He was on rounds. His mind was elsewhere... He seemed distracted... and because of this he wasn't nearly as snippy as everyone expected him to be. However, with the assignments that had been assigned this week... everyone pinned it on that. After all there was A LOT of parchment due for the various teachers this week. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Draco's mind was not on his school work... he was still trying to figure out a little Greek mystery...
Eiliethyia on the other hand did have her mind on homework. It was going to be a very long day. She still had a bit of homework to do. And for potions of all things. She excelled in transfigurations... she did well in herbology... this was the only class that she got mediocre marks in... She sighed... She was going to have to ask Professor Snape for some help... she did not want to do that. What else could she do? She was a Ravenclaw and it was well known that he favored those of his own house, Slytherin.
Wait... that... that could be the key. Draco was Slytherin. Oh Merlin, she couldn't be thinking about asking him for help... I mean, yes, she was helping him. However, it was Draco, and as much as she wanted to believe that he wanted to change... she was still unsure. After all, he wasn't known for his sincerity. She kept worrying that he was just looking for a new angle... a new way to get to people and she was the guinea pig. She felt bad that she thought that way... But how do you trust someone that for the past 5 years has been a complete and total bother to anyone and everyone outside his house?
The more she thought about it, the more it bothered her. It wasn't like her to judge people like this. It wasn't fair for her to do it to him, she knew how bad it felt to be the one being judged. No matter how many times she questioned his motives, she still went to help him, still felt miserable for doubting him... but all the while, she was still nervous and still skittish around him. She just couldn't help it. She'd always had trouble around other people because she was an animagus and they weren't widely trusted or accepted either... Oh hell. She shouldn't be doing this. She should have bowed out gracefully.
However, she hadn't... And her word was her bond. She supposed it wouldn't be too bad to ask Draco for the very least advice on the homework. She'd been helping him for a while now and he couldn't make her do more... This, this would be a way for him to even the score... But she wasn't sure it was the best of ideas. She could only think of how the old Draco would act... and it scared her. She tried to calm herself down. She tried to tell herself that this was a chance to see how new Draco would react... This was a chance to test how much he'd learned and how much he was willing to change.
It didn't help. But it kept her focused... She gathered her parchment, quill, wand and book into her bag and went out into the halls... Oh this wasn't going to be good. All the other times she'd been a cat... but she needed to take her books... Wait... leave the books behind talk to him about it and then find a meeting place... That way the secret wouldn't be out... She was glad she'd caught herself before she'd almost done something that could have brought the Old Draco back with avengeance.
She put her books away in her room and turned into her cat form. She made her way out of her room and into the common room. She then made her way out through the passage and into the halls. Now to find Draco... shouldn't be too hard, as a cat she could follow his smell... Though first she headed toward where he'd most likely be and that was near the dungeons. It was on her way down that she caught sight of silvery blonde hair... She stopped and turned going in the direction it had gone... She ran to catch up to him, which was a lot easier when she had four legs.
She mewed to get his attention. This was a big leap for her. She didn't usually seek him out. Usually she got a message and met him out in the gardens... Mostly things were on his terms... and she supposed this would be too. She just hoped this wasn't poorly received... she didn't want to anger him... She didn't want to face the wrath of old Draco. That would be infinitely bad... especially for her.
He heard a familiar meow, and was more than a bit surprised. Why had she sought him out? Was she coming around? No, even though she was in cat form he could still see the fear in her eyes. He picked her up and carried her to an out of the way place where she could return to her normal form and tell him whatever it was that she needed to tell him and he could get on with his rounds. Once there, he set her down and waited.
She was a little shocked that he'd picked her up and a little scared. She was almost relieved when he set her down again, though she realized that meant she had to change back and tell him why she'd come looking for him... Something she wasn't sure she wanted to do... But now that she was here, she didn't really have any choice now did she? She turned back to normal... and was blushing before she even realized it.
"Well, what is up Allie Cat? Why have you sought me out?" Draco asked... trying to sound like himself, but it was hard, he was curious as to why she'd done this...
"I... I was wondering if..." She paused, sighing and tried to take a deep breath... This was obviously not easy for her and it was obviously something she'd been dreading... he was tempted to snap at her and tell her to spit it out already, but he knew that would just frighten her away and then he'd never know what she'd wanted... he held his tongue. "I have been having trouble... with Professor Snape's most recent assignment... he favors Slytherins... and... I was wondering... if perhaps... you could... at least... maybe give me advice or point me in the right direction for it..." She sighs, blushing.
