"Draco, dear."

Narcissa's head shot up as the door swiftly opened and shut with a force. Her son's face stricken with both, pain and fear; she quickly rushed to his side, putting her hands over his face, to get a better look at him.

"Draco, what happened?"

Draco fought back the tears, his eyes beyond his mother and on Isabella. He wasn't thinking about himself. Only her. He had to get her out of the manor. Had to make sure she was safe. "Is... is she going to be okay?"

"For now. Poor thing's covered in bruises and cuts but apart from a broken rib, she should be ok."

"Draco." She called softly, forcing her to look at him. "Be honest with me, dear. How long has this been going on?"

He trusted his mother more than any other person in this world. He could tell her the truth. "Not long. Honestly." He finally looked at her fully. "I've had interest for about a month now, but I- she..." He was fighting the pain he was feeling in his arm. "This is all my fault." He cried out.

"Draco, sweetheart. Look at me. This is not your fault. None of this is." Narcissa forced a smile, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tightly against her chest, much like he was a boy and injured himself while playing in the garden.

"She's Dexter's daughter, isn't she? I recognize her from the times she's visited the ministry."

He shrugged his shoulders. "I-I guess." He realized then how much he didn't actually know about her. He risked everything, put her in danger, for someone he didn't even know.

"Mum..." Draco licked his lips nervously. "I- Dad- He... I got the Dark Mark. The Dark Lord. I- I got a mission." He shook his head. "I can't do it."

"Listen to me Draco. And listen carefully, go with what he wants. Do not anger him more than he already is. Don't worry. I'll take care of this, just don't give him another reason to come after you."

He nodded his head. He didn't know how to do what his mother was speaking of. How was he supposed to kill Dumbledore?

Slowly, he pushed past his mother and walked over to Izzy, staring down at her as she laid in his bed. "I have to get her back to Hogwarts. But dad..." He couldn't finish. He turned back to look at Narcissa. "He's going to kill her? Isn't it?"

"Not if we get her out of here." She added in quickly, casting a silencing charm on the door. "But we can't do it now. We have to wait this out for a bit. Until everyone leaves. As Bella told me, they're taking the meeting into the night. So we can't sneak her out then. We have to do it in the morning, after they leave."

Draco nodded, making sure he had his wand in his pocket. He pulled it out, glancing over at the door. "I'm not leaving her here alone." He said simply. "I'll do whatever I have to to protect her. I'm not letting her die. Not because of me."

She nodded, smiling over at him, handing him a wand and necklace he had grown an attachment for. "Oh here. I managed to grab these from Greyback."

The clicking of her heels, soft as she went to the door, "I'll bring you two some food later on. I'll send it up when there's no one around to watch."

He nodded. "Thank you, mum." He placed Izzy's thing in his pocket and sat down on the edge of the bed and listening to his bedroom door close and lock behind his mother. He let out a sigh and turned to look at the girl in his bed. He pushed some of her hair from her face. "I'm so sorry." He mumbled, grabbing the blankets and pulling them tighter over her body. "I'll protect you. I promise."

Isabella groaned quietly as if she had heard him and moved in her sleep, moving closer to where he sat, towards warmth.

Draco stared at her, and suddenly felt the need to get closer to her. With his shoes and clothes still on, he climbed under the covers with her. He stared at her, then at the door. Careful not to wake her, he pulled his wand out of his pocket and held it tightly in his hand. Just in case. He allowed her to get closer to him in her sleep, his only intention to not get any sleep that night, and to protect her from anything or anybody that tried to cause her harm.

"I had the strangest dream last night." Isabella whispered, coming out of her morning dizziness that came after sleeping.

"I was-" She looked around the room, noticing how the color didn't match her dormitory.

Just like her dream

The once warm room, now cold and chilled; she curled up in the blanket, and closer to the heat source beside her, but then felt another chill in her bones when she saw what the heat source was. There, under the covers with her, was someone else, her arm around their waist, head on their chest and leg wrapped around theirs. That smell, she recognized it from somewhere, and suddenly felt her breath hitch in her throat. Did she dare look at the face that it belonged to?

He hadn't meant to fall asleep, but he had. The exhaustion from the ordeal he had been put through was enough to make him pass out within seconds. He would be shocked to find his own arm wrapped around hers when he woke up, his wand still grasped tightly in his hand, his own self-conscious even paranoid about what was going on in the house.

