Isla looked at Leo like never before.

Her eyes were broad and fixed upon her best friend. The corners of her lips twitched as she tried to keep her focus tamed.

The night breeze slipped through the cracks of the treehouse they both had climbed into.

''What?'' She yelled out through a harsh whisper. She didn't want the two boys downstairs to know what this was about until she understood it herself, ''What the hell are you saying?''

Leo had a bitter grimace, pushing his lips tight before parting them to speak, but Isla hewed him off before he even had the chance to do so.

''Are you completely out of your mind?'' She almost seethed, shoving herself closer to him, ''What do you mean obliviate her? Are you even hearing how that sounds?''

''Isla—''

''And what? You obliviate her, and then what? What are we supposed to do? Leave her? Drop her off at her grandma's for good and forget about her? Have you even thought this through? Can you even hear how it sounds—''

''No, but if you let me speak, I might be able to,'' Leo was the one cutting her off now, staring at her through darkness as it held rich around them.

Isla paused. Her jaw clenched tight.

''I know it sounds crazy, alright? But this is messing with her whole life,'' He said, feeling the pain of his own words. He hadn't said much, yet it already tore him apart, ''She's supposed to be in school, Isla. She's supposed to go to class, to eat, spend time with her friends, and then go to bed like a normal person.''

She blinked. Her jaw unclenched as her frown faded.

''She's not supposed to be locked up at Draco's house or Theo's. She's not supposed to spend her time at the ministry crying while I stand trial. It's not supposed to be like that.''

His sight fell to the wooden floor, and he let a shaking breath pass his lips, ''She's meant to prepare for her future, Isla. She's meant to figure out what she wants to do with her life, who she wants to marry, and what the name of her children will be.''

Her heart ached.

''I'm taking all of that away from her. You might think that I'm an idiot for wanting to decide her life for her, and I am. I am a fucking bastard for wanting her to forget about me. I know that, but my life has been getting in the way of hers for too long now.''

His words were trembling as he spoke them, but still, he hadn't been so decided for anything in his life before.

''I can't live with myself if she gives up on herself because of me. She's changing, Isla. I know you see it too. She's changing, and I hate myself for it.''

Leo shook his head, then dragged a hand over his shaved hair. He didn't know what else to speak. His words had already been spoken loud enough.

Isla sighed, dragging her friend down to place his head in her lap. She replaced his fingers with hers, and she gently stroked his skull, just like she'd done in this exact place as kids.

''You said that she should be living like a normal person,'' Her voice was calmer now, soothing, ''But how can you expect that when we live in a world that's anything but normal?''

Leo nestled up to her. He hadn't felt comfort in so long. He was completely drained of human touch, apart from fighting with Mila and the tiny moments they spent together afterward. The hands that were placed on him in Azkaban were cruel, evil, and wicked ones. They hurt. Isla didn't.

She was more home than anything had ever been.

''She is changing, Leo. I know she is, but change isn't always a bad thing. She's changing because she's growing. Yes, Hogwarts would be good for her if it wasn't like it is now. She's smart, she's so clever, and she already knows everything they can teach her there. We all do. She doesn't need textbooks about potions and magic, she needs to understand what a life is outside school, and I don't know anyone who would be a better teacher at that than you.''

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't surprised.

Leo believed that Isla would throw another tantrum. That she'd be losing her mind over this and ship Mila back to school the first chance she got, but instead, he was taken by the fact that she comforted him.

She kept brushing her fingers over his scalp, holding his shoulders and keeping him right there, close to her, ''It's terrifying,'' She whispered, ''I know it is... It's scary, and it's unknown, and it's just... everything we didn't expect it to be, but that doesn't mean that it won't work out. That certainly doesn't mean that you're ruining her life.''

It took her back to her own situation and the two boys she soon would have to choose between.

She couldn't think about it.

Isla had pushed those thoughts out of her head for months now. She had never been certain of who to pick. She always thought she'd end up alone.

