Happy Holidays!

Chapter 11 is here for you!

I want to say thank you to: vampire-angel1996, xXMizz Alec VolturiXx,carpe-diem-1299, L.A.H.H, xXxCastielxXx, BadassAlec, Doppelganger13, LuvTaylor01, kaileena7, TemaxShika forever, and Nicky-Maree.

And thank you to everyone that favorite and added my story to there alerts. It means a lot to me!

Disclaimer: I think you know the deal by now.

Angeline sat at one of the study tables in the common room working on her Defense Against the Dark Arts essay about how to defend oneself against dementors. She was the last person in the common room the way she typically liked it.

Earlier when they had all come back from dinner to find a new sign on the notice board that announced the date of their Apparition Test. Those who would be seventeen on or before the first test date, the twenty-first of April, had the option of signing up for additional practice sessions, which would take place (heavily supervised) in Hogsmeade.

Unfortunately for Angeline, she had nothing to be excited about, considering she would not be in seventeen by the first test date and not by the second either, being that her birthday was the seventeenth of June. She sighed at the thought of having to get her Apparation license during the summer holidays.

Glaring down at her essay she thought of how much she loathed Snape for assigning such an asinine topic. What could have been written or better yet said out loud in a matter of thirty seconds or less, needed to be explained in unnecessary detail. If she was to ever cross paths with a dementor (which could happen) she wouldn't stop and question whether or not a patronus would work. That hesitation would definitely leave her soulless, and she quite liked her soul thank-you-very-much.

"You'll snap that quill in half," Angeline didn't have to look too see who had sat across from her. She knew the voice far too well.

"Rather it be your neck, Malfoy?" she asked finally looking into his pale face. That day of what she deemed spontaneous fun was a day she couldn't quite understand. It was fun and she could honestly say she enjoyed her time with Draco far more than should have been expected. But that was nearly three weeks ago and for the most part things had gone back to normal for them. Well as normal as she wanted to believe, but Blaise had to point out to her the night before; "You and Malfoy are far too friendly toward each other lately."

And if she was to be completely honest with herself she had noticed as well.

She was positively sure she (and Blaise) weren't the only ones. Angeline felt like Pansy Parkinson was throwing extra metaphorical daggers her way.

Her entire relationship –she used the term loosely– with Draco was odd.

"Don't really mean that, do you, Jensen?" Draco asked.

"Shouldn't you be off somewhere in the school?" She questioned. Draco's features turned dark for a moment before he leaned back in his chair his arms folded over his chest.

"Beats working on a bloody essay about dementors," he said looking down at her parchment.

"I assume you haven't done it yet," she said. "It's due," she glanced at her watch. "Today."

Draco shook his head. "You've assumed wrong. I've done it. It's been done for awhile now."

"Then explain to me why you're bothering me," Angeline said setting her quill down. "I'm sure you have far more important things to do. You always have far more important things to do...or so that's what Parkinson complains about."

Angeline watched as Draco's eyes became unfocused as though he was remembering something. Something he'd rather forget about.

"It can wait a little longer," he said after a long moment.

"Well, unfortunately this essay cannot," Angeline said picking up her quill once more and tried to write. However in those few short seconds of staring at the parchment with her quill hovering over it, the task proved to be futile, she wasn't going to finish this essay any time soon. "I can't do this," she said dropping her quill. "I mean it's about dementors, all you have to do is think of a happy memory and say; Expecto patronum. It's not that hard."

The look on Draco's face read amusement. "Jensen, you're practically done," he said. That might have been true, but that didn't stop her from packing her things and putting them away.

"It's just a conclusion that I can write up at lunch," she mumbled as she sat back in her own chair with a sigh. "What are you doing up if not to be out and about?" she asked casually.

"Couldn't sleep," Draco replied. Angeline looked him over. He didn't seem like someone that had just gotten out of bed just to go sit in the common room. He was still dressed in his day clothes, much like she was, though she had an excuse.

"Going somewhere then?"

"Possibly," he answered shortly. He was staring off toward the center of the common room obviously lost in his own thoughts.

"Care to enlighten me on where you're going?" Angeline asked out of pure curiosity. Draco's distant eyes came back into focus and met hers. The corners of his mouth turned upward into a tight smile.

"I'm distracted, Jensen, but not enough to not notice what you're doing," he said.

