”No, but I can learn.”

The name vaguely rang a bell, something she’d heard about as Harry once in passing perhaps, but it was clearly some sort of magical item, and neither Harry nor Bathilda knew anything really about repairing enchanted objects. But the difference between them was that Bathilda knew that wasn’t much of a stumbling block. “No,” she started, meeting Draco’s gaze. “But I can learn.” For a moment, she wasn’t sure that would be good enough.

Then, Draco gave her a tired smile. There was gratitude there, though none of it was explicitly verbalized. Of course, Bathilda knew why. As a Slytherin, speaking openly of such things would be a major tactical mistake. Putting one hand on the cabinet he’d led her to, Draco told her, “There’s a pair to this one, in Borgen and Burke’s. I need to repair this one though, so they can properly link together.” The principle sounded correct to Bathilda. The only question was, why was he trying to form the link? One reason jumped to mind, especially if You-Know-Who was the one who’d ordered this, but Bathilda didn’t even want to consider it.

Giving Draco a coy look, Bathilda made a point of not looking at him, but instead at her own finely manicured fingernails. “I have some conditions.” It was a statement, not an offer. “If you want my help with your little project, Draco, I’ll need some things in return.” Bathilda held up a finger to emphasize each point as she brought it up. “First, I’m the only one helping you with this. Bringing in more people would just raise the risk of both of us being caught.” Draco nodded, and waited to hear more. “Second, you’re not to spend time with Pansy Parkinson anymore.” That made the pureblood raise an eyebrow, so Bathilda explained. “She’s clearly the worst type of gossip. The second she noticed you were up to something, everyone would know.” Of course, there was another reason for that last point, but it would become more clear with her final one. “Third, you and I will be dating, as of now. You need a cover for spending time with you, and I could use the prestige from being with you.”

She didn’t mention that she did find him quite attractive, if a bit lean for her tastes, and was excited to experiment with her new body, but she wasn’t about to either. Couching this in practical terms would work better with a fellow Slytherin. Draco considered her points, before nodding. “That’s acceptable,” was all he said at first, and hesitantly. Then, he leaned forward, took Bathilda’s face in one hand, and kissed her. It could have used more passion, but Bathilda did enjoy the experience. As they broke away, he quietly added, “For practice.” From there, they left the Room, and soon Bathilda was falling asleep, satisfied with how well things had gone so far.