Draco and Pansy came out in front of the group of Slytherins leaving the common room. Travel in groups, I thought, like a pack of wolves. The entrance hall was full of students waiting for the clock to strike eight, and for the oak doors to open.
Becky was standing next to George already, they had linked arms and were talking to each other quietly. Fred stood with Angelina Johnson looking spiffy – when he looked over at me, his eyes widened, but he was able to manage a wink.
"Is that –?" Draco said in horror, staring right at Becky and George.
"Yup," I said, thinking up something. "She wanted to be with someone that would make them a one-of-a-kind couple. What better than a Gryffindor and a Slytherin?"
The front doors opened then, and the champions took their places by the door of the Great Hall. Hermione was standing with Viktor, and I smiled thoughtfully. She wore periwinkle-blue material and her hair was tied up into an elegant knot at the back of her head. Nervous but standing straight and smiling brightly.
An area of the lawn outside looked like a magical land full of fairy lights where real fairies sat around in the rose bushes placed there for the occasion.
The doors to the Great Hall opened and everyone went in before the champions, who were to wait until everyone was seated to make their grand entrance. As we passed the champions, Pansy gaped at Hermione... Draco seemed to look for some insult to say that never came to him.
The Great Hall was magnificent. The walls were covered from top to bottom in sparkling silver frost, along with many, many garlands of mistletoe and ivory going across the still black and starry ceiling. There were over a hundred small, lantern-lit tables that could fit twelve people.
We sat at a table – an entire group of Slytherins. Millicent, Blaise, Draco, Pansy, myself, and other Slytherins... sadly including Marcus and the Beauxbatons girl, both matching in bright, snowy white robes. The guys all pulled seats out for the girls — even Blaise did it for me.
I looked around and spotted Becky sitting at a table with the twins and some other people. She's got a very magnetic personality, I bet they'll all really like her.
Once everyone in the Great Hall was seated, the champions came in in a line with their partners at their side. Harry seemed completely out of place with his partner, Parvati Patil, who enjoyed the attention a lot more than he did. They reached the front table and sat down.
Then people began talking amongst each other, some just looked at their empty golden plates and menus lying in front of them, mostly looking around the room for waiters.
"I'm surprised, you really..." Blaise cleared his throat as though nervous, "you look beautiful tonight."
Heat rose up in my cheeks. "Urm, thanks but... it's really thanks to Pansy," I said, gesturing to her.
"Still," he said. "I only asked you so I could have somebody to go with, but you have outdone yourself. Really, you look perfect."
I chuckled, "I remember that very clearly... and you look wonderful tonight as well."
He smiled thoughtfully.
"I thought you were beautiful without all that on," Marcus said softly. The Beauxbatons girl smacked his arm crossly, but he didn't notice.
I ignored him. "So Draco, what did you think of Becky's date for tonight?"
He looked at me, "I have no words."
"No insult? She really was hoping for one, knowing you likely don't want to talk to her again. She wants to know one last insult from you."
"I can insult her myself when I get the chance." He looked down at his lap.
I grinned knowingly, "Shocker."
"But... you knew about it and didn't stop her?" he asked looking up at me again, his eyes piercing into mine. "All things considered, no one is going to react well."
Murmurs of agreement were scattered across the table.
"I couldn't have changed Becky's mind even if my life depended on it. You know how stubborn she is," I said, thinking it was sweet of him to worry about her reputation as a Slytherin. Going out with a Weasley so publicly was asking for bullies.
"You're stubborn as well."
"Not as stubborn as the queen of drama. She would come swinging into school on a vine doing a gorilla yell if she ever thought it up, so I don't understand why anyone would take this so seriously."
No one could stop laughing.
Becky looked over at our table. I winked at her. She smiled and winked back.
Then I noticed Professor Dumbledore looking down at his menu. He turned to his plate, and said very clearly, "Pork Chops!" And so pork chops appeared on his plate.
I looked at my menu, scanning it for something that looked interesting. Turning to my plate, I said, "Steak," and it appeared. "Brilliant," I muttered happily as the rest of my table took their orders. Wish they could do it this quickly in the Muggle world. Wonderful house elves.
We ate, small talk moving along. I mostly said nothing, wondering how Lissy and Trixy were doing back in the common room. I would've rather been where they were, just sitting around relaxing. But, the ball wasn't too bad thus far... it was mostly just the dancing I wasn't looking forward to.
