Disclaimer: I have not in any way, shape or form invented the Magical universe of the world of Harry Potter. All credit goes to J.K. Rowling for that. I've got some inspiration for small parts of the dialogue from A Cinderella Story, and the song, Uninvited, is from Alanis Morisette.
I'd also like to say a huge thanks to my beta for helping me getting this ready to be published.
She stood there, on the side of the Great Hall, watching all the dancing couples and admiring the carved pumpkins that had replaced the usual torches. Her wild brown curls had been tamed into a half up do and her face hidden behind a gold colored mask that covered the top half of her face. Her dress was a simple but elegant red gown. The bodice had a sweetheart neckline that hugged her curves perfectly, leaving her shoulders bare. Her waist was accentuated with a golden pattern that dipped slightly at the front, while the layers of chiffon skirt flared out from the waist.
Dumbledore had decided that a masquerade for Halloween was in order to give the students something positive to look forwards to. With all the extra attacks and disappearances since it had become public knowledge that Voldemort had indeed returned just a few months ago, Hogwarts hadn't been the same cheerful place it once was. In true Dumbledore style, he'd decided that the students weren't allowed to go with dates, in order to encourage inter house unity. He'd even made sure everyone's masks had been charmed to hide the true identity of the wearer, so not even their closest friend would recognize them.
Her breath hitched as a handsome young man approached her, his eyes only on her. She couldn't help but notice that his platinum blonde hair glowed like a halo in the moonlight that shone from the enchanted ceiling. The top half of his face was covered in a silver mask with elegant patterns across it. He was wearing black dress robes, with a white shirt and a black bow tie. He smiled and bowed before he offered her his hand. Taking in a shaky breath she put her hand in his, and he gently led her to the middle of the dance floor. As he turned to face her, their eyes met, and she couldn't look away from the intensity of his eyes. She'd never seen eyes like his before, grey and stormy.
He winked at her and twirled her around, before putting a firm hand on her waist. Even though she had no idea who she was dancing with, butterflies presented themselves in her stomach. It quickly became clear to her that he knew what he was doing on the dance floor, as he was effortlessly leading her in tact with the tune.
As she looked up to meet his eyes again, her senses kicked into a high gear as she seemed to notice every single little detail about the stranger in front of her. She noticed the musky scent of his cologne as she breathed in, she could feel his muscles flexing as he was leading her and she found his eyes absolutely fascinating.
"I'm sorry," she breathed as she stumbled and stepped on his foot.
He immediately steadied her to make sure she didn't fall. "Are you okay?"
"Yes I'm fine, thank you," she answered. It was like the trance she'd been in was broken and she was suddenly painfully aware of her lack of skills in the dance floor. "I should go," she whispered as she stepped out of his arms, avoiding his eyes.
"Please, stay. Dance with me."
Looking up, she met his eyes and it was as if all her self-awareness slipped away as she wanted nothing more than to be back in his arms. Once again she put her hand in his and let him lead her into the next dance. It was as if the rest of the world melted away, it didn't exist. It was just the two of them dancing.
"You'd think I'd remember those eyes. You're beautiful." She breathed as she held his eyes. "Who are you?"
Normally she'd be embarrassed to make such a bold statement, but there was something about the anonymity of it all that made her just a little bit braver.
"You know I can't tell you that," he replied. "Dumbledore's spell doesn't lift until midnight."
"Would you let me know if I guessed it?"
"Maybe," he answered as a corner of his mouth lifted into half a smirk.
"Alright, how about we play 20 questions."
"How about 10."
"I'll take what I can get," she said, biting her lip while contemplating her first question. " Who would you want with you if you were stranded on a deserted island?"
"I wouldn't be stranded. I'd Apparate." He replied smugly.
"For arguments sake, say you can't. Either if it's because you don't have a wand or there's Anti-Apparation wards in place."
"Anti-Apparition wards on a deserted island?" He looked like he could barely contain his laugh.
"Are you being deliberately obtuse, or are you always this slow?" She replied back, a pointed look on her face.
"Alright, alright. Don't get your wand in a knot."
She gasped as he spun her around and she ended up flush against his chest. She looked up into his stormy grey eyes, noticing the silver flecks in them. Silence fell between them while he pondered his reply.
"Honestly, I don't know if there's anyone I'd want to be stuck on an island with." He answered after a few moments, just when she thought he wasn't going to give an answer to her question.
"Why not? There must be someone. What about your family?"
