✓ | RECKLESS AND BRAVE | Draco Malfoy

42 | PULCHRITUDINOUS

     Tessa blinked in surprise, her mouth hanging open as she said, "Thank you." She took it from him, their fingers slightly grazing as she smiled up at him. "Was this from the seeds I gave you last Christmas?"

     Draco chuckled and shook his head. "No — I wanted to keep them all to myself. That one is from my mother's garden. She's been growing sunflowers since our second year." He abruptly stopped talking, but she didn't ponder on why.

     Tessa gently ran a finger along the petals. "Well, thank you. I love it."

     Draco smiled at her before adding, "I hope to see you at the ball later."

     Tessa suddenly snapped her head up and looked past Draco's shoulder to see Hermione up the steps and tapping her wrist as though she had a watch. She turned back to him and said, "About that — Hermione's waiting for me, and I should go get ready." She started to hurry passed him and stopped again to say, "But yes, I'll see you later!"

     She could hear him chuckling as she sprinted up the steps. "Save a dance for me!"

     "I will!" she yelled over her shoulder before catching up to Hermione.

     Hermione glanced at the flower in her hand and muttered, "That was nice of Malfoy to give you a present."

     Tessa grinned. "He is. I think it's really thoughtful of him, because he rarely gives presents. Aside from this, I think the only other time he gave me a gift was when I drank lake water last year and he gave me a remedial potion to clear it." The two girls were inside the warmth of the Gryffindor common room when Tessa said, "I can't wait to see their reactions when they find out you're going with Krum."

     Hermione turned red as she covered her face to conceal her giggle.

     Ginny and Catherine were already inside the dormitory with the dresses. As soon as Hermione and Tessa entered, her mother wasted no time in blasting music and getting to work in preparing the three Gryffindors for the Yule Ball.

     "Mum, why do you look like you're going to cry?" Tessa asked, sharing a laugh with Ginny as Catherine swept eyeshadow over Hermione's eyelids.

     Her mother sniffed and told her to go put her dress on. "I remember going to parties and dances when I was a student here, too, and — stop laughing, I'm getting emotional here! — to see the three of you all grown up makes me so proud!"

     Tessa scrunched her nose up as she very carefully put on her dress, the material was extremely delicate and she was afraid to ruin it. Once it was on, she sat on the chair Hermione had vacated from as her mother put makeup on her.

     "When we'd go to parties," Catherine said, "Lily, Alice, Marlene, and I would do each other's hair and makeup. We were best friends, and luckily enough we were all dorm mates as well."

     Hermione was zipping up Ginny's dress for her when she mumbled, "Must be nice. We wish we had Ginny for a roommate."

     Finally — all three girls were in their dresses and had their hair and makeup completed. Ginny looked very beautiful in a gorgeous green and pink dress with her long hair let down, and Hermione was absolutely stunning in a periwinkle-blue dress. Her hair was fashioned into an elegant knot atop her head, and she greatly resembled a faerie.

     As soon as Ginny was finished, she thanked Catherine profusely before excusing herself, saying that she didn't want Neville to wait too long for her. Tessa had wanted all three of them to go down to meet their dates together, but she told Ginny that it was okay and to go ahead and meet with Neville.