It was now October 11, 1996. Since coming out to Ginny, Hermione and Ellie felt much more at ease around the red-head and spent more time talking with one another. The past few weeks had been quiet, with Harry and Ron usually practicing at the Quidditch pitch. Ellie had noticed the tension on Draco's face and had been meaning to talk to him but never had the opportunity.
Ellie had decided to take a walk just after she had dropped off her girlfriend at the Gryffindor painting. She walked for a few minutes before bumping into Luna, who seemed to be searching for something.
"Hey, Luna," Ellie greeted with a kind smile.
Luna turned around and met Ellie with a small smile.
"Hello, Ellie."
"What are you doing?" Ellie asked as she analyzed Luna's wandering eyes.
"Oh... well... just looking for my possessions. Again. People take them and hide them, you know," Luna responded in a calm tone.
Ellie felt bad for the Ravenclaw. With people always calling her 'Looney', she couldn't imagine how Luna felt.
"If you want, I can help you look," Ellie offered.
"No, thank you... I think I'll be okay," Luna declined, offering an appreciative smile.
"Of course."
There was a moment of silence until Ellie spoke up.
"Hey, Luna. Can I ask you something?"
"Of course you can."
"Well... um. I just needed some advice, and you seem like the right person to go to for help," Ellie said. "You see... one of my... friends, I guess you can say that, isn't exactly the same anymore. He's um... different, I guess. He hasn't been the same since last year. And I can't help but wonder why. I guess all I'm asking is... how do I approach him? It seems he's always too troubled to even make eye contact with anyone."
"I don't have much friends. But I can you tell that if I was him, I'd want someone to understand me. Don't fret about bothering him. It may not look like it, but I'm sure he just needs someone to talk to," Luna advised in a calm manner. Her optimistic tone always made the mood happier than it really was.
"Thank you... I appreciate it," Ellie thanked with a kind smile.
"Of course, Ellie. Well, I better get back to looking for my things. I'll see you around."
Luna gave a smile before walking in the other direction, not even giving Ellie the chance to say bye. Ellie smiled as she continued in the other corridor and pondered over Luna's advice. She continued to walk around the castle aimlessly. She thought about Draco and how badly she wanted to help him. After about 15 more minutes of aimless watching, she decided to settle at the Astronomy Tower, where she rested her forearms on the railing.
A tall figure emerged from the shadows with bleach-blonde hair and dark clothing.
"If you don't mind, I'd like my privacy, Evans," Draco spat.
Ellie immediately turned around to face the Slytherin. Her heart jumped, as she thought she was alone. Seeing it was Draco, her tension relieved as he was a friendly face.
"Draco," she breathed. "I didn't see you."
The boy stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight. His face was tired, and his appearance looked drained. He was clearly in distress as his eyes showed pain and regret.
Ellie stepped forward and frowned her eyebrows.
"Draco, what the hell happened to you?"
"None of your business," Draco sneered, turning away from Ellie as he faced the scenery over the railing.
"I've been meaning to talk to you."
Draco stayed silent as his jaw clenched in anger.
"I know what you did to Harry. Beat his face on the train, didn't you?"
Draco whirled around to face her. "Scarhead deserved it. He shouldn't have been eavesdropping anyway."
"And he had a reason to. What are you hiding?" Ellie questioned, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I'm not hiding anything," Draco seethed in defense.
"I'm not stupid. What's up with you lately? Not in your usual Malfoy persona?"
"Shut it," Draco growled.
"Look, I'm not even going to try to pry into that stubborn head of yours. But you need to know that I'm not going to let you be like this," Ellie said defiantly.
"Why would you care," Draco spat in more of a statement than a question.
"Because you're not like this! Was it what happened at Borgin and Burkes last summer?"
Draco's expression turned into that of surprise and anger. "What the bloody hell would you know about that?"
"It doesn't matter. Whatever happened in there wasn't good. I know it."
Draco didn't respond but filled the silence with his loathing anger.
"They think you're a Death Eater," Ellie said in a softer tone.
The words seemed to inflict pain at the boy, who winced at the sound.
"And if I was? You'd hate me, wouldn't you? Go blabbing on and on to your pathetic little friends," Draco spat.
Ellie's face softened as she observed the boy in pain. His eyes held that of concealment. But inside, she knew that he was troubled.
"I wouldn't hate you, Draco. People aren't defined by their labels," Ellie reassured.
Draco avoided eye contact as he began to roll up the shirt on his left arm. He revealed a jet black tattoo of a skull with a snake slithering from its mouth. The mark contrasted with his porcelain skin, and its edges were slightly red from the burn.
"It wasn't my choice," Draco muttered, his voice breaking slightly.
Ellie looked down at the exposed mark before Draco hastily covered it back up.
"I- uh, I'm sor-" Ellie breathed in shock.
"This stays between you and me," Draco threatened as his expression returned to his menacing look.
Draco turned on his heel and quickly walked away from the Hufflepuff, not giving her a chance to speak any more. Ellie stood there in shock, her expression mixed with surprise and comfort. She knew she had to help him, but she didn't know where to start.