Disclaimer: I own a pillow pet, a N64 (for "Pokemon Stadium" tournaments), and too many college text books. Harry Potter, however, belongs to J.K. Rowling (duh).

It had been a few weeks since Dumbledore had told Elle of his imminent death and Harry had been spending almost as much time with Dumbledore as she was. He would come to her after every one of his meetings and tell her what he had found out. His other friends, Ron and Hermione, listened raptly but Elle let her mind wander; she already knew everything Dumbledore was telling him and more.

Harry had gotten back to Gryffindor tower too late last night to update his friends on his meeting so he had gathered them together, away from people who may be able to eavesdrop, at their table during breakfast. Elle was agitated at him for pulling her away from her plate before she was finished and was openly ignoring him this time.

She was watching Draco Malfoy, as she often did now. He sat alone save Pansy Parkinson, who seemed to be trying to have a conversation with him, and looked extremely irritated. As much as she had been trying to observe Draco she had been putting just as much effort into avoiding him, going as far as skipping her Prefect duties; seeing as she got partnered with him very often. She half regretted not making him the person she wouldn't partner with.

Elle hadn't been trying to be covert about her scrutiny of him but he still managed to surprise her when he looked up and straight into her eyes. She blushed as she saw him stand abruptly from his seat and walk in her direction. She panicked, grabbing her backpack and a piece of toast she moved to leave the table before he could reach her. Walking as fast as she could without making it look silly she tried to rush out of the Great Hall.

She felt his hand grasp her wrist and he pulled her to a halt. She closed her eyes and refused to move hoping he would let her go. He did just the opposite. Draco swung her around gently so that she was facing him and cleared his throat. Elle winced and opened one eye a small amount to peak at him. Then realizing how ridiculous she probably looked she opened her eyes fully, but averted them so that she wasn't meeting his eyes.

"Are you ever going to preform your duties?" he asked, softly so the conversation stayed between them.

Elle gasped and her eyes meet his out of their own accord. For a second she had thought he knew what Dumbledore had requested of her. "What?" she replied quite stupidly.

"Your Prefect duties? We're paired together, but you have yet to show up once," he said slowly.

"Oh, umm. I guess?" Elle mumbled as she started to attempt to back away.

"You're going to show up tonight them?" he asked, his tired eyes searching hers.

"Mhmm, I'll be there," she was about to walk away when Harry stepped up beside her.

"Why were you manhandling my sister?" he demanded, his green eyes flashed with anger.

"I was doing no such thing, Potter," Draco addressed him icily. "We needed to discuss our Prefect duties."

"She obviously didn't want to talk to you," Harry growled lowly. "If I ever see you touch her again you're going to regret it."

"Oh, really, Potter?" Draco sneered. Both boys seemed to have completely forgotten Elle was standing there. "What could you do to me?"

"You don't want to find out, Malfoy," Harry was getting angrier by the second.

"I think I'll just be going now," Elle tried to excuse herself, but Pansy was suddenly blocking her way.

"Move Parkinson." Elle demanded.

"Come on, Draco," Pansy simpered, ignoring Elle. "Let's go to class. No reason to stand around chatting with the filthy Potter orphans."

Elle's mouth dropped and Harry's attention was pulled from Draco who was now looking as though he couldn't breathe. The entire hall went quite; no one had ever seen Elle and Harry Potter at a complete loss for words. But the siblings just stood there until Pansy said, "Move along mutts. Go back to your Mudbloods and blood traitors."

Elle's face seemed to darken and she took a step closer to Pansy, "You watch your stupid little mouth, Parkinson. The only mutt around here is your pug-looking self."

"Oh, shut up, Potter. No one cares what you have to say anymore," Pansy waved a hand as if to dismiss Elle. "You'll be dead soon anyways. Just like your brother and the rest of the Mudbloods and the entire filthy Weasel family."

"Parkinson, no one asked you to get involved," Draco snapped trying to pull Pansy away from the two Potters who looked ready to attack. Harry was standing, wand at his side, and an arm outstretched in front of Elle who kept trying to advance further towards Pansy, her wand drawn and half raised.

