Staying Alive // D.M *On Hold*

1.2 - In the Enemy Territory

"Come on, I'll just see a friend and get out! It's already past curfew, open up, please!" The girl was on the verge of tears due to her frustration. She only had to get her stuff back before going to bed. She needed her white shoes for the outfit she would wear to the Hogsmeade trip tomorrow but the Slytherin portrait was just too stubborn. Why couldn't they just have a riddle like Ravenclaw?

"Tut, tut, tut, little Ravenclaw. No one gets in without the password." The portrait crossed his arms against his chest. Mia was about to lose all her temper.

"Bloody hell! I don't know, how can I know?" She trailed off a pained expression on her face as she tried to think of something. "Can you just call him?"

"No, you'll have to wait for another student." In truth, the portrait couldn't care less about Mia or her struggles.

"It'll take ages and the first person to go out will be perfect for patrol!" She tried to reason but to no avail of course. "What can it be? What can it be?" She chanted to herself, starting to walk up and down before the door. She came to a halt suddenly. Surely they couldn't be that obvious, could they? She raised one eyebrow at the portrait who in return only gave her a bored glance. "Pureblood." She said in one breath.

"Well, it wasn't so hard wa-wait! How do you know it? You're not a Slytherin?" The portrait was having a tantrum while Mia grinned so wide that her lips would meet her ears.

"Yes, but it doesn't matter now, does it? I have the password. Pureblood, now open up!" She bounced on her heels, excited to see yet another common room. Between friends and family Slytherin was the only house Mia hadn't concurred yet. The portrait swung open with a scoff.

"Do whatever you wish." Mia stepped inside and walked a small corridor till she came to a wide room. It was much like the other common rooms she had seen. She took notice that no one was around so she allowed herself to relax. She noticed the couches were made of leather and one of the walls was actually a window that looked into the black lake. She couldn't see much because of the dark but she assumed it would be pretty cool during the day.

She would like to inspect the room closer but she was a bit tight on time so she grabbed her wand tightly and made her way up the stairs. She assumed the left side belonged to the boys since it was the way with other houses. She quickly made her way to the fourth floor where she began to read the names on the doors. She was glad there were names to look at. She really wouldn't like to walk in on a bunch of unfamiliar boys.

"Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini, Draco Malfoy!" She beamed at the sight, letting out a nervous breath. She thought she was at her happiest just now. Her hand reached out to the handle and she opened the door quietly, hoping to see no boys naked.

Euphemia scanned the dorm room quickly. The bed closest to the door had Zabini sleeping with his mouth open and his covers down on the floor. Mia pushed her lips together to keep herself from laughing as she walked to the other bed. Unfortunately, it belonged to Nott who, unlike Zabini, was practically buried in the covers. Mia had to go real close to him to see his face. She sighed in annoyance. Of course, Draco had to have the last bed and make her suffer through the way.

"Draco?" She whispered as she faced him on the side of his bed. He was in a similar pajama set to the one he had on the manor with his covers only on his legs. Mia assumed it was his usual way of sleeping. She leaned closer to his face. "Draco!" She was a bit louder this time causing him to stir awake. He forced himself on his elbows, one of his hands quickly grabbing his wand as his eyes fluttered in confusion. Mia felt the wand touch her neck as she stood there frozen. "It is becoming a habit."

"Eup-Euphemia?" He tried to focus as his eyes widened. He took in her appearance gasping loudly. "What-what did you do to your hair?"

Mia smiled brightly. "Susan cut it after dinner." She shook her head causing her hair to bounce around her shoulders. "Do you like it?"

"I mean. Yes?" He seemed at a loss for words by both your appearance and your presence in his dorms. He lowered his wand from her neck. "What are you doing here?"

"I needed to get my shoes, for Hogsmeade tomorrow." She whispered back Draco nodded for a moment, getting up and opening his chest which resided on the foot side of his bed. Mia sat down on the bed, swaying her feet absent-mindedly. However, he came to a halt suddenly. "What is it? Don't tell me you forgot them."

"No, that's not it. It's already past curfew isn't it?" Mia nodded at him. He stepped closer to the bed to have a look at the clock residing on the dresser. "Fuck," Mia's eyes widened, she had never seen him swear like that. His eyes found hers in pure anger. "Do you know what time it is? It's ten past twelve! You foolish girl! You'll never get out. Snape locks the door after midnight on Fridays." Mia jumped up from the bed to stand before him.

