Masked

Chapter Five

The next few weeks go by in a big blur, Draco refuses to talk about anything but the dance which I’m perfectly fine with. We posted the theme of the dance: 1800s elegant ball. Now when I’m walking down the corridors I see so many girls and some boys with books on the 1800s, specifically the formal wear of the century. Ginny and I are crafting our own ball gowns, professor Mcgonagall permitted us to borrow an unused classroom to have a space to design them. We are allowed to magically lock it so no one can just happen to fall up them.

Ginny is going for a deep royal blue with black frills along the bottom and the corset area. I choose an emerald green fabric with a dark gray frill. We had ordered the fabric through her mother Mrs.Weasley, and she sent it through multiple owls to us. I feel the day of the dance racing towards use, it doesn’t help I have been having a bit of short term memory problems here and there. I must of hit my head with a spell or something, that makes the most sense currently. As I have checked myself for side effects of a memory charm being performed on me out of paranoia and suspicion. Either a very well-performed memory charm was performed, or I got hit in the head in some way. I’m surrounded by students (I being the brightest witch of this generation) and Hogwarts teachers, there is no way someone here performed a charm on me.

My paranoia has gotten the best of me, if this continues I’ll start acting like Harry, blaming everything on Draco Malfoy and suspecting the worst. The thought of Harry going on one of his Draco tangents, ‘Draco this, Draco that’ made me want to gag from the cringe. I swear Harry should just go propose to him already, even if it’s out of hatred. It’s an interesting obsession Harry picked up since year one. He is definitely proof that we are creatures of habit.

Lavender and Ron- oops sorry ‘Won Won’ are snogging in a window bench as I walk down the hallway with Ginny and Luna. I scoff when I see then, putting on the appearance for Ginny that I’m just disgusted by Ron’s behavior nothing else. I have no feelings for Ron no matter how cute his freckles are splattered across his face like paint from an artist and his fiery hair that gleams- no! No feelings towards that wart whatsoever. I feel a blush invading my cheeks and I walk a little faster to get away from this situation. Ginny and Luna don’t notice my quickened pace due to them being induced in a conversation. I tuck my head down to avoid anyone who I might pass noticing my redden face, I focus my gaze upon the stone floor. It’s jagged edges aren't quite soft but not sharp enough to cut any poor fool who might trip on their shoelaces or thin air.

All of a sudden I run face into someone, I don’t bump off because the person catches my with their arms. I look up to find a certain platinum hair Slytherin staring at me with an uncertain look. I quickly pull out of his warm arms and brush invisible dirt off my robes just to give my hands something to do. I look back at him with a stiff glare, my reddening cheeks defeating the purpose of trying to look intimidating. He gives me a quick smirk, “Watch where you’re going Mudblood.” The nickname stings as he pushes pass me. I feel an ache of almost sadness left over from seeing him. It’s not from the nickname, I’ve been feeling this for a few weeks now. It feels almost like I’m sad from something I should know but have just… forgotten. I shake my head, Merlin's beard too much emotions in a span of a few minutes. I can’t wait till this Saturday December 21, the winter solstice ball, I get to put on a mask and escape the life of Hermione Granger and her troubles for five hours. What a beautiful luxury that will be, I lose myself in the daydream of being nobody and somebody at the ball maybe meeting a nice Ravenclaw or something to pull me from my real troubles.

My classes have become more and more meaningless to me as the ball drew closer. I just want a break from ‘Won Won’ and Lavender, Harry’s obsession with Draco and his newfound obsession with Ginny, and having to be a co-party planner with the mysterious, beautiful, and dangerous Draco Malfoy. Life has become such a blur that it surprises me when I find myself standing in the Great Hall with Malfoy and several others. All of us performing spell after spell putting up glowing snowflakes around the walls of the hall, a non melting ice chandelier, setting up the snack table with several types of sweets in bowls made of snow held together by a complicated spell. I’m moving a few of the tables to give the chairs more wiggle room when someone taps on my shoulder.

I turn around and Ron is standing before me, with a very red panicked stricken face. I roll my eyes and go back to moving the tables around, “What do you need Ron?” Even though I’m busying my hands I’m in full aware of Ron standing behind me, his breath is heavy almost like he ran all the way here.

“Lavender is you know… a bit crazy clingy and yea…” His sentence lost as he trails off trying to find the words to finish a thought I have already noticed.

“Okay, so?” I keep my voice bored and monotone, trying to appear as I don’t care… because I don’t.

I hear him shuffle his feet before he answers, “I’m trying to get her to breakup with me so…” I turn around and look at him trying to see if he’s serious and he is. “Would you go to the ball with me?” I scoff, after all this with Lavender he comes crawling to me for help, typical of him. He needs to fix his own problems.

“Get another girl to do it Ron,” I walk past him to the stage where Draco is, “Or get the guts to actually speak how you feel to her.” I say over my shoulder, punishing him for his terrible ignorance. I refuse to turn around and look back at him for his reaction, I keep my gaze focused on Draco. He’s waving his wand over something flat on the stage, I come up behind him and look over his shoulder. It’s a painting on a big board that features an icy landscape and people dancing in beautiful attire and elegant masks, similar to the masks every student has throughout this school. We passed them out a week ago so they can show up without others knowing what they were going to wear tonight. The current girl in his painting is wearing a blood red dress with gold italics, he has given her brown hair pulled up into a bun and she’s dancing next to a boy with an emerald green, black suit. “That looks really good Malfoy.” He jumps, startled by my sudden appearance. But, before he could say anything in response I’m walking away making sure everything is in check before I leave to get myself ready for the ball.

I stand in front of a mirror, my emerald dress finished and put on framing my corset area and blooming from my waist outwards to the ground. I feel like the princesses I grew up listening to and watching as a child. I had admired the princesses and here I am looking like one, but I feel there’s something missing. I pick up my mask and watch as my identify melts away even to my own eyes as I raise it to my face. All I see now is a girl with brown hair and an emerald dress, nothing more nothing less.

…

I adjust my tux jacket wondering if I look good enough for the ball. I made the 1800s styles tux as comfortable as I possibly could, but apparently men in the 1800s did not take much interest in comfort. I roll my eyes as I roll my feet around in the terrible shoes, “God why’d she have to choose this stupid time period.” I growled under my breath, cursing that stupid Hermione. I walk over to my bed and pick up the slick black mask, one of the thousands Hermione charmed to hide identity, I put it on and walk back to the mirror to find myself unrecognizable. A very well done charm, nothing less expected from the brightest witch of our generation. I fidget with my jacket again before I leave my room into the dungeon chambers of the Slytherin commons to head to a ball where I can flirt with any girl and Pansy Parkinson won’t be able to find me.

A night to not have to be Draco Malfoy.

[Word Count: 1529]