CHAPTER THREE : - )
I had chosen to wear a black halter-neck to the dance that night. I had to admit, it was driving me crazy. It was the hardest piece of clothing to put on. First I had to wrap the bottom half around twice making sure it was loose so it looked like a natural dress. Then I had to get the top half –which wasn't actually connected to the bottom part- and tie it up at the back of my neck. The top then covered the lower part of my back but the front hung open. I had to pull one side around and attach it to the inside of my other side, then wrap the other side around and connect it all (including the bottom part) with a silver pin that was shaped as a curled Snake. It was studded with diamonds. Although I now hated the dress with a passion, I had to admit, it looked good. I checked the time. It was already a quarter to six.
I raced into the bathroom and started to work on my hair. I was going to keep it natural and just have my curls, except I was putting it up in a bun that would let the curls fall, accentuating them that little bit more. Once I had done this I placed a small comb somewhere in the top of the bun that was studded with diamonds just like the snake pin. I examined my finished hair and smiled, it looked better then it had in fourth year when I had smoothed my then bushy hair with a magical product. Of course then the change would have looked astounding because my hair wasn't naturally like that.
Now I had to work on the make-up, the part I hated most. I wasn't one to wear make-up. Sighing I picked up a tube of lip-gloss. I carefully applied purple-maroon lip-gloss so that it was only lightly on my lips, just making them appear darker. I then got a tube of clear gloss and put then over it, making them shine. I carefully outlined my eyes with eyeliner. I didn't bother with blush or any other crap like that; in my opinion the eyeliner alone was too much make-up.
I walked into the wardrobe and searched for a pair of shoes that would look good. I found a nice pair of black-strap stilettos that would suit the dress nicely and put them on. Then I picked up a black purse and placed the lip-gloss inside it along with the eyeliner. It gave me an excuse to get away from the dance every once and a while at least.
The last thing I needed to do was place a small camera in the fabric of my dress. While I did that I also shrunk a pair of super-whatever extendable ears and also placed them in the fabric of dress. This way I could look back to the dance if need be.
It was now a quarter to seven…God I had taken a long time to get ready, then again…the dress had been impossible to put on.
I quickly checked around my room making sure that all my assignment equipment was hidden just in case my room was cleaned while I was out. After making sure everything was locked and in place I finally decided that I couldn't afford to waste anymore time and stashing my wand in my dress I made my way out of the room and to the stairs. Once again it took fair too few steps then was possible until I reached the lobby.
I calmly stepped off the last step and joined the crowd of people waiting in the lobby. I grabbed a glass of wine from a passing butler and took a big sip. Bill wouldn't have had approved, but Bill wasn't here.
I stepped off to the side while the purebloods mingled and rested my back against the wall. I wasn't doing anything but watching for a while until some purebloods started introducing themselves to me.
A good half of them were quite handsome young men, and the other half woman. The men hung around for a bit before seeing someone they knew, but the woman stayed around, forcing me to converse.
"I'm glad they set up these little get-togethers. It's a relief to be somewhere where some muggle-lover can't interrupt" Said some woman who had her head held high. Bitch.
"They're not that bad…" Said a girl who looked quite nervous. She looked out of place compared to all of the woman with scowls on their faces and their noses in the air. Then again, I probably looked out of place as well, but I at least looked calm.
"Don't tell me you're turning into a muggle-lover!" Cackled some woman, I cringed.
"Well, what do you think Rosalie?" Said some other woman that I didn't give a shit about either.
"They don't bother me at all" I said, looking at her as if she dared say something against it. The group exchanged uncertain glances.
The topic soon changed to why 'mudbloods' shouldn't be allowed to practice magic. I left them at this point, afraid that if I stayed any longer I wouldn't be able to control my actions. I was not alone.
The girl that had spoken up nervously followed me away from the group.
"I'd ignore them if I were you" She said, she still looked like a nervous wreck.
"Same goes for you" I smirked. She blushed slightly.
"So…you don't mind muggle-lovers and all that?" She asked timidly, as if afraid that I had been lying before and would suddenly screech that she was a muggle-lover herself.
"Not a bit" I smiled. She smiled as well.