"Since when?"

"Since Black tried to break into Gryffindor Tower last year!" He whisper-yelled at her. "There's no way to get out now. You'll have to spend the night."

"But I can't." Mia almost whimpered. "I need to go back and sleep. I promised Susan I would meet her early in the morning." She tried to reason but there was nothing Draco could do. He stopped to think for a moment before pointing her to stay where she was as he went to his chest again. He pulled out something. White and made of silk. Was it the nightgown? "What is it?"

Draco pulled her from her wrist and handed the cloth to her forcefully. He then proceeded to push her in the direction of the bathroom. Mia allowed herself to be dragged around the room for a moment before digging her heels into the floor. "Stop! Go change, Euphemia. You'll have to stay and since you insist on sleeping you need to change." He looked her up and down, her nose scrunched up at her clothes once more. "Don't you have anything that consists of more fabric maybe?" He was referring to her dress' length. Mia opened her mouth to argue but he shushed her. "Please, doll, just do as I say."

Mia walked inside the bathroom and changed quickly. She folded her dress and her stockings neatly before looking at herself in the mirror. Merlin, she had forgotten how revealing this nightgown was. She pulled the thin straps up a bit to cover more of her chest. Her shorter hair didn't help with it either. She just had a growth spurt over the summer in a way she couldn't even guess. Her once flat chest was now full and her body had much more shape. She blushed at the idea of someone seeing her like this but she pushed the thoughts away. It was nothing Draco hadn't seen already.

"Well, where do you plan for me to sleep then?" She said leaving the bathroom. She put her clothes down on the closed chest. Draco was watching her from his bed so he just rolled his eyes at her question. He scooted over to the side to have some space next to him. Mia's eyes doubled in size. "You don't surely say that..." She trailed off.

"Do you wish to sleep on the floor or down in the common room?" His voice was slightly annoyed. It didn't sound like it was about her presence though, it was more like her stubbornness. "We have done this before, haven't we? Come, Euphemia, I need my sleep."

"O-Okay." Mia walked up to the bed and quickly got under the covers that he had opened for her. She became suddenly aware of his presence as she settled down on the pillow. Her face heated up because of their close proximity. The bed was much smaller than the one at the Manor. "I really don't know how we find ourselves in this position every time." She muttered to herself but Draco heard her anyways.

"Simple. You can't stay away from me." He then did something that froze her body. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back to his chest in a swift move. Mia could feel all the muscles from Quidditch on her back as both her nightgown and his pajamas were of thin material. "Relax, Euphemia." He whispered. "It's cold. We'll be warmer this way." Mia nodded at him bringing her hands to rest on his forearm around her waist. She really did relax against him, making him feel the full weight of her body against his own. Draco didn't find it disturbing though, not at all. It almost felt right to have her in his arms like that. "Good night, Euphemia."

"Good night, Dray." He smiled at the nickname, burying his head in her hair.

***

"Am I going mad?" Theodore Nott asked his friend as they watched the scene with gaping mouths. Blaise nodded.

"I think we're both going mad, mate." The boys couldn't take their eyes off the sleeping pair. Euphemia was buried in Draco's arms. It looked as though Draco trapped her in every way possible with her legs between his own while he held her close to his chest. Mia's hands were resting on his forearms, her head in the crook of his neck. They looked extremely cozy and warm. Blaise and Theo were seeing something no one ever saw before. You would catch them throwing glances across the hall and see them sitting next to each other in some classes but no one would ever notice they were that close on the outside. The boys were stunned.

"We can hear you, you know," Draco mumbled as he loosened his grip on Mia. He knew she would need a direct call to wake up as she was sensitive to no sound but her name. "Euphemia," he called slowly. "It's morning, you have to get back."

"Mhmm." She rolled in his loose grip and pushed herself more into his arms with her nose buried in his chest now. Draco threw a look at his dorm mates. They were watching them in awe. They were stunned. Blaise had actually thought she would start to kick Draco the moment she heard his voice but surely that wasn't the case. Draco grabbed her jaw gently, pushing her face away to take a look at her sleepy form. "I don't want to wake up."

"You said the Hufflepuff would wait for you." Mia blinked a few times at it, finally waking up. She nodded before rolling out of his arms to the unoccupied part of the bed. She sat up to look at the waiting two boys as Draco focused on her nightgown once more. That piece of clothing would be his death, he was sure of it.

