This chapter contains mentions of violent actions and blood. Please read with caution.

_____

Blood.

There was blood gushing from her neck as she kneeled to the floor.

If someone would've asked her why she fell to her knees as he walked away from her for the hundredth time within the short frame of a year — she'd most likely say that it was because she was hurting, because the wound in her neck was feeding off her energy.

It wasn't.

Isla just lied. She lied a lot to the people she felt like she couldn't speak honestly to, which was no one. That sounded horrible. She knew it did. She'd gone over it a million times in her head already, over and over, but that was the way it had to be.

It took her moments, long, heartbreaking ones where she felt like she couldn't breathe, where she simply laid in a pool of her own tears and blood in that corridor he walked away from her in. That was it, she believed. This was the absolute it.

She'd been lying, she had, but in her mind — it was for him.

Isla felt like she was protecting him by not speaking the truth, and he didn't see it in the way she did, so he left her again.

Draco Malfoy walked away from her again, he ran like he always did, but this time she didn't follow. Isla didn't run after him. She didn't drag him back to her. He didn't want to be there. She couldn't force him to. She didn't want to force him to.

He hurt her. She hurt him. They hurt each other.

They always hurt each other.

Love wasn't supposed to feel this way. Her love for Theodore didn't feel this way. His love was kind, warm, pure, honest. He made her happy. He would never make her bleed. He would never cause her to fall to her knees for him. He'd kneel for her.

While Draco's love was dark, consuming. She didn't quite know what struck her until she stepped away from it. Their love wasn't healthy. It was complicated and dimmed. Right and wrong didn't exist between them.

Isla showed him everything. She showed him the things yet failed to tell Theodore about. All the things her childhood troubled her with, to the death of the most important people in her life. Every last thing she showed him, and it still wasn't good enough.

She wasn't good enough, and this caused her to wonder if she ever would be.

Isla didn't pity herself a lot, but she did now. She felt so bad for the fact that both Theodore and Draco got to keep secrets in order to protect her, but she couldn't do the same without being left behind.

And as she laid there, with her eyes closed and her body shivering upon the cold ground, she exhaled deeply. She couldn't do this anymore. She didn't want to do this.

He hurt her.

He finally broke her.

Draco Malfoy finally got what he so viciously wanted. He wanted her to hate him, and Isla was at last capable of giving it to him.

She hated him.

Isla swallowed the feeling of her breaking heart as she rose from the ground, taking another minute to collect herself. Getting used to the ache the pads of her feet felt against the marble floor. It even hurt standing now.

Silence seeped through the corridor at the way Theodore and the guards had quieted, and that had her slammed back to reality again.

Theodore had her clocked back to being.

She brushed the still gushing blood off her neck, whispering a spell to heal it before she flipped her hair over her shoulders to hide it, and she made her way back to the courtroom.

''A misunderstanding?'' The lady drowsily spoke, finally waking up from the slumber Theo had put her in, ''Well, if you say so, Mr. Nott. I'll let this one slide, but only because of the respect I have for your mother.''

Isla stumbled through the doors, finding Theodore seated in the chair in front of the judge, ''My apologies, ma'am. Again, I didn't mean—''

The echoing steps of Isla entering hewed him off. His head snapped to watch her tremble inside, and with a swift look over her shoulder, his face fell.

Draco wasn't with her.

Damn it.

''I know, Mr. Nott. Don't worry about it. We all have... our reasons for doing unreasonable things sometimes.''

Theodore looked back at the lady, giving her a faint smile before he pushed himself off the chair, standing straight and bowing his gratitude.

''And what goes for Mr. Malfoy, and you, Miss Clarke....'' She cleared her throat, looking awkwardly at the girl standing with dried tears staining her cheeks in the doorway, ''I think it's more appropriate if we continue this trial without you. You are free to turn in a written testimony about your cousin, but considering today's... events. We can't have you take part in this trial anymore.''

Isla couldn't comprehend what she was saying, simply nodding her approval in confusion before her swollen eyes flickered to Theodore as he moved closer. The brunet didn't stop until his arms wrapped around her, and he pulled her out of the room.

Theodore still didn't stop. He didn't falter in his steps until she was standing in the corridor, tangled around him. He held her so close.

It was as if he understood her without a word being shared, as if he could read her mind, as if he could see her thoughts by the shaking of her body as if he could understand the tears welling down her skin.

He felt what she did. He always felt her.

Sometimes he felt her joy, sensing the happiness coursing through her veins by that smile she had. Other times he felt her pain, feeling the ache of her heart as it so miserably craved to stop beating.

He felt that now. He felt her pain. So much pain.

