''How did it go?'' Isla stood in a towel, tightly hugged around her. Drops of water escaped her damp hair as she leaned against the doorpost of her bathroom, looking confusingly at the brunet who just stormed into her room, ''What did you—''

She was already doubtful. She'd heard yelling and shouting outside her door only minutes prior.

Hesitating, Theodore cursed silently to himself. He'd been debating the fact if he was meant to tell her about Draco or not. He was already so worried about her. He didn't want this to be the reason she hurt even graver.

She was always honest with him. He needed to be honest with her.

''Malfoy, he—'' Theodore leaned against the door, his spine heavy upon it.

Isla scowled, ''Malfoy?'' She questioned, confused, ''What about— no. No, what did he do?''

''Isla—''

Her face fell. Her heart absolutely sunk to the pit of her stomach, through it, and it crashed against the floor. Isla couldn't believe this.

''No,'' She trembled, in denial, ''Where is Draco?''

''Isla—''

She knew what this meant. Draco wasn't going to be there anymore. That was the sole reason for Theo to be this uncertain. He would've told her if it wasn't something that would upset her.

Theo couldn't reach her. She'd already marched back into the bathroom, sighing and huffing heard before she came back, dressed in her discreet pajama pants and her robe. Her hair was held in a messy bun, ''Where is he?''

''Isla.''

''No—''

Theo tried to stop her. He tried to cease her actions of putting herself in harm's way and risk getting caught as Draco had done. It wasn't a point in both of them being expelled, he knew that, but Isla didn't.

She simply allowed her worry and feelings for the blond to cloud her judgment as she stormed towards the door. He slipped in between her and her chance of getting out. She glared at him, ''Let me go.'' She said forcefully.

''I can't do that,'' He countered, staring down at her, ''You know I can't. He wouldn't want you to get in trouble.''

Crossing her arms, she huffed out a dry chuckle, tired of them ruling over her every chance they got, ''Well, I don't care. He's not taking the blame for something I did, Theo. This was my idea and I—''

''You'll get yourself expelled.''

''I don't care.''

''You should.''

''Well, I don't—''

''I do,'' He spoke up, louder now, ''I do care. Malfoy cares. Why do you think he took the bloody blame?''

Isla looked away. The feeling of Draco not being there grew sickly within her, ''I don't care what he thinks. He's not getting expelled for me—''

''It was his choice,'' Theo didn't tell her how he'd been downstairs at the headmaster's office minutes before, nearly begging on his knees to let himself take the fall instead of Malfoy, but the blond didn't let him. He stood his ground, and it caused Theodore to loath himself.

Draco simply wished to help her, and the brunet felt as if it was his fault.

''Did you even try to talk to them?'' She blurted out of the blue, ''Did you even try to help him?''

She, herself, felt so guilty. She didn't know what to do. All she could sense was her chest as it strained, her throat tightened.

''What the hell is that supposed to mean?'' Sounding offended now, Theodore frowned annoyingly, ''Do you seriously think I'd let him take the blame without doing anything about it? Is that what you think of me?''

''Don't make this into something it isn't,'' She backed away, nervously tugging at the bun she placed her hair in, ''I don't think anything but good of you. But he's down there, taking the blame for something I wanted to do. He doesn't deserve that, Theo.''

''Don't you think I fucking know that?'' Theodore yanked at his tie, shaking his head at her. If there were anything he could do, he would, ''I am the one to blame. I asked him to help—''

''Then let me help him!'' She was so divided, still hurt and shaken from what Ava and her friends had done to her only an hour before, ''Let me go down there and let me help him!''

''I'm not letting you out of this room,'' Theo gritted, his jaws sharp and his shoulders tensed, ''I stand by and watch you do a lot of foolish things, Isla. But this I'm not allowing. You're not taking the blame. End of the fucking discussion.''

Isla stayed quiet, shooting him a hurtful glance before flopping down onto her bed. Her hands were in her lap as she thought about it.

Perhaps it was foolish of her to want to take the blame. Maybe she shouldn't. Maybe she should let Draco be expelled as he wished to be, and perhaps she should let him save her.

She didn't realize that this was Malfoy's way of apologizing to her. Pleading guilty for something she caused, but she couldn't.

She couldn't possibly stand by and watch him get punished for what she'd done. This was her fight. Her former best friend messing with her life. Draco wasn't a part of it.

Peering up at Theo from beneath her lashes, she quickly blinked, ''Well, if I'm locked up here for the rest of the night, can you at least stay with me?'' She defused the tension, ''And take a shower? You smell like fire.''

