Days had passed since the night in the pub, and it was as if both Draco and Isla avoided another.  Not once did they run into each other, and if their eyes met at dinner or in class — they looked away just as fast.

Wanting nothing to do with the another, they plainly pretended that the other didn't exist. At least she thought they did, but he didn't. Malfoy always seemed to look at her.

''I can't believe her,'' Leo muttered from his side of the room. A bothered look came across the boy, ''I honestly can not believe my sister right now, Isla. This is just—''

''I know...'' Isla huffed out from her bed, lying flat on her back as she stared at the roof, her eyes fixed on the tiny cracks in the stone.

''Ava can be unpredicted, yes — absolutely she can, I don't expect anything less from her but this? Calling you such a thing?'' He continued, silently as he flopped onto his bed, ''That's just unacceptable. I'll be talking to father about this—''

''No,'' Isla chewed at her inner cheek, feeling anxious by it all, ''There's no point. Just let her do what she's doing — she'll get bored eventually and find something better to do with her time—''

Stretching his legs across the covers of his bed, Leo scoffed, ''What is wrong with you?'' Sounding low, ''She's been nothing but mean to you, and still, you don't want me to deal with her? It's my sister, Isla. It's my bloody sister, and I take a lot of her, but I don't like being side benched when she's literally harassing you.''

''You're not side benched, Leo. What are you even talking about?'' Isla finally tore her sight from the roof, looking at her friend, ''I just don't want anything to do with her anymore. That's it.''

''That's it?'' He locked his fingers behind his neck, sinking into his bed fully, ''I don't understand you. I don't understand how you're just letting her get away with everything. You always let her get away with everything—''

Isla began to feel annoyed at the constant asking of her explaining herself, ''I'm not letting her get away with anything. I'm just choosing to be the better person, Leo. I can't keep fighting everyone. If she wants to act like that — then it's her problem to deal with. It won't be as fun for her to fight someone that doesn't fight back. You know this. Your mother said it all the time.''

''Yeah...'' He rolled his eyes, ''I know she did, but it was just a lot of words. I didn't pay attention to what she said. I didn't have to think about it until right now.''

''You don't listen to your mom — Leo!'' Feeling an arch as it curled in the corner of her lips, smirking provokingly at her friend, ''That's mean.''

''No,'' He rose a brow, gritting his jaws as he looked at her, ''What's mean is what Ava and that bloody girl did to you—''

Isla frowned, pushing herself up on her elbows, ''Ava? What do you mean, Ava? What did she—''

''Are you stupid?'' He sighed loudly, ''Who do you think told that girl about the letter, Isla? She was in class with us when we talked about it after you dropped it. I saw her in the corridors after you got it. Of course, this was her.''

An icing storm ripped through her, feeling sick as she fell back onto her mattress, ''You really think she'd do that to me? Why? Why would she go to the extent and involve that girl—''

''I don't know....'' He murmured, ''I know they're friends, perhaps... What is her name anyway? We always talk about her, but I have not idea what her name is—''

''Violet,'' She hushed, ''Violet Adams.''

Isla didn't learn the girl's name until she'd asked Theodore about it when he rushed after her as she left the pub. It took every sweet, comforting word she knew for him not to go back and punch Draco for what he did.

Theo knew that girl was trouble. He stopped spending time with her after she'd done more than a few questionable things, and he'd told Draco about them. Yet, the blond took the first opportunity he got to make a fool out of Isla.

To Theo — that could only mean one thing. He knew what they'd done. Malfoy understood what they did in that bathroom, and he lashed out because of it.

''It just makes so much sense....'' Isla whispered, feeling her body as it tensed. Her mind overworked, ''It just...makes all the sense in the world. I mean, think about it. They really made me think it was Malfoy, and then, when I accused him so many times that he wouldn't believe me when I say it's someone else — she tells me. It's not a coincidence, Leo.''

''I know...'' The boy looked puzzled, ''That's literally what I just told you....''

''Do you really think Ava would do that to me?''

''Yes.''

''Leo—''

''What?''