Neither of the boys showed any interest in her at the beginning of their storm, neither as much as looked at her if they didn't have to.

They did now. All they did was look at her.

Somewhere she always believed it would be Draco, because he challenged her. He made her feel something she thought she'd lost. He brought out everything in her, both the good and the bad. He stirred something within her, emotions she couldn't comprehend that she was carrying.

And no matter how many times she tried to let him go, no matter all the times she thought she did — she found herself right back by his side. She couldn't leave that blond boy and all of his chaos if she was offered world peace. She wouldn't leave him if her life depended on it.

She needed Draco. She needed Draco more than she could come to understand, and she always would.

There is where she thought her mind would be set.

When Theodore left her, when he lied and ran away, when he came back and lied even more, she thought she'd be fine being friends with him.

Because she needed Draco. 

But then — then Theodore became his true self with her, and her mind wasn't set anymore. He lived to be a boy like no other.

No one could ever compare to him.

No one could ever balance who he was to her. He was the safest place she'd ever visited. She'd never wanted to stay somewhere so badly as she did with him.

Every single one of her happy days, he was.

He was it all to her. When he didn't make her the luckiest girl on the planet — he saved her from being the most miserable one. He had never put himself on the line as he did for her. He had never dared to give anyone his heart until she came along.

He had never been in love, he'd never felt the feeling of it, and she had never felt a love like his. She didn't want to feel any type of love that wasn't his.

And there was where she found herself lost. She always thought she wanted one but needed the other.

Isla never expected to find herself so lost in the both of them, in different ways, yet in the exact same way.

She needed them both. She couldn't even spare it thought without crying.

That was the reason she felt such a need to try and save Leo and Mila from ever facing the same heartbreak she had waiting for her.

If there were a chance she could do them some good in the midst of all chaos, she'd happily put her own problems aside to mend theirs, because apart from her two boys still standing in the late night, waiting for her, Mila and Leo was the most important people to her.

Shaking her head lose from her spiraling thoughts, she smiled down at him, seeing how he'd closed his eyes.

''Tell me about it,'' She bent down, placing a peck on his temple, and she wrapped her arms around him a little harder, ''Tell me about your plan.''

Leo huffed, gripping onto her waist as he cuddled closer, ''I want her to forget about me, just me and no one else, and then I want to leave.''

Something inside Isla flipped, almost making her nauseous.

''I think that if I leave, my father will stop. I think it's provoking him that I'm still here and that I'm not doing anything he wanted me to do. I think...you all would be better off, if you know what I mean.''

''Leo—''

''What the fuck?''

Isla's head snapped at the unexpected voice coming from the ledge she'd climbed, and Draco stuck his head up above the floorboards of the treehouse.

He was looking at her with wide eyes, blinking like he'd never blinked before.

Leo scowled, so confused and startled, ''What is he doing—''

''What am I doing?'' Draco glared at him before his evil eyes snapped to Isla. Jealousy broke his hard tone, ''What are you doing? Cozy up here, isn't it?''

She stretched her spine, looking down the entrance to the ground below them. Theodore stood down there with his arms crossed. He grinned, giving Isla a raised brow. Her heartbeat paced a little faster.

''Let them be,'' Theodore rolled his eyes, shaking his head at the blond who had worked his way up the tree, ''She'll be down when she's ready.''

''The hell she is—'' Draco muttered, his arms folded over the floor, his shoulders barely showed, ''You should come up here and take a peek for yourself. All they're doing is cuddling—''

''Oh, shut your mouth,'' Isla frowned, glaring at him, ''This is why I tried to sneak out, you know? To avoid this.'' She pointed her finger at him.

Draco's icing eyes narrowed in hers, and he spat, ''Yeah? You were sneaking out to what? Hide up in a fucking tree? Clarke, this is madness. Get down, and let's go home. Knock Leo out if you have to, but I want to sleep.''

She couldn't help but smile at him, no matter how serious he was — she always found him funny when he got upset with her.