"Sod off, Parkinson," Harry snapped. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, don't I? I know your parents are dead and your godfather is now too. Only an idiot wouldn't be able to see that your friends drop dead all the time. You were with Cedric. Stupid little Elle must be next, I'm sure the Dark Lord will enjoy killing her. And then your little Mudblood, you know how he hates them. Then the blood traitors, just for good measure."

Elle had managed to wrestle her way from behind Harry's arm and had her wand directed at Pansy's chest and was moving closer to her. She had a spell on her lips and was just about to utter in when Pansy made a horrible screeching sound and Elle's wand went flying.

Momentarily Elle tried to look around for her wand but couldn't see it through the crowd of onlookers that had formed a circle around them. Slytherins standing behind Pansy and the Gryffindors along with a few Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs stood near Elle and Harry.

Looking back at Pansy Elle could see her pug face gloating, thinking she had bested the unbeatable Elle Potter. "You're both so weak and incompetent. No wonder everyone has to die for you. You know whose next Elle? Your precious Dumbledore," Pansy started to cackle along with many of the Slytherin bystanders.

Elle felt the rage begin to stir in the pit of her stomach. She tried for a moment to calm herself but then noticed Pansy still laughing and clinging to Draco who had turned a sickly green color and was trying to get away from the crowd but not having any luck because of Pansy.

"Who will love you once he's dead, Potter?" She laughed at herself again and Draco was staring at her his face frozen somewhere between rage and horror.

Elle thought she heard Harry snap something back at the Slytherin girl, but never heard it clearly. Wand forgotten, she hurled herself at Pansy, pulling her fist back and driving it into her face with all her might. The only thing Elle saw was Pansy's head swinging to the side from the strength of her blow, her grip on Draco finally broken as she fell to the floor. Elle had heard the loud snapping sound of Pansy's jaw breaking and the thud of her skull connecting with the floor.

Suddenly no one knew what was going on any longer. Students on both sides rushed forwards; Slytherins to retaliate on Elle and Gryffindors to pull Slytherins off of her. It was total chaos. Fists were flying and Elle had lost all recollection of who she was actually fighting with. All around her bodies pushed up against her and random hands hit and pulled at her. She saw Pansy get up and lunge for her in time to defend herself by tackling her to the ground and hitting her square in the face again, causing blood to begin to flow freely from her nose and mouth.

Then just as suddenly arms wrapped around her and pulled her off Pansy, she recognized the shock on Pansy's face as the person hauled her away from the fight. She heard teachers yelling and restoring order. Her eyes found Harry and Ron being pulled off of Crabbe and Goyle. Hermione was standing in the middle of the area where the fight had broken out looking shell-shocked. Then Elle saw Luna; still in a headlock and grappling confusedly with Millicent Bulstrode. Struggling against the person who held her she tried to get to her best friend.

"Let go of Lovegood!" the voice of the person holding her yelled, his tone threatening.

Finally Elle looked over her shoulder and came face to face with Draco. "Let me go!" she began to demand.

"Not until the teachers get it settled," he snapped at her. "Someone will try to attack you again."

"And you're keeping them from doing it now?" she scoffed, turning her head back around to watch small scuffles continue to break out when a Slytherin thought a teacher wasn't looking.

"I am," was all he said as Luna stumbled up to Elle looking like she was near tears and fairly confused.

"I just tried to get to you," she whispered. "I just wanted to see if you were alright. And then people started hitting me."

Elle looked at her friend and the remorse began to set in, she had started a huge fight and Luna had gotten hurt just trying to make sure she was okay. "I'm sorry, Lu," Elle replied, dropping her gaze to the floor. She felt Draco's arms tighten around her slightly before they relaxed.

"She shouldn't have said those things," Draco's voice was hard, but surprisingly comforting. Elle just nodded and let her body slump against his.

"PREFECTS!" she looked up as McGonagall screamed, the fights had finally all stopped and the teachers were now in the middle of the circle glaring at the students.