Theodore softened at that. Still feeling at fault as he dubiously inched closer, bending down, he caught her jaws in his palms, ''Will you join me if I do?'' In need to distance himself from everything. He wanted her.

He wanted her to take his pain away.

Rolling her eyes, she huffed, ''I just got out of the shower,'' Her fingers trailed up his chest, gripping at the edges of his shirt, and she pulled him onto her, ''But I'll be right here when you come out....''

Growling, silently within the flesh of his mouth, he pressed his lips to hers. Theo kissed her roughly, ''Mhm, will you?'' Mumbling into her, she spaced her thighs, granting him to sink in between her legs, ''Fuck— Isla,''

''I will,'' The girl almost moaned out at the sensation of Theodore pressing against her, feeling his erection hard upon her, ''I will wait for you.''

Her hands roamed wildly across his flexing back, sneaking underneath his shirt to feel his skin upon hers. Both of them began to breathe heavier, their bodies tangled.

''Fucking hell,'' Cursing, he pushed his hands into the mattress, and he stood up, marching towards the bathroom, ''I'll be quick—''

But the very instant he disappeared, Isla flew to her feet, and she slipped out the door.

______

She felt bad. So, so bad for playing Theodore as she'd done, but she couldn't leave Draco. She couldn't hang him out to dry when all she wished for was to see how he was doing.

Isla did what she believed was right. She would take that responsibility, and the fight she knew Theo would ignite upon them later. But now — now, all she thought about was Draco.

Hurrying her way down the dungeons, she found her path across the school, away from her common room. Her steps echoed, her breaths slightly heaving into the darkness as she tripped forward, step by step.

The smell of fireworks still mirrored throughout the castle, but she couldn't think about that. All she placed her focus on was him. The boy she never seemed to understand — the boy who claimed to hate her only to keep her hooked instead.

It was strange. She thought as she made her way through the castle. Heading towards the entrance at the end of the school. It was unfamiliar to her how he'd grown on her, how she went from despising him to not being able to stand the idea of him not being here.

Isla didn't want to do this without Draco. She felt as if she couldn't function without both of them there. Perhaps she was selfish, but she couldn't. Never could she pick between them. They meant different things to her. They owned different pieces of her heart.

Her sun and her moon and all the stars of chaos around them.

Her pulse was stressed. Sky-rocketing, almost. She couldn't form a proper thought as she ran. She was running now.

The bun in her hair loosened, her robe fluttered around her. The pale, drained skin of her cheeks flushed the very instant she saw him. Her heart dropped again.

''No,'' Isla gasped through the gloom, her chest falling and rising with force. She nearly tripped over her own feet as she tried to get to him, ''Draco—''

The blond was standing there, in the entrance with his bags piled up around him. His suit firmly hugged his body. He didn't see her at first. He bent down, shoving a bag out of the way when she reached him.

''What the—'' He heaved, feeling the arms of the girl he didn't wish to see, wrapping around his chest. Isla hugged him, just like she'd done the night he told her about his parents, ''Clarke....''

Draco didn't want to see her. He didn't want to see her because it would be so much harder to leave when he placed his sight upon her. She truly was addicting to him, in ways he'd never felt before. He couldn't leave if she were there.

''Let me—'' Isla breathed, not clear of what she was doing. That she was hugging him, she just did the first thing that came to her mind as she watched him stand there with his spine facing her. It was hugging him. She adored holding Draco in that way, and he adored it just as much. He held her from behind every chance he got. It had always been like that for him.

Believing it was his commitment issue, he never hugged her properly. His chest pressed to hers caused him to panic. He tried. He tried to do better, but now it felt too late.

''Just let me talk to the headmaster, please—'' She spoke into his suit-jacket, her hands flat and splayed out on his chest, ''Let me take the blame for this. I can go home, and I—''

''Are you out of your bloody mind?'' Draco harshly whispered, tilting his head down to watch her fingers tangle into his shirt. If it wasn't in this very moment this was happening, he'd enjoy it, but he couldn't now, ''I'm not letting you—''

''Please,'' She whispered again, ''Let me take the blame. You and Theo will be here, and I'll be back—''

''It's already done for, Clarke,'' Draco allowed his own hands to snake their way over her shaking ones, and he slipped his fingers to intertwine with hers, ''This is why I told Nott to keep you in that fucking room. I can't have you out here.''