She closed her eyes, swallowing her Gryffindor bravery and slowly looking up.

She hated being right.

He moaned in his sleep, the sun shining in through his windows. He blinked a couple times, turning his head to avoid the light, his own eyes locking with Izzy's. It caught him by surprise; having almost forgotten what had happened the night before and not expecting her to be so close to him. He jumped, falling off the edge of the bed and landing on the ground, his body falling on top of his left arm and he let out a cry of pain as his dark mark stung more than he ever thought possible.

"I'm sorry." She cried, almost falling off the bed with him as they were still 'holding' each other.

"I'm sorry. Are you ok?" She slowly got up, and lowering himself down to his level, kneeling down on the floor, and placing her hand on his back, gently.

"I-I'm fine." He got off of his arm, feeling like an idiot, and sitting down, holding his left arm against his chest, trying his best to not show how much pain he really was in. He didn't want her to know he had taken the dark mark, even if he had told her he was planning on it.

"You sure? I didn't mean to scare you." Her tone, sheepish, after making herself even more embarrassed than before. First, she was practically clinging to Malfoy as if he were made of gold. Second, she had scared the shit out of him just by looking at him. And thirdly, now they were both on the floor, like idiots, just sitting around.

"It's fine. Really." He forced himself to stop cradling his arm, and dropped it, standing up and the offering his hand to her, wanting to help her get to her feet as well. "How about you? Are-are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She cleared her throat, politely refusing his help and crawling over to the bed to bring herself to her feet.

What was she, a record player on repeat?

"Are you sure?" He asked, reaching into his pocket and pulling out her wand and her necklace.

Isabella nodded, her back turned to him and then met his eye after regaining her balance.

"Here." He said, holding them in front of her. "You can thank my mum..." He said, shrugging.

"Thank you." She went to him, reaching for her necklace, missing her foothold as she slipped on the slippery floors in her socks and falling into him.

Someone up there hated her.

He caught her, smiling at her. "Are you sure you're okay?" He put her back on her feet.

"Here." He wrapped the necklace around her neck for her.

His smile slowly fell. "You should take your wand back." He turned around and looked at the door. "I'm getting you out of here. I don't know how. But I am."

Her cheeks turned redder than strawberries, and her hazel reflected on the marble floors as she met eye with them; they were so shiny she could see herself. No wonder she slipped.

"Are you hungry? I can try and go down to the kitchens. Get something made for you." In reality, he didn't want to leave her alone, but if she was as hungry as he was, it might be necessary. Especially with the state she was in.

"A little." Isabella quickly cut in as Draco opened his mouth to speak. "But don't worry about it. I'll be ok. I don't want to trouble you."

"It's fine, really. You need to get your strength up." He smiled at her, putting his wand in his pocket. "Just stay here, and keep your wand out just in case. I'll lock the door behind me."

"No. Don't leave, please." Surprised by the words that had just left her mouth, and hand gripped around his arm; her eyes practically begging him to stay. "I'm not hungry anymore."

"You don't have to be scared." It was a small lie. She was a Gryffindor half blood, in a house full of Death Eaters. Of course she could be scared. He let out a sigh. "I won't go if you don't want me to."

She didn't want to admit it to anyone, let alone herself, that she didn't want 'Malfoy' of all people to leave her side. "But if you're hungry-" She swallowed to wet her dry mouth and looked over at the door, heart beginning to race against her chest at the thought of that door opening.

"No." He gave her a small smile. Truthfully, he was starving. But he could tell how frightened she was. "Mum said she would bring us something. Maybe she got distracted or something. Hopefully she'll remember soon enough."

The sudden clicking of the door, caught her attention and without a second thought, phased into her black shadowy form, and ducked as quick as she could, under the bed, slipping again on her paws on the slippery floor and stumbling, letting out a whine, and cowering in the corner of Draco's king size bed. Eyes shut as she shook fiercely.

Draco watched her run away in fright. He stared at her for a few seconds under the bed, pulling his wand out and holding it in his hand, now staring at the door. He could only hope it was his mother and nobody else. He could feel his own heart beating against his chest.

Her whines were soft, yet pitiful, full of sorrow.

"Draco. Aren't you coming down for breakfast?"

The voice brought more fear to her heart as it practically leaped into her throat.

"Draco, it's your Aunt Bellatrix. Open the door." She cackled.

