CHAPTER 21
"Friends & Foes"

Eva leaned over the balustrade of Hogwart's bridge, admiring the frosted school grounds she realized she was going to miss so much. She was already packed for their Christmas break but the blonde was not quite ready to leave just yet. During her short stay at Hogwarts, the school had become a home for her and had quickly worked its way into her heart despite everything that had happened...or maybe because of everything that had happened.

She had gone through so many things – the bad and the good – during the relatively short time she had spent in school. She had met so many interesting people – the bad and the good sort as well. The professor that stood silently beside her, reflecting on everything she was confiding in him, was definitely the good sort.

"Would you remember, Sir, when I told you I had heard something strange during the dementor attack – a girl crying?"

The older man simply nodded, his hands clasped together as he, too, leaned over the balustrade.

"And my boggart during the class...it had turned into a wardrobe," she continued. "Well it all makes sense now, Professor. I finally understand what I heard and why I heard it."

Eva smiled dryly. "The dementors were forcing me to relive a terrible childhood memory - the time I was locked away in a wardrobe." She sighed and shook her head. "That must be it. I can't think of any other explanation."

"That would seem to be an acceptable explanation," he said. "After all, dementors feed on strong negative emotions." The professor looked at his student kindly. "How are you doing, now that you understand?"

The blonde took a moment to reflect. "I'm sleeping better now...but I would be lying to you, Sir, if I told you I was not at all troubled by it..."

Professor Lupin flashed her a comforting smile. "It's only natural I suppose. Sometimes, taking a peek into our deeper selves can be nerve-wracking. Sometimes, we don't necessarily like what we see. After all, we all have our secrets and fears...things we are ashamed of...things we try to forget." His smile faltered a bit. "But sooner or later...we all have to face the monsters inside us..."

Hearing some footsteps approaching, the professor turned his head to the side. "Luckily, this journey of self-discovery is rarely walked alone."

"Eva!" a girl's voice shouted. "Let's go! We'll miss the train!"

Eva turned as well and saw her friends running up to them, waving their arms happily.

The professor chuckled. "You had better head off now. Happy Christmas, Miss Bellator."

The blonde's lips curled into a smile. "Happy Christmas, Professor!"

Baggages were loaded into the train and students scurried to find their places with friends. When all was ready, the train whistled long and loudly, signaling their departure. It wasn't very long before Hogwarts completely disappeared from Eva's view. The blonde sighed and leaned back in her seat.

She couldn't exactly say that she was ecstatic to be going home. But at least the company she had in her compartment now was far more agreeable than that of her first train ride. Last time, she had had only her thoughts and anxiety to keep her company in that quiet and chilly compartment. Plus, there was that whole dementor incident that had shaken her nerves all the more.

Now, her compartment was anything but quiet and she liked it better that way.

"Oi, oi, oi!" Theodore shouted, pulling their stash of sweets away from Millicent. "Don't eat it all! This is supposed to last the whole trip!"

The chubby girl frowned. "But I'm starving!"

"Starving? Didn't you just stuff your face before leaving?"

"What are you even doing here, Nott?" Daphne asked irritably. "Don't you usually share a compartment with Blaise and Draco?"

"Well since Parkinson's there throwing herself all over Draco," he answered, making himself more comfortable in his seat (beside the blonde witch). "I might as well take her place here!"

Eva chuckled as the three continued to bicker. "Is it usually this...errr...energetic in your compartment, Tracey?"

The pony-tailed girl sighed but had an amused smile on her face. "Unfortunately. Especially when Theodore and Pansy end up in the same compartment. There's never a dull moment."

As promised, the rest of the trip was spent with bickering here and there (not that anyone really minded), lively chatter and laughter. And before they knew it, their train had come to a complete stop. Students were filing out with their baggage and various pets, hugging and saying their goodbyes and happy Christmases to their friends and then hugging parents and relatives who had come to pick them up.

"Owl me, okay?" Eva hugged her best friend tightly. "Promise me!"

Tracey returned the hug and chuckled. "Only if you promise to owl me often, too!" Then she quickly added, "Oh, but please don't use your parents' bird. I prefer to keep ALL my fingers during the break, thank you very much."

"Traaaaceeeeyyy deeeaaareeest!" A middle-aged woman in a bright yellow coat and pink dress suddenly came walking briskly towards their group. She gave the pony-tailed girl a big hug and proceeded to help with her things. "I've missed you terribly, dear! Now let's get going!"

