Do you ...wish it were me?
You fall into bed with every night
And watch sleeping at your side?
I wish it were you...
And not the sleeping silence of dawn
Who were we together,
If we were anything at all...?

Tears burning blue streaks across his cheeks, too much, too fast, all of it too fast. What had he done? How could this happen? Why? Those eyes, those beautiful eyes wouldn't look at him, couldn't. They weren't even red, just sick black despair and sanguine tracks. No light reached them, they didn't see him, and he knew that she didn't feel him anymore.

"Come on, honey... come on, talk to me..."

Sounds from the left but not from her, not from her any more. Dear Gods, why? Why?

"Come on, you have to wake up honey. You have to wake up!"

More noises, forces on his shoulders, shaking him, moving, but he didn't budge, his abs held a revolt and pushed, shrugging them away and focusing on the face that would no longer answer him, the eyes that no longer saw him.

"Wake up! WAKE UP!"

Blaise sat up in bed on a breathless sound. Eyes wide, staring out into the darkness. His sheets were damp with sweat, pooling in soft, sticky wet puddles around his waist and over his legs. He shivered and frowned. Cold? He was never cold. Never ever cold... This wasn't good. When he got out of bed and shuffled towards the door, stepping into a pair of sweatpants as he did so, he shivered again. The door opened to see the fire still roaring in the fireplace and Elena was bundled up on the couch reading a book and humming.

It was the middle of the night, he didn't say anything, neither did she humming something that was oddly familiar. He should have known what it was, but just as quick as she was humming it, she was done humming, off the couch and heading towards her room on light toes. He smiled at her in passing. He was sure that she didn't see him, but it didn't matter. She was happy, well happier than she had been in a long time. She fluttered along, into her room and he had to wonder what on earth she was doing up in the middle of the night?

The tea kettle whistled loud and obnoxious as he walked towards the small stove and he poured her mug, no sugar. She bounced back in, sliding a hand along his arm, sending shivers up his spine, as she picked up her cup without a word. It had been like that ever since the day long duet and the Quidditch match that weekend. She'd been at her best running along walls of the stadium, leaping to grab the Snitch before the Hufflepuff seeker and catching hold of her broom at the last minute. As usual, watching Elena play Quidditch had been hell on his nerves, but he let it go. She was so happy, carried on the shoulders of her team members while being scolded. So carefree, falling through the air and over miles of space as if she could fly... It was more than he could have ever wished or imagined. They held a small party that night in their room. Elena provided music and most of the night was spent dancing, laughing and having as much of a good time as they could when the two people that lived there couldn't speak to one another. It wasn't that bad considering that talked in loud terms so the other could hear and the conversation was practically homogenous across the room.

When they were gone. Blaise and Elena sat on the couch for a long time, staring into the fire, not touching, not needing to, just enjoying the company and the understanding. She fiddled with the bracelet with a soft and shy smile, glancing at him. He wanted to laugh but he didn't, only watching her out of his periphery. Pretty soon he got up and headed to his room, returning to the couch with his violin in hand and struck up a new song that she'd never heard before. She curled on the couch and faded into sleep while he played. She fell asleep and woke up in her own bed, tucked in and comfortable underneath the sheets, another blanket that wasn't her own was over her bed for extra warmth and from the thickness and coloring of it, she knew it was Blaise's.

Blaise woke up to her singing Korean pop ballads and dancing around in their common room.

"Give me a call! Baby-Baby..."

He would have laughed but that was too much as she hoped into her long socks and shoes, spinning around in a circle hopping in time with the song. She was so amazing and so damned silly as she whirled on him and bounded past him, still singing loud and perfectly on key. The whirl of her clothes around her made him smile, if he tried hard enough he could pretend that the black marks along her back didn't exist.

"Sarahandago! Sarahandago! Munjarado namegyeo jweo..."

She didn't stop singing as they headed out to classes, passing through crowds of people and serenading people as she did, dancing a mix of ballet and pop down the halls to class.

"Hold me... Anirago... hold me... tell me... hold me~... Gamyeonandwae~!"

By the time dinner started, he found himself humming the song and writing down notes to play on his violin. She didn't stop singing it all day.

