Disclaimer: Harry Potter may not be mine, but I can still have fun with his world.
My Father
Chapter Eleven
Sarai's POV
Oh bloody Merlin.
What did I just allow them to do?
This cannot be me. This really cannot be me.
Is that me?
I leaned closer to look at my reflection in the mirror. Same nose, same eyes, same hair.
It's gotta be me.
"Well? What do you think?" Ginny asked, breaking the silence.
"That's me?" I squeaked out.
"That's you." Hermione reassured me.
"I never thought it possible. You guys did a. . .a great job. I don't think I've ever looked like this before," I said, gesturing.
Ginny had pulled out a stunning green and silver dress for me that fell just to the tops of my knees. It had skinny straps that were wound with silver accents. The collar line fell a few inches below my collarbone and was stitched with sparkling green and silver thread.
Hermione had brushed my hair until it was shiny and tangle-free. She pulled my long bangs out of my face and secured them at the back of my head.
Then they both attacked me with makeup. They highlighted my deep blue eyes with black eyeliner and mascara, and then took silver eyeshadow and applied it lightly around the outside of my eyes to make them appear brighter and deeper colored.
Now they both looked at me, admiring their handiwork.
"I think you look grand," Hermione said, brushing a stray piece of lint off my dress.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Ginny said, going over to her wardrobe and pulling out a pair of heels, "you need something to dance in."
"Thanks guys. This means a lot to me," I said, sitting down on Hermione's bed to pull on the heels.
"Malfoy is going to eat his heart out," Ginny said, grinning.
"I hope so. If this doesn't get his attention, I don't know what will."
I sat there and waited for them to get ready. They both looked very nice as well. Ginny had put on a black skirt and a pretty blue striped shirt. She pulled her hair up into a messy but creative twist and threw on some makeup to accent her green eyes. Hermione had dressed in a denim miniskirt and a form fitting red and black collared shirt. She brushed her hair out and waved her wand around to braid her hair into little tiny braids that she gathered back and secured behind her head. She put on a dash of mascara to highlight her lovely almond eyes and pulled on a pair of chunky heels.
"You guys look great too." I said when they were finally finished.
"Not as good as you," Ginny said. "This is just something I throw on when I have a party to go to."
"But it looks good. I couldn't pull that off," I assured her.
Hermione looked at her alarm clock. "It's party time. Come on, let's go down."
The three of us descended the stairs into the common room. Already, it was filling up with people from other houses. We spotted Ron and Harry talking by the fireplace.
"Hi guys. Doesn't Sarai look great?" Ginny asked them once we were within earshot.
They turned around. Harry's mouth dropped, and Ron audibly muttered, "Whoa."
Music started playing from an unseen source, and decorations magically appeared from nowhere.
"Nice job guys. This is great," I admired.
"Come on, let's go dance," Ginny said, grabbing my hand and pulling me to an area that was clear of tables and chairs.
The music was great. I let it fill me up and I let go of everything. My body moved with the rhythm of the music. It pounded through my body, making me feel exhilarated. All my troubles disappeared. It was me, the music, and the people dancing around me.
The others soon joined us. They began making introductions as more people showed up. Soon, the common room was filled with people from other houses.
"You told a few people? I think the whole school's here!" I shouted over the music to Hermione and Ginny.
"Yeah, well, I guess you're popular!" Ginny shouted back.
I was soon out of breath from dancing so much. "Let's go grab drinks!" I shouted at the others.
They nodded eagerly and followed me off the dance floor.
We all grabbed bottles of butterbeer and walked around for awhile, the others greeting those they knew and introducing me to everyone who crossed our paths. Everyone was really nice, complimenting me on my clothes and wishing me happy birthday.
But I didn't see Draco. I looked at the clock on the mantle above the fireplace. The party had been in full swing for an hour.
My heart sank. Did I just set myself up for heartbreak yet again?
I shrugged it off and plastered a grin on my face when a girl by the name of Padma Patil complimented me on my dress. From what I gathered, she was Parvati Patil's twin sister from Ravenclaw.
"Nice to meet you too. Thank you for coming," I said.
Hermione looked at me uncertainly. She could hear the wobble in my voice, though I tried to disguise it.
"Are you okay?" she asked me aside from the others.
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.
"Shall we go dance again?" she asked, looking around at the others.
"Yeah, let's go."
The music was getting better. The beat ground through my body, making it seem as though it was the beat itself making me move. I shook off all my worries again and just concentrated on the music. I looked around at all the people in the common room. They all seemed to be having a good time. It seemed nobody was without a grin on their faces.
Without warning, a slow song started. It seemed immediately everyone paired off: Ginny with Harry, Hermione with Ron. I struggled to keep the smile on my face as I watched them all dance, so happy with each other.
I backed away, hoping to slip away unnoticed. That's when I backed into someone. Someone who seemed to have a damn good build, with a muscular chest. . .
