The Same Mistake

Draco ran his fingers through Ellie’s hair. While he had finished writing his Defense Against the Dark Arts essay, Ellie had passed out on his lap. On a loose silver chair around her neck, a large silver ring reflected the candle light. Draco’s eyes were drawn to the necklace. The ring that hung from it, Draco had presented to Ellie only an hour earlier.

“I have something for you,” he had told her smugly.

The absolute picture of puzzlement, Ellie had simply waited for him to present the unknown object. When he didn’t, Ellie had asked, “Que?”

Smirking, Draco had slipped the ring from his finger. The ring was rather cumbersome, emblazoned with the Slytherin crest. Draco’s mother had bought it for his thirteen birthday, it was one of his only prized possessions. Now he wanted to give it to Ellie. He couldn’t offer her much in the way of gestures toward their relationship, but this was a concession he was more than willing to make.

“This,” he dropped the ring into the palm of Ellie’s outstretched hand. She brought it eye level, investigating the insignias.

“I want you to have it,” he answered to her questioning look.

“C’est tres beau.”

He shrugged, playing off just how much the ring meant to him. “Here,” he retrieved the long silver chain from his pocket.

Ellie accepted the necklace, slipping the ring on. “Will you hook the necklace?”

Draco’s fingers brushed against the nape of her neck as he fastened the clasp on the necklace. When she turned around, the ring hung low around her neck. It would be easy for Ellie to conceal if she so desired, he hoped she wouldn’t.

“Thank you,” she had said, kissing his cheek sweetly.

Draco had said nothing in reply, turning instead to his essay. Ellie had allowed his silence, laying her head upon his thigh and quickly falling asleep.

Now, shaking her shoulder gently, Draco woke her. She stirred quietly, rubbing her eyes with her fists. “Oui?”

With one finger, Draco tilted her face up to his. He glanced down at the ring before dipping his mouth to hers. Ellie quickly adjusted herself to the situation, coming to sit on Draco’s lap. She slid her small hands up his back, draw intricate patterns on his smooth skin. Deepening the kiss, Draco’s thoughts drifted to the past month.

Ellie had been happier than he had ever seen her during their time together. She acted as if she were floating through life. Every look she gave him conveyed love and desire. It was as if all of the horrendous things that had led up to their relationship had simply washed away when he had finally fixed the cabinet.

But Draco knew that wasn’t true. In fact, the calm exterior that he had been projecting ever since they made love in the Room of Requirement was anything but how he felt inside. He was constantly at odds with himself. Should he break it off with Ellie before it was time to use the Cabinet? Should he keep her with him as much as possible so that when the time did come he could he send her through to Borgins and keep her from the battle he surely knew would explode? Should he tell her what he was going to use the Cabinet for?

The questions were never ending. But the idea of being parted from Ellie kept him from deciding on a course of action. That and the realization that the time was coming for him to kill Dumbledore. Draco spent most of his nights now in a cold sweat, cursing his father. If his father had not failed the Dark Lord, Draco would never have been put in this position.

Draco couldn’t begin to imagine how Ellie would react if she knew that her existence was far more of a factor in Draco’s confidence that he would kill Dumbledore than the threat of losing his own life if he failed. As Draco had known she would, Ellie refused to sway from her decision to join the Death Eaters. And since she could not be persuaded, Draco saw his defeat over Dumbledore as the only way to ensure her safety, at least for a little while longer.

The thought made his stomach twist in disgust. Ellie would never condone his actions. Draco positively refused to think of how Dumbledore’s murder would influence their relationship. Ellie would simply have to accept matters as they were. He was doing this for them; to keep them together. Still, doubts plagued his mind. Could he really kill another wizard? Could he so ruthlessly steal the life of someone he had known for six years?

If the situation involved a Mudblood or a Muggle, he assumed the answer would more readily be yes. After all, even if Ellie embraced all forms of humans, Draco was raised a Pureblood. Blood status did make a difference, whether Ellie wanted to recognize it or not. But this was Dumbledore, a Pureblood and an exceptionally powerful wizard. Draco was relying solely on his sense of surprise over the old man to aid him in the attack.

Draco’s blood grew cold the farther his thoughts delved into his darkest worries. Ellie seemed to sense the change in his kiss. She pulled back from him, her blue eyes etched with concern. “Draco?” she queried, her fingers brushing back his white blonde hair.