It came all too soon.
After everyone had finished their food and Professor Dumbledore waved his wand for all the tables and chairs to go along the walls so the floor was clear – after getting us all to stand up – and conjured up a raised platform...... a stage with instruments set up. Then this band I had never listened to before – the Weird Sisters – came up onto the stage. They were all hairy and wore black robes artfully torn for their performance. They made me think of Muggle rock bands.
The first tune they played, however, was sadly enough a slow tune. The champions danced first, all eyes on them, and then everyone slowly joined in.
Blaise stood up and held his hand out to me, "May I have this first dance?"
I took his hand and walked out to the dance floor with him. "Just a bit of a warning," I said with a small laugh, "I don't really dance."
He laughed, holding one of my hands in his and putting another on my waist. "Just follow my lead."
I believe I'm lucky he's not a bad dancer, I thought as we danced around in a slow waltz.
Somewhere on the other side of the floor I saw Ginny wincing every once in a while whenever Neville stepped on her foot.
In another spot, the twins danced near each other with their dates. Becky looked like she was really enjoying herself. I would see George say something to her, and then she would laugh. Whenever they didn't talk she just smiled up at him.
'Professor Moody' danced with Professor Sinistra, who nervously watched wherever his peg leg went. It looked very odd.
"Tonight is certainly a night to remember," I said aloud.
"Yes, I agree," Blaise said softly.
When the song ended, a Durmstrang boy walked up to us. He did a slight bow to me and asked if I wanted to dance.
"Go ahead," Blaise said. "I'll go look for someone else. It was a pleasure, Melody."
"You too," I said, beginning to dance to a much faster song with the Durmstrang boy. I realized suddenly that it was Poliakoff, the student Professor Karkaroff had insulted the night they came to Hogwarts. He had no food on his sky blue robes now, and he looked rather pleased with himself.
"I haff noticed you around," he said. "Urm... I remember you from the first night here."
"I remember you, too," I said. "Is... is Professor Karkaroff always that mean?"
"I am not supposed to speak ill of the Professor, but... yes. However, ve must follow his example."
I thought about that as he took one of my hands and spun me around.
"There's no authority to go to to force a change in headmasters at Durmstrang?" I asked once I was facing him again.
"No, headmaster is headmaster. He makes all the rules," he said simply.
"Makes me think of an overbearing king," I said.
Poliakoff laughed
An "Ahem," was sounded and Poliakoff instantly stopped dancing and stepped away from me.
Professor Karkaroff's cold eyes stared at the both of us. He gestured Poliakoff away, who instantly obeyed, and he smiled at me. "Dance with me?" he held his hand out.
"Uh... well..." I muttered, wanting desperately to say no.
"I insist," he said, taking both my hands anyway.
I'm very mentally and physically disturbed now, I thought, glancing worriedly around the room. Where's Barty when you need him?
"You look like someone I once knew," he said conversationally, looking intently at my face. "Who was your father?"
I'm telling you nothing, I thought, blocking my mind in case he knew how to read it. "I don't know."
"No?"
"I know his name but nothing about him," I lied.
"Would you like to know about him? Would you like to – in case he ever comes around —" he spun me into a dip, trapping me so I had no chance of walking away, "ask him not to call me... or kill me?"
I looked at him in bewilderment. Wow, he's really trying to stay out of being under dad's control. "What are you talking about? My father's dead.... What are you suggesting about him?"
"Is that what your mother told you? Who is she by the way?"
"Orele Ollivander," I said, figuring there was no point in hiding that fact. "I don't see what this has to do with anything, my father's dead and that's that."
"Orele?" he said in surprise. Then he smiled, finally pulling me to my feet. "How is she?"
"Fine," I said, uncomfortably glancing around for anyone to help.
"I see now. That necklace is the family heirloom of the Ollivanders. Why, I wonder, would they entrust you with that?"
I couldn't help myself. I glared at him, "Do you mean to imply that my father was untrustworthy, and that I am too?"
"The evilest of the evil. Quite a well-known killer. Do you know who he is known as?"
"This dance is over," I said, shaking my hands out of his grip. I started to walk away when 'Professor Moody' suddenly appeared in front of me.