Isla sat up. Her spine straight and her legs hanging off the bed, ''You're supposed to say no.''

''What?'' He frowned, doing what she did, flipping his knees across the mattress and sitting up on edge, ''Why am I supposed to say no?''

''Because you are, Leo—'' Huffing out in disappointment, she shook her head, ''You know what, forget it. Let's just forget both of them—''

''Absolutely not,'' Leo made his point, standing his ground, ''You defended Violet in that pub when Theo talked about her, and you didn't do a thing when she told you what she'd done. You're too kind, and it's not working out for you, so I think you should—''

Isla felt her body as it weighed heavy upon her mattress, tired and exhausted since the fight she had with both Draco and the girl. She didn't want to battle anymore — she didn't have the strength to do so.

''And what if I don't want to?''

''I don't—'' A knock on the window hewed them both off, coiling back in their positions, ''What the....''

It was an owl, a white one. Pearly feathers and broad eyes as it blinked, looking right at them. The inky envelope a bird kept in its beak caught their confused attention. Shrugging the show off itself, the bird stamped impatiently at the icing weather outside.

''Who is it?'' Isla asked, quietly from her bed, ''It looks like your fathers—''

''I know it does,'' Leo muttered displeasingly. He didn't find any amusement in being contacted by his father's office, ''It's definitely the ministry.''

He opened the window, grabbing the letter as the owl flew away. Flinging the glass shut, he flipped the sheet between his fingers, ''Wonder what he wants this time,'' Sighing, he tore the parchment apart.

She tried to stretch her upper body, frowning at the way his eyes flickered wildly, ''What does it say—''

Leo's face fell. His cheeks looked like they drained of color, and his chest tightened. It turned hard to breathe as she noticed.

Isla pushed herself up, standing on her feet, her arms folded across her stomach, ''Leo, what does it say?''

''No...'' He whispered, shaking his head, ''No, this can't be right.''

''Tell me—''

''What the...'' Leo didn't hear her, too consumed in what the penned words informed, and after what felt like the longest minute, he cocked his head, looking at her from across the room, ''I'm facing charges....''

''What?'' Hurridley, she marched over the floor. Her tone urgent, ''Facing charges for what?''

''Mila...''

Isla snatched the paper from his hands, and her face fell as quickly as his had done. Viewing the words and trying to fix the meaning of it, she gasped, ''No....''

''How?'' He asked, backing away with panic cramming his eyes, ''How is it possible? How do they know?''

Turning the sheet, she saw the written office it had been sent from, ''It's addressed from your father, Leo. Why would he—''

Neither grasping the truth as it was set in stone in front of them, Isla unfolded the last standing piece of the letter and the second she did.

The very instant she understood who had reported Leo. Her blood began to boil, and her temper she sought so hard to battle — missed her, ''No, she didn't....''

''What?'' Leo could tell just how upset Isla was growing, how her skin reddened and her hands shaking, ''What is it—''

He didn't have a chance to conclude his sentence before Isla had turned around and was halfway out their door.

''Isla, what the hell?''

Storming through the corridor, she skipped several steps down the stairs. Never had she been as upset.

Her sight crossed every student in the common room until she balanced it onto the girl she was looking for. Her fingers balled, her voice raised.

''You—'' Isla shouted, so severely that all necks clocked to watch what was happening, ''You don't think you've taken enough from him? You really needed to take her too?''

''Clarke, what are you on—'' Blaise pushed himself off the couch, standing tall in front of the girl Isla was aiming for.

But she didn't falter, her hand forced into Blaise's chest, and with a grunt, he tripped back onto the furniture.

''He's your damn brother. How can you be so bloody heartless?'' Isla gritted, her stare pierced through Ava, ''He didn't do a thing to you, and still, you find a way to take everything away from him, again! Like your mother wasn't enough? Now you really had—''

Ava tipped her head back, smirking devilishly, ''I have no idea what you're talking about, Isla. What letter?''

Isla froze. She never once said a thing about any letter, and suddenly it all came clear to her.