"Oh, by the way, I'm Rosalie Aisuru" I said, shaking her hand.
"I'm Natalie Morrison"
"Nice to meet you" I said. She warmed up after that. For the next ten minutes I spoke to Natalie Morrison. We had a good deal in common; it was very hard to find a pureblood like her. I hated to imagine how much she was judged by people she called friends and family.
Finally a man walked up onto a stage situated to the back of the room. Using a spell to magnify his voice he started to talk.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I'm glad that you have all made it to our yearly gathering. I recognize many faces, but I don't recognize others, and for that reason I'm afraid I must go over the rules" –there were a few groans- "Firstly – magic is prohibited in the lobby. Secondly – you are not to allow muggles into this hotel. Thirdly-" The list went on and on, most were not important and I'm sure no-one had any intentions of doing half the things anyway.
I chuckled as I heard Natalie yawn next for me.
"Bored?" I asked, she didn't answer and I knew she was blushing.
"Don't worry, I think it'd be worth skipping the night to get out of this" I whispered. Hell, I thought anything would be worth getting out of this entire night.
While the man continued to ramble pointlessly I let my eyes scan the crowd. I could see many people from school. Vincent Crabbe was over in a corner of the room. I gathered that there was probably a table back there containing food…and hopefully alcohol. Yep, these pureblood reunions could make anyone an alcoholic. In somewhat the middle of the room I saw a girl with black hair, a short dress and…a slightly upturned nose. I knew of only one girl that could pull the 'pug look' so well; Pansy Parkinson. My memories of her were strong enough and sure enough, after looking in the same direction as her I managed to see a man with white-blonde hair. Parkinson had always clung to Draco; it was rather sickening to watch a girl demean herself so.
My gaze lingered on Draco, taking in his appearance. His clothes were obviously of the best quality, it would have made me jealous if I hadn't been wearing such exquisite clothing myself.
Lost in my thoughts I was unaware when a pair of dark eyes fell on me. I was pulled back into reality from the intensity of the gaze. Turning around I saw a man who was wearing a black cloak staring at me shamelessly. His face was shadowed by the cloak; you could only make out his mouth and the glint of his eyes. His eyes met mine and he gave me the best Slytherin smirk he could muster. I looked away in disgust, but I never felt his gaze leave me.
So concerned about the man I was vaguely aware when everyone began to clap.
"And now, the dance begins…" The man on stage said dramatically as a band made their way on stage. They started with an elegant song. The music was so beautiful that I thought I would cry when it ended. It took a great deal of reminding myself that the music was probably enchanted to sound so good and that it wasn't personal talent. The thoughts left me disappointed, yet focused on my main task.
I ran my eyes over the pairs on the dance floor only to see Draco dancing with some blonde in a tight dress that showed off more of her body then I cared to see. I was surprised to say the least that he looked bored.
"Come on" I said to Natalie, motioning that we make our way over to the other side of the room. She followed without question.
My assumptions were right. There was a food table.
I grabbed a glass of wine and Natalie followed suit. I almost laughed when she sculled it and picked up another one.
"Steady on" I said, a smile on my face. She giggled slightly as an obvious blush over-took her face.
From this side of the room I was closer to Draco giving me a better view of him. Judging by his facial expression, I could tell that he either was disgusted by the scanty-dressed girls, or he had probably slept with them and no longer had any use for them. For his favour I hoped that the former was right.
My thoughts were interrupted for the millionth time that night as Natalie gave out a tiny squeak. I looked at her then followed her gaze.
Dear lord no.
Crabbe and Goyle were making their way over to us.
I looked away quickly as if I hadn't noticed them. They stopped in front of us and still I didn't look at them.
"Excuse m-me" It was Goyle who spoke, and by the sound of it, he was drunk. How can you be drunk at the beginning of a dance!? My only assumption was that they had taken advantage of having a bar in their suite.
"Yes?" My voice was polite enough, but it gave an obvious hint that I didn't want them anywhere near me. For Merlin's sake, their mouths were practically outlined with crumbs!
"Would you care to hic dance?" Goyle held out a pudgy hand.
"No thank you, I'm quite right" I said, resisting the urge to sneer like a Slytherin. Goyle looked taken aback and slightly angered.
