[ sorry if it's crappy. i'm posting on a downstairs computer and don't have any privacy 'cause all of my family is over. it's sort of awkward rpging with them all around me. x.x; my posts will be fairly short throughout the rest of the day. ]

Lola had her eyes fixed on the floor as she walked through the halls, navigating through empty corridors with ease due to all her experiance in the past six years. She had a frown on her face, something that had become permanent over the past couple of weeks. It was odd, really. Her mood had changed so suddenly and no one knew why. Not Draco. Not anyone. Not even Alessandra Black, her best friend since childhood and partner in crime.

She was dressed in a pair of fitted designer jeans that were ripped at the knees and the thighs a bit, and tight around her ankles. On her feet were black flats, and looking as though it was about to fall off her shoulders at any moment was a thin, green long-sleeve boatneck sweater. Still her, arms were crossed over her chest in an effort to keep warm. She would have spent the entire night sulking in her room had Draco not told her to meet him in some random hall that was inconveniantly located more than five steps away from the common room for reasons she did not know.

Nearing the last turn, she spotted Draco. Still with arms crossed, she gave a tiny smile that hardly lasted a second before disappearing. She gave a light sigh and walked over to him. As she did so, she began speaking. "So... What's this about?" she asked, her voice oddly cold, though not towards him. It wasn't her tone of voice, which had the familiar loving hint to it, but it was her voice itself that could send a chill up the spine of a listener.

Lola's stare soon left his, and her eyes looked towards the wall. Her expression was blank and absent, as it often had been over the previous weeks. Her eyes showed no emotion, and it was almost apparent in them that she was hiding something. The frown on her face was the only hint that anything was wrong to those who didn't know her well. But Draco knew her better than most, and it was likely that he could tell that something was dreadfully wrong even from the way she held herself.

When he started with his smart statements and then pecked her on the cheek, she had the mind to give him a harsh glare. It wasn't his fault that she was depressed and that he was irritated, though, and she'd keep this in mind. She simply didn't respond to it, save for the 'sorry' glance she gave him. When he answered her question with some of his own, she swallowed hard. She knew exactly why she hadn't been talking to him, and the fact that she couldn't tell him was killing her.

"I'm sorry." she said, trying her best to sound sincere. She couldn't find anything else to say without triggering the question 'What's wong?'. She had a feeling it was coming, but she hoped it wouldn't come soon.

Feeling his fingers underneath her chin made her close her eyes for a moment and wish herself back in time. She remembered the hugs... the tender touches. Even if it had only been a couple of weeks since they had really acted like a couple, it seemed like forever. The guilt and pain only hit her harder when he forced her to look him in the eyes. It was only momentary, however, as though he could control the way her head was facing, he couldn't control where her eyes were. She still stubbornly averted her gaze.

When the question came, she tore from his touch abruptly, as though closing up even more unexpectedly. She closed her eyes for a moment to hide the shiny, watery gleam that suddenly appeared over her eyes. She only opened them when they appeared normal again. She'd refrain from crying in front of him. It was something she just couldn't do. Lola Woods was strong. No one at Hogwarts had seen her cry except Alessandra, and that wasn't about to change unless she absolutely couldn't help it.

"Nothing." she said, in a firm tone after a long moment of silence. It took a lot of effort and strength she didn't even have to lie to him, more than she ever imagined. It really proved to to herself how much she really loved him. Had it been any other guy, it would have been a breeze. But lying to Draco... it was killed her inside. She looked back at him, a pleading look in her eyes. She searched his own, wondering how persistent he'd be. After all, everyone else had just left her to her own business. But they were a couple. He could obviously see it in her that something was wrong.

Lola clenched her teeth together tightly when he spoke to her in a low tone. Yes, she could. She could always talk to him, save for this time. Yes, lying was killing her inside emotionally, but to tell him would possibly endanger her emotional and physical well being. She couldn't put herself in that risk, even if she trusted Draco more than anyone she knew, aside from possibly Alessandra Black. It wasn't that she would ever accuse Draco of the potentional of hurting her, but giving him all the knowledge and otherwise power he needed to do so was too much.

When Draco dove in, her dull eyes widened ever so slightly as she looked past him, returning his kiss with a weak though tempted one that barely brushed his lips before he pulled away to speak again. Yes, as she had expected, he was going to be persistent. Frowning deeply at him, she gazed into his eyes with a frustrated though loving look before she finally broke the silent stare between them. Looking away, she replied, "No."

Lola walked across to the wall on the opposite side of the fairly narrow corridor. She placed her forehead on the cold surface with arms still crossed closely over her chest, but by this time more for emotional comfort than for warmth. With a shaky sigh, she continued, "No, Draco."