''Draco—''

''Don't.'' He spun around, gripping her waist and pressing her against him, ''Don't do this to me.''

She didn't. She listened.

''How long?'' Isla asked, locking her stare at his shirt. She didn't want to look at him. Scared that she'd shred to pieces right there and then if she did, ''When are you coming back?''

''I'm not.''

Something cracked within her. Something else ached.

''No,'' She shook her head, pushing her palms into his chest, ''No. I'm going to the headmaster right now.''

''Clarke,'' Draco tried to warn her, but she withdrew. Creating space between them, ''Don't you fucking dare. There's no bloody reason for me to stay here, but you have one. You have him and you—''

Her heart didn't drop. It broke. He didn't have a reason to stay. She wasn't a reason to stay. He noticed.

''I didn't—'' Rolling his shoulders, he looked away, ''Clarke, you know I didn't mean it like that.''

''I can't lose you,'' She said, directly, ''I can't lose you, just like you couldn't lose me — right? Well, that goes both ways, Draco.''

''Clarke...''

''No,'' She kept on stepping back, ''You can't keep doing this. You can't keep giving me pieces of you, allowing me parts of you when you know you'll take them away. You can't keep letting me feel how a life with you would be — when you're leaving me again.''

Sucking in his inner cheek, he chuckled out, darkly, ''Well, that's a hell of a thing for you to say when you didn't ask me to wait for you. You didn't ask me to wait, Clarke. You don't want me, so I don't know what the hell you want from me—''

''Shut up,'' She looked at him. She pinned him down with a doubt-filled gaze, ''Just shut up, for once, Draco. Just shut the hell up.''

It left him gawking.

''You always do this. You always accuse me of using you, or you use Theo as an excuse — or you compare me to sex to not have to talk about your feelings,'' Her tone was hard, ''I was going to ask you to stay. I was running after you to ask you to wait for me, Draco.''

He stared at her now. A fusion of skepticism and puzzlement mantled him, ''No,'' He shook his own head now, hurting out of the space she'd caused between them, ''Don't tell me that.''

''But that doesn't matter anymore, does it?'' Isla questioned. It pained her, over and over. He was leaving her, ''Because you're leaving me.''

''I'm not leaving you—''

''Then why can't I run down there? Why won't you let me talk to the headmaster?'' Pointing a finger across her shoulder, she built shield following shield around her. This was what she meant when she yelled at him in the hallway months ago before their first time sleeping together. She knew he'd hurt her one day.

Isla knew he'd break her heart if she let him, and she did. She let him crush it, again and again. She cursed herself for feeling for him. She hated herself for letting him in because this happened. She knew it would.

Still, even if she stood there, in front of him. Begging him in silence not to walk away from her. Pleading for him to stay, she wouldn't have it any other way.

Malfoy grew angry. His blood boiled.

''Because I was always meant to leave this bloody school!'' Draco shouted. His loud voice echoed around them, bouncing across every wall in the castle. It left her silent, ''I was supposed to be here for one damn month, Clarke. I came back for Pansy. She wanted to go back to school after the fucking war, so I did. I came back here for her, but I was meant to leave. My father left me with responsibilities. He left me with a legacy I need to care for, and I was always meant to go back to that.''

Isla didn't back away anymore. Her head was empty.

''Then she left me, and I wanted to leave more than anything. I was meant to leave, even when I was still with her, I was meant to fucking leave—'' Malfoy took steps forward, closing in on her as she stood so solidly frozen in front of him, ''I was meant to leave, but I stayed. I stayed because—''

This was so hard for him. So, so hard. This was worse than any confession ever could be. This left him vulnerable, unprotected with his feelings, but if someone was worth it. If there was a person who was worthy of his bare and exposed self — it was her.

''Don't,'' Isla whispered, her voice was so low, ''You always tell me not to do this to you, so don't do it to me, Draco. Don't tell me when you know we can't have it.''

Malfoy was close now, so close that she felt his shaking breaths on her lips. The heat of his body warmed hers.

''Draco, please, don't—''

''I came here for her, Clarke. I came here for her, and I was meant to leave without her. I was never going to stay for her,'' His hands moved between them, landing safely on her hips as he pulled her into him. Her forehead leaned against his chest. His voice was low in her ear, ''But I stayed for you.''

It took the air out of her. Robbing her of the wind in her lungs. Isla had always been insecure when it came to him and Pansy. Just like he must have been with her and Theo. She never saw a true chance with Draco because she feared he wouldn't mind for her as he cared for Pansy.