Angeline returned the tight smile as she looked away from his gray eyes. She was just trying to have a conversation with him, she should have known better. Picking up her wand she twirled it between her fingers out of habit. She was tired of sitting there but she didn't want to go to bed. For as tired as she was she was too awake.

"Come on," Angeline stopped twirling her wand and looked at Draco who was standing now.

"Excuse me?"

Draco seemed to be fighting the urge to roll his eyes. "Are you coming?" he asked.

"And where exactly are we going?" she questioned. This time he did roll his eyes before he turned on his heel and headed for the exit. "Where are you going?" she called. He didn't stop walking or acknowledge that she had said anything as he left the common room. Grumbling under her breath she stood from the table, kicking her bag under it before she half jogged out of the common room. "Draco," she said once she was in step with him. "You're a bloody git," she stated in a whisper.

"Your point?" he questioned.

"Where are we going?" she asked. They were keeping close to the walls and the shadows as they crept their way out of the dungeons. When Draco didn't answer she heaved a heavy sigh and just followed him in silence.

You shouldn't follow people blindly...he could be trying to kill you for all you know...

She smirked slightly. As if he could kill someone. It was a humorous thought, Draco Malfoy the Murderer. The title made her want to laugh.

They were outside the castle walls before she knew it. Draco glanced back at her and promptly frowned.

"What are you smiling at?" Draco asked her as they walked the edge of the courtyard.

"Was just thinking about what if you—" she stopped herself as they turned the side of the wall that covered them from many of the windows.

"What if I what?" Draco questioned his frown deepened as Angeline sat herself down on the grass.

"Why are we out here?" she asked instead. She didn't think telling him what she really was thinking about would have made him laugh. Draco narrowed his eyes.

"Thought you could use fresh air." he said before his sat down a little away from her with his back against the wall.

Odd.

She turned her body so she could look at him. He had that far off look again that he had in the common room. Out in the moonlight she thought he looked slightly gray...if that was possible. Almost dead like. As though he was in great need for sunlight. Which she always thought Draco Malfoy needed. Sighing as she looked up at the sky. His well-being shouldn't be her concern, but it was and she wasn't sure if she was okay with it.

Staring up at the sky she wondered what really went through his head. He wasn't always so...secluded from everything. He used to always have something to say, always something to brag about.

"Do you remember when we were younger and our parents would throw those dinner parties during the year," Angeline asked suddenly. She turned to look at him as she wait for his response. His gaze met hers and he seemed to sneer as he thought of the many dinner parties he was forced to dress up for an attend.

"You and I always put together. Bloody near killed one another if Blishwick wasn't there to hate," Draco said. "What about them?" he asked.

"I miss the innocence of it all," Angeline said. "I guess just the innocence of being young." she elaborated with a wistful sigh.

"Never really had to make decisions ourselves. They were already laid out for us." Draco said quietly. Angeline nodded.

"Though," Angeline pondered. "Could we really say it was better then?" Draco ran a hand through his hair.

"You want the truth?" he asked. Angeline nodded slowly. "Yes, I can say it was better then. A year ago was better even."

What's wrong with him?

"Given your situation—"

"You have no idea of my situation," Draco snapped.

"Emotionally perhaps," Angeline growled. "What I was going to say before you snapped at me was that we have to grow up at some time in our lives. There's a point when we're no longer innocent and we have to make our own choices. It's really up to us whether we take a situation we're in and allow it to control us or we take it and make it work to our advantage."

By the look that appeared on his face it was very evident that, that was not what he wanted to hear.

"Let's say then that you make a choice then, and there is nothing positive to come out of it, originally there was a positive to it but as time goes on...what's the use? And you know you're going to fail." he asked her. Angeline frowned not entirely sure what he was going on about.

Have you made a choice in your life Draco that you're regretting because you're failing in whatever it might be?

"If you know your failing I guess there's nothing you really can do," Angeline started quietly. "You've made the choice so there's nothing you can do but learn from it. If you fail then you fail. There will be other opportunities in life. You move on. One failure in life isn't going to be the end of everything."

"Failure isn't an option, Jensen," he said.

"Are you—in some sort of trouble, Draco?" she asked slowly.

"No," he answered. Angeline felt as though he had answered far too quickly. "Just conversation." Angeline nodded.

I don't believe you.

