"Have you got your dress robes yet?" I asked Draco.

"Uh, yeah…" he replied. I gave him a look. I knew he hadn't yet. This was just me trying to urge him in that direction more. "Okay, I haven't yet."

"Better do it soon. We've got about a week before the ball. Remember, get the ones trimmed with purple. Then it'll match my dress."

"Yes ma'am," he mumbled. I knew Draco wasn't as thrilled about the Yule Ball as I was, but I also didn't expect him to be. None of the guys were really excited about it, or if they were they kept it hidden. The way I saw it, this was an opportunity I would never have again, so I wanted it to be perfect. I was also relieved that I was dating Draco because then I didn't have to stress about having a date. He didn't even have to ask me, we both just understood we'd be going together.

"Sorry, am I annoying with all this Yule Ball talk?" I asked him.

"No, it's not that…" he replied.

"Well what is it?"

"It's…it's about the ball."

"What is it? You don't really have to get the robes with the purple trim if you don't want to."

"The purple trim is fine. It's just that…I'm not sure if the Yule Ball is going to happen."

"What?" I questioned with a baffled expression painted on my face.

"My father wants me to go with him to…complete a few tasks," he said, sparing me the horrible details of what he was really planning to do.

"But does it have to be now? I've been looking forward to this ever since it was announced," I said, tears forming in my eyes.

"I know _, I know. There's not really much I can do. I don't have an choice."

Now the tears were falling from my eyes. Not only was I crushed about this whole Yule Ball thing but I was also worried about Draco's safety. I learned not to ask questions about what he was up to because it was better not knowing. But that didn't mean I wasn't scared for him.

"How long have you known about this?"

"…It's been a little while."

"So you let me buy an expensive dress and had me believing we were going together for months now?" I yelled.

He just nodded his head and I immediately started crying more. He put a hand on my shoulder but I shrugged him off, not wanting his comfort.

"_ I'm sorry. It's just you kind of assumed we were going together and you started planning before I could even get a word in. I didn't want to let you down."

"So you tell me this now, a week before hand?"

"All I can say is that I'm sorry."

I continued sobbing until I felt at least a little bit better. Draco didn't even seem to care about this at all. Then an idea hit me.

"I planned too much for this, I can't just throw it all away because of you. I'm going anyway."

"Oh yeah? You're gonna go by yourself? It's not like you have any friends to go with you." That was cold. For whatever reason that really struck a nerve in me.

"No, I'll find a date. I'm sure one of the many Durmstrang boys will need someone to go with."

"You're serious?" he questioned.

"Absolutely. I don't need you to have fun." With that comment he stormed out and went to the Slytherin dormitories I assume. I took that as a cue to go to sleep early and cry for just a little bit longer.

It was the day I had been looking forward to for so long, yet I didn't feel excited. I just wanted to get it over with. I ended up finding one of the Durmstrang guys to escort me but it wasn't ideal. He wasn't bad looking, but he wasn't Draco. I hadn't seen him very much the past week. We were still in a fight, I suppose, and it upset me, but I didn't plan on apologizing. This mess was his fault, and he needed to realize that. If he even cared. I got dressed in my gown and accessorized accordingly ( yule_ball_with_draco_malfoy/set?id=68856709). I had to admit, I looked really good. My hair was in a soft up-do that featured and low bun with a few curled pieces of hair framing my face. I was ready and met up with my date for the night. He had this sort of weird glint in his black eyes that freaked me out, but I had to get over it. This was a one night deal. Nothing serious. We arrived and mingled a little bit. A lot of the Ravenclaws I was friendly with told me I looked stunning and I just humbly thanked them. A few of them asked where Malfoy was and I just gave a vague response. It wasn't any of their business anyway. The night was fine. I had someone to dance with so that was better than just standing in the corner alone. I couldn't help but feel like something was missing though. After a little while my date pulled me aside to take a breather. I turned away for a minute and the next thing I know he's forcing himself on me. I yelled for him to get off of me and started smacking him with my purse but it didn't seem to do much damage. My only defense was squirming to avoid contact with him.

Then suddenly he was on the ground. Someone had punched him in the face and consequently he fell. My first reaction was to get away from this creep so I scurried around the corner. I heard a familiar voice say, "You are never to touch her again, you understand?" followed by a grunt of acknowledgement. I felt a smile spread across my face as I realized who my hero was. I ran back around the corner and saw Draco walking towards me, in dress robes and everything.

I practically threw myself on him and whispered in his ear, "You came."

He squeezed me tighter and said, "Of course I did."

I pressed my mouth against his in the most passionate kiss I may have ever had. I'd never been so happy to see anyone in my life.

"Draco, I'm-"

"No, I'm sorry. I knew how much this meant to you and I wasn't very considerate about your feelings."

"It doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're here now." I wrapped my hands around his neck and kissed him again. We walked hand in hand to the dance floor and had fun dancing with each other. It was mostly me dancing and Draco trying to dance but failing. It was cute and made me laugh. Finally they played a slow song and Draco grabbed my waist as I rested my hands on his shoulders.

"Draco?"

"Yes dear?"

"What's going to happen between you and your father?"

"I don't know. He won't be pleased that I skipped out on our task. But I don't care. Any punishment will be worth it." He leaned down and kissed me. I rested my head on his shoulder and just got lost in the moment. The perfect moment.