The Boy Who

Two

The Yule Ball was right around the corner and everyone has been stressing to find dates. Hermione told me in secret that Viktor Krum asked her to go with him and I couldn't have been happier for her. Every girl wanted Krum to ask them and Hermione deserved to get the man, especially after Ron's dumb remarks during dinner. She was furious with him, and I understood why. As for me, I had no date, and it didn't bother me either. I was more worried for Harry, the only fourteen year old to be participating in the Triwizard Tournament. George explained that he would've taken me, but he promised an anonymous girl earlier in the year and Fred was taking Angelina Johnson. Rumor has it, Malfoy was taking Pansy Parkinson, not that I'd go with him if he asked anyway. As a last resort, Harry asked me, and I gladly said yes. He couldn't do the first dance alone, anyway, and Ron took Padma Patil.

Harry and Ron were waiting outside the doors of the great hall when I walked down the stairs, shyly, in a navy blue dress. It was off-the-shoulder with short sleeves. The dress was draped at the bottom, reaching my ankles. It would have reached lower if I didn't wear black heels. It was a V-neck dress and honestly too pretty for me. My jet-black hair was long and curled, with half of it in a loose, messy bun. I kept my makeup light, no occasion could make me get too dolled up. As I made my way down the stairs, Harry looked my way with Ron. I felt my cheeks grow warm from the stares they were giving.

"Bloody hell," Ron whispered. "You look.."

"Brilliant," Harry finished the sentence for him.

I giggled and stood beside them, "Thank you."

Padma and her sister Parvati walked to us together. They were wearing cultural outfits that matched, and it was nice to see them that way, embracing their cultures. Padma took Ron inside, she didn't seem very happy with his outfit, but I thought he looked cute.. in the funniest way. I looked at Harry, who was clearly nervous. He was lucky to make it through the first task of the tournament and he had no idea what to do for the next one. I wrapped my arm around his and he turned his gaze to me.

"You okay?" I asked.

He nodded, "I have to be."

"We'll figure this out, but tonight.. tonight we have fun, okay?"

He forced a smile then looked at the stairs in awe. I turned my head, and there Hermione was with the sweetest of smiles planted on her face. Her hair, her periwinkle dress, everything was perfect, she looked like royalty. She came down the stairs and hugged me tightly.

"You look incredible!" She squealed.

"Me? Look at you!"

Not too long after, we were told to get ready for the first dance. Harry looked at me with a worried expression and I squeezed his hand gently. "Just follow me," I whispered. That's exactly what he did and the dance went well, other than the few times he stepped on my feet. Soon, others joined, and the dance floor was filled with people. The Great Hall looked unrecognizable. The lights and the ceiling dimmed the room just the right amount. The decor, fountains, the bunches of fairies lighting up the green patches, the students and teachers in their gowns and suits, it was all perfect.

As time went on, Harry went to sit with Ron, who refused to dance with me the whole night. He appeared to be upset about Hermione's date. George danced with me for some time, as did Fred. I walked to get a drink where Cedric was, seemingly getting a drink for both him and Cho. We made eye contact and he smiled, nodding his head as a greeting. He lifted his cup as he walked away and I did the same. Such a kind guy, someone I didn't know well, but enough to say he's a great guy.

"Ms. Reynolds, I hope you're enjoying the party." Professor Dumbledore said as he got a drink himself.

"I am, it's beautiful, really."

"Harry is lucky he had a partner like you who knew how to dance. Poor child couldn't dance to save his life," Professor McGonagall laughed softly, coming up beside us. I always believed she had something for Dumbledore. They always seemed so happy with each other and I always admired their friendship. 

"He did better than I expected," I smiled and took a sip of my punch.

After a while, I decided to take a break. I walked past the boys to make my way to the bathroom, letting them know where I'd be going. I was alone when I entered and fixed my hair and dress before leaving again to head back to the ball. I heard someone's voice in a corridor beside me. I stopped in my tracks, trying to make out the figure I was facing.

"Partner ditch you, Reynolds?"

I rolled my eyes and began to walk away.

"Wait, I'm sorry."

My mouth dropped open in shock before turning around, "Did.. Did you just apologize to me?"

"Don't think it means anything," Malfoy muttered while walking towards me.

"Why are you alone?" I asked.

"Do you care?"

"No."

He scoffed, "Then why'd you ask?"

"Common courtesy. Can I go now?"

For a moment, he looked upset, just for a split second. He shrugged and I hesitated to go back to the Great Hall. I tried to shake off the guilty feeling of leaving him alone. I mean, it's Draco Malfoy. He hates me and I hate him. I sighed and turned around again.

"Walk back with me?" I asked and his eyes widened slightly.

He made a smug face, "Only if you dance with me."

I coughed and hunched over, unable to contain my laughter. My eyes made direct contact with his and I realized he was serious. I cleared my throat, standing up straight. I looked around to see if anyone was witnessing what I was, but we were alone.

"Who are you and what did you do with Malfoy?"

He looked down at his hands, "You know.. I hate you the least out of everyone in your little, useless group."

"Um, thank you?"

He took a deep breath, "I'm just saying.. I don't think it's such a bad thing if we had one dance."

"Are you being serious?"

He nodded without a word. Before I could say anything else, Pansy walked out of the hall, spotting us. She shouted to Malfoy to go back and join her. He groaned and looked at me, biting his lip softly. She walked closer to us, stopping halfway between the Great Hall and us.

"What are you doing?" She called out.

He looked at her, "Nothing. This mudblood thought I actually wanted to dance with her, is all. Pathetic." He walked and stopped beside me, "You look decent tonight, by the way." He mumbled and walked to Pansy who was giggling.

I watched them walk away, unsure what to make of the conversation we just had. Mudblood. That's all you are to him. Dumb of you to think he'd be any different. I sighed and slapped myself on the head. Snap out of it! I walked back to the ball, trying to clear my head of the mixed emotions I was feeling. "You look really nice tonight," I mimicked under my breath.

Outside the doors of the hall, I spotted Hermione sitting by the stairs in tears. I ran to her side, sitting with her. I grabbed both her hands in mine and she explained the argument her and Ron had. I did my best to comfort her, not mentioning the conversation I had with Malfoy. Soon, she was back on her feet and I made sure she enjoyed the rest of her night with Krum. The hours passed, and soon the night was over. I fell asleep with the thought of Draco on my mind, trying to make sense of the conversation we had the night.

-

Author's Note:

Thank you for reading! Throughout this story, the timeline is going to be changing pretty rapidly. It'll start being more consistent as the story goes on. I am also changing small details, it is a fanfiction after all. I hope you're enjoying it so far! Thank you for reading!! :))