The girl who stole her letter from Theodore had been becoming friends with Ava. It was all them. What she and Leo had discussed only minutes prior, hit her. 

''It really was you....'' Isla shook her head at the confusion clouding inside, ''You told Violet about my letter, but how do you know?'' Another piece fitted the puzzle, she received the letter in the courtyard, and she dropped it while fighting with Draco outside the hallway windows.

Leo was right.

Ava must have seen it. She must have watched how Draco picked her letter up, and ever since then, plotted how she could turn it against all of them. Ava simply waited for the opportunity to get a hold of it, and she included Violet to do her dirty work.

''Finally got it?'' Ava grinned. She studied how her former friend came to realization after realization, placing one knee upon the other as Isla backed away, ''Yeah, I had something to do with your pathetic little letter, but that's what you get from embarrassing me in front of Theodore that night.''

Isla swallowed the taste of dry bones in her throat, ''Why would you do that? We talked after that. We made up?''

''Did we really? Was it because we're so close friends you avoided me all those weeks?'' Ava scoffed, shooting Blaise a smirk, ''You did this to yourself. It's just too bad that Theodore didn't hold it against you, but Draco did, I heard? He kicked you out of the pub because he thought you were lying? It seems like something good came out of it after all—''

''What the hell did you just say?''

''Everyone, get the fuck out right now.'' All eyes snapped to the blond as he stood furious, nearly fuming behind the sofas before they fled the scene, ''Say that again, Green. What the hell did you just—''

Ava nervously propped herself up on the couch, her cocky demeanor vanished, ''Malfoy, it's not what—''

''Fuck off,'' Draco growled, inching closer as he angled his head, looking directly at Isla with so much remorse in his eyes. Rapidly glaring back at the girl on the sofa, he spat, ''This was all fucking you. You told me that Clarke would be at that bloody pub. That I could find her there when I came back looking for her, and you made that sad excuse of a Hufflepuff come with us, and for what? What the hell does that get you?''

''Malfoy—''

''Don't speak my name,'' He fired rudely. Straightening his shoulders and shoving his hands into his pockets, ''You're done. You know that, right? I don't care who your father is but you sure as hell know who mine was, and that name carries a whole lot more power over the ministry than you do. Count your days in this bloody school, Green, because I will have you thrown out.''

''You can't—'' Ava frowned, her whole face in a dubious grimace, ''You can't have me expelled. You have done much worse—''

''Tell me one fucking thing I've done,'' Draco gritted, his temper on the far edge of coming untamed, ''One thing, Green, that I've done worse than you. Let's hear it, come on.''

Ava pushed her lips together, staying quiet.

''That's what I fucking thought. You and that pathetic friend of yours will be out by morning. Have fun explaining that to your father,'' Malfoy dragged his darkened stare over to Blaise, ''And you? You knew about this too?''

''Malfoy—''

''You trapped fucking fool,'' Draco rolled his neck, never been both this shocked and confused at the same time, ''You really fucked both Nott and me over for her? A manipulating liar? Well done, Zabini.''

''No—'' Isla's voice was heard low, she had hushed for minutes to hear Draco speak, but this wasn't what she was upset about. Isla was angry for a whole different reason.

Raising a brow, Draco looked puzzlingly at her, ''What are you—''

''I don't care about the letter, Malfoy. I don't—'' She lifted her chin, finally meeting his gaze, ''It's not important to me.''

''It's important to me.'' He stated, giving her a twitch of his mouth, ''I kicked you out of that pub because I thought you lied. I treated you like shit, all because she had the audacity—''

''That's between us, but this—'' Isla held the letter Leo had gotten up on display for all of them, ''This isn't. Turning your own brother in for interfering with another's choice, Ava?''

''I didn't—'' The girl began to sound beaten, ''I didn't do—''

''He's standing trial, Ava!'' She lost it again. When it came to Leo and Mila, the two people that actually stood by her through everything, she'd always lose it, ''You're sending your own brother to Azkaban!''

''Father wasn't supposed to say that it was me—''

''Clarke,'' Draco tried to frame her attention, but she was spiraling, ''Not here, Clarke.''