"Listen here-" He started, but the 'alcohol' finally got to him and he passed out on the floor. I subtly put my wand back in a fold of my dress.
"Then what 'bout you sweetheart?" Crabbe asked Natalie. She flinched in fear, but nodded her head, too afraid of the out-come of the word 'no'.
I was left alone as Crabbe pulled Natalie onto the dance floor to dance…or sway in his case.
This gave the time to focus my attention back on Draco, he had found a new girl to dance with, but his mood didn't seem to have lightened up at all. I didn't blame him as I heard a shriek of false laughter come from the girl.
Next to him Blaise had taken over dancing with Pansy. Blaise seemed too happy, as if he were trying to ignore the fact that she was staring at Draco as best he could.
I looked back to Draco only to find that he was watching me intently. My first Gryffindor instinct was to look aware modestly. But then I had to remind myself that for the next two weeks I was a Slytherin, and so I raised my eyes once again and locked them with his. He smirked at me. Didn't anyone know how to smile around here?
Pushing the girl he was currently dancing with away he made his way over to me. I held his gaze the entire time he was walking.
"You owe me a dance" He said, holding a hand out to me, much like Goyle had gone, except much more gracefully. I looked at his hand for a moment, and then at him again, this time with raised eyebrows.
"I owe you nothing of the sort" I was going to say 'I owe you nothing' but that sounded far too protective and rude.
He chuckled.
"You said possibly, not no" He argued.
"I didn't say yes either now did I?" I said in a tone that clearly told him he was fighting a losing battle. He picked it up and sighed.
"Well then, will you please dance with me?" He asked.
"I would, but your girlfriend is jealous enough that you're talking to me" I said, my gaze traveling over his shoulder.
"Girlfriend…?" He looked behind him. "Fuck…" He muttered darkly.
I raised my eyebrows at him…again.
"She's not my girlfriend" He explained. "She's some…nuisance that won't leave me alone. I actually don't even have a girlfriend"
I mentally rolled my eyes at the hint about no girlfriend.
"Well, maybe you should make it clear to her now that you are not interested in her" I suggested, noticing that she was beginning to walk over to us.
"You don't understand. She is incapable of obtaining any new information" He muttered quickly.
"Draco?" Pansy Parkinson had finally made her way over to us.
"What do you want?" He snapped. She wasn't taken aback, I assumed that she was used to being spoken to in such a way by him.
"What are you doing?" She asked, eyeing me with distaste.
"That is, and never will be, any of your business" He growled. Pansy pouted seductively.
"You know I hate it when you play these games with me darling, now come and dance" She said sweetly, grabbing on to the front of his robe and trying to pull him away from me.
"No Parkinson" He said bitterly, yanking his robe out of her hands.
"Why not?" She whined. Draco was about to reply when I finally cracked.
"Because he just asked me to dance" I said. I didn't care if I seemed temporarily easy to get, I just didn't want to be drugging myself with potions to recover from whatever nasty headache her voice was about to give me.
Pansy looked about ready to murder me.
"I didn't ask you!" She said, her voice ever so slightly raised.
"What does it matter if you asked her or not? You would have got the same answer out of either of us anyway" Draco sneered, grabbing my hand and pulling me onto the dance floor.
We began to dance in time with the music.
"Thank you" He said in a relieved voice.
"Don't bother; I was doing it for myself, not you. Merlin knows I didn't want a headache tonight" I said. He chuckled.
"Yes, well, thank you for saving yourself by choosing to dance with me then" He said, a grin on his face.
I laughed.
"I won't lie and say 'anytime', but you are welcome" I said. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"What do you mean by that?" He asked.
"Well, I hardly think that I will be dancing with you every night" I said, purposely adding a tone in my voice that suggested that the idea was preposterous.
"And why not?" He pushed.
"Well, I expect we shall get sick of each other" I 'admitted'.
Draco shook his head.
"I doubt that" Said in the right tone, that would have been incredibly romantic…as it were he was a cold Slytherin that didn't know romance existed.
"Right, well…I've had quite enough dancing" I said, my tone slightly angry. He looked surprised.
