Chapter seventeen:

"Don't you think-" But Pansy was interrupted with a death glare from Elizabeth. The other two Slytherin girl's sighed as they sat down in their beds. The sounds of Elizabeth's sobbing filled the whole house for days. It had been atleast two since she'd left the room, and four since she heard the news from Draco's mouth. Daphne was already mortified, but, the way Draco looked was worse.

Elizabeth hiccuped as she curled up into her bed further.

"You've skipped two days of class, Elizabeth." Daphne whispered.

"I don't care." She mumbled. The girl's looked up at each other and nodded. It was time to get her to talk… to someone… to anyone.

"We're going to go get some tea for your throat, we'll be right back." Pansy spoke softly as they passed. Elizabeth continued to sit there in pure agony. All she could think of was how she could never see them. How she KNEW! SHE KNEW! They were dead, and she couldn't even say good-bye. She had been so wrapped up in Draco's nonsense, and then for him to go around and murder them. He didn't have a choice, she knew that. Draco's hands were forced, but she had still trusted him. For some reason, she trusted him, and he broke it time and time again.

No wonder it was so easy for him to take the job to kill Dumbledore… he'd killed before, and would continue. Elizabeth knew how horrible she was for thinking it, but she just couldn't face him. Not after he told her he'd murdered them. How could she have been so stupid to get involved, even after Snape and Draco told her not to.

This was Karma.

Pansy looked to Daphne and nodded. "This is the only way she'll talk about it." Pansy spoke.

"You're insane, she won't talk to me." Harry growled as he looked at them. The news of Elizabeth's parents was all over the school. Everyone knew the day after. Death Eaters murdered the slytherin princess' parents, of course everyone knew. What no one knew yet, was that Draco had done it.

Or in all reality, that Daphne had, and Draco covered for her.

"You're the only one who knows what she's going through." Daphne stated. "Not even Longbottom knows what it's like. He may have half vegetable parents, but atleast they're still alive, and he can say goodbye. But come on Potter. You have to talk to her."

"Or else what?" He groaned, "Because I hear the life threat coming."

"So help me Merlin, Potter if you try to snark your way out of this. You're going to talk to her and you're going to make her workable again. She skipped two days of classes, and then told us to our face she doesn't care!" Pansy snarled. Harry Potter glowered at the two of them before he huffed and pushed past them.

"Have her meet me in the empty classroom on the third floor." He stated as he pushed further past them. The two girl's watched him go before they bound back towards the dorms. In what felt like moments, in reality were minutes, they were back inside and half dragging Elizabeth out. She complained and resisted wholeheartedly, until she saw Draco on the stairs. He stood there like a ghost, his eyes hollow, as Elizabeth began to rush in the direction of the portrait and was then forcing them out of the dorm.

Guided to the third floor, they left her outside the classroom, and suddenly the whole area was dead and silent.

Was the Elizabeth Marshall that she knew herself to be really this pathetic?

Sure, she loved her parents… but was she asking Harry Potter… THE HARRY FUCKING POTTER! for help? When did she start cursing in her head. Elizabeth dried her eyes as she opened the door and walked inside.

Potter sat at a desk, his head down and his hands on the back of his ruffled hair.

"Why do Gryffindor's never talk care of their hair… or is it just your crew." With a scowl, she watched as the boy looked up. He seemed exhausted, more than usual. They locked eyes as Elizabeth tried not to cry, and he didn't even flinch. He was slowly up out of his chair and over towards her. She watched him with water filled eyes, but was helpless to stop him as he stood before her. Then she gasped for air, and the tears doubled in size.

Down they went, he wrapped his arms around her and she clung to him desperately. How she ached to do this with Draco. How she yearned to hold onto him and confess her feelings. But in a pinch, she guessed, Potter would do. Wrapped around her like a jacket, their backs to the door, she crumpled in his embrace.

"I… They… I will never be able to bury them." She cried out into his arms as she clawed deep into his biceps to hold on.

"And you'll never get to say goodbye, I know." He spoke softly. She shook harder as his hands began to pet down her hair. He smoothed them with his rough quidditch hands and she cried harder into his shirt and tie.

"I had called them! I wanted… they never picked up." She whimpered. His head was against her head and he actually pressed what felt like a kiss to her scalp. There was a small offense she took to his kiss on her hair. But she would tell him off later, when she wasn't bawling into his arms.

