"Walls up, my love. Show me you can." He swallowed heavily and dipped to kiss her again before dropping her hands. He watched her watch him as he felt his mental shields engage, as his emotions, his memories of her, his devotion to her, ebbed away, like sand pulled back by the tide. He watched, beginning to feel the tell-tale numbness of heavy Occlumency take over, as she nodded and stepped further away from him, picking up the tissue Narcissa had given her. Inside was a ring - one Draco recognized as having come from Narcissa's own collection - the ring he'd had his eye on for when he (eventually and for real) proposed to Hermione. Hermione seemed to contemplate the ring for a long moment before looking back into his eyes. He couldn't let her leave without saying it again, couldn't know if it was the last time he'd get the chance. "I love you, Hermione. So much." The words were hardly a whisper, his tone deadened by the Occlumency, but the intent was clear. He felt his mental walls shake as he noted the tears in her eyes but, before he could step forward, before he could say anything else, she whispered "I love you, too" before taking hold of the ring, and disappeared.