the boy who had no choice [d.m]

𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖗𝖙𝖞 𝖘𝖎𝖝

Stuart made to nod against her shoulder.

"Cho can take care of herself. And if anything - Merlin forbid - happens to her, it will never be your fault, okay? That goes for everyone else you care about."

She listened to his wracking breaths for a few minutes before he spoke, his voice muffled.

"I should do my homework."

"I can help," Elara offered, not wanting to lose this moment with her best friend just yet.

He pulled away, stood and gave her the smallest of smiles. "Thanks, but I'm okay."

As he left, Elara wondered why no one ever asked if she was okay.

|

Detention with Slughorn shouldn't have felt so nerve-wracking.

But as Elara trudged towards the Potions classroom, she felt the butterflies in her stomach multiply.

Draco would be there. She'd have to talk to him.

"Ah, Miss Jacobs, welcome," Professor Slughorn looked up from where he was piling up essays and beckoned her in. "I don't have much time - I've got about a hundred first-year essays to grade."

Elara followed the teacher over to a large cabinet standing against the wall at the back of the classroom and watched as he pulled it open with a loud creak of the doors.

Elara's mouth dropped. The cabinet was filled from top to bottom with cauldrons, glass jars and bottles, dozens of vials and very suspicious looking boxes.

"I need all of these sorted," Slughorn said, cheerfully. "Vials on one shelf, jars and bottles on the other and so on. The cauldrons have to be dusted and polished and keep them on the bottom shelf, will you? They keep dropping onto my head from the top shelf whenever I open the cabinet."

Elara couldn't even smile at the image because she was busy thinking about how she'd be spending her whole night here, cleaning cauldrons.

"Don't look so forlorn, Miss Jacobs," Slughorn said, patting her on the back so hard she almost stumbled. "Mr. Malfoy will be here to help you."

"Lucky me," she said, dryly, remembering Blaise's words about Pansy and the other three girls.

"On the contrary," Draco's voice was smooth and dripped like honey from the door of the classroom, "I think I'm the lucky one."

Slughorn turned and beamed even as Elara didn't move an inch. "Ah, finally, you're here, Mr. Malfoy! I'll leave you to it, seeing as I have essays to correct. Wands, please."

Elara kept staring up at the huge cabinet in front of her, even after the Potions Professor had left.

She could feel Draco behind her, by the desk, a good distance away, watching her.

"Staring at it isn't going to get the work done any faster," he said, finally, after a long moment of silence. His tone was relaxed but she could detect the uncertainty beneath it.

"We're going to be here all night anyway," Elara sighed, turning to face him at last. He was perched on the edge of the desk, his hands gripping the edge of the dark wood, rings glinting in the light of the torches.

He was wearing the ring she'd gotten him - the dragon. It made the snake one he had gifted her feel heavier on her finger.

"Pass me a cloth," Elara said, holding out her hand. Draco never moved his eyes from her face except to briefly glance at the desk, picking up a cloth and tossing it to her.