Title: Intentionally Foolish
Summary: They stood up on the highest tower the cool air blowing through their hair. Content and oh-so-hopelessly foolish.
Genre: Friendship/Comfort with subtle romance
Featuring: Draco Malfoy & Angeline Jensen (OC)

Author's Note: This is a deleted scene from my story Simplicity, you don't have to read that story to understand this, but it would probably help!

Disclaimer: I own Angeline and that's it. Everything else you may recognize belongs to the lovely JK Rowling.

"Where are we going, Jensen," Draco groaned as Angeline tugged him down another corridor.

"It's like you don't know this school in the slightest," she whispered over her shoulder. "Where do you think we're going?"

Draco stayed quiet and let the girl tug him down the dark corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Taking this time he looked around him to come to terms that he knew exactly where they were heading now.

The Astronomy Tower.

Before he knew it they were climbing the spiral staircase to the top of the Tower.

They reached the top and Angeline opened the door with a big sigh of relief.

The air was cool and inviting. Draco closed the door and watched as Angeline stretched her arms out and walked toward the battlements.

"What's they point in being up here?" Draco asked her. Angeline laughed as she turned and look at him, her arms still outstretched as she waved at everything and nothing at once.

"Isn't wonderful, Draco?" she asked.

"Is what wonderful?" he asked. Angeline's arms fell back to her sides.

"Being up here," she said. "I love it up here," she said walking toward him and before he knew it tugging him toward the battlements. "You can see everything from up here. It's just so wonderful." she finished with a laugh.

"You're a nut, Jensen," Draco chuckled. Angeline smiled over at him not taking any insult from it.

"Well that's why you like me," Draco raised an eyebrow. Angeline coughed and if she hadn't moved her head so her face was covered by her hair he would have said she was blushing. "I mean...what I meant was that's why you keep me around you know because I'm a little mental. Not that I am mind you, just that I'm probably a little not on the sane side as say others..."

"Jensen," Draco laughed. "Shut up. You're rambling."

"Right," she coughed again. "Anyway," she said looking at him now. "I just really like coming up here. It's almost as liberating as flying. Being free and all. It's a wonderful feeling, yeah?"

"I wouldn't know," Draco said looking over the grounds. The Lake sparkled in the light of the moon as the Giant Squid poked a tentacle above the surface. In the distance he could just make out the Quidditch Pitch and wondered if it were too late to go for a little late night flying.

It never struck him until then, but in a few days he'd be leaving Hogwarts, he knew this but he'd be leaving and for the first time he didn't want to. It was the first time that he realized that Hogwarts wasn't all that bad. Maybe it had to do with the fact that in a sense this was he last night of freedom...

"What do you mean?" she asked. She had turned and looked at him fully.

"Don't worry about it," Draco said. "I guess it is kind of nice up here." Angeline looked him over before turning back to look over the grounds too.

"Call me foolish," she said. "But I'll let it slide this time. I'm in too good of a mood to deal with your depressing sentiments."

"My depressing sentiments?" Draco questioned looking at her fully. Angeline turned amusement filling her face.

"Yeah," she said poking him on the chest. "You've got a cloud hanging over your head." She pulled out her wand and waved it above his head. Draco looked up only to stay are at a very dark cloud. "See, I told you."

"Oh very funny," Draco said pulling out his own wand and making the cloud disappear.

"Well it's true," she laughed. "Cheer up, Draco," she said. "You're only recently seventeen it's not like your world's ending. The moment between life and death aren't any closer now that you're one year older."

Draco knew her words should have been taken lightly but they set heavy on his mind. She always seemed to have this way of saying things that were true when she didn't mean for it to be.

"Yeah well, you never really know," Draco said. "Now do you?" He asked. "You could be faced with the option kill or be killed now that you're of age than you've ever before. What then? Say you kill and it spares the people you love and if you don't, well you're kissing life away."

"There are few people I love," Angeline said her eyes searching his for something. "The people I love tend to disappear and the people who I should love, well..." she broke off and her eyes looked brighter than before, but she blinked and smiled. "See there you go, depressing sentiment," she laughed but it wasn't like her previous laughs, this one was empty.

"No it's the truth," Draco said. "Can't keep living in a world of sunshine and rainbows, Angeline." She shrugged.

"I see my fair share of darkness," she said. "I don't have to dwell in it all the time. It's bad enough that it's hanging in the air."

"What is?" he asked but he knew what she was talking about. He could feel it in the air, he was part of it...

"The war, and everything terrible that's going to happen. I just know that something terrible is going to happen very soon. It's just better to not dwell on it now. So what if I live in a world that's a little too bright sometimes..."

"Do what you like then," Draco said.

"I will, thank-you-very-much," she said. "I understand what you're saying she said...but for tonight can we just enjoy one another's company. It's far too lovely a night to think about terribly sad things."

"Fine," Draco said throwing his arms up in defeat. She smiled and looked up to the sky.

It was silent between them as Draco continued to look over the grounds. He wondered if he'd ever see the school again. He was a lot more attached than he thought he was. The thing was he almost wanted to stay there forever now that his mission was coming to a close very soon. And very soon meant the death of Dumbledore.

He had come very close to telling Angeline what he had to do and what he was...but her i-don't-care-who-you-are attitude combined with her overall trust in him stopped him every time. Every night, she'd scoff at him or laugh at him. Tell him to lighten up when no one else ever did and he just couldn't tell her. She'd leave, she'd be disgusted and she'd hate him like everyone else. She was his last source of comfort and normality there and he wasn't ready to lose that. Even if she did annoy him at times.

Draco knew it was selfish because he knew she'd find out eventually, eventually meaning in only a few days. Still he never found the courage to tell her. Which was just as well. Might as well live his last few days there in his own little world of sunshine and rainbows.

"Oi, Malfoy," Draco looked over at Angeline. She was facing him again hands on her hips and her foot tapping. "Thought I lost you there for a moment. Anyway, I was saying that we should probably head back to the common room. Filch tends to check up here at around," she paused and looked at her watch. "Three, it's half past two now..."

Draco looked over the Hogwarts ground one last time before heading towards the door before she had even finished what else she had been saying. She caught his arm when his foot touched the second step.

"Is there something you're not telling me?" she asked quietly. "I've got this feeling that you're not telling me something, that there's really something wrong..."

"Yeah," Draco said. "Well wouldn't want to burden you with my depressing sentiments," he said. "Besides, if there was something wrong why would I tell you?" He asked. She let go of his arm after a long pause and closed the door behind her.

"Whatever you say, Draco," she mumbled moving around him and down the stairs. Draco ran a hand through his hair before following after her.

Who was he to ruin such a lovely night? He could be as foolish as he wanted to. If Angeline could be, so could he. Intentionally foolish...both of them.

"Jensen," he said. "Up for a race on the Pitch?" he asked.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt to beat you one more time," she said looking back up at him smiling from what he could tell in the dark stairwell.

"You cheated last time," he responded. She laughed as they came to the end of the stairs.

"Those are the words of a loser," she chuckled stepping toward a secret passage her wand in her hand again. "Come on then. Lumos."

The passage filled with light and Draco followed her.

What was one last night of foolishness?

There you have it, everyone. :) Like I mentioned above this is a scene that was originally supposed to take place either at the end of Chapter 14 or the beginning of Chapter 15 of Simplicity, but I cut it feeling as though it didn't fit and could honestly stand alone. H

I promise to update Clandestine very soon. Hopefully before I go to bed tonight. Haha.

Would you be ever so kind to perhaps review? :)

Take care,
TR