The Same Mistake

Tendrils of ice spider webbed across the water covered floor. The ice started at Ellie’s feet and quickly spread outward. Draco felt a deep chill sink through his clothes. Looking at the floor below, Draco saw to his bewilderment that the wet floor was now covered in a thin layer of ice. His eyes shot up to Ellie, her hair spanned out behind her, held up by an invisible force, her eyes usually crystal blue were almost black.

Very slowly, Pansy caught on to the change in the atmosphere, her laughter died away and her attention was pulled magnetically toward Ellie. She stared at Ellie, mystified by what was happening.

“You need to leave,” Ellie spoke quietly her voice filled with deadly authority.

“I don’t think so, Frog. This isn’t your school, you need to leave,” Pansy smirked triumphantly. On her other side, Draco believed that Pansy had just done a very stupid thing. It was clear to him now; the Dark Lord wanted Ellie because her family had power, very strong and very old magical power.

Ellie fixed her gaze on Pansy. With a tremendous force, Pansy was propelled backward from the room, the door banging open as Pansy’s dead weight slammed against it. Pansy fell as a crumpled heap to the floor her expression dazed.

Ellie’s focus swiveled to Draco. “Leave.”

“I’m supposed to be in detention with you, remember. I can’t leave,” Draco knew this wasn’t entirely true, but he hoped it would be enough for Ellie to let him stay.

The door behind him sung open, the magical wind swirling around the tower whistling out of it “There are many other towers you could be in.”

Draco took very cautious steps toward Ellie not wanting her to attack and not wanting to slip on the ice. When he was a foot away, he reached out to her, his hand resting lightly on Ellie’s arm.

Instantly the spell was broken. The temperature rose rapidly back to normal, the ice beneath his feet cracked and melted, the wind died leaving the room unnaturally quiet. Ellie stared up at Draco with furious crystal blue eyes. To his immense distress, he noticed tears brimming in those blue eyes.

Ellie pushed past Draco then broke out into a run. But Draco looped his arm around her waist, pulling her struggling form back to him. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“To pack. Once Pansy tells Snape what happened I’ll be sent back to Beauxbatons,” Ellie said bitterly.

“She won’t tell anyone.”

“She hates me. She’s looking for any excuse to get me kicked out. Of course she’s going to tell someone,” Ellie struggled against Draco’s grip, her hands clawing at his arm.

“No. I’ll tell her not to talk to anyone about what happened tonight.” Draco placed his other hand on Ellie’s hip, turning her to face him. She was far smaller than him, Draco was quite confident that he could lift her up and carry her out of the room if he so desired.

“And why in the world would you do that?” Ellie prompted angrily.

A small smile flickered at the corners of his mouth. “Because against my better judgment, I rather enjoy having you around.”

Ellie’s gaze sliced through him. “That is the dumbest reasoning I have ever heard.”

In the hallway, Pansy was beginning to stir, she groaned painfully. Ellie shoved Draco, but he held tight. “Stay here,” he ordered. Tentatively releasing Ellie, Draco strode over to Pansy and nudge her with his foot.

“Draco!” Pansy gasped, climbing awkwardly to her feet. “Where is that bitch! I’ll get her for this! I’ll -”

“No, you won't,” Draco cut across Pansy coldly. “You’re going to go back to Slytherin and wait for me. I’ll deal with her.”

“But, Draco,” Pansy whined.

“Go.”

Pouting unhappily, Pansy turned and walked down the staircase. Draco waited until her footsteps had faded away before returning to the tower. Ellie was perched on the window sill, her wand clutched loosely in her hand.

“I’m not going to be in your debt,” Ellie told him without looking up.

“My debt? Then what would you call this?”

“What do you want from me?” Ellie curtly ignored his question.

Draco wasn’t sure how to answer this. He had protected Ellie on the pretense of assisting the Dark Lord; but that wasn’t entirely true. Did he dare bring up the Dark Lord now? Draco didn’t think this was the right timing, he needed to learn more about Ellie before that. He had firmly believed at the start of the night that he would be reporting Ellie as a lost cause, but now that he had seen what she was capable of, he understood why the Dark Lord wanted her family to join him.

But how could he get to know Ellie better when she so openly disliked him. The answer was quite obvious and quite cliche. “Kiss me. “

Ellie’s eyes bored into his. “No chance in hell.” She dropped from the window sill flicking her wand so that the rag in her pail began to wash the windows of the tower.

“I don’t see that you have much of a choice,” Draco drawled confidently. “You either kiss me or I tell Snape.”

Ellie shook her head. She crossed the room to him, standing inches from his chest. “I don’t think you’re going to tell anyone.”

Draco chuckled darkly. “And why would you think that.”

“I have my reasons.”

“Those being?”

“If you tell, so will I.” Her small hand shot out catching his left wrist and holding it firmly. She looked up at Draco as her other hand began to unbutton the cuff of his sleeve.

Uncertainty filled Draco. What was she doing? “Let go.”

“No.” Her cool finger tips pushed his sleeve up slowly revealing the pale skin below.

“Let go!” Draco tugged his arm back furiously but Ellie wouldn’t let go, her fingers dug deeper into his wrist. Draco felt as if his arm was on fire, any moment now the very base of the tattoo would become visible.

One of the doors to tower banged open. “What is this?” an oily voice asked.

Ellie dropped Draco’s wrist, turning swiftly to face Snape. The rag dropped from the window landing with dull flop on the ground. Snape looked from one guilty face to the other.

“Where is your pail, Draco?”

“In the South Tower,” Ellie answered. “I asked Draco if he could help me up here; I spilled my bucket,” she gestured to the water covered floor below her.

Snape’s beady eyes took in the scene finally coming to rest on Draco. “Is this true?”

“Yes, Sir. Ellie was quite incapable of cleaning up the flood by herself. She requested that I help her for fear that you would discover the mess she made,” Draco replied convincingly.

“It must have been an exhausting task.” He stared pointedly at Draco’s unbuttoned shirt and his loose tie.”I will be back in an hour. I expect this mess to be cleaned and both towers to be completed.”

When Snape had left, Ellie turned to Draco, “We’re settled. I covered for you and you’ll cover for me.”

Draco began to retort that they were not at all equal when Ellie stepped closer to him. She diligently buttoned Draco’s undone shirt and straightened his tie. The gesture was so simple and so sweet it caught Draco completely off guard. Without consciously deciding to do so, Draco brushed Ellie’s hair behind her ear. She looked up startled.

“I’m dating Pansy,” he said more to remind himself than to inform Ellie.

“Then it’s probably a good thing I have no interest in dating you,” Ellie stepped away, her arms falling to her sides.

“Probably,” Draco agreed. He scooped Ellie’s hands up into his knowing this was a horrible idea but not denying it.