She looked over her shoulder at him, a tear growing along one of her lower lids, threatening to fall over her soft cheek. In that gaze, for the first time, a tiny and barely detectable though still alarming look of fear showed in her eyes.

"Not about this."

Lola turned her head back to the wall, trying with desperation to fight back the tears that threatened to fall. Why couldn't this be easier? Why couldn't this be about something simplier, like... say... her brother died? Well... her brother had died recently, but that wasn't what was upsetting her so badly. It had to remain a secret until They were ready to confront Dumbledoor. Not when she was ready to confront her boyfriend about the situation. This in mind, she continued using all the strength within her to resist spilling the beans to him.

Hearing him talk again only made things worse. It was true. She couldn't resist him forever. But she sure as heck could resist him and his dangerous questions for a good while unless he did something forceful. Draco was right. It would only come out of her the hard way. How tough it would be, though... he had no idea.

When she heard his footsteps, she only pressed her forehead harder against the wall as if wishing she would fall right through it to escape him, if only temporarily. She needed to gather her thoughts, and her composure. The kiss on her neck made her become suspicious at what he was trying to do. Was he trying to seduce it out of her? That was certainly no way to go. When he put his hands on her waist and turned her around, she stared up at him, losing her focus on keeping that one tear unseen. Instead, two tears fell, one over each delicate cheek and dropping onto the floor beneath them.

She could only shake her head at him before looking down at again. "I can't. Draco, if it was something simpler than what it is, I promise you, I'd tell you, because I love you. But I can't. It's killing me, it really is, but..." she choked, another tear falling as she hesitated, "It's my place to tell anyone, and it's not time. I'm afraid telling you would put us both in danger."

This said, she looked back up at him. She could tell he was going to try everything possible to get it out of her. Why, she couldn't quite tell. Either he was extremely nosy or OCD and not knowing would bother him to no end, or he simply cared about her too much to let her drown in her own misery. In her mind, only one of the forbidden curses would get her to tell him, but there were certainly other ways.

Lola stared at him for a moment, tears ceasing momentarily as she did so. Surely he was misunderstanding her. This wasn't some other tough guy that had got on her bad side. This was the Coven of Raen. To think that one person could stop them was foolish to say the least, especially a mere student, Malfoy or not. Yes, surely he was just thinking too highly of himself. She looked down at her feet as he did, thinking over the whole scenario. Out of all the things they'd been through, this had to be the most intense and dramatic.

Lola tried to squirm to at least get off of the wall, but it was to no avail. He was going to keep her there until she told him, apparently. Lovers did crazy things for eachother, eh? He was obviously quite worried about her, because with each fallen tear he seemed to get more and more serious and forceful. Finally, she felt like giving up. Looking up at him with a pitiful pair of eyes that screamed defeat for a long moment, she let silence engulf the area around them. Then, she spoke after a long sigh.

"You're very persistent." she choked, just to start. There was more silence as she thought over something to say before she continued. "Alright. You win. You really want to know what's going on, obviously. But before I tell you, first know that you're thinking very highly of yourself, Draco. This isn't some kid bullying me. If They chose to come after you, you'd stand a slim chance at surviving what they'd have in store for you."

This said, her statement ended in dead silence yet again. Her eyes stared absently at the general area of his shirt for a short while. Out of no where, she dove in just as he had several minutes before and kissed him. The kiss was long and more passionate than ever before. She acted like it was last time she'd ever get a chance to kiss him.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Lola pulled back. She avoided his eyes, as if somewhat ashamed at what she was about to say.

"Well... umm... I'm sure you read the Daily Prophet? If not, you'll probably have no idea what I'm talking about, but... there's this thing called the Coven of Raen. They're a group associated with black magic. I don't know too much about them... only that they're four very powerful pureblood witches and wizards. You'll remember... they attacked the Asian Ministry. Lola looked up at Draco, wondering if his face showed yet if he knew where this was going. "I was in the graveyard for not particular reason a couple of weeks ago, and Moiraine Donovon showed up, one of the four from the Coven. Draco..." she trailed off for a moment. "I think she wants me to join them. And... I think I want to."

Lola looked up at him, wondering what sort a expression he held now. Quickly, she added, "I couldn't tell you or anyone. They're very secretive, and they're plotting. That's absolutely all I can tell you. I'm sorry. I can understand anything you feel about me now, but please just promise me it's a sworn secret."

Another tear fell, and she looked down, this time not looking back up. It felt good to finally share the secret with someone, especially someone she considered to be the love of her life. But she'd just admitted to him how truly dark she really was. The fact that Moiraine had been attracted to her in the first place was definately something. For her to say that she actually wanted to join just a hellish group just confirmed it. Lola Woods was a dark witch.