"I have a lot of people in my life, don't get me wrong. I'm just not very close to anyone. But if I had to choose, maybe my cousin I suppose. I haven't seen her in nearly a decade, but we used to get along pretty well."
"You're not close to anyone?" She asked baffled, a sad look in her eyes.
"Don't worry about me, brown eyes. I'm a big boy. Next question." He added the last bit, as she was about to say something else.
Her shoulders slumped and she nodded as she realized the subject was closed. Noticing the way his white blonde hair shone in the lights as they danced, made her wonder about what charms Dumbledore had used on their masks. She couldn't help to think that there was some kind of Confundus charm involved, as she was sure she would have recognized his prominent features any other time. Her thoughts were interrupted as he reached out and tucked a curl that had come loose, behind her ear.
"Alright, let me think." She started as a new song started playing. "If money was no object, what would you do all day?"
"You really don't know who I am, do you?" He said, chuckling. "I don't have to work a single day in my life if I didn't want to," he continued at the confused look on her face.
"If you didn't want to?" She asked. "So you're telling me that you have enough money to live quite comfortably without lifting a single finger your entire life, but you'd still choose to have a job?"
"Exactly. I'd go stir crazy if I didn't have a reason to get up in the morning."
"That's pretty impressive. I mean, most people I know wouldn't work a single day if they didn't have to."
"Money isn't all what it's cracked up to be." He said, scoffing.
"How so? I mean, you're sounding rather cynical about it."
He shrugged, his gaze fixed somewhere over her left shoulder.
"Make no mistake, money can get you far. But it can't get you what truly matters in life. True friends, a loving family, loyalty, trust, respect. None of that can be bought with money."
"You seem wise beyond your years."
"Come on, we're derailing here. Next question," he said, dismissing her comment.
"Hmm, if you could go back in time, what year would you travel to?"
His eyebrows rose at this question, a cross expression on his face.
"I'd go back to the year You-Know-Who was born and kill him." He replied intently.
"Yes, I imagine a lot of people would want that."
"Wouldn't you?" He asked.
She chewed her bottom lip while she was contemplating her answer.
"Would it be awful of me to say no? I mean, sure I'd want nothing more than to have him gone. Just imagine how many people would still be alive if he never came to power. But then again, things would be so different. I wouldn't be who I am today if it weren't for Voldemort. I… I might never have ended up being friends with…" She stopped herself before she revealed too much. "Anyway, this is a depressing subject, let's move on. What is your favorite memory?"
He smiled as he thought back to when he was a little boy.
"I think I was about five years old. Mother and I were out in the garden, enjoying a lovely summer day. She was reading a book, by the pond, next to her favorite rose bushes. I was running around, chasing a butterfly. I know it's not much but…" he trailed off.
"I think it's beautiful," she whispered, smiling as she looked up at him.
"Life was so carefree back then." He said sadly.
"It always is before you get old enough to start having responsibilities. Although, having a dark wizard threatening your existence doesn't help either."
She'd said the last bit so casually, it almost sounded like having a madman trying to seize power over the Wizarding world was as normal as having a rainy day. Despite the seriousness of what she'd just said, he couldn't help but laugh.
"Alright, moving on," She said, grinning. 'What one thing would you change if you had to do it over?"
"That's easy, last June," was all he said.
"The whole month of June? What happened?"
"I can't…" He swallowed. "I can't say. It's just something that happened that I would have avoided. If only I would've known. I could've been more prepared. I could've made a different choice."
She moved her hand to cup his cheek, while looking him in the eyes. He flinched away from her touch, avoiding her gaze. She hesitated for only a second, before placing her hand firmly on his cheek. Only when his eyes met hers, did she say something.
"Whatever it is, it's in the past now," she started as her hand dropped down to his shoulder. "What's done is done and there's nothing you can do to change that. But you still have your entire future ahead of you. So learn from your mistakes, make amends where you have to and make better choices in the future."
"You make it sound so simple," he muttered so low she could barely hear him.
"It is. It really is."
As a silence fell between them, her gaze moved upwards, and she saw the enchanted ceiling showing a clear night sky. The crescent moon was shining brightly and the stars twinkling like diamonds against its black backdrop.
"The stars are rather fascinating." She said passionately, a big smile on her face as her gaze moved across the ceiling.
He grinned at her words and stopped dancing as the song finished.
"Would you do me the honor and come for a walk with me?"
He offered her his arm, and she graciously accepted by looping her arm through his. As they started moving towards the exit of the Great Hall, she had a quick look around to see if she could locate any of her friends. As expected though, she didn't recognize any of the people surrounding them. She sighed, before remembering her mission to figure out who the stranger next to her was.
