65

— I recommend listening to "as the world caves in" by Sarah Cothran while reading this chapter :))) Have fun. —

The moonlight shone right through the bottom window of the staircase leading up to the Astronomy Tower, falling on Draco's face directly and illuminating its pale colour as if he was a star on a stage.

And he looked directly at me, his grey eyes boring into mine with an unapologeticness I had never seen from him before. Other's might've said he was staring— admiring, even.

Though, for me, it seemed like nothing more than another pair of eyes that couldn't divert from the other, even if they wanted to.

And so, with our chest's heaving as our breaths grew heavier by the eye contact alone — knowing what would follow not long after — we didn't dare break the silence that laid underneath our heavy breaths.

Scared that if either of us moved, things would unfold in a manner so predictable yet unpredictable, we didn't dare to.

The first time I broke our eye contact, my eyes flickered up the stairs, scanning our surroundings before falling back on the blond before me. His gaze followed mine, and he sighed as it fell back on me.

"I can't let you go up there and do this, Draco." I swallowed thickly after the words escaped my lips, my voice rough and the sound of it making me draw my brows together tightly.

My head shook at my own thoughts, and a scoff accompanied the gesture. "You know I want to—"

It hurt so terribly to breathe again. My lungs tightening as the wind in them felt on fire — burning throughout me mercilessly.

If anyone ever asked me if there was one single moment in my existence I'd never want to relive again, I'd say it was this one; the one when everything came crashing down. When my walls fell, my eyes brimmed with tears, and he did nothing but watch me.

The first tear rolled down my cheek when I mentioned my sister; what He did to her, what He would do to her.

The promise I'd worked so hard to hold.

I tried my best not to have others follow; blinked my tears away, closed my eyes completely if I had to.

But I couldn't stop talking. It was like a gate opened, and I was unable to close it again. It was like a waterfall of words falling out my mouth. I spoke so fast, mentioned so much; half the time, I was unsure if I even made sense.

I wasn't sure where my eagerness to share my thoughts came from; didn't even notice at first. Eventually, I did.

Abruptly, I cut myself off, a singular gasp escaping my lips as I shook my head vigorously. My eyes batted open to meet his, mine wide in shock and confusion as to why I was talking to him about any of it in the first place.

It seemed he had an answer to my question without my ever having to say it out loud.

"It's what happens when you crack under the pressure—" He explained, his voice calm and his head cocking to the side. My lips parted to disagree, finding offence in the statement alone and wondering how much better he must've felt that I had — in his words — cracked before he did.

But then, he continued his sentence before I had the chance to. "—Lucky for me, it was just Snape there when it happened to me."

Oh.

My mouth closed.

Draco drew a deep breath as his eyes landed on me again, searching my face for a reaction. At this point, I felt like an open book— felt vulnerable with his gaze so intense.

Something unusual, the way that the blond caused me to feel.

His eyes lingered on my lips, and unintentionally mine fell down to his only for a second; Pretty pink and parted in the moonlight.

"Is there anything else you want to say?" He seemed genuinely interested, concerned even as the question rolled off his tongue. Looking at me with curious eyes, a sense of security in them.

If a human meant to shield through look, he would.

I had enough restraint to shake my head firmly, though not enough time to verbally say so— his hands already cupping my face to pull me in for a kiss.

And oh, what a kiss it was.

The innocence and vulnerability in it making it feel like it was my first.

His hands continued to cup my face, his thumb gently stroking my cheek as our lips continued to move against each others. His hands holding me like I was the most precious thing on earth.

The sensation causing explosions within me I couldn't quite understand. My skin burned under his touch, more so than any other seemingly more intimate situation could ever have it burn.

This was intimacy— raw and pure while not a single touch would lead to anything more than our lips moving against each others. We both knew it, and maybe that was the beauty in it.

It was magical — if anything would ever be enough to express that feeling — that string of emotion as it embraces you, as you drown in the touch and sense of another.

Despite it, my hand reached for my wand in my pocket, and the tip of it turned into a sharp blade right underneath my touch. A second singular tear made its way down my cheek as my hand raised to hold it against his neck.