"Well, you can't keep thinking that you're going to fail. When you think you're going to fail...you do." she said. "At least that's what I was always told."

Draco scoffed and looked away from her.

"How did this turn from childhood memories to the future?" She really wanted to know. She was concerned that something was wrong with Draco. That he needed help with something but he was too stubborn to ask for it. She was exactly the same way.

"You have a terrible attention span," he said tightly. They fell into silence, Angeline just watched him as they sat there. The minutes ticked by and not once did she break that silence. For once she had nothing to say. Nothing she could say. She was for lack of better word confused.

What's going on with you?

Draco leisurely strolled into Defense Against the Dark Arts. He knew he appeared far calmer than he actually felt, but he couldn't let it show. He was a Malfoy and a Slytherin, he was good at pretending. Sitting in his seat he watched as more of his classmates walked into the room. Pansy sat down beside him and immediately began talking to him, but he wasn't paying much attention to her.

Angeline walked in a moment later, she paused when she met his eye briefly before she sat herself across the aisle from where he and Pansy sat. The night before they had sat in the courtyard in mostly silence until she stood up claiming she was tired and needed sleep. He had asked for advice without actually asking for it and she gave him some...but it wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear. Just some mediocre pep talk.

"Why are you so interested in her?" Pansy's voice finally broke him away from his train of thought.

"What?" Draco asked.

"Why are you so interested in, Jensen?" Pansy questioned. "You never spend time with me. Instead you're busy doing your job and then there are moments when you talk to her like you're such great friends."

"You're pathetic," Draco snapped. He'd been doing that a lot more lately. "You're seeing things, simply because you want another reason to hate her." Pansy stared at him opened mouthed before shutting it and turning away from him her arms crossed, cutting off any communication between the two of them.

For the better. But it won't last long. She's like the bloody plague...

More and more students strode in. Every single one of them taking out their essays that were due in only a matter of minutes. Draco pulled out his own, not really caring whether or not Snape would give him a good grade or not.

Snape walked into the room his cloak billowing behind him as he made his way to the front of the room. At one point, Draco would have said that his head of house was his favorite teacher, but now Draco wanted nothing to do with the man. The less contact he had with him the better.

"Late again, Potter," said Snape coldly, as Potter hurried into the candlelit classroom. "Ten points from Gryffindors." Potter scowled at Snape as he flung himself into the seat beside Weasley. Half the class were still on their feet, taking out books and organizing their things; Potter was no later than the rest of them, but Draco wasn't going to say anything, for anything that made the Boy-Who-Lived miserable made Draco happy.

"Before we start, I want your dementor essays," said Snape, waving his wand carelessly, so that twenty-five scrolls of parchment soared into the air and landed in a neat pile on his desk. "And I hope for your sakes they are better than the tripe I had to endure on resisting the Imperius Curse. Now, if you will all open your books to page—what is it, Mr. Finnigan?"

"Sir," said Finnigan, "I've been wondering, how do you tell the difference between an Inferius and a ghost? Because there was something in the paper about an Inferius—"

"No, there wasn't," said Snape in a bored voice.

"But sir, I heard people talking—"

"If you had actually read the article in question, Mr. Finnigan, you would have known that the so-called Inferius was nothing but a smelly sneak thief by the name of Mundungus Fletcher."

Draco could hear from the back of the room, Potter muttering something or another to his sidekicks.

Could you be anymore annoying.

"But Potter seems to have a lot to say on the subject," said Snape, pointing at the back of the room, his black eyes fixed on Potter. "Let us ask Potter how we would tell the difference between an Inferius and a ghost."

The whole class looked around at Potter. Draco rolled his eyes, it really wasn't that hard. "Er—well—ghosts are transparent—" Potter said.

Well, that's incredibly helpful, Potter. Way to go.

"Oh, very good," interrupted Snape, his lip curling. "Yes, it in easy to see that nearly six years of magical education have not been wasted on you, Potter. 'Ghosts are transparent.'"

