A/N: I know I said I wouldn't update till next week but I finished this sooner than expected and decided to just post so you all could get the feel of how the story is actually going to go. In all honesty I am absolutely my own worst critic and usually dislike most of what I write so reviews would be appreciated on what you like and don't. Or you could not review, I don't care.

3 years later.

"Hermione for the last time you look fantastic!" Rose exclaimed to her best friend.

In just a half hour they would be heading down to the great hall to attend the Yule Ball. Both her and Hermione were meeting their dates down there. Although it seemed that Rose was far more excited that Hermione was attending the ball with THE Victor Krum then Hermione was herself. Not that Roses date was all that bad. Cormac McLaggen was very good-looking and Rose was shocked that he had even given her the time of day, let alone asked her to go to the ball with him. Cormac had been hanging around the common room one night last week when he just came up to her as Rose sat with Ron and Harry. He had asked her for a quick word in private and they had gone to a quiet corner where he just asked her. After she said yes he told her he would meet her in the entrance hall before the dance and had walked off. He hadn't approached her since. She just assumed he was nervous.

"ROE!" Hermione yelled waving her hand in front of Roses face.

"Huh? What?" she said pulling herself out of her head and focusing on her best friend.

Hermione did not look like the same girl who had walked into the dormitory a few hours before hand. She looked absolutely gorgeous. Not that Hermione wasnt pretty but usually it was more in a plain jane kind of way. Right now though her hair was pulled up in a sleek bun with a few elegant curls hanging down and some sparkly clips thrown in here and there so every turn of her head created a dazzling effect. Her eyes and cheek bones were highlighted with some light eyeshadow and blush and her lips were shimmering with a light pink color. What really set it off was her dress. It was a light purple floor length dress with a v neckline. It was made of some kind of fabric that made it very flowy so it swayed with her every movement. Rose remembered when Hermione had ordered it, she couldn't picture it on the bookworm but now looking at her in it, it seemed to have been made for her.

"We only have 20 minutes? Are you sure you're ready?" Hermione asked her.

"Yeah just let me double-check" Rose said walking over to the floor length mirror.

Rose turned her head from side to side checking that the curls she had put into her long red hair were holding. Leaning over she grabbed the hairspray and quickly sprayed her head focusing on the french braid she had braided her bangs into. Then, leaning forward, she wiped at a smudge in the eyeliner framing her bright blue eyes. Her eyes seemed even brighter to her due to the glittery silver eye shadow she had used. She reached into her makeup bag and pulled out the clear lip gloss and swiped it across her lips before stepping back and looking at her full reflection. She had chosen a shorter dress than Hermione. It was a silver strapless dress, tight-fitting to her waist where it then flowed down to her knees. As she turned slightly to make the dress sway she admired the slight sparkle it gave off. She grabbed the dark gray heels she had bought to go with the dress and sat back on the bed to put them on.

"Ok, let's go." Rose said standing and heading to the door with Hermione following.

The last song of the night was winding down and Rose couldn't be happier. Her and Cormac were slowly swaying to the music, his hands on her hips and her arms around his neck. Her head rested on his chest and she could hear his heartbeat and feel his head resting on hers. The night had been perfect aside from Fred, George, Percy and Ron glaring daggers at Cormac every time he touched her. Cormac didn't seem to notice, or at least he pretended not too, which was a first. None of the boys had ever shown any interest in her because of her brothers and that was part of the reason she was so attracted to Cormac. He had the guts to approach her when no one else did. She felt his head shifting then heard his voice in her ear.

"How bout we get out of here?" Cormac whispered softly.

Rose nodded, thinking he wanted to go hang out more in the common room. Keeping his hand around her waist Cormac lead her out to the entrance hall. Then, instead of heading up the staircase, he turned and headed toward the dungeons.

"Where are we going?" Rose asked softly.

"Just somewhere private" he answered pulling her into an empty classroom.

Shutting the door behind him, Cormac pulled her against him and leaned down and softly kissed her. Rose wrapped her hands around his neck and leaned into him. Cormac slowly rubbed soft circles on her back before letting his hands rest on her hips. He started to push her back till Roses legs hit a desk and she fell on top of it. Cormac climbed on top of her and pulled her hips up to meet his. panicking a little at how fast he seemed to be moving Rose started to push up on his chest to give him the hint that she was not comfortable. This just made him hold her harder as he pushed into her mouth. Rose turned her head away and tried pushing him up again but he just moved his lips to her neck.

"Cor! COR! CORMAC!" Rose yelled finally pushing him off, "What the hell?"

"Oh, come on. We had a great night! This is the perfect ending." Cormac insisted.

"Yes we had a good night, but just because i had fun with you doesn't mean im going to shag you in an abandoned classroom on our first date!"

"You know you want it Rosie." Cormac answered softly, "I mean why did you think I asked you to the ball. Youre desperate. No one else was going to ask you and I knew if I showed you a good time you'd want to repay me."

