Stay with Me | Hermione Granger x Female OC (Book 4)

Dinner at the Manor

Ellie awoke on a lofty couch, though its tufted design made it quite uncomfortable. She blinked slowly, fluttering her eyes open as she observed her surroundings. The dark room was dimly lit by a few candles, allowing for her to identify some of the furniture. It was empty for the most part, except for a king-sized bed decorated with satin green sheets. Rows of bookcases took up an entire wall, its aged spines showcasing themselves for Ellie to see. A cold breeze blew across the room, ruffling the parchment that sat underneath a stone paperweight. Other than the bed and the couch, the room was empty, exhibiting a chilly atmosphere.

Ellie sat up on the couch, pulling her sweater closer to her body as another chilly gust of wind slithered from the cracked window. She found Hermione's shawl sitting at the armrest and wrapped it over her shoulders, inhaling the familiar scent of her girlfriend.

"Had enough of your beauty rest?" a voice spoke from the corner in front of her, concealed by the shadows of the bookcase.

Ellie jumped at the voice, recognizing it immediately. She laughed lightly, shaking her head at his words.

"It's kind of creepy, you know. Watching someone sleep," Ellie commented as Draco moved his face into the candlelight, illuminating his stony features. He was seated on a Victorian-styled leather chair, its material creasing slightly as the blonde-haired boy sat there.

"They would've taken you to the cellar if I hadn't took you in," Draco explained, rolling his eyes at the Hufflepuff.

"Thank you, but I would have been just fine," Ellie said as her eyes glanced to the set of neatly folded clothes beside her. She touched it lightly, its black fabric being the softest material she had ever felt.

"Clothes. For dinner," Draco mentioned as his eyes followed Ellie's.

A wave of panic rushed over the girl, her eyes immediately glancing to the gloomy weather outside the window.

"Dinner? What do you mean dinner? What time is it?"

"It'll be sundown soon. You've been out the entire day," Draco answered calmly.

Ellie sprung out of the couch's cushions, gathering her belongings that laid out in front of her.

"Where are you going?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Back to Hermione. I told her I'd be back by sundown," Ellie blurted frantically as she thought about how worried her girlfriend could be.

"You can't Disapparate in here. It sets off a tracker," Draco informed as he stood up from his chair. "Any other room will suffice. Hallways are off-limits."

Ellie hurriedly made her way to the door, stopping just before she turned the handle. She looked back at the boy, his face dropping at her sudden departure. The Hufflepuff immediately ran towards Draco, embracing his waist tightly. He was taken aback, too shocked to hug her in return.

"Thank you," Ellie whispered as she broke away from the Slytherin, a confused expression plastered on his face.

With that, Ellie turned around to the door, turning the handle slowly. She gave one last look to the boy before slipping out the room, shutting the door behind her quietly.

She tiptoed her way in a random direction, hoping that she was headed for another room. The hallways were long, its ceilings tremendously high. Ellie turned another corner only to bump into a tall man, his blonde hair reaching his shoulders, his facial features resembling Draco. He carried a long walking stick, the head of it sculpted in a metal serpent with green jewels for its eyes.

"Ah, Evans. You need to watch where you're going," the man commented as his grey eyes stared down at her.

"I apologize, Mr. Malfoy," Ellie responded quickly, recognizing the man to be Draco's father, the one who had fought against her in the Department of Mysteries just two years earlier.