Aleksandr left the Valentin house with the promise to have their stepmother sent to Azkaban as soon as he was able. He'd told Vera what happened and she was already working on the case. He left it in her hands as he had something more important to do. The Floo trip was quick and as he marched on the castle, he could feel the heat and rage burning in his hand, sending his magic crying "Death!" and "Ruin!" as he charged on the castle. A one man army against a legion.

He was focused, so he waited. He was precise, so they fell. He was angry, so they suffered. No one died, that would be too easy... much too easy. But none of that mattered as he battled his way through the small legion. Aleksandr stormed the stone fortress on his own. Ivan didn't know, neither did Vera and there were no number of wizards that were going to get in his way. His sister was on the line and so much more than that. When he'd realized the reasoning behind it, he'd been furious and rushing towards the place on the little slip of paper as they took his step mother into Ministry custody and were probably on the way to get Lucius Malfoy and company. He didn't care about any of that so long as he got to where he needed and wasn't too late to reverse this disaster.

I'm sorry, Nymph. I'm so sorry... He should have know earlier, he should have realized. All the signs were there. All the signs had been plain as day, but he hadn't been there to see them... Trapped in his own issues. The trauma... the overwhelming circumstances. But that wasn't an excuse. That wasn't a excuse to not protect her as he should have. It wasn't an excuse that he would allow himself to use.

The last man fell and he headed up the stairs without further distraction. When he opened, white lightning twist around the room, protecting the man strung up in magical bonds, looking ragged and harried. He was older than Aleksandr, much older. His hair was streaked with grey curls and dark brown. His beard had grown out and he looked a little more than worse for wear in his imprisonment.

He felt sick and angry, furious actually as he walked through the storm and came to look the man in the eyes. In response, his eyes widened and he gasped.

"Alexander..." he whispered, white lightning died down and Aleksandr stepped back to magic the bonds away and get the older man down from his magical crucifixion. "How did you find me?"

"You know she was terrible at keeping secrets."

They stumbled out of the stone fortress far away enough for Aleksandr to Apparate them to St. Mungos to be treated. He didn't leave the man's bedside. Vera came to visit once he'd contacted her about it. Noemi came as well bearing the contract found on the Malfoy premises. How she got it away from the Ministry, no one asked, but it didn't matter. When the man opened his eyes again, Aleksandr explained everything and on threat of never returning to the family, the man laughed and smiled sadly at him.

"I'm sorry," he said and Aleksandr shook his head as he waved his hand over the contract, it fizzled and rippled under his touch, cried bloody murder and burst into flames.

"You have nothing to apologize for."

He was sick of it Draco decided. The days were getting closer to the end yet it didn't seem to be making a difference. If anything she was getting better and he could feel the tug of magic against his soul. She was getting stronger, and he would be damned if by some oversight she managed to escape it. Goddamn it, what was going on? He watched her flitting around the Great Hall, greeting, smiling, laughing, joking and he decided that it had to stop. Whatever was going on had to stop and he'd have to force her otherwise the curse may break altogether and he couldn't have that no.

"Everybody make some noise!" She called through the halls, eliciting a rally of cheers. It was almost over and they were taking their exams in less than an hour.

When exams ended, the cheers were back, screaming happy sounds that grated his nerves... Mainly because he could see her and there was no trace of the curse on her... No trace of the spiritual trauma that she should be experiencing. No trace of him on her and he hated it. Wasn't she supposed to be his, subject to him forever? Shouldn't she know that to the core of her, and shouldn't she acknowledge it? She should, but for some reason no part of her seemed to be acknowledging anything that wasn't unbridled joy.

He'd watched the Quidditch match with contempt as she was jamming out and running across the stadium walls, bounding through the air to catch the Snitch and tumble forward onto her broom and go zooming off as if she wasn't spiritually debilitated... as if she were still whole. He hated it. He hated it and wondered if this meant that his hold on her was weakening...

So he read up on the book his father had given him. The curse was only as strong as the terror that he inflicted on her, the despair... He was becoming inconsequential to her. He couldn't let that happen. He wouldn't be weak, he could handle this and ingratiate himself far beyond his father's hopes. She was important... and he needed her. She would be his key into the higher realms of power that his father could only dream of.