Tracey stopped in her tracks. "Mum, wait! I want to introduce you to my friend." She motioned for Eva to approach them. "You already know the others," she said, pertaining to the rest of the Slytherin group behind her. "But this is Eva, Eva Bellator. She's a new student, but we're in the same year."

The blonde smiled. "It's nice to meet you, ma'am."

"Oh," the woman simply replied. She stared for a moment at the blonde in front of her – mouth slightly open, her smile slightly diminished.

Tracey rolled her eyes when her mother continued to stare. "No, mum, her last name's not Malfoy. It's Bellator. Yes, they do look alike, but no, they're not related."

The middle-aged woman stared a bit more before finally collecting herself. "Ah y-yes, yes. I understand." She cleared her throat and continued nervously. "W-Well it's nice to meet you, Eva. Now come along, dear...mustn't keep your father waiting."

Tracey waved one last time to her friends before walking off with her mother, who constantly asked her why she wasn't wearing the dresses sent to her. Millicent, Pansy and Daphne went home shortly after, leaving the blonde with the three boys.

"Don't forget to owl me, too, Eva!" Theodore said, clutching the girl's coat and not exactly wanting to let go. "I'll be really, really, really sad if you forget!"

Eva surprised the boy with a friendly hug. "Of course, Theodore! How could I forget that?"

Draco rolled his mercurial eyes. "Alright, alright, break it up," he said, pulling back the tall boy who was clearly enjoying the hug far too much.

"Yeah, no need to get all teary-eyed, Dora," Blaise snickered. "You'll be seeing each other in just a few days anyway at the Malfoy ball. Now let's get going! Our folks won't be too happy if we keep them waiting any longer."

"Right, right..." Theodore sighed. "See you real soon, Eva! Take care of yourself, okay?"

Draco gave a curt nod and just a hint of a smile before finally walking off with his friends.

Eva watched the group disappear around a corner before sitting down on a nearby bench and parking her things beside her. The people on the platform slowly dwindled as they all made their way home. As she looked around, her owl stirred restlessly in its cage.

"Don't worry, Noxx. Someone will be here soon," she said, sticking her hand in the cage and smoothing out the bird's feathers.

True enough, a tall man clad in dark green and donning a black beard appeared in front of her. The ever so familiar scowl was plastered on his face.

"Welcome back, Miss Bellator," he formally greeted, picking up some of her baggage. "I've come to take you home."

Eva was enjoying her dreams of ball gowns, enchanting music, dancing and merry-making when she was abruptly woken by soft but incessant poking. She groaned and groggily opened her eyes. Once her vision came into focus, the blonde saw one of their house elves' familiar faces.

"Good morning, Little Miss," the house elf greeted coyly, its big blue eyes shining in the early morning light.

Eva groaned some more and turned over, pulling the covers over her head. "Hi, Winkle…it's nice to see you again but please give me just a few more minutes."

The small creature scurried to the other side of the four-poster bed. "B-But you are wanted at breakfast, Little Miss... The m-masters..."

Periwinkle started to cower and sob. The blonde could do nothing but sigh and sit up from her bed. She patted the elf tenderly on its head and smiled. "Alright, Winkle. You win. I'll go get dressed."

The creature clapped her hands excitedly and proceeded to levitate a dress out from the huge wardrobe. "Little Miss should wear this! It is very pretty! Winkle likes this one!" But then her brows furrowed when she spotted other 'pretty' dresses, which were just as quickly levitated into the air. "Or maybe Little Miss will like this...or this...oohhh...Winkle likes this!"

"It's alright," Eva said as she got on her feet and stretched. "I can dress myself, thank you."

Periwinkle's bat-like ears flopped to the sides of her head in disappointment but quickly perked up again as she made the bed, careful to tuck away Teddy under one of the feather pillows – a little secret that Eva shared only with her. She then hopped to the dresser, knocking down some bottles of perfume and other cosmetics in the process, and picked up a hair brush. While the witch was getting dressed, the elf tried to brush her hair, but only ended up getting in the way.

"It's okay, Winkle. I can brush my own hair."

The house elf returned the brush and sat down on the bed dejectedly. "Winkle only wants to help," she explained in her soft and shy voice. "Winkle missed Little Miss terribly when she went to Warthogs. Winkle was very lonely."

Eva chuckled lightly. "It's Hogwarts, Winkle." She then embraced the smaller creature. "And I missed you, too. Now go on. I'll be ready in a while."