Pansy Parkinson let out a high-pitched giggle much to Draco's annoyance. His ears may never forgive him. Several other people were smirking. Draco looked to Angeline, she had lowered her head and was shaking it as though in disbelief. Potter took a deep breath and continued calmly, "Yeah, ghosts are transparent, but Inferi are dead bodies, aren't they? So they'd be solid—"

"A five-year-old could have told us as much," sneered Snape. "The Inferius is a corpse that has been reanimated by a Dark wizard's spells. It is not alive, it is merely used like a puppet to do the wizard's bidding. A ghost, as I trust that you are all aware by now, is the imprint of a departed soul left upon the earth, and of course, as Potter so wisely tells us, transparent. "

"Well, what Harry said is the most useful if we're trying to tell them apart!" Weasley said. "When we come face-to-face with one down a dark alley, we're going to be having a look to see if its solid, aren't we, we're not going to be asking, 'Excuse me, are you the imprint of a departed soul?'" There was a ripple of laughter, instantly quelled by the look Snape gave the class.

"Another ten points from Gryffindor," said Snape. "I would expect nothing more sophisticated from you, Ronald Weasley, the boy so solid he cannot Apparate half an inch across a room."

There are days I really do like this class...

"Now open your books to page two hundred and thirteen," said Snape, smirking a little, "and read the first two paragraphs on the Cruciatus Curse."

There was a rustling of pages as everyone in the class was turning to the assigned pages. Draco looked over Pansy's head at Angeline she was staring at the book in front of her with her arms crossed a small frown etched on her face.

What is she thinking about?

She must have known he was watching her, for she lifted her head and looked directly at him. She raised an eyebrow before turning her attention back to her book. Draco sighed and rested his chin on the palm of his hand as he pretended to read the two paragraphs assigned.

If she really knew what he had...gotten himself into perhaps she would understand the predicament that laid out in front of him. She would have understood that he didn't have much time left, the term would be over in two months and if Dumbledore wasn't dead...then he and his family would be.

Draco Malfoy, Murderer... It left a sour taste in his mouth.

Now if he were to tell her, it wasn't like she would help him. He knew all this. She'd probably want nothing to do with him. And he really didn't want that, though he would never want to admit it.

But that was the least of his concerns.

The Cabinet still wasn't mended. True it had improved there was no doubt about that, but there would have been the chance that someone would have been caught in limbo if they were to use it in it's current state.

And that meant he was sitting far too close to the failure zone. He needed to be focused. He needed to cut ties with anyone that distracted him.

Everyone.

He'd only keep Crabbe and Goyle around in their female forms in order to guard the entrance to the Room of Requirements for him. For however long it took he would be the most focused he had ever been. Even if it killed him.

It just might. He reminded himself.

Removing his chin off his hand he sat up straight as Snape began to address the class. Draco felt more determined than ever.

From this moment forward, he would avoid Angeline Jensen until his mission was complete.

Come to think of it, he could extend that to after his mission was complete. He looked over at her again she was absently tapping the edge of the table. Draco faced forward again. What were the odds that she would interact with a known Death Eater...willingly?

Those aren't very good odds.

He let out a small breath.

Cut the whatever ties you have now, Draco...

Weeks had gone by and Angeline had found it possibly the hardest to get Draco alone or better yet to even find him when he wasn't in classes because he was skipping far more meals than she thought healthy. And it wasn't just that, he had completely stopped talking to her. It was as though she had done something to anger him or something along those line. But he didn't retaliate in any kind of way. Whenever she was in his presence he acted as though she didn't exist.

To think that she couldn't sleep before, the constant flow of thoughts that occupied her mind every night made her sleeping habit ten times worse. He was like a bloody virus that plagued her brain. Yet, she only had herself to blame. If she wasn't so bloody curious and extending upon that, concerned about him, perhaps she could sleep.

Sighing as she made her way to Potions. Angeline was tempted to skip the class, majority of her year mates were being tested for their Apparation License. She'd wished Blaise luck before he'd gone but she didn't mean it really. She knew he'd pass it with no problem. She wish she could have taken it, she could Apparate with no problem and just to have to wait until the summer holidays really angered her.

Entering the Potions classroom she let out another sigh when realizing there would be only four of them in there: Ernie MacMillian, Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, and herself.

Fabulous.

Heading to her work table she sat in the seat that was usually, Blaise's seat during class, leaving a space between herself and Draco.

"All too young to Apparate just yet?" said Slughorh genially, "Not turned seventeen yet?"

They all shook their heads.

"Ah well," said Slughorn cheerily, "as we're so few, we'll do something for fun. I want you all to brew me up something amusing!"