Elena had to be his.

Dinner ended and like she always did she headed out of the Dining Hall alone. Draco trailed after her, stalking her up the stairs. It seemed that whatever was happening wasn't giving her senses back. He wasn't that far from her and she hadn't completely evaded destruction now had she?

"Elena," he said. She whirled around a look of furry as he advanced on her and grabbed her by the arm, squeezing hard. She fought, but it wasn't enough. The contact was incident and destructive, zapping all of her power from her and making her head dizzy. The curse surged. A hand across her cheek and pressure on the remaining black marks made her crumple against him as he dragged her down a dark corridor. She felt sick. She was so light headed, so tired, so much pain crawling around under the skin and paralyzing her.

"Silencio," he whispered so her open mouthed expulsions of air made no sound. Her eyes went wide and dark as he forced her to the ground, sliding a hand over her legs, up her skirt. The first rip was the loudest and her body thrashed to get away.

"So pretty," he crooned.

"All mine," he said.

And every part of her screamed, but her body didn't seem to understand. Sporadic electrical pulses through her with no aim or end, no outlet, just riots and glass cielings.

No. She wouldn't. She couldn't. He wouldn't win. Even if she died, he wouldn't win. Even if she would never be free, she wouldn't be a willing slave. She wouldn't. The revolution was coming and would not be televised. It would not be stopped. Her future, her soul, her life would not be stopped because of this blonde haired idiot with a inferiority complex. He would not win, he would not have her.

She'd die first.

Something like a gale force wind leapt out of her and he tumbled down the stairs at her kick, scrambling for her legs as she ran past him. She tripped tumbling down the spiral staircase. A sickening crack and cry but she didn't stop. Craddling her arm against her chest as he yelled after her, the curse tugged, slowing her movements, but the adrenaline, the fear of death impending.

Blaise...she had to see Blaise. Just one last time before everythign gave way, before the surge came back and realized what she'd done. Blaise. She had to see Blaise. She pulled off the shiny bracelet as she collapsed and screamed.

BLAISE!

Luckily for her, Blaise was more sensitive to shifts in magic than Draco gave him credit for. At first touch, Blaise had felt something snap. The loom of the contract was broken inside him and his heart kicked up to a maddened samba in his chest, his stomach did the rhumba and his legs ran out the Great Hall doors and down the corridor, wand taken out and aimed at every dark shadow as he made it down the hall. The contract was broken... Elena was in trouble.

"No running in the halls!"

He ignored whichever professor that was and went faster, getting closer, the pull getting stronger and the sense of danger was much worse.

"YOU BITCH!"

The sluggish scramble of pained footsteps rushing away, he heard them and went after them deciding to deal with Draco later. He had to get to Elena. The tug was getting stronger, clenching his inner cavity and tugging it down into a deep dark place. She was scared and dying he knew that, but it didn't have to be that way. He found her in front of the Room of Requirements, catching her as she collapsed to the ground, choking. He collapsed under the psychic call, BLAISE blaring in his head. His eyes fluttered at the intensity, but he pulled her close at the sound of silent choking. Blood bubbling up from her throat, pooling in her eyes and streaming into her hair. Her hair was black now, eyes black too and she was trembling. The marks slithered across her neck and over half her face.

He'd kill Draco, just as soon as he got her to calm down. The shaking grew to seizing slowly as he wrapped her in his cloak, bundling her against the cold and cast a quick healing charm on arm and pulled her into his arms, ready to run to the infirmary with her in his arms.

"It's alright honey, you need to calm down. Calm down honey, you're going into shock, do you hear me?! Elena!"

Her eyes did register his face above hers, but she did, quaking arms extended out of the bundle of the cloak to grab at his tie, pulling tugging him down until their lips sealed together. Blood dripped to the floor and everything stopped for longer than forever. The tinge of copper and death on his tongue didn't dull the taste of Elena's last breaths.

"Blaise?! What's this all about... what..."Hermione came up on the scene followed by McGongall and Rafael toting Draco with his wand pressed against the blonde's neck.