Taking rushed steps forward, Isla pulled her wand out, pointing it at her old friend, ''You took everything from him. You always do this, with your mother, with Mila. Are you really that insecure that you have to take everything away from him? It's not—''

Her chest was heaving, and she didn't heed how Draco was closing in on her, ''You always do this! Leave him alone, just leave him alone! Is that so hard—'' She fired a harmless spell that slammed right into the wall above Ava's head. Isla couldn't control herself anymore. It turned dizzy for her, just like it did in the astronomy tower, and the girl blinked so quickly, ''How could you—''

Another spell was thrown, this time closer to Ava as she threw herself onto Blaise's lap to flee it. Arching back up, Ava tugged at the strands of hair that smeared to her face, ''Are you mental? Are you actually insane—''

''That's enough, Clarke. I'll deal with her later, but this isn't—'' Malfoy spoke, settling his hand on her shoulder, but she yanked back, ''Clarke, for fucks—''

''No,'' Isla breathed, shaking her head and tears filled her lids, ''She did this. Leo is going away because of her. She's taking Leo from me. She took you. She almost took Theo—''

''I'm right here,'' Draco tried to ease the waves of panic she felt drowning her, ''You haven't lost me, Clarke. I'm standing right here.''

''No! You left me. You didn't come back and you—'' Isla was throwing a spell, but the blond snatched her wand, saving her from yet another mistake, ''Stop!'' She tried to get it back, but he merely shook his head at her.

''That's enough, Clarke.'' Yet again, trying to take her away from the situation she'd put herself in, ''You need to stop. I'll deal with it, but you can't be doing this.''

''No! She did this, it's all her—'' Isla was so conflicted, shoving the letter into her pocket and not truly grasping what she was doing, ''I don't—''

"I don't fucking care, Clarke. None of this is worth it if you're not here. There's no point in me being in this school, if you're not, so damn it, Clarke. Just stop—"

That left her breathless for so a second.

Malfoy sighed out, frustrated with it all. He knew the chaotic girl in front of him like the back of his own hand. He saw her doings before she made them, at least when it came to her temper. She had a habit of losing it with him, and he learned how to master it.

Isla still stood there, confused and stuttering her words. She didn't know what to do.

He, without warning — sheeted her spine with his arm, and he hunched slightly to coat the back of her thighs with the other before he lifted her.

''Let me down—'' She tried to fight him, not done with the conversation, ''Let me down, let me down, let me—''

She was kicking and wrenching for her life as he carried her out from the common room, away from all chaos around her. He didn't bother to listen to her yelling words on his way out in the dungeons.

Hesitating whether he'd be able to let her down without another struck of her stubborn mind, ''Clarke.'' Draco said, gentler, ''Listen to me, Clarke.''

''I don't—'' She stilled, her body slumped into his arms, and all the anger she'd kept poured off her, ''I just—''

The dimmed hallway echoed emptily, but he peered around, making sure that no one was there to invade her privacy, ''Clarke....''

Lacking his hold of her, he placed the girl on her two feet, still coating her shoulders with his hands so that she'd stay stable.

''I'm just so mad,'' Isla trembled, clenching her fists and looking down at the ground, her hair leaked in a mess around her, ''I'm so mad, Malfoy. I'm so so mad.''

''I know,'' Draco nodded, letting go and tilting his head to get a clearer view of her, ''I know you're mad, and you're allowed to be mad. If what you're saying is true — if Green actually reported her own brother, that's....''

''If they take him from me — I don't know what I'll do. What Mila will do, we can't—'' Heaving, her chest felt close to caving, ''I can't do this. I can't. She did this,''

Isla looked up at him, bending her head back, and her eyes matched his. Draco felt sick within. He loathed seeing her like this. Never would he admit to it, but seeing Isla cry, was one of the hardest things he knew because he didn't know how to stop it.

