You are strong but you're needy, humble but you're greedy
You're style is quite selective though your mind is rather reckless
Well I guess it just suggests that this is just what happiness is

Although you were biased I love your advice
Your comebacks they're quick and probably have to do with your insecurities
There's no shame in being crazy, depending on how you take these words
I'm paraphrasing this relationship we're staging

But it's a beautiful mess, yes it is
It's like picking up trash in dresses

Well it kind of hurts when the kind of words you say
Kind of turn themselves into blades
And the kind and courteous is the life I've heard
But it's nice to say that we played in the dirt
Cause here, here we are
Here we are

We're still here

And it's a beautiful mess, yes it is
It's like taking a guess when the only answer is yes

And through timeless words and priceless pictures
We'll fly like birds not of this earth
And tides they turn and hearts disfigure
But that's no concern when we're wounded together
And we tore our dresses and stained our shirts
But its nice today, oh the wait was so worth it

Here we are

[A Beautiful Mess by Jason Mraz]


Leaning on the door, she took a deep breath, moving the chunk of hair behind her ear. Her heart was beating so fast, it could have been having its own seizure. She placed an ear on the door to hear if he reacted, but didn't hear much.

Now in front of the sink, Brooke silently mouthed 'WHAT' and clasped her hands to her mouth. "What just happened?" she said to herself. She stared at her reflection, hoping it had some answer, but it stared back open mouthed.

Sighing in exasperation, Brooke turned the sink on to wash her face and actually get ready to sleep.

Once she stalled enough in the bathroom, she placed a hand on the door knob, took a breath and opened it. Draco was gone.

He wasn't sitting on her bed. He wasn't in his bed. He wasn't anywhere in the room.

/

At the very top of the Astronomy Tower, a shadowy figure leaned over the railing. Although his ears were perked to hear the smallest sound, he took a deep breath and sighed. Draco hated this place. There was no way to get rid of the lingering guilt he felt at nearly every moment he was here. And now look at what he was doing. He was less than a centimeter away from making it worse.

He needed this view to show him reality. Brooke was right. Sure, it annoyed him how she only saw him as a Death Eater, but she was right and he needed to remember that.

/

Brooke woke up before he did. She saw the bundled up lump in the bed next to her and wondered if she should wake him. After slowly getting ready, Brooke took out her wand and silently crouched down in front of his face. His chest rose up and down at a steady rhythm and his arms lay lazily across. Thinking about lying in them seemed unusually calming, as if in a couple seconds, Brooke would find herself falling asleep.

She raised her wand and watched Draco's features morph in front of her eyes.

Midway through her breakfast at the Great Hall, Draco walked in and sat down at the Slytherin table.

Shouldn't she go over and say something?

Or no, he should be the one coming over here. It was his fault after all. She wasn't the one leaning over him or brushing her hand on his soft cheek or looking at him with that…that burning, longing intensity.

A piercing screech startled her out of her seat. Of course, Brooke sighed in her head. Parkinson's laughter was something unbearably distinct. Off in the Slytherin table, she threw her head back in a fit of giggles and her hand clutching the middle of her chest. Apparently both she and both Greengrass sisters were in the middle of an amusing joke told by a lean, broad chinned, brown haired boy.

Brooke immediately stood up from her seat.

Then, she sat back down and ran her fingers through her hair to avoid the surprised glances from fellow Gryffindors.

She poked at her eggs for a little bit, not hungry anymore and left when she saw him get up.

"Ahem," Brooke stalked after Draco.

"Hrm?" he turned around with the sickening smile that always made her want to punch him.

"What do you think you're doing?" she narrowed her eyes.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"Oh, shut up," she said. "You know talking to them is going to make them question you more and more until they find out exactly who you are."

"Maybe I want them to," he shrugged carelessly.

Brooke pursed her lips and gave him the dirtiest stare she could muster up.

Draco's expression fell and he sighed. "Alright, alright, I was joking. They think I'm a sixth year that they haven't gotten the chance to meet yet."

"Yeah, while the group of fourth year Hufflepuffs think you're one of them. Good idea, Draco," she scathed.

