Isolation - a Dramione Fanfiction

16: A Locket

Draco sighed, looking at the Gryffindor Portrait. The Fat Lady raised a eyebrow at the boy, "And why exactly do you want to go in?" She asked dramatically. The boy checked over his shoulder, to make sure no one was coming. 

He huffed, "I already told you!" He caught himself growing angrier and paused. Collecting himself, he continued, "I have to get this to Hermione Granger." Draco pulled out a small box and showed the woman. 

"And you think I'd trust a Slytherin? It's probably a stink bomb! I don't want my house stinky!" The Fat Lady continued ranting on and on. Draco ran a frustrated hand through his hair and sighed, tuning the woman out. He heard footsteps coming down the corridor, following by two people talking. Draco ducked out of sight, behind a wall, waiting to see who it was. 

Longbottom and Looney... This might actually work, he thought to himself. 

He walked out once more and carefully approached the pair. 

"What do you want Malfoy?" Neville spat at him. Draco noticed how much the Gryffindor boy had grown. He was now about the same height as himself, maybe a bit taller, which made Draco's current situation a bit more concerning. 

"So you stayed over Holiday, figures." Draco snapped, replying to Neville's rudeness. 

"Be nice." Luna said in a sing-song-voice, twirling her blonde hair around her finger. 

Neville looked at him pointedly, waiting for some kind of conflict. 

"Right well... I was just taking a stroll over here and..." Draco looked at them for a moment, trying to think of a way to turn this conversation in his favor. He needed something from them... which wasn't going to be easy considering their past. "I um... I like your earrings Lovegood." 

"Why thank you! Their beatroots! Rather fun don't you think?" The girl beamed, taking one out of her ear to show him properly. 

Neville just sighed watching the exchange. "Seriously, what do you really want?" He looked to Draco. He wasn't rude in the way he spoke, if anything just tired and not in the mood to be bothered. Draco remembered when Neville would run away from being so nervous. My, how things have changed. 

"Look Longbottom, I'm going to level with you." Draco sighed deeply for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. "I need to get this to Granger, and seeing as I'm not a Gryffindor, I can't get in to put it somewhere she'd see it." Draco explained, his voice drained. 

"Why would you want to give something to Hermione?" The brown hair boy narrowed his eyes. 

"For Christmas, of course!" Luna exclaimed brightly. "Right Draco?" 

Draco was surprised at her use of first names, but chose not to comment on it, knowing it was Loony Lovegood. "Actually, that's correct." He nodded. 

"I still don't understand why you'd want to be genuine to the person you claimed to hate." Neville raised an eyebrow. "How about this, you show me so I know it's not a prank. If it isn't, I'll make sure it gets to her." He nodded once, waiting for a reply from Draco. 

The Slytherin sighed, looking down at the small box in his hands. Draco Malfoy was not a sentimental person. Or at least, he never had been in the past. He didn't like the idea of anyone except Hermione seeing it. But he knew, none of it would matter soon. 

Draco nodded and opened the box, showing the duo. 

"That'll keep the Wrackspurts away!" Luna beamed. "How thoughtful of him..." She whispered to Neville.