This should be fun. Angeline thought allowing a small smile to grace her lips.

"That sounds good, sir," said Ernie sycophantically, rubbing his hands together.

Draco, on the other hand, did not crack a smile. "What do you mean, 'something amusing'?" he said irritably.

"Oh, surprise me," said Slughorn airily.

Draco opened his copy of Advanced Potion-Making with a sulky expression. It could not have been plainer that he thought this lesson was a waste of time. Undoubtedly, Angeline thought, watching him over the top of her own book, Draco was begrudging the time he could otherwise be spending some place else.

She continued to study him over the top of her book, Draco looked thinner, but there was more missing than just his physical appearance. There was no air of smugness, excitement, or superiority; none of the swagger that he had had for years. The boy she was looking at now was nothing more but the shell of the boy she thought she knew...

How long has he been like this?

Concerned by this thought, Angeline skimmed through her copy of Advanced Potion-Making and found the instructions to a "Laugh-inducing Potion," which matched Slughorn's instructions. Grabbing the things she needed, she returned to her work station where she began to work on her potion.

"Feeling alright there, Draco?" she asked once her potion's instructions called for it to come to a boil. Draco looked up from his cauldron briefly before looking back down.

"I'm fine," he mumbled.

"What potion are you brewing?" Angeline asked casually.

"Hiccuping Solution," she barely heard him over the hissing of her cauldron. They fell silent again as Angeline went back to working on her potion.

"It's a little annoying that we can't take the Apparation test today don't you think?" she asked as she mentally counted the number of stirs her potion asked for.

"Actually, it's a little annoying that you keep talking," Draco replied without looking up. He sighed as he dropped what looked like grass into his cauldron and he looked up at her. "I'm not in the mood for small talk," he said.

Angeline shrugged and turned back to her cauldron. She'd respect that he wanted to be left alone...for now.

The room was mostly quiet except for the sounds of things falling into cauldrons and the hissing of potions. Slughorn called time about fifteen minutes before the class would be over with. He started with Draco's cauldron.

"A Hiccuping Solution?" Slughorn questioned. "Fits my instructions. It's passable Mr Malfoy." Angeline watched Draco glare at their Potions Professor as he made his way over to her cauldron. "And what have you got for me, Miss Jensen?"

"A Laugh-inducing Potion, sir," she answered. Slughorn gave her potion a small stir and a whiff.

"Very well done, possibly the best work you've presented," he said moving on to the Harry and Ernie's table.

"Well, now, this looks absolutely wonderful," Slughorn said clapping his hands together as he stared down into the contents of Harry's cauldron. Angeline almost wanted to throw something into his potion to make it explode. "Euphoria, I take it? And what's that I smell? Mmmm...you've added just a sprig of peppermint, haven't you? Unorthodox, but what a stroke of inspiration, Harry, of course, that would tend to counterbalance the occasional side effects of excessive singing and nose-tweaking...I really don't know where you get these brain waves, my boy...unless —"

Angeline watched as Harry seemed to shift slightly.

And what are you hiding, Potter?

"— it's just your mother's genes coming out in you!"

"Oh...yeah, maybe," she thought that Harry sounded relieved.

Everyone is entitled to their secrets, even the Chosen One. Not like he's hurting anyone anyway...

Ernie was looking rather grumpy; he had been determined to outshine Harry for once, he had most rashly invented his own potion, which had curdled and formed a kind of purple dumpling at the bottom of his cauldron. Angeline thought it was amusing and would have given him a far higher grade, but that was bending the rules.

Angeline began to clean her station, she finished just in time as the bell rang. She, Ernie, and Draco left the room at once leaving Harry and Slughorn in the room together. The walk out of the dungeons was a silent one as the three of them headed to new destinations. When Ernie had broke off leaving Draco and Angeline as they continued to climb the Grand Staircase, Draco turned around to face her on the stairs.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked.

"I'm not following you if that's what you think I'm doing," she said. "I'm actually heading to the library to do research. I have a Charms essay to write." Draco studied her before he turned and hurried up the stairs at a quicker pace than he had been going before. Angeline watched him go, he looked back at her once when he had reached the seventh floor stairs.

That curiosity that typically presented itself in moments like this egged her on to try to see where he was going, but she knew where he was going that was no secret, so the real pull of her curiosity was what he was doing in the Room of Requirements.