His heart beat even faster against his chest, and he looked back at Izzy as he walked towards the door, taking note of the fear in her eyes. He pressed his hands against the door. "I-I'm not feeling well. I'm not hungry." He quickly lied, not opening the door. He didn't want her to come in. He didn't want to make Izzy vulnerable.

"Draco, I have to talk to you. Come out before I make you come out."

Her laugh brought shivers to her spine, as she turned away, continuing to shake, and letting out whimpers that sounded like sobs.

"Besides, you can't stay in there forever. I've barely seen you at all."

Draco nervously turned to look back at Izzy. He bit his lips together and then slowly turned the handle on the door. He opened it just enough to slip out, push past his aunt, and then close it behind him tightly, keeping himself between it and his aunt. "What is it, Aunt Bellatrix?"

"Your father wanted me to tell you that he's gifting you that little token he was saving last night. He wants you to finish it off." She sneered, twirling her finger around in her hair.

"From what I hear, she's down in the dungeons. Mind if I watch the event take place?"

"Oh, I- uh..." Draco found himself trapped. What was he supposed to say. "I can take care of it. It's fine. I'm sure there's others down there that you could probably handle yourself if you asked my father. That'll way you won't just have to watch." He hated himself for the way he was talking.

"Saving her for yourself?" Cackles continuing to echo in the empty halls. "So like your father, always wanted to keep things to yourself. No consideration for the rest of us." Bellatrix saw her sister coming up with a plate of food, more than enough for one person.

"Cissy, aren't you proud? Draco's going to finish that horrid little plague off for Lucius."

"Oh, yes. Very." She smiled, "Draco, would you mind opening the door? This tray is a bit heavy"

"Yes, mum." Draco grabbed the handle and pushed the door open, allowing his mother inside and blocking it from his aunt. "Is there anything else you wanted?" He asked her with a small smile.

"No." She looked Draco up and down warily, "That's all." And walked away.

"Draco." Narcissa, called, looking around the room. "Where did she go?" She spoke in a hushed tone.

Draco closed the door tightly after him, nodding towards his bed. "She went under the bed when Aunt Bellatrix knocked." He approached the bed.

"Isabella?" He called, leaning down slightly and looking under it. "She's gone. You can come out. It's just me and my mother."

Isabella didn't listen, and stayed there, keeping as close to the wall and out of sight as she could, curled up in a ball, and still whining, biting her lips together to keep the noise to a minimum.

"Dear. I've brought you breakfast if you're hungry." Narcissa said kindly, and set the tray down on Draco's desk. "I didn't know what you liked, so I brought everything."

Draco smiled at his mother. "Thanks mum." He bent down, kneeling on the ground, looking over at the dog whining under the bed. "It's okay. Really. She's gone. Nobody's going to hurt you."

He looked back up at his mother before turning his attention back to Isabella. "My father is letting you go. He must be satisfied with...-" He couldn't admit that he had taken the dark mark to her. "With me. Come eat."

She opened her eyes and looked around at the two pairs of feet in the room and carefully crouched down. Her ears laid back as she poked her head out of the bottom of the bed and looked up, slinking out with sad eyes and letting her eyes glance over both of them.

Draco smiled at her, trying to comfort her with his eyes. "Here." He grabbed one of the plates that his mum had brought, holding it out in front of him, forcing her to change back to her human form in order for her to take it. "Eat something, get your strength up, then we'll leave. You're safe. I promise."

"I'll send the elf to take the tray when you two are done." Narcissa's kind smile resembled nothing to Lucius' cruel and inhuman smirk. She left and closed the door behind her; Isabella's hazel eyes meeting Draco's, she looked, if dog's could look ashamed, embarrassed.

"Come on. You said you were hungry." He grabbed a fork from the tray and sat down on the floor in front of her. "You don't have to be scared. I told you I would protect you..."

She was going to regret this, but something in her mind, made her do it. Crawling out from under the bed, she sat on her haunches beside him, and without giving him so much as a warning, licked his cheek once, before laying her head on his knee, and staring out at the walls that surrounded his bedroom.

Draco stared at her, a large smile on his face, one he couldn't control. He ran his hand through the fur on the top of her head, reaching for his plate and grabbing a piece of toast. He held it in front of her. "Just eat the toast. Please. You don't have to change back if you don't to."

The wolf gladly took the toast from his hands, taking bites from it, and tearing off pieces, almost swallowing them whole, closing her eyes at the feeling of his hands through her hair. She loved how her skin rippled with goosebumps every-time he touched her.

