Friends? (Sorta)

Emma and Draco proceeded down to the Main Hall for dinner. Emma breathed nervously as she walked with him down the hall with a boy who used to be the biggest brat of the school.

"You look so skinny for your age," Draco said gazing at the size of Emma's thin waist. Emma didn't take that as an offense as she admitted she did hate how small her waist was.

"I'll explain why when I feel comfortable talking about myself," Emma replied coldly as anxiety filled her mind.

"What?" Draco replied.

"It's just that, I've been through a lot for my first eleven years of living," Emma sighed.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to be nosy or anything," Draco stuttered.

"It's fine," Emma replied.

...

Dinner was awfully hard for Emma to focus on as she watched the whispers and rumors of Pansy and her gang of Slytherin friends.

"Aren't those guys your old friends?" Emma questioned.

"Yeah. I don't need to hang out with them anymore. Even if they whisper too much rubbish about us," Draco replied.

"But won't they be just as rude?" Emma asked once more.

"It's fine. They can keep their rubbish to themselves," Draco scoffed as Goyle gave the two a dirty look. "But seriously?! What is their problem?"

"You acted like that too, Malfoy," Emma smirked slightly nudging Draco's shoulder.

"Ha ha very funny Jones," Draco replied smirking back.

"But very true though. I'm trying to get used to people teasing me and stuff," Emma started as she looked away from Pansy who was having a blast laughing at inside jokes with the other Slytherins.

"You're new to this?" Draco asked.

"No. I've been taunted like this before. It was ten times worse than this," Emma replied.

"How worse?"

"Think of being treated like a House Elf."

Draco's eyes widened as Emma stared at him with sorrow in her expression.

"It's kinda of a bad time to talk about this in front of everyone. It's best if you and I talked about this in private," Emma said as she glared at Pansy and her goons. Draco nodded as they continued eating.

...

"Sorry if I have to ask you again, but you actually want to be a better person with better friends?" Emma asked as concern filled her mind.

"Yeah. You know that Potter and all. He had a better group of friends than Crabbe and Goyle. They're both lazy and total jerks," Draco replied.
"And Pansy's a total brat."

"And so why did you choose me to hang out with?" Emma said sternly as soon as she realized it was an awkward question to be asking a boy.

"Well, you seemed lonely these first few months. I did kind of feel bad about it," Draco blushed as his words went quiet.

"Oh. Well, thanks for being so thoughtful," Emma replied with a surprised look on her face.

"I just felt like Harry would be a better friend even if he's in Gryffindor and all," Draco blushed as Emma ear's pierced. He just said Potter's first name.

"Did I just hear what I thought I heard?" Emma asked in a teasingly tone while smirking.

"Of course I said his first name Jones! You think he's a problem at all?" Draco replied embarrassed.

"I've seen the way you two hated each other. Now you two act like an old married couple," Emma laughed as Draco went red with embarrassment.

"I have to admit. You are kinda fun," Draco smiled as Emma smiled back. She never had these kinds of compliments before. Nothing so fond or kind before.

"I never really had any friends," Emma sighed as she looked down at her hands. Draco stared back frozen in shock.

"You never had friends before after existing eleven years on Earth?" Draco replied in disbelief.

"I am kinda nervous telling this already about you though because we just met and stuff," Emma said in a shaky tone. "But I am just going to give small details for now."

"Okay. Just go."

Emma sighed never expecting Draco to be the first person she'd share her past with.

"This is the first time I told someone my past about me, but here goes nothing. I was orphaned. I would always be taunted by the others orphans. There. Settled." Emma explained already finished.

She had enough of dealing with the reflections her past gave her. Draco in the meantime assumed that she was probably bullied an awful lot due to her negative attitude and low toned voice.

"So basically you were bullied? Being orphaned is just as bad."

"Yep," Emma replied.

"It must've been terrible there," Draco said already having the same uneasy feeling as Emma.

"It was like hell," Emma continued. She realized she was already taking some of her secrets to the extreme. She was sick and tired of being reminded that she was a weakling and a freak. She didn't deserve to have anyone to understand her like this.

"Seriously?" Draco asked in a shocked tone. Emma nodded wide eyed.

"Yep. Not telling anything else until I'm ready."

"What?!"

"You heard me!" Emma smirked.

"But it could've been extremely horrible there. You know, that crazy unloving stuff," Draco replied.

"Asking about the extreme stuff already? I just met you and we should probably get to know each other before I tell you more of my deepest secrets," Emma said.

"True. But still!" Draco exclaimed.

"How can you be so soft already after acting like a helpless child?!" Emma asked in a teasingly tone. It was still true after all.

"I'm not a helpless child for your information!" Draco huffed while blushing. Emma nodded since he didn't take that as an offense in which he normally would. Here was his soft side. Especially in front of a girl.

"That's what I thought," Emma smirked.

"Shut up," Draco huffed.

"Anyways that was me after all," Emma said as she sighed.

"You could've gone through something brutal..." Draco started as Emma hushed him.

"Don't make me say it one more time," Emma sighed.

"Fine," Draco moaned.

...

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow Malfoy?" Emma said in a soft tone.

"Yep. Tomorrow," Draco replied.

Emma nodded and headed towards her dormitory with a slight grin on her face. She has never felt this happy in ages. She had to admit that Malfoy wasn't that bad at all. But of course she's still keeping an eye on him just in case she catches him back to his troublesome self again.