Draco

Eve was getting her stuff together two nights before the first of September, and I was trying to help her pack—but it quickly became clear that I wasn't much help at all.

I'd nearly ripped one of her shirts pulling it out of the dresser, and several of her necklaces had gotten into such a twisted, giant knot because of me that neither of us had been able to fix it without using magic. When I went to move a small bundle of clothing to the trunk, a pile of her underwear fell out onto the floor, and Eve shrieked as she dove to hide them.

"Close your eyes, close your eyes," she said quickly, scrambling to pick them up and shove them all into her trunk without me seeing. "Don't look—"

"Why not?" I grinned, but I'd automatically turned my gaze towards the ceiling. Cheekily, I told her, "It's not like I've never seen it before."

"I'm going to kill you," Eve snapped teasingly, finally stuffing the last pair in and standing. She shook her head as she took the clothes from me, rolling her eyes and saying, "You're a pain in the butt to pack with, has anyone ever told you that?"

I pretended to think about it for a second, standing by the door as she went back to folding. "Nope, you'd be the first. You're also the only person I know who actually folds everything before packing it."

"What? I can't just stuff it all in, it'll get wrinkled..."

I laughed and she glared at me playfully from across the bed, crossing my arms as she continued to fold her shirts carefully. The evening sunlight was fading from the sky, so I told her after a moment, "I'll go downstairs and start dinner, okay? I should probably leave before I ruin anything else."

Eve was still smiling as she said, "Okay. Come get me if you need help; I know how you are in the kitchen."

I clutched my chest as I started for the door, unable to hide my grin as I said, "That hurts, Eve, that really does. I'll be back in a bit when it's ready."

But when I shut the guest room door behind me, I didn't go to the kitchen. I started straight for my room, because I needed to Owl someone—and I didn't want Eve to know. I had scarcely left her side since we'd run into her aunt last week, so this was the first chance I'd had to slip away and write the letter I had been planning to make for weeks now.

I needed to write to Flint about looking out for Eve at school this year.

Locking the bedroom door behind me, I crossed the room and rifled through my cluttered desk for a piece of parchment and a decent quill. The ink pot was nearly empty, so I had to practically scrape the bottom with the tip of the quill just to get enough. I scribbled the letter as quickly as I could, knowing I didn't have much time. I didn't want Eve to know I was doing this.

I kept it brief, but it was hard to avoid the almost desperate tone in my words; I needed Flint to tell me he would watch out for Eve this year, especially with Zabini and the Carrows. I wrote that I wasn't going to be coming back to school this year and I needed him to keep an eye on Eve since I wouldn't be able to, asking him to make sure that nothing bad would happen to her for me. As I folded the letter after barely skimming it back over, I wondered if he would blame me for staying at home while Eve went back to Hogwarts.

He would never know how hard I had fought to change it.

I sat on the edge of my bed as the black barn owl disappeared in the sky, the darkness growing around me while I waited for a response. Flint didn't live very far away from the manor, so I was hoping he would write back as soon as he could. The last thing I wanted was for Eve to go downstairs wondering what was taking so long and find out that I had lied.

The owl was back only fifteen minutes later. I took the letter from it as quickly as possible without getting pecked, tearing open the parchment hastily. I skipped past the first few sentences where Flint complained about how I hadn't written him once until now, but I had to slow down after that because his messy scrawl made it difficult to read quickly.

Things are going to be pretty bad at school this year - Dad says the Carrows might be teaching. Too bad you're missing out on that, right? Of course I'll look out for Hawkings, you know I would've anyway. You worry too much, Malfoy. She'll be okay.

Listen, I'm sorry everything's going to shit. Do me a favor and don't get yourself killed, mate. I'll see you sometime when things calm down.

Flint

I was finally able to breathe again when I reached the end of the letter, my arms feeling weak as I lowered the piece of parchment. This didn't make me any less torn up over the fact that Eve was leaving in two days, but it definitely made me feel a little less frantic at the thought of her at Hogwarts without me. Flint was probably the only other person at school that I trusted, and I was relieved to know that he would look out for Eve.

