Weakness

The next morning the common room was abuzz with a juicy new rumor. Ellietta Widdersham and Ron Weasley were an item, if you believed everything you heard. Undoubtedly, it was Pansy who'd started it. No one else had it in for Ellie the way Pansy did. Crabbe and Goyle were on the defensive, weaving in and out amongst the chattering students, telling them to shut their faces before they got some assistance in doing so. Blaise and Theo didn't seem too interested, they were perched on a sofa away from everyone else.

"Why does everyone think you're dating Weasley?" Blaise asked as she approached them.

"Apparently walking next to someone means you're madly in love with them," Ellietta shrugged, "It's stupid. I have no interest in dating anyone, let alone Weasley."

"No interest in anyone at all?" the velvety smooth voice of Draco Malfoy called out from behind her.

"No," Ellietta replied slowly, "We're too young for that sort for thing. Mother says I'm not allowed to date until I'm sixteen anyway."

"Well, you should stay away from The Weasel for a while," he advised her, "At least until people stop talking."

He turned on his heel and walked away rather quickly. Although he had seemed calm and cool while speaking to her, Ellietta knew it was an act. He was furious. She could see it in his eyes and feel it bubbling up inside him. He could hide it from everyone else, but not from her. She called after him, but the wall had already slid shut behind him. Blaise looked down awkwardly at the floor, while Theo nodded at the spot where Draco had disappeared with a knowing smile on face.

"Go on then," he gave her a gentle shove.

"I'll see you at breakfast," she promised them, and trotted off after Draco.

She scanned the hall on the other side of the entrance to the common room but he wasn't there. A few curious looks were sent in her direction, so it seemed the rumor had spread outside of Slytherin. Ellietta closed her eyes and focused on the fury she'd felt when Draco had been standing next to her. She let it swim in her veins as if it were her own, feeling suddenly as though she could hit something or someone, and hard. She waited a moment, fists clenched tight at her sides, before she felt the familiar little tug. Her eyes opened and she began to weave through the corridors with precision. It was as though everyone and everything else in the castle had faded away, and only Draco and his fury remained. She could tell he wasn't far, the feeling was become stronger and stronger.

She turned the corner in front of the library and realized immediately that he was inside. He was tucked away in dark corner, his nose buried in a copy of Quidditch Through The Ages. His mouth was set in a line and his free hand was balled into a fist. Ellie watched for a moment as his eyes roved over the page before he turned it so violently he almost ripped it right out of the book. She cleared her throat, to make her presence known, and sat across the table from him. His gaze flickered up to meet hers, just for a second, before returning to the book.

"I haven't given you any reason to be mad at me," Ellietta whispered.

"Who says I'm mad?" Draco asked, without looking up.

"I don't have the patience for games. Thank yourself for that," she huffed, "Just tell me what's wrong."

"If anyone's mad here, it's you," he said.

"Yes, I'm angry," Ellie admitted, "I wasn't until you came up to me in the common room. You were and are quite upset and it seems to have rubbed off on me. I'd appreciate it if you'd just tell me what's wrong so we could both stop feeling like punching things."

"I told you I didn't like you hanging around Weasley," he bit out, finally putting down his book, "You didn't listen to me and now everyone thinks you're together. Someone said you were sneaking around with him last night, and that you weren't back until almost midnight. Did you ever stop to think about how all of this might make me feel?"

"It's not like I sought him out. I went to the room of requirement to get away from you! All your talk about Potter and your stupid plan was driving me to insanity! I lost track of time and next thing you know Ron's there asking me to fix his hand. He offered to walk me back to the common room so I wouldn't be caught by Filch!" Ellietta raised her voice, forgetting she was in the library, "It could barely even be considered friendly, let alone anything more than that!"

Madam Pince appeared, her dark eyes narrowed at Ellietta, "Shhh!"

She waited until the librarian had disappeared before whispering, "You have no right to be this angry with me. I've done nothing wrong. Even if there was something with Ron and I, which there is not, it wouldn't be any of your business."

This was apparently the wrong thing to say for as soon as she said it, she felt a wave of fresh anger wash over Draco and she thought it might drown both of them. He stood up slowly, his knuckles white from gripping the table with such tremendous force, and glared at her. She mirrored his actions perfectly.