''Let me take you home.'' He finally whispered after moments of holding her in silence, ''Let me take you home, love. Let us just—''

''I can't—'' She whimpered, buried to his chest, ''We can't go to—''

''To me,'' He cut her short, not wanting her to speak anything that made her explain herself, ''Let's go to my house. Mother is away, and we'll be by ourselves—''

Isla shook her head, her cheek brushing against his white shirt. Pushing her palms to his stomach, she distanced herself, ''Not—'' Gulping on her tears, she shook her head again, getting rid of all that pain, ''Not until we know about Leo and Mila. I can't just leave them.''

Theodore nodded, stilly with his eyes glued to her from above, ''I can do that. I can stay here and keep an eye on them, but you shouldn't, Isla. You don't have to be here. Let me take you to my house, and let me get you to bed.''

She stayed hushed for a minute, blinking her tears away. Debating within her mind what she was meant to do, but her thoughts couldn't reach past the fact that Draco had left. She couldn't think about another fact than that.

''He's gone,'' She whispered, silently before her forehead was back against him, closing her eyes.

Theo swallowed the lump in the back of his throat. Her pain soared within him, ''I know,'' He said, ''I know he's gone, love. And that's okay. You need to understand that Malfoy... he needs to be gone sometimes. He needs his time, and that's alright. It's alright to hurt and want to be left alone. Not all people heal with the help of others. He doesn't.''

Isla looked up at him, falling completely lost in those messy curls hanging over his forehead.

''Draco... he...'' He swallowed hard again, ''He has lost more than anyone I know. He... He lost his parents, Isla. I don't know if you know this, but—''

Isla frowned slightly, ''I thought—'' She gasped, wrapping her fingers into his shirt, ''I thought you didn't know? He said he only told Pansy.''

He smiled. Theodore never thought he'd smile to something like this, ''They were my family too, and they couldn't go a day without seeing me. It's been over a year. I know they're gone.''

She was shaking her head again, not clearly following, ''But he doesn't know that you know?''

''You see...'' He let out through a sigh, hardening his hold of her, ''Draco doesn't know how to do good. No one ever told him when he did something nice for other people, so he doesn't know when he's being kind or cruel. Everyone always treated him the same regardless.''

If anyone knew that, it was her.

''He was going to tell me once, but I saw... You know that look in his eyes when he's about to hurt you?''

She nodded.

''He looked at me like that. He never looks at me like that, but he did that time, so I... I pretended to be happy, so he didn't have to tell me, and he didn't. That would've... broken him, to tell me that they're gone.''

Her heart beat so fast, the sound of it swelled in her ears.

''So I let him think he's making me happy by not saying anything. I'm... I'm happy if he's happy, and I'm always there if it's getting a bit too heavy for him.''

Isla held onto him with all she had. Even if she despised Draco at this time, even if she hated him with every fiber in her body, there was something beautiful about Theodore and how he ever so placed everyone above himself.

''I know...'' Theo's hand moved up her jaw, over her cheek before he brushed his fingers through her hair, ''I know he's cruel, Isla. I know he's the devil, but I hope he tells you why someday. I hope he tells you why he's like this and why he's acting the way he is. It's no excuse, absolutely not. He hurt you, and I don't stand for that, but he's... He's not evil. I think he's misunderstood. I think he means well at heart, but he doesn't know how to show it, and I think that it makes him angry, so he takes it out on everyone around him because he has nothing within himself left to hurt.''

She shuddered. Her body shivered at his words.

''He's alone and empty, Isla. He's... He's Draco, and that can't be easy.''

She knew that. Isla knew that his life couldn't be easy, that he most likely had so much hurt and pain to carry, but at this moment — she couldn't feel for him. Isla couldn't feel bad for him because of what he just did to her.

He hurt her after she gave him her heart, and he left it on the ground, along with her wounded body to bleed out.

''I don't—'' She breathed, '' I can't—''

''I know,'' Pressing a kiss onto the top of her head, he tried to comfort her, ''I know you can't, and that's okay, love. A person can only take so much.''

She could. Isla could only take so much.

She had taken Draco's anger, his rage, his fury, his temper, his kisses, his arms wrapped around her, his tears, his heart, and his soul.

She'd taken the times he'd slammed her against walls, the times where he spat cruel words in her face, the times he walked away, the time he came back without any type of apology. She'd taken his love, the softness of his heart, the aching of his soul. Everything.

She'd taken everything up to this point, but she wouldn't take this.

Draco hurt her more than she'd ever been hurt before, and she couldn't take it anymore. Didn't want to.

