Chapter 22! Year 7. Lauren and Draco's talk doesn't go as she planned. He's made his choice though.

Yet another short chapter, so sorry. They'll start gaining length again in the next one and all the ones after that. I had a touch of trouble with this one but I think it worked out nicely in the end. I'll have more comments for you at the end. =3

As always thanks and smiles to PandaWong, SandyLovesKittens, XenaHades, nightworldangel, FonzFan, The Yoshinator, Isa'ralia Faradien, Lost Astronaut Of Apollo 11, Readergirl99, DrainaPurpurne2412, sara253xxx, XenaHades, innocentrini, FangScarlet, Beesy, Sevre, Mrs. Barnes and anonymous reviewer Bree.

And of course thank you to all the random readers out there. Hope everyone can enjoy!

Chapter 22 – Little Miss Mature

It was hard to catch Draco on his own now-a-days. Usually he was with his flunkies and one or two death eaters at least and those were all people she wanted to avoid. At most he was being flocked by the Slytherins like he was some sort of idol… Maybe he was, she didn't know.

All she knew was that when she caught him walking alone down a corridor one evening she didn't think before rushing up to him, arms wrapping tight around him in a hug she hadn't known she wanted so badly.

He reacted with a surprised yelp but didn't push her away, noticing who she was. Instead her latched on to her and squeezed, tight.

When they separated he grabbed her hand and dragged her down the hall without a word. She followed with no protest and he led her into an empty room, locking the door behind them.

He hugged her again when the door was secured, tugged her into his lap when he sat heavily in one of the chairs.

For a long while they just sat in silence, no tears, no noise, just quiet. She was thinking, thinking about what Neville said and about Draco as a person, about what he was and what he could do, might do. And she wondered what he was thinking? Maybe about himself or her or his life… Maybe he wasn't thinking anything at all. Maybe he wanted a break from it.

"How've you been?" she finally ventured to ask when his grip started to loosen.

"A bloody mess" he replied dourly, surprised at himself for his honesty. "You?"

She smiled sadly. "A bit of the same… Probably a little less."

He nodded, then squeezed her a little tighter. "What're you doing here?"

She laughed a hollow little laugh and rested her hand on top of his. "I go to school here silly."

He scoffed. "Don't play dumb Dari. You know what I mean."

"Do I?" she frowned, turning her head to look at him.

"Yes, and stop pretending that you don't. You shouldn't be here."

"Why not?"

Another squeeze, this one tighter than the rest, and he glared at her. "Because you… You're going to get killed. You'll die unless..."

"Unless?" she prompted.

"Say yes." He pleaded softly, pressing his face into the crook of her neck. "Say you'll join us, say you'll join me. It's the only thing you can do to save yourself now. Please-" A choked sob escaped him and she could feel tears on her skin, could feel his chest hitch against her back.

She grimaced and rested a hand on top of his. This again? She'd hoped he would stop, realize that she wasn't the one who needed to switch sides. She guess that wasn't the case though, guessed he didn't get the message.

"Why don't you say yes?" she countered quietly. "Do what's right… We can help you know. I can-"

"No" he snapped again then said more quietly "no… I can't and you can't. Don't you understand? They're too powerful." He shuddered. "He's too powerful. Potter is gone and whatever you think you can do you can't."

She huffed at his comment and wiggled out of his grip, standing and turning to look at him. He looked a mess, hair and clothes ruffed, eyes red, cheeks blotchy pink. As much as she wanted to be frustrated with him she could only really accomplish pity. She still needed to say what she was going to say though.

Hands on her hips she regarded him with the sternest look she could manage and took a deep breath. "Yes I can" she started. "And I'm tired of you telling me I can't. I'm tired of you throwing my offers of help back in my face. You know what you're doing is wrong Draco, and you want to stop, don't you? If you didn't you wouldn't be such a wreck, you'd be excited for it like those sadistic bastards. You're a good person."

He looked away from her and she rested a gentle hand on the top of his head, sighing. "You're a great person Draco, there's just a lot of people telling you to do bad things… You don't have to listen though. It's your choice."

"It's never been my choice" he grumbled. "And it never will be. How can I make you understand that?"

