the boy who had no choice [d.m]

𝖙𝖜𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖞 𝖋𝖔𝖚𝖗

"I'M GOING TO GOUGE MY EYES OUT."

Elara groaned, burying her face in her hands, as she sat with her friends on the grass in the courtyard.

"Oh, come on," Cho teased, tossing a toffee to Ginny who caught it and began to undo the wrapper. "They're cute."

Ginny nearly choked on the toffee. "I'm afraid I'll have to agree with Elara on this one, Cho." She glanced over. "I'm not too fond of watching my brother snog - "

"You lot are just jealous," Harry said, plopping down next to them. Hermione was close behind, dropping her book bag onto the grass. "George finally gets a girlfriend and you're not even going to let him kiss her?"

Elara crinkled her nose, her eyes drifting back to where George and Freya were sitting on the opposite side of the courtyard, his arm over her shoulders. "I would prefer if they didn't have to snog in public."

"Oh, yes, I do forget," Ron said with a cheeky smile. "Elara here does all her snogging behind closed doors."

The group cracked up and Elara shook her head, laughingly. "Unfortunately, I'm not getting any snogs, Weasley."

It was the truth; Draco and her had been too busy trying to repair the Vanishing Cabinet the last few weeks and with her studies and training sessions with both the Malfoy heir and Harry, she'd barely gotten time to be alone with him for long.

But there had been times.

Times when she'd catch him looking at her while she was reading, when he'd brush her hand. glance at her lips while she was talking, move a stray strand of hair behind her ear, when he'd sit closer than he had to as they poured over books in the library past curfew.

But nothing more. Elara figured he didn't want them to get distracted. He'd make up for it once they repaired the Vanishing Cabinet.

"I've got to head to the library," Elara told her friends, getting to her feet and stretching her arms above her head. "Got some work to do."

|

"I'm sure we're close," Elara told Draco, her eyes scanning the page of the enormous book in front of them, two days later.

It was almost three in the morning and if they were caught now, they'd be in some serious trouble.

But the Vanishing Cabinet couldn't wait.

Draco looked terrible. He had for the past week.

He was paler than ever, his silver eyes a stark contrast, ringed with dark circles. He had an almost permanent crease between his eyebrows - like he was constantly thinking of something that worried him.

Elara had even caught a slight tremor in his hand when he turned a page of the book.

She'd tried to ask but he had hushed her and submerged himself in another book. She guessed he was just frustrated with their task.