Smiling, the little elf headed for the bedroom door. She peeked one last time behind it before closing it completely, leaving the blonde alone in her spacious room.

It was just another day in the Bellator household and, now that she was back, she had to once again live her life by the schedule and system she knew by heart.

She washed up, meticulously put on one of the dresses Periwinkle brought out for her (she went with the lacy white one that day and added an elegant little brooch she knew her mother liked), straightening out any folds and tucking her necklace inside (she also knew that the irregularly shaped gray stone fished out from a river quite a few years back would most definitely NOT be to her parents' taste) before stepping into spotless bejeweled white shoes and neatly brushing her hair away from her face. She gave herself one look over in her full-length mirror to check if anything was in disarray and another look over to recheck everything (just in case she had missed something).

When she deemed her appearance satisfactory, that would be the only time she could make her way through long hallways lined by countless portraits and ornate jars and down staircases leading to the humungous dining room where her parents preferred to take their first meal of the day.

She had not met with her parents yet. When she had arrived from her trip with her tutor, Mr. Burke, the night before, her parents had already retired to their rooms and were not to be disturbed. She received a very warm welcome, however, from the house elves, especially from Periwinkle who was now waiting diligently by the entrance to the dining room. With a snap, the creature opened the huge doors for her. Eva gave her a little pat on the head as she was escorted by the creature into the room.

One other house elf was waiting at the side of the dining room. The patriarch was seated at the head of the table, reading his paper as usual. The matriarch was running some business and news by her husband. Neither of them ever really cared to make eye contact. As usual.

Periwinkle cleared her throat. "E-Excuse me, Masters..." She shook pathetically in place as a pair of icy blue eyes landed on her. "L-Little Miss has come down for breakfast."

Ursula inspected the girl standing beside the elf. It was customary that if she found anything disagreeable about her daughter's appearance, the young witch would be told to return to her room and fix whatever it was that was displeasing. In truth, this happened quite frequently since the matriarch had an extremely sharp eye for details. On that day, however, nothing seemed to be out of place.

"Very well," the woman replied brusquely. "Now leave us."

The house elf made a low bow and quickly scurried out of the room.

"Good morning," Eva greeted politely, kissing her parents on their cheek before taking her place at the table. The house elf present in the room placed all of Eva's favorite breakfast items on the plate for her.

"There's far too much on her plate," Ursula snapped, making the creature jump up in fright. "We have a ball coming up, you incompetent fool. We can't have her look bloated."

Trembling, the creature apologized, returned some of the food and poured some water into the young witch's goblet. Eva whispered a thank you before it returned to its place in the room.

Her father set his paper aside. "I trust your trip home with Mr. Burke was agreeable?"

"Yes, Father." Eva carefully cut her meat. She knew by instinct that her mother's eyes were still on her.

The man took a sip from his coffee and set the cup down on its saucer. "And your stay at Hogwarts?"

"I've had a pleasant time at Hogwarts, Father. I'm doing well in each class. I've made many friends from my House, as I've reported in my letters."

"And yet," her mother interjected. "You failed to mention that one of those friends of yours was the sole Malfoy heir."

"Forgive me..." Eva replied with eyes downcast. "I just didn't think–"

"That's right," Ursula cut her off. "You didn't think."

Now it was the father's turn to speak again. "Eva, you are coming of age. It is imperative that you learn to understand the importance of making the right connections and knowing your foes like the back of your hand… Elf! Bring me water."

The house elf darted to the side of its master and poured the cool liquid into his goblet.

"Now, the upcoming ball shall give us the opportunity to do just that. You will be preparing for it in the afternoon with your mother and I expect you to make yourself useful to her, but enough of that." The man's eyes darkened and his brows furrowed. "We have more pressing concerns to discuss."

Somehow, Eva had a feeling she already knew what their talk was going to be about. She kept her eyes on her plate and gripped the sides of her chair uneasily.

Ursula pursed her thin lips. She never once averted her eyes from the girl. "Do you understand the situation...no, the shame you put the family name into because of that dementor incident?"

"I knew it," Eva thought to herself. This talk was just inevitable.

Her parents spoke calmly but their discontent (to say the least) was as clear as day.

"Imagine...the heir of the Bellator family attacked and subjugated by such foul and loathsome creatures. And to make matters worse, you had to be rescued by none other than the son of the Malfoys, one of our biggest competitions. Have you no consideration for the name of this family?"