I quickly crumpled up the letter and tossed it in the bin, grabbing my jacket and knowing I had to hurry. I'd wasted too much time already, and I hoped Eve would just stay in her room until I came up to get her.

There was still one more thing I needed to do.

~*~

Eve

            It was the night before I would go back to school, but neither of us was crying. In fact, we were both quiet and calm as we headed up to the roof of the manor around midnight, both Draco's parents fast asleep on the second floor. I didn't want to break the silence as he helped me jump down from the windowsill onto the rooftop, not letting go of his hand until we were both seated close to the edge.

            The stars were visible in the cloudless sky, and the clear moonlight shown down on us so brightly that we were able to make out every detail of each other even in this darkness. We were leaned back on the heels of our palms, my left hand just centimeters from his right hand. Draco looked at me for a long moment in silence, and then he asked in a careful voice, "What are you feeling?"

            I didn't automatically lie and say that I was fine, because so much had happened to the both of us that it was time to stop pretending around him. After a second, I admitted honestly, "Sad. And...a little scared. A lot scared, actually."

            He exhaled softly, shifting his right hand over an inch so that his thumb covered mine. "Me too, Eve. Me too."

            I looked out at the treetops, seeing just an outline of black leaves against the dimly lit sky. His thumb was warm against mine as I told him quietly, "It's just...the worst part is not knowing what's going to happen. You know? I've got no idea what things will be like tomorrow, or even a year from now. It scares me."

            Draco was quiet for a moment, but his face was turned slightly so I couldn't see his expression. When he finally spoke again, I could barely hear his voice over the breeze rustling through the woods below. "You're right. But I can promise that you and I are gonna be okay."

            It was something he'd said to me before, but I still did my best to believe him. I didn't know what else to say, so Draco eventually said to me, "Look, Eve, you have to stay out of the Carrows' way. They shouldn't bother you because you're a Death Eater, but...it's going to be bad with them around. I don't want you to get hurt."

            "I'll stay away from them," I promised softly, knowing it would make him feel at least a little better to hear me say it. "And I'll ignore Zabini."

            "If he pisses you off, you have to Owl me so I can sneak in and kick his ass," Draco said, but a tiny grin was tugging at the corners of his mouth so I knew he was at least half-kidding. "Seriously. Don't put up with any of his shit, alright?"

            "Okay," I agreed, even though I was biting my lip to hide a smile. "I won't."

            Draco's grin slowly faded along with mine as the seconds passed, the sounds of the summer crickets rising up even to our height on the roof. We looked at each other without saying anything for a long time, and Draco's grey eyes were unblinking as they glinted softly in the moonlight. Quietly, he told me, "I'm going to miss you so much."

            My hand slid onto his, squeezing it gently even though his knuckles were nearly twice the size of mine. I had to swallow hard to remove the lump in my throat as I whispered, "Me too. I dunno how I'm going to make it that long without you there."

            He cleared his throat and looked down, his left hand deep in his pants pocket and his right one tight around my own. He was looking down at the rooftop instead of at me as he said, "Listen, Eve, I really love you. I really, really do."

            "...I love you, too," I said a bit uncertainly, watching him carefully and wondering why his demeanor had suddenly changed. "You know I do."

            Draco finally looked back up at me, and I could see how nervous he was. He sat up slightly, his elbows resting on his bent knees as he clasped his hands in front of him. "I, um...I have something for you."

            I blinked at him as I realized he was holding something in his hands, asking blankly, "What?"

            "It's...it's, um—" he broke off, shaking his head exasperatedly. He held it out to me hastily, cursing, "Damn it. Here."

            I looked down at the tiny, golden ring held between Draco's thumb and forefinger, the breath catching in my throat and making it difficult to breathe. "I—what is that?"

            "A ring," he told me, but there wasn't a teasing or sarcastic note in his voice. Suddenly frantic, he added quickly, "It's not—it's not like an engagement ring. Please don't freak out, just—just let me explain."

            "I'm not freaking out," I replied quietly, feeling frozen as I watched Draco nervously hold the small ring in his large hands.

