The Minister's Secret | HP Original Story | DISCONTINUED

~ LUBENTIA ~

Draco somehow managed to corner Eris alone in the common room, after everyone had gone to their dormitories. It wasn't unusual, Eris presumed, for her to stay up late in the common room in order to avoid sleeping. However, she was planning on getting in a few minutes of shut-eye, and it seemed Draco had no intention of letting her do that any time soon.

"So?" Draco said.

Eris groaned, stretching her legs in front of her on the sofa. "So, we talked." She looked over at Draco, slung haphazardly in an armchair.

He raised his eyebrows and knocked his foot against the armchair impatiently.

"He still won't own up -- there's not much to it, Draco." Eris sat up and set her newly-purchased book to the side. "And he still thinks I shouldn't be getting into trouble with you," she said.

"So, still me specifically?" Draco said, amused.

Eris cast him an ugly look and he threw up his hands in surrender.

"I'm just curious, that's all," he said.

"He also told me exactly what he thinks of me, so..." Eris trailed off. She stood up and stretched her arms with a yawn. "That's all there is, so I'm going to turn in."

"Wait, you don't want to talk about that?" Draco stood too, stopping Eris before she could make it to the door.

"You don't take hints easily, do you?" Eris said, smirking.

Draco frowned. "You're still going to do nothing about him?" He looked down at Eris seriously, looking almost as stern as his father.

Eris turned and went back to the sofa. "Are you seriously asking this again? We've been over it!" She tugged her hands through her hair, which she had pulled down while she was reading to hide the many expressions she made while she did so.

"I can help you!" said Draco, sitting on the sofa opposite Eris. "We tell the whole school, it won't go past that -- your father will make sure of it." He was leaning forward, his elbows on his knees.

Eris rolled her eyes skyward and dropped her face in her hands. "What good would it do, Draco? Everyone here already knows my father is a twat," she said. "If anything, it might make things worse for me."

"Compared to what?" asked Draco incredulously. "You're passing your classes as easily as I fly a broom!" his voice rose and Eris thought he might wake the other Slytherins if he kept it up. "You've got friends in almost every house -- hell, people are calling you 'the Good Slytherin!'"

Eris's head whipped up to look at him. "They're calling me what?" She hadn't heard the name until now and it seemed to Draco to be common knowledge.

"You have the ideal life of a Hogwarts student, Fudge. I doubt there's anything that could ruin that for you." Draco's voice softened.

"Ideal life?" Eris scoffed. "You thought I was hilarious." She leaned back into the sofa and breathed in deeply, gazing at the dying fire. "Remember when I fell asleep in Snape's lesson?"

She looked over and Draco nodded thoughtfully.

"I don't sleep, Draco. I haven't slept well in two years -- you'd think I'd have learned to manage it." She sighed and rubbed her hands over her face to keep her eyes open. "Those passing marks? They'll be gone before the end of next term if it keeps up. Whatever friendliness I have? That'll be gone too."

"Sleep then," Draco said, as if it was the most simple thing in the world.

"You're really no help, you know that?" said Eris. She chuckled despite herself and smoothed her hair down. It was clear to her that Draco was intent on helping her take some form of revenge on her father; she couldn't deny she wanted it, too -- he'd done too much to injure her childhood for her to be content with sitting back and doing nothing. She had already allowed him to get it in his thick head he was not responsible for Emmeline's death.