The Same Mistake

Ellie kissed Draco chastely goodnight before scampering up to Gryffindor Tower. She had promised Ginny she would spend the night with her, which really meant that Ginny wanted to brag about how amazing Harry was. Ellie didn’t mind. Ginny deserved to be happy and she deserved a friend who would listen to her go on and on about a boy with green eyes and a lightning shaped scar. Ellie was that friend.

Spying Ginny as soon as she stepped foot in the common room, Ellie winked at her. Ginny pressed a sound kiss to Harry’s lips before patting him fondly on the head and dodging after Ellie. Up in their dormitory, the two girls collapsed on their respective beds giggling the way only girls experiencing first love can. Ellie’s cheeks hurt from smiling when she finally rolled into a sitting position.

“So,” she prompted, her eyes still sparkling with happiness.

“So,” Ginny giggled harder, managing to sit up herself. “You know how I’ve dated other guys and Harry’s really only dated Cho?”

Ellie nodded. The only reason she knew such knowledge was due to Ginny’s penchant of sharing what Ellie had come to consider “Harry Facts.” Ellie knew Draco would probably gag in disgust if he ever found out how much Ellie knew about the Chosen One’s personal life.

“Well . . .” Ginny collapsed in fresh giggles. Calming herself as quickly as possible, Ginny pulled her knees up to her chest, propping her chin on her knees and linking her arms about her legs. “Cho apparently was not much of a kisser, because Harry’s first kiss was way less than fireworks worthy.”

Ellie’s jaw dropped a fraction of an inch. It had never occurred to her that boys didn’t know how to kiss properly. Draco sure knew how to kiss; just thinking about his smooth lips on hers had Ellie’s cheeks flushed. “Oh my mot!” Ellie said slipping into French. “Word! I mean, oh my word!” She blushed heatedly.

Ginny nodded vigorously. “Not that it was entirely horrible. Once I taught him a tip or two, well, he’s perfectly fabulous at it now.”

Ellie smiled happily at her friend, biting on her thumb nail to keep from laughing again. “And he had no idea he was bad at it before?”

Ginny shrugged, laughter sparkling in her eyes. “Apparently not. But let me tell you, if anyone else had kissed me like that, it would have been an immediate deal breaker. But Harry, he’s undeniably charming in his own way what with his quiet humble attitude which is in total contradiction to his need to save the world.” She sighed blissfully.

Ellie bit down rather hard on her thumb. The nail cracked; she ripped it full of with her teeth. “Yes, that is something.” Kissing was obviously not the only trait Harry did not share with Draco. While Ginny’s boyfriend was off trying to rectify the world’s wrongs; Ellie’s was working to please the most dangerous wizard of all time. Not that Ellie had room to judge any longer. She was on the same path herself.

Her eyes dropped to her still clean wrist. No ugly tattoo declaring her allegiance. But soon there would be. The school year was coming to an end; it wouldn’t be long before her own pure skin was besmirched with lies and treachery.

“Ellie?” Ginny’s voice dragged her back to the present. It was obvious from the look on Ginny’s freckled face that she was awaiting the answer to a question Ellie hadn’t heard.

“What?” she blinked rapidly, trying to catch up to speed. “Sorry, I must have missed what you said.”

Ginny’s brow puckered slightly. “I asked you how your boy is.”

“Oh.” A half smile ghosted her lips. “A bit stressed, but otherwise . . .” She lifted one shoulder.

“And his kissing skills?” Ginny tried hard to keep her face from turning to a look of disgust, but she failed, her nose wrinkling.

Ellie laughed at the sight. “Draco has unrivaled skills when it comes to kissing and –“

“I do not need to know!” Ginny cried out hysterically. Ellie fell back on the bed giggling like the school girl she was.

“Well you asked –“

“About the snogging! Not –“

“That is such a ridiculous word for kissing!” Ellie said accusingly, throwing her pillow at Ginny. “I cannot imagine a more unattractive way to label such a beautiful interaction.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Ginny waved away her friend’s words. “That’s why I try and stick to ‘kissing’ with you; there are only so many times I can hear the same complaint before I feel the urge to hex you. But when you catch me off guard with disturbing information about Malfoy –“

“Draco!” Ellie corrected protectively.

“Well, he’ll always be Malfoy to me, sorry, mate.” Ginny grinned cheekily.

“Fine.” Ellie sighed dramatically. She twisted around on the bed, fumbling for the pocket watch on her nightstand. Feeling the cool silver chain, she captured the watch with her fingers and brought it round to read.

A quarter past seven. “So. How much longer must I endure hearing about all of Harry’s bewilderingly wonderful qualities?”

“Only about an hour more. Did I ever tell you . . .” Ginny’s voice trailed off into the background of Ellie’s mind.

All of Ellie’s thoughts were focused on how perfect the present seemed. Draco hadn’t taken her back to the Room of Requirement since their . . . more frisky visit the month before. It seemed to Ellie that the Vanishing Cabinet had been fixed and that all of her worrying over what danger it could pose had been completely superfluous. It had been a month and so far nothing worrisome had occurred because of the cabinet.

Draco looked considerably better, his eyes no longer haunted by dark shadows; his skin no longer tinged grey. In fact, if anything, Draco was prone to looking a bit peaky. But he had been more straight forward in his affections with Ellie, reminding her almost constantly that he loved her and wanted her to reconsider joining the Death Eaters. But as time went on, his pleas became less desperate. He seemed resigned to her fate and that relieved her substantially.

With a contented smile, Ellie curled up on her bed, tucking one arm beneath her head as a pillow since hers still lay next to Ginny. No, the present was a simply wonderful time and she couldn’t imagine a single thing that would disrupt it.