He cut himself off, his jaw clenching and his eyes flickering into stone.

Hermione watched him shut off, rolling his shoulders and pressing his lips together. She wanted to run to him. To hold him to her and beg him not to go. But he had to go back. And she'd have to wait, counting the minutes until he came home.

"Go to your room," he repeated. "Please." And with a swish of his robes and the click of the door, he was gone.

Hermione stared at the door for five seconds before slipping from the sheets and looking for her clothes. She pulled on her underthings, grabbed her shoes, and plucked up her dress. She crept through the passage between their rooms, and as soon as she passed through, she tossed her dress into the empty fireplace to burn. When she spun around to face her own bed again, the previous night came crashing down on her.

"Feel good?"

The scars carved into his chest, painting a constellation across his skin.

The way his eyes fluttered closed when she wrapped her hand around him.

"One day, I'll kiss you here until your legs shake."

His face as he pushed inside of her for the first time—

Groaning in her ear—

The shiver of pleasure cresting over her as he rocked into her body.

Hermione stared at the bed she hadn't slept in last night. Because she was in another room, making love to Draco Malfoy.

She brought her fingers to her lips, remembering the way his breath had panted over her face, and wondered if she felt any different. She certainly felt sore — there was a twinge between her thighs and a few muscles in her legs had been deeply stretched — but there was something about the world now. Like a shimmer of magic had been cast over it, or perhaps disappeared.

Peeling off her bra and knickers, she stared down at herself. There was a dried layer of sweat on her skin — hers and Draco's. A streak of dirt on her thigh that she'd missed. Her mind was dizzy with exhaustion, but there was no way she'd be able to sleep with Draco gone.

She drew a bath, needing to ease her muscles and wash away what was left of Edinburgh. Sinking back into the lavender-scented bubbles, she closed her eyes and let her mind wander.

A girl screaming. Walls splattered with blood.

Hermione bolted upright, gasping. The smell of lavender mixed with the scent of blood and smoke until she was heaving and swallowing down bile.

She jerked to her feet and let the water drain from the tub, swirling away with her fantasies. The world hadn't stopped turning just because she'd slept with Draco Malfoy. Her friends' bodies were still cold.

She turned the tap on the right, and cold water pooled around her feet. She sunk into it, shivering and clutching her knees to her chest. By the time she was submerged, the smells and sounds had vanished. There was nothing but a lake nestled between icy mountains, the waters still and calm.