Soo I know this is a but late,
and since i haven't told them about this I'm hoping they'll drop by and read it,
anyways this story is dedicated to roni2010,
who always left reviews on all my stories,
and kept a ready funny review with every update I made,
and who stuck with "I Will Never Hurt You" and its sequel!
thank you sooo much! :)

Sometimes when the harsh truth of reality hits you, you hide away in a haven of happy thoughts-a safety blanket. Sometimes memories grip you so tightly it's hard to get a firm grip on reality, so you whisk yourself off into a dream land.

What happens if you can't find a safe place? If the dreamland is better left untouched? You can control your reality-barely, but you can't control the convulsions of nightmares, of memories that swarm you as you sleep.

For some of us there is no safe place, no side door to slip out unseen, no dark room to shrink away in.

For some of us what we have to live with defines us, becomes us.
And it's never a pretty sight.

But for others your ray of light will creep up on you- like a newly light candle brightening a dark room. Dancing around the room-just as the flames dance along the walls, right when you think there is no hope.

And that is how he found her- a bubbling joy of green silks clinging to her perfect small frame, her long mane of curly red hair dancing along to the music. Her face was free of worry-one smile was all it took to light up the room, and when her brown eyes fell on his blue ones-only for a moment he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time.
Hope.

"Mr Malfoy," A man in a crisp black tuxedo acknowledged as he walked towards Draco.

Draco turned his attention to the man before flicking his gaze to where the girl once stood only to find her gone.

There once was a time that he could sit here and let the girl come to him-where he would whisk her off to his bedroom with lies and kisses and his heated touch-before he discarded her, just like the others before her.
There once was a time where his parents would host magnificent balls-like the one Draco was hosting now, where admittances meant everything- where social class was everything.
There once was a time where the name Malfoy meant everything in society.

But not anymore.
Not since the downfall of Voldemort-and the death of his parents.
Not since Draco turned away from those who used to be his friends- who still followed in the footsteps of what they were in their school days.
Not since Draco lost control and shrunk away.

"It helps if you smile," A familiar deep voice, with just a trace of Italian said from behind Draco.

Draco turned to face the only friend he had-the only one who ever saw Draco lose control- the only one Draco let in-even if it wasn't all the way.

"It makes them feel like there is hope for you yet," Blaise continued with a small laugh as Draco walked over and leaned against the bar along side of him.

"Plus it makes me believe it too," Blaise whispered as he handed Draco a drink as he patted him on the back before he went into the swirling colors of those dancing.

"He's wrong you know," A small voice came from the right.

Draco turned to see the girl in the green dress leaning against the bar with a sad smile planted on her soft pink lips.

Draco said nothing but raised an eyebrow in question as he regarded the girl from her high heeled green shoes- to the red roots of her hair.

"Smiling doesn't help," She said as she reached over the bar and downed the remains of her drink.
"Then what does?" Draco asked holding his breath, afraid of the answer, afraid that she would see just how much he needed to hear it.

She took her time placing her drink back down on the bar as she took a step closer to him her warm chocolate brown eyes searched his icy blue ones for a moment.

"Dancing," She said with a smile as her small warm hand slipped into his large one, as she pulled him along side of her into the whisking colors of the other dancing couples.

Draco let her lead him, not bothering that they were attracting a large amount of attention. All that Draco cared about was that there was an unmistakable pull to be near her-a pull he was not about to deny.

Soon Draco had his arms around her as their bodies swayed to the music, song after song his blues eyes stayed focused on her brown ones, his arms encircled her as if he was all that was keeping her up- but instead it was the other way around.

When finally the music ended Draco was hesitant to release her from his hold-but he did, unsure of whom she was, or how she felt, just knowing that he wanted more than anything to see her again.

"Smiling doesn't help Draco, unless you mean it," She said as she leaned in and brushed her lips against his for the briefest of seconds before she exited the hall in the sea of other guests.

Please Leave A Review :)