"We only just began dancing though!" He exclaimed.
"I know" was all I replied before pulling away from him. I walked away, leaving him in absolute confusion on the dance floor.
I looked around for a second and decided on my destination.
As I entered the bathroom I saw two snobby bitches –Well that's what they looked like – Fixing up their make-up. By the look of the amount they had on, I presumed they'd been fixing it up for a fair while now. They both looked at me as the door swung shut.
I ignored them and walked into the nearest toilet cubicle.
I leaned against the cubicle wall and rubbed my temples, waiting for them to leave.
They were silent for a moment or two then they began to talk again. I ignored most of it until…
"So I saw you dancing with Draco Malfoy…"
"So?" Wow, not the answer I had been expecting.
"What do you mean 'so?'? The man is hot! How'd you manage to score a dance?"
There was a moment's pause
"Well…He asked me! I swear I could have died right then and there!" That was more like it…I knew deep-down she was a little slut…
"HE ASKED YOU!?" I had to cover my ears for that one. I'd bet any amount of money that even Draco heard that.
"You sound so surprised…" The voice was snobby and I could just imagine the sneer she probably had on her face at that exact moment.
"I am, I mean, I don't doubt that you could get any guy you want, just…Draco Malfoy? He's not just any guy…" Ah, the pureblood way. Suck up so you make another 'friend' and your social status goes up.
"Oh I know, he's not a man, he's a fucking God…" I rolled my eyes.
"So…you think anything else will happen tonight?" She really didn't want to know anything else then if they were likely to have sex.
"Possibly" That's right, remain calm on the outside and pray like fucking hell on the inside.
Finally I heard snaps as they closed their purses and then the clicks of their heels on the floor. I didn't come out of my cubicle until I heard the bathroom door close.
I walked over to the mirror quickly, trying to be as fast as possible so that no one would interrupt me.
I folded back some of the material around my cleavage and made saw that the camera was still facing out. I gave a relieved sigh when I saw that it was, so it hadn't missed any part of the night.
After checking that I hadn't dropped the extendable ears I decided to do what every other girl had probably already done. Re-apply make-up. It was amusing to know that it took me less time then checking that I still had a pair of extendable ears with me.
Placing the beauty products back in my bag I walked over to the door and opened it. I immediately closed it.
Outside in the bathroom corridor was the dark looking man that had been staring at me earlier. I hoped that he hadn't seen me just this second.
My breathing became unusually uneven as I started to panic slightly. Whoever this creep was, I could practically smell the evil coming off of him.
So what was I going to do? Spend my night in the bathroom? No. If he was waiting out there for me, then there was nothing stopping him from getting impatient and coming in. Maybe there was a vent or something that would lead out into the lobby? Oh yeah sure, then I'd just tell everyone that all good purebloods crawled around in air vents. What about magic? Were there any spells I could use that would make me invisible or something? Of course not…if that were the case then Invisibility cloaks wouldn't be such a big deal. I could always duel him…but the dark magic coming off him hinted that even if I knew more spells then any average person did in a lifetime, he would probably beat me with his knowledge of the dark arts.
I nearly screamed as the door opened.
A couple of women walked straight over to the mirror.
"You're the odd girl!" One of them exclaimed as she applied lipstick.
"I suppose I am to guess that 'new girl' just doesn't quite cut it like 'odd girl' am I? Then fine, yes, I am the 'odd girl'" I said. They didn't seem to pick up on the bitterness in my voice, instead they laughed.
"You don't seem that odd to me" One of the woman said. "Interesting yes, but not odd"
I was quite shocked by this statement. Had a pureblood just…been nice…without wanting something in return? Well that was that, I would check outside later to see if hell was freezing over.
"Thank you" I said warily.
"You're a friend of Nat's are you not?"
"Natalie? Yes I suppose"
"Then not a problem" They smiled at me, and I couldn't help but smile back. I was glad to know that Natalie wasn't a total outcast.
"Oh, by the way my name is Rosalie Aisuru, you don't have to keep calling me 'odd girl'" I said warmly. They chuckled.
"I am Katrina Morrison, Natalie's older sister"
"And I am Miriam Roberts, their cousin" Whoever I had been expecting them to be, this was not it.