"Move, I dare you," he growled and Draco's head lolled at the swimming feeling of the castle walls banged against his head when Rafael had gotten a hold of him and realized that the the scratch across his face had been from Elena.

Tears burning blue streaks across his cheeks, too much, too fast all of it too fast. What had he done? How could this happen? Why? Those eyes, those beautiful eyes wouldn't look at him, couldn't. They weren't even red, just sick black despair and sanguine tracks. No light reached them, they didn't see him, and he knew that she didn't feel him anymore.

"Come on, honey... come on, talk to me..."

Sounds from the left but not from her, not from her any more. Dear Gods, why? Why?

"Come on, you have to wake up honey. You have to wake up!"

More noises, forces on his shoulders, shaking him, moving, but he didn't budge, his abs held a revolt and pushed, shrugging them away and focusing on the face that would no longer answer him, the eyes that no longer saw him.

"Wake up! WAKE UP!"

More noises, more forces, but he didn't move, pulling her into his arms, kissing her pliant lips and rocking her, whimpering, "Elena, I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to do, don't leave now. I love you! I love you damnit! I love you!"

"I love you," he sobbed shaking his head. "I'm so sorry...Please El'... El'... Elena...Please...please."

No response and after a while they realized that he would let her go, nor let anyone else touch her. She stayed craddled to his chest as he marched up the stairs to their quarters through the opening and into her room. He laid her under the sheets, removing her cloak, her shoes and socks, loosening her clothing so she could lay-sleep in peace. He took a wash cloth and bathed her face, cleaning the blood away and under her fingernails where she'd scratched the hell out of Draco. He kissed her cheek and breathed easy.

"I love you and I'll see you in the morning."

When he walked out out and closed the door, he refused to entertain anyone, tearing the contract off his own wall and staring through the bleak year he'd had. If only he'd... maybe if he'd... couldn't she...

So many unfinished thoughts, so may things...What happened to those plans they made? All the time they had... all the things they hadn't said? What happened to everything that he'd dreamed of? Those stolen moments that promised more? He thought back to the night of the party, when everything in him was in a revolt against everything else and the world. The only thing that seemed steady was her in his arms, the only thing that felt anything like love and solidarity... and now she was gone... now she was gone.

Once he realized that he wouldn't be able to sleep in his own room, he wouldn't be able to sleep at all he went into her room, crawled a long side her, took her hand and told her the truth. He made it to one hundred and two thirds before the headache and the terror dragged him into sleep.

"I love you... I love you...I love..."

The contract burst into white flames and became nothing more but words on the page. Noemi's stomach tightened as they looked at each other and the man went back to sleep.

"Do you think it worked?" Vera asked as Aleksandr squeezed the man's hand, staring at his sleeping face. "Aleks?"

"I don't know," he said. "This isn't exactly... what I expected...I don't know."

Vera nodded, rubbing his back and kissing his cheek, "Try to get some rest okay? I'll bring you some clothes and we'll go deal with the rest."

He smiled at her, "You're the absolute best."

She gave him the blanket and left when he was comfortable at the bedside. When she arrived at the house and packed the bag and everything else there were about three things on her desk: letters from the Ministry and call to orders. An incident invovling dark magic at Hogwartts and a bunch more paperwork to do in relation to the case. She took Noemi with her to the office and together they sifted through the copious amount of documents and made up plans to go interrogate for the case.

Aleksandr woke up to the sound of talking voices.

"... you're quite the charmer."

"Only when I need to be," someone grinned and he turned his head to the sound. The nurse was checking over the man and smiling at whatever he was saying.

"Good morning, Alexander... or is it Aleksandr now?"

He smiled and swallowed, "For you... I'm always Alexander."

He nodded, "Where is Elena?"

Aleksandr shook his head, "Still in school... last year."

"I've... been gone a long time then."

"Almost twelve years..."

He hissed and sat up as the nurse left saying that the doctor would probably authorize his release soon.

"It seems... that I have a lot to learn..."

He nodded, "Yeah, don't worry. It won't be to bad."

Vera came back with a stack of information and they spent the hour before he was declared okay to leave bringing him up to speed on Elena and Blaise and everything else that could possibly matter. As they expected, he wanted to go straight to Hogwartts.