Alexis was in her room when Draco came in.

"Hi." she said shortly, trying to concentrate on her Transfiguration book, bought from Diagon Alley two days ago. "Have a good day?"

She didn't see him cringe, but somehow she could almost feel it.

"When do I ever have good days?"

"Never." she replied, simply.

"Exactly." he groaned. "I'll be glad when school starts."

As she turned from the crisp white pages, Alexis saw a cut on Draco's cheek.

"Why?" she asked, although she already knew the answer. She rummaged around a shelf, trying to find a bandage of some sort.

"Do you know what they were doing today? Torturing people, and they loved it! They're like Dementors." he shuddered. "Everyone was just…watching, as if it were a…what do you call it?" he searched for the right word from his Muggle Studies. "A movie."

"M'kay." she put the bandage on his cheek. "At least you get to do magic over the holidays. We don't."

"Do you always have to find a way to boost my ego?"

She kissed his cheek, like they had always done since they'd become friends.

"I try, Draco, I try."

"What do you want?" she demanded, although the blonde boy was a good couple of inches taller than her.

"Not much." he smirked, but she could tell that he wanted to go someplace private. Looking around at her friends, she said,

"I'll see you later, guys."

"Are you sure, Aly?" asked Hermione suspiciously.

"Yep. Definitely." Alexis grinned back at the girl.

"Okay then. See you."

With a final glance at Harry, Ron and Hermione, Alexis walked out of the Great Hall, Draco behind her.

"You took your time." she said, as soon as they were in an empty corridor. "It's been…what, two weeks?"

"Yeah, whatever."

"So, what do you want to tell me?" she asked coldly, same way she always had ever since first year.

He grabbed her arm. She was so surprised that she didn't pull away.

"Let go." she said, finally.

"I just wanted to accept your little offer." he said through gritted teeth.

She amazed herself by smiling at him. And, hesitantly, he smiled back. The first time she'd seen him like that, and the most unimaginable thing on the face of the Earth.

"Go have a shower." she threw some clothes at him. "You're too dirty."

He made a face, but disappeared out of the door nevertheless.

Alexis looked at the now empty doorway.

This really needs to stop, she thought, remembering the shadows under his eyes. Nobody deserves to suffer like that, especially after they've made all that effort to defy the life they were born for.

"Everything alright?" asked a voice from the doorway. She looked up at Ron.

"Yep. Of course. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Oh, well because you're sitting there looking like somebody's died. Are you sure?"

"Don't worry!" she let out a forced laugh. "I told you, nothing's wrong."

He still didn't look convinced, but he didn't do or say anything else either for about ten minutes, while she just sat on the floor, chin propped on her knees.

"Well," he broke the silence with that faltering word, "Um, if you really say so–"

He quickly dropped the subject as Draco strolled in.

"That was quick." commented Alexis, trying to erase the previous conversation from her memory without success. Her face automatically screwed up as she tried.

She didn't see Draco's questioning glance towards Ron, who shrugged, but she saw the curious glance that the blonde then cast her. Alexis decided to ignore it.

"Quick? Aly, you have such a weird sense of time. I've been in there for about fifteen minutes."

She glared at him, and then attempted to mess up his newly combed hair, which he seemed to fuss about quite a lot.

Oh, good, he thought. She isn't all distant anymore. It scares me when she goes like that. She looks like Trelawney.