She wanted His help? No, she didn't want it, she was afraid of him... you could tell by the way she stammered. However, it was probably face him or ask the Professor himself and she didn't seem the type to go to Professor Snape. It kinda stung that she thought of him as the lesser of two evils... but maybe if he helped her, she'd start to lighten up, she'd start to believe that he was changing... Besides he had that paper to hand in to her anyway. Not that she'd asked for it... but still he thought he should give it to her anyway. He nodded.
"All right. Meet me in the Ghost Garden in half an hour." He said simply.
"Okay." She said shifted back to cat form and scampered off before he could say another word. He shook his head as she ran off and sighed. This was going to take a lot more work than he'd thought. He made his way to his room to go over the assignment a bit before going to meet her...
She ran back to her room and became herself again... She felt like she wanted to pass out... She never wanted to have to do that again. That was almost as bad as asking the Professor for help. She shuddered and gathered her things... getting her cloak as it was starting to get just a slight bit dark and she wanted to stave off the slight chill the night air would have.... She made her way to her ghostly garden... No one would think anything of it... she often did that... and then, she waited.
He made it outside and to the area where her ghostly garden sat... she'd left it open for him, which must mean she was already here. He slipped in and she tapped the wall... the passage slid shut... Her books were spread out upon her lap and her parchment was ready... She'd been going over things while waiting for him. He had his own parchment for her... The parchment that answered the questions she'd posed to him the last time they'd met in this happy medium. He'd made a copy to keep for himself as a reminder...
"Now, what seems to be the problem Allie cat?" He asked as he took a seat in front of her. She sighed and showed him...
"I see. You're trying too hard. It isn't actually as difficult as you're making it out to be. You just need to use a bit of common sense. That's where everyone gets caught up with Professor Snape. He likes to make you think it's harder than it really is. He likes to challenge his students and I can't really blame him. How else will we try harder and learn more? That's not the point. If you just go back to this point and look at it from the simplest perspective you can... the answer should reveal itself." He explained as he looked over her work.
She took back the parchment and skimmed over it... and tried to do what he said... She looked at it... and looked at it... and then... there it was... She began to write at a furious pace yet still in an elegant hand... And before she realized it, she had the required length of parchment and then some by the time she was done writing. She was shocked... amazed and grateful. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all... "Thank you Draco." She said sincerely. He shrugged.
"You've been helping me longer than I thought you would... It's the least I can do. You need to realize that I do want to change Allie cat... and this might help." He said as he handed her the parchment. She took it and read over it and was stunned. It was the answers to the questions she'd posed to him. She hadn't expected him to treat it like homework... to take it so seriously... and yet he had.
"You did not have to do this Draco." She said softly.
"True... but I thought about what you said. How else am I supposed to remember all of this and work for school unless I treat them with the same seriousness?"
"I see your point. Well... With this... I think we can tell what options you have open to you... it becomes obvious... when you look at what you hope to accomplish... Are you willing to do whatever it will take to get there Draco?" She asks softly.
Was he... he might not have been so sure... but recent events were leading him to believe anything was possible. "Whatever it takes Eiliethyia." He said softly using her name so she'd know he was serious.
She got a little chill as he said her name instead of calling her Allie Cat... The way he said it, there was just something to it that made it more than how other people said it... She didn't know how to take that... she just nodded. "All right then... I will try to come up with a game plan based on these answers... I'll let you know when I have it finished. We should get back... I would not like to get in trouble for being out past curfew... and if I am not mistaken it is drawing close." She says softly, gathering her things and putting them away.
He nods and walks out with her. Watching her... realizing that even when she wasn't a small gray and black cat, she was still a cat. Her movements were so fluid and graceful all of the time. It was odd... she was completely unlike any other young woman he'd ever met. He wanted to know more about her. More about his little Allie Cat. Whoa... had he just called her his? He wouldn't think about that now... couldn't think about that now, he had to stay focused.
She made her way back to the castle, a little tense under his watchful gaze. She hurried off toward Ravenclaw tower and wondered just what in the name of Merlin was happening? Why had he called her by her name instead of the pet name he used... Why didn't she mind him calling her Allie Cat? Why had the way he'd said her name effected her so much? She wasn't sure... but she had a sneaking suspicion she just might find out.