He removed his hand from her head, taking bites from some bacon on the plate. "You're going to have to change back in order for me to get you out of here, alright?" He said when he finished the bacon. "I won't let anyone come near you. You need to trust me."

She nodded, standing up from where she was laying and phasing back. "Why do I have to be a human? Can't I get out faster If I stay a dog?"

"It's not about getting out faster." Draco said, still sitting on the ground. "It's about getting out without anybody realizing that you're you." He stood up, walking towards his closet and pulling it open. "I don't think anybody will be looking for you anymore. My aunt said my father was leaving me to deal with you, which means he doesn't care anymore. I'm sure he's more preoccupied now that the Dark Lord is here." He said with his head still in the closet. He popped out a couple minutes later, an oversized cloak in his hand. "Just put this on and put the hood up. Nobody will realize who you are."

"But won't it be a bit obvious when suddenly there's a mysterious cloaked individual walking around?"

"No." He shook his head. "Trust me. It's not that far of a walk. We can just go to the library right down the hall and aparate to Hogsmeade and then walk to Hogwarts from there." He shook the cloak in his hand, urging her to take it. "You can trust me. Who else do you have to trust right now, anyway?" He said with a small smile.

"Your mum was nice." She shrugged, taking the cloak in her hands and throwing it over her, it hung like a heavy blanket. "But I didn't really want to talk to her."

"It's fine. My father tortured you. I'm sure she understands." He gave her a smile. "She's the only person in this world I really do trust."

"Oh, it's not that." Her cheeks were turning red again. "It's-"

"It's what?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her, grabbing his own cloak and throwing it over his shoulders.

"It's what she walked in on." She said meekly, turning away.

"What? You in your animagus form?" He gave her a tiny smile. "I highly doubt she cares about that."

"No."

Was he really going to make her say it?

"Just forget it."

"No, what?" He took a step closer to her, grabbing her hand. "What is it?"

"Just leave it alone, Malfoy. Forget it." She pulled her hood up and kept her face to the shadows of its dome.

He sighed. "Fine." He felt suddenly angry. Had he really missed something between the two of them? Was he that much of a guy that he couldn't even pay attention to her? "Let's just get out of here before my father changes his mind." He threw his own hood up over his head so the two of them would blend in together and started heading for his bedroom door.

The fingers in her hand curled over the door knob, and without thinking, yet again, she quickly turned around, pulling his hood back down and crashing her lips onto his.

It caught him off guard for a second, but within seconds, he was kissing her back. He shoved her against his bedroom door, trapping her in-between it as his hands slowly found hers. He grabbed them, squeezing them tightly, chewing on her lower lip, not knowing nor caring where the kiss had come from.

"Need another hint of what I was talking about?" She pulled away, now looking at him, seriously, taking her hands out of his and pulling her hood back over, turning around. "Now, open the door and let's get the hell out of here."

He stared at her, mouth agape slightly. "I-I..." He felt like an idiot just standing there staring at her. So instead, he pulled his hood back up and opened the door, holding it open and allowing her to go out first.

"I swear, all men are idiots." She muttered to herself, waiting for him to follow as she pulled the hood further over her head, as a precaution.

Draco walked past her. "Come on. Stay close." He said, pushing past her and walking quickly down the hallway towards the library. He felt lucky enough not to have passed anyone and quickly pushed open the double doors leading to the library, holding one open for Isabella and checking the hallway one last time before walking inside himself.

"If I survive, mental note, remember to get Malfoy back for that." She thought to herself. It took her walking through the Manor, just to see exactly how grand and luxurious it was. Marble and silver as far as the eye could see. The floor looked good enough to eat off of, had it not been a painful reminder of her 'wonderful' time here.

Draco walked over to one of the shelves, pulling a few books away and then reaching behind them, grabbing a jar and placing the books back in their spots. "My fathers never been one to want anyone to be able to escape easily." He gave her a comforting smile as he walked back over to her, opening up the jar and holding it in front of her.

"Really? I never would have noticed." Voice reeking with sarcasm. "I wonder how he treats people who get on his bad side?" She rolled her eyes, and placed her hand in the jar, grabbing a bit of floo powder in her hands.

"He's an asshole. I know. You don't have to be sarcastic about it." He grabbed some floo powder himself, placing it down on the table nearest the fireplace. "You ready? You go first. Just in case."