"PREFECTS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE MODEL STUDENTS. AND HERE YOU'RE STARTING PETTY FIGHTS AND HALF THE SCHOOL GETS INVOLVED!" She looked like she was shaking. "Since I can't give half the school detention all the houses will be deducted all their points. Everyone is at zero! We're supposed to be practicing unity!"

Elle couldn't stand it any longer and she finally pulled herself out of Draco's grasp. She walked into the center of the room where the still irate McGonagall stood, glaring at her as she approached.

"It was my fault, Professor. I lost my temper," Elle said. She kept her gaze directed at the floor looking as regretful as possible.

Professor McGonagall regarded Elle with her sharp eyes and nodded her head curtly, "Thank you for taking the blame. Instead of your normal Prefect duties you will serve detention, to be supervised by your partner. Mr. Malfoy, I believe?"

"Y… Yes, but Professor, shouldn't I serve them with you?" Elle asked. She wanted to continue avoiding Draco, even if he had been helpful just now. She didn't want to spend time with the man she knew was being forced into plotting her mentor's death.

"Typically, Miss Potter, you would. However, the headmaster is away currently and therefore I, and the other professors, need to attend to the rest of the school," McGonagall stated simply. "You will have a detention to be served this evening during the time you and Mr. Malfoy would normally be patrolling."

Elle didn't dare to argue with the older woman anymore, so she turned and exited the hall with the rest of the student body filtering out and to their classes behind her. Trudging through the crowded halls she received pats on the back from many Gryffindors who had been glad of the excuse she had presented to take out all their pent up anger at the Slytherins out on the objects of their disdain.

Attempting to make the day as long as possible she sat at dinner and listened to her brother rant about Malfoy and explain a bit about what Dumbledore had told him. Not once did she let her eyes wander to the blonde who was conspicuously watching her; as he always did.

"Dumbledore told me that he wants me to get to know Slughorn," Harry was saying. "And that he would probably try to 'collect' us."

"Collect us?" Elle stared at him as if he'd gone mad. "That sounds unpleasant."

"I agree, but Dumbledore said we should let him. I've got to try and get that memory from him remember?" Harry said, his mouth half full as he shoveled food in. Beside him Ron had made himself entirely unable to speak around the amount of food he was chewing. Hermione was watching her two best friends, looking appalled at their table manners. Elle took a minute to revel in the normalcy of the moment, and she was thankful that her brother did not have to bear the burden she currently was, she was glad he could enjoy his year here.

"Malfoy has been acting really strange lately," Harry said suddenly, locking gazes with the identical green eyes of his younger sister. "Why did he pull you out of that fight?"

"Probably because he didn't want her pummeling that pug, Pansy," Ron managed to get out around the wad of food he was shoving at his face.

Elle scrunched her nose at Harry and said, "He was just doing his duty as Prefect."

She was trying to act as dismissive about Draco as possible, so that her brother would drop the line of conversation. In all honesty she was just as confused as to why Draco had pulled her out of the fight and held her so that no one would try to attack her again. She was puzzled by Draco's seemingly sudden interest in her. In all their previous years she had little to no interaction with him, but now he was a constant presence in her life; popping up all the time and telling her to keep safe and then actually putting effort into keeping her safe himself. It was disarming and she grew more and more confused by him every day. All she really wanted was to hate him, but it seemed to her as if that may turn out to be the least likely outcome.

"There are things other than that, though," Harry pushed on, not dropping it at all. "Every time I check the Marauder's Map he's lurking about the seventh floor, and remember how he used to roll his sleeves up to his elbows? He doesn't do that anymore."

"What are you playing at, Harry?" Elle asked, hoping he wasn't stumbling in the direction she thought he was.

"He's a Death Eater," Harry whispered dramatically.

"You haven't been sleeping enough, have you? You're off your rocker. Why would Voldemort want to have Draco and his father following him around like love sick puppies? Even Voldemort is intelligent enough to realize one Malfoy toy is more than one would ever want." Elle asked, trying to look shocked at his accusation.

"I've been sleeping fine!" Harry defended. "Think about it, Elle. He's probably been chosen to try and get inside information about Hogwarts for Voldemort. And he's been branded with the Dark Mark, that's why he doesn't roll his sleeves up anymore. It makes sense!"

