The Stranger (Dramione)

13 - 2am In The Common Room

Enola crept down the stairs from her dormitory, being extra careful to be quiet. She was nervous. It was her one shot at gaining Draco's trust. She tried to calm her nerves by viewing the encounter as simply an objective, a task she'd been set, like a school test. As soon as it was done she could part ways with Draco and her debt to Narcissa would be paid.

He was already waiting in the common room when she arrived, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else in the world. Likewise, she thought, if only he knew it wasn't her choice.

"Hi." She said, nervously.

"What's this pressing question you have then?" Draco asked, instantly down to business.

Enola was disappointed. They were going backwards, if anything. She couldn't understand why he seemed to hate her so. At least she actually had a reason.

"It was about, um, quidditch." She lied.

"Quidditch." He repeated, angrily. "I'm here to answer questions about quidditch? That's not what the signal is for."

"I did try to ask you quickly earlier, Draco, but you were busy. Anyhow, I have a new question." She said.

"Make it quick." He said, yawning and leaning back in his seat.

"What was that place? In the corridor? I've never seen it before. The door just appeared."

"That's my business." He said.

"I can ask somebody else." She threatened.

He locked his grey eyes onto hers intimidatingly. "If you want to make an enemy, Enola, we can do that. You don't know what I'm capable of."

Enola tried to hide the way his words frightened her.

"And what good will that do?" She faked confidence. "Are you going to tell me, or not?"

"The room of requirement. You can look it up." He glowered at her. "But when I said I'd answer your questions, I didn't mean ones about my business."

"Okay." She said, stalling for a reason to keep him downstairs. "So, quidditch. I heard you played."

"My business, again, Enola." He said.

She sighed. "Why don't you want to be friends, Draco? We're stuck in this together. I don't know anybody else."

"It won't do any good, us being friends." He said, stubbornly.

"We haven't tried it." She paused. "Well, you haven't."

"What about Pansy? You're both girls."

"Pansy?" She raised her eyebrows at him.

His lips twitched into a smile. "Alright, maybe not."

She smiled back tentatively.

"Look, it's not you, Aloney. There's things none of the Slytherins can know and I've known them for years. I can't have you following me about. If it weren't for this promise to my mother-"

"You promised Narcissa something?" Enola's eyes widened.

"This is exactly the problem." He rolled his eyes in annoyance. "You're not supposed to know that."

"Come on, Draco, please. Will it really do any harm?"

"Yes." He said. "Oh, I'm tired of this. My promise is literally to keep you safe."

"But, why?" Enola asked.

"You're pushing it." He warned. "This whole thing is a waste of my time, anyway. You know about as much magic as a toadstool. Serpens or not."

"Fine." She said, looking away from him and into the fire. "And actually, I do know magic. More than you think."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yes." She said matter of factly. "I know I can catch up. Everything I read, it's like I already know it, I just need to convince Professor Snape."

"But how? You can't have studied at Hogwarts before." He said thoughtfully.

"Maybe it was home schooling. I don't know, Draco. I could piece it together better if you actually told me something."

"Maybe you're just a massive bookworm with nothing better to do." He avoided the question, but a smirk cracked his stoney expression.

"Maybe. Either way, you don't know what I'm capable of either." She smirked back.

"Sure I don't." He said, suddenly frowning. "I needed to speak to you about something, too. Blaise saw you with Weasley today. What's that about?"

"He was just showing me where the owlery was." She said.

"He's a filthy blood traitor. You're a Pureblood. Don't speak to him again."

Enola felt anger zap through her, overcoming her unease. "What does it matter to you?"

"Do you want somewhere to sit at lunch?"

"Well, he's a lot friendlier than you are."

Draco scowled. "Alright, you want to give friends a shot? My friends don't associate with blood-traitors."

She wanted to tell him she would speak to whoever she pleased, but this was progress and a means toward an end. It was a sacrifice worth making. "I won't." She promised.

"Good." He studied her face, giving her a look that said he was serious. "What did you need the olwery for anyway, visiting Apollo?"

"I just wanted to explore." She lied. "Although, me and Apollo aren't exactly getting along. Can I keep him there instead?"

Draco laughed. "You've had a falling out with your bird? Wait, where are you keeping him?"

"He's horrible." Enola sighed. "I'm really grateful for him but he's a brute. In his cage, obviously."

"I assume you've been letting him out?" Draco asked, smirking.

Enola's eyes widened. "Wouldn't he go missing if I did that?"

"He's an owl, Aloney. They're mostly for sending letters outside of transfiguration. If he was to go missing every time you let him out what use would he be at that?"

She started to go red with embarrassment and shame. "Oh no! I think he's right to hate me!"

Draco sniggered back. "I told Mother you'd be better off getting a cat. Then you wouldn't be hassling me for a friend." He teased.

"Oh, shut up." She said, rolling her eyes at him.

"Clueless." He smiled. "For future reference, owls live in the owlery, it's kind of in the name. Go to bed and let the poor bugger out. "

"I feel terrible." She said sorrowfully. "Well, I'm going. Night, Draco."

"Night." He said, still smiling as he climbed the stairs.