It was cold in The Cupboard, just as it always was. Draco shivered and pulled his dressing gown tightly around him, he had thought that he had seen the last of this place when Snape had rescued him, but, like usual, he had been very wrong.

"I just can't understand this." Issabella muttered, running her slender fingers frenziedly over the wall, "There has to be a way out. There just has to be…"

"Just leave it." Draco told her morosely, "You won't find a door. I've searched every inch of this place and there's no way out without the key. And even then it only unlocks from the outside." Izzy paused, and then allowed her arms to fall helplessly by her side. The knowledge that there was nothing that she could do to help her boy upset her immensely and she slumped down next to him,

"We'll get out of here." She tried to reassure him, all though she didn't sound sure of herself at all, "The others will come just like before."

"No they won't. You know as well as I that they didn't want me there. Hermione was the only one who cared but she couldn't fight Father on her own. I'm stuck here, just as I knew I would be. I ought to have known that I would have to come home in the end. He always gets what he wants, just as he said." The Aengel rested her head on Draco shoulder, putting her arms around his trembling shoulders,

"Don't give up Draco." She murmured, "Don't let him break you." Draco turned his head away from her, refusing to meet her gaze,

"Maybe it would be easier if I did. You said before, that Snape would fight for me and…and look what happened there…if I had just gone back when he told me to, none of that would have happened and he'd still be alive. It was my fault, it was all my fault." He pulled his knees up under his chin and hugged them tightly as he did when he was a little child, "I should never have run away. I shouldn't have told. That's why it happened; because I told."

"No it's not." Izzy snapped at him, "Don't be silly. You did the right thing. Besides, you didn't actually tell. They guessed. But aren't you glad they did? Aren't you glad that they tried to help you?"

"You don't understand, do you?" Draco's voice replied, muffled through his knees, "I'm back to where I was before; home, in the cupboard. What good did it do? Nothing has changed, Izzy. If anything, I've just made things worse, not only for myself but for Hermione too. Uncles Sev'rus died. Father killed him because he was trying to save me."

"You didn't kill him, it's not your fault. The others will come, just like they did before and you'll get away…"

"And what then?" Draco asked softly, "Just keep running away for the rest of my life? On the run like a criminal? I don't think I can do this anymore." Izzy leaned over and kissed her Dragon on the cheek. Suddenly, the soft thud thud of footsteps on the landing made Draco sit up with a jolt, heart racing with a sudden panic, "N-no..." He whimpered, "I can't do this! I-I-I can't!"

"Hush! You're strong Draco, don't give up." But images of the last time he had been locked up were flooding into his mind and Draco pushed himself as far into the corner as he could, burying his face in his arms. The Aengle shuffled up and wrapped her arms tightly around him, giving the tiny bit of comfort he so badly needed, "You'll be okay. I'll look after you."

A/N; have had serious writers block and have been forced to resort to an on-creen key-board so will keep it short :-)

dragon plushies to...

pinkalarmclock, Sprite Eyes, Pprincss7, SailorHecate, irite4uall, Shining Bright Eyes, -addicted-2-hp-, zarroc, perftpureblood, timemage0955, thelookoflve, dark princesses, ivy by moonlight, lollenk, nikki's evil doppelager, blueeedchibi, ilya of smeg, miss b aven, harry potter princess h.

luv yall! Lily xxxx