"You can't" she replied softly, stepping back when he stood up.

His eyes were watering, his hands shaking, but his face betrayed no particular feeling. He looked blank, almost broken. The look felt familiar and painful and she looked down, gaze snapping back up when he stepped forward and took her face in his hands.

"Do you care about me Dari…? Lauren?"

She blinked, confused by the question and answered hesitantly. "Of course I do."

He seemed conflicted for a moment, very unsure, then spoke again. "You don't love me, do you?"

Her shoulders slumped and she felt her heart break, knowing the answer she had to give. "Not in the way you want me to."

Silence came and they watched each other. He leaned forward and touched his forehead to hers.

"Close your eyes."

"W-What?"

"Just… Please. Let me… Just once."

She sighed, this felt oddly familiar, but did as he asked. Her breath caught in her chest when he pressed his lips against hers, wrapped her arms around him. One of his hands left her face and he wrapped his arm around her waist, hugging her close. The kiss was soft, brief, and full of tenderness. He hesitated to pull away and kissed her forehead when he did.

Another long moment passed and he was the one to step away first, away and around her, going towards the door.

"Draco, wait" she called after him.

He stopped but did not turn. "You've made your choice. So have I… Take care of yourself."

She watched, heartbroken, as he walked out. She felt like she had failed, failed him and herself and all her friends. She hadn't gotten any of the information she'd wanted, she didn't convince him to join their side, she'd failed.

She could hardly believe it.

Taking a deep breath she fought back her tears. Crying would do her no good now, she still had a lot to do, and not just with fighting the army of darkness. She had a potions paper due and study group for her N.E., she couldn't go around looking a complete mess.

She dabbed her eyes with her kerchief, making sure all the un-spilled tears were gone, and brought a tentative hand to her lips before letting it fall to her side. She shouldn't have let him do that, she felt bad about it, but he'd just been so… Broken. Morally it had been the wrong decision, she hoped Severus never found out, but she thought it might've been better than rejecting him completely. Better for his wellbeing, his fragile state. And she didn't want to hurt him any more than he was already hurt.

With a sigh she left.

She walked quietly though the halls, head up though she felt small and scared and worried. Though she wanted to cry and scream, though she wanted to run up to the head master's office and hug Severus till the end of time, she kept calm and kept going.

Perhaps it had only just hit home, perhaps she had just now matured enough to understand, but it was coming to her. This was all real. It wasn't some dream she could forget. What she did now might matter, would, in the upcoming battle. She was sure there'd be one.

She'd just dropped the ball and she couldn't again. She needed to focus, to do what was asked of her and she would. She didn't quite know how, but she would.

So, what did you think? I'm a touch on the fence about it but at the same time I really like how it came out. I enjoyed writing it, especially the last part since I enjoy character growth. It's been a while with Lauren, this story has gotten way bigger than I thought it would, and she's grown so much. Being able to show that she's matured, learned that she should at least try to put a hold on her tears, is awesome because that means I've really gotten to develop her.

And Draco too! A lot of people only see Draco as an emotionless prick, which he is some times, but he's a lot deeper than that and I like to think he feels a lot, like Severus. It's been great to be able to show that, show him sort of falling apart slowly, not to sound mean or anything. She's just wearing him down, like she did with Sev, but since she doesn't love him in that way it's harder, especially since he know it and is a little bitter for it.

He really cares about the people he cares for though and he wants them to be safe, doesn't matter if what they're doing is wrong or right.

I fought for a long time with the "do you love me?" question. At first he confessed that he loved her but I thought that was too much. Even if he does I don't feel like he'd say it, it would be like letting go of that one last defense he has against her and I can't see him doing that at this juncture anyway. Hope it works alright.

Oh, and if you're confused about the whole 'say yes' thing I shall explain. I believe it was in the chapter Little Miss Guardian where he asks if she's considered his offer. He asked her to join the Death Eaters. She obviously said no and asked him to join their side instead. He said no too. Just thought I'd explain in case it was confusing.

And... yeah. That's it I think. Questions, comments, or advice? Throw em my way! If not thanks for reading~ Have a good day/night/other!