"Don't worry, okay?" he said. "You'll be done with your thing in no time and they'll never see us again."

She stopped and crossed her arms as he trotted away from her.

"Library in a two hours," she called, "And don't be late!"

He waved without turning around.

"Asshole," she muttered.

Sighing, Brooke stood, wondering what she should do. She really should start checking out the castle. He was right only in that respect.

Maybe she could go and visit Winky and ask them later in the night again.

There and try to get some information from the teachers and if she's lucky, find out a couple things from Snape. Anything about Horcruxes, how to kill them or where Harry, Ron and Hermione might be. She needed to keep those objectives clear in her mind.

"I can't believe we've never met him before," laughed Parkinson.

She and the Greengrasses were just leaving the Great Hall.

"He's not that bad looking, either," smiled Greengrass.

"Yeah, well you can have him. Draco'll be back anytime."

Brooke frowned. "She's still after him?" she whispered to herself.

"You're so lucky," Greengrass shook her head. "The Dark Lord's right hand man all for you."

Parkinson shrugged her shoulders with a smug look on her face.

"You'd think you would've noticed him after six years, Astoria," said her older sister.

"He was never in any of my classes," she said. "But I guess I wasn't looking hard enough."

"Go for it," winked Parkinson. "He's funny, sexy and a Slytherin. If I didn't have Draco, I'd go for him."

Astoria smiled to herself.

"So, lucky you," said Parkinson, sashaying ahead as the other two trailed behind her.

Brooke smirked. Pansy Parkinson and Astoria Greengrass? They had no chance. Parkinson was purely an unpleasant girl, while her face was too pug-like than delicate. Greengrass, on the other hand, had grown nicely into her features, accompanied by a sleek head of brown hair. Brooke need not worry, though. She'd be after a boy who would disappear in a couple days.

During class times, Brooke tried to avoid dwelling on the first and second floors where most classrooms were located. She watched, trying to find when and where McGonagall, Amycus, Alecto or any of the other wizards on patrol would be. Tracking down Snape, however, had failed miserably. She hadn't the slightest clue as to whether or not he was in the castle today.

After stalking McGonagall's office and peeking around the Headmaster's tower, Brooke sneaked back down to the fourth floor and headed into the library.

"And you told me not to be late," said Draco, sitting in a far corner.

Brooke rolled her eyes and pulled out her wand.

"I'm sorry, did you need to be somewhere? With your girls, maybe?" she smirked.

"I'm meeting them for lunch, actually," he smirked back.

She immediately pursed her lips and crossed her arms. "I wouldn't normally care, but this is kind of putting us in danger, if you hadn't been listening to a word I've said."

"Calm down," he said. "I'm won't be hanging around my friends, just little Greengrass."

"Why?" Brooke questioned.

He shrugged. "Ran into her as she was going to the bathroom and she asked. Why do you care?"

"I don't," she smiled haughtily. "Like I said, if this were any other time, I wouldn't give a rat's ass. However, that's not the case. Our lives are at risk, so I'd prefer you not running around the castle flirting with each of the Slytherin girls, thanks."

"If this were any other time, I'd think you were jealous," he said as the corners of his mouth tilted upwards.

"Ha," Brooke looked at him. "You're funny."

After she transfigured both their faces and set another time to meet, Brooke continued down the stairs until the second floor. Checking both ways before proceeding into the corridor, she hurried into the bathroom.

Quiet and empty, the room looked exactly the same. The white shiny tiles gleamed back the sun's reflection. Walking at a normal pace, Brooke passed through the green stalls, making sure she was alone.

"Myrtle?" she echoed off the walls. "Moaning Myrtle?"

She listened for any sound of the ghost, but her impatience couldn't wait when no one answered back. As soon as she made for the door, a blue misty figure flew in front of her.

"Who is disturbing me? I was taking a nice swim in the pipes under the lake," pouted Myrtle.

"Sorry, but I need you to do me a favor."

"A favor? I don't just do favors," she looked Brooke up and down.

"Please, Myrtle," said Brooke. "It's really important."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"I need you to keep an eye out for Snape and tell me when he's in the castle," Brooke said, glancing at the doors.

