The Girl Who Lived

Dusk

March 25th, 1996.

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Defense against the Dark Arts had quickly become Elena's least favorite class of the day. It was worse than Potions.

She loved making the brews and learning about them but Professor Snape was the reason she dreaded going. She dreaded having to see his glare and hearing his short responses towards every Gryffindor, Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. Even dealing with that was better than going to Defense against the Dark Arts.

But even though she hated being in the same vicinity of Professor Umbridge, Elena couldn't help but feel excited for class today. Definitely not for the toad-like woman teaching but for the boy sitting three rows behind her. The boy who was her salvation.

She detested the feeling spreading through her body like an electric current every time he glanced at her. He was making sure to check on her every few moments after what had happened in the meadow.

Draco had seen her begin to shake while the fire surges higher and higher. He saw her skin start to turn deathly white and her eyes were so vacant. Never had he imagined anything like this would have happened to her but yet there she had been.

And he definitely couldn't ignore the way she threw herself in front of him when something moved in the bushes. Why had she done it without hesitating? His mind went back to her words ten days ago, the ones that would damn him.

"I think you're worth saving." Elena blurted, unafraid of the consequences. She would not be afraid of what he would think.

She believed he was worth saving and holding onto. He was worth jumping for. Even when he wanted to, he couldn't take his eyes off of her back.

Three rows of tables ahead, Elena sat with her back to him. Sitting straight as she had been taught, she carefully made a tiny water figure- a tiny cat with her magic. It danced around the table she shared with Harry, who still was not speaking to her. Even so, he watched the small creature prance and saunter along the oakwood table, carefully hidden from Umbridge's sight.

Harry was intrigued by her magic- he had never known she had it.

As she subtly twisted her finger in the direction her cat would move, Harry noticed how alive she looked. For the first time in months, it seemed as though Elena was finally learning to recover. How had she done it?

He needed to find a way to feel alive again. He only ever felt something like that when he played Quidditch with Ron but even then, it didn't even begin to compare to the life shining on Elena's face.

There was even the ghost of a small smile blooming on her red stained lips. Perhaps it was the touch of makeup she wore today... No that wasn't it either.

Elena stiffened and turned her head over her shoulder to look behind her. Innocently peering up through her lashes, she watched Draco quickly look away from her, a warm blush sprouting on his slightly crooked nose.

Elena herself barely hid her chuckle at the way Theodore Nott turned from Draco to her and back to Draco, his head nearly falling off from how much he looked back and forth between them. Theodore silently gasped and grabbed his quill. The quill stabbed Draco's arm, causing a small curse.

"You fucking shitface-" Malfoy hissed at Theo. Everyone in the classroom turned back to look at them but Umbridge simply ignored them and cleared her throat. Elena couldn't hold back her giggle. Draco's head snapped back towards her and he deeply scowled.

Something inside of him seized at the way she pursed her lips tightly to avoid laughing. "Something funny, Clairmont?" He repeated her words from the meadow back to her.