''Sleep?'' Isla muttered, looking back down at Leo, and she noticed that her friend had closed his eyes again, ''You couldn't have slept when I tried to leave? No?''

Draco bit back sour words as they meant to leave his tongue and sighed loudly, ''Just— Just get down here, and let's go back. I don't get why you need to sit up here and talk like fucking children. You can speak back at the house, but get a God damn grip, Clarke, and let's go—''

''Malfoy,'' Theodore knew exactly when Isla's limits had been reached, and he sensed that his blond friend was out on thin ice, ''I'd watch myself if I were—''

Isla got so frustrated with Malfoy and his choice of words, so annoyed that all she could think of was something she knew he'd rip her apart for, but of course — Isla did it anyway.

Her hand stretched out in the air, and Draco had no chance of understanding what she'd done before she pushed him back.

The blond boy fell to the ground underneath him with a whine, and he landed safely on his spine.

Theodore burst out in laughter, slamming his hand over his mouth to muffle the sounds before Draco caught them. He'd most likely curse him if he heard him make fun of him in a situation like this one.

''You God damn witch—'' Draco groaned, propping himself up on his elbows, and he glared up at her like never before, ''You're fucking mental. You know that, right?''

Isla smirked, holding herself from laughing out as Theodore had done.

''And you better shut the fuck up—'' Draco snapped his annoyance to Theo, glowering at him instead, ''She's out of her fucking mind! She fucking pushed me.''

''I saw that,'' Theo arched down, handing his fist out for Malfoy to take, and he helped his friend up.

Watching as he brushed his pants off, he said, ''But you had it coming, mate. Calling her a child and telling her to get a grip?''

Draco stared at Theo as his mouth formed into an 'o', slowly shaking his head at the blond, ''Not the best call you've made today.''

''Did she tell you she pushed me off her fucking porch the other day?'' Draco rolled his eyes, looking up at their girl as she aimed her attention back to Leo, ''And she tried to jump off the fucking balcony?''

Theodore pushed his lips tight, trying not to laugh again, ''If you were a normal couple, I'd tell you to take the hint.''

''If I were a normal person, I'd ask myself why I am so fucking lost in her,'' Draco huffed, lightly stamping his foot to the ground, ''I still don't get it. I still don't fucking understand how she managed to keep me in a fucking chokehold. She's a God damn crazy person who throws either herself or me off everything she can get her bloody hands on.''

Theodore smiled at that, ''Still, you make sure to catch her every time she does.''

Draco crossed his arms, clicking his tongue, ''I fucking hate her sometimes. I fucking hate that she's... herself.''

''Oh, you're so fucking gone, mate.'' Theodore sounded amused, ''You're so fucking in love with her that you don't even know how to handle it.''

Malfoy stayed quiet, staring out over the trees around them. He was nearly scared to speak what he wanted to say, but since Theodore was the only one listening and the only one who knew what he was going through, he felt safe.

It took him a moment where he bored his sight at the empty darkness around them, moments where he could barely breathe.

''I am,'' Draco said, silently, ''I am so fucking in love with her.''

His heart pounded hard. It hammered at a speed that swelled in his ears, and it felt like it would crack out of his chest at any moment.

He was in love with her.

He'd never been in love before.

He'd loved, but he'd never been in love.

Draco had never been so confident, yet so nervous at the same time.

He'd never said it out loud. He knew it before this moment. He even burnt his past down in order to be with her, but it was like it struck his mind all over again.

Draco Malfoy was so completely and utterly in love with Isla Clarke.

Theodore kept his shy smile. He'd never heard Draco say those words. He had never once heard Draco confess to being in love with Isla. He didn't mind that he was. He was proud that his best friend had reached the point where he dared to speak it out loud.

''I mean, I fucking have to be—'' Draco meant to defuse the tension, ''To put up with being pushed from her bloody treehouse in the middle of the night, I fucking have to be.''