"Forgive me...but I...I couldn't do anything," the young witch feebly admitted.

She was never one to answer back and she knew she had a fault in this as well, but they were being unfair and cruel. Her parents were more concerned over their precious name rather than her well-being. It stung her in more ways than they could imagine.

"They're stronger than they appear...I was no match for them..."

"You don't understand, do you?" her mother continued coldly. "This situation could have easily been avoided. If you had not been exposing yourself in such a useless game in the first place, you would not have caused this problem."

"Which brings us to our next concern." Brutus Bellator took a drink from his goblet and held it in the air. "You will no longer be permitted to participate in Quidditch, be it games or trainings."

Eva's eyes snapped to her father. She was not expecting that.

"But Father! I–"

"You engaged in that pointless sport and joined the team without our consent. Since then, you have been sacrificing your health – I recall you wrote us about being ill once or twice – and your time for studies to indulge in these useless games."

"No! You can't do this..."

"Father, Mother...please reconsider!" the young witch implored, swallowing the fear that came with uttering such words.

She couldn't bring herself to blindly accept their decision. Quidditch made her happy. She was part of a team. She was part of something important to her, to her friends and to her House. She had worked so hard and been through so much...and for what? To have it all taken away from her? And all because Lucian Bole decided he hated her guts enough to cause her harm?

"I'll be more careful...I'll work harder...and the dementors...they've been kept away from the area since then. It will never happen again so please, Father–"

Brutus Bellator brought his goblet down hard on the table. "Enough. We are done discussing this."

That was the final stomp on her pride. They had effectively put out any fire she had left in her. They returned to their meals and to their discussion of other business matters, as if the previous matter meant nothing to them, while Eva fought to blink back tears. Her appetite was gone and she felt completely crushed under their heel.

But she would not cry in front of them. No, she would swallow the hurt and disappointment.

As usual.

The night of the Christmas ball arrived and the Malfoy mansion buzzed with life as guests started pouring in and as servants attended to their duties tirelessly. The female guests showed off luxurious gowns, some of which were studded and bejeweled from head to toe. Others donned colorful feathers from exotic birds, while others still flowed with trains of the finest silk. And to complement such fancy attire, they had worn only their best jewelry, especially since this was no ordinary ball – it was a ball hosted by the Malfoys. The men, on the other hand, wore classy and crisp suits and dress robes. Unlike the women, they were dressed more for business than for leisure. One or two bejeweled, golden or silver accessories of the highest quality, however, could be spotted on such suits and robes to subtly remind their peers that they certainly belonged to such an elite party as that.

In the privacy of his room, Draco Malfoy prepared his own black dress robes and a silver pin studded with emeralds, quite fitting for a Slytherin. In his room, he could already hear the music and commotion from the party. It was almost time for him to join them.

After making the final touches to his attire, he left his room and made his way to their ballroom. He stopped before the great ornate doors leading to the party and sighed.

"Here we go again."

Draco pushed the doors open and was almost blinded by the bright candle lights of the party. It was a stark contrast to the darker corners of their home where he was disposed to spend most of his free time in. It was a stark contrast as well to the previous state their ballroom had been in – cobwebs, dust, covers on the furniture, dark and heavy curtains blocking out rays of sun and so on. Now, it was a room of splendor and elegance – sparkling crystal chandeliers, fresh exotic flowers in large glass vases, silver-framed portraits and silver-lined...well...everything, newly waxed floors you could practically see your reflection in and curtains pulled back, exposing grand balconies and a view of the beautifully lit gardens and fountains waiting outside.

His mother had outdone herself yet again.

"Oh, Draco dear," the aforementioned woman called. She motioned for him to join their group.

His father was shaking hands with some newly arrived guests from the Ministry, who, judging from what he heard as he was approaching, were busy kissing his father's arse. One of the men was stick thin while the other was plump like a stuffed pig. Draco smirked to himself. They made a perfect 10.

"Good evening," he greeted politely, taking his place at his mother's side.

"My word! How your son has grown!" the plump man exclaimed, peering through his thick glasses, as if he were a close friend of the family.

"Funny, I could say the same about you," the young blonde thought to himself as he eyed the man's belly bulging out of his dress pants. The thinner one went on to compliment him on how tall and lean he was, but he didn't really care. He already knew he was devilishly good-looking.

After a few more compliments about their home and their hospitality, the head of the Malfoy family extended his arm and said, "Please, enjoy yourselves."