Rose stared at him in complete disgust before drawing her hand back and punching him in the face.

"Hows that for being desperate?" she yelled as his hand flew to his nose, "And don't call me Rosie bastard."

With that Rose ran out of the room slamming the door behind her and ran to the stairs. She kept running, a little worried that Cormac was going to follow her. Finally she found herself facing the spiral stairway that lead to the astronomy tower. Taking a deep breath trying to slow her now racing heart she slowly made her way up. Pushing the door open at the top she realized she was not the only one who wanted to be alone and thought to go here. Leaning against the ledge staring at the sky was Draco Malfoy. Hearing the door he turned and saw her and opened his mouth to say something only to close it again. His brow furrowed a bit as he stared at her before he finally opened his mouth again.

"You ok Weasley?" he asked softly, like he was trying not to startle her.

"Whats it to you Malfoy? It's not like you actually care." Rose shot back turning to leave.

"It's just you kind of look like shit. I mean compared to earlier. You look like you had a rough night, like someone just killed a puppy in front of you."

"Gee thanks. You really know how to sweet talk a girl."

"You could stay you know? I really don't care right now. I mean unless you're scared?"

"Of you? HA!" Rose laughed turning away from the door and walking over to the railing. "The only person I'm afraid of is my mother and if you had ever seen her mad youd understand why."

"Trust me, I know all to well how scary parental anger could be." Malfoy muttered under his breath.

"Whats that mean? I know I didn't answer you but I feel like I should be asking you if you're ok?"

"Why would I not be?"

"Because I've been up here with you for 5 minutes and you have yet to truly insult me."

Malfoy just shrugged and looked up to the sky again. Rose took the time to really look at him while he wouldn't notice. His pale skin seemed to be a bit paler in the moonlight contrasted with his deep black dress robes. His blonde hair, no longer slicked back, fell softly across his forehead and seemed to glow. But what really caught her attention was his eyes. They werent blue, as she always assumed, but a dark grey. The dark grey of stormy waters or the sky before a storm hit. At that moment she couldn't help but see some sort of conflict going on in them. Like he was arguing with himself in his mind.

"Look I know I look good but are you just going to stare at me all night?" he asked, shifting his eyes away from the sky.

"Sorry, I just.. um" Rose stumbled over her words searching for something to say as her face heated up.

"Blimey you Weasleys really do turn as red as your hair when you're embarrassed." Malfoy laughed.

"Shut it. I was just noticing you seem out of sorts tonight is all. " she muttered looking down at the dark grounds.

After a long, somewhat awkward, silence Malfoy broke it again.

"Did you know im betrothed?" he asked randomly.

"What?!" she asked flabbergasted.

"Yep. And father thinks it's about time we started our courtship." he replied a bit bitterly.

"But.. but you're so young!"

"Were to date until graduation. Then about a month afterwards we will be married and expected to produce an heir within the year."

"Who? Wait.. it's not.. "

"Pansy? Yeh. Our wedding has been planned since before we were actually born."

"Honestly I thought you and pansy were already dating." Rose said hardly believing anything he said.

"No. I just hang around her to keep father happy. Shes a bit of a twat though." he replied smiling softly. "Mother loves her. Our fathers also do business together so I guess it's an alright match."

"No! It's not alright. People should marry for love. Not for power or because it's who your parents want you with."

"Oh please Weasley. Like you would marry someone your whole family hated." Malfoy scoffed.

"If I loved them I would. It wouldn't matter who they were as long as I loved them and they made me happy. I would never marry someone just because someone else told me to."

"Well that's the difference between us. Youre strong enough to go against that shit." he said softly.

There was another long silence following his words. She was amazed that he had just almost complimented her and that he was even speaking to her like a human being. She didn't really know what to say, afraid that the wrong word might break this unspoken truce they seemed to have. Suddenly, before she knew it she was telling him what had happened with Cormac. He stared at her with such intensity in his eyes she almost was afraid of him in that moment.

"that's disgusting." he spat. "If your brothers don't kill him I'll do it for them"

"But you don't even like me" Rose said.

"I don't like your family. Not you personally. And no woman should never be treated like that especially one that looks like you" he said quickly before realizing what he said.

"One that looks like what?" she asked softly.

"Uh.. just forget I said that. I wasnt thinking before I spoke." he replied, avoiding her gaze and turning pink.

"Do you do that a lot? Calculate what you're going to say before you say it? That must suck having to watch every word that comes out of your mouth."

"Yeh well.." he said staring straight ahead. "Its getting late. We should go before were found up here"

"Yeh I guess you're right." she said softly smiling at him and turning toward the door, "I'll see you around Draco."

"Goodnight... Rose." he replied.

As soon as he heard the door shut behind her he couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his face, not knowing that Rose was just on the other side of the door leaning against it with a smile of her own.