''You are,'' Theodore gripped the blond's shoulder, and he gave him a squeeze of it, ''And it's fucking amazing, isn't it? Being in love with her?''

''It's certainly something,'' Malfoy muttered. His heart didn't stop pounding. It never stopped pounding when he thought of her, ''She's... She's just...''

''I know,'' Theo grinned, shooting the treehouse a swift look, ''I know she is, and it's beautiful, you know?''

Draco looked at him, a crease shaped between his brows.

''Loving her,'' Theodore said, his heart pounded now too, ''It sounds childish, but I didn't think being in love with someone could be beautiful. I thought it was a feeling, something that was there but still wasn't.''

The blond knew exactly what he was talking about.

Theodore gazed back at Draco, ''But it's not like that. It's beautiful. It's just so beautiful. Her love is beautiful, the way she loves, the way you love her, the way you make love, and the way you lead each other through it. She's... She's it, you know? No one can compare to her.''

''She's it,'' Draco nodded, mostly to himself before his eyes were back at the treehouse, ''Our fucking mess.''

''And her God damn chaos,'' Theodore inhaled sharply. His statement lingered around them before he spoke again, ''Malfoy?''

Draco tipped his head, ''Yeah?''

''Whoever she picks...'' Theodore licked his bottom lip, nearly feeling nervous, ''I—''

''I know,'' Draco gave him a faint grin, a slight arch of the corner of his mouth, ''I know.''

They didn't speak more than that. They didn't have to because they knew.

Both of them knew that no matter who she chose, the other wouldn't be forgotten about. Their friendship was something they'd fought hard to keep for years and years. Isla being added to it didn't change the way they cared for each other. Nothing ever could.

Theodore shoved his hands into his night pants, and he let out a quiet yawn, ''Now even I am tired of this shit,'' He said, cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders.

''She's been up there for what?'' Draco was growing truly impatient, ''Two hours? The things we fucking do for her, Nott. Fucking hell.''

''Yeah, but let's give her—''

''Not a fucking chance,'' Draco snapped, marching towards the treehouse again.

He wasn't going to let her have more time than she'd already gotten. He was tired, hungry, and genuinely annoyed with her.

Isla looked over Leo as he sat up, scratching his neck with hooded eyes, ''I'll be back in a couple of days, alright? Mila was going to London with her grandmother to see something at the theaters, and I don't want to be there if she isn't right now, and I don't want her to come back until she's ready.''

''You'll be staying in here then?'' Isla suspiciously peered around.

The treehouse was so small, so tiny that she wondered how they even fitted in there as well as they did. They had built it as children, and it wasn't massive at all, but even if it wasn't. It was still special, and she was happy that it had managed to stay intact over the years.

Leo nodded, leaning back against one of the walls, ''I'll be fine, Isla. Go home, and get some rest. Talk to your mother too. She must be worried about you.''

Isla forced a smile. She still hadn't spoken to her mother since she asked her to be a part of Fred's trial. She knew she was staying at Theodore's house, but more than that, her mother didn't know. 

She missed them.

She missed her mother, and she missed her sister more than anything, but she couldn't bring herself to go home at a time like this. Everything around them was still uncertain, unknown, and she couldn't leave. Didn't want to leave.

''I will,'' She said, reaching for Leo's hands and taking them in hers, ''Do you need anything? A mattress? Some food? I know you don't have your wand, but I can't fix—''

''I'm fine,'' Leo reassured warmly. He just wanted to be alone, and he just wanted to sleep, ''I promise, it's fine, Isla. Don't worry about me.''

He still hadn't found the time to rest since they broke him out. He hadn't slept properly for over a month. Knowing that his best friend had woken up from the torture she was put through and that she was healthy, he felt like he needed some time to gather himself before all the heavy decisions had to be made.

''Okay—''

''Let's go.''

Draco came out of nowhere, his hands immediately snatched her upper arms, and he dragged her back, ''This little midnight tea break is over.''

''Draco—'' Isla protested, and she felt him drag her back over the floor, ''Let me go.''