"I hate you," he hissed through clenched teeth.

"No you don't," Ellietta growled, "It hurt you to say that. I felt it. Just stop it, okay? I've had enough. I hate this."

"Arguing with me?" Draco demanded clarification.

"No," She shook her head, "This. This feeling of wanting to rip someone's head off. It's quite unpleasant. I'm sorry I made you feel like this, okay? Just stop so I don't have to feel it too."

"I thought you could just tell what I was feeling," his expression softened a little, "You can feel it too?"

Ellietta nodded, "Sometimes it's nice. Like when you're happy or excited about something. But when you're angry it can get quite awful. You have violent thoughts."

"Sorry," he sat back down, "That you had to feel it, I mean. I'm not sorry for wanting to rip Weasley's head off."

"Honestly, I'd be worried about you being imperiused or something if you started apologizing for things you've thought about Weasley," She laughed quietly, not wanting to attract Madam Pince's attention, "but you did sort of overreact just a little, don't you think?"

"Do you really not know?" Draco buried his head in his hands, "You know everything else, you have to know."

"Know what?" Ellie asked, eyebrows raised.

"Merlin, this is embarrassing. Are you sure you don't know? Don't make me say it if you know," he peered up at through the wisps of silky blonde hair that had fallen into his eyes.

His cheeks were tinged pink and when he finished speaking, he dropped his head back down to avoid whatever look her dancing green eyes would bestow upon him. Ellietta knew his heart was racing because hers had started to as well when his nerves and embarrassment flowed into her from across the table. She wanted to tell him she knew, if for no other reason than to stop her palms from sweating, but she didn't.

"You'll have to say it, I'm sorry," she said in a breathy voice, physically unable to speak any louder.

"I've made you nervous, haven't I?" Draco groaned, "This just keeps getting worse."

"Just say it and neither of us will have to be nervous anymore," she wanted to look him in the eye but he had yet to raise his head.

"Fine," his muffled voice rose from between his arms first, then his head popped up. He pushed his hair back to the side it had fallen from and managed to look Ellietta in the eye, "I like you."

"You like me?"

"I'm not going to say it again," he warned her.

"Does that mean it's a bad thing?" she queried, her hair turning a deep shade of purple.

"It's a bad thing if you like Weasley," the fury bubbled again.

"I don't. Not like that, anyway. That is what you meant, isn't it? That you liked me like that? Because if you meant like in the normal sense of the word and not like that, that's okay too," her words flew from her mouth faster than she'd anticipated and stuck together like a handful of jelly slugs that had been left in the sun.

Draco smiled, "I meant like that."

"Shall we go to breakfast then?" she smiled back, "I'm dying for a scone and if we don't leave now it'll be over before we get there."

"I could do with a scone," he shrugged, and took hold of her hand.

Neither of them said anything more about Draco's revelation. The day floated by just as any other day Hogwarts would have. After breakfast Draco and Ellie straggled on their way to their first lesson. They sat next to each other and whispered back and forth instead of paying attention. During free period they ended up in the library once more, to work on their History of Magic homework. Draco spent lunch alternating between calling Crabbe and Goyle every insulting name he could think of, and bragging to them about how he was going to take down Potter. Ellie chose to devote her attention to Theo, who was doing his Potions homework instead of eating. She poked fun at his woeful penmanship and he giggled back at her, commending her choice of words. A few times Ellie's eyes would meet Draco's for a second or two and they'd share complacent grin before turning towards their friends again.

Thankfully Theo managed to finish his homework before class started because Professor Snape collected it as soon as he walked into the room. He let them pick their partners for once which, if the collective sigh of relief was any indication, everyone was quite happy about. Draco tugged Ellietta by the hand to the supply cabinet, without bothering to ask if she wanted to be his partner. She rolled her eyes playfully but Draco just grinned triumphantly. Professor Snape, who usually had his eyes glued to Potter so that he could be ready to point out any mistakes he made to the class, watched the little exchange with an expressionless face. His eyes followed the pair as they walked back to Ellietta's cauldron and began to measure, chop, and crush the appropriate ingredients for the Wideye potion he had assigned them.