I whirled around. Draco stood there, smiling down at me.
"There you are. Shall we dance?" he asked.
I nodded, not trusting my voice again, though this time, it was out of happiness. I was afraid I would squeak with joy.
He took my hand and led me to the center of the dance floor. He wrapped his arms around my waist, and I wrapped mine around his neck. He pulled me close to him, so I fit snugly against his body.
Instantly, it seemed everything and everyone around us faded away. The world contained only me and Draco, revolving on the spot in time with the music.
I rested my head against his chest, inhaling his sweet smell. I wanted this to go on forever. It felt right.
"You look absolutely beautiful tonight," he whispered into my ear, sending little tremors down my spine.
"You look wonderful yourself," I whispered back.
The music didn't last long enough. Soon, the beat picked up again, and people separated slightly and continued dancing.
"Let's keep dancing," I shouted as Draco loosened his hold on me.
He didn't complain. He was a bloody good dancer too. He pulled moves I've never seen before. He had me laughing and smiling uncontrollably. Each time I would laugh, he would get this look on his face, raise his eyebrow suggestively, and bust out another move. Soon, we were both laughing uncontrollably and falling over each other.
At one point, Harry caught my eye. He sort of gave Draco an appraising look behind his back, then looked back to me and smiled as if to say that no matter what, he would be happy for me. I smiled back and went back to dancing with Draco.
"I'm thirsty. Let's go get something!" Draco shouted at me.
"Okay!"
He grabbed my hand and led me over to the refreshments table. We both grabbed butterbeers and found a place to sit down: the couch in front of the fire.
He draped his arm across my shoulders. "This is one hell of a party, Sarai."
"I know. I've never been to anything like it. I'm having fun, are you?"
Draco looked straight into my eyes. "I am now that I'm with you."
I giggled. "I'd have to say the same thing. Before you found me, I wasn't having much fun at all."
He responded by doing another one of his immeasurably sweet acts: he picked up my hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it.
I felt a blush creep up into my face. "Draco, stop, you're making me blush."
"But it makes you look so pretty."
I giggled again. "You, Mister Malfoy, have a bad habit of being too sweet to me. What have I done to deserve it?"
"Sarai, you are a sweet person. It's hard not to act this way when I'm around you."
The blush deepened. Draco grinned.
We sat there, watching everyone party around us and drinking our butterbeers in silence.
Draco looked over at me. "What do you say to taking a walk with me?"
"And leave the party?"
"We'll come back later. I have a feeling this will take awhile to wind down anyways. We have all the time in the world."
I got up and took his hand when he offered it to me. He led me out of the portrait hole.
"When is this thing going to be over?" The portrait, the Fat Lady, demanded.
We shrugged. "Whenever people get tired?" Draco suggested.
The Fat Lady glared at us as we walked away.
We strolled the corridors in silence. I was aware that my hand was still locked with Draco's, but I didn't pull it away.
Draco led me to a corridor where one whole side of it was nothing but windows. We went over to them and looked out.
It was a clear, beautiful night. The moon was full and bathing us in moonlight. The grounds looked so pretty. The trees were changing colors, and the moon lit them all up. Shadows were everywhere, making the night seem almost magical.
"Oh, it's so beautiful," I sighed in delight.
Draco didn't look away from my face. "Not as beautiful as you are."
I tore my eyes away from the night and looked up into Draco's eyes. My stomach did a weird sort of flip flop.
"Can I give you the present I got you?" he asked.
"You didn't have to get me anything," I said.
"But I wanted to." he said as he pulled out a small wrapped box.
My hands shook slightly as I took the box from his outstretched hand. I pulled the ribbon off and opened the lid.
My hands absolutely trembled when I pulled out the most beautiful ring I had ever seen. Two snakes wound together to form the ring and were inlaid with green and red gems. It was made of the best quality goblin-wrought silver money could buy.
My eyes filled with happy tears. I looked up at him.
"Read the inscription," he whispered, turned the ring in hold.
I held it up to the light and read it.
Two halves make a whole. Without my better half, I wouldn't exist. Love forever and always, Draco.
My heart swelled with utter happiness. My eyes threatened to spill over as I looked up at him again.
"Thank you Draco. Thank you so much. You don't know what it means to me. I've felt so lost and alone these past couple of months. . ."
"Shhhh."
He reached out a hand and brought it to my face. His thumb wiped away a tear that was snaking its way down my cheek. With the other hand, he picked up my right hand and slipped the ring onto one of my fingers.
He looked me in the eyes again. My stomach did a somersault. He moved closer. His eyes sparkled in the moonlight. He kept moving closer, closer.
He was much too close. I could have counted the eyelashes on his eyes.
The thought quickly vanished when Draco's lips met mine.
In his eyes, I was complete.
