Masquerade

Second Dance

The dance was the hot topic at every table and it sounded like bees buzzing around in the Great Hall. Everyone was busy telling their friends how they had experienced it and what their guesses were who they had talked with.

Ginny had found a girl who had the same fashion sense as her to talk with. The girl had been so occupied with the girl that she had not even thought about dancing with a guy.

Harry had watched the others for quite a long time until he had joined a group of Quidditch obsessed people. They had arranged to play a game as soon as the event was over no matter which houses they were from.

Ron had stayed at the buffet for the whole evening chatting with some people but telling a girl off who had asked him to dance.

Of course Hermione had been the only one to investigate the features of the spell. Those spells she spent most of her afternoon on to research them in the library which was quite abandoned that day expect for the younger students who did not participate in the dances. Finding hardy any of the spells she met up with her friends in the Gryffindor common room to chat and play some exploding snap.

The time flew by and soon the time came for them to go down to the area again. This time they did not even bother to hold hands because they knew it was useless.

Although Hermione knew that the swirling sensation would return as soon as her foot made contact with the floor of the area she swayed slightly and tripped just like the day before. And like the first time she did not fall very long before she was caught.

"Are you making this into a habit?", the same deep male voice asked her.

"I really do not hope so.", she replied and looked at the masked face. The difference from the last dance was only small but visible. It had a grey shade now.

"But if I do I hope I will be lucky to be caught again." At that he snorted and shook his head before turning around to walk away.

There were already people on the dance floor and other standing about chatting. Since standing at the punch bowl was good the first time she decided to give it another try and it worked. She had just emptied her first glass when a guy approached her. The way he walked showed confidence which she liked.

"Would you like to dance?", he asked and offered her his hand. Putting her glass down she nodded and placed her hand into his so that he could guide her onto the dance floor. The song was slow and just so loud that you could hear it while talking to your partner.

"So, how do you like the idea of these events?", he asked while he moved her in circles. His hand was not too low on her back, just the right place, and he could dance very well.

"I think it´s really good." With a short nod he urged her to go on. "I mean the prejudices are all nonsense but somehow we all live with them and it changes how we approach and see other people. Especially the whole blood purity thing does not matter here." Bringing up the subject of purebloods and muggle-borns she had done on purpose for she wanted to know what her partner thought about it and so she stopped talking to hear his response.

As he groaned she almost wanted to rip her hand out of his but then he said something she had not expected.

"Argh, this whole thing about pure blood or not is simply annoying. I do not think that having the purest of wizard blood makes you special or better at magic. There are enough purebloods who are only average wizards while there are many outstanding muggle-born ones." Interestedly listening to her partner Hermione smiled more and more behind her mask.

"I don´t care about blood as well, especially since I´m muggle-born myself." His mask was a friendly orange, slightly rounder than before. The fabric of his suit coat changed to velvet.

"May I ask you something?", she said while studying the changes of him some more.

"Of course.", he said and sped up their pace since the song had changed.

"What can you see when you look at me?" He took his time to look at her carefully before he began his explanation of her looks.

"Your mask is blue with a little purple in it with a few white lines here and there. I think it had gotten slightly smaller. The dress is long and blue." Looking at him for a little longer he then shrugged. "I guess that´s it."

They kept dancing for some longer until Hermione felt thirsty and went to the bowl to get a glass of punch. While she helped herself to some of it she overheard the conversation of two girls. What they said was not nice and really nasty gossip about random people in the room. It was all about how people stood in the room or danced to the music. When Hermione turned around to look for her partner she found him dancing with a girl to faster music. He really was an expert dancer and watching them was nice. The way they danced around on the dance floor held some kind of happiness and lightness. Although she had not talked to the girl before she wore a white and yellow dress – just perfect for dancing.

Smiling to herself Hermione was about to go outside when she heard the two girls talk badly about them so she spun around and snapped: "I don´t think you two have understood the purpose of this event but I guess there are always people who cannot be helped."

Both gasped and their red horned masks glared at her but she did not care and walked away.

Since she had been to every place in the area the night before she knew exactly where she wanted to be right now.

There was some quite hidden spot from where you could see the fountain outside. To her surprise she found someone there. At first glance she had not noticed him leaning in the dark but then he moved and she recognized him. It was the boy who had caught her twice now.

"Uh, hello.", she greeted and thought that maybe he wanted to be alone but then the event was for people to get to know the others and so she decided to stay.

