Chapter 17! Year 6. Trying to comfort a moody blond may result in some out of hand situations.

Cryptic cause I don't wanna give anything away. Draco centric with a little Snape at the beginning and the end.

Jumping right to the thanks I'm sending smiles to PandaWong, SandyLovesKittens, XenaHades, nightworldangel, FonzFan, The Yoshinator, Isa'ralia Faradien, Lost Astronaut Of Apollo 11, Readergirl99, DrainaPurpurne2412, sara253xxx, XenaHades, innocentrini, FangScarlet, and anonymous reviewer Bree.

Hope you can enjoy~ Same to the random readers!

Chapter 17 – Little Miss Stubborn

Months had passed, everyone was back at school, and things with her were going good.

Things with everyone else… Debatable.

Ron had made up with Ginny and Hermione which was good, Harry and Ginny had started dating, which was great, and she was on mostly good terms with all of them which made her very happy. These were all good things, the good things she and her friends were experiencing. Along with the good things there were also bad things.

Draco and Harry had had a fight, blood was draw, she heard about it from both of them and Snape. She was mad at two of them now, though privately. Also, Draco was being crazy, and Harry was being crazy, and Snape was acting oddly and none of them would tell her what was going on.

Sure it was really none of her business but she was making it her business. They were her friends , and her boyfriend… kinda, and she didn't want any of them hurt, didn't want any of them to do anything stupid.

With a sigh she came to the DADA room, hand resting on the handle. Before she could pull it out though it popped open and she had to jump back to avoid being hit.

Draco stormed out, pausing before her for just a second and Severus came following after. He looked at her with a surprised sort of expression and let his gaze drift from her to the quickly retreating boy.

"Oh dear" she muttered, watching her blond friend go. "What happened?"

Severus looked away. "It is nothing for you to concern yourself with Ms. Dari."

She frowned at him. "But he's my friend."

"It is none of you concern… Did you need something?"

"No. I'm going" she turned to take chase and he grabbed her arm, holding tight. "Let go."

"Leave him be." His voice was low and forceful, demanding as he tightened his grip.

She winced and glared up at him. "Why?"

"You just do not understand-"

"Of course I don't!" she interrupted rather aggressively. "How can I understand something no one explains?" She didn't mean to shout, really. Once she had she felt bad but it didn't take away any of her frustration. Draco had been telling her that all year and now he was doing it too? If Harry started she was sure she'd explode, she was close enough to it already. Didn't they understand that she wanted to help, even if she couldn't solve things, she wanted to try just a little, she wanted to be there for them.

Yanking her arm away from him she turned on her heel and sprinted down the hallway, missing his startled expression. His voice calling out to her didn't reach her ears till she was turning round the corner.

She ran a little further then slowed to a walk, looking around for Draco. Had he really gone down the hallway so fast?

"Draco?" she called quietly, a terrified yelp escaping her just moments later when strong hands grabbed her about the waist and pulled her back behind a door.

She thrashed for a moment in the strangers grip, disoriented and scared, but calmed when her kidnapper turned her in his arms and stared her down with cold grey eyes.

"Dari" he said softly, holding her arms a little tighter, just like that last time.

"Draco" she replied, looking up into his eyes, not afraid but sad. "Please?"

He held tighter then let go, arms falling limp at his sides. He took a few steps backwards, farther into what she belatedly realized was an empty classroom, and fell into a chair. His head was down and he seemed to be thinking. She let him, closing the door in the meantime.

Slowly he raised his head and held his arms out, inviting her to come closer, asking her, pleading, and she stepped into his embrace.

He pressed his head against her chest, buried his face in the soft cotton of her sweater and locked his arms behind her back, tugging her as close as possible. She brought her hands up to rest on his shoulders and then the back of his head, fingers combing through his unruly hair.

He looked so ragged lately, so tired. She sighed, muttering softly "why don't you all trust me?"

He took a deep, watery sounding breath and looked up at her with shadowy, bloodshot eyes, still wet with tears. His cheeks were damp and flushed and he looked so… scared, sad, lonely. It was a very new sight and she could feel her heart breaking. Why was he looking at her like that?

Gently she thumbed away his tears, giving a small smile.

He frowned in response and took a moment to find his words.

"You're too stubborn for your own good" he said. "You don't know. You're playing with fire."

"I'm stubborn because I care."

"Well stop!" he snapped, burying his face against her clothes again. "Just stop. You're going to get hurt, or killed. You'll die you idiot girl, don't you understand that? Everyone will…" his voice cracked and his shoulders shook with a barely contained sob.

She brought her hands back to his head and sighed. Oh ye of little faith. Why were they so sure that she couldn't hold her own? Why were they so sure she couldn't help?

"Do you think I matter more than you Draco?" she whispered to him.

He looked back up at her curiously and she stepped out of his grip, crouching down with her arms planted firmly on his legs so that she was the one looking up now. "Have you maybe thought that your life is just as important, that you should put as much effort into protecting yourself as you do with me?"

He shook his head, answering with a solemn sadness "I'm already damned."

"Who says?" she frowned, leaning up closer to him, upset by his answer. "Who says you can't repent? Start again, start right?"

