"You – you love..." Hermione trailed off, shaking her head disbelievingly and Draco could tell now that her emotions were mostly what seemed to be exasperated indignation. "If you ever, ever, pull anything like that again, I will cut your bloody throat myself. You can't do that to me, Draco. To us. If we're going to have a relationship, we are going to have a Merlin-be-damned proper relationship, with no noble, misguided notions of sacrifice, and no stupid attempts to bury your head in the sand like some sort of ridiculous ostrich. Do you understand? You arrogant, stubborn, thick-headed bastard." Hermione's tone left no doubt that that referred to Draco's attempted severance of their relationship, and her fingers shook in his.