* This ia a little shorter than my other chapters, and it's full of angst. I'm just in that mood right now. Also, I'm eating a cookie, and cookies make my hyper AF. Oh, and I would've posted this yeterday, except after classes, I was immersed in Quizup, and, well, yeah... Well, enough of my insanity, read on! Pufflz!

John was never a morning person. It wasn't necessarily because he slept in, because he barely even slept. No, it was because he was often caught reading on his bed. His life basically revolved around reading books. But woah, did this school need a "mature read" section. John shivered slightly.

At around nine, John got hungry, so he threw on some "presentable" clothing as Clara had told him. Why did people change their outfits every single day? Waste of time, in John's opinion.

And so, book in hand, John made his way out of the boys' dormitories to be met with some yelling. He listened a bit, and the voice was obviously Clara's.

"What did I do this time," John muttered to himself, as he made his way down the staircase. He was standing a few feet away, and was about to say something, when Clara burst out again.

"Maybe I should've ignored him, but I did what I did because I would've gone mad without telling someone!" Clara shrieked.

What the-?

"Why couldn't you just tell us?" Harry asked. His voice seemed a little aggravated and rough.

"Because I needed someone at that moment. And, none of you were there. And now, he knows something that I will probably never tell anyone else."

John stiffened. Clara," he said slowly. Clara turned to meet him. "Tell us now."

Clara stood a bit dumfounded for a second. She gazed intently at john, and he could tell that she was silently protesting his command.

"Clara," John said a little more forcefully. He took a step forward. "Please, tell us. Or at least tell me."

Clara opened her mouth, then closed it again. She was obviously thinking for something to say.

"No," Clara said.

"What?"

"She's refusing to say anything to us, but she was able to tell Malfoy," Ron blurted.

John stared at Clara for a bit. "Clara, what happened that you would go to Malfoy and tell him your problems? You could always tell us, you know. We're here to keep you safe and to help-" john was cut off.

"I never asked for you to keep me safe, or to help me!" Clara argued. "Not once, have I asked for your assistance."

John bit his tongue, remembering what he was told by the old man. "Whatever you do, make sure Clara is safe."

"Aren't doing a marvelous job at that," John muttered to himself. He shook himself out of his thoughts. "Clara you have to tell us. It's for your own good!"

"My own good?" Clara seethed. "My own bloody good? John smith, you cannot tell me what is good for me, or what to do. Those are my choices. Right now, I am choosing not to tell you!"

"Why not?"

"It's my choice!" Clara yelled back. "You can't force me to tell you anything!"

"Clara," John demanded. "You will tell us what happened to you, and you will do it RIGHT NOW!"

Clara shook her head, the obvious tears pricking her eyes. "No. I've told you already," she turned toward Harry, hermione and Ron. "I told you all what I could. I''l tell someone, just now you four." She turned on her heel, and left the common room.

John started after her, "Clara!"

Harry pulled him back. "Don't," he warned. "She'll calm down… eventually."

"How do you know?" John shot.

Hermione put her hands on her hips. "John, you are so clueless," she faced Ron and Harry. "You all are."

She walked out on them, leaving three very confused boys.

"What did Hermione mean?" Harry asked, obviously perplexed.

John sat down uncomfortably in a chair. "You know, I have never had this many problems with a girl until Clara."

"Mate, you didn't have any problems with girls until Clara," Ron said. He was smiling nervously in to make the situation better.

John shook his head. "I told you guys about the otters and River. Honestly, it wasn't my fault. I don't have a calendar that keeps up with these dates!"

Harry looked confused. "Otters? River? Dates?!"

John rolled his eyes. "I forgot her birthday. Worst idea ever."

"How is forgetting someone's birthday and idea?' Ron asked.

"It has to be an idea! There's just way too much going on in my head to think straight right now!" John complained.

Harry exhaled sharply. "You know, maybe we should ask Pomfrey for help. She might give us some clues as to why Clara is acting like this... "

John had a sinking feeling in his gut. "I want to as well…"

Ron shook his head wildly. "Nuh uh! Do you want Clara to get angrier? She'll go mental on us if we find out whatever she's not telling us!"

"She's already pretty mental right now Ron," John snapped.

Harry's shoulders slumped. "It must be pretty bad though… I have had nightmares every night since the Dementor attack… We have to find out what Clara went through."

Ron shook his head again. "If we do that, we'll have Hermione angry at us as well. And I need her in this," he made a circle motion with his hands, "friend group- whatever it is, because otherwise my homework will never get done!"

"Not to mention Ginger," John chimed in.

"What?" Ron asked.

"How can you forget your sister's name?" John asked, confused.

"You mean Ginny?"

Harry smacked Ron on the head, "Yes, he means Ginny! Clara and Ginny are like best mates!"

"Oh."

John waved his hands around chaotically. "Shut up! Both of you! I can't get my thinking straight with you two idiots talking." For some inexplicable reason, they kept talking. It irked John to no end.

Harry looked up. "We could… you know… apologize?"

"And where would that get us?" John asked.

Harry gave a quizzical look. "Somewhere we don't need to worry about three girls killing us?"

"But we won't know anything about Clara's… condition!" John argued.

"Maybe we shouldn't?" Harry said, though it sounded like a question.

"You changed your mind really quickly," John noted.

Harry looked uncomfortable. "Just exploring our options…"

Ron tapped his finger to his chin. "Maybe… if we can't get Clara to tell us say, within a month, we pull out the invisibility cloak and snoop around Pomfrey's office?"

John cocked his head. "That's actually not a bad idea.

Harry cracked his knuckles. "Are we good then?"

Ron nodded, while John shrugged. That was good enough.

Ron raised an eyebrow in John's direction moments after. "Just one question, who is River?"

John rolled his eyes. At one point, he had asked the same thing. "A psychopath who tried to murder me," he answered sarcastically. The two others gave John odd looks.