Chapter 2

There's a chill in the air as I lie on the grass on top of a hill. This year is moving faster than all the others, I could have sworn it was still summer just last week. I hear someone's voice call out to me, but the wind quickly takes it away. I don't bother to look, there's only one person who could be looking for me.

"Guess what I just heard!" Marcy looks down at me, her summer dress flowing freely. How is she not cold?

I sit up and lean against the tree, disturbing Vladimir's nap on my chest. He mews irritably before settling on my lap. When I say nothing she rolls her eyes and sits down. Marcy looks around and then leans towards me as she whispers, "Draco Malfoy is a Death Eater."

I pull back and stare at her, "What!? Where did you hear that, that's not true."

She squints her eyes at me and purses her lips, staring at me as if I'm stupid. "I overheard Harry Potter talking about it. So you know it's true. He's the Chosen One."

"And he also hates Draco. He'll probably say anything," I defend Draco. I had nothing against Harry. He was a nice bloke. But it was true, Harry and Draco had hated each other since the first day of school. Everyone knew it.

Marcy groans, "Don't be daft, Alice! Draco's dad was taken to Azkaban this summer. Everyone knows he followed You Know Who. It was only a matter of time before Draco followed in dear daddy's footsteps."

This time I stand, Vladmir jumps off and mews angrily at me. I hate it when Marcy talks to me like this. She didn't have anything against Draco, but she hated that I had a crush on him. If we weren't talking about her, we were talking about Draco—which wasn't often because she hardly ever lets me get a word in anyways.

"You're wrong. I know the Malfoys and I know Draco. Our families—"

"Are friends. Right, so you always say. But you're the white sheep of the family, Alice. No one tells you anything and the Slytherins don't trust you. Draco's long since forgotten who you were because you don't matter to the great and powerful families anymore. Your parents are dead and they were probably killed because they were death eaters too!"

My hand turns into a fist and it takes everything inside me to stop myself from punching her. My other hand grips my wand. Vladimir wraps himself around my leg and pulls me out of the angry thoughts that would have ended me in detention and completely friendless.

I release the tension in my hands. "Why d'you have to be so mean all the time?" I can feel the tears coming, but I hold them back, just like the hex and my fist. I hold everything back.

Marcy gives me a sympathetic look and puts her hands on my shoulders, "Dear Alice. I'm not being mean, I'm being honest. If your best friend won't be honest with you, then who will? Look you can't stay in denial about all these things. Your parents and Malfoys were all involved with You Know Who. So if I were you, I'd just stop worrying about Draco and worry about yourself."

"What would I have to worry about?" I ask.

She shrugs, "How should I know? You're the one with Death Eaters in your family. Do you think they'll try to recruit you, too? Like they did with Draco?"

xxx

"What do you think? Swan or raven?" Marcy asks me as she puts on two different masks. Hogsmeade must have heard about the Masquerade Ball for All Hallows Eve because there are masks, dresses, and suits in some of the stores.

Marcy's gold blonde hair is a stark comparison to a raven, "Swan." I point at the white mask with white feathers.

I pick up a white mask with gold designs and tall rabbit ears. The ball isn't until for another two weeks, but everyone had already gotten their masks and everything. There weren't that many options left. I had been so busy with trying to keep my grades up and studying that I hadn't had the time to shop for a dress or anything. All the studying I did didn't seem to do much good as my grades are still average. Professor Snape even wrote "DREADFUL" on my report on werewolves that I spent an entire week writing and researching.

Marcy doesn't have an excuse, she's just a procrastinator.

We walk out of the shop, both of us with a complete set of dress, shoes, and mask for the ball. I'm not sure why we're having a ball for All Hallows Eve, we've never had one before. I'm not questioning it though, I haven't been to a proper ball in ages since my parents refused to take me with them ever since I first year when I got into Hufflepuff. I was a white sheep in a sea of black. No matter, this time I could actually look decent in a dress and not like a little girl in a puffy gown. Sure, I was still short and had no breast to show whatsoever, but a girl can dream.

