Disclaimer: I don't own a thing.

Draco Malfoy, 17, stormed down to the dungeons for Double Potions with the Gryffindors in a foul mood. There was a Halloween dance in 2 weeks, and he was almost the only one without a date. Well, except for one girl…

Malfoy had had his eye on her ever since he first saw her on the train. Her name was Jenny McIntyre. When she had been Sorted into Gryffindor, he had felt, for one fleeting moment, a strong desire to be in Gryffindor, too. He remembered her scared, excited smile when she asked to sit with him on the train and the hurt, sad expression when he told her to bugger off. She had hurried away and, somehow, found the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan. She had become fast friends with them, and they had made sure he had paid dearly for talking to her like that. He was suddenly startled out of his memories when he ran into someone.

"Watch it, Malfoy!" an angry, feminine voice with an Irish accent snapped. He looked down, sneering, and felt his sneer slip for a fraction of a second. There, kneeling down to gather up her books and flanked by the Weasley twins, who had come back to finish their last year in Hogwarts, was Jenny McIntyre herself. She had long, thick, waist-length auburn hair up in a messy bun and almost catlike amber colored eyes. As she straightened up her short, slim frame, she rubbed a large bruise that was forming on her shoulder that she had gotten when she fell.

"Why don't YOU be a bit more careful, McIntyre, you little Irish punk?" he shot back. "Now I have to take a shower because I touched you!"

She blushed a dark crimson and stalked off towards the dungeon, her head held high. The twins followed (A/N: J: Come along, my zombie slaves! F&G: Yes master… Yeah, they sound like creepy stalkers, but they're just overprotective of their 'little girl', as they call her), shooting identical glares at Malfoy. When they were in the dungeon and out of sight, Malfoy hunched his shoulders and walked into the dungeons, regaining his icy composure before entering.

"Class, today you will be assigned partners that you will be working with for the rest of the year," said Snape in his icy, oily voice. He took out a long sheet of parchment.

"When I call your name, please go to the library and look up the ingredients for at least three different kinds of Love Potions each. Tomorrow you will be brewing one of the potions."

He looked at the first pair on his list and sneered.

"Ms. McIntyre and Mr. Malfoy."

Jenny groaned softly, gathered up her things, and walked out of the dungeon as if she were going to her own hanging.

Malfoy, too, gathered his things and stalked out after her. He caught up with her and heard her mumbling things under her breath. He couldn't understand a word she was saying.

"What are you saying in gobbledygook?" he sneered.

"Oh, just a little something in Olde Irishe," she said and resumed her muttering. Just when she finally stopped muttering, they reached the library.

"Come on," she sighed, and walked into the library, straight to the Potions section. She took a book off of the shelf and settled down at the table, pulling out an eagle feather quill and a pad of parchment paper. Malfoy sighed and mimicked her, sitting down next to her. She was so engrossed in reading and writing down notes and such that she didn't even notice it when Malfoy tucked a lock of stray hair behind her ear. In fact, he didn't even notice until the deed was done. Well, she didn't notice it when he did it. Her head shot up from her book as Malfoy's pale, cold fingers brushed against the back of her ear.

"What?" Malfoy said angrily when he saw her staring at him, her eyebrows creased over her startling amber eyes. She didn't answer and took Malfoy's long and elegant fingered hand into her own small, tan and warm hand. He felt a bolt of warmth speed into his heart, but it froze immediately.

"What are you DOING?" he said in a loud whisper.

"Making sure of something," she said, and quickly traced his fingers. Satisfied, she dropped his hand, but, instead of picking up her book, she sighed and slammed it shut. She looked at Malfoy.

"If we're partners for the rest of the year, we might as well be on first name terms," she said. "That okay with you Mal-Draco?"

"Sure, McIn-Jenny."

She nodded, picked up her book, and opened it. Malfoy savored the silence in which he could just sit and watch the sunlight pour in through the window and see it bring out dark brown highlights in Jenny's hair, but it didn't last long. She sighed again and slammed her book down onto the table.

"I've been wondering Ma-Draco," she said. "Why are you always so…CRUEL to others who are different than you?"