"I'm… I'm sorry."

"You could do nothing for them. He is the reason for it. Voldemort." Harry whispered. "Remember who the enemy is. Not you." He added. Elizabeth choked as she gasped for more air and tried not to cry harder into his clothing. Her eyes closed, she curled up into him more and trembled until his embrace soothed her shakes.

~!~ ~!~ ~!~

There was an anger burning in her, a hatred, that boiled down with the love she held. She finally had admitted it at Christmas. Elizabeth loved Draco, but he was nothing but harm to her. As she stormed into the portrait past midnight, eyes puffy and clothes dried with her tears, she came to a darkly lit common room.

And Draco.

"Draco." She whispered as she looked to the male who stood, mid pace in the middle of the common room.

"Elizabeth." His voice was strained as he looked at her. Her heart stopped as she saw him stare right at her. Guilt still ate at her, devoured her stomach as she stepped up closer to him. Draco closed in the space. Everything hurt, but she salivated over the idea of his hands on her once more. Tears that she was sure were unable to be produced, formed on her face. With a gasp of air, his right hand grazed her cheek and she broke inside.

"Don't freeze me out." He whispered as he looked at her. But she couldn't let him in, the ice was already filling in the cracks of her heart. With a flinch, she pulled away from his touch and went to push past him. But his touch searched out hers, and his hand grabbed at her shoulders, and fell to her hands.

"I can't." Elizabeth tried not to let her throat close up as she yanked her hand away.

"Forgive me." He pleaded.

Elizabeth's eyes flickered up to him before she brushed past his shoulder and forced her body to move forward. Keep moving, keep on and don't look back. But unable to stop herself, she looked back at him from the staircase. She should have kept moving, she wouldn't have seen his face. The look of dejection was all over his flawless skin, and as she tried to pull away, that only made her weaker.

Elizabeth was weak!

She could no longer fight his advance, as he shot forward at a desperate run and pulled her into his arms. They collided with the stone wall harshly, her shoulders cried out in pain as his lips desperately, demandingly took her own. His hands gripped her like she would disappear if he hadn't. Teeth grated lips as their kiss grew intense with need and broken affection.

"I hate you." She whimpered into his kiss as he looked her in the eyes.

"Don't you lie to me." He added, his ice cold stare ate into her.

"I…" She wanted to repeat it, she wanted to tell him, she did hate him. But truth fell from her lips instead. "I love you but I can't trust you." She whispered as her voice was strangled in her tight throat.

"You can trust me." hands cupped her cheeks, but she pulled back and shook her head.

"How can I trust you?" She demanded. "after I know what your mission is. After my parents. After everything!" She stepped from him and slapped his hands away. The male stood in the icy wind that she left between them, her feet settled on the female side of the staircase.

"You know?"

"Snape told me." She added with a flinch, "well. I figured it out, I knew it had to be someone. But now that I know… how can I trust you" Elizabeth flushed as her fists clenched shut and her body shuttered. Draco looked to the ground and she fumed. Ice queen began to take off as she watched him shut her out. If he would play that game, so would she. With ground teeth, she rolled back her shoulders and cocked a brow at him.

"But you told me you love me." Draco added as he tried to look into her gaze.

"My feelings are meaningless unless I can trust you with them." Her feet took her up another step. Then she turned and walked up the stairs, calmly, and with her heart beat stable. Though she felt her soul suck itself down into the depths of her body, she kept her face blank and her emotions suffocated. Daphne stood outside the door of their dorm, but when Elizabeth's eyes flickered up to the doorway, Daphne looked away.

"No more secret's Daph." Elizabeth whispered with a stern voice.

"You first." Daphne shot her eyes back at Elizabeth. Frost. Ice. Keep it cold. Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at her room-mate.

"I've always been honest with you guys." Elizabeth's tone was harsh and gritted.

"Oh, really?" Daphne hissed as she turned towards the stairs. "Could have fooled me." as she descended. Elizabeth's nostrils flared as she narrowed her eyes after the girl. Completely ignoring Pansy who stood instead, fretting over her two friends clearly having an argument, Elizabeth pushed into the room and went for her books. She couldn't deal with all of this at once… she had a test tomorrow.