Eiliethyia on the other hand did have her mind on homework. It was going to be a very long day. She still had a bit of homework to do. And for potions of all things. She excelled in transfigurations... she did well in herbology... this was the only class that she got mediocre marks in... She sighed... She was going to have to ask Professor Snape for some help... she did not want to do that. What else could she do? She was a Ravenclaw and it was well known that he favored those of his own house, Slytherin.
Wait... that... that could be the key. Draco was Slytherin. Oh Merlin, she couldn't be thinking about asking him for help... I mean, yes, she was helping him. However, it was Draco, and as much as she wanted to believe that he wanted to change... she was still unsure. After all, he wasn't known for his sincerity. She kept worrying that he was just looking for a new angle... a new way to get to people and she was the guinea pig. She felt bad that she thought that way... But how do you trust someone that for the past 5 years has been a complete and total bother to anyone and everyone outside his house?
The more she thought about it, the more it bothered her. It wasn't like her to judge people like this. It wasn't fair for her to do it to him, she knew how bad it felt to be the one being judged. No matter how many times she questioned his motives, she still went to help him, still felt miserable for doubting him... but all the while, she was still nervous and still skittish around him. She just couldn't help it. She'd always had trouble around other people because she was an animagus and they weren't widely trusted or accepted either... Oh hell. She shouldn't be doing this. She should have bowed out gracefully.
However, she hadn't... And her word was her bond. She supposed it wouldn't be too bad to ask Draco for the very least advice on the homework. She'd been helping him for a while now and he couldn't make her do more... This, this would be a way for him to even the score... But she wasn't sure it was the best of ideas. She could only think of how the old Draco would act... and it scared her. She tried to calm herself down. She tried to tell herself that this was a chance to see how new Draco would react... This was a chance to test how much he'd learned and how much he was willing to change.
It didn't help. But it kept her focused... She gathered her parchment, quill, wand and book into her bag and went out into the halls... Oh this wasn't going to be good. All the other times she'd been a cat... but she needed to take her books... Wait... leave the books behind talk to him about it and then find a meeting place... That way the secret wouldn't be out... She was glad she'd caught herself before she'd almost done something that could have brought the Old Draco back with avengeance.
She put her books away in her room and turned into her cat form. She made her way out of her room and into the common room. She then made her way out through the passage and into the halls. Now to find Draco... shouldn't be too hard, as a cat she could follow his smell... Though first she headed toward where he'd most likely be and that was near the dungeons. It was on her way down that she caught sight of silvery blonde hair... She stopped and turned going in the direction it had gone... She ran to catch up to him, which was a lot easier when she had four legs.
She mewed to get his attention. This was a big leap for her. She didn't usually seek him out. Usually she got a message and met him out in the gardens... Mostly things were on his terms... and she supposed this would be too. She just hoped this wasn't poorly received... she didn't want to anger him... She didn't want to face the wrath of old Draco. That would be infinitely bad... especially for her.
He heard a familiar meow, and was more than a bit surprised. Why had she sought him out? Was she coming around? No, even though she was in cat form he could still see the fear in her eyes. He picked her up and carried her to an out of the way place where she could return to her normal form and tell him whatever it was that she needed to tell him and he could get on with his rounds. Once there, he set her down and waited.
She was a little shocked that he'd picked her up and a little scared. She was almost relieved when he set her down again, though she realized that meant she had to change back and tell him why she'd come looking for him... Something she wasn't sure she wanted to do... But now that she was here, she didn't really have any choice now did she? She turned back to normal... and was blushing before she even realized it.
"Well, what is up Allie Cat? Why have you sought me out?" Draco asked... trying to sound like himself, but it was hard, he was curious as to why she'd done this...
"I... I was wondering if..." She paused, sighing and tried to take a deep breath... This was obviously not easy for her and it was obviously something she'd been dreading... he was tempted to snap at her and tell her to spit it out already, but he knew that would just frighten her away and then he'd never know what she'd wanted... he held his tongue. "I have been having trouble... with Professor Snape's most recent assignment... he favors Slytherins... and... I was wondering... if perhaps... you could... at least... maybe give me advice or point me in the right direction for it..." She sighs, blushing.