That was the one-liner used whenever they felt that civilities with certain people had extended far longer than what was necessary. This especially came in handy when dealing with people of little significance.

Lucius turned to his son when they were left to themselves. "Now remember what we talked about, Draco," he said, giving a curt nod to a group of people. "We have special guests arriving today. It would be to our best interest if you could befriend them."

"Of course, Father," Draco obediently answered. And of course, he already knew what his father meant by "befriend" and who he was pertaining to. He had been briefed many times before this party. The funny thing was, he had unintentionally started befriending this person way ahead of schedule.

He was about to excuse himself and go looking for his best mates when a small commotion at the other side of the room caused them to turn in that direction.

He meant to ask what it was about, but the sinister smile on his father's face said it all. "Speak of the devil."

Descending from the grand staircase was another family quite like the Malfoys – stately, expensive, dressed to impress and, most noticeably, blonde.

It was the first time Draco laid eyes on the whole family.

The head of the newly arrived family was tall and dignified, much like his own father, but instead of long and straight pale blonde hair, his was wavy, cut very short and matched well with his trim beard.

The wife at his arm was just as dignified and carried herself with such elegance and poise. She was dressed in a dark evening gown peppered with diamonds while donning two pairs of diamonds on her ears and another band of these expensive jewels on her wrist. She was a very handsome woman; however, the coldness in her blue eyes and her proud demeanor made her look just as severe and pompous as she was handsome.

Then his eyes fell on the girl beside the woman.

And suddenly, everything slowed to a near stop. Suddenly, he found himself unable to tear his eyes away...and everyone in the room seemed to fade in the background, until only she was left.

She had worn a high neck silver laced gown with intricate patterns and showered in gems that matched the shine in those mercurial eyes.

He had never seen her dressed that way before. Nor had he ever seen anything quite like that girl in that silver dress.

But he found it curious that tonight she certainly looked different to him...and yet somehow still the same as always.

"They've arrived earlier than I expected," Narcissa said, placing a fair hand on her son's arm and bringing him back to his senses. "Shall we give them a proper welcome?"

Taking the hand of his wife, Lucius led his family straight towards the newly arrived guests. "Remember, son," he said. "Keep your friends close and your foes ever closer."

When the two families finally came together, Draco and the girl's eyes met briefly. He gave a polite nod before looking away.

"Welcome," Lucius greeted, the rehearsed smile still on his face. "So good of you to come. It has been quite a long time since we last met."

"Yes, it has," the other man replied without so much as a smile. "Much has happened since then. But I see you have not changed in the least."

Lucius' smile grew. "Likewise."

The two men locked eyes, as if in silent conversation, before Lucius turned to the girl. "I see you've brought your daughter. She has grown into quite the lady."

"And attending Hogwarts now," Narcissa added with a sly grin of her own. "We hear she and our son belong to the same House. It must have been difficult for her to cope with attending school after all those years of being tutored at home."

Ursula Bellator smiled civilly in return. "Mr. Burke is a most capable instructor so she has been well-prepared for formal schooling." The smile then eased into a slight smirk. "In fact, we hear she has received the highest marks in their classes so far."

Narcissa's brow arched slightly. "So far," she repeated. "The school year has just begun after all. Hopefully, your daughter can keep up her good work."

"Yes, a lot can happen in just a year...like that horrible incident with those ghastly dementors!" Lucius said, feigning sympathy, but a gratified look could easily be seen from his eyes. " It has been the talk all over Hogwarts. I pray your daughter has recovered fully."

Eva lowered her own eyes. She felt the grip of her mother's hand tighten painfully around her wrist.

Narcissa continued with pleasure, "Luckily, our son is well-practiced in the use of many charms, including the Patronus charm…isn't that right, Draco dear?"

Draco looked away as well. He usually relished moments when his parents boasted about him...when his parents were so proud of what he had done, but not this time. This time, he just wanted to walk away.

The brows of the Bellator patriarch slightly furrowed. "And for that, we are indebted to him," he replied courteously, unfazed by the subtle ridicule but also unamused. "It was a most unfortunate accident."

Ursula also kept calm, but the smile on her face was gone. "And to avoid other accidents in the future, she will no longer be participating in Quidditch."

Draco quickly turned to Eva in disbelief, but the girl kept her eyes lowered.

"What a shame," Lucius said, once again not truly meaning a word of it. "As I'm sure you know, our son is the captain of the Slytherin team. He and your daughter would have made such good teammates."

