our little secret | d.m. ✓

2│una mattina

CHAPTER 2: pinky promise

The young Slytherin student was walking down the hallway on her way to class. She had just come back from the hospital, leaving before her siblings. She didn't feel like she could stay there any longer in that depressing atmosphere. The healers said he would be alright and she believed them and asked to go back. She was going to be late for class, but she didn't walk faster regardless. Her thoughts were running wild again. Even though she knows he'll be alright, she couldn't keep away the thoughts of something happening.

Elaine opened the door to the Transfiguration classroom. She apologised to Professor McGonagall for being late and sat herself down beside a Gryffindor girl who was sitting alone. After the class, she hurried outside, but her friends caught up to her fast. They turned her around and saw her face was filled with fresh tears. Astoria hugged her right away and York led them away from prying eyes. He immobilized the Whomping Willow, something he had learnt earlier that year by chance, and they sat down by its trunk. The two of them waited for Elaine to calm down before asking her what's wrong.

"My dad-- he was attacked at the Ministry when he was patrolling."

They shared a few glances before York spoke up, "Will he be alright?"

She nods, "According to the healers, but my mind won't stop thinking that something may happen."

They hug her again. York's playing with her hair while Astoria is drawing circles on her back, trying to calm her down. They just sit there in silence; a comfortable silence, looking into the horizon. That silence was broken by Astoria, "Oh, I almost forgot. Malfoy asked about you."

"What?!"

"He wanted to know where you were."

"What did you tell him?"

"Well, first of all, he promised me a date with Theodore Nott as a price for the information and then I told him I didn't know."

"And you'll still get the date?" Elaine hits him on the shoulder. "What? She didn't give him good information," Astoria rolls her eyes before telling them her plans for tomorrow. Elaine tried to follow along in the conversation, but her mind never lets her rest. She was thinking about Draco and how much he cared for her well being that he was willing to expose them to her best friend. Elaine's glad Astoria is so oblivious that she didn't understand his intentions.

They begin to walk back to the Great Hall where lunch will be served soon, completely forgetting that they missed potions with Snape. He's going to murder us later, she thought. And she was right. They met a very angry professor at the entrance of the Great Hall and was yelled at very loudly in front of everyone. They lost 60 house points and got some angry looks from their table when they sat down to eat. They also had to write a 10-page essay on what they were supposed to learn that lesson.

After they had eaten, Elaine saw Draco hinting for her to go after him. He walked out and a few seconds later, she excused herself from her friends and followed him. They went all the way to the room of requirements. The door opened up and revealed a small room with a fireplace, a sofa, a large dining table and a piano in one of the corners. Draco had led her up here once before, but they don't go here that much. When the door closed he went over to her and hugged her tightly, holding her head against his chest.

He cupped her cheeks and gave her a passionate kiss, which she returned right away. A few silent tears ran down her face and they broke apart. He stroked her cheeks, wiping away her tears. She told him about her dad and all the feelings she had been holding up for the past few days. Draco stayed with her and suited her until she had calmed down. They sat by the fireplace, Elaine in his arms, asleep and exhausted.

ελάιν

Elaine decided to go home this Christmas to spend time with her father. Or more to make sure he's alright. Hermione and Harry were here this year and they celebrated in the Order's headquarters together with Sirius. Elaine isn't sure she believes what they say about him being innocent, but she doesn't say anything.

"Daddy's back!" Molly says as she wheels Arthur in on the wheelchair. Everyone applauds, Elaine does it quietly under the table. Then she gives them their gifts, Elaine opens it up carefully. The gift was a green sweater with a big 'E' in the front. Ginny got the same, but red and with a 'G' in front. Elaine almost lets a tear slip but restrains herself. She gives a faint smile to her mother.

"A toast to Mr Harry Potter, without whom I would not be here," all of them raise their glasses. "Harry." Elaine gets up from her chair and moves over to the living room. She sets herself down by the piano and starts playing. After a little while, her twin comes and sits down beside her. Elaine smiles at her and they start playing together. She has always liked playing the piano, and Ginny would sometimes play a few songs with her.

When they were done with the song, they could hear someone applauding and looked to their right. There, everyone was sitting. They had been listening to them. Ginny gets up and indicates for her to continue. Elaine sets herself right before playing one of her favourite melodies, Una Mattina by Ludovico Einaudi.

Playing the piano has always been an escape for her. Whenever she needed time for herself or her mind wouldn't rest, she played. But her family didn't have money for a piano, so the only time she could play was at Hogwarts. That's where she learned it. Her father had taken home some books about it one day and she asked if she could take them. He gladly gave them to her and she used a lot of her free time to learn it. Sometimes she would let Ginny play with her when she wanted to learn a song where two people had to play. When she plays with her twin, she sometimes forgets that she's not young again and having fun with her sister. Before they were sorted into different houses and were split.

Elaine loves her sister, but she can't take away the fact that she's in Slytherin and Ginny is in Gryffindor and that she's the favourite child. When they were younger, they never left each other's side and could always be found with the other. Then they were sorted and Elaine distanced herself from Ginny and her family. They can still be together and have fun, but not as before.

Elaine finishes the song and smiles faintly at her family before saying good night and going towards her room that she shares with her twin and Hermione. She smiles to herself all the way up, enjoying the small praise she got that night.

(A/N) Some of the lines in this chapter are from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix movie script, which mean that I don't own it. Everything else is written by me.