However she went to the library like she said she was. The time she spent in the library, instead of parchment filled with various Charms to compare it was filled with various things Draco could have been doing.

"Say hello to another sleepless night," she mumbled as she balled the parchment up and stuffed it in her bag.

She's just have to get him to talk to her. In theory it was easy, in practice...it was far harder.

You'd have to find him first...

It would have been an understatement to say that he was having a bad day. But then again, everyday that the Vanishing Cabinet wasn't working was a bad day in Draco's opinion.

Sure it was true that there was much needed improvement, however that just wasn't enough for him. He needed it working at one hundred percent if he was going to get his back up.

His wand was clenched tightly in his hand as he stood in the empty classroom that, Angeline had shown him months ago. He'd placed a silencing charm on the door and locked it before he began send spell after spell at the desk in the room. Feeling satisfied when one when crack or go sliding into opposite walls.

He felt a strong sense of euphoria as one even exploded. When shards of wood flew at him, he didn't care he was hoping they'd hit him, but when they didn't and bounced off a Shield Charm he didn't cast he turned and looked at the door that had be been silenced and locked to find Angeline standing there her wand pointed in his direction.

"Are you out of your bloody mind?" she asked as she closed the door with her foot. "You could hurt yourself."

"How did you get in here?" Draco questioned.

"Believe it or not I can unlock a door, Malfoy," she said glancing around the room at the mess he had made. "Your silencing charm needs work by the way."

"If that's all then you can leave," Draco growled. He didn't want to be around her right now. He'd been doing so well with staying out of her company. And here she was standing before him confusion and concern laced on her face.

"What's going on?" she asked as she pointed her wand at the broken desk and put it back together with a flick of her wand.

"I don't have to tell you anything," Draco said as he watched her clean the room and put things back to where they had been. He put his wand away not trusting himself not to use it on her. "Why can't you just leave me alone, Jensen? Let me blow up a few desk and you go back to the Common Room."

Angeline didn't say anything as she moved around the room and sat on the desk she had not too long ago put back together.

"You of all people should know I'm not going anywhere," she said. Draco growled as he closed the gap between them and slammed his hands down on either side of her. His gray eyes bore into her light green eyes. She was unflinching as she stared back, the same concern he had seen plenty of times before. It drove him insane. "I'm worried about you." Her voice was quiet but it seemed to ring in his ears.

"What possible right do you have to worry about me?" he questioned.

"You're not eating for one thing, Draco," she said. "And your getting little to no sleep." She added. Her hand came up and gently brushed his hair from his eyes before she brought her hand to rest on his cheek. "What trouble have you gotten yourself into, Draco?"

He didn't understand why he let her touch him, but her touch was warm. Comforting even.

"I'm not in any trouble," he said. She smiled but it didn't meet her tired eyes.

"You used to be a better liar," she said as her hand dropped back down to her lap. Draco pushed himself away from her, his head pounding. He wished she'd go away as he turned his back to her. "I know what it's like to think you'll never succeed," Angeline said quietly.

"No you don't!" Draco yelled as he turned around to face her. "You have no bloody idea what I'm going through! No bloody idea what I have to do! You can't possibly understand!"

Shock fell on her face as she stared at him. Draco for once had rendered her completely speechless, but he wasn't done.

"What do you care?" he asked. He wanted to know. He needed to know. "I'm horrible to you. Yet you care...why?"

Angeline looked confused by the question as though she never anticipated for him to question why she cared. Better yet, she herself didn't understand why she cared. Apparently things weren't as simple as she thought it was. Draco should have broke that news to her long ago.

"You—you aren't horrible to me," she finally said. "Never were you horrible to me," she added.

"Answer the question," Draco demanded.

"What does it matter if I care?" Angeline questioned as she jumped down from the desk. "Does there have to be a reason?"

"Yes," Draco stated as though fact. She shifted her weight to one foot as she crossed her arms.

"I don't care, Malfoy," She said. Draco forced himself not to laugh. And here she had said he used to be a better liar, in his opinion so did she. "But I refuse to stand here when it's obvious there's something wrong with you and the way you're going about whatever it is can't be healthy..."