''She did this, all of it. Theodore's letter, Violet, you leaving me in that pub and now Leo. Her own twin and I can't—'' Shaking her head, ''I don't—'' Isla choked out, her anger spiraling into tears and the fuming skin cooled, ''I don't want to do this anymore. I don't—''

''Shhh...'' Draco mumbled, his hand desperately closed around her upper arm. He wasn't sure she'd be willing to let him touch her after he acted the way he did at the pub, ''Clarke, don't cry. Just don't cry— it's not worth it.''

''If they take him away—'' In the loss of every piece of sanity she owned, pearls leaked from the brim of her lids, ''I can't do this without Leo. He can't leave. He can't—''

''Fuck,'' He breathed so silently that she didn't hear. He absolutely hated this. Feeling more helpless than ever — he tried his best.

''I know,'' Dragging her inches closer, his eyes caught hers, and if he didn't know better, the crying girl in front of him caused his heart to ache, ''He's not going anywhere, Clarke. I promise. We'll figure something out, alright? But he's not leaving you.''

''He doesn't deserve this. You don't know what they'll do to him. He's the minister's son. They'll hurt—''

Moving the tips of his fingers up her arm, crossing her shoulders, his hand gripped her neck, and he pulled her in, ''I won't let that happen, Clarke. I won't let any of that happen. You can count on me.''

Her own chest ached, her trembling breaths leveled in a sob, and she cried. Isla buried her face into his shirt, and she let it all out.

''Damn it, Clarke....'' He tried to comfort her, holding her body tightly pressed to his. He had never done this before. Pansy never needed his support in this way, and no one ever soothed him when he was the one in need.

Malfoy always cried alone.

''It's alright, I'm here.''

''I'm sorry—'' Isla didn't know what to do anymore. She didn't know what to think or how to act, so all she did was cry. Soaking his shirt with her tears and draining him of all the solace he could give her because she didn't know where else to go.

She didn't want to upset Leo even more. She didn't have the strength to run around looking for Theodore. Isla stayed there, in Draco's arms for long, silent moments. He held her so closely, not once did he ease his grip. Placing his chin on the pad of her head, he closed his eyes, breathing her and all the chaos she brought in.

It seemed to calm them both more than anything had done before. Even if the pair was madness and disarray beyond reason — always did she find shelter in his arms. They, in many ways, willingly or not, were each other's lighthouse in the mightiest storms.

Feeling as she calmed, one breath a the time, Draco felt as if he needed to do something. He couldn't simply hold her and then let her go back in there.

She needed something, and he wished to do good for her. For once, give her a moment of peace.

''Come with me,'' He murmured, quietly against her forehead, ''I want us to do something.''

Isla arched back, her spine curling with her hands still grasping at his shirt. She frowned, confusingly, ''What are you—'' Sensing his hands, slowly dragging across her neck, he placed his palms on her jaws, tipping her head back, ''Malfoy, it's late—''

''Never stopped you before, has it?'' He let a smirk climb him, brushing his thumbs over her cheekbone, ''You're mental, Clarke, but don't you worry. I'm not getting you in trouble.''

''Malfoy—'' But before the girl had an opportunity to question him, he'd marched past her down the corridor. Grumbling underneath her breath, she huffed out.

Isla wasn't supposed to see Theodore until the morning. She had promised him that they'd eat breakfast together, and she didn't want to bother him more than she already felt like she was doing.

She adored Theodore. She melted the very second he was near, but he was ever so clear with the fact that they weren't tied to each other. He continuously reminded her that she owed it to herself to get to know them both, even encouraging her to. He was so understanding, so respectful.

Perhaps she was meant to follow Malfoy. To see and to find out what he'd been up to since they last had a proper conversation. Isla had missed him. She'd missed the feeling he brought, the constant challenge of her emotions.

She'd tell Theodore about it in the morning. If anything — Isla was always truthful with the brown-haired boy and not wasting another thought. She walked after Draco.

''Wait, Malfoy!'' She called out for him as he hurried through the castle, rushed not to get caught by a teacher past curfew, ''Why do you walk so fast—''

Scoffing, he shot her a swift glance across his shoulder, grinning at her as she reached him, ''Why do you walk so slow?''

