It was a very dark and stormy evening. The students had all finished dinner and taken refuge in their dorms from the cold and eeriness of the castle halls. Well, everyone except two, that is.

Pansy Parkinson rounded the corner, grunting the password to the Slytherin common room. It was colder in there than she remembered, and the greenish light made everything look ghostly and haunted. The room was completely deserted except for a pale, shivering figure seated at the desk in the corner.

Pansy could hear Draco's shaking breath from where she stood frozen near the door. If she hadn't observed closer, she could have easily mistaken him for one of the ghosts. His hair, usually smooth and neat, stuck out akwardly at the sides where he had run his shaking fingers though it.

Pansy slowly and cautiously approached him, feeling almost afraid of what he might do. She could now see part of his face, which was so pale that she could very nearly see the blue and red veins like spiderwebs underneath it.

"Draco?" she whispered.

He froze, quickly turning around and failing to conceal the expression of panic on his face. There was evidence of tears in his cold eyes.

"What are you doing?" he snarled, jumping to his feet.

"Well, I-I was just-" Pansy stammered, stepping away in surprise. He has never spoken to her like that before.

"Get out of here," Draco ordered, "Go to your dorm. Now."

Pansy's shock was quickly replaced with anger.

"I can be wherever I bloody well please!" She snorted. She couldn't stand being scolded like a first year.

It was Draco's turn to looked shocked. He grunted and looked away.

"I'm sorry," Pansy said gently. "What's wrong? Do you want to talk about it?"

"No!" Draco snapped.

"Well, why not? You can tell me anything, you know that."

Draco grimanced, his brow furrowed. "No."

"Why?" She asked again.

"Because I can't!" He making to stomp away to his dorm, but Pansy grabbed his forearm. "Let go!" He breathed dangerously. Pansy could see a flash of panic in his eyes, which quickly darted to his arm.

"No! Not until you've told me what's going on! You know you can tell me, and I won't stop bothering you until you do," Pansy urged.

"You don't understand!" Draco argued, clenching his hands into fists until his knuckles turned white. It was almost like he was trying not to hit her, which made Pansy loosen her grip on his arm. He certainly never acted like this before. Not to her.

"Why are you being like this?" She demanded, making to put her other hand on his shoulder but letting it brush the air and drop to her side. "Draco," she said softly, "we shouldn't keep secrets from each other...whatever this is, I can help. I'll help you." She said, tears creeping their way into her eyes. Draco's face was suddenly to full of pain and suffering, Pansy could feel the salty tears slowly running down her face.

"I just can't," Draco said, his voice a hoarse whisper. "This is something that you just can't know. I won't tell you, or anyone else. I'm done talking about it." He said, jerking his arm out of her slack grasp and clutching it with his other hand.

Pansy narrowed her eyes. "What are you...?" She made to reach out for his arm.

Draco inhaled sharply, hiding it behind his back. His hand switched toward the handle of his wand. "Don't make me force you to leave me alone," He warned, eyes blazing.

Pansy's eyes widened with horror. "Draco! You...you'd never dare hurt me! You love me!"

Draco suddenly stepped forward until he was breathing into her face. "Don't think I wouldn't," He hissed, his voice laced with venom. "And I do not love you."

Draco stormed out of the Common Room, leaving Pansy standing in the middle of the room, shocked.