"Yes, well, as you say, a lot can happen in just a year. Let us hope we all have a good one."

"Agreed." Lucius took his wife's hand. "Now then, if you'll excuse us. We have some newly arrived guests to attend to. It was a pleasure seeing you again and we look forward to continuing our conversation later in the evening. In the meantime…" He nodded and extended his arm, the triumphant look still on his face. "Please enjoy yourselves."

It was a long time before Draco was finally permitted to leave his parents' side for just a few minutes. He was almost bored to tears by aimless conversations started by some of the guests, by others trying so hard to kiss his family's arse and by the business talk his father had "strongly encouraged" him to join in. He couldn't have been happier to see his friends there at one of the buffet tables (even if that group included a very shrill Pansy who immediately threw herself at him when he got there).

"Drakie!" she squealed with delight. "I missed you so much! I can't believe it's only been days since we last saw each other at King's Cross. It felt like years!"

Theodore and Blaise clapped him in the back. "Good to see you, mate!"

Draco smirked when he saw Theodore's plate had been filled to the brim.

"And great food by the way!" The tall boy gave him a thumbs up. "Even better than last year!"

The blonde folded his arms and leaned against a column. "Great to see someone's enjoying themselves. You enjoying yourself, Blaise?"

Their dark-skinned friend harrumphed. "More like my mother's the one doing all the enjoying." He could see his mother chatting energetically with a group of men probably more than a few years younger than her.

"So do you like my gown, Drakie?" Pansy butted in, fingering his collar alluringly. She had worn a blood red sleeveless gown with a décolletage. "I was thinking maybe you could give me a tour of your home later."

"You know what, Parkinson? Your parents should put a leash on you!" Theodore exclaimed, prying the girl off his friend. "I think you've had enough to drink."

"Piss off, Nott! Shouldn't you be off drooling over Bellator or something?"

Theodore's face instantly colored. "S-Shut it!" He then cleared his throat and regained his composure. "S-So...have you guys seen her yet?"

"She's probably still going around with her parents," Draco answered dismissively, taking a glass of wine from a serving tray floating by. He casually looked around the room as he sipped his drink. In truth, he was scanning the room for her. He wanted to talk to her about Quidditch. It still came as a shock to him that she was quitting. She couldn't have been okay with quitting just like that. It couldn't have been her decision to quit. Not after what they've been through.

After awhile, he spotted her blonde hair approaching them in the crowd.

"Look, here she comes now."

Theodore turned in that direction and quickly found himself gaping at the sight of the blonde witch. If his jaw weren't attached to his head, it would have fallen off, like the food that dropped out of his mouth and back onto the plate in his hand. His pulse went into overdrive yet again…much like that time at Madam Puddifoot's.

He had always found her beautiful, but tonight...maybe it was the gown, or the warm lights floating above them or the wine he drank a little while ago...tonight, she was nothing short of a goddess.

"Oi, oi, oi! Theodore!" Blaise called out, breaking his little trance. "Your nose is bleeding!"

"...w-what?"

"Your nose," the dark-skinned boy reiterated, passing him a napkin. "It's bleeding."

Theodore touched the area above his mouth and checked his fingers. Indeed, there was scarlet liquid all over them. "Oh shit! Oh shit!" He grabbed the napkin and wiped the mess.

"Hey," Eva waved upon reaching them. "Great to see you guys again! ...what happened to Theodore?"

"Don't mind him," Pansy answered, rolling her eyes. "He's just being a twat again."

"H-Hey, Eva..." the tall boy greeted back, still trying to keep the bloody mess under control.

Eva threw Draco a small smile before looking away and striking a conversation with the others, much to Draco's irritation. What was she doing casually talking to the others? Was she planning on telling them at all? Was she even going to explain to him? He was the captain of their Quidditch team after all. He thought he deserved an explanation.

When they had finally stopped talking about their vacations, Draco stood beside the girl.

"Oi," he said in a hushed voice. "Aren't you going to explain?"

"What's to explain?" she replied evasively, facing the buffet table and placing a few food items on her plate.

Draco harrumphed. "Well, for starters, you can explain why you're suddenly quitting Quidditch. Aren't you going to tell them?"

However, she kept her eyes on the table. "I don't want to talk about this now please."

He was about to ask once more but Eva quickly turned to the others. "So where's Daphne again?"

"It's their great grandmother's birthday, remember?" Blaise answered, plucking another wine glass from a passing serving tray. "So don't expect any Greengrasses tonight. A shame really. Daphne has a younger sister who's not too bad looking."