He stopped writing and looked up, struggling to contain his iciness. It was like sitting in a fire, with his icy shell melting slowly away. He sighed and shut his book.

"Look, it's just how it was taught to me," he said in a low voice, completely different from his normal sneer. "My dad was cruel to me because I was different than him, and that's what he told me to do to others who are different than me."

"Oh," Jenny said and looked down at her notes.

"I've got about 4 Love Potions down," she said, and looked at Malfoy.

"3 1/2," he said, and stretched back in his chair, smirking.

"So, Mc-Jenny," he said. "You have a date for the ball yet?"

Her head shot up from reading Malfoy's notes, and her amber eyes locked onto his ice-blue ones.

"No," she said quietly.

"D'you want to go with me, then?" he asked. A smile crept onto her face.

"Sure," she said, then-

"Just be careful of Fred and George."

2 weeks later

"'Mione, I'm nervous!" Jenny wailed, her costume lying on her bed. She and Draco were going as the prince and princess of England. She was going to wearing a dark red, velvet dress that had lace on the edge of the sleeve. Her dress opened up on a voluminous white silk skirt, and her dress had gold lace zigzagging across the top. She had a crown next to her dress, a small tiara with a ruby in the middle, surrounded by small emeralds. Hermione sighed and sat down on Jenny's bed, already in her soft, lacy blue dress. She and Harry were going as elves, and Hermione was wearing a long blue dress with flowing sleeves and an Elven Royal headdress.

"Jenny, it was YOUR choice to go with Malfoy in the first place, so why are you nervous?" she said, and stood. She tugged Jenny over to her costume, thrust it into her arms, and shoved her into the bathroom.

"Don't come out until you have that dress on!" she called through the door, and got out the necessities the do Jenny's hair and make-up. Half an hour later, Jenny and Hermione walked into the Entrance Hall where their dates were waiting. Jenny looked stunning. Her dress just barely hung onto her curves and Hermione had done wonders with her hair and makeup. She was wearing dark red lipstick and light, skin colored eye shadow. Her cheeks were tinged with light pink blush, and her hair was pulled up into a French twist with her tiara set upon her head, the jewels glowing in the bright hall. Hermione looked gorgeous also, with her curly hair down and flowing underneath her crown and pale blue eye shadow, which complimented her naturally pink lips. Harry was wearing a green tunic thing (A/N: think Legolas) over a pale green, long-sleeved shirt and green leggings with boots that stopped just below his knees. Malfoy, on the other hand, was wearing a red, velvet shirt with poofed-out shoulders and long sleeves, which was covered by a red silken cape. His pants were black silk, and he was wearing hunting boots. On his head was a crown, simple, just gold. He kneeled before Jenny, took her hand, and kissed it.

"What is a fair maiden such as yourself doing without a prince?" he asked, trying to sound gallant. She giggled, and, sounding very regal, said, "I am waiting for my handsome prince, good sir. Wouldst thou know were he might stand?"

Draco smiled, and, standing, kissed her cheek and walked into the Entrance Hall.

"Malfoy!" he heard a voice calling him. He turned and saw the Weasley twins; both dressed as court jesters, fittingly enough, coming towards him.

"Can we talk to you for a sec?" George said.

"Sure," he said icily, and followed them into a corner. They turned around to glare at him, the bells on their odd hats jingling merrily.

"We just want to say that you better not hurt Jenny, or we'll hurt you," they said simultaneously. Draco smirked and said, "I have no intention of ever hurting her as long as I live and breathe."

The twins glared at him one more time, then let him go back to Jenny, who was sitting at a table, talking and laughing with Hermione and Harry. He sat down just as a slow song came on.

"Will you dance with me, fair maiden?" he asked, standing and offering her his hand. She smiled and stood.

"I believe that it will be my pleasure," she said, and took his hand. He led her onto the dance floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he placed his arms around her waist. They began to sway in time to the music.

"You know, I feel…all warm right now," Draco murmured into Jenny's ear. His warm breath whistled into he ear, and she shivered. She sighed, and leaned into his shoulder.

"Draco," she whispered. "I think I'm falling in love."

Draco's eyes widened.

"I love, you, Jenny."

A/N: REALLY frickin' long oneshot. The ending is sweet. FLUFF!