Marcy sits in front of me at The Three Broomsticks, drinking a glass of butterbeer when I see Draco come in. I sit up immediately and try to look presentable, but he doesn't notice me. Instead, he goes somewhere behind a wall where I can't see him. I wait a few minutes for him to come out, but he doesn't.

"I'll catch up with you at the Castle," I saw quickly as I gather my things and walk to where I had seen Draco last. I could just accidentally bump into him. Then perhaps casually mention the ball. Or maybe he'd ask what I was holding and I could tell him it was a dress. Then maybe he'd ask me if I were going with someone. Or I could just hint that I didn't have a date. I'm still thinking of all the possible words we would exchange to each other when he runs into me in the hall. My bags fall to the floor.

"Sorry," I say quickly, completely taken by surprise. Not just by him actually bumping into me, but by the expression on his face. His eyes are wide and he looks frightened.

"Why don't you watch where you're going?" he says almost out of breath as if he'd been running.

This wasn't the exchange I had fantasized about just moments before. I have nothing, no words, to say to him except: "Sorry".

"Yea you said that already. Watch where you're walking next time Baylor!" he snaps.

"It's Taylor…"I mumble. "Alice Taylor." I say to my shoes.

"Whatever," he says before quickly walking away and out of the shop.

xxx

The knee length, ballerina type dress, and heels make me look much taller than I really am. Counting the mask with tall bunny ears, I'm basically as tall as Marcy who's curves alone outshine me. My hair is in an up-do which makes it look like I have a long elegant neck. Marcy has done my makeup. I'm barely recognizable, even to myself.

The knock on the door is recognizable, five knocks in a distinct pattern. It's Marcy's boyfriend. She squeals as she opens the door and snogs him right in front of me for the longest time. I'm used to it by now and casually duck to the side under Marcy's arm as I walk down from the girl's dormitories. They'll probably be there for a while; I'd be surprised if they even make it to The Great Hall.

As I walk into The Great Hall, every pair of eyes turn to look at me. I don't think so many people have ever looked at me at one time. I begin to sweat and it's instantaneously hot. Why are they all looking at me? Do I look that horrible?

I hear their whispers, 'who is that?'

'I don't know, never seen her.'

'Does she even go here?'

Either I've been invisible for so long that no one knows me or I've done too good of a job cleaning myself up and looking like a proper young lady. Usually, when I'm not wearing school uniforms, I wear jeans and graphic tees. Never any makeup and never with my hair done.

I'm asked to dance as soon as I walk in by Justin Finch-Fletchley, and though I'm not the greatest dancer in the world and rather clumsy, I make it through the entire dance without stepping on his toes or falling over. I follow the leads of other girls dancing around me so I don't look like an idiot who doesn't know how to dance. The last time I danced with a boy was when I was 10 years old and all we did was run around in a circle holding hands.

I don't know how many dances pass and how many dance partners I've had because as soon as one song ends, another person asks me to dance. My feet are raw, I'm parched, and I'm sweating profusely.

"I'm going to step out and get some air, I'll be right back," I tell Justin, who's back for another dance.

On my way to the door, I grab a glass of punch and walk out of The Great Hall. I follow the hallway down to the courtyard where there are plenty of students talking to each other and snogging. I'm barely out the door when I hear Professor Snape's voice.

I duck behind a bush and move towards the gardens as he leads some of the students back inside, probably to assign them detention for snogging. I wipe my face under the mask carefully so I don't smudge my makeup. I'm about to just take the mask off entirely when I hear a rustling in front of me. I freeze.

"Hiding from Professor Snape as well?" a familiar voice asks from the shadows. I know that voice, I know that voice anywhere.

Draco pushes himself off the tree he was leaning against and walks towards me. He's wearing a wolf mask with a pure black suit. Besides from his voice, his only distinguishable feature is his platinum blonde hair that isn't hidden by the mask.

"Sort of, I mean, I'm not snogging anyone. I just wanted some fresh air." My voice is not small and mousy like it usually is when I talk to him.

He smirks, "probably running from all the boys that want to dance with you."

I laugh and shake my head, "sort of yeah. And same with you? With girls—not boys." My face flushes, thank goodness I have a mask on to hide my embarrassment.

