The portraits watched in silence, the torches flickering, casting shadows over the stone walls in the darkened corridor. Everything was still, holding it's breath almost, as Magic took pity and wrapped herself around the two huddled in the corner, nothing but the sounds of harsh breathing and barely concealed sobs echoing through the space.

"Draco, please..". She grabbed at his robes, running her hands over his ducked face, sliding her shaking fingers into his wild strands of hair, pulling him closer as he took another great gasp. His fingers were painful, gripping at her so hard that she had to bite her lips not to make a sound.

"W-what is it? Please..what have you done?". Her lungs spasmed painfully as she stared at him, silently begging for someone to find them. Theo, Blaise, God knows she'd even take Hermione or Harry at this point. His forehead fell harshly against hers, his hands reaching to cup her face as he finally withdrew his face from where it had been buried against her neck. His eyes were wild, wide and anguished as he stared at her, committing her face to memory.

"Hide" His voice was brittle, a low growl as he almost shook himself with a shiver, shaking his head as she opened her mouth in confusion, closing his eyes as he steadied her against him.

"Get to Gryffindor Tower. Get to your sister, don't come out Kiara. Not even for a fucking minute".

Kiara watched him fight against the panicked sobs that were sticking in his throat, she shook her head and pressed herself to him, terror rooting her to their poorly concealed spot in the corridor. Where was everyone? She fought her uneasiness, her mind bringing forth images of the tension she had seen in Hermione and Ron earlier that night. Harry hadn't been with them? She could have sworn it was Neville's night to patrol this area. What had happened?

"I'm not leaving Draco, what is it? Is He..i-is He coming here?" She held her breath, her hands shaking against his chest, unable to even pretend that she hadn't been looking over her shoulder in terror ever since she had confronted Draco in the train compartment at the beginning of the year.

They had a plan, the professors had agreed hadn't they?

She watched him flinch, shaking his head as he tightened his fingers against her scalp. "Not you, Dove, never you" he whispered painfully, crushing his lips against hers over and over, pulling her into him.

She pulled away from his mouth, looking over the dark corridor, the corridor utterly silent. Even the air outside seemed to be holding it breath. Something was going to snap.

"It's done" She turned back to Draco, her heart stuttering before dropping into her stomach at his words, shaking her head in denial. The plan was foolproof, Theo hadn't stopped memorising it, it was all that had given them confidence over the past year.

"D-draco?".

"Draco". Kiara jumped as the soft, serpentine voice materialised behind her, pressing herself into Draco in fear, his hand secured around his waist as he stood, moving her up against the wall behind him.

Obsidian eyes bled into nothing, observing them in silence, the lines of his body fraught with a long hidden tension. His nostrils flaring every so slightly as he raised his chin, communicating that the time was up. It was over, the game had begun.

Kiara dug her fingernails into the back of Draco's robes as he straightened, refusing to look her in the eyes as he took her hands, pressing her against the wall, his eyes running over the chain around her neck, a sadness and longing settling into his eyes briefly. She hissed at him, stepping forward. No fucking way she would leave him by himself. "You can't be serious Draco! I need to come with you, I..".

He silenced her, surging forward to capture her mouth again, caring not for the sallow pools of black watching them, nothing more than a slight twitch in their wand hand, to indicate any sort of life.

"Please Kiara. Get to the Tower...Get the boys there too, you need your sister"

No longer could she stop the tears falling down her face in fat droplets. "I need you" she whispered, searching his face. He shook his head, a mournful smile on his face, his body stiffening with tension, the emotion on his face wiped clean as he heard the Professor behind him shift.

"Promise me Dove. Hide". The grey in his eyes burned as he ran them over her face, thumb reaching out to press against her lips before he moved, his back to her as he brought out his wand and tapped it twice, nodding at the silent figure before turning with a snap.

Apparition wasn't supposed to be possible in Hogwarts.

A heavy grief settled in Kiara's chest, her legs shaking with the effort of keeping her upright. She stared into eyes of the man who she had to trust would help to protect what he had discovered years ago, in a dark Hogwarts corridor not unlike the one they were currently in.

She wanted to dig her nails into her face and claw her skin off at the hint of ancient pain she heard in his unusually gentle tone.

"Miss Granger, they are going to make him beg for death before the end. Yours and his".