"Why?" she looked at her suspiciously.

"Because I have to get into his office," she said simply.

"Who are you to tell me what to do?"

"If I tell you, you can't tell anyone. Same goes for this whole meeting."

Myrtle didn't seem convinced.

"If you help me, in a way, you're really helping Harry Potter," she mentioned.

"What do you mean?" Myrtle asked slowly.

"I mean, I'm a close friend of his, an ally," Brooke explained. "And not only do I need your help, so does Harry."

At this notion, Myrtle agreed and Brooke revealed who she was. She dodged plenty of her questions, giving a vague idea of why she was at Hogwarts without the rest. With Moaning Myrtle on the lookout, all she needed to do now was figure out Harry, Hermione and Ron's whereabouts.

Coming out of the bathroom, Brooke saw students about and realized it was time for lunch.

She still found it so strange to be walking around Hogwarts. The people she normally would have smiled and waved at, passed by without any acknowledgement. And although Brooke spent some of her time at Hogwarts by herself, she missed the usual presence of her best friends.

Instead, she had to be around the boy she undoubtedly did not want to be around.

And even still, he was off parading around the castle like his old self.

Except Draco was now hanging around Astoria Greengrass in the courtyard for lunch. They had their half eaten lunch in hand, sitting side by side and laughing.

Soon, she found herself headed straight towards them.

They looked up.

"Hey," Brooke smiled.

"Hi," Draco said slowly, eyeing her.

Turning to Astoria, she extended her hand. "Hi."

"Hi," she replied. After hesitantly shaking her hand, Astoria glanced questioningly at Draco.

"Meet me in that one empty broom closet for another round?" Brooke asked Draco, intentionally choosing her words. "Instead of the library, since it's more...private."

He stared at her incredulously. "Sure."

"Can't wait," she winked.

Then, she kept walking towards the Great Hall, leaving Astoria in an unsettling and suspicious state.

It was both a satisfying, yet knowingly wrong feeling. Maybe she shouldn't have done that. She shrugged it off and sat down at the Gryffindor table.

Usually, her head would be drowning in thoughts and trying to decipher her actions, but she almost felt happily careless. What would good would come out of all that thinking? She and Draco would still be one messed up relationship, so there was no need to get worked up over anything anymore.

Poor girl. Better this way than having him disappear in a couple days.

Someone sat next to her.

"What was all that about?" Draco asked.

"I think you're sitting at the wrong table," Brooke laughed.

"That didn't seem at all like you back there."

"Whatever do you mean?" she asked innocently.

"With Astoria? The tone, the words, the winking?" he raised his eyebrows.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Why would you- are you jealous or something?"

"Of Astoria Greengrass?" Brooke looked at him.

He narrowed his eyes. "I don't get you."

Brooke kept listening and glancing up between bites of food.

"You're always angry at me and turned away when I tried to kiss you and now you're going around, acting as if we're together to chase away anyone else that could be potentially fancying me," he shook his head. "Everything would be so much easier if you were just straightforward for once."

"Me being straightforward?" Brooke snapped, putting down her fork, "What about you? The one who almost kissed me if I hadn't stopped it and then goes around the day after talking to a bunch of other Slytherin girls? What about that?"

"I'm sorry, did you not kissing me actually meant that you felt the same way?" he said sarcastically.

"Well it's a good thing I didn't kiss you, since you obviously got over that pretty quickly," she scathed.

"Am I supposed to wait around for you?" he asked defensively. "If you really did want to be with me, then yes, instead of prancing around with another girl," Brooke said, feeling her cheeks turn red.

"Oh and you didn't do that with Goldstein?" Draco glared.

"You broke up with me!" she flared at him.

"And you seemed like you got over that pretty quickly," he said quietly.

"You know damn well that I didn't."

"It didn't stop you from snogging him for five months."

"Like you stopped snogging that cow Parkinson! You two started going out way before me and Anthony."

"Hardly," he scoffed. "She's been all over since year one."