Draco didn't even listen to her as she tried to speak her truth. He didn't see the fact of his father murdering her cousin, he didn't think about the reality of her hurting just as much as he did through this, but she kept it inside for him to hurt a little less.

She did the exact same thing he'd done with Theodore, yet he took it out on her. He blamed her, and he left her like she was nothing. Isla was well aware of her own wrongdoings, and she didn't see past them. She knew she was wrong at times too, but the difference was that she managed to love him through it.

He didn't love her. He didn't love her, and she loved him.

She loved him through all his flaws, and he couldn't even give her the dignity of listening to her. She couldn't do this. She couldn't hurt herself by saving him, not when he did this to her. Not anymore.

Isla Clarke was done.

Inhaling sharply, she stepped back, ''I don't—'' She forced a fraud smile, ''I don't want to speak about him. I don't want to think about him. I want to be there for Mila and Leo, and when that's done, I want to go back to your house, and I want you to lay with me in bed all day. Can we do that?''

His lips parted, slightly shocked.

''And perhaps a shower,'' She tilted her head, staring at the ground.

''I will both go and do anything for you, you know that,'' He smiled, nodding, ''Even wash your hair and braid it for you.''

That had her smiling through her pain, a real smile.

She didn't like having her hair braided, but the time Theodore saved her from her own misery and took her into his arms, he started doing it, he thought she liked it, and she let him.

_____

With their fingers tangled, her gripping onto his arm — they entered the courtroom Leo's trial was being held in.

Isla expected to find Leo and Mila sitting at the benches, holding each other and wishing for the best. She thought she'd walk in on something heartbreaking, something unsure and not known.

But no.

Isla walked in on complete chaos.

Never had she witnessed chaos similar to this. Utter madness scored through the room as Leo stood in a cage, yelling and shouting. His hands grasped at the metal bars, screaming out something inaudible.

The guards stood with their wands raised, pointing right at him. His father had a bleeding lip, a bruised jaw, and a broken nose. Coughing, the man was sitting on the floor, coughing his lungs out.

Mila was crying. Screaming out cries while being held back by masked men. They were pulling at her clothes, ripping her shirt and hair as she panicked.

Isla gulped, meeting Theodore's wide eyes for just a second until he stormed off. His first rescue was Mila.

''Get the fuck away from her—'' Theodore seethed, raising his wand in a quick move and knocking out both of the men holding her before they even had a chance to fight back, ''What the actual fuck—''

Theo caught the girl before she fell to the floor, wrapping his arms around her and bringing her back to two feet, ''Are you okay?'' His voice hoarse, ''What the hell happened?''

Mila didn't speak. She just cried. She cried and cried as she clung onto Theodore, wetting his shirt with her tears.

Isla just blinked. She couldn't comprehend a thing, but that didn't stop her from pulling her own wand out, aiming it at the men standing around the cage Leo was trapped in.

''Stupefy!'' She yelled out, not once, not twice, but seven times. Her magic bounced around the men, forcing them across the room in a violent move.

''Leo—'' Her breaths were shallow, falling to the ground next to the cage, she gripped the metal, ''Leo, what happened—''

The people seated higher up stared down at the chaos, twisting and moving uncomfortably. They didn't know what to do. They didn't know if they were meant to interfere or stay back. It was the Ministers son, after all.

Leo looked as if he was about to explode with rage, his skin red, and some spots soared in blood. They'd hit him with spells, cruel ones. She could tell.

Isla saw his father with the same marks.

''You God damn—'' Leo yanked at the bars, spitting his words at his father, ''I will kill you. I will fucking kill you if you do anything to her—''

''Leo,'' Isla spoke harder now. Trying to break through his trance, ''Leo, talk to me.''

''He—'' Stepping back in the cage, he tugged at his hair, locking his fingers behind his head, ''He threatened you—''

''Me?'' Isla's eyes widened, pushing herself off the ground to level him, standing on opposite sides of the bars, ''What do you mean—''

Isla gasped, being pushed back by Theodore, who made his way between them, ''What the hell did you just say?'' He heaved, ''He threatened Isla? He—''

''He said—'' Leo shook his head, trying to ease his raging mind, ''He said that if I didn't plead guilty, he'd start a trial against Isla, for who her father was. He said he'd make her at fault for the deaths her father committed. He's locking her up for the rest of her life, so I plead guilty—''

''He was going to lock her up? In Azkaban?'' Theodore spoke through gritted teeth, ''Because of this? Because of this trial?''

''Theodore—'' Isla settled her hand on his arm, ''Don't—''

''Shut up,'' He growled, lowly as he shrugged her hand off, cracking his neck, ''Not right now, love. Now I need you to be quiet.''

