A/N So I went to a party last night and am vair hungover and possibly still drunk. My hands have cuts all over them from where I lost a bottle smashing contest, but I am extremely dedicated, so here's the next chapter. Sorry if it sucks.

Mother sat alone in her chair, gazing out from her fourth floor room. She was no longer in a critical condition, and they'd moved her, but it was like she was dead. The noises coming out of her mouth were simply random notes, strung together in an indecipherable code.

I slipped into the room subtly, slid of my coat with as much gracefulness as possible, lay in gently on the empty chair and just watched her.

My blood ran cold as ice as I thought of my Mother being attacked and turned into the vegetable in front of me.Those bastards. I would find out who did and make them pay.

A noise broke me out of my reverie.

My body tensed immediately, the muscles in my neck so rigid and protruding you could have cut a pumpkin with them. The sound of the approaching 'click' of a heel was enough to make me stiff as a board, my face painted with lines of worry.

I knew why Daphne hadn't appeared at the party, and I knew she'd be pissed now. I loved her so much, and yet I couldn't trust her at all, and it hurt me. I would never fully understand my complex sister, hard as I tried. She had a master poker face to rival even my icy features, and her thoughts were constantly out of my reach. It infuriated me beyond belief.

Click, click, click. As the clacking of the heels grew ever closer, the inevitability of seeing my blood relative came crashing down on me like a wave of terror, and I sucked in a deep breath.

Calm.

And then, bang! There she was, in all her beauty, the delightful Daphne standing in front of my own two feet... smiling?

Crap. My worry returned tenfold.

"Hello Tory!" she practically sang, waltzing casually up to Mother and carefully placing a blanket around her sunken shoulders.

I blinked in surprise, and also resentment. Mother had grown used to my presence enough that she could bear to me in the same room as me without waking the ward, but shrieked and flinched away if I so much as made a move to touch her.

"Hey," I muttered. Whatever had Daphne in such a good mood was bound to be bad news for me.

A few moments of silence passed, before my sister turned to me, beaming.

"Guess what?"

"What?" My monotone contrasted heavily with her gleeful tones.

"He finally did it. Isn't the most fantastic news?"

Confusion flooded my face. "Huh?"

"Draco! He finally asked me out." Her voice turned into the dreamy voice of those lost in fantasy. "He's taking me to The Acromantula for dinner in the holidays."

I felt like I'd been punched. Last night I'd realised I care for Draco, this morning I was beginning to comprehend just how much. I was also beginning to understand that Malfoy would stop at nothing to keep me away from him.

"How... lovely." My voice choked, but Daphne either didn't notice or didn't care.

"Isn't it?" She giggled.

"Mmm. Sorry Daph, I have to go now, but Father will be here soon."

"Already? But I haven't even told you the story of how it happened yet!"

"I know, such a shame. You can tell me another time. I simply must leave now or I'll be late. So sorry. Give my love to Father, and give Mother a kiss from me." I began retreating. "See you tomorrow Daphne."

I slipped into the slightly shadowy corridor, barely controlling my eyes as tears threatened to fall. This was all Draco's fault. I could manage without him just fine, if he'd only leave my mind long enough for me to try.

Frustrated, I turned to leave, but I was stopped by the sudden presence of a large, Father shaped block in the middle of my path.

Bloody brilliant.

"Astoria, just where do you think you're going?"

"Back to school, Sir. I have a meeting. I don't want to be late."

He pierced me with his razor sharp glare.

"A meeting? This wouldn't have anything to do with that stupid group promoting-" he stopped and sneered. "-muggle rights, would it?"

I flushed. "No, Father. I told you; that was ONE time."

His lip curled, and he leaned closer, putting his mouth right next to my ear.

"Don't make me do anything I'll regret. You will behave like the daughter you should be, or things will get, ah, unpleasant."

He straightened up and strode past me into Mother's ward, ignoring my flinch as I shied away from the cruel man that was my Father.

The tears that had welled up were no longer there, replaced my humiliation dealt by the hand of my parent.

I hastily walked to the stairs, and took them two at a time. I grabbed the portkey Dumbledore had made, and checked the time remaining 'til it's departure. Forty minutes.

I sighed. Just as I passed through the silky softness of the glass that was the doorway to St. Mungos, the portkey glowed and I felt the familiar tugging sensation in my navel. Very clever - prime the device for immediate withdrawal if not in a certain area. Simple and genius, it carried the hallmark of my Headmaster.

I floated down to the soft grass by the lake, and despite the bite in the air, and my lack of coat - which I realised I must have left at the hospital - I made my solitary way down to the edge of the water, before sitting cross legged, half-hidden by the huge tree I lay against.

I don't know how long I sat there, but it was long enough to make my bum numb, and legs stiff with disuse.

The sun was still out, but the air was rapidly cooling and the few students who were there slowly drifted back up to their dorms, and by the time I stood up the skyline was dusky and starting to make it's inevitable change of day into night.

My thoughts were still a jumble. Where could I find solace? In thoughts of Mother, screaming at me, denying me while she slowly died? Or perhaps my Father, furious at me for showing some compassion to Mudbloods, angry enough to hurt me physically at times? Daphne was no better, as I kept imagining her and Malfoy curled around each other, and the sudden urge to hit something came on very strong. Malfoy. I couldn't think of him either. The knowledge that he really was just using me to dissuade admirers sickened me, and even as he did the very same thing with my sister I knew I still wanted his embrace.

The pain was unbearable, and I couldn't face traipsing back to the castle just to wallow in pity again. So I did something I hope I'll never do again.

I jumped in the wintery lake.

The water was icy cold and dark, reflecting emofied, twisted versions of myself back up to where I'd left my shoes and outer robe. It was glorious.

My skin felt numb and alive at the same time, every cell reverberating with the shock the freezing lake bought to my system. I closed my eyes and let myself float in the water, teeth chattering and lips trembling, flushed blue by the chill.

The water seemed to flush away all previous thoughts and all I could think of was the icy fire caressing my skin, burning me, exquisite pain, violent and intense and furiously turning my warm blood to subzero temperatures.

Suddenly I was wrenched away from my watery prison, and I cried out, missing the ignorant bliss that the pain gave me.

My cries mingled with my rescuers - their voice was fraught with panic.

"Astoria! Astoria!"

I couldn't move, and my brain was sluggish. I opened my eyes a tiny amount, and barely made out their fuzzy form as they worked over me, drying out my clothes and warming me with huge gusts of air. I closed my eyes and allowed them to frantically call for help and murmur complex spellwork over my frozen body.

"Apapneo!" I coughed and spluttered, choking up great mouthfuls of water I'd swallowed just moments ago.

More murmured spells, and the shadowy figure had soon multiplied, and then I was getting carried up to the castle in giant arms, feeling warmer and safe, all thoughts from earlier banished from my mind.

A/N I know this is late. Sorry.