"Oh, good morning...I guess?" She said timidly to the boys.

"Mornin', Potter." Theo grinned widely. "Looks like a wild night." Mia's eyes doubled in size at his words as her face matched her hair in color.

"You made her blush, Theo!" Blaise joked, chuckling.

"Shut up!" Draco sneered at them. "Don't you have something better to do?"

"Nothing is better than this scene actually." Blaise nodded along with Theo at that.

"Well, the show is over now." Mia finally got down from the bed and pushed both boys away from the chest. She took the bag that had her things out, assuming correctly that Narcissa had them washed before sending them. She took out her dress and tights before walking to the bathroom. "We'll talk later, I just need to wake up." Three boys watched her with amused smiles. She sure knew how to make herself feel at home.

Theo threw a whistle, his furrows up. "What a surprise, mate!"

"When did she even come in?" Blaise seemed purely confused now looking at the blonde boy. Draco proceeded to play with his hair, rolling his eyes.

"Just before midnight apparently. She guessed the password right, damned Ravenclaw brains." He explained getting up. "She came for her shoes, or so she said."

"Must be great shoes then." Theo joked lightly as Mia came out of the bathroom looking directly at Draco. 

"Do you have a hairbrush?" Draco rolled his eyes at her obsession with neat hair. There wasn't a day you could see her hair out of place. He handed her the hairbrush silently and watched Mia face his two best mates. "Are you going to watch me like I'm some kind of circus animal or are you going to get dressed for breakfast?" Draco snorted at that.

"Has attitude on mornings, noted!" Blaise grinned at Mia's annoyed expression before running to the bathroom. "I call dibs!" 

"Oi! I woke up before you!" Theo went to knock non-stop on the bathroom door with no other intention than to make Blaise annoyed. Mia chuckled at their antics before starting to brush her hair.  "You see, Potter even the bathroom is a problem with those two idiots." 

"It's the same in my dorm too, Nott. Don't feel special." Mia winked at the boy. 

"I see why you choose to spend the night at ours then." Theo teased getting hit by a pillow not a moment after. The pillow fell down with a dramatic thud as Theo frowned at Draco. "Siding with the enemy? I'm offended." 

"At least I'm a pretty enemy." Mia tossed the brush to Draco who caught it in the air. He put the brush back in the drawer, getting up to pick some clothes out for the day. He walked to his chest as Blaise came out of the bathroom, all dressed in black. Mia groaned at his choice of color. "Seriously, all you Slytherins wear is black."

"Need to fit into expectations, Potter," Blaise commented as he passed by, patting her shoulder lightly. Mia put her shoes on before grabbing the bag Narcissa sent. The bag was supposed to be empty now but she felt there was one more thing in it. She put her hand in, pulling out a black blouse with lacy details. 

"She insisted on sending a late birthday present." Mia's eyes found Draco's on it. She nodded, smiling lightly. 

"Why does Narcissa keep giving me things?" she asked him quickly adding, "Not that I don't appreciate it, I do. I just don't understand." Draco shrugged.

"She likes you, I guess." Truth to be told Draco himself didn't know why his mother was being so nice to Euphemia while his father hated her brother with all the hate in himself. He chose to ignore the weirdness as he was happy with Mia around and didn't mind his mother's strange need to spoil her. He knew she hadn't got any spoiling growing up so he thought it was good for her. "She wished you a good term too." 

"I know," Mia put her other stuff into the bag. "I talked to her on the platform. Your father was there too." 

"Damn, Potter!" Blaise let out jokingly. "Sliding into the family?" 

"Believe me, I'm not doing it consciously, Zabini." she laughed lightly. Theo came out finally letting Draco inside. "You two may call me Euphemia you know? Draco does." she shrugged, sitting down on Draco's bed to wait for him. She would tell them to call her Mia but the nickname was reserved for more close friends.

"He's acting like your boyfriend of course he would call you Euphemia." Theo mused with Blaise nodding along. 

"The offer is expired I guess." Mia smiled at them in an annoying way as she fluttered her eyelashes in a weird way. Both boys let out a laugh, Mia joining in close after. 

"Don't need to be so secretive but since you insist, call us by our names too." 

"Let's go." Draco came out to the laughing lot, he narrowed his eyes. "I need to keep you away from them, or you'll turn out to be best of friends." 

"Don't worry, Draco. No one compares to my Susie." 

"Ouch!" all three boys let out at the same time at that.