She nodded again, stepping into the fireplace and gulping in nervousness, throwing the emerald colored powder into the empty fireplace, instantly bursting into flames. "Hogsmeade."

Draco stood there, watching her leave, before throwing his own powder into the flame. "Hogsmeade." He called, suddenly ending up in the Hog's Head Pub. He wiped the soot from his cloak and looked up, searching for Isabella amongst the morning crowd.

She was already feet ahead of him, scrambling to get out of view of the eyes hovering over to where she had suddenly appeared. Her cloak, pulled up completely, covered her face, though her stature, and walk had given her away that she was indeed a young witch.

Draco quickly caught up to her as she reached the front door of the pub and pushed her way outside. He gave her a small smile, grabbing her around her upper arm to stop her from moving. "They don't care." He said simply. "I go in there all the time."

"Well you're a Malfoy, people don't question what you do." She shrugged, pulling her arm back. "People are looking, don't smile around me. Act mean, insult me, push me, just don't act nice."

He frowned at her, and not because she told him too. He pulled his arm away from her and put his hands in his pocket. "I'm not going to push you." He snapped. "Nobody gives a shit about us. We're just kids to them."

"You should." She muttered under her breath and walked ahead of him, with a quickness to her step.

"Why?" He asked, following after her. "Because that's what people want from us?" He was walking with long strides, keeping up with her. "We can be... acquaintances. We don't have to hate each other."

"Ok, I'm going to say this once." She sighed, keeping her pace, eyes dead on the road, ignoring him as they moved along. "We can't be friends. I appreciate what you did back at that manor. I really do, but given the fact that you're a Malfoy and I am a Toretto; we can't be seen with each other. My parents would go ballistic and so would yours. Your father made that clear enough."

"Will you stop walking away from me!" Draco ran in front of her, stopping her from walking as the two of them stood on a path in the middle of the woods. "I didn't say I expected us to be friends. I know we can't. I know what the danger is with doing that. But I can't- I won't hurt you. Physically or mentally. I- do you even realize what I did for you back there?"

"Look, I'm not saying I'm not grateful for what you did. Really I am, you should get used to the fact of not see each other outside of class. We should just stay away from each other." Isabella pushed past him yet again, and walking over towards the bridge that lead them to Hogwarts.

He stood there, staring at her for a few seconds. He didn't want to lose her. Not yet. "I took the Dark Mark for you!" He yelled, hands hanging desperately at his side. "You don't even realize..."

That stopped her head in her tracks and she turned around to face him, studying his face and noticing it completely serious. "That's not funny, Malfoy. Don't joke about stuff like that."

"Joke?" He laughed. "You think I'm joking?" He pulled his cloak off, throwing it to the ground and yanking the sleeve up on his left arm, his black Dark Mark sticking out against his pale skin. "Look for yourself, Toretto."

"Malfoy!" She was flabbergasted, her jaw dropping in awe. Rushing over to him, and glancing down at his arm, the snake wriggling against his pale skin; she reached down, allowing her fingers to gently graze around it.

"Why-What-Why did you tell me?" The words coming out of her mouth like tiny grains of sand from an hourglass, slowly and carefully.

"Because I didn't save your life by taking this for you to thrust me to the side. I don't want to hurt you. You can trust me. And now I know I can trust you." He stared at her, eyes staring, wanting her to understand how serious he was being. "Because you know my secret. And I know yours. Within seconds... we can ruin each other's lives. But we won't. Because despite what everyone wants, that's not going to work for us."

"So you're blackmailing me?"

He shook his head. "No. Of course not. If I was blackmailing you I wouldn't have showed you my dark mark. I would have forced you to be my friend and told everyone about your unregistered animagus if you hadn't." He let out a sigh. "We're too far into this to just walk away. Fine, we can't be friends. But I'm not going to be a dick to you."

"Izzy."

"Its what everyone calls me. You can call me Izzy if you want."

He nodded, pulling his sleeve back down and grabbing his now dirty cloak off the ground. "Why don't you walk ahead. I'll stay here for a few minutes. We can arrive separately..." He stared at her, eyes looking up the path every few seconds.

Remaining silent except for the nod of agreement, she went ahead of him, keeping her hands inside her cloak, or rather the cloak Malfoy gave her and dashed over, quickly to what would be Hogwarts, not bothering to take a second glance behind her.