Isla thought she couldn't compare. She thought she would ever so be the second choice. She believed she was his way of working through the pain of Pansy leaving him.

When she, in reality, came to mean more to Malfoy than Pansy ever did.

''You say I always leave you,'' His breathing sent shivers down her spine. His hands gripping her waist tighter, ''If you only would've known how much I stayed, Clarke.''

She couldn't help the urging tears as his hands reached her jaws. He held her steady.

''Draco,'' Isla kept her sight locked on his shirt. She couldn't look at him. She'd break, ''Don't go. Don't go, please—''

Smiling, shyly to herself when he knew she wasn't looking, he pushed his lips into the pad of her head. He could afford some feeling. Just a little bit. He needed some feeling. He needed to feel her. Just a piece of her. Peace. He was tired. He could use some peace with her.

''I want to tell you something mean....'' He mumbled, swallowing hard, ''I want to offend you. I want to make you upset and mad and furious with me. I want you to hate me before I go.''

Shaking her head, she buried it in his chest, ''I don't want to hate you,'' She said, heartbreakingly, ''Don't make me hate you.''

It took him a minute to answer, two almost. He simply breathed her in. Standing there, in the darkness, knowing it will be over within seconds.

No more fights.

No more hurt.

No more pain.

No more details.

No more looks.

No more closeness.

No more comfort.

No more safety.

No more feeling.

No more heartbreak.

No more anger.

No more smiles.

Hell, how he would miss her smiling at him.

No more her.

No more them.

No more.

He shouldn't feel this way. Malfoy shouldn't be this bothered to leave her when he'd done so countless times. Yet, this time hurt him like never before. He wasn't sure he'd get her back after this. He was always so certain, but not now.

Now she looked at him as if he had given up, and then she didn't look at him at all. Now she held onto him for dear life, terrified that he'd leave her for good if she just let go a little bit.

They didn't spend much time together. Still, the time they did manage to spend with the other was overwhelming to him, even from the start. Even when she slept on that couch, with her legs on his lap, or when they sat in complete silence in detention, or after she'd been on top of him, working her way to euphoria, and she landed beside him instead, even then it was overwhelming. Breathtaking.

They fit so well together yet had a puzzle never been this hard to solve.

And now he was leaving, hoping she'd still think of him from time to time.

''I won't,'' Draco said through a mutter, ''I won't because you asked. I won't make you hate me.''

Isla nodded, taking a deep breath and preparing for him to leave her. He wasn't going as she was used to. He wasn't leaving her like Cedric did as her father and Fred had done. He was still here even if he wasn't.

She could do this. She tried to convince herself she could do this.

''I have to—'' Malfoy began to move away, but it caused her to panic. It caused every bone in her body to ache and her nerves to lit on fire.

Isla stretched up on her toes, but before she had a chance to kiss him. Draco did so.

He pressed his lips to hers, ''Sweet girl,'' He hummed, unconsciously almost. She'd never heard him call her that before, ''My sweet witch.''

Tears rolled down her cheeks, soaking her skin with everything they could never be.

Draco kissed her, over and over. His tongue battled hers. His lips embracing hers. He savored her. He memorized her. He missed her already.

Never would he admit to it, but he did. He missed her before even letting her go, and then — then that's exactly what he did. He let her go.

Taking one last look at her. He kissed her forehead, staring into what felt like her soul for a second before he walked away. He left her.

Draco left her.

Heartbreak had yet failed to be as painful as it was now.

_____

Three weeks.

Three cold, grey, shallow, empty, long weeks passed since she last saw Draco.

This was what he wanted. He wished for this. He had matters to attend to, a legacy to run. He had more important things to take care of. He stayed as long as he could for her, but in the end, he had to go.

So he did. Draco left her.

Consciously, willingly, he left. He went, and he was not coming back for her.

It took a toll on her. Even if Theodore stayed with her instead, it broke her to pieces. She was so unsure whether she'd be able to fit them back together without him.

Theo indeed did his best. He stayed. He comforted. He slept next to her. He slept on top of her. He slept with her when she needed it. When she needed him to take her pain away, Theodore made her feel better.

He kissed her. He hugged her. He dried her tears. He listened. He was there.

He was there the night Draco left her too. He rushed after her in nothing more than her pink towel when he realized she'd snuck out, and he watched them for a second, how they said goodbye. Then he stepped away. Theo gave them time to leave each other until he heard her cry, and he showed himself. He hugged her. He kissed her. He took some parts of her pain away before he led her back to his room, and he watched Isla fall asleep with him on top of her.