"Planning some devilish stunt? I noticed you two alone, I hope you weren't planning to do something right under my nose?" he asked, his magical eye on me and his normal eye trained on Professor Karkaroff, whose face turned white.
Professor Karkaroff immediately stalked away, and Barty took my hand to turn our idle standing into a dance.
"Where have you been?" I growled. "He was interrogating me about dad."
"I can read lips. I saw what you two talked about," he said. "You handled him wonderfully."
"You just let me suffer out here?" I let out a frustrated sigh and whispered, "He's such a coward. Worse than Wormtail, surprisingly enough."
He chuckled, studying me. "You must be the first dance partner of mine who is worried about something besides my peg leg trampling on your feet."
"I'd worry more about dancing with Neville Longbottom. I've seen him waltz on Ginny Weasley's feet at least twenty times... oops, nope, make that twenty one times.... Anyway, you look like you've been able to handle the leg quite nicely."
"Do you mean to make people laugh or does it just come naturally?" he asked, a smile playing on his lips.
"Depends," I said distractedly, looking around for Becky and George. "Why?"
"I've been watching you all night. You make at least one crack with the people around you – unless they're Karkaroff."
I snorted, looking up at his curious features. "And what makes you take such a fancy at watching me? Do you not trust me?"
"No... I trust you. But.. you look very beautiful tonight. Your father's looks become you."
"It's just an over-exaggeration created by makeup," I said, my face burning. "But thank you anyways."
He chuckled, "Princess, are you blushing?"
"Shut up," I said. "And don't take that as a professor, take that as Barty...... well, I see Mr. Crouch is not here tonight. Something happen to keep him home?"
"My Lord didn't want to risk him overcoming the Imperius Curse. Decided it was safer to keep him around the house..."
"Sounds like he must've almost succeeded at least once.." I replied thoughtfully. I could only imagine just how frightening it must be to have no control over your own actions, and while under the thumb of someone as dangerous as my father.
"Yeah.. well.... He's a stubborn bastard."
I snorted. "On another note, when am I having my next lesson?"
He twirled me around once. "Tonight is a night for letting loose, princess. Worry about lessons another day."
I growled in frustration. "But I want to learn mo—"
Quickly interrupting, he mumbled, "Snape is coming over here right now."
Damnit, I pulled away from 'Professor Moody' as quickly as I could. Professor Snape reached us in the nick of time for 'Professor Moody' to look at him head on.
"Just having a friendly conversation with Miss Riddle," he said. Then turned to me and said, "I will see you in class." He left.
I sighed. "He saved me from Professor Karkaroff. I'm glad it's you who saved me from him."
He smirked, and held out his hand.
I took it and we went into a slightly slower dance from the songs before. "This is much better than the two interrogations I just went through."
"Professor Karkaroff just explained that to me. It was really inconsiderate of him, I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault, it... is it?"
He laughed. "I didn't tell him to interrogate you if that's what you mean."
I smiled. "Sorry, I've just been handed off from teacher to teacher and it's really weird. I've danced with a Slytherin student, a Durmstrang student, then the Durmstrang headmaster, and now two of my teachers."
"Perhaps we should continue the train. Shall I hand you to Professor Dumbledore now?"
"No!" I said quickly. "I'm done. You're the last adult I'll ever dance with tonight!"
Chuckling, he asked, "How many people have told you how beautiful you look tonight?"
What a funny way of telling me he thinks I'm beautiful. Silly really. "I've seen stares, and heard some compliments – but for heaven's sake I'm covered in makeup! I can't even spare to say that this is my real face, because it's not... I'm grateful to Pansy for doing it for me, but seriously – why is makeup so important?"
"That's what many girls believe..." he said. "That because it makes them more beautiful, it's essential for big parties."
"Whatever happened to enjoying natural beauty?" I asked.
He looked at me, "I don't know."
"Urm... P-Professor?"
We stopped dancing to see Draco standing there, wringing his hands.
"May I have this dance?" he asked me, hesitantly holding his hand out to me.
A new song had just begun, calming everything back down to a slow waltz.
"I would love to," I said, taking his hand.
Severus gave me a knowing look before he glided away across the dance floor.
One hand intertwined with mine as the other gently held my waist, his warmth reaching my skin through the dressrobes. His gray eyes gleamed as he elegantly led me around the dance floor.