"Pansy's been on my tail coat all night," he says irritably. He sighs and sits down on the stone bench that's conveniently situated between us. I sit down beside him, but not too close. I hide my sigh of relief when he doesn't move away.

"Isn't she your girlfriend?"

He scoffs, "No. She just thinks she is. We don't have a lot of things in common. I mean, besides from the obvious things."

Why is he telling me all this?

"Yeah, her black hair against your blonde—definitely a deal breaker." Where did this courage come from!?

He laughs.

Ungh. His laugh. My stomach flips and my heart beats erratically.

"She can be too much to handle at times," he says.

I nod, "But you're friends."

He looks at me with his striking blue gray eyes, "we have to stick together."

I bite my lips and look down at my shoes, which don't even touch the grass because of my short legs. Marcy's words echo inside my head. Death Eaters. Is that why they had to stick together?

Even where we are, I can hear the music coming from The Great Hall. A slow dance music begins to play. We're silent for a while and I'm not sure if I should leave because I'm beginning to feel awkward. Then he speaks again. This time about wolves and rabbits. About their natures. I don't know why he's talking to me about random things, but I like it. I tell him about my cat Vladimir. He tells me about his owl and the cat they have at home.

"I don't usually talk this much to people I don't know," he says after a while.

I look at him, my brows furrowed though he can't see them. People he doesn't know?

"I…" he chuckles, "I don't even know you're name."

He doesn't know my name. Does he even know who he is speaking to!?

"You don't recognize me?" I ask, my head tilting slightly to the side. I'm thankful for the mask that hides my disappointment. All this time I thought he knew who I was.

He shakes his head, "It must be the mask." Then, as if suddenly remembering something important, he straightens up. "Are you pure blood?"

Of course… Of course he would ask that of a person he didn't know. Of course that would be important to him. I look down at my shoes again and nod.

He lets out a sigh of relief. "I figured you were," he says with confidence. "So what's your name? Do I know you?" he reaches out to my mask and I quickly turn away.

If he sees me, he'll stop talking to me. He'll close up. He'll talk to me like he usually does, as if I I'm always in the way. Or worse, like I don't exist.

He's so nice. He's so nice right now. I can't bare it. "Um… I think I should go back inside. It's getting late and the ball is almost over. I promised someone a dance." I stand up.

"Oh, your boyfriend?" he stands up with me.

"No, just a random boy."

"Maybe you can dance with me instead?" he asks.

I hesitate. My palms sweat and my head is screaming YES!

He holds out his hand to me. I wipe my hands quickly on my dress before accepting. He steps back a few paces as I follow him. Then he stops and twirls me around once, I'm amazed I don't trip, before putting one hand on my waist while holding my hand with his other. There's space between us.

I have never been twirled. No one has ever held my waist like this. I have never danced like this. My heart is beating so fast, I could just die happy right now.

I took formal dance lessons when I was younger, but I didn't stick with it. I was far too clumsy. I step on his foot and cringe, "sorry."

Then I do it again. I look down at my feet and make sure I don't step on them again, but then he lifts my chin up and we stop dancing.

"Don't look down. Trust your body to move along with mine," he says.

My stomach tightens with the way he's looking at me. I'd never seen him this nice, not to anyone. I try to do as he says and look at his eyes.

He begins to dance again and I follow his lead. He's slow at first, allowing me to get used to our movements. Then our movements match the rhythm of the music. He pulls me closer until our chests are touching and both of his arms are now around me. I twine my fingers into each other behind his neck. He's a great deal taller, my heels help only a little. He doesn't seem to mind this, if he even realizes at all.

The music seems to last and last as we dance, but when it ends, it ends far too soon. We don't break away from each other.

It isn't until I hear Professor McGonagall's voice that I realize there is no more music. She's telling us all to have a good night. That was the last dance. Our hands fall from each other and we both take a half step back. A full arm length now separates us.

"I should go," I say as I hear Professor Snape coming back out and telling us all to go to our dormitories. I turn and walk back towards the door when Draco catches my arm.

"You haven't told me your name."

I hesitate again. Should I tell him? Does it matter? Tonight is one night which can never repeat. I can't wear the mask forever to make him talk to me. What was the point in keeping my identity a secret?

"Alice."