He didn't go back home to his family even if he was supposed to, even if Isla tried to convince him she'd be fine a day or two on her own — he didn't listen. He stayed. Ignored every letter that was penned to the school in his name, every call, and every summons his parents tried to get through, he plainly looked the other way.

Theodore couldn't leave her like this. She wasn't herself, and even if he didn't quite understand how she was taking this so hard — he was still there for her. Offering her to leave, to take her to see Draco, to take her home to her mother, to travel, even a short trip down to London, he tried to make her follow, but she didn't.

Isla stayed in her room when she wasn't in class. Mostly, she hid from her friends.

Ava got expelled along with Draco, and Leo told how their father was on a hunt for vengeance when it came to Ava's reputation. Their father took it out on Leo.

It caused Isla to feel worse. So much worse.

Still, the thought of Draco being alone, doing all the things he was meant to do when he stayed in school for her, nagged within. Isla had Theodore so close to her. She had him so close, yet she missed the blond boy in ways she couldn't describe. She couldn't explain it to Theo. She felt like a maniac when she did.

He was too good for her, too understanding, too kind. She couldn't utter how she fell in love with Draco too without feeling as if she was a crazy person because it didn't make sense to her.

It didn't make sense how all they did was fight and battle. Still, she fell so heavily in love with him. With the both of them.

He hated her. She hated him. And somewhere along the lines of all that angst and fury, she crashed. She crashed in his pain. She crashed in his way of feeling. She crashed into him, and she couldn't stop. Being away from him simply caused her to fall even harder.

Every damn day as she laid in her bed, hiding her feelings underneath the covers, she missed him. She missed, and she worried all the time.

The days smudged into weeks, and suddenly she was sitting on Theodore's bed, watching as he packed his bag.

Now he was leaving too. He had to. She made him leave.

He'd been disobeying his family for weeks in order to be there for her. In order to save her from drowning. She couldn't let him do that anymore.

Theodore always put her above himself, and it took her days to finally convince him to go. His family disapproved of her as it was. She didn't want to give them more reason to keep them apart.

He kissed her. He kissed her deeply and for long. He held her. He held her for minutes until he let go and told her how much he'd miss her. He'd be back soon, he said.

But soon wasn't soon enough for her. She struggled as it was without Draco, and now she had to manage the weekend without Theodore too.

Unbearable. Unbelievably unbearable was all she thought as he turned around on his way out, storming up to her and kissing her again. He always did that.

Then he left too.

And now she was alone. She was so lonely as the darkness thickened around her. Everyone had so much to deal with on their own.

Her friends struggled with their own love. She didn't want to bother them, and it wasn't until the clock turned midnight, one, two, three, four hours past the eclipse mark, she raised on her feet with a heavy sigh.

Isla thought. She thought hard and long to herself what she was meant to do until she decided.

And then she left too.

_____

It was cold. It was March, the beginning of spring. Beginning of light and shine and warmth, but not yet. It was still freezing outside as she stood with only her wand in her hand and her robe tightly wrapped around her nightdress.

She didn't even get dressed properly. Stupid, stupid, stupid, she thought to herself.

But it was too late to turn back now. Her mind was made up, and she couldn't cave.

Looking up at the massive door in front of her in the early morning, she swallowed all her doubt, and she closed her eyes. She pinched them shut. Perhaps that would help, she hoped.

She hadn't been there before. She hadn't visited that house. She hadn't dared to, but now she did. She had to.

Exhaling loudly as the mist of her own breaths steamed around her, she lifted her balled fist. She let her knuckles collide with the wood. She knocked on that damned door.

Her heartbeat leveled, pounding in her ears.

No one opened. She knocked again. It was early. Perhaps he was asleep. Nothing. Again she let her fist struck the wood.

One more time, she whispered to herself. She would knock on that bloody door one more time, and then she'd leave. She promised herself that. It was humiliating enough to stand there in her nightdress, alone at the early hour. She was making a fool out of herself. She knew that.

She knocked one last time, and she waited.

One.

Two.

Three.

Isla turned around, quickly and she began to walk away. A few steps she took until she heard a groan. Her heart missed a beat with that groan. That low, raspy groan he let out as he flung the door open.

She didn't turn around at first. She stood frozen as he said her name. Shocked, startled.

Four times he had to speak her name before she dared to step around and face him.

And there he was.

There he was.

_____