Dancing with him the way I did with Blaise and Severus, it was cozy – like we fit each other. This way I noticed he was slightly taller than me and... oh darn it, when did he become handsome? Unlike everyone else I looked him deeply in the eyes, such a pure gray.
I can't be thinking this, I thought ruefully. After Marcus I shouldn't get involved again. I'm the Dark Lord's daughter, and Draco and Pansy are obviously interested in each other. He's just dancing with me because we're friends. I can't destroy that.
"Melody –" he began softly, attempting to start the conversation without finishing his thought. The silence was agonizingly long.
I have to say something to keep this from being awkward. "So," I started with a nervous giggle. "Do you hate Viktor Krum for taking Hermione Granger?"
Draco seemed to think about it for a moment before shaking his head. "For what?" he twirled me around a few times before pulling me back into him, his hand hooking into my lower back to hold me closer.
My heart pounded madly at the action, but I found I couldn't look away from him.
"After all," he continued, "my best friend is a girl who doesn't believe in pureblood supremacy. She's even friends with that same Muggleborn."
My eyes widened as my heart chose to skip a beat, "How —?"
Draco snorted derisively. "Did you really think after our fight last year that I wasn't going to spy on you to find out the truth?"
"Were you mad then?"
He sighed, "Of course... but.. since you weren't giving up on our friendship, I was happy to do the same."
If I were an emotional wreck kind of person, I would've teared up. As it was at that moment, though, the only thing I couldn't stop myself from doing was jumping up to wrap him in a tight hug.
His hesitant surprise was momentary. When he wrapped his arms around my lower back, it was perhaps the most comfortable I'd ever felt in a hug.
"Thank you," I whispered.
"For what?" he asked.
"For accepting that part of me... I'm really sorry I didn't tell you about my — er — library visits."
He chuckled, pulling away to look me in the face... we were so close together. "I understand, Mel. You're just different, that's all... I just —"
"— Pardon me?" another boy interjected.
Draco instantly stepped away from me to stare bewilderedly at the boy.
It was a boy from Beauxbatons who asked, "May I steal her for a dance?"
Draco's face grew red as he said, "Er, yes. Yes, we were just finishing. Uh, go ahead – see you later, Melody."
I was surprised to find I felt disappointed as he walked away. "Night, Draco..." I said softly as the Beauxbatons boy led me into another waltz.
⚯͛ ⚯͛ ⚯͛ ⚯͛ ⚯͛ ⚯͛ ⚯͛ ⚯͛ ⚯͛ ⚯͛ ⚯͛ ⚯͛ ⚯͛ ⚯͛ ⚯͛ ⚯͛ ⚯͛ ⚯͛ ⚯͛ ⚯͛ ⚯͛
Once midnight came, I was more than ready to go straight to bed. I left the Great Hall with Becky, surprised with myself for actually dancing most of the night.
"Were you ever not on the dance floor?" Becky asked me.
"Why? Are you trying to say you, of all people, weren't watching my every move?" I asked, rubbing my eyes tiredly.
"No..." she said, blushing.
I laughed, "I see.. let me guess, you snogged George."
"Maybe – okay yes – anyways were you?"
"No, so my feet and my legs are killing me right now."
"I... I did see you dancing with Draco..."
"Along with many other people," I replied, looking at her. "Is he the only one you saw me dancing with? Were you kissing George for hours before and after that or something?"
"Melody, stop making it about me – and no I didn't either way – it's just I noticed it."
"Did you notice Professor Karkaroff getting me to dance with him? Ugh, that was vile. And then the one to save me from him was Professor Moody, who also got me to dance with him. Then the one to save me from him was Professor Snape."
"Then Draco saved you from Professor Snape."
I narrowed my eyes. "I didn't mind dancing with Professor Snape. I'd rather dance with him than the other two professors – I'm not saying I didn't want Draco to dance with me. I liked it, but it ended pretty quickly with the Beauxbatons boy cutting in."
"Did you really, really like it?" she asked.
"What I would really, really like to do is go to sleep," I replied, stopping in front of the entrance to the common room. "Serpentine," I said, causing the wall to open. I quickly walked across the common room and up the steps to our dormitory with Becky tagging right behind me.