He mustered a false smile, knowing that she wouldn’t buy it entirely, but it would at least ease her concern. “What? Grown tired of kissing me already, Ellie? And here I thought you kept talking about how much you loved me.”

Ellie punched Draco’s shoulder lightly. “Vous parlez trop beaucoup.”

Draco's fake smile twisted into a smirk. He couldn’t help but see the irony in her words: you talk too much. If she only knew how much he was keeping back. As Draco leaned into resume the kiss, a sharp heat in his pants pocket jerked him away from her.

He unceremoniously shoved Ellie off his lap and onto the rest of the bench which sat before the desk in the deserted Charms classroom where they were hiding out. His hand dug through his pocket, clawing at the expensive material. Finally, his fingers squeezed the small circle of hot metal. He withdrew the coin, ignoring Ellie’s questions of what was going on. He stared at the tiny writing before it faded from sight.

Draco jumped up, his body literally alive with nerves. He felt jittery, nauseous, and though he hated to admit, slightly proud. Now was the moment of action. All of the planning, waiting, and failure had built up to this very second. Looking back at Ellie, Draco’s grey eyes blazed with determination.

“You need to go back to the Gryffindor Common Room and not come out until I send you word.” He spoke with a command in his voice that eerily reminded him of his father.

Ellie’s eyes grew hard. “I will not! You cannot order me around, Draco. Tell me what’s going on!”

He grabbed onto her upper left arm, roughly dragging her from the room. “I can and I will. You must do this, Ellie. Promise me.”

She glared at him, an action he hadn’t seen in a great while. “Absolutment pas!” She stamped her foot for emphasis.

Draco returned her glare. Ellie was eating up valuable time by being stubborn. “I’m sorry, Ellie.” And with one swish of his wand, Ellie’s eyes closed. She would have dropped to the floor had Draco not reached out and caught her. He knew the spell should last for at least an hour or two, hopefully more than enough time for the rest of the Death Eaters to enter the castle, for him to kill Dumbledore, and for the entire group to escape.

Hoisting the unconscious Ellie into his arms, Draco paid homage to whoever had given him the foresight not to ask Ellie to meet him in the dungeons that night. The march up to Gryffindor Tower was exhausting enough as it was. Ellie was surprising light, but after the umpteenth flight of stairs, even her light weight was wearing him down.

Again, fortune seemed to smile down on him. He encountered Ginny as he headed for the last set of stairs.

“Oh my god! What did you do to her, you bastard?” Ginny exclaimed upon seeing Ellie’s lolling head.

“Nothing!” Draco growled at the insinuation even though the accusation was correct. His arms trembled as he continued to support Ellie. “She passed out. I was trying to get her back her so she could sleep off whatever hit her.”

Ginny eyed him suspiciously, but at Ellie’s well timed and feeble moan, Ginny stepped up gamely. She pointed her wand at Ellie’s incapacitated body, “Levi corpus!”

Ellie levitated out of Draco’s arms, Ginny directed her toward the portrait of the fat lady. “I’ll take it from here.”

“Thank you.” He meant for the words to be curt but instead they came out heart felt. Ginny looked at him in disbelief.

Knowing he didn’t have any more time to spare, Draco kissed Ellie’s temple. “I love you,” he whispered, his heart clenching tightly in his chest. With that, he turned and sprinted up the stairs to the Astronomy Tower. He had one final thing to do before opening the passage through the Vanishing Cabinet.

It was a split second decision to incapacitate Ellie, but Draco hadn’t wanted to risk something going wrong. If Ellie went to Burgin’s, there was no telling what would happen, if she would be treated as an ally or a prisoner. If he let Ellie go back to Gryffindor unaware of the situation, there was no doubt in his mind that she would join the inevitable battle. Neither option was acceptable. However, with Ellie out of the picture all together, well, it was the safest option.

He would send her word, in form of a letter, as soon as it was safe to do so. He would ask her to come to him, wherever he was. And they would finally be together without pretenses. Ten minutes later, Draco skidded to a halt before the door to the Room of Requirement. His hand trembled dreadfully as he twisted the door knob. This was the final moment of action, no turning back. Ignoring the incredible desire to run away, Draco threw open the door with resolve.

Tonight Albus Dumbledore would die, at his hands. There was no other option.