d o v e

f o u r

Singing quietly to herself, Alexandra took Hermione's key and made her way up to the prefect bathroom to draw herself a bath. Hermione was definitely right when she said it was relaxing. The tub was more spacial than any tub she's been in before, even the Malfoys'. More space meant more room for her, and more room for bubbles.

She was genuinely shocked that nobody had walked in for most of her bath, but it was definitely too good to be true.

"Relaxing?" Draco asking, laughing at the girl covered in bubbles. He laughed harder when she jumped and got water everywhere. Draco wasn't planning on continuing his prefect duties at all this year, but he was glad he did tonight. He thought this night was going to be like all the rest; boring and uneventful, but he was glad to run into Alexandra. She was exactly what he needed right now.

After running into her in Diagon Alley, he decided to confide in his mother. He explained his guilt for abandoning her all those years ago, and for keeping so many secrets from her. Narcissa has always known deep down that her son and Alexandra would never truly drift apart, and encouraged Draco to reunite with the girl. At first he was skeptical, but seeing her tonight made him reconsider.

"Care to join me?" She joked, playing with the bubbles around her. Draco knew she had a very open personality, but he was shocked by how calm she was despite him walking in on her bathing.

"I don't take bubble baths," he told her, crossing his arms.

"Not even with a naked girl?" Alex continued to pester. Draco was tempted, but he knew he couldn't. It wouldn't be right- not because of what people would think, they would never know- but because Alexandra was the only person outside of his family he had some respect for. "You've looked tense lately. Maybe a bath is what you need."

"I think you just want me to bathe with you. You got a thing for me, eh, Alex?" He joked, cautiously sitting on the edge of the tub. He felt increasingly more relaxed around his friend, and had completely forgotten about everything else for just one moment.

"So what if I did?" She asked rather confidently. He didn't say anything. "Remember that time third year when the dementors attacked the train? I was returning from the loo when you pulled me into an empty compartment and sat with me until they'd gone."

"Instinct, I suppose," he admitted. Having known Alexandra almost their entire lives, Draco always felt like he had some responsibility to protect her. She grew into a bright wizard who definitely doesn't require protection, but part of him missed when she would run to him for comfort all those times his father raised his voice at Dobby, or worse.

"I miss you. Truly," Alex continued. The two would meet in secret on the occasion over the years, but Draco never liked to talk about himself. He would mention his classes, complain about Pansy, or whine about how ridiculous his friends are, but he would never mention anything that happened to him outside of Hogwarts. "I wish you would talk to me. Something is obviously troubling you."

"Says the girl who, only months ago, screamed and ran away from me with no explanation only to try and make it seem like I was the one who'd gone mad," he chuckled.

"I care about you, Draco," she said softly. "And I know you care about me, too."

"We should get going," he suggested, standing up and walking to the other side of the bathroom so Alexandra could change.

"We?" She asked, rushing to put her pajamas on.

"I'd let you go on your own, but you'd surely get caught. By escorting you back to your dorm, you'd avoid a detention," he explained. "Unless, of course, you want one."

"I'm alright, thank you," she laughed.

The walk was silent other than Alex sniffling a few times. Draco rolled his eyes, magically drying her hair so she wouldn't be as cold. She smiled.

"I'll be in the Room of Requirement tomorrow after supper if you'd like to join. Think of me, and the room will do the rest. You know how it works," Alex offered, smiling. "If I don't see you, then I'll know to leave you alone."

Draco walked away, leaving Alex to enter her common room without anybody seeing him. Harry immediately shot up from the couch, not expecting Alexandra to enter.

"Oh, it's you," he laughed lightly. "Did you see Malfoy roaming around by any chance?"

"He caught me in the prefect bathroom. I tried convincing him not to report me, but he dragged me back here and gave me detention anyway," she lied. "You've got to put that map down. You're getting paranoid and it's only been a day. Classes start tomorrow, get to bed."

"Okay, Hermione," Harry mocked, laughing at his own joke as Alexandra went to bed. When she was out of sight, Harry opened the map once again and watched as Draco's footprints brought him back to the dungeons.