"Yeah, I'm starting to miss Daphne," Pansy sighed and emptied her wine glass. "By now, we would usually be going around the party and talking to people. It's just not the same for a girl to go alone, know what I mean?"

Eva raised her hand, seeing this as an opportunity to flee for the meantime. "Err...I'll go with you."

Pansy blinked twice. "Fine. You'll have to do. Come on."

The pair walked off, leaving the three boys to themselves. One was still bleeding and wiping up his nose. One was enjoying his wine. And the other was pensive and a bit annoyed.

"Sorry about the mess, mates," Theodore started. "It's just...Eva was so...just...you know...and that dress!"

Blaise snickered. "Careful. Don't go bleeding again."

From where they stood, they could see Eva and Pansy being approached by a group of boys at the ball. They were all smiles and shaking the girls' hands. A couple of the boys were even getting quite friendly with the blonde. Pansy seemed to be enjoying the attention while Eva looked a little uncomfortable.

Draco harrumphed a second time. "I don't see what the fuss is about," he said in the most indifferent tone he could muster. "She still looks pretty much the same to me."

The dark-skinned boy stared at Draco before breaking into a laugh. "You sly dog."

"What?" he asked irritably.

"Come on, mate." Blaise chuckled at his friend's naivety. "Even I have to admit she looks bloody gorgeous right now. And by saying she looks the same, you're basically saying she looks this gorgeous all the time."

"Don't be an idiot. That's not what I said."

"No, mate," Blaise smirked as he took a sip of his wine. "That's exactly what you said."

It had been quite a night for Eva. First, the meeting with the Malfoy family. She had a long list of instances in her life when she had wished she had had a shell on her back that she could just crawl into. The meeting with the host family easily made the top of that list. She was positively humiliated when the dementor incident was brought up, especially since she knew how her parents felt about it...and how they felt about the Malfoys. It was a black spot on the family name. She was sure that she'd get chastised once more on their way home. They would never let her live it down.

Then her parents had to drop the bomb about her quitting the Quidditch team in front of Draco. She couldn't look at him properly after that.

And when they were left by the host family, her mother had whispered something to her. "Now do you see what happens when you don't think? Try to keep yourself from embarrassing us any further tonight."

They went to meet and greet some guests at the ball right after. She had to force a smile even though there was nothing to really be cheerful about.

Except meeting her friends, that is. So once her parents busied themselves with discussing business matters with some folk, she excused herself and made her way to them. Then she and Pansy went around meeting people, most of which were boys. Some of them were rather friendly, asking her if they could owl her some time. Some asked if they could have a dance. She politely obliged and found herself switching partners every now and then.

After a few toe-crushing dances with some rather clumsy boys, she looked around for a quiet place to just rest and get away from the crowd (especially from those heavy-footed boys who were looking for a second dance).

One of the balconies at the far end of the room looked unoccupied so she quickly made her way there, pushed through the glass door, closed it and hid behind the shadow of the curtain inside as some boys walked by.

"What? Already tired of dancing?"

Eva almost jumped up in surprise. She whipped around and saw none other than her "twin" leaning over the balustrade.

The witch laughed nervously. "You gave me a fright! I thought there wasn't anyone here."

"Well, sorry to disappoint you," he said before looking back out at the garden.

Eva walked over to the boy and looked around. The garden looked amazing, almost like an Eden.

"It's beautiful," she said, taking it all in.

She leaned beside him. The music and chatter from the ball was muffled. It was quite peaceful there. "What are you doing here? And all by yourself?"

"This is my home," he irritably answered. "I can stay wherever I wish without being questioned."

The girl looked down. Evidently, he was not in a good mood. "I only meant...never mind. If I'm disturbing you, I can go."

Draco sighed and shook his head in exasperation. "If you must know, I just wanted to go somewhere quiet for awhile. Aside from the fact that Parkinson wouldn't let up on the sexual harassment, I've been dragged around all night listening to old men talk about business and politics. And I'm bloody tired." He turned to the girl. "So what's your excuse for coming out here, other than avoiding your flock of twits in there?"

Eva chuckled lightly. "Same as yours. I wanted to get away from it all for just a moment. You know how it is...it gets tiring having to be so proper all the time, especially in front of a new crowd."

The boy sniffed. "You're preaching to the choir."

"And especially," Eva continued as she tried to keep her smile up. "When you made a complete fool out of yourself...and everyone knows about it."