            "It's like...a promise ring, I guess," he stammered, looking down at his slightly shaking hands instead of at me. "That sounds stupid, I know, but—I wanted to give you something. Something that'll remind you I'm going to take care of you, no matter what. I just...I don't want you to forget about me while we're apart, you know?"

            "I'd never forget about you," I whispered, but Draco kept talking as though he was still worried I didn't understand.

            "I guess I wanted you to have something to remember me by. Like...maybe this would remind you how much I care about you. And—and I know we're young, so it's okay if you don't want to take it. I understand if it's weird, or too much for you—"

            "Draco," I interrupted softly, making him finally break off and nervously look up at me. He hesitantly stared at my expression as he realized I was starting to smile, that my eyes were starting to brim over with tears. I choked out a tiny laugh as I told him, "Of course I want to take it."

            "You...you do?" he asked slowly, his voice careful as though he was worried I wasn't serious. "Are you sure?"

            "What do you mean, am I sure?" I asked incredulously, unable to bite back my smile. My heart was in my throat as I clutched his arm gently and said, "I'm sure, I'm so sure, Draco—"

            And then he was grinning too, half of his mouth turning up cautiously like he didn't know if it was okay to smile yet. He nearly dropped the ring as I threw my arms around him, his cheek warm against my lips as I breathed happily, "I love you, I love you, I—"

            "You're choking me—" Draco laughed somewhat nervously, the disbelief nearly masking his words. He pulled away a little, asking half-jokingly, "You aren't just saying yes so I don't get hurt, right?"

            "I'm saying yes because I love you, you moron—"

            We were laughing and smiling uncontrollably, kissing each other through our grins with my arms wrapped around the back of his neck tightly. My mind was spinning from the fact that he loved me enough to do something like this, and I couldn't understand why he'd been nervous in the first place.

            He should have known I would have said yes without hesitation.

            "Can I—can I put it on you?" Draco asked, his voice shaking a little. He couldn't stop smiling as I held out my left hand, his fingers trembling as he slid the smooth gold band over the middle knuckle of my ring finger. We looked down at it, the simple ring fitting my tiny hand perfectly. Suddenly embarrassed, he rubbed the back of his head and said, "I'm sorry it isn't much."

            "No, I love it," I told him, and I couldn't have meant it more. "When did you have time to get it? We're practically together all the time—"

            He was grinning at my flushed cheeks and dazed smile, saying, "I went out when you were still packing. It wasn't easy, let me tell you."

            I laughed out loud, my chest swelling with an intense kind of happiness that I hadn't felt in months. Draco couldn't seem to stop grinning, and he kissed my forehead, my lips, my cheeks—anything he could, whispering against my skin, "I'm so lucky. I'm so lucky—"

             I kissed him back, my arms still tight around him and my chest only inches from his. I never, ever expected to feel this happy the night before the first of September; even though I would be leaving him tomorrow, I couldn't possibly have felt happier in this moment. "You mean everything to me," I told him with a huge smile, finally pulling away and looking up at him. "I love you so much."

            Draco gazed down at me through the moonlight, his normally pale cheeks now flushed from everything that had happened. His voice was low and serious as he said, "I'm going to take care of you. I mean it."

            And then it was like we suddenly realized how close we were, our bodies twisted impossibly close together even though we were still seated on the rooftop. Our chests were rising and falling rapidly, and our breath mingled together in the cool space between our mouths. My heart was pounding against the inside of my chest, and I wondered if his was, too.

            So I reached up with my left hand and placed it against the right side of his chest, slowly pressing my palm into the smooth fabric of his shirt. Draco looked down at me without blinking as I felt his heartbeat through my fingers, each beat rapid and soft against my skin. My breathing was shallow and quiet, and I gazed back up at him with a pounding in my ears and a tiny smile on my lips. He reached with his left hand up to my own, enveloping it and pressing both of our hands gently against his chest. Draco's heart was beating against my palm, the warmth of the ring sinking into both of our hands.

            And even though tomorrow I would be hundreds of miles away from him, I had never felt so close to someone before.