Pandora quietly walked down the dark corridors of the dungeon, hearing nothing but the echoing of her own footsteps on the black, stone floor. Stopping, she faced the closest wall and whispered the password. The Slytherin common room then revealed itself to her and she slipped in just as the entrance closed.
"Dora?" she could hear someone whisper. Tucking a lock of her curly black hair behind her ear, she turned to the source of the voice and smiled. Looking up at those familiar steely gray eyes in the green lit room, Pandora couldn't help but giggle fondly. "Well, the password seemed to work, Draco."
Before long, they were lounging on the couches at the center of the common room like two regular Slytherins; anyone who said otherwise was chased off by one of Draco's menacing glares.
Pandora looked over at Draco with a worried stare. He looked worse than the last time she saw him. There were bags under his eyes and he kept looking over his shoulder like some paranoid St. Mungo's patient. He looked almost...ill. She knew he had an important mission, but she didn't know it'd cause him this much anguish.
"So, how're you liking Hogwarts?" he asked as he got comfortable. He was sprawled out on the sofa, looking like a king on his throne while Pandora sat across from him, smiling at his usual regal attitude.
"Well, I've only been here a few days," she said with a chuckle. "But it's alright. A bit...cheery compared to what I'm familiar with, but I could get used to it." Draco was currently staring at the ceiling, but Pandora knew he'd be listening. He always did- Well, to her, at least. "And I met a boy," she remarked loudly, knowing it would spark his attention. It did.
Draco's head whipped around and a guttural noise emanated from the back of his throat. Seeing that Pandora noticed this, he tried to look impartial. "He your boyfriend?" he asked nonchalantly, running his fingers through his silvery locks.
Letting out a chuckle at his response, she hid her urge to blush. Looking over at him, she raised her eyebrows, reflecting his feigned indifference. "Of course not, Draco," she told him plainly. "The boy's actually helping me with my task," Pandora explained, dropping her act. "Unknowingly, of course. He's a real Potter fan- was in his little group last year." She stopped, knowing that the same group was there the night Draco's father was sent to Azkaban. He didn't seem to react, though. Yet again, Draco was always good at hiding his emotions. "Anyway, he'll get me access to Potter."
Draco was, yet again, staring at the ceiling. Sighing, Pandora frowned and walked over to him. Putting her hands on her hips, she looked down at him and shook her head. Draco could be so inattentive at times and it was extremely frustrating. "Well, I better go," Pandora told him solemnly, turning for the door.
"Pandora," Draco called, exasperated at her obvious mood change. Getting to his feet, he turned her around. "Listen," he told her, looking her straight in the eye. "I don't like this person," he motioned to her current expression. "Well, you know- you act differently around me. I just haven't seen a lot of that girl lately. I like the person you are when you're around me-"
"And I like the person you are around me," she interrupted, laying her finger on his chest with a gentle smile.
"What I'm trying to say is that, when you're around others, you're...angry and intimidating. That's not you, Dora. It just reminds me of...of-"
"Of my father?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow.
Draco sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. "Dora," their eyes met again. "You know I care about you," he told her earnestly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"We are family, after all."