"You fell for it! Or I'm sorry," Brooke mocked, "did you kissing her mean you actually didn't feel the same way?"

"Did it for you and Anthony?" he retorted.

"It always felt like there was something wrong and I felt like hell for it," she whispered fiercely as her eyes heated up, "but I tried to move on from you and you just wouldn't let me."

With no outward response from Draco, Brooke stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder.

"Just so you know, I wanted to kiss you yesterday. But how am I supposed to know that you won't stab me in the back again?"

Her steps echoes amongst the chatter of the students as she left the Great Hall. The only place she knew to go to was the library. Sitting by the lake felt more suitable, but it was bound to be watched by Death Eaters. She walked right by Madame Pince. By now, she thought she must look like a regular bookworm instead of a new, suspicious face.

Heading to her usual corner in the library, her eyes caught on a newspaper sitting on one of the study desks. It rang an alarm in her head and made her legs speed over to it as fast as she could.

Harry and Hermione's pictures were moving on the front page of the Daily Prophet.

Undesirable Number One Spotted

Harry Potter and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry classmate, Hermione Granger have been seen briefly around the area of Godric's Hollow late Christmas Day. Their current whereabouts are unknown. Potter, having been missing for the past months, is escaping on charges of assault, damage of public property and other major crimes. He is known to be traveling with two classmates, Granger and Ronald Weasley. Witnesses have only confirmed the sightings of two, while none have reported the capture or death of the latter. The young Weasley has been assumed in hiding, abandoned, missing or dead.

The capture of any of the three criminals is crucial and must be reported to the Ministry of Magic as soon as possible. Any persons withholding information will be punished.

"I thought you'd be in here," someone said.

Brooke held the newspaper in her hand, rereading it over and over.

"Brooke?" Draco tried getting her attention. "I know you don't to talk to me right now, but I think I deserve some kind of hear out."

When she didn't respond, he turned her around himself. She handed him the newspaper.

"Godric's Hollow?" he asked, reading. "Are you going to go and find them?"

"Are you crazy?" she said. "It's probably on even more careful radar now than ever."

"Well, now you know where they were," he gave back the paper.

"Did you read it?" Brooke snatched it from his hands. "Ron wasn't with them."

Brooke sat down at the table, watching Harry and Hermione's pictures moving. She wished she could just ask them what was going on. Where were they? Did they find anything in Godric's Hollow or where else? And what on earth happened to Ron? They certainly wouldn't abandon him, even if he was being a jerk.

Worry escalated and Brooke prayed he was still alive somewhere.

"What if- what if he got kidnapped or…" her eyes grew wide and her mind began to imagine every possible way Ron's death could have occurred.

"Brooke, it's going to be okay," said Draco, alarmed by her sudden panic. He sat down next to her and looked at the newspaper. "Look, it says no one's reported him dead or anything."

"So? You don't get it. There are so many other things that could have happened to him without being publicized," said Brooke. "What we were doing- what they're doing right now, you couldn't imagine how dangerous it all is."

"It hasn't been a vacation on the other side of that either."

Brooke wasn't sure if she should leave Hogwarts now and start searching for them or stay until she was finished checking the castle. A small part of her felt as though she were cheating Harry, Ron and Hermione. While they were on the run finding Horcruxes, she was residing in a castle.

"Where could they have gone?" she said aloud.

"If a million people haven't found them yet, how could you find them by yourself?"

"I should be able to," she argued.

"I just think you should stop worrying about them and do whatever you came here to do. Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll give you some sort of clue, right?"

And just like that, the two were back on civil terms and never even mentioned the conversation they had in the Great Hall. Brooke was much too occupied with making her own plan to find or at least communicate with Harry and Hermione somehow.

To her surprise, Draco was more than open to helping her out in any way possible, even if it meant just emotional support.

What Brooke really had been waiting for was Myrtle's heads up about Snape in the castle. Her hope resided in any clues or information he would say or hold in his office. She thought maybe Dumbledore's old things would still be in the Headmaster's tower, since Snape was apparently never at the castle.

The Carrows, it seemed, carried orders to teach at Hogwarts and that was all. She and Draco followed them closely the rest of the day and found nothing helpful.