''Be a good boy, Leo, and come back soon, yeah?'' Malfoy gave him a sour grimace, ''I finally found some treats for you.''

Leo couldn't help but smile at the memory of the last time he'd said something in the lines of that, and he gave Malfoy a swift nod of his head.

Isla wasn't as pleased. She wasn't pleased with all.

All she did as Draco threw her over his shoulder and climbed down the ledge was swear and damn him for what he was doing. She tried to scratch his clothed back, she tried to wrench and writhe out of his hold, but as always, it was to no use.

''Malfoy, for fucks sake—'' Theodore chuckled at the look of them, ''She'll kill you for this.''

Draco didn't even bother looking at him. He just stormed right past the brunet, heading the same way they came from.

Not once did he let her down. He kept her locked against him the entire way back to Theodore's house, and not even then did he release his hold of her. He didn't budge at her shoves and pushes.

He merely rolled his eyes as she cursed and spat at him.

Draco didn't stop until he threw her down onto the bed she shared with Theodore.

Her spine bounced off it, and she propped herself up on her elbows, glaring at him with a glower so intense that he should be shaking. He didn't.

''What is your problem?'' She spoke. Her voice tore through the silent room, ''You've been acting—''

''My problem?'' Draco looked down at her with eyes so severe, ''Do you want to know what my fucking problem is? Fine.''

Isla frowned slightly from where she was lying. Her hair spilled in a mess over her shoulders. Her nose was bright red, and her cheeks stained in somewhat pink color from being held upside down.

''My problem is that I was pushed off the fucking porch the other day, and then I had to listen to you whine all day yesterday because you couldn't run off to find your friend, and then I had to catch you from jumping off the bloody balcony in the middle of the night, and as if that wasn't enough? I had to stand in a fucking forest for two hours, in the middle of the night, just because you needed to comfort your friend — who is an adult who ran away after we put our fucking lives at risk to save him, I might add. You got hurt because we chose to go there, and I...''

He hushed. Closing his eyes and straightening his shoulders, he said, ''I'm just fucking tired, Clarke. I'm so fucking tired that I can't think straight.''

Isla's scowl shifted into sorrow.

She'd failed to see it that way. That he was draining himself to make sure she was okay.

Her insides made a twist, and she felt sick to her stomach due to the things she'd failed to realize.

Draco was prepared for a fight, and when he heard her stir around on the bed, he believed that she'd stand up and fight back, but she didn't.

He opened his eyes, and he saw that she'd shoved herself back on the mattress. She placed herself in the middle of the bed with enough room for him to lay down next to her. The dress she'd been wearing laid in a mess on the floor below the bed frame, and his eyes grew wide at the sight of her tucking herself underneath the covers.

His heart melted, and he hated it.

''Come here,'' She whispered, and with a snap of her fingers, the lights were turned off. Leaving nothing but the moonlight to brighten the room up.

Draco crossed his arms. His jaw tightened, and the muscles in it flexed, ''I'm not—''

''Stop acting like a child, and come here,'' Isla cut him short, reaching her hand out for him to take, ''I don't bite.''

A frail smirk ghosted his lips, and he threw his head back, groaning.

Isla grew impatient, and she did something she didn't think she'd do. She brushed the covers off, and she stood up in front of him.

Draco gulped at the sight of her in nothing but her bra and underwear. He grew so nervous that he didn't quite know where to look, ''Clarke—''

Isla bowed her head towards his shirt, seeking consent to take it off of him. Draco nodded, and shivers ran down his neck at the feeling of her fingers brushing over his chest with every button she undid.

Slowly dragging the material of his arms, she let his shirt down to the floor. Looking up at him through her lashes, she flicked her eyes to his pants and his belt. Draco nervously nodded again.

Isla tried so hard not to look at his flexing muscles, to completely fade at the look of his chest angled and close to her. He made her nervous too.