I swallowed thickly as our lips disconnected from one another's, eyes batting open to meet his mere inches away from mine. His scent still lingered in my nose, my lips still tingled from his on them.

My hand shook as it held the dagger against his throat, and his eyes flickered down to the object held flush with his skin. Though, as he looked back at me, it wasn't anger displayed in his eyes, nor was it surprise.

Just hurt.

Everything had failed to hurt him as much as I did, right there and then.

And the sight had me close my eyes, grimacing as I drew a shaky breath.

"You have to know that I don't have a choice in this." My tone was gentle, though it seemed just as broken— voice shaky and rough in the air. I didn't know if what I was doing was right, but I did know that it was the only thing I could do— I had to.

He shook his head gently, a huff escaping his lips as the corners of his mouth quirked upwards.

"But this is what you want, isn't it?" He wondered. "What we've been trying to do for months, Adreanna."

Tears clouded my vision as the words escaped his lips, and though I knew I didn't want to do this, I nodded as I held him tighter against the wall behind him. The blade against his neck pressing deeper into his skin as a shimmer of crimson became visible.

"Draco," I stressed. "You have to know that I can't let you go up there," I repeated my words from earlier, my breath growing heavier with each second we stood here.

"I don't think I want to anymore."

The blade against his pale skin, drawing just the tiniest amount of blood, faltered at his words, and my eyes flickered up to meet his. A small smile played on his lips, and I startled when he lifted his hand.

It traced along my neck, acknowledging the piece of jewellery around it. Right here, right now, his necklace felt like a burden, weighing me down in the most malicious way. Reminding me of every single day we had spent together in the past six years.

How we met in our first year. How we became the best of friends. How we shared our first everything's with each other; first lesson, first revision, first detention. Our first kiss. And how everything changed afterwards.

Slowly, his hand moved upwards. Making sure not to startle me, he pushed a strand of red behind my ear, his next words nothing but a whisper.

"Do it," He said, pressing himself against the dagger with more pressure, inevitably drawing more blood. "Do it, Adreanna." He repeated his words with a smile on his face.

And I watched the first drop of crimson escape his skin, watched it shimmer in the moonlight before it slowly ran down his skin, the sight almost mesmerizing if my heart wasn't aching the way it did.

Pictures of Gwen flooded my mind whenever I hesitated; whenever I second-guessed my action, she was there to tell me I shouldn't.

It was something I read in a book, or perhaps a newspaper as a child — your thoughts linger, they try with everything left in the bones of a human broken enough to take another's life, to stall — to shift the mind from the vicious through in front of you.

For me — it was her.

My sister, who would live to be the redemption of my world even if it shattered me.

It pained me to a level where my breaths came none existent.

A battle between the heart and mind, they said—a fray of the grey lines between right and wrong.

But it wasn't about what anyone else said anymore. It was what I had said, what I had promised and pledged—a vow of faith and honesty.

Anything, I said to her. I'd give anything to make things right for her.

And now, with this, I gave everything.

I looked up at him, the grey eyes that never once failed to mesmerise me — the shade in them that captured me, robbed me of all my right senses, didn't shine as bright anymore. They held lifelessly.

He owned a curl in the corner of his lips. A gentle smile that he held so courageously onto. That soft arch on the mouth I'd never grow tired of kissing, never waned.

Draco Malfoy.

My lips stretched in sync with his— they always would. Only to realise the most heartbreaking thing,

His smile never faded.

A/N: oh.......

Okay so like I've never written an ending that WASN'T happy and I'm unsure how to .... explain myself LMFAO

How are you doing?

Honestly the only reason I started writing Nemesis was for this ending and I think it's safe to say while they cared about each other deeply, Adreanna would always put her own sister over draco. :/ idk if he'd do the same tho

What's heartbreaking is that he died without making up with pansy and so she'll feel guilty for like the rest of her life??? poor girl

I'm posting a thank you chapter later today or tomorrow! Until then. <3