I looked down at the note in my hand, shuddering in relief as Draco's hurried, yet neat scrawl gave me some element of hope.

She's here, she's okay. I love you.

We didn't normally owl one another, afraid of the risk involved. But I appreciated the fact that he understood how much I needed to hear this news; that Luna was alive.

"Everything all right, Neve dear?" My gran's shaky voice asked as she peered over at me across the table.

I nodded, quickly folding up the note and pocketing it. I'd be putting it under my pillow next to Mum's sweet wrapper. A piece of Draco close to me.

"Just a friend wishing me a happy Christmas," I smiled, reaching my hand out to clasp hers in mine.

She looked so frail it frightened me. I knew she worried about me, but then I told her of how I was keeping Dumbledore's Army alive and it seemed to give her some strength.

"You would make your parents so proud, Neve," she smiled proudly as tears glistened in her eyes. "Our very own hero."

When it was time to return to Hogwarts, I was sorely tempted to bring Trevor with me, but I knew he would be safer at home.

Besides, it made me feel better knowing that Gran had the company. I, after all, had Dumbledore's Army and Draco.

I struggled to pull my trunk onto the train, which was now weighted down with buckets of red paint as well as ready made posters that I had prepared over the holiday - promoting our support of Harry and Dumbledore's Army.

"I don't want to know," Draco said as he took it from me and hauled it onto the scarlet train causing the contents to rattle ominously inside.

My heart fluttered with the delight of seeing him, and I sighed in bliss as he led me to an empty compartment and pulled me instantly into his arms.

"I've missed you," I breathed as he peppered frantic kisses all over my face.

"Believe me, I've missed you more," he groaned; his silver eyes swirling hungrily down in mine.

Refraining from taking things further, despite our mutual yearning, we instead snuggled up on the seat, just revelling being back in one another's arms and talking about our Christmases.

"She's not alone," Draco explained when I confessed my fear about Luna being lonely, "she has Ollivander with her."

"Ollivander?" I breathed, hardly unable to quite believe what I was hearing.

"Mother is looking after them," he assured me upon seeing my alarmed face. "It could have been worse, they could have been locked up somewhere else like at my aunts."

Burying myself into Draco's arms, I didn't want the journey to end. When he pulled out his Death Eater robes as we neared the school, I felt my heart grow heavy.

"I'm sorry, Neve," he said regretfully as he clocked my pain, "I've got to."

My heart literally ached as I watched him disappear beneath the horrifying costume; an innocent figure consumed in evil.

Hogwarts felt more depressing than ever. The darkness that shrouded the place was almost suffocating; Death Eaters, Dementors and the absence of friends causing a bleakness that shadowed even the brightest of hearts.

But I determinedly tried to keep up the morale that Dumbledore's Army provided.

"We keep fighting, you hear me?!" I bellowed to the depleting group; people too afraid to turn up in case of ending up like Luna. "We fight for Harry!"

But sadly, as the days rolled by and everyone grew more depressed, I felt as though I was fighting a losing battle.

But with fierce determination, I still kept going.

*****

They fucked a lot, and each encounter got more urgent and a lot rougher than the last time.

Each fuck was a punishment for Neve's behaviour; she broke the rules and Draco stepped in and fucked her.

If the others knew what was going on, they said nothing about it. Everyday Draco lived in fear of being caught, but he didn't stop. He couldn't; he was addicted to her. He hungered for her all the time, needing to touch her and be close to her. The intensity of his desire for her shocked him; he'd never thought it was possible to crave the touch of another human so much before.

But then something had to give sooner or later, and in the end Neve's behaviour had gotten too much and he found he had lost her all over again.

"They went after her grandmother," Snape said sternly after summoning him to his office late one night at the end of February. Draco felt his stomach turn to liquid. "But she managed to get away and she's now on the run."

"Why are you telling me this?" Draco asked, his heart pounding in fear.

"You know why, boy," Snape barked giving him a searing look. "They won't tolerate her reckless behaviour anymore, she has declared herself an enemy and you know what they do to resistors."

Snape said no more, he didn't have to, his insinuation was clear.

They were going to kill Neve.

Draco stormed the corridors, fear in his heart; he needed to get to Neve, and he needed to get to her fast.

He banged angrily on the portrait outside the Gryffindor Tower, much to the fat lady's disgruntlement, and didn't stop until it swung open and a bruised and battered boy fell out from it down at his feet.

Draco squinted and finally recognised him as Colin Creevey. How the fuck he was still allowed in the castle was beyond Draco's comprehension - the boy was a Muggle-born.

"Get me Neve," Draco ordered instantly, his heart pounding in his chest, fearing he was already too late. "I need to see her, now!"

"What do you want with her?" Colin spat fiercely, looking up at him with such ferocity.

Draco yanked his mask off, realising it probably wasn't helping. Colin blinked up at him, a flicker of surprise at seeing an actual human face before him.

"It's important," Draco implored, "I am not here to harm her, I love her, and if she doesn't come with me now then she's going to be in grave danger. Please!"

"I'll get her," Colin nodded, finally realising Draco's sincerity before disappearing back inside behind the portrait.

It felt like he was waiting forever, but it could have only been five minutes when his beautiful Neve appeared from behind the open portrait.

"Draco?" She asked, confusion etched over her face as he reached up to catch her in his arms. "What's the matter?"

"Your gran is on the run," he said immediately, "they've put the order out to kill you. You need to go into hiding, now."

His heart ripped as he saw the fear flicker in her hazel eyes.

"Gran?" she trembled. "And what about Trevor? Oh no, oh god, what have I done?"

He held her tightly to him, trying to soothe her shaking body as panic engulfed her.

"I'm sure Trevor is fine," he murmured as reassuringly as he could, trying to hide his own fear for the toad. "We need to get you out of here though, it's no longer safe for you."

"But where am I supposed to go?" She asked looking up at him, her eyes wide with fear. "All the exits are either blocked up or manned by Dementors."

"The Room of Requirement," he said, spilling out his plan that he'd thought of the second he found out her life was in danger. "You need to ask for it to not permit any You-Know-Who supporters whatsoever and you need to stay in there indefinitely. I mean it Neve, you must not step back into the castle. As soon as they see you, they are going to capture you."

"But what about the Army-?"

"Fuck the Army, Neve!" Draco bellowed, feeling horrendously frustrated. "Did you not just hear what I said?! Your gran is on the run after they tried to capture her. There is a price on your fucking head because of your incessant need to retaliate. THEY ARE GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!"

His voice cracked on the last word and a loud shuddering sob escaped him. He couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to her. He had never felt so frightened in his life. And he realised that if it came to it, he would simply kidnap her himself if he had to. Even if she hated him for the rest of her life for it, then at least she would still be alive.

So when she nodded, and agreed to go, the relief hit him so hard he almost burst into tears.

Their goodbye was hurried, intense and so very heartbreaking. They had no idea when they would see one another again but at least he would know where she was and that she was nearby and safe.

"I love you so fucking much," he murmured fiercely in her ear as he held her tightly to him on the seventh floor.

"Draco please let me ask for it so that you can enter-"

"NO! It's too risky Neve, you need to be clear that no supporters are to be able to enter. This means all Death Eaters, okay? Including me."

"I love you Draco," she sobbed. "I love you so much."

After kissing her one last time, he pressed the bag of food and water he had procured for her into her hands and watched sadly as she conjured the room that would become her hideout.

He had no idea how or when he would be able to see her again and it broke his heart.

This war sucked.

*****