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CATCHING Enoch after Potions, first slipping away from his Slytherin friends, proves to be more of a task than Draco first anticipated. His friends won't be brushed off easily, requiring some sort of explanation from him first—it's nothing, he claims, just some Alchemy work. Then, eager to get to make the most of their time off, most of the students are quickly filing out of the classroom. This first blocks Draco from the oblivious brunet, the second obstacle, but then pushes him further and further away as Enoch tries to get out as well. The blond only just manages to stop him at the door, grabbing his shoulder in an attempt to nonverbally get his attention as casually as he can. Enoch doesn't seem surprised to see him when he turns to meet his gaze, just gives him a pleasant smile. Draco can feel his fingertips warming and withdraws his hand quickly.
"Do you have time to work on our Alchemy project?" Draco asks, small frown on his face as he tried to convey to Enoch to play along. He can see the confusion pass across his face clear as day and only hopes it's not as clear for everyone else.
"Yeah, I was just going study anyway." A little white head pokes out of Enoch's hair, body wrapping around his shoulders under his robes. The ferret blinks sleepily at Draco, before adjusting his position and settling back down. The blond allows himself a small nod before beckoning for Enoch to follow.
Draco waits until they've moved away from the classroom, into another hallway, to explain, "We're not studying. I just wanted to stop the others from following me."
"Oh, good, you had me worried. I thought there was some Alchemy project I'd missed." Enoch chuckles lightly—so lightly it even manages to bring a lightness in the blond. A little bit of tension melts from his jaw, loosening his lips into the smallest smile he can manage. "Where are we going?"
"The room with the fireplace. It's more comfortable than the library floor."
"Oh right, the one you pace around." Draco gives a small nod, not wanting to discuss it further in case someone was the listen in and figure out where they're going. Because of Potter and his little army, the Room of Requirement isn't as secret as it once might have been; but, also because of Potter, Draco now knows of its existence.
"Potions was awful, wasn't it?" The blond comments as silence falls between them, feeling awkward. He absentmindedly brushes away some dust leftover from his failed attempt at a potion. This year has been a terrible year of Potions for him—something he would be ashamed of in any other circumstances. But his task is more important than grades, if he fails they won't matter at all, and he hardly cares for a fool like Slughorn's opinion of him. The old man has already made it clear enough that he no longer cares, with his father in prison. Enoch gives a small shrug, one that threatens to knock the ferret off his shoulders. "Did you see Slughorn? The way he fawned over Potter? I was watching him during the lesson, his technique is dreadful. He wasn't even doing what we were doing."