"What has been your biggest challenge?" She asked next as they left the Great Hall.
"To be true to myself," he said after a moment. He pushed the door to the courtyard open, allowing her to go ahead of him.
"What do you mean?"
"I live in a world with people pretending to be something they're not," he started explaining. "There are expectations, requirements, for how I'm to behave. For who I have to be," he continued as she raised a questioning eyebrow.
"You don't seem to be pretending to me."
"I'm not. When I'm with you, I'm the person I want to be."
He led her outside and they were strolling slowly around the castle towards the Quidditch pitch. She shivered as a cool breeze caressed her bare shoulders. Before she knew it, he had removed his robe and wrapped it around her.
"Why can't you be that person all the time?"
"It's complicated, brown eyes," he said, looking sideways at her. "I believe you still have some more questions."
"Alright," she started, realizing he didn't want to continue the previous topic. "What does your life say about you?"
After a few moments of contemplation, he answered, "That I'm an arrogant, pompous, prat."
"But that's only who you pretend to be, right?"
"Right," he said absentmindedly.
Without her realizing, they'd entered the Quidditch pitch, and they were now standing in the middle of it. She gasped at the look of the unobscured view they now had. They couldn't see a single cloud and the sky were sprinkled with thousands of stars.
She promptly sat down on the grass and she only looked up when she heard him chuckle.
"What?" Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she looked at him.
"I think you eliminated about ninety percent of the girls at this school by doing that," he commented, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"How so?" She was smoothing out the fabric of her dress.
"Most girls would worry about ruining their gown. The grass or dirt could stain it." He explained, gesticulating at her dress.
"It's only a dress. It can easily be mended if the need arises." She said matter-of-factly, shrugging her shoulders.
"Indeed."
He smirked as he sat down next to her and leant back, lying down with his arms behind his head. She followed suit.
"The Belt of Orion," she said pointing up at three bright stars in a row.
"That one's easy. Everyone knows it."
She raised her eyebrows, a look of determination settling in her features.
"Alright. It's also known as the Three Kings or Three Sisters and it's an asterism in the constellation Orion. It consists of the three bright stars Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka."
"So you pay attention in class," he said, a knowing smirk directed at her.
She could tell that he was only trying to get a rise out of her, but she couldn't help herself when it came to prove her knowledge.
"Ask me anything then."
He raised an eyebrow as he looked at her, contemplating her request.
"While we're on the subject of Orion, tell me about Canis Major."
"Canis Major, or Canis Majoris is a part of the Orion family. It means greater dog and the brightest star is Sirius." She recited this as if she was reading it straight out of a textbook.
"Boötes."
"Boötes, or Boötis is a part of the Ursa Major family. It means herdsman and the brightest star is Arcturus."
He pursed his lips as he looked up at the sky.
"Draco," he breathed.
She looked at him, and briefly met his eyes. Without being aware of it, her right hand moved to touch the bracelet she was wearing on her left wrist. A simple silver chain, with a single dragon pendant on it. She'd found it on her desk with a note with a single sentence on it.
Please wear this for the ball tonight.
"Draco, or Draconis is also a part of the Ursa Major family. It means dragon and the brightest star is Etamin."
She frowned as she turned her head and looked at him. She almost got lost in his stormy eyes. It was obvious that she'd managed to impress him with her knowledge of the stars.
"These all have something to do with the Black family," she stated. "They have a tradition of naming their children after constellations.
"Purely a coincidence."
"Is it? Or are you part of the Black family?"
She looked at him with curiosity as he chuckled.
"I am," he replied. "But so is every pureblood family in England."
"So you're a pureblood." It was a statement, not a question.
"You're not," he said.
"Does it matter?"
"Not anymore." Was all he said as he rolled over to his side to look at her.
He reached out and held her hand that was now resting on top of her stomach, his thumb rubbing gentle circles on it. She could see the sincerity in his eyes.
"Why not?"
He smiled as she asked.
"Things changed. I've changed. I grew up. I used to believe every word my father told me about blood purity."
"What made you change your mind?"
It nearly startled her when his eyes snapped up to hers, they were so intense. He chuckled again.
"I'm not blind. We clearly have some talented witches and wizards that come from Muggle families at this school. Even I can't deny that. Then there's the pureblood wizards who can barely pass their classes."
"Hmm," was all she said as she was staring up at the sky. His fingers were now dancing up and down the inside of her wrists, and she found it very soothing.
"Don't you have any more questions for me?"