"Sounds to me like you care, Jensen," Draco said crossing his arms over his chest. "Why is it so hard for you to admit that you care just a little? What are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid of anything," she said a little too quick for his liking. "This isn't about me," she said. "It's about you Draco, and you're avoiding the question. I'm tired of pretending I don't notice. I'm tired of trying to come up with solutions to why you're so different. It's... You're driving me mad."

Draco let out a humorless laugh as for the second time he closed the space between them and stormy gray eyes clashed with flashing green eyes. They stood there for what felt like forever arms crossed locked in a staring contest. Both too stubborn to back down.

"Stop being so damn persistent," Draco said coolly. "People aren't as simple as you want them to be. I apologize that the world is too damn hard for you to understand. Life isn't a game of chess."

"I believe it is, we're all just pawns working for someone else whether we like it or not." she stated. Draco was tempted to tell her how right she was, but that would only fuel her curiosity. "It's just a matter of you taking control yourself and becoming the manipulator..."

"You miss the point," Draco snarled.

"I see it clearly," Angeline retorted. "I get it. You want me to leave you alone. Saying that life has suddenly brought a change in you. I get it. But that's not good enough. It's a shite answer and you know it!"

"What exactly do you want to know, Jensen?" Draco questioned. "I'm curious."

"I've told you numerous times what I want to know. And that is what you're up to." she said.

"When will you learn, I won't tell you anything just because you want to know." Draco asked taking a step back and turning away from her. "You're nothing more than an infuriating nosy little girl trying to act like she knows it all. When for the first time she doesn't know something she near about throws a tantrum." Draco said with a quick glance over his shoulder at her. Her eyes were narrowed and her arms were no longer crossed. "Going to run out the room like you did the last time I hit a little too close to home?" he taunted as he looked backed to the door. "How about I do you a favor and leave you to cry your little eyes out?" he questioned.

When she said nothing Draco made for the door. Glad he'd finally shut her up. Glad he could leave the room without her stopping him. He didn't have to tell her his secret plus maybe now she'd finally just leave—

"You and I are no different, Draco." Draco's hand stopped on the door completely frozen. "Because of that I won't judge you. Just...Explain to me what's going on." Draco's hand clutched in a fist as glanced over his shoulder at her sending her his coldest glare.

Just show her the Mark. Prove to her that she's wrong. Show her that she should stay in her own little imaginary world and stop prodding where she shouldn't be.

"Go to hell," he said as he swung the door open and stormed out slamming it behind him as he headed to Merlin knows well.

At least Moaning Myrtle knows when to leave well enough alone...

"Go to hell," The sound of the door slamming echoed in the classroom. Angeline stared at the place Draco had just been. She'd gotten absolutely nowhere if anything she had only made it worse.

There was without a doubt that Draco would not want anything to do with her. She should have known better than to go looking for him them. She should have known that nothing good would have come from going to him then. But she was stubborn. She should have just asked if he was okay, leave and go get some sleep.

Angeline scoffed as she ran her hand through her hair. The more she pushed, the more defensive he was becoming throwing anything he could to try and hurt her feelings. She should have started listing things off of her theory sheet to see what his reaction was use the same method...but she didn't.

The moment was gone. There was nothing she could actually do now. She'd just have to wait for him to come to her like he usually did. Because right now...her current method of getting the information she wanted was backfiring.

She'd let him be she'd continue to watch but she'd leave to himself.

"Patience..." she mumbled as she left the classroom to return to the common room to get some sleep before classes began in only a few hours.

I left both of them very confused and more distant than before. Aren't I horrible?

Yes.

Because originally this was the chapter where they were supposed to kiss...Instead I decided to have them lash out at one another and made Angeline a little more forceful in trying to fulfill her need to know what the hell Draco is doing. And now they're more distant and hateful than ever...Next chapter should make up for it...somewhat. haha.

Out of curiosity;
1)By canon Draco doesn't have a middle name. But if he had one what would it be? (I for one refuse for him to be Draco Lucius Malfoy...bleh. Draco Regulus Malfoy has been a favorite of mine however.)

2) What did you think of HP7 (if you saw it)? (Personally I loved it. It followed the book far closer than any of the other movies and I appreciated that greatly. Though there were points when I was shaking my head, but that was just me being picky. XD)

And to Carpe-Diem1229! Your gift will be up soon, I'm still working on it! Because I want it to be amazing. :)

Happy Holidays Everyone! :)

Review? For the Holidays? ^_^

Much Love,
TR