''I don't,'' Isla grimaced, her breath stuck in her throat from almost running after him, ''You're just taller than me, so you walk faster.''

''I'm taller than you?'' Draco cocked his head, smirking to himself, ''That's your come back?''

''Yes—''

''Well, you never complained about my height before, Clarke.'' He looked ahead of them again, aiming for the far end of school.

''I don't have a problem with it. I just said that you're walking faster than me because you're a lot taller,'' She rolled her eyes, stalking next to him, ''You don't have to make it seem like I'm complaining all the time, Malfoy.''

''You are complaining—''

''I'm not, all I said was—''

''Yes, you are, and you said that—''

''Only because I'm mad at you!''

Isla was so riled up in their argument that she didn't notice the fact of them being outside now. The wind scored cooly and her teeth nearly shattered as he continued down the hill.

''And why the fuck are you mad at me now?'' Draco halted down by the black lake, ''What did I do besides getting you out of trouble?''

''Now?'' She wrapped her arms around herself, shuddering as her shoes sunk into the snow, ''Who says I stopped being mad at you? You kicked me out of that bloody pub, and then you ignored me for a week—''

Looking around in the complete darkness, he shot her a glare, ''Well, you threw your drink at that girl.'' He spat, grasping at the flares of his suit jacket, and he tugged it off, ''That was fucking childish, Clarke—''

''I didn't!'' Isla frowned, annoyed and cold, ''I didn't throw that drink. She poured it over herself after she told me how she did everything she could to mess my life up.''

Combing his ring-clad fingers through his hair, he harshly sucked a breath in before he drew his shirt over his head. Leaving him in nothing but his pants, ''How the hell am I supposed to know that?''

Still too consumed in their bickering, Isla failed to notice how the boy was getting undressed, fiddling with the belt of his pants. He unbuckled it, threading it off and throwing it to the ground.

''Because I tried to tell you, Malfoy,'' Her arms hugging herself tighter, ''I told you what she did, but you refused to listen. Instead, you held her and threw me out.''

Draco shoved his pants down, stepping out of them, and was now standing bare in his underwear only. His toned muscles flexed by the stressed breathing he possessed. His skin stung by the cold weather.

''I don't—'' He frustratingly snapped his neck to the side, ''Get undressed, Clarke.''

Clocking back to reality, she shook her head, realizing he stood almost bare in front of her, ''Malfoy, what the—''

''Take that skirt and your sweater off,'' He muttered, walking over the ice as it coated the lake. Once he'd reached far enough, his wand clenched in his first, and he angled it towards the frozen water, murmuring a spell beneath his breath.

''I'm not going to take my clothes off, Malfoy. It's the middle of January, are you out of your mind—'' Isla had never been as startled as she was now, ''No, what are you—''

''You can keep your underwear on, even if there's nothing I haven't seen before—'' He let out, amusement filled his voice and haze misted around the hole he'd created in the lake, ''But hurry, it's fucking freezing.''

''I'm not—''

''Suit it yourself then,'' Draco hunched at the edge of the hole, dipping his feet into the water he'd heated with his spell.

Rolling her eyes, she sighed, and she saw how he slipped into the cavity he'd made. She shouldn't. She knew that, yet Isla was weak for these things.

She loved adventure, even if it was bathing in a frozen lake at midnight with him — she couldn't stand against it.

Getting undressed, Isla dragged her skirt down, flinging it to the ground as she trawled her sweater over her head, and she stood as undraped as he'd done.

''Malfoy...'' Isla hesitantly whispered, taking careful strides across the ice as she made her way to him. Seeing the steam from his magic, ''I'm—''

''Scared?'' He mocked from the water, pearls of it tickled his neck, and his hair was damp, ''Can't you swim, Clarke?''

''You're actually insane,'' She heaved, stepping across the ice as it felt like her body was on fire. Exposed and bare, in nothing but her underwear and bra, she sat down at the edge. Lowering her legs into the water, ''A complete maniac.''

''What is it they say, Clarke?'' A smirk coated his lips, biting down the lower one as he swam towards her, ''You learn from who you spend time with.''