She turned her head to look at him. His attention was on her arm as he turned her hand up, and started trailing the creases in her palm with his finger.
"Yes. Do you ever judge a book by its cover?"
He chuckled again as he turned his gaze up at her, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards. She realized she quite liked his laugh.
"No. If there's one thing I've learned in life, it's that nothing is what it seems.
"Are you speaking from experience?" she asked.
He didn't say anything, just nodded in reply. They lay there in comfortable silence for a while, as she thought about her next question.
"Where would you most like to travel, but have never been?" She asked after a while.
"I'd love to see the Grand Canyon and Victoria Falls. I've seen some pictures from it, but pictures can hardly do it justice."
"Yes it's quite amazing. Or so I've read anyway. I'd love to see it as well."
Just as he was about to say something, the large clock in the castle started chiming. It was nearly midnight.
"We better get back if we want to make it for the unmasking," he said.
He got up first and offered her his hand to help her up. She smiled as she took it. Again she looped her arm around his as they'd done when they walked out of the castle. While the stroll up to the Quidditch pitch had been quite slow, they were now walking back a lot quicker.
"Wait," she exclaimed as he was about go through the castle doors.
He stopped and looked at her, one of his eyebrows quirked up. She bit her lip.
"I still have one more question left," she said.
"Alright, but you better make it quick."
She nodded, biting her lip again.
"If you could do anything you wanted right now, what would it be?"
She could feel her heart racing as he stepped closer to her, closing the distance between them. Her breathing grew shallow in anticipation as her head tipped back to look up at his face. For some reason she couldn't take her eyes of his slightly parted lips. His hands circling her waist sent shivers through her body and made her stomach doing somersaults as she noticed how much more prominent his musky scent was now that he was so close, enveloping her. Slowly, almost painfully so, he leant down towards her as his eyes met hers with an intensity she'd never seen before. He seemed to hesitate, his lips hovering just over hers. She froze at first, only for a second, her mind running a hundred miles an hour. Without giving it too much thought, she threw caution to the wind and rose up on her toes to close the gap as their lips met. Her arms embracing him as one hand slid into his hair, tugging him closer. His arms around her waist tightened as he deepened the kiss.
All too soon, it was over. She sighed, letting out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding as he pulled away, a big smile spreading on her lips. The look of his disheveled hair made her laugh and blush at the same time. He grinned back at her, trying to smooth his hair out.
"Come on, or we'll miss it," he murmured, taking her hand and leading her inside.
As they entered the Great Hall, they were both pleased to see that they hadn't missed the unmasking. She frowned as she saw the smile wash off his face, a rejected look taking its place.
"What's wrong?" She asked, taking his hand in hers.
"I..," he started, though somehow unable to continue.
For some reason he could no longer meet her eyes, and he looked everywhere but at her. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze to encourage him. They both looked up as the Great Hall fell silent as Dumbledore took to the podium.
Like anyone would be
I am flattered by your fascination with me
"Look, just… Just promise me one thing," he said, finally looking back at her. His eyes were pleading.
"Anything," she breathed, meeting his gaze.
His eyebrows knitted together as he swallowed.
"Just give me the benefit of the doubt. Please."
Like any hotblooded woman
I have simply wanted an object to crave
She reached up her hand, cupping his cheek, just as a gong sounded. The signal that they were now free to remove their masks and thereby lifting the spell, if that's what they wished. She admired the intricate silver patterns on his mask as her hand moved up from his cheek to hover at the edge of it. Her hand lingered for a bit as she waited to see if he would make any protests, her honey brown eyes meeting his grey ones. She wavered as she saw fear mixed with anxiety in his eyes. It made her hesitate, wondering if she really did want to know who he was. In the end, her curiosity took over, and when he didn't object, she curled her fingers around the edge and gently lifted it away.
But you, you're not allowed
You're uninvited
An unfortunate slight
"No," she breathed, the mask clattered to the floor as it slipped out of her hand. "Not you, anyone but you."
"Please," he said, a look of sadness on his face, reaching out his hand towards her.
Without realizing what she was doing, her feet had started moving on their own accord as she took a few steps backwards towards the door, shaking her head as tears threatened to spill. She whipped around storming out of the Great Hall towards the staircase. It didn't take long before she heard footsteps following her, and she sped up, hurrying up the stairs and down a hallway. But he was taller than her, faster than her.
She expected him to grab her, to make her stop, but it was his words that stopped her in the end.
Must be strangely exciting
To watch the stoic squirm
"You promised," was all he said, his voice echoing through the empty corridor they were now in.