She wanted His help? No, she didn't want it, she was afraid of him... you could tell by the way she stammered. However, it was probably face him or ask the Professor himself and she didn't seem the type to go to Professor Snape. It kinda stung that she thought of him as the lesser of two evils... but maybe if he helped her, she'd start to lighten up, she'd start to believe that he was changing... Besides he had that paper to hand in to her anyway. Not that she'd asked for it... but still he thought he should give it to her anyway. He nodded.
"All right. Meet me in the Ghost Garden in half an hour." He said simply.
"Okay." She said shifted back to cat form and scampered off before he could say another word. He shook his head as she ran off and sighed. This was going to take a lot more work than he'd thought. He made his way to his room to go over the assignment a bit before going to meet her...
She ran back to her room and became herself again... She felt like she wanted to pass out... She never wanted to have to do that again. That was almost as bad as asking the Professor for help. She shuddered and gathered her things... getting her cloak as it was starting to get just a slight bit dark and she wanted to stave off the slight chill the night air would have.... She made her way to her ghostly garden... No one would think anything of it... she often did that... and then, she waited.
He made it outside and to the area where her ghostly garden sat... she'd left it open for him, which must mean she was already here. He slipped in and she tapped the wall... the passage slid shut... Her books were spread out upon her lap and her parchment was ready... She'd been going over things while waiting for him. He had his own parchment for her... The parchment that answered the questions she'd posed to him the last time they'd met in this happy medium. He'd made a copy to keep for himself as a reminder...
"Now, what seems to be the problem Allie cat?" He asked as he took a seat in front of her. She sighed and showed him...
"I see. You're trying too hard. It isn't actually as difficult as you're making it out to be. You just need to use a bit of common sense. That's where everyone gets caught up with Professor Snape. He likes to make you think it's harder than it really is. He likes to challenge his students and I can't really blame him. How else will we try harder and learn more? That's not the point. If you just go back to this point and look at it from the simplest perspective you can... the answer should reveal itself." He explained as he looked over her work.
She took back the parchment and skimmed over it... and tried to do what he said... She looked at it... and looked at it... and then... there it was... She began to write at a furious pace yet still in an elegant hand... And before she realized it, she had the required length of parchment and then some by the time she was done writing. She was shocked... amazed and grateful. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all... "Thank you Draco." She said sincerely. He shrugged.
"You've been helping me longer than I thought you would... It's the least I can do. You need to realize that I do want to change Allie cat... and this might help." He said as he handed her the parchment. She took it and read over it and was stunned. It was the answers to the questions she'd posed to him. She hadn't expected him to treat it like homework... to take it so seriously... and yet he had.
"You did not have to do this Draco." She said softly.
"True... but I thought about what you said. How else am I supposed to remember all of this and work for school unless I treat them with the same seriousness?"
"I see your point. Well... With this... I think we can tell what options you have open to you... it becomes obvious... when you look at what you hope to accomplish... Are you willing to do whatever it will take to get there Draco?" She asks softly.
Was he... he might not have been so sure... but recent events were leading him to believe anything was possible. "Whatever it takes Eiliethyia." He said softly using her name so she'd know he was serious.
She got a little chill as he said her name instead of calling her Allie Cat... The way he said it, there was just something to it that made it more than how other people said it... She didn't know how to take that... she just nodded. "All right then... I will try to come up with a game plan based on these answers... I'll let you know when I have it finished. We should get back... I would not like to get in trouble for being out past curfew... and if I am not mistaken it is drawing close." She says softly, gathering her things and putting them away.
He nods and walks out with her. Watching her... realizing that even when she wasn't a small gray and black cat, she was still a cat. Her movements were so fluid and graceful all of the time. It was odd... she was completely unlike any other young woman he'd ever met. He wanted to know more about her. More about his little Allie Cat. Whoa... had he just called her his? He wouldn't think about that now... couldn't think about that now, he had to stay focused.
She made her way back to the castle, a little tense under his watchful gaze. She hurried off toward Ravenclaw tower and wondered just what in the name of Merlin was happening? Why had he called her by her name instead of the pet name he used... Why didn't she mind him calling her Allie Cat? Why had the way he'd said her name effected her so much? She wasn't sure... but she had a sneaking suspicion she just might find out.