''Then it's a good thing you didn't spend as much as a second with me these last weeks then,'' Her frown caused him to chuckle, ''Malfoy, I don't like this. It's scary—''

''Shhh, Clarke. Don't be scared. I got you,'' Reaching his hands out. He swam in between her legs as his palms caressed her waist, ''You can count on me.''

Gritting his jaw, he groaned silently to himself.

He hadn't touched her skin in what felt like a lifetime. Not since the library, not since the lie that caused him to lose a bit of her. Draco was terrified he wouldn't get it back — that side of her he'd earned vanished when he failed to come back after Christmas.

He hated himself for that. He regretted being foul towards her in that pub and for choosing someone else above her. Never would he make that mistake again.

With a squeal as it fled her throat, Draco dragged her down into the water, gently and steadily, not letting her go for so a second.

Gasping out by the heat of the liquid, she began to ease. Her fingers clasped to his shoulders, and her legs wrapped around his waist.

''See,'' He smiled tauntingly. Her skin shivered, ''Not dangerous at all.''

''Why are we doing this again?'' Still peering around with a dash of panic as it looped in her pupils and her pulse quick, ''There are creatures here, Malfoy, and they can easily—''

Unnoticeably, he traced his arm behind himself, and he pinched at her feet as she spoke in fear — Isla screamed out, jerking her body back and almost pushing him down below the surface to keep herself above.

''Draco, no, no, no—'' She nearly cried, panicking, and her voice broke at the high pitch, ''I don't want to do this, please. I want to go up again, Draco. I don't want to be here—''

But the boy only burst out in laughter, pathing his hand across the span of her thigh before he gripped her skin, inching her up over him, ''You're acting like a fool, Clarke. It's just some water.''

''Some water?'' Her note leveled, ''It's in the middle of the night, in a lake filled with...things, and—''

''And...?'' He rose a brow, questionably, ''And what?''

''And I'm with you. You're usually more scared of these things than I am,'' Her arms clung over his shoulders, holding him so tight not to feel exposed, ''So, sorry—''

''You're not the first person I'm doing this with—''

Isla looked away, quickly and it ached a bit within. She had been with Theodore for weeks, she'd been intimate with him, and even if they didn't take a step past that, it hurt, hearing how Draco had been with someone else too. She didn't own a reason to feel upset, yet she did.

''Clarke—''

Swallowing the bitter taste, she let her grip on him loosen, and she pushed herself back. She had no right to feel this way. She knew that. ''No, it's fine, Malfoy. We should—''

Turning around, she let her palms fuse with the ice, and just as she meant to push herself up, ending the tiny moment they'd shared in the water — Draco slithered his arms around her waist, and he pulled her right back.

''You never let me talk,'' He slammed her into him, clutching her thighs as he placed them over his waist again, ''And you always run away from me.''

''Malfoy—''

''It came out wrong, Clarke. I haven't taken anyone down here.'' He reassured her, sounding honest, ''I haven't...been with anyone since we were together—''

''I don't—'' She caved into his hold, allowing him to have her in the way he was. A weight felt like it was lifted from her chest, ''I don't want you to explain yourself. I was with Theo and I—''

''I left you,'' He said, blankly, out of the blue, and she hushed. Her lashes and the drops of water coating them battled the heavy feeling in her eyes, ''I left you after I told you what happened, and that wasn't fair. I just—''

Sighing out, he kept his stare in hers, keeping them both fixed in the water, ''I couldn't go back. I knew you'd be safe with Nott, and I couldn't—Christmas is hard for me, Clarke. It's rough, and I wasn't in a good place.''

It ached within again, knowing that he'd been through all of that alone, ''You could've told me, Draco. You could've told me, and I would've helped—''

''But you were with him—''

''It doesn't matter,'' Isla whispered, her forehead falling to his. The mist around them thickened, ''It doesn't matter to me, Draco. If you need me, you tell me, and I'll be there. Theodore doesn't mind. He wants me to do this the right way, and that includes us two being friends too. If you need me, you have to tell me.''