The tips of her fingers undid the buckle of his belt, letting it hang in its loops before she flipped the button of his pants open, and they shortly hit the ground. He stepped out of them, shoving them aside with his foot. He was only standing in his underwear now too.

Both of them were so close now — so close that they found it hard to breathe.

Her lips arched, and a light curl came across them at the look of him, ''You're handsome,'' She whispered, so lowly that he barely caught it, ''I've almost forgotten how handsome you are.'' 

''And you're beautiful,'' His hand raised, and he took her jaw in the palm of it. Dragging her closer to him, as her hands settled on his chest, ''I could never forget how beautiful you are.''

Isla could feel his heart as it pounded. Her eyes didn't dare to part from his, ''You're tired,'' She said quietly, ''But you won't sleep because you're scared for me.''

He looked down at her, studying every expression on her face with the light of the moon cracking through the window.

''You don't have to be scared,'' She kept going, stretching up on her toes as he arched down, and she let her forehead press against his, ''I'm here, Draco. I promise I won't try to leave without telling you again.''

Draco felt her breath on his mouth, his unbothered hand came to land over the curve of her waist, ''I don't believe you.''

''You want me to be okay,'' She closed her eyes at the feeling of his skin against hers, ''And I am. I know that Leo is safe, and he'll be back when he's ready, but I need you to be okay Draco. I need you to sleep.''

''Clarke...'' His heart ached. She cared so much for him, and he could never understand why, ''It's not your problem. I'll sleep on the couch—''

''No,'' She shook her head, falling back onto plain feet as she let her forehead rest against his chest instead, ''I don't want you to sleep on the couch, Draco. I want you to be here.''

He wanted to be there. He just didn't know how.

''I need to make sure that you are okay too,'' Her voice was so soft and quiet. He had to focus on hearing her, ''I'm not okay if you aren't.''

His heart nearly exploded at that, pounding so hard in his chest as he placed a kiss on the top of her head, and he nodded, ''Fine, but if I feel Nott anywhere near me, I'm leaving.''

That had a soft chuckle flee her lips before she took a step back, her hand wrapping around his, and she led him back to the bed. Slipping underneath the covers, she placed her head on his chest, her legs tangled with his.

Draco breathed out, heavily and he tucked his arm underneath her shoulders, dragging her into where he needed her to be.

He loved this.

He loved this more than anything. He loved having her this close again, to feel her skin on his, to have her arms around him and the sound of her breath in his ear.

He calmed down, and with the feeling of her lips pressing against his chest, Draco Malfoy finally fell asleep.

Isla waited for Theodore to come back upstairs, and it didn't take long until he did. He found her all wrapped up in Draco's arms, and he couldn't help but smile at the look of it.

''Finally asleep, yeah?'' Theo whispered as he snuck down on the other side of her, dragging the covers over him, and he looked at her in a way only he did.

She smiled tiredly, ''He's finally asleep.''

Theodore tucked his arms underneath his pillow, and he turned to face her. She did the same, shifting around from Draco. She made sure to pull him with her. She wanted him to have her close, and she remembered how he always slept nestled up to her spine back at the Manor.

Wrapping his arms around her waist, she left a small kiss on his arm she still rested her head on.

''I'm proud of you,'' Theodore murmured, smiling at her. He took his hand to her ear, flipping a wave behind it, ''I'm so fucking proud of you, Isla.''

''I'm more proud of you,'' Her own hand brushed over his jaw.

She pulled him closer, so close that his face rested against her neck, and he placed soft kisses over her jaw, ''I love you, Theo.'' She said drowsily. She was falling asleep.

Theodore kissed her one more time before he buried himself against her, ''I love you more, my pretty girl.''

All three of them fell asleep, Theodore and Draco on each side of her, and she was safely tucked between them.

All of them needed this — this one night where they could rest together, not worried or scared for what the future had in store for them.

Sleeping, tangled, intertwined, chaotic, and messy. All of this was new to them, neither truly understanding what it meant nor if it even meant anything at all.

But it felt good, and that was all they needed.

_____