Draco's eyes met Snape's for a moment, over Ellie's left shoulder. He didn't seem to care he'd been caught staring. Snape continued to watch as she crushed the snake fangs in the mortar. His eyes moved with her hand as she swiped a stray lock of hair away from her forehead and placed the mortar on the table. He watched her mouth move as she said something to Draco, who nodded his head. Ellietta turned and met Snape's gaze, which gave him a start. He shuffled the parchment on his desk and didn't look up again until he was certain she'd turned back to her potion. She was giving it a counter-clockwise stir, and even added a clockwise stir at the end that Professor Snape knew was not written in the text book. The corners of his mouth twitched and if you blinked, you would have missed the tiny smile that disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

At the end of the period everyone poured a sample of their potions into their phials, labeled them, and brought them to Snape's desk. He grumbled as he accepted them one by one, only stopping when Ellietta handed him the phial with hers and Draco's names on it. He held it a moment too long and stared at her with blank expression. Draco coughed a bit too dramatically and Snape put the phial with the rest while Ellie walked away, and out of the classroom.

"If I didn't know any better, Ellie, I'd say Snape fancies you," Draco told her as they walked down the corridor.

"Fancies me? You've gone mad," she replied, turning a corner, "Teachers don't fancy their students. Certainly not the first years, anyway."

"He couldn't take his eyes off you! You noticed it too, I know you did," Draco accused.

"He was just lost in thought, I think," Ellie reasoned, "He had that far off in look his eye, you know? Like he was daydreaming or something."

"Daydreaming about you," Draco mumbled.

"Oh come off it," she shot back, "Just change the subject."

"Okay," Draco agreed, stopping in front of the door to the common room and whispering the password, "I noticed your boyfriend couldn't be bothered to show up for class."

"My boyfriend? Funny, that's what he called you," she laughed, "I already told you he was bitten, didn't I? He's probably in the hospital wing."

"Bitten?" Draco repeated, taking a seat on one of the overstuffed green and silver armchairs by the fire.

"Yes, by Hagrid's dragon," she whispered that part, "I told you he came to ask me to fix it. That's how that whole rumor business started."

"Why would he think you could remedy a dragon bite?" his tone was a bit condescending, but she knew the only one he meant to condescend was Ron.

"I healed your eye," she shrugged, and then giggled loudly as Draco reached out to tickle her before dragging down into the chair with him.

"True enough," he coalesced, enjoying her proximity, "We should pay him a visit."

"We should?" Ellie was glad that Draco couldn't see her face in this position, because she'd closed her eyes to fully enjoy the feeling of warmth that radiated from him.

"What are friends for?" Draco laughed mischievously, "Besides, we've got time to kill."

To Draco's surprise, he didn't have to reach for Ellietta's hand like he usually did. She was holding it out to him expectantly. He arched his eyebrows in puzzlement and for once, she wrapped her hand around his. She did seem a little confused as she did it, but Draco figured that was probably his own fault. Together they made their way to the hospital wing in relative silence. Draco was lost in thought, trying to dream up the most insulting insults he could think of. Ellie was more concerned with coming up with an excuse for Madam Pomfrey. Surely she would know they were not there to check up on Ron, not Draco anyway.

"Hello, Madam Pomfrey," she said, as cheerily as she could muster, "We wondered if we might see Ron Weasley for a moment. He has a book I need to borrow to finish my transfiguration homework. I'm sure he needs his rest, we won't be long."

"He's in the third bed," Madam Pomfrey pointed as she spoke, giving the duo a suspicious glance before letting them pass.

Ron was propped up with some fluffy pillows, eating lunch from a tray on his bed at an alarming rate. On the little table to the right of his bed were a few of his schoolbooks which Ellie was glad to see, considering books had been her excuse. For a moment, it looked as though Ron might smile. As soon as he realized Ellietta was not alone, and had brought Draco with her, his face quickly set in a scowl.

"What do you want?" he asked gruffly.

"Be nice Weasley," Draco sneered, "You wouldn't want Madam Pomfrey finding out what really bit you, would you?"