''Damn it,'' Closing his eyes, he huffed. He wasn't prepared for her to understand him — no one ever understood. He was always lonely, but he never seemed to be alone with her. Isla ever so managed to make him feel shielded, even if he'd never admit to it, ''I'm sorry—''

Smiling, playfully, Isla arched back, ''Oh, he's sorry now? That's something I thought I'd never heard from you—''

''I'm serious.'' He was, she could tell, and she dropped her mocking act rapidly, ''I'm sorry, Clarke. I'm fucking sorry for shutting you out again, and I'm sorry for what I did in that pub.''

''Draco—''

''No,'' He shook his head, brushing his nose along the spine of hers as his hands stroked over the length of her spine, ''Let me say this. Let me just—''

''Okay...'' Isla whispered, nodding with his jaws in her palms, ''Tell me.''

''I'm so fucking lost, Clarke. I'm so fucking lost in everything. I can't think anymore, it's like I can't breathe sometimes and I'm—'' Seizing a deep breath, he looked away again, ''Everything is so messed up. Ever since they died, nothing has been the same, and then Pansy left, and then you came—''

The water sparkled in the moonlight, and never had Draco Malfoy been as truthful as he was now, ''And I got messed up because of it. I got so off track that I don't know how to get back on it. I don't have anyone, and I'm just so—''

Tightening the grip of her to make sure she'd still be close, he trembled, ''I don't even know. I don't know, and it's fucking terrifying, so I act out. I'm a bloody fool. I know I am. I have been nothing but cruel to you, manipulating you, hurt you. I lie to you because I can't have you. I want you more than I wanted anyone before, but I can't have you.''

Brushing her fingers over his neck, she whispered, ''Draco—''

''I don't fucking deserve you, and I hate myself for it. Even if everything between us is messed up, it's like I can't breathe without you. You got me bloody hooked, Clarke. I'm addicted to you and your kindness. Even if all I do is lie and hurt you — you're still here. You're always here, and I don't deserve that.''

He blinked so quickly. His chest strained at the confessions he was spitting, ''I left because I panicked. When you held me on Christmas and when you said that you wouldn't leave me — I panicked. I always panic when it comes to you, and I couldn't be around you anymore. It fucking hurt too much because you're not mine, and I don't want you to be. You deserve him. He's kind, he's funny — he knows how to treat you when I don't. You're better off without me, and we both know it, so I left. I stayed away, but I couldn't breathe. I couldn't sleep, and I fucking despise myself for being so damn dependent on you, so I fuck it up, over and over, because I hope you won't take me back but here you are, every fucking time.''

Isla didn't know what to say. She didn't know how to comfort him as he rambled.

''You said you'd never leave me and that you're here, and it freaked me out because I can't promise you that. I can promise you a lot, Clarke, but I can't—''

''I know,'' Isla pressed her body to his, ''You don't have to, Draco. We don't have to do this. We don't have to be anything if it scares you, because it scares me too....''

Snapping his stare to hers, he squinted in confusion, ''What—''

''This,'' She smiled faintly, ''You and me, it's terrifying, Draco. It's frightening because we both know we could make this work, but it means too much. It would mean everything to both of us, and it will kill us if we lose it. So we keep hurting each other, a bit more every time to see how far we can go until one of us doesn't come back.''

Her words shook him, and the water began to chill. The strands of her hair soaked in it, her collarbones, shoulders, the skin of her chest her bra didn't cover, was on full display for him, and she was beautiful, Draco believed.

He'd looked at her so many times before, closely and from afar but never like this. He'd admired her but never had he been so blessed to watch her as he was now. It was truly an honor to his damned mind. Not once could he take his view off her.

''It's scary indeed....'' Malfoy breathed quietly with mist as it fanned her lips, ''But you make it less scary.''

''So do you,'' Isla smiled as his lips pushed into her forehead, and her heart had never been warmer because of the boy holding her.

There they were, him holding her and her keeping him together. Somewhere, she hoped —somewhere things perhaps, and after all would work out for them.

_____