He turned his face away from her and jerked one arm out fast enough for her to fall back in her avoidance of it. With his free hand he pulled the sleeve of his shirt up and she gasped softly, eyes growing wide at the sight of the Dark Mark twisting under his skin.

"Draco" she said softly, eyes filling with tears. "No… no, no, no." She shook her head, not wanting to believe it, not wanting to admit that he had taken the mark, become a death eater. She had suspected it sure but she'd hoped, oh how she'd hoped.

She stood up slowly and took his hand in hers. She sat in his lap this time, instead of crouching on the floor, and started to trail kisses from one end of the mark to the other, as if it would sooth it, take it away.

He started to cry again, quietly as both he and Harry were wont to do, and she hugged him, kissing his cheek.

"Oh Draco" she sighed. "You… I… We can… we can still fix this. Don't you want to at least try?"

He squeezed his eyes shut and pushed her away as gently as he could manage. As he made for the door he armed at his eyes, drying the tears, and said not a word.

She followed, catching his wrist at the door.

"Draco."

"Let me go Dari."

"No."

"Dari."

"No… Can't we try?"

He turned on her then, those grey eyes blazing just like they had all those months ago. She backed up, just like that day, and found herself pressed against a desk instead of a wall. His hands braced tight on her biceps, nails digging in, and he leaned forward, noses brushing, breath mingling as he stared into her wavering green eyes.

His mouth crashed against hers, hard and aggressive, brief, everything Severus's kiss was not. He ended it with a rough bite to her bottom lip and she whimpered.

He inched closer to her again, she turned her head, and the door banged open.

He dropped her, leaving her to collapse on the floor as Severus seized him by the arm and swung him around into the far wall, pinning him.

"What do you think you are doing?" he snarled, pushing the blond boy farther up the wall.

"I was leaving before she stopped me. Jealous are you old man? Isn't it nice to share?"

"Quiet!" The teacher snapped.

"Or what?" Draco snapped back. "You'll punish me? There's nothing worse you can do to me and you know it!"

He kicked out and Snape dropped him while dodging. He stumbled away, back closer to the door, and the two glared hard at each other from where they stood.

Suddenly Draco's eyes were on her and she pushed herself back on the floor a little farther from them both. Till now she'd been sort of frozen in shock but that stormy gaze pulled her out of it.

"I have a question for you Dari" he growled, looking down at her with those same stormy eyes, a cruel grin twisting his mouth.

"Do we kiss the same, Snape and I?" She gapped at him. How did he know?

"He's just as damned as me so I'd think we'd have something in common… Never thought it would be you." He laughed a dark laugh then, devoid of any mirth, and positive feeling. It was nothing but cold, cold and mocking.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll drop both of us Dari… I hope you know what's good for you."

And then Snape, who didn't seem to be half as surprised but who was seething, seized him by the arm and the back of the neck, turning him forcibly towards the door.

"You will learn your place boy! Walk!" he jostled the other and they began out. The world started moving again for her and she reached out.

"W-Wait-"

Snape turned his angry onyx eyes on her. "Go back to your house Lauren!" and she recoiled at his forceful use of her given name. "Go back and stay there! Do as I say when I say! Can't you listen you stupid girl?"

His words killed any weak protest she may have had and she dropped her arm, watching them go, wincing as the door closed with a deafening slam.

She sat where they left her, dumbstruck on the floor, tears flowing freely from her eyes while she glared at the door, willing them to come back so she could, could… she didn't know. She didn't know what she wanted to do to them, hug them or hit them? Try again, one more time, to save Draco, to make him realize he still had a chance, a chance that was quickly slipping away. Maybe apologize to Severus for not listening, for being short with him and running off. He'd just been looking out for her.

After a while, it might have been two minutes, it might have been twenty, she stood up. A while later she wiped her eyes and made herself stop crying, then set her hair right and her clothes right and reminded herself to heal her bruised arms later.

She spent a good two minutes just staring at the door, afraid that one or both of them would be waiting outside. They weren't, and she walked away with no distraction, no interception.

It was evening, the halls mostly empty, and she didn't run into anyone she knew particularly well. Enjoying this solitude, sure she'd breakdown and say too much to any friend she came across, she didn't go to her house but instead the astronomy tower.

More of her stubborn streak she supposed. More of her stupid streak.

Looking out at the darkening sky, fear starting to twist its uneasy knot in her gut, she let herself cry again, tired and sad and angry and unbelieving. Why had that happened? How?

Why were they so mean? Why were they so sure they couldn't be helped or saved, so sure that they had to work alone, walk alone?

Loneliness was awful, why did they want it so much?

Why were they so stubborn? She didn't understand at all.

If I were Lauren I'd find a nice Hufflepuff boy to associate with and leave the crazy behind. That's just me though. XD

Hope you all could enjoy a little bit of crazy/emotional Draco and angry Snape.

Next chapter I'm actually a touch on the fence about posting but I'm going to throw it up anyway. I'm sure that if you all don't like it you'll tell me and I can figure something out.

This story is getting bigger than I'd planed though. XD Hope no one minds.

Questions, comments, or advice? Throw it my way! It's always welcome. =3 And if not, thanks for reading! Have a good day/night/other~