Never • The Lost Daughter | A Draco Malfoy Love Story

Chapter 27 - Dancing

The day that Draco lost every hope in life, however, was on a Monday evening. The Yule Ball wasn't but five days away and at least by this point almost everyone had been matched with someone.

Everyone, except Harry, that is, who seemed to be taking his rather long time to make his choice.

I seemed suspicious when he sat beside me during dinner.

"I was thinking..." This is how Harry started his speech and I could see where this was going. "maybe - if you haven't already arranged something - we could go to the Yule Ball together," he said with his eyes afraid to look at to me.

I simply assumed that Harry didn't have anyone else to go to the Yule Ball with, not just because of his late proposal but also because of the fact that I couldn't imagine how he would consider going with me as anything else but the last resort.

"Oh." It was the only awkward answer he could give him for now.

"I mean," he added quickly, "as friends." He swallowed hard as if he had a lump in his throat.

"It would be amazing to go with a friend and a Triwizard Champion but unfortunately I won't be here for Christmas. I'm heading back to London. I think it's time to sort out some of my parents' stuff there and the house has been closed for some years."

Harry looked at me with disbelief. "Yes, I did hear that you turned down a number of boys on that excuse. I guess I suspected that you maybe didn't want to go with them," he said hesitantly.

"That would be a plan full of flaws. Imagine if I walked into the Great Hall with someone else after having turned down five boys with a lie. That would be rude and quite embarrassing," I said with a little laugh. I said this so I could hear it myself. Truth be told, if anything good came out of my lies, it was that I couldn't back out now. I would have to stay in my dorm on Saturday night, reading a book and drinking my tea. "In any case, I really do have to go back to London." 

Harry's face made an expression that could easily be described as sad but in truth had more depth than that plain word. I saw embarrassment, disappointment and maybe even a hint of anger. 

"Oh... That's too bad..." he said and sighed deeply. "Too bad..."

I thought about this sad expression for a moment but in the end, didn't think much of it.

*     *     *

The Astronomy Tower was dressed in white and the snow was light and fresh to fall on our lashes. Two 'dateless', lonely people, a tired and jaded couple, worn out by hiding all the time, were standing under the snowfall.

"What are we doing on Christmas Eve?" he asked tangling his fingers even more through mine. That touch that had taken him ages to get used to, now came almost natural to him. He hadn't gotten used to much else; a light touch on his cheek was still a bit jarring for him, but at least he would reach out for my hand as often as he could.

"Probably staying warm near the fireplace with a couple of butterbeers, watching the snow falling..." So obvious was it that we wouldn't be going to the Ball, that we were planning something else.

"Oh, come on, let's not stay inside! With everyone dancing at the Yule Ball, Hogsmeade will be empty of all students. Why not go there for a change?" he suggested.

"I'd like that too," I said and paused. "But are you sure that you don't want to go to the Ball instead? I don't really want to keep you behind."

"You're not keeping me behind. We are keeping each other behind, I think," he said. Although one could hear this statement and suppose the worst concerning how healthy anything that was happening between us was, I knew that this time, this twisted truth was describing our only saving grace; if we were sad, at least we were sad together.