OLIVIA:

I looked up from my potions textbook to see Draco Malfoy approaching from the Slytherin table. "Hey, Vance!" he said, his tone demanding attention.

I held back from rolling my eyes, "What do you want, Malfoy?"

"Why such an attitude?" He teased as he helped himself to a seat on the bench across from me. He rested his elbows on the table confidently. "I was actually wondering if you would like to accompany me to the Yule Ball."

I glanced towards the table that he had come from. Crabbe and Goyle huddled close, snickering. "It would be my pleasure," I smiled, knowing full well that they had put him up to this.

I could see the panic in Draco's eyes. He hadn't expected me to actually say yes. "Oh, well al-alright. F-fantastic," he stumbled. Without another word, he stood up and retreated to his minions. Immediately, their laughing ceased. Draco grabbed both of them by the backs of their robes, pulling them up from their seats and out of the Great Hall.

I grinned to myself, gathering my books and returning to the Gryffindor common room. This might actually make the school dance interesting.

When I arrived in the common room, Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter were knelt in front of a distressed looking Ron.

"You wouldn't guess what's just happened," I said, beaming.

Harry rose to his feet, "what?" He asked, his eyebrows knit together.

"Draco Malfoy just asked me to the Ball."

Hermione perked up from across the room. "And what did you say?"

Ron seemed to snap out of his trace, "Well, she's said no of course! She'd have to be crazy to want to go with him."

But I shook my head, "Not exactly. Y'see, I know that he asked as a joke, to try to mess with me or something. So I figured I would mess right back."

"So, you're going with him?" Harry asked, still confused.

I shrugged, "If he doesn't chicken out by then."

"Olivia, you're a bloody genius," Harry grinned.

The prospect of actually attending the Ball with Draco became very apparent on Saturday morning, the day of the event. "Here he comes," Harry said, ducking his head down and busying himself in his breakfast. I turned around to see Draco just a few paces away, a sly smile on his face.

"I'm looking forward to our time together tonight," he grinned, though his voice was shaky. I should have known that he was far too proud to back down.

"As am I," I smiled back. Our eyes met and his shoulders tensed.

But as I stared into his grey eyes, my heart seemed to skip a beat. I would definitely be lying if I said that I didn't find him to be physically attractive, but then he opened his mouth and any ounce of attraction instantly disappeared.

"I-I guess I'll be seeing you there?" He asked, crossing his arms.

I nodded, breaking our eye contact to glance down at the floor. "I guess you will be."

"Great."

"Perfect."

"Good."

He paused for a moment, waiting for me to say something. When he realized that I wasn't going to back down either, he nodded sharply and turned away, clearly defeated.

"That was the single most awkward exchange that I have ever witnessed," Hermione sighed as if she had been holding her breath.

"That was the most incredible exchange that I have ever witnessed," Harry said with a smile, "I love watching Malfoy squirm. He doesn't know what to do with himself."

Ginny shook her head, "Are you really going to go through with this?" She asked, looking worried.

"Of course. I mean, I wouldn't have a date otherwise," I said, starting to relax.

"I don't think you'll have much of one regardless. He's too nervous to even look at you, let alone dance!" Hermione's eyes were wide, her eyebrows inching closer together. I appreciated the concern, but I for one was excited to see how tonight would go. After all, he was bound to snap at some point.

"We'll see about that."

I stared at myself in the full-length mirror in our dormitory, my heart rate quickening. The black high-low dress hugged my body in all of the right places, the full skirt making my waist seem tinier. My hair was pushed out of by face, half of it braided back while the rest fell past my shoulders in loose curls. My shoes, simple black heels, added a good bit of height to my small frame, though I wasn't sure how I would be able to dance in them. It was finally the night of the Yule Ball: the night that everyone had been waiting for.

When I thought about the idea of spending the whole night with Draco Malfoy, my mind filled with a combination of excitement and dread. This night could only go one of two ways: either I got to enjoy seeing him be incredibly uncomfortable, or he would miserable the entire time and not even dance with me.

I took a deep breath and grabbed my wand from my bedside table, tucking it into the pocket of my dress. I probably wouldn't need it, but having it by my side gave me a sense of security. And with that, I turned and made my way down to the Great Hall, where the ball was being held.

After a moment's pause at the top of the stairs, I took the first step knowing there was no turning back now.

The Hall was filled with people, chatter echoing off of the walls. My eyes searched the crowd for someone I knew as I descended, but then I saw him. His platinum blonde hair was hard to miss, every single strand perfectly in place. He stood among a group of other Slytherins, but his eyes were trained on me. Maybe I was mistaken, but I could have sworn I saw his jaw drop. He didn't look so bad himself either. His tuxedo style dress robes complimented his pale skin nicely. I was a sucker for a guy in dress robes. But then he turned to the girl who stood next to him, whispering something to her. She too looked up, and I could see it was Pansy Parkinson. Her signature scowl wiped across her face.

Draco turned back towards the entry way, towards me, and began to push his way through the crowd to greet me.

DRACO:

Olivia looked magnificent. There was no other way to put it. As usual, everything about her was dark and mysterious, yet intriguing. As I approached, I had to duck my head to keep from gawking at her. "You look… nice," I said as I offered her my arm, choosing my words carefully.

"You clean up well," she smiled, accepting. I could feel the weight of others' gazes on us, though I wasn't sure whether they were admiring her, or shocked that we were here together. Or perhaps it was both.

For everyone who didn't understand the situation, this probably looked like a bold statement. Me, at the Yule Ball in full robes, with a Gryffindor on my arm and a hint of a smile on my face wasn't something they saw often. However we both knew that this was not truly a date. I could tell that she had knowledge of the bet I made with Crabbe, though it didn't seem to bother her.