"So, you are all related…" I made sure that this was not stated as a question, I didn't want to come across as mentally disabled. They smiled and nodded.
"Well, it certainly explains why you two are friendly" I mumbled. They heard me and gave a small laugh.
"Yes, I can only imagine that we were brought up differently compared to most other purebloods. We were taught to believe that even muggles have magic in them, they are just unable to express it like ourselves, and we are all of the same race"
"I like that logic" I smiled. "Although I never thought I'd hear another pureblood say it" I made sure that I said 'another'.
"We have heaps of other theories! You should come and talk to us sometime. It'll be easy to find us, of a day we'll be in the pools and of night, straight to the bar!" I was already starting to like these women. They had a fruity sense of humor and were both friendly to boot, rare qualities in a pureblood.
"I'd like that" I smiled.
"Well, we'll be off" Miriam said. "We have to spike the food, add some life to this dance!" Now I had reason not to eat the food…besides the fact that there probably wasn't any after Crabbe and Goyle got to it.
"I'll come with" I said quickly. This was perfect. I could leave the bathroom without having to worry about creepy, tall and evil outside. Miriam and Katrina seemed thrilled at the idea of me joining them.
We left the bathroom together. I walked on the side furthest away from 'the dark man'.
Even through my slight fear curiosity managed to fight its way to the surface. Who was this man? Did I know him?
I faced towards him, but still walked with the girls. To cover for the awkward walking style I asked where Natalie was.
"Oh, she's still trying to get away from that gorilla known as 'Vincent'" I smiled, pretending to be satisfied with the answer and returned to walking normally.
Once we were out of the bathroom corridor Katrina giggled.
"What?" both Miriam and I ask almost immediately.
"What type of man hangs out in the bathroom corridor while a dance is on?" She giggled. Miriam started to giggle too.
"I assume that he doesn't like dancing" Miriam replied, their giggles turned into laughter. I couldn't even force a smile on my face. I just didn't think it wise to laugh about such a man.
We walked over to the food and wine table and Miriam and Katrina did as they said they would and poured a potion over the food.
"Where have you been?" We heard a voice yell. We turned about guiltily.
"Oh Nat it's just you!" Katrina said in relief.
"You had us worried for a moment" Miriam said.
"Oh you were worried!" Natalie snorted. "You had nothing to worry about; I on the other hand had to dance with Vincent Crabbe!" It was funny how confident she was around her family, yet she could barely gain the courage to form a sentence around anyone else.
"We know" Miriam and Katrina grinned.
"And you didn't save me because…?" Natalie hissed.
"It was amusing! But if he looked like he was going to fall over in the slightest we were prepared to get an air pump to return you to your normal body shape" Natalie couldn't help but smile. I smiled to, but I was in a bit of shock that they even knew what an air pump was.
"Well just don't let that happen again" Natalie said, picking up a cherry from a plate. I opened my mouth to warn her about what we did to the food but all that came out was a slight yelp as Miriam stepped on my foot. Now at this point I'd like everyone to remember that it was a fancy dress occasion…meaning she was wearing heels…then again even if it weren't a fancy dress occasion she would be wearing heels.
"You alright Rosalie?" Natalie asked.
"I'm fine!" I said quickly. "My dress's pin just stabbed into me" It was a nice plausible excuse.
"Ouch" Natalie said, eating the cherry. There was a moments silence as Natalie chewed and Miriam and Katrina stared at her expectantly.
"What?" She asked them.
"Nothing" they said, disappointment lacing their voices as they realized that the potion they had used to spike the food had not worked.
"Yeah right" Natalie said with a roll of her eyes. By the sound of it she was used to the two of them and their tricks. "Nothing is 'nothing' when it concerns you two-" She stopped suddenly and her eyes became wide for a second. Miriam and Katrina perked up.
They smiled evilly as Natalie's eyes relaxed.
"Excuse me" Natalie said, picking up a glass of wine and sculling it before walking away. We watched as she grabbed a handsome man by the tie and pulled him onto the dance floor. Miriam, Katrina and I burst out laughing.
"See why I stepped on your foot?" Miriam asked.
