream of you killing me. It could be a byproduct of how annoying I find you to be," he answered lightly, but she knew she had ruffled some feathers.

"I kill you?" He watched shock etch itself onto her pretty mouth.

"They're just dreams. They are not nearly as vivid as the vision I had that night we spent together," he answered more seriously as he attempted to end the topic at hand.

His phrasing of how they had spent the night together made her heart unintentionally flutter. She was undeterred by his change in tone and began to dig deeper.

"You said I showed you infinite visions within that dream? Did you mean infinite possibilities of your future?"

"Yes, something like that," he responded like this was killing him.

Draco internally railed against his desire to tell her everything — that she had been with him in every single possibility in this life or another. If he told her this would she want him? Would it make up for the awful things he had said to her before? He mulled over the questions that arose in his mind.

He came to the conclusion that the risk of rejection was too great. He would rather die with the secret that lately he thought of nothing besides how gut-wrenchingly divine she had looked on top of him whispering the unknowns of the universe into his lips until she came undone. He was haunted.

Dahlia could see the bricks stacking in his eyes, forming his impenetrable wall. He wouldn't share anything more with her. She would only provoke his temper at this point.

She set down her drink on the floor and walked over to where he leaned against the cabinet.

"Do you want me to try to fix it now?" She pointed to the cabinet behind him.

He looked away from her gaze. "It's probably pointless. I don't know how you could be useful to me anymore since your spell was unsuccessful."

His answer stung. She was starting to notice a pattern though. He only responded with verbal assaults if she pushed him too far with her own words.. She wanted to convey that she could not be so easily pushed away and that she would no longer take offense. They had no impact on her. Maybe then he would stop throwing them at her and they could get somewhere. She suddenly remembered that she wasn't supposed to be going anywhere with him to begin with.

She reached for the cabinet and as her hand nearly made contact a million voices echoed within her and told her to look away. Draco noticed her grimace and stood straighter.

"I don't want you to do this." She sensed wariness in his voice.

He suddenly felt dreadful about what she might do in order to help him.

She sat down on the floor in front of the gargantuan device to brace herself.

"Dahlia, I won't watch this again," he said urgently as he rushed over.

He tried to pull her away by the waist. She slammed her hands against the smooth wood before he could rip her away. She was instantly pulled into the void of time and space. A hundred shrieks reverberated through her spinal cord as they fought against witnessing such wickedness. She saw Voldemort speak, and she wept at the sound of his voice. She saw Draco casting a powerful spell on the cabinet and a bird flying through the open doors. She heard her own shriek as she was pulled from Draco's arms under spring trees and a full moon. She saw a singular body fall from the Astronomy Tower and heard thousands of voices shrieking their last words into the ether.

Draco watched in horror as she left her fingertips against the cabinet and went preternaturally still. Tears began streaming down her peaceful face in an eerie silence. He was fearful of what might happen if he broke her trance. Would she stay like this? Would it fracture her mind if he interfered? He felt hopeless as he kneeled behind her. He gently placed his hand on her back and whispered to her to come back to him. He wanted to tether her to this reality.

Moments later, he felt her relax into him. He couldn't see her face but he heard her sniffle away her tears. He was quiet since she had snapped at him the last time he had inquired too soon.

"If you fix this, people will die," she finally whispered.

"If I don't, dozens more will die," he put his forehead against her neck and answered as if had already weighed the greater evils.

"Why did he ask you to do this?" She murmured.

She had seen the Dark Lord himself lay this responsibility among Draco's shoulders. His face would haunt her.

"To punish my father. The Dark Lord would kill thousands in his vengeance to kill one man. If I can fix this, then less will have to die," his voice was resolute.

"Draco, that's..." she mumbled in horror.

She felt him stiffen against her. He inhaled angrily. It enraged him that she was acting as if she were so blissfully unaware — that the mark she had nearly touched on his arm had no actions tied to it. He felt a flare of rejection. He had been idiotic to let himself think that she would be able to cope with his darkness. His darkness was so much worse than Theo's own. She probably pitied him, but he didn't need it. He never wanted to be a hero, anyway. He would have been her annihilation, not her savior. He hated himself — and her in this moment.

"Get out."

Dahlia couldn't see his face but she knew it was unkind. She covered her mouth and let out a sob she could no longer hold in. She couldn't break through her barrier of emotions to tell if she was upset at his sudden, solidified rejection or if she feared him. The reality that Draco would accomplice a murder sent ice-cold horror down to the pit of her stomach. She suddenly became unsure of her own safety alone in this room with someone who openly conversed with the Dark Lord.

She knew it would hurt him if he saw the horror and fear on her face. She granted him this one kindness as she stood up without facing him and swiftly exited the Room of Requirement.

Once alone, she let her fear consume her. She didn't even bother disillusioning herself as she sprinted back to her dorm. The quick pad of her bare feet echoed through the halls as she huffed shaky breaths. Her fear heightened as she couldn't seem to find a hallway she recognized.

All she wanted was to run to the Slytherin common room and bang on the door until someone let her in. She wanted to crawl into Theo's bed and beg him for answers to how much he knew, but also hear him say that everything would be alright. But it was past midnight, she was wearing Draco's shirt, and she didn't want him to know that she had been alone with him after he had asked her not to be.

She finally found a hallway that seemed familiar. She booked it to Ravenclaw Tower. The eagle on the door rolled its eyes before asking her a simple riddle. It was fed up with her late night adventures.

She barrelled through the door and hurried on light feet back to her room as the moonlight lit the circular common room through it's ancient glass dome. She let it soothe her.

She finally found her room. She snuck back into her bed and quieted her cries. She had read the premonitions of the cabinet. It was the closest she had came to a vision in her entire life — and it had been awful.

She had to know what Theo knew. She would wield her words, twist her truth, to force his answers. She reached for her journal and wrote to Theo:

I've seen something awful just now in my dreams. I've seen what he's planning. I love you but I need answers.

She put her journal down and prayed for a reply but none came. He was asleep.

Dahlia finally found rest herself as she clutched her journal.

When sleep took her, she dreamed she was gliding across a ballroom floor in a gown made of emeralds and pearls. She looked up into enchanting grey eyes. The man before her was in a black tuxedo and wore the most inviting sly smile. The clock struck midnight. Draco leaned down and kissed her for each and every last one of the twelve chimes.