"You are not going to fall again, will you?", he asked sarcastically. Shaking her head she stepped closer.

"Why are you alone here?" Defensively he crossed his arm over his chest and looked back at the fountain below.

"I could ask you the same thing."

So he was not very talkative but she did not give up so fast and countered: "How about you tell me your reason and then I´ll tell you mine?" Ignoring her he turned further away.

When she did not make a move to leave any time soon he sighed and said: "I don´t like this event and if it was not obligatory I would not be here in the first place but since I cannot do anything about it I want to stay alone for the time."

At the end of the sentence he shot her a glance that should have told her to go away but somehow he had awoken her interest beside his rudeness.

"Hm… I already thought that not everyone would like the events but have you at least tried to be part of it?", she asked and leant against the opposite wall.

"I thought you said that if I told you my reason you would tell me yours but it seems your reason to be here is to ask many questions and annoy me." His words were harsh and she felt a little hurt because annoying him was not what she wanted to do.

Dejected by what he had said she answered quieter as she had wanted to and her voice wavered: "I found this place yesterday and wanted to watch the fountain for some time. To annoy you was really not my objective but I think you have not even tried to talk to anybody so it´s no wonder you don´t like it." He stepped in front of her visibly not glad about her words and straightened so he towered over her.

"I would not like it and now if you would leave me alone I would be grateful." It was not a question and not a request but something more like command. Since she never liked to be bossed around she dug her heels in and did not leave on purpose.

"How can you know that you would not like it?" Pinching the bridge of his nose which looked like rubbing his mask to her he groaned.

"I just know it. Are you done now?", he hissed.

"No."

"I guess walking away won´t help me so what do you want from me so that I can get my peace?" Shifting from one foot to the other she thought about something that could change his mind. He definitely would not sit down with her to have a nice chat about his life and other things so dancing was the only real option.

"We could dance.", she said lamely and from how his body tensed she knew that he did not like the idea.

"One dance and then you will leave me alone."

"Fine", she said and was a little startled that he walked past her towards the ball room without waiting for her. Hurriedly she followed him and crossed her arms over her chest when he finally had stopped and turned around to face her.

"Let´s get this over with." When she did not take his hand but merely stood there with him at the edge of the dance floor listening to the music he mirrored her.

"You changed your mind about the whole thing?" Shaking her head no she kept listening to the music. He was about to storm off when she took his hand.

"Now we can dance." And so they did.

They danced for some time in silence until he broke it by asking: "What was that just now about?"

Smirking under her mask she answered: "One dance lasts one song so I waited for the other one to end." Something between a snort and a laugh could be heard from him.

"Clever." It was the nicest thing he had told her so far and she took it as a compliment.

Thinking about something to lure him out of his comfort zone Hermione became quiet again. Everything she came up with would only make him storm off or say something sarcastic. In the end she did not have to say anything for it was again he who broke the silence.

"I don´t need this event. I have my friends so I see no reasons to find out things about people I know I do not want to talk with.", his voice was neutral and cold but there was also sadness somewhere hidden in it.

"Still you don´t talk to anybody instead of trying to find your friends to talk with them for in my opinion if you really know your friends it should not be a problem to find them. Giving it a try won´t hurt." Although she could not see his face behind his mask she was somehow sure that he was scowling down at her. Her words might have hit a spot of his and made him think.

For the rest of the dance she stayed quiet and watched him. He made her curious and still she enjoyed it not to talk but simply dance with him. The skilled dancer he was she felt like she was floating over the floor because he moved so fluently and effortlessly. Sadly the song had to end and they stopped.

"That´s it.", he murmured as she gazed up at him. About to leave her she caught a glimpse of something she had not realized yet and grabbed him by his arm.

"What? I thought we had a deal." His voice held no anger but mild annoyance.

"Uh, I´m sorry." Hesitantly she let go of him so he could walk away.

She had discovered something but the ball was almost over so she could not investigate it further. The people she had already talked to were nowhere in sight.

On her way up to the Gryffindor tower Ron, Harry and Ginny caught up with her but she did not listen to their stories because she was too occupied with what she might have discovered. Before she went to sleep she once again took her list and added one thing to it.

Eye color?

/ so here is the second dance and I hope you enjoyed it. I though about changing the time setting to seventh year but decided against it since I cam up with an even better ending than before.

So who is the person who caught her twice now?

Who is the guy she danced with and who the girl in the yellow dress?

Who are the two nasty gossips?

Who is the girl Ginny talked to?

Make a guess!

Review, please?