They retreated to their room, even though Brooke knew she wasn't going to be able to sleep until she had a set plan in her mind. Right now, everything was based on guesses.

Brooke looked around.

"Where's the bed?"

She turned around, even peering into the corners.

"Where'd my bed go?"

"Maybe someone else is in here," said Draco quietly, proceeding towards the bathroom on his tiptoes.

"Why would they make-"

"Shh!"

Brooke rolled her eyes, but followed silently behind him nonetheless. With the Death Eater's wand out in front of him, Draco swiftly opened the bathroom door and raised his wand.

There was no one in there.

"It might just be a malfunction in the room," suggested Brooke.

"It's magic, not a machine."

"Well, do you have any other explanation besides someone breaking into a practically unbreakable room?" she folded her arms.

Draco continued to get himself comfortable for bed.

"We need a second bed, thank you," Brooke said aloud, hoping the room would fix its mistake.

But it didn't. There stayed the one twin sized bed.

"Look, I'll take the floor," offered Draco. "It's no big deal."

"It's my bed that's missing," pointed out Brooke. "I'm perfectly fine with the floor."

"Or you can stop being proud and trying to prove yourself and just let me do with my bed as I please," said Draco. "And I'm offering it you."

"And I'm thanking you, but refusing."

"Just take it!" he said sharply.

"Alright alright," Brooke sat down on his bed. "Sheesh. And you don't have to try to prove yourself either. I get it. You're sorry."

"I'm not trying to prove myself," he said, taking his socks off. "Just doing what I should be."

He was facing away from her on the wooden floor. It didn't look like a comfortable place to sleep at all.

"Thanks," Brooke said.

A dark green sleeping bag and a blanket appeared next to the side table.

"Oh," she said, surprised. "It can give us that, but not my bed back."

Draco shrugged.

The room was dark, lit only by the moonlight from the window. She stared at him lying on the floor. It was like there were two completely opposite persons living in him. One that she despised, with his arrogant smirk, his sneer, his wavering loyalties.

Except he didn't really have a wavering loyalty when it came to her. All of a sudden everything Draco had said about staying with her at the castle made apparent sense.

There weren't two sides to him. He was just Draco. And if one "side" disappeared- even the smirk, the sneer and the Dark Mark on his arm, Brooke would miss it.

"Draco?"

"Hm?

"Thanks, again," she said. "For calming me down today. I kind of resort to the worst possible thing that can happen, like I'm preparing myself for it." "Yeah, I understand," he replied. "No problem."

She still didn't feel prepared for anything. Ron, or any of them, might never hear what Brooke wanted to tell, in. When her father died, she often replayed the last time she saw him. He was standing in front of their door, ready to leave. She smiled, knowing the last thing he said was that he loved her mother and her. What she found bitterly funny was that Draco was one of the last things he mentioned to her.

"He said not to let you get to me," she said.

"What?" he mumbled.

"My father said to not let 'that boy' get to me," she repeated. "It was one of the last things he said."

She laughed.

"I guess I never followed his advice," she continued.

His head was still turned the other way.

"Draco, if something happened to either of us and we never got to see each other again," she said, feeling her chest sink to the thought of, "I'd want you to know that through all the hell we've been through…I would go through it a million times over because it would mean being with you."

He didn't reply or move and Brooke thought he might have fallen asleep, so she tossed in her bed and closed her eyes.

As she accepted her fault of an awkward moment, Brooke heard the sleeping bag ruffle and felt her bed moving. She turned around to see Draco climbing into her bed.

She looked at him questioningly.

He didn't say anything. He only draped the blanket over both of them and put his arms around her. Brooke nestled her head into his neck and fell asleep.


A/N: Helloo :) Hopefully this extra long chapter makes up for my long pauses between posts . Anyway, thanks to all you that review. I was amazingly happy when I woke up to about 5 reviews the morning after I posted. & please keep REVIEWING & READING!

ps. the song featured is one of my ultimate favorites, which is why I put almost the whole song. it's quite beautiful & i hope you enjoy it as much as I do.