Draco smiled at his friends, but it was forced. They were walking down the hall, making fun of some first years that had just passed by them. He wasn't completely paying attention, and he hadn't been for weeks. Him and Izzy hadn't spoken in over two weeks, and he hated it. He couldn't stand it. It was clear now that what he had told Blaise was true. He had feelings for the Gryffindor, what they were though he wasn't quite sure yet. He turned to look at his friends, leading pack, giving them a small smile to satisfy what they expected from him; when he suddenly ran head first into someone, hearing a crash of books hit the floor. He quickly turned to see who had run into him, and felt his heart take a leap.

"Watch it Malfoy! You jerk!"

The Gryffindor bent down to pick up her books, now on her knees as she threw a glare up at the group of Slytherins now standing in front of her.

"Isn't there something else that you should be doing besides standing there like a bunch of idiots?"

As she reached over to pick up the last book, Crabbe kicked it away, and it slid over the stone floors, about 10 feet away.

"Is that better, Toretto?" He smirked. The other boys now joining him in a laugh.

Draco stood there, not laughing, just staring at her. He wanted to yell at his friends, tell them to stop being so immature and just walk away, that it was just an accident. Then pick up the book for her and apologize on behalf of his house mates. But he knew he couldn't do that. What he should be doing is laughing along with them, throwing a couple jokes Isabella's way. But he knew he couldn't do that either. He stared between the two options running through his head before letting out a small groan of frustration and quickly walking away from the group and down the hall. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Draco! Where are you going?"

"Draco!"

His friends shouted after him as their leader had abandoned them. Like a cockroach without its head, sure it can survive without it, but let's be honest, it's relatively useless.

"Who's got the best house at Hogwarts?!"

"We do!"

"Who has the best seeker this school has ever known?!"

"We do!"

"Who's going to take the cup this year?!"

"Slytherin!"

"Who's going to take us there?!"

"Draco Malfoy!"

The cheering and shouting came as one, Greggory Goyle took to standing on a table, a drink in his hand as he and the rest of Slytherin house celebrated yet another victory in Quidditch. A stunning win over Ravenclaw, 200-120.

Goyle's cheeks flushed pink as he became more and more intoxicated. Though to be fair, everyone else was wasted too, well almost everyone.

"Draco!" Goyle shouted, clumsily stepping down his 'soap box' and staggering to Draco as he sat on a chair in common room. "Care to share a drink with me?"

Draco was sitting by the fireplace, legs crossed, the snitch he had caught in the game in his hand. He hadn't had a sip of alcohol all night, and in all honestly, he didn't even know how he had managed to catch the snitch with his head as fuzzy as it was. He allowed the light from the fireplace to reflect off the small gold ball, shaking his head at his friend, not even bothering to look at him.

"No, I'm fine, Greg." Draco let out a sigh, putting the snitch in his pocket. "I actually think I'm gonna go to bed. Pretty exhausted after the game." He quickly lied.

"No, no. I can't let you do that Draco. This is your victory party, take pleasure in it." He gestured over to a few girls, already past the point of sanity. "Reap your winnings." He smiled.

"I'm really not in the mood, Goyle." Draco said, letting out a sigh. "You go ahead and take all of girls you want." He turned his head away, looking around, mumbling under his breath. "They're all sluts anyway."

"I-" Greg hiccupped, "I-already have one waiting for me later on." He laughed, leaning on Draco's shoulder and sputtering. "Draco, did anyone ever tell you that you have blond hair? I mean it's like really blond."

"Yes, thanks Goyle." Draco stood up from the couch, pushing Goyle to the side. He didn't want to deal with a drunk person right now. In fact, it was the last thing he wanted to deal with. "Why don't you go examine someone else's hair." He snapped.

"Touchy, t'uchy." He sputtered, gathering himself up from his seat and going to the entrance way.

"I think I'll do some exploring 'round the castle." The doors opened, and with that, he had managed to get outside, the darkness surrounding him and moon high up in the sky as it was past curfew.

Draco let out a sigh as he watched Goyle walk outside, or rather, stumble outside. He would get in so much trouble for being out, let alone how wasted he was. He rolled his eyes though, sitting back down on the couch, deciding he didn't care. But as he stared into the fire, he decided he did, and with a groan, stood up and followed after her, throwing the door open.

"Goyle!" He yelled, walking through the dungeons in search for him.