"Be nice?" Ron laughed, "To you? That'll be the day."

"You should always be nice to your superiors," Draco smiled smugly.

"Get off your high Hippogriff, Malfoy," Ron seethed, eyes narrowed.

"At least I wasn't stupid enough to get bitten by a dragon," the blonde boy shrugged.

"At least I'm not as much of an arse as you," the redhead replied.

"You're both insufferable," Ellietta sighed, "Why I am friends with either of you is a mystery to me."

"I think we'll be leaving now," Draco announced, throwing a sidelong glance at Ellie and grabbing A Guide to Medieval Sorcery from Ron's pile of books, "And I'd be careful if I were you, Weasley. One wrong move and your secret will no longer be secret."

"Bye Ron, feel better soon!" Ellie called to him as she followed Draco out of the hospital wing.

Though he held her hand in his free one, Ellietta could feel that Draco was annoyed with her. He did not speak a single word to her the whole way to Herbology. He was quiet throughout the class, when usually he would have been whispering to her. Not wanting to push it, Ellie listened to Professor Sprout attentively. She and Draco walked to History of Magic together, hand in hand as they always did, but he still did not speak to her. Halfway through class, she could take it no longer. She scratched a note with her quill and slid the parchment in front of him.

What did I do?

Draco rolled his quill between his fingers for a moment or two before writing back.

It's a mystery to me.

Ellietta paled. Those words weren't his. They were her own. He had told her how he felt about her, which she knew had not been easy for him, and she'd called him insufferable and said she didn't know why they were friends. She'd hurt him. She hadn't felt it but perhaps it was masked partly by his annoyance with Ron. And she had been concentrating on lessons more than she had on him, which could also have something to do with the fact that she'd missed out on the fact that she'd caused him pain.

I'm sorry, she scribbled hastily, I didn't mean it. Can we talk after class?

He nodded his head, but didn't write anything else. He didn't say anything on the way to the common room either. Once they got there, Draco pulled Ellie onto the armchair with him and sat quietly, twirling the ends of her soft pink hair around his fingertips. She let her cheek rest against his shoulder and breathed in deeply, waiting for him to speak.

"I'm sorry too," he said finally, "You only said it because I was miffed at Ron. You could feel it, that's why you said those things. It wasn't really you, it was me."

"You don't control the things that come out of my mouth," Ellietta replied, "It's not your fault."

"Yes it is," Draco countered, "Don't argue with me, you'll lose."

He began to thumb through the book he'd taken from Ron earlier, while Ellie's eyelids grew heavy and her head became dead weight on his shoulder. Draco sighed contently, letting the book fall to the floor as he trailed his fingers across the arm she had draped lazily across his waist. Her slow and even breathing was the most beautiful melody he'd ever heard. He could've sat with her like that forever and enjoyed it thoroughly, he imagined. Ellietta mumbled something nonsensical without waking, and Draco smiled. He had the overwhelming urge to kiss her and he found it both terrifying and wonderful, for he had never kissed anyone before. He turned slightly and just as he was about to press a chaste kiss to her forehead, Crabbe and Goyle entered the common room laughing loudly. Draco glared menacingly in their direction and Crabbe shrugged. He kicked the book Draco had dropped as he sat on the couch across from Draco and Ellie. Goyle grabbed at a piece of paper that had fluttered out from between the pages and held it up.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Can't you see she's sleeping, you twit? Keep your voice down!" Draco growled and Ellie shifted on his shoulder.

"Not sleeping anymore," she grumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"Is that Weasley's homework?" Crabbe asked, "Can I copy it?"

"I think it's a letter," Goyle's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Let me see that," Draco grabbed the parchment from his friend.

His eyes grew wide as saucers as he scanned over the words Ron's older brother had written to him. A cold grin found it's way to his lips and Ellietta noticed a sharp change in his mood. He was absolutely over the moon.

"Are you going to share?" she inquired.

"Let's just say you won't be seeing Harry Potter around much longer," Draco spoke calculatingly, "After he's found up after curfew with a dragon on his person they'll have no choice but to expel him, and he will be found. I'll make sure of it."