"You're basing this theory off of the fact that he doesn't push his sleeves up anymore? Harry, you've got to quit stalking Malfoy," Elle sniggered at him.

"I am not stalking him!" Harry nearly yelled, getting frustrated with his sister. "He's on the other side and you just act all cozy with him!"

"I do not! I barely even talk to him!" She defended.

"He stares at you all the time. He pulls you out of a fight. And I heard about how he acted on the Hogwarts Express! He wants information. He knows Dumbledore trusts you! He's probably trying to read your mind," Harry guessed.

"Guess I'll have to be extra careful during my detention with him tonight," Elle laughed.

"You have detention with him?" Harry almost yelled.

"Yeah, right after we finish dinner," Elle said. She knew nothing good was going to come of Harry's new suspicion of Draco.

"I'll come check on you half way through," Harry told her with a definitive nod.

"You know that isn't necessary; I can handle him myself. He really is never that unpleasant to me," Elle said shrugging her shoulders and she began to gather her things to meet up with Draco for her detention.

"Whish is strange, Elle!" Harry shouted at his sister's back as she walked to where Draco was waiting for her at the entrance to the Great Hall. Turning she waved and stuck her tongue out at Harry before she waltzed out of the room, Draco a few feet behind her.

"So, where are we going to do this detention?" She asked, having to look up at Draco while he was standing so close in order to make their eyes meet.

Rolling his eyes Draco motioned for her to follow him. Elle did as he asked, a perturbed look on her face as she noticed he was leading her outside. Plucking her heavy backpack from her he walked beside her, closer than what he typically would have. Elle was growing more curious by the minuet as to where they were going and why he'd taken her bag.

"Why are we going out onto the grounds? It's going to be dark soon. We're not going into the Forbidden Forest are we? There are these enormous spiders in there that Hagrid is friends with, but they aren't exactly very pleasant. They're really rather hostile actually. And Grawp is in there and he's a bit too friendly. Then centaur herd may still be bit riled up after what happened last year too," Elle rambled mainly seeking to fill the silence and ease her own nerves.

"What in Merlin's pockets are you going on about?" Draco asked, looking down at her. For a second Elle thought he had been smiling.

"We upset the centaurs a little last year," Elle laughed while tugging on her hair to occupy her hands.

"Of course you did," Draco snickered, guiding them in the direction of the Quidditch pitch.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Elle huffed, almost jogging to keep up with his long strides.

"It means you and your brother are constantly sticking your noses into every dangerous situation imaginable," Draco said gruffly, looking at her in an almost upset fashion. "You're going to get yourself killed."

"Please, by centaurs? I don't think so. If Harry or I get killed it'll be by a Death Eater," it slipped out of Elle's mouth so fast she barely even realized she said it. She had grown oddly comfortable in her conversation with Draco.

Draco didn't respond, and Elle barely noticed the awkward twitch of his had as it had seemed to reach for her. He quickened his pace and Elle rushed after him, following him into the stands where he abruptly sat down, sitting Elle's bag on the bench before him. She stood staring at him, baffled, for several minutes. He seemed angry and was hunched over, his elbows on his knees as he stared at his hands. Finally reining in his emotions he looked up at the stunned girl and said, "I don't care about you having detention, so we'll just bide our time out here until we can go in."

"What?" Elle asked.

"We're just going to sit here until time is up. You don't have to do anything as punishment; unless you count spending time with me as punishment," Draco said lowly.

"I don't," Elle said plopping down next to Draco. They sat in silence regarding one another until Elle got bored.

"I've had much worse detentions," Elle stated examining her left hand. The scars left in her own swirly handwriting were still visible, 'I must not believe my brother's lies.' "Are you playing Quidditch this year?" she asked in order to distract her own thoughts.

"No, I haven't got enough time," Draco replied, shocked she was still trying to keep up a conversation with him.

"Harry is trying to convince me to try out," Elle laughed.

"Are you going to?" Draco looked at her like he thought it might be a bad idea.