Greg was leaning against the walls of Hogwarts, the glass still in his hand, half-full, and it was spilling with every step he took.

"Oi! What are you doing out here?" He called to a figure wandering the halls.

"I'm talking to you!" He yelled, sprinting as fast as he could after her, the glass in his hands breaking and spilling the sweet poison, as it nestled its way into the crevices of the floor.

Catching her by the arm, miraculously and in his attempt, dragging them both to the floor. His continuous laughing and snorting resonating.

"Goyle, get off me!" The girl shouted, shoving his chest with her arms to break free. But it was pointless as his heavy body had her weighed down like cinder-blocks.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're really pretty?" He smiled, leaning down to brush some hair out of her face.

"Goyle, let me go, you asshole!" She screamed, struggling with all her might, feeling the weight of his body crushing her bones, so much that it was hard to breathe.

"Toretto, don't make me do this the hard way? You know you want to kiss me."

"Kiss you?" His words were washing over her face; the pungent alcohol reigning supreme.

"You're drunk!"

"You noticed?" He leaned down to kiss her, and when she moved her head, Greg forcefully took her face in both his hands and took it upon himself to get what he wanted, cutting off her oxygen level, sloppy and wet lips and tongue attempting to break into hers.

Draco turned the corner just as it happened, and to his horror, he recognized the girl underneath him.

"Goyle!" He yelled, sprinting after them.

He reached them within minutes, grabbing his friend off Isabella and throwing him to the side.

"What in the hell is your problem?!" He yelled, watching as Goyle stumbled against a wall, Draco reaching down and grabbing Izzy's hand, pulling her up from the ground and back on her feet.

Isabella knew that this would probably end badly but the feel and want of being secure, safe, drew her to him. And without a second thought, she went into his arms, burying her head away from the sight on the floor; her back to Goyle while she sought comfort. The adrenaline rush from the incident, bringing her muscles to shake, and he took notice of it.

"What's my problem? What the hell is your problem!?" Goyle yelled, sitting up and wiping his eyes and face as he coughed, choking on his own saliva. The alcohol was not mixing well with his body.

"I saw her first!"

Draco wrapped his arm around the Gryffindor comfortingly, glaring at Goyle. "You're drunk!" He yelled at him. "Why would you even leave the common room?" He looked down at Izzy, still shaking. "Can't you see how much you scared her?!"

The Slytherin laughed, holding onto his side as he rolled on the ground like an empty bottle. "I scared her?" His question only made him laugh with more enthusiasm. "Draco, I didn't scare her. We were fooling around; she wanted to."

"I saw the whole thing, Greg. She was not willing." Draco snapped. "Go back to the common room. Before you get caught and are considered even more of an idiot to everyone in this school." He knew it was harsh, but his mind was on the girl scared in his arms.

"I'm not going to get caught." He snorted, "Unless you plan on turning me in." Much like a toddler learning to walk, Greg got to his feet, leaning against the wall. "Where's my drink?" He said to himself, staring at his empty hand.

Tiny but soft sobs were heaving into Draco's chest as Isabella's emotions were spilling out. Tears seeping into his clothes; overwhelmed and frightened beyond belief at what could have happened had not Draco been walking the halls that night, her hands curled around his shirt, grip tightening, and sniffling while she wept.

"It's alright, Isabella. He's not going to hurt you." He ran his hand over her back, glaring at Goyle. He slowly peeled himself away from Isabella, walking over to his 'friend'.

"Go. I mean it. Go back to the common room. Or else I'm going to make you."

"Now why are you going to make Mr. Goyle return to his common room soon?" A deep voice that they all knew too well.

"I asked you a question Mr. Malfoy." His eyes then wavered over to Isabella who stood, crying, to the side, like a lost child. "What is going on here?"

"Professor." Goyle laughed loudly, his head against the wall. "Professor-"

He laughed again. Clearly it was going to be near impossible to get a response from him any time soon.

"Just a party that got a little bit out of control is all, Professor." Draco said to his head of house. "I was just trying to get it under control again. You know, doing my prefect duties." He glanced over at Isabella, looking at her tear stricken eyes. "Toretto just got mixed up in it."

"What were you doing out of bed after hours Ms. Toretto?" Professor Snape's arms were crossed as he tilted his pointed nose up at her.

"I-" Her eyes met Draco's, and she quickly looked away. "I was out of bed. There's no excuse that I can make for that."