Her shoulders slumped as she slowed to a stop, her back still facing him. She squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to let her angry tears spill. Taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out again, she steeled herself, before turning around. He was twenty feet from her when she held her arms out in front of her, to stop him getting any closer.
Must be somewhat heartening
To watch shepherd need shepherd
"I made a promise to someone I thought was a decent human being, Malfoy. And that's clearly not you," she said angrily, glaring at the blonde in front of her.
"Just give me a chance, please. Everything I've told you tonight have been the truth. The person you've been with is the real me," he said pleadingly.
"I doubt it," she scoffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
But you, you're not allowed
You're uninvited
An unfortunate slight
"I live in a world of people pretending to be something they're not…," he started repeating what he'd told her earlier, but trailed off.
"…But when I'm with you, I'm the person I want to be." She finished the sentence for him, her voice low, a doubtful look in her eyes.
"Give me a chance to be that person," he said, a pleading look in his eyes. "Please."
"You don't even know who I am," she said, realizing she'd never removed her mask.
"I know exactly who you are, Hermione Granger."
Like any uncharted territory
I must seem greatly intriguing
Gasping, she took a step back, a step away from him, as he'd stepped towards her.
"How?" She whispered.
"That bracelet you're wearing, I'm the one who gave it to you."
Hermione frowned as she lifted her arm to inspect the bracelet with the Dragon pendant, chewing on her bottom lip. Some part of her had hoped that the bracelet was from Ron. That he'd finally plucked up the courage to ask her out. But deep down inside she knew it couldn't be him. He didn't have a single romantic bone in his body to begin with, but she also knew that someone with such an untidy scrawl that was Ron's handwriting, could never have made the beautiful, slender script on the parchment.
"I gave it to you so I could recognize you at the dance," he murmured when she remained silent.
"Why?" she asked angrily. "So you could humiliate me? Was it some kind of bet so you and your friends could have a laugh behind my back?"
"Of course not. Look, can you honestly say you didn't have a great time tonight? Can you honestly say you didn't feel anything at all? That kiss…" he broke off, his voice cracking. "That kiss, did it mean nothing to you?"
You speak of my love like
You have experienced love like mine before
Hermione hung her head, inhaling deeply before letting out a shaky breath.
"Tonight has been the most amazing night of my entire life," she started, voice shaking as she looked up at him to meet his gaze. "That kiss was like nothing I've ever experienced before."
"But?" he inquired, sensing that wasn't all she had to say.
"But," she paused, looking at him apologetically. "That was when I didn't realize it was you."
But this is not allowed
You're uninvited
An unfortunate slight
"Is that such a bad thing?"
It surprised her that he was looking nervous as he asked.
"I just don't understand. You hate me, Malfoy. You hate me with a passion, and you've never let me forget that."
"It's a fine line between love and hate, Granger."
Draco was slowly moving closer to Hermione, one step at a time, though she didn't seem to notice.
He was only a few feet from her now.
"Is it? I mean, why me? What's changed?"
"Everything's changed," he said desperately, the look in his eyes more intense than she'd ever seen. "I grew up learning to hate everything about you, yet at some point I realized I didn't hate you at all. All the qualities I'm supposed to hate about you, is the very same one's I love about you."
"Love?" Hermione said in amazement, forgetting how to breathe.
Draco stepped closer to her and took her hands in his, feeling slightly encouraged when she didn't immediately pull away.
"I know it's a lot to take in," he started, looking her straight in her watery eyes. "I know there's a lot of history between us. Just know how sorry I am, for everything… everything I've ever said and done. Not just to you, but everyone." He paused, collecting his thoughts, as he sucked his bottom lip between his teeth. "I just… I just hope that one day you'll be able to forgive me. That you can find it in your heart to give me a chance, a chance to prove that I can be so much more than what I have been."
He nearly gave up when she just stood there silently, eyes locked on him. Her bottom lip trembled as a lone tear escaped her eye.
"You said it yourself," Draco continued desperately. "The past is in the past. To… To make amends. I mean, everyone deserves a second chance, don't they?"
Draco looked at Hermione expectantly when she remained quiet. Her chest was rising and falling as she looked at him hesitantly. From his pleading eyes, to the slight frown on his forehead and the little droplets of sweat along his hairline.
I don't think you unworthy
I need a moment to deliberate.
"I… I'll have to think about it."
I'm sorry the song that's aligned in the center isn't spaced better. The website seems to delete any extra spacing or characters put in to create more space. Reviews will be highly appreciated.