"I'm not sure. I'm a fair flyer," Elle mused looking out at the pitch.

"It's a rough sport, you could get hurt," Draco said quickly.

"Why are you constantly talking about me getting hurt?" Elle cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes at him.

"You're tiny. Very easily hurt. Fragile looking," Draco mumbled.

"I am not fragile!" Elle yelled, offended. "Why do you care anyways, Malfoy?"

"Since when do you call me by my last name?" he inquired quietly.

"Since you insulted me!"

"I did not insult you!"
"You did!"

"It was not my intention," Draco sighed, leaning back to rest against the bench behind him. Elle swiveled so that she was facing him, crossing her legs and continuing to glare at him.

"You can quit giving me the death glare at any point. I apologized," Draco muttered.

"Why didn't you plan something awful for me to do tonight?" she wondered, softening her face.

"Because I don't dislike you," Draco stated, as if it were obvious.

"And why not?" Elle challenged.

"Do you always ask so many questions?" Draco deflected.

"Always," Elle asserted. "Do you always avoid so many questions?"

"No. But sometimes it's for the best," he replied.

"And why is that?" Elle demanded leaning closer to Draco.

"What is your favorite color?" he asked her.

"Yellow," Elle told him, giving up on getting answers from him.

"Why?"

"Because it isn't dark. I have too much darkness in my life," she replied honestly.

"Favorite subject?" Draco's steel eyes were boring into hers, as they always did when she allowed their eyes meet.

"Divination, because I get to make it all up," Elle giggled. "The more gruesome ways I kill myself off the better my marks. And I can predict the most ridiculous things and she just goes with it. It's entertaining."

"Favorite food?" he asked.

Elle didn't know why she was letting him quiz her about her life, but didn't refuse to answer any of his questions. She told him the truth and watched as his face either scrunched in confusion at her answers or laughed with her at amusing anecdotes she told about her life. It was probably the most peculiar night Elle had ever had. Sitting alone with Draco Malfoy: Death Eater, tormentor to her brother and assigned assassin of her favorite professor, she wasn't scared. She felt happy, more so than she had in quite some time. It was the first time in weeks that she felt carefree, and it boggled her mind. She couldn't work out why she felt safe around the man who was fighting, whether unwillingly or not, for everything she was preparing to die to rid the world of.

"What's with the bracelet?" Draco motioned to the charm bracelet that hadn't left her wrist since she had received it on her birthday.

"I got it from the Weasleys on my birthday, which is on August 1st; so don't ask. I have a charm each from the twins and one from my godfather, Professor Lupin," she explained.

"Harry didn't get you a charm?" he asked, sneering as he said the boy's name.

"Why do you hate Harry still?" she wondered, but she was suddenly distracted by the approach of the aforementioned boy and did not hear him reply, "He makes you unattainable."

"What are you doing out here?" Harry asked roughly.

Sighing Elle turned away from Draco to reassure her brother she was fine, "Nothing, this is my detention."

"It looks like a date," Harry was getting angry.

"Excuse me?" Elle gaped.

"It looks like you're on a date!" Harry exclaimed, gesturing around.

"At the Quidditch pitch? How romantic of you Draco!" Elle fake gushed, grabbing onto the Slytherin beside her and laying her head on his shoulder.

"I try," Draco smirked, enjoying watching Harry getting messed with while not having to do it himself.

"What are you trying, Malfoy?" Harry demanded, clenching his fists.

"I'm not trying anything, Potter. I just didn't feel the need to punish Elle for punching Parkinson; it's something I've wanted to see for a long time," Draco said coolly.

Harry stood fuming glaring at his sibling, who was still pretend cuddling with Malfoy. He turned his eyes to the boy and was disconcerted by what he saw. While Elle's eyes were still on Harry, Malfoy had his locked on Elle as if she were the only thing in the world. His normally icy eyes had a look that would have left anyone reeling after seeing it directed at Harry Potter's little sister from his arch nemesis. Draco Malfoy was staring at her wistfully, as though she was his deepest desire, his most sought after dream, as if she were something precious that he held very dear.

