I looked up - breathless - into silver grey eyes, as they gazed down upon me, flickering with worry and concern.

"Astrid, are you alright? Was that... was that too much?" He asked, searching my eyes anxiously.

"No, it was perfect," I breathed, reassuring him at once. I knew he was referring to my tears, but they had come from a mixture of so many powerful emotions - I hadn't even realised I had been crying until Draco had started to kiss the wetness away.

Relief flooded his eyes, and he carefully rolled off of me, before gathering me tightly to his chest, as we both lay gently panting in each other's arms.

"Thinking about you was the only way I used to get through it," I whispered, my heart racing in my chest as I shared a piece of my horrific past with him.

I heard the sharp intake of breath just above my ear, as it dawned upon him what I was telling him. His arms tightened around me a fraction harder, but he didn't say anything.

"In a way, you were saving me back then, too," I continued, "and I've always loved you for that Draco - that through the darkest of times, you've always been my light."

"Astrid," He breathed, and to my horror, I realised he was crying.

I reached up instantly, wiping away his tears, kissing his wet cheeks as he had done to me.

"Draco, it's okay, we're okay now," I whispered, but for some reason, this made him cry harder, and he held me tightly to him as his body shook against mine.

"I'm so sorry," he sobbed, making my heart break for him, "I should have done more."

"You did everything for me, Draco," I implored, kissing his face over and over again, desperate for him to know I couldn't have asked for more - that he was, and always will be, my saviour.

We held on to each other tightly; our bodies entwined, and we proceeded to doze in out of sleep as the day wore on around us.

"We missed lunch," I pointed out sleepily, gazing up at the room's high ceiling, aware of the day's sunlight already starting to fade.

"I'm sorry," Draco murmured from just above my ear. I turned my head on the pillow to face him and was surprised to see his grey eyes looking intensely at me, as if he'd been staring for a while.

"And you're missing more classes," I pointed out, not being able to resist brushing my fingers though his white-blond hair which had flopped down messily over his eyes.

"I'll just say I was ill," he shrugged nonchalantly, and as I looked at him, I thought he really did look ill. He had a wearied, despondent expression about him that hadn't been there first thing that morning.

"Is everything okay, Draco?" I asked, bringing my fingertips to lightly touch his pale cheekbone, causing him to let out a content sigh as his eyelids briefly closed shut.

When they reopened, I couldn't miss the sadness swimming in his eyes. My heart squeezed uneasily, and I couldn't help but feel this awful feeling that there was something he wasn't telling me.

"I would die for you, Astrid," he said in a quiet, earnest voice, "please know that."

A horrible lump suddenly formed in my throat. This did not feel like a happy declaration of love, but more like a forewarning of something bad to come.

"Draco, you're scaring me," I confessed, feeling my heart rate start to accelerate, "what's going on?"

A pained looked fell upon his face and he opened his mouth as if he was about to say something - but then immediately changed his mind, and instead squeezed his eyes shut as he exhaled a long, frustrated sigh.

"Nothing," he answered flatly, and then sat up abruptly, reaching for his clothes.

"Where are you going?" I asked, covering myself up with a blanket as I, too sat up, feeling somewhat dismayed as he started buttoning up his shirt.

"To go and find us some food," he said, not looking at me. "I won't be long, stay here."

"Drac-"

I was cut off by the sudden unexpected force of his lips upon mine. When he broke away, I found I was left breathless.

His eyes bore intensely into mine as he held my face in his hands. "Astrid, you must promise me you won't ever leave this room without me, okay?"

"Draco I-"

"Promise me!"

Shocked by the fierceness of his voice, I simply nodded, "Okay, Draco - I promise," I said hoarsely, as he kissed my forehead in relief.

"I love you, Astrid," he murmured in my ear, before leaving, "don't ever forget that."

I had no idea what had got Draco so upset, but whatever it was, it terrified me. And it clearly terrified him too.

...

Draco hadn't meant to react like that. But he didn't know how else to.

The thought, that every time he leaves her from now on, may be the last time he'll ever see her again, terrified him.

He couldn't risk her wandering around without him anymore, not with Snape looking to whisk her away at any moment.

And the worst part was, he couldn't explain to Astrid why he was behaving suddenly so fearful and protective. He had thought about telling her that there was something, but even that was too risky, and it had the possibility of terrifying her even further.

And he didn't want her to feel scared anymore.

Not after everything she'd been through.

He hurried to the kitchens, already desperate to get back to her. He didn't know how he was going to cope with going to classes anymore. He didn't know just how secure she was in the Room of Requirement. But it felt like the safest option at the moment.

As he barked orders at the house-elves - who scurried anxiously around for him - Draco decided he wouldn't let Snape take her away without a fight. He didn't care what Snape said about it being in Astrid's best interests to go and hide back in the Muggle world. The last Muggle she lived with did horrific things to her. How can he trust that wouldn't happen again?

No - Draco knew that the only way he would be happy that Astrid was safe was if she was with him. He would look after her and love her like no other person in the world ever could.

And if he ever crosses paths with her father, or anyone else that tries to hurt her, then Draco vowed he would kill them. Kill them with his own bare hands. Wand murder wouldn't be good enough for them.

He was never going to let Astrid down again, he promised to himself, as he cocooned his entire self around her soft, beautiful body that night in the Room of Requirement. And no way was he going to let anyone take her away from him.

Over his dead body.