The professors had begun to usher students into formation, with a aisle forming for the Tri-Wizard Champions, and a large circle for the first dance. We followed the masses, finding a spot on the edge of the circle.

Cheers and claps broke out as the Champions entered and the orchestra began to play. When they started to dance, I looked down at Olivia, whose eyes followed Harry and his date as they danced. I hated to admit it, but she really was beautiful. As other pairs began to take the dance floor, she glanced up at me. "What?" She asked, catching me.

I bowed slightly and extended my hand to her, "May I have this dance?"

The look in her dark eyes softened, "Absolutely." I honestly couldn't tell if she was playing with me anymore. Her hand rested delicately on top of mine as we sashayed onto the floor. I reached down and rested my palm on her waist, her arm falling across my shoulders. Our other hands interlaced, falling perfectly into place. She leaned into me, following my lead.

I spun her around the floor, falling into step with the other pairs. For once, I wasn't thinking about the pressure of being seen with her, or suppressing my enjoyment. I simply thought of the movement of our feet, the turns and leaps, and the way her hand felt on my shoulder. She seemed to fit against me like a puzzle piece, comfortably pleasant and secure.

I don't know how long we dance for, but when the music ceased, I realized that my feet ached.

"Students!" Professor Mcgonagall said over the microphone, "Please be seated and enjoy a beautiful meal prepared for you by Hogwarts' staff!"

The others around us began to disperse, sitting down at the many round tables towards the back of the Hall. "Hungry?" I asked.

"Starving," she smiled. She was always smiling. Suddenly, I realized that I was still holding her hand. I just didn't want to let go. In an attempt to cover it up, I began to lead her across the room towards a table where Crabbe, Goyle, and Blaise were sat with their dates, two empty chairs left for us.

"What's got into you, Draco?" Pansy asked, pushing Blaise's hand away.

I pulled Olivia's chair out for her without even thinking about it. "What do you mean?" I asked, taking my own seat.

"You're all… smiley," Blaise scowled.

I shrugged, "Might as well have a bit of fun, while we're here."

Pansy sat back in her chair, arms folded. An odd look filled her eyes, which bore onto Olivia. "So Vance," She prompted, "What exactly is it that your parents do?"

She took a sip of her pumpkin juice before answering. "I actually don't know my birth parents," She said, somehow remaining polite. My heart raced as I wondered how she would respond to the inquiry. "I'm adopted. But my mother works for the Ministry, in the Department of Mysteries."

"An Unspeakable?" I asked. I knew more things about Olivia than she realized, but this was a surprise to me. She nodded. "Do you have any idea what she actually does?"

But she shook her head. "No idea. She had to make an Unbreakable Vow when she got the job. If she talks about it, she dies."

"I knew that they were sworn to secrecy, but that's intense," I said. The idea of coming home to a family and not being able to talk about your day seemed so isolating. "That's a dangerous profession, whatever it is that they do. The last intern that entered the department never made it out."

"Yeah," she shrugged, "but what Ministry job isn't dangerous nowadays?"

I chuckled. She had a point, though she probably knew less about the state of affairs than I did. That seemed to be the only thing my father talked about. Well, that and his plans for me when the Dark Lord returned.

"But your real parents," Pansy interrupted, "were they magical?"

Olivia nodded, "Of course. They met at Hogwarts."

"What house were they?" Pansy pressed.

I lightly rested my hand on top of Olivia's, suddenly feeling protective of her — mostly because I knew the answer. "Pansy, that's none of your business."

"It's okay, Draco," Olivia smiled at me, "They were actually both in Slytherin."

Pansy leaned forward, suddenly interested. "Were they really? What were their names?"

"Pansy!" I said sternly, "That's enough."

"Draco," Pansy said, her tone mocking mine. "I'm just trying to make sure she's worthy of your time."

"I'll be right back," Olivia breathed, standing up.

I swallowed hard. It was my fault for putting her in this situation. "Are you alright?" I asked.

"Yeah, I just need to go to the loo." And with that, she turned and disappeared around the corner.

I leaved forward against the table with my eyes trained on Pansy. "What the hell was that about?"

"I'm looking out for you! And this isn't even a real date. Why are you being so sensitive?" Pansy defended.

I glanced over at Blaise, hoping he would agree with me. But unfortunately, I was mistaken. "Yeah, since when do you stand up for Gryffindors? You were all fine with us making jokes earlier," he said.

"There's no need to interrogate her, especially about personal information," I turned back to Pansy, "I know you're just jealous that I'm here with her instead of you, but you don't have to take it out on her."

And then the table fell silent. We all picked at our plates of food, too uncomfortable to speak. Before long, Professor Flitwick came on the microphone and introduced The Weird Sisters and the band took the stage. The second that the music began, nearly every girl in the room squealed and ran to the front of the room, their dates following behind them.

And then I was left alone, pulling apart a piece of turkey with my fork, my chin resting on my hand. Maybe this whole night was a mistake. Maybe I shouldn't have dragged Olivia into this knowing that she would be so uncomfortable. But at the same time, I didn't ever think that I would actually be enjoying my time with her. Something about her was just so captivating. Perhaps I had always felt drawn to her, having heard so much about her family from my father, but I was beginning to think that she might be able to help me seeing that she had managed to escape such a negative environment.

"Hey," I heard from above me. I looked up to see her sitting down next to me. I felt my face light up, not even trying to hide it anymore. But when our eyes met, I could tell that she'd been crying.

I held back from asking her if she was okay, not wanting to press any further. "Want to go dance?"

"I would love that," she beamed, any sadness instantly forgotten. I stood and offered her my hand, parading our way to the dance floor.