Her hand dropped to her side, her veins iced. She didn't like this.

''Continue.''

Leo nervously looked between them before he swallowed the hesitancy. Even he found Theodore a bit intimidating now, ''He... He said he'd make it obvious. That someone needs to pay for what her father did. He's... He's been covering for her father because of her mom, Mrs. Clarke. They're friends, and he—''

Leo drew a shaking breath, looking at the ground, ''And he said he wouldn't do that anymore. He would stop covering up for them, and either Isla or Lucy—''

''Her sister is a God damn child—'' Theo almost roared now, his shoulders tensing, ''And what? He was just—''

''Yes. He will—''

Theodore clicked his tongue, making the boy hush down. Isla looked up at him, and she saw something she never thought she'd see. Darkness. So much darkness.

His irises darkened with something so evil, something uncontrollable.

His fists balled at his sides, locking his jaws shut in anger. He snapped his head, slowly rolling his tongue over his bottom lip.

''No—'' Isla managed to get out, but not in time for him to stop, ''Theo—''

Theodore didn't stop. He didn't falter.

The brunet marched up to the man, pulling his already beaten body from the floor, ''You son of a bitch! Using your title to threaten innocent people, yeah? Is that what a fucking Minister is supposed to do—''

Isla looked away. She couldn't bear to watch the spattering blood as Theodore delivered punch following punch.

The sounds of cracking bones and grunts filled the room. The people working for the Ministry began whispering to send for help.

Isla looked at Leo, his eyes wide and scared for what they'd do to Theodore if he were caught in a situation like this.

''Fucking—'' Leo breathed, ''Stop him, Isla— fucking stop him—'' 

Isla exhaled, nervously, nearly shaking as she finally turned around, watching Theodore's actions, ''Theo—'' She swallowed, hard, ''Theodore, that's enough—''

''They want to lock you up, they're trying to lock Malfoy up, Leo and now—'' He heaved, out of control as he once again let his knuckles strike the man's jaw, ''They do no good here. They just look away—''

Isla had a feeling that this was so much deeper than him defending his friends, him standing up for the girl his heart rested with. This was more, so much more.

''Theo—''

More blood spattered around them, workers of the Ministry began to close in on them.

''No.''

Punch after punch struck the man's jaw, over and over.

''Theodore, that's—''

''Shut up!''

Deeper. This was something so much deeper.

''Theodore Nott!'' Isla shouted now, feeling the panic as it took over, ''That's enough! That is more than enough, Theo!''

He stilled, heaving.

The only sound filling the room was his raging breaths as he looked down at the man, his face misplaced and smeared with blood. Holding him up by his collar and his fist highly raised in the air, Theodore slightly peered around.

It looked to Isla as if he finally broke out of his trance of fury. She swallowed, sickly before she marched closer, placing a hand on his shoulder, ''Go home, Theo.'' She let out, trying to sound severe, but the shakiness of her tone broke through, ''Go home, and I'll be there—''

''No. I don't care. I'm not leaving you—''

''But I do!'' Isla raised her voice again as she hunched down, settling her hands over Theo's and forcing him to drop Leo's father to the ground. She brushed her thumbs across his bloody knuckles, and she pulled him up on two feet with her, ''I do care. I do care, Theo. I lost one of you today, and I have no plans on losing you too, so go home. Go back to your house, and I'll be there later. ''

''Isla—''

''No,'' Now she was the one standing her ground, wrapping her hands tighter around his, ''I don't want to hear it. Go home, and let me fix this.''

Theodore looked away, coming to the realization of what he'd done. With a swift movement, he pushed his lips against her forehead. Kissing her softly before he withdrew, and he aimed for Mila, ''I'll take her to her grandparents.'' He mumbled before both of them were gone.

Gone.

Theodore and Mila were gone, and Isla sighed out, looking over the chaos they once again created.

_____

Isla breathed out heavily as she landed outside the door leading into Theodore's bedroom. Still shaken up from fighting the Minister. He sent Leo away, no matter how much she begged and pleaded.

He was furious, but he agreed not to press charges against Theodore for now. The situation needs to be evaluated, he said.

Isla believed him to be scared of her accusations towards Ava and that he simply indicated that he'd forget about Theo's outburst if she forgot about the fact that Ava hurt her mother.

Opening the door, her eyes snapped to the sound of water coming from the bathroom. She ignored the mess coating the floor as she made her way to his shower. He'd ripped his room apart, taken out every last piece of his anger on the books and furniture.

She stopped. Isla halted in her steps as she watched him stand in the scolding hot water, fume misted from him, filling the room to the brim.