Harry couldn't find anything more to say. He still thought Malfoy was up to something, but was beginning to doubt it involved Elle getting harmed in any way. Shaking his head he turned and stomped away knowing Elle would be fine while she was with Draco, but not sure how he felt about the knowledge.

Elle watched the retreating from of her brother until she couldn't see him anymore. She looked up at Draco then, not realizing that she was still so close to him. His eyes sought hers and they frightened Elle terribly. She had never seen such emotions in someone, she didn't know exactly what they were but she had a feeling they were all directed towards her. She was frozen by him, unable to break contact and place the proper amount of distance between them.

Elle watched as his eyes flitted back and forth over her face; they moved slowly, taking in every freckle across her nose and cheeks, every shade of dark red and brown in her unique auburn bangs, the shimmering of gold that ringed her green eyes that you could only see when you were as close as Draco was. He took in as much as he could, learning and memorizing her. The look in his eyes was making her heart tremble. Elle found herself repeating his actions. She let her eyes move from his, so liquid silver and charcoal in the center, to his straight nose and defined square chin. They stared at each other until Elle was sure she knew his face better than any other, but she still could not pull away from him and he never had the intention of breaking their contact.

Lifting her hand Elle touched her cool fingertips underneath his eyes, where the signs of his stress were evident. She asked him, "Why are you so stressed?"

She had accidentally broken the spell and he couldn't hold her gaze any longer. He did not move to separate them, but he turned his gaze skyward as he answered, "I wish I could tell you. But it is mine to handle alone."

"Draco," She whispered and she could feel his chest tighten under her hand. "Asking for help does not make you weak."

"There is no one that could help me," He told her, shaking his head and causing his blonde hair to fall into his eyes.

"I could," Elle began, but he cut her off.

"I won't be the one to put you in danger," Draco seethed.

"I'm in danger because of every breath I take, because I was born to The Boy Who Lived," Elle said defiantly. "A bit more danger would barley be noticeable."

Shaking his head, Draco responded, "That doesn't mean anything. You could hide."

"I can't," Elle sighed, as he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees again. She moved with him; desperate for some reason to keep contact with him, she placed a hand around his upper arm and the other on his back.

"Why?" Draco choked.

"There are some questions best left unanswered," Elle gave him his own reasoning.

Draco never responded to her. She had let him keep his secrets and he would let her have hers.

"Can I ask you a question?" Elle said.

"Anything," Draco breathed.

"Why are you concerned about me?" She wondered.

Draco returned his gaze to her then and whispered, "I can't tell you that."

"Why?" Elle demanded softly.

"It's complicated," Draco supplied, unhelpfully.

"Most things are," Elle said. "But I think I could understand."

"Hopefully someday," he mumbled.

"I don't understand what you mean," Elle grumbled.

"We're at war," he stated, as if it made everything that he had said clear.

"I'm aware," she sniffed, rolling her eyes.

"Hopefully someday we won't be, and I'll still be alive. Then I'll tell you, if you don't hate me," He said getting up. The sun was just beginning to set and he wanted them in the castle before dark.

Walking back to the castle Elle stayed silent. She was mulling over what Draco had said, trying to make sense of him and what he wanted from her. As they were about to go their separate ways Elle reached out and grabbed Draco's hand, halting him and forcing him to look at her.

"There are things you do not know. Trust that everything will be okay and it will be. I've tried to hate you Draco; and I have failed. Whenever you're willing to explain whatever you were talking about I'll be there to listen. This war won't claim us," Elle smiled at the shocked look on his face, and turned and began skipping off towards the Gryffindor tower.

Draco stood and watched her for as long as possible, the tugging sensation in his heart returning, as always when she wasn't near him.

I'm too sick to ask for reviews... No, no, I'm not. Please review. =) WhatsGoingOn made another beautiful banner for me, it's linked in my profile. I'd link it here... But, if I'm honest, I'm just too lazy right now. I was almost too lazy to put this out, but I figured it had been awhile since my last update. =) Anyways, thank you too all of my reviewers, and the readers who don't. =p