"Then why are you crying?" He said, sternly.

"She hit her head." Draco cut in quickly. "She stumbled into Goyle and wacked her head on the wall." It was clear Goyle was already drunk, and technically, it wasn't a lie. "I was going to make sure she was okay before sending her back to her common room." Draco looked over at Izzy as he spoke, hoping his lie was sufficient enough.

"Why is it that I always find you in the middle of something, Toretto?" He glared, and then sighed.

"Detention. All of you. My office, this Friday. You'll be writing lines for me that evening. And if any of you are late, I'll double it." Snape's gaze went to Draco as he took Goyle by the shoulder. "See that she gets to her Common Room. Then come by my office after. I want to speak to you, Draco."

"But, Professor-." Draco cut in. He knew it was really no use. "This isn't her fault. I mean, she just got caught up in it."

But when the glare from Snape hit him, he quickly lowered his gaze. "Right. Sorry, Professor."

He watched them walk away before turning to Izzy, letting out a small sigh and going to her when Snape and Goyle were out of view. "Are you okay?" He asked.

Isabella nodded; the black of her hair shielding her face as her head hung low; quickly she ran, as fast as her legs could carry her back to Gryffindor Tower.

Draco stood there, watching her run away, wanting to chase after her but knowing he should just let her go. If he hadn't intervened, who knows what Goyle would have done to her. She needed some time to herself. With a sigh, he headed down towards Snape's office, knowing the conversation wouldn't be a good one.

"Come in." Snape called from inside his office, scribbling down something on a sheet of parchment as Draco entered the room.

Draco nervously stepped inside the office, staring at the floor as he spoke. "Professor, I really should get back to the common room..."

"What was that stunt you pulled tonight?" He didn't bother making eye contact with the boy. Merely continuing with his notes; the quill scratching and darting with haste.

Draco finally looked up at him. "I didn't pull a stunt. Goyle stumbled out of the common room and I didn't want him to get in trouble. So I chased after him and found him forcing himself on Isabella. So obviously I pulled him off of her. She was frightened was all."

"Are you forgetting what you were set out to do?"

"No, I just-." He stopped short. He didn't know what to say. He had behaved. Hell, they hadn't talked in three weeks. "I'm trying..."

"-Mr. Malfoy, do you realize the danger you put yourself in? Meddling with her? And as much as I hate to say it, possibly endangering her by befriending the girl?"

Snape set his quill down, sharply, essentially slamming it on the mahogany wood. "You have a mission, Draco! Don't stray away from what you were assigned to do!"

"I-I'm not!" He yelled back. "I haven't spoken to her in... weeks! I'm trying my best. I really am. I just..." He let out a half sob, half sigh, slamming his hands at his sides. "I can't do this." He mumbled under his breath.

"What?" Snape shot out of his seat, grabbing Draco by the collar and slamming him against the wall. "Can't do this?! You have no choice!" He growled. "I took the unbreakable vow!"

Draco's eyes went wide as he stared at his Potions Professor. He didn't know what to say. "I-I didn't..." He shook his head. "This wasn't my choice!" He fought back. "I don't want this! This was forced on me!"

"Its. a. little. late. for. that." Emphasis was placed on every word, as he rudely threw him, releasing the boy. "You'll do well to stay away from that girl, Draco. It's in your best interests."

"What do you even know?" He snapped. "Why would you even make an unbreakable vow?! I'm going to fail! Everyone knows I am!"

"You have a mission to complete! I have my reasons why I made the unbreakable vow; and if you have any sense in your brain. You will go through with this, unless you want you and everyone else you care about, dead!" The threatened, looking Draco down and glaring.

"They're going to anyway..." He mumbled under his breath, shaking his head. "How am I even supposed to do this? I-I can't kill..."

"This isn't a deal we're making, Malfoy. You can and will do this."

"You can't force me into this. This isn't my fault that you made an unbreakable vow!" Draco reached for the door, pulling it open. "And I'm not coming to that damn detention on Friday!"

"Alright, then you can explain to your father how you got that detention in the first place." Snape swaggered back to his desk, pointing his wand at the door and opening it with a flick. "Get out of my office, and I expect to see you there Draco."

Draco stormed out, slamming the door behind him and walking towards the Slytherin common room. Things had just become a million times more complicated. Now... he had no choice. He would have to kill Dumbledore. Snape wouldn't not let him.