His hands were pushed into the wall, his head hanging between his shoulders.

''Oh, Theo...'' Isla whispered, booting her shoes off before she stepped into the glass tube. Hissing slightly at the warm water. She reached past him, lowering the temperature.

Her arms landed around him, hugging him tightly from behind. She could feel his flexing back move roughly against her chest. His nails clawing at the wall. Theodore didn't speak. He didn't say a word.

''Love...'' Isla tried again, pressing herself against his soaked clothes, holding him harder, ''I'm sorry—''

Pushing her lips against his spine, she kissed him. She left trembling pecks all over his back, giving him as much comfort she possibly could, but he didn't cave. Theodore stayed in that exact position. He didn't move. He didn't speak. It didn't even feel as if he was breathing.

Isla let go of him, slipping around him, and she pushed herself between him and the wall. Her hands grasped at his jaws, trying to make him look at her — he yanked away, still with his eyes closed.

''Leave,'' He muttered, ''Just go away.''

She shook her head, scowling at him, ''What?''

''Just... just go, Isla. I don't want you to see this.'' Referring to the way he was breaking, he gritted his jaws, ''Go downstairs.''

''No—'' She fanned against him, her breaths hitting his chest, ''You've seen me, all of me. I don't want you to be alone in this.''

This was about before, what he was hiding, what he was really beating the Minister up for. This wasn't about her, about them, about anything but his secrets. She knew that. She could see it.

She wanted to see it. She wanted to see him.

The water splashed around them, drenching them both.

Taking her thumb, she let it run over his lips, over his cheek, ''Let me in, Theo....'' She mumbled through the sounds of pouring water, through the steam as it thickened, ''You don't have to do this alone.''

''I can't—'' He sighed, gradually caving into her touch, his body slackened to hers, ''I can't tell you. I don't want to.''

Isla nodded, pearls of water gathered on her lashes, ''You don't have to. You don't have to tell me anything, Theo. Just don't push me away, please. Don't shut me out.''

He swallowed. It sounded so hurtful to her. Nearly as if he gulped on a sob, ''I'm sorry,'' He panted, letting his forehead drop to hers, pain coursed through his veins, ''I don't want to shut you out. I don't mean—''

''Shhh...'' Isla wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him a little tighter, ''It's alright. You'll tell me when you're ready, okay?''

''What if—'' Theodore swallowed again, the wet curls of his hair draped around them, ''What if I won't be ready? Ever?''

She smiled painfully as she arched her neck, her mouth leveling his, ''Then that's alright too.'' She said, feeling his hands dropping from the wall to settle on her waist, pulling her in, ''You know I trust you. I trust you more than anyone, and this is your secret, not mine. If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to.''

Theodore brushed his lips against hers, pressing them together softly. His hands moved over her soaked frame, all the way up until he held her jaws in them, and he finally opened his eyes, looking down at her.

Something so hard and hurtful — softened. The vicious hold of his heart eased by the look of her standing there in her dress, soaking wet. She never gave up on him, never like he gave up on himself.

Isla held him together, kept him safe from drowning in the sorrows of his own memories.

He didn't know what to say, how to thank her for constantly holding him above the surface — so he kissed her again. No words could justify what he felt for her.

They kissed and kissed under the stream of hot water. Letting the pain of the world they were living in go for just a little moment, for so a second, it was just them.

Only them.

Their arms wrapped around each other, their body intertwined, and their souls tangled. If they didn't know better, they'd believe their hearts were beating in bearing with each other.

It wasn't until minutes, several of them, when she arched back, gasping for air, he smiled.

But that smile quickly faded, watching that frown taking over her. He swallowed again, ''What happened?''

She hated herself for ruining this. She hated herself for taking this moment of heaven only to bring them back to hell.

No matter how much they both wished to stay there, with their lips pressed together, healing each other's wounds — reality would always catch up to them.

''Leo...'' She whispered, looking away, ''They took him to Azkaban.''

Theodore arched back. Disbelief showed all over him, ''What?''

Stupid, she believed. So so stupid.

She felt like a fool for suggesting what she was about to suggest. He'd most likely lock her up in a mental facility for this, but she couldn't help it.

Thinking of Leo locked in a place as brutal as Azkaban caused her to shudder. She needed to get him out, and she needed Theo's help with doing so.

''Isla?'' Theodore spoke at her silence, angling her face back to look at him, ''What do you—''

Her eyes flickered wildly across him, and she drew a sharp breath, ready to tell him about the plan she plotted as she made her way back to his house.

''Isla—''

''They took him to Azkaban,'' Isla said again, silently, ''And I want us to break him out.''

_____