I wasn't scared anymore.

Harry had come back. And I believed I could, too. It had given me a new hope.

I looked up into Draco's eyes and for the first time in a long time I could see us having a future together.

"It'll be okay," I whispered, touching my fingertips lightly to his pale, gaunt cheek.

Chaos was surrounding us but it felt like we were the only two people in the world.

I loved this boy more than I'd ever loved anyone else in my life, and I wanted him to know, but couldn't find the words to express my sincerity.

"Don't do this," he begged as his voice cracked, making my heart twist horribly, "don't leave me."

"You are my everything," I breathed as a lonely tear escaped me, rolling down my cheek.

Someone ran into us, violently jostling our bodies so that my hand fell away from his face and nearly sent me toppling.

"Astrid," he sobbed, shooting an arm out and wrapping his fingers around my wrist to steady me. And then, in one swift, violent motion, he pulled me to his chest and crashed his lips down upon mine.

Memories came flooding into my mind - of the first time he walked into my life; us running through the woods; swimming in the river; climbing trees; our first kiss; making love.

A loud, shuddering sob escaped me, breaking our kiss. He rested his forehead against mine, as a sad, resigned sigh left his lips.

"I'll never stop loving you," he whispered, as he brought his hands up to cup my face and wiped my tears away with his thumbs.

Bodies around us were sweeping frantically past, filing towards the castle. Draco and I reluctantly broke apart and allowed ourselves to get swept along, our fingers intertwining as we made our way up the stone steps.

I could hear Hagrid wailing Harry's name making me halt at the top of the steps. I turned around to look, and I could see that Harry was nowhere to be seen as Hagrid span around on the spot desperately calling for him.

"Where did he go?" Draco asked, obviously following my gaze.

But before I could answer, I felt invisible hands grab my arm and pull me violently away.

In my shock, I had allowed my fingers to slip from Draco's, and our eyes met in mutual horror as I was sucked into the crowds entering through the castle's great oak doors.

"Astrid!" He yelled, and I could hear his panicked voice as he tried to follow me through, but the mass of bodies making it impossible for him to see me.

I tried desperately to yank my arm back, but whoever was dragging me had a tight hold. "Let me go!" I screamed fearfully.

I found myself being pulled into the Great Hall, where a crowd was watching Bellatrix duelling with Ron's mother. Green jets of light were flashing all over the place, but both duellers kept managing to miss.

"Throw yourself in the middle," a voice hissed in my ear. Harry.

"I- I can't!" I cried, looking back over my shoulder for Draco. Not without saying goodbye.

"You'll come back - I did! Now go so that I can finish the fucking job!" Invisible Harry hissed, more vehemently, now.

But again, I stalled, searching desperately for one last look at my white-blond haired prince. Just in case. But he was nowhere to be seen.

"Argghhh!" Harry cried in frustration as Bellatrix got hit directly in the chest and fell to the floor in a crumpled heap. "Astrid, I'll kill you myself but it's got to be your choice. So I'm giving you one last chance here."

And all of a sudden, he appeared as if out of nowhere upon removing his Invisibility Cloak.

"Hey Voldy!" He shouted across the Hall to where my father was looking horrified down at dead Bellatrix. "You're gonna have to try a bit harder if you want to see me rotting in the ground next to your girlfriend!"

I watched, completely aghast, as the room went quiet and my father slowly turned to face his nemesis.

I heard people starting to mutter around us at their shock upon seeing Harry well and truly alive. And then they started to cheer, much to my father's enragement.

"Silence!" He yelled, pointing his wand directly at Harry from where he stood, anger making him shake.

"Now!" Harry hissed out of the corner of his mouth to me as my father's lips started to form the deadly words of the Killing Curse, at exactly the same moment that a certain Slytherin called out my name.

"ASTRID!"

Time stopped.

My eyes had landed on a pair of silver grey ones. I took in every inch of his beautiful face, remembering the first time I had ever seen him. The day he walked across the playground and said, Hullo. The way his eyes would crinkle up when he laughed. The silky soft tones of his voice as he said, I love you, Astrid.

I love you too, Draco.

And then I averted my eyes to my father's cruel, red ones as I lunged in front of the green light that was intended for Harry, but hit me squarely in the chest instead.

The last thing I saw was the horror on my father's face as he realised what I had just done.

And then I was dead.