"Yes, and I suppose it was worth it" The two grinned at my reply.
"Hey look!" Miriam suddenly said, nodded in the direction behind me. I turned around. "Looks like bathroom boy has decided that dancing is not so bad" She chuckled. The man had indeed come out of the bathroom corridor and was leaning against a wall, his eyes searching the crowd for someone. I shuddered.
"Maybe I should ask him to dance" Katrina grinned.
"Oh yeah, go for it girl" Miriam encouraged. Katrina looked at me for my support.
"Don't" I was quick to say. Both of the girls looked taken aback.
"Why not…?" Katrina asked in confusion.
"There's something about him, I don't trust him…" I said quietly, risking a glance in his direction. He was staring at me again. Was it I that he had been scanning the crowd for?
"For good reason, he's a Slytherin" Miriam said with a roll of her eyes.
"And although you may not be interested in him, he is so interested in you!" Katrina said.
"What do you mean?" I said, trying to act oblivious.
"I mean that he is totally checking you out!" She laughed. "Maybe you should ask him to dance"
"Absolutely not" I said immediately.
"Probably a good thing that you don't, because apparently he's not the only one interested in you…" Miriam said.
"Huh?" I said, this time genuinely oblivious.
"Well, no big deal…but Draco Malfoy is coming our way!" She almost squealed. "Oh Merlin, how sweet could it be to get laid by him-"
"Evening ladies" Draco said from behind me. I turned around slowly.
"H-hi" Katrina said, I felt like forcibly closing her mouth, Merlin help me if she should start drooling.
"How are you…?" Miriam said, her eyes leaving his face to travel down his body.
"I'm good" He answered, he looked back to me. "But I'd be better if you danced with me" He said to me.
"I'm sorry Mr. Malfoy, but I don't feel like dancing" I said formally. He nodded as if he had expected that reply.
"That's fair…but what is not is the fact that you know my name whereas I still don't know yours" He pushed, hoping that I'd just give up and give him my name. His hopes were for nothing.
"And it will stay that way until I know of a good reason to give you my name" I replied, sipping a drink that had…err…forced its way into my hand...well that was at least the story I was feeding Bill.
"Is the fact that you are my neighbour for the next two weeks good enough?" He asked.
"Not really, my other neighbour doesn't know my name, so why should you know it?" He sighed. My point was partly reasonable.
"I suppose I could just ask around to find out your name, I'm sure that you have introduced yourself to a good many people" He grinned, hoping he had me cornered.
"By all means, ask around. You'll just make people curious" I said with a shrug. Although he had this non-care attitude I knew that he'd hate it if he thought people suspected him to have feelings for someone. He could also pass it off that he just wanted a quick fuck with me, but he wasn't going to dare say that to me.
"Fine, don't tell me. But I'll find out soon, I mean, you are spending the next two weeks in the same hotel as me" He said, his face inching ever so slightly closer to mine.
"And when the time comes that you do find out my name, then what will you do with it?" I asked.
"I'm not quite sure yet" His face was still nearing mine, and I could see him tilting his head slightly.
"Well, I have much unpacking to do tonight, so I think that I'll call it a night" I said quickly, walking past him until I was out of his reach.
"Are you coming?" I said to Katrina and Miriam. Their desire to question me was far greater then their shock and they followed me immediately.
We passed by Natalie, deciding to leave her since she seemed happy enough kissing the man she had dragged onto the dance floor.
Walking up the stairs I came to my floor and the questions started.
I answered none of them, and instead promised that I would answer whatever questions they had the next day. They agreed unwillingly and departed to their own floors.
I sighed in relief and went into my suite.
It was now time to set up my equipment while Draco was still at the dance.
A/n: Yay, Hermione has friends! I don't suppose I mentioned how much I LOVE reviews...They brighten a bad day for me, and it has been a bad day for me, so reviews would be welcomed more then you could believe :-) Advice would be welcome, even though I've written alot of the story I'm always open to hear ideas, but if they mean a dramatic change to the story so far, don't expect to see them..heh. Well my lovely readers, it's getting relatively late here and I really must be going :D
I know that 'Go' button next to the 'Submit Review' is so tempting...temptation is a GOOD thing!
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