Chapter 7

For the next two weeks every night I would dream about Draco Malfoy, and I would wake up to my hand searching the bed for him. I would also spend most of my free time, which wasn't a lot, thinking about him He had this strange effect over me that no one else did, and an effect that no guy had ever had on me.

Despite the fact I had yelled at him for sending me presents like I was some girl that he could sleep with, he still sent me a present each day. Every night when I came up from the common room and came out of the shower into my dorm, there would be a present on my pillow, in an emerald green box with a black and silver ribbon along with a letter written in scarlet ink. The present was never there before I had my shower, so he must follow me up to my room every night to lay it on my pillow when I was showering. I wasn't keen on going back on my word, but I started acting nicer towards him, especially when Slughorn changed partners for potions and I was paired with him for the rest of the year.

In classes I would occasionally catch him looking at me, and when ever I got hurt by a bludger in Quidditch he would always be the first one at my side to help me, though it had only happened twice and on those two occasions the bludgers had been jinxed, and both times Malfoy vowed to hunt down who had done it. And the next day I had found two fifth year Gryffindors hanging from the ceiling of the entrance to the hall.

It was now getting colder and closer to winter and there was one thing on everyone's minds, well mainly the girls. McGonagall had announced they would be having a Christmas Ball on the night before we went home for Christmas, and that the theme was to be masquerade. In the corridors most of the younger girls were talking about what they were wearing and whom they were going with. But for the sixth and seventh years they barely had time to think about any of that at the moment as we were getting lots of homework and assignments, along with the constant study we were doing.

'Thought I would find you here.' Came the familiar voice of Draco as he approached me.

As he walked over to the table I was sitting at near a window, I couldn't help but smile at him. It was becoming harder and harder for me to resist him and not give him another chance, but in a way I already had given him another chance as we were back to almost acting like friends again who flirted and taunted each other constantly.

'So who you going to the Christmas ball with?' he asks me as he gets out his charms book.

I look up at him curiously. 'No one.'

'No ones asked you?' he asks sounding shocked.

'No, people have asked me but I've just said no to them is all.' I state calmly.

'So you're not going to go?'

'No I am going to go, but the right person just hasn't asked me to go. And even if I don't choose to go with someone I will still go. I don't care what people think if I don't turn up with someone.'

Draco is silent for a little while and I look up to see that he looks nervous. A rare emotion for him, and very rare for a Malfoy to have.

'What's wrong Draco?' I ask as I reach my hand across the table and place it one his.

He seems to calm at my touch and relaxes a bit and then looks me in the eye. 'Would you consider going to the ball with me?' He says as his voice shakes slightly.

Inside I was jumping with joy, my heart was beating fast and my mouth curled upwards slightly. I look up into his eyes with look scared and smile fully. 'I'll go with you. But this doesn't mean I'm giving you another chance.'

He smiles immediately and the scared, nervous boy I saw moments ago is gone and replaced by a happy and confident Draco.

'There's also something else I want to ask you.'

'What do you want to ask me?' I say as I lean over the table towards him.

He leans towards me and grabs my other hand in his. I got to pull in back but his just grips onto it tightly. 'Well I told my parents about you and they would very much like to meet you as they use to know your parents when they originally lived here. So what I want to ask you is if you would like to come and stay with my family over the Christmas break instead of staying here alone and not having anywhere to go.'

I quickly rip my hands away from his and stare at him in shock.

'How do you know I have nowhere to go?' I say as my voice shakes with nerves.

'You're parents are dead aren't they? And you're the last in your line. I was just assuming you had no family to go to.'

'How do you know my parents are dead? No one besides me knows that.'

'You're distantly related to me, my mother and father knew almost as soon as it happened via a family tree in our house that is enchanted to add new members when they are added to the family and then when they are dead turn their pictures grey. But don't worry your not related to me directly. You're one of my very very very distant cousins, so you're barely related to me at all, so there's no problem in dating me sometime in the future.'

I glare at him for a split second before my face turns sad.

'Look, just come and stay with my family for the break. I mean in a way we are you're family. We may be very distant family that is barely related, but we are still family. And I think that getting away form here for two weeks may be good for us. You'll get to see what I'm really like and may even consider giving me another chance.'

'Ok I'll come and stay with your family for the holidays. But there's no promise that I will be giving you another chance.'

'I know, but there's always that small chance that you will.' He says before giving me a half smile and striding out of the library leaving me alone to do my assignments.