Draco looked at the girl. "What happened with the dementors wasn't your fault. You know that."

A humorless laugh escaped her lips. "Do I really? Because it certainly feels like all I've ever done so far is displease my family even more."

The boy clasped his hands together and looked her straight in the eyes. "Is that why you're quitting our team? Because you're afraid of displeasing them again?"

"You make it sound like I want to quit," Eva replied, a little offended.

"Well do you?" he asked pointblank. "Do you want to quit?"

The girl frowned, like she couldn't believe he would even ask her that. "No. No, of course not! Quidditch...and our team...they mean a lot to me. I've been through a lot...and I've worked too hard. I don't want to quit."

"Then don't."

"It's not that simple!" she answered back, impatiently this time. Her cheeks burned as her temper started to flare up.

The boy said nothing in return but kept his eyes on her.

"Sorry…I don't mean to shout." Eva grabbed this chance to take a step back, take a deep breath and compose herself. Why should she take her anger out on him...when it was clearly meant for others?

"After what happened with the dementors," she started again, a little calmer now. "After the shame I had subjected my family to...I was told to quit. Of course, I tried persuading them to change their minds...but, as expected, it was no use."

The boy was thoughtful for awhile before speaking again. "Without any protection, you don't grab a pot while it's boiling," he said nonchalantly. "You wait for it to cool down."

Eva looked at him in confusion.

"Look, I'm not good with metaphors, but what I'm trying to say is you don't negotiate with your parents like an idiot while their tempers are still white-hot. You do it when they've calmed down a bit. Let them simmer down. Let them forget." He smirked. "Honestly, Bellator, it's common sense."

The girl sighed heavily. "You don't know my parents. They never forget. They never simmer down." Her lips, however, slowly curled into a small smile. "But I could give it another try...I just thought of a great pitch that could convince them to let me play."

Her smile didn't last long though as another thought struck her. "Ah, bugger..."

"What?"

She groaned. "I forgot all about my broom! It's wrecked. Getting on that thing is just another disaster waiting to happen."

Draco crossed his arms. "Can't you just buy a new one?"

"My parents would never allow it! And I can't simply ask for one." She laughed mirthlessly once more. "I can just picture it…me asking for another broom to participate in a game that nearly killed me and that, more importantly, brought us shame and dishonor." Eva shook her head and smiled sadly. "I'll have more luck taming a chimaera than getting a new broom."

She looked up at the night sky. It was devoid of clouds and the moon and stars shone brightly down on them. "But hey…at least it's a beautiful night, right?"

The boy looked up as well. The sky was indeed beautiful that night and they stood in companionable silence for awhile before Eva spoke again.

"Anyway, thank you," she said. "For listening again."

Draco harrumphed. "I'm going to have to start charging, you know."

She laughed again, a little more sincerely now, and it was good to hear.

He chanced another look at the girl beside him.

Her dress and jewelry shone brilliantly under the night light...but they were nothing compared to her smile and her eyes staring up at the sky, though they still seemed quite forlorn.

She looked different. And yet the same.

In a way, he regretted being alone with her there on the balcony…and now staring at her pointblank...partly because of the unfamiliar feeling building up in his chest. Partly because of who he was feeling it for. Partly because it made him feel weak. And mostly because he was Draco Malfoy.

And Draco Malfoy was never weak.

But still, he found himself staring on, unable to tear his eyes away.

It was another moment in time that seemed to slow to a stop. But time never stopped for anyone and the moment had passed before he knew it.

"Let's not waste this beautiful night moping around," she said, making her way back to the glass door without him. "My feet have recovered from the torture and I think I want to just enjoy the rest of the party..." She stopped when she reached the handle. The boy was still leaning over the balustrade, looking out at the open space. "Aren't you coming?"

Gruffly, he replied, "Go on."

Eva shrugged and pulled the door open. The music came flowing out from the party. "Don't stay out here too long or you'll catch a cold. Come inside and have a dance or two." She laughed. "It is a ball after all."

Afterwards, he heard the door close and silence reigned once more.

He stood there on the balcony for a while, alone and deep in thought.

"A dance or two, huh?"

Draco smirked and shook his head. Then he made his way to the glass door and back to the party. He scanned the ballroom for platinum blonde hair and a silver gown. It wasn't hard to spot her. She was in the middle of the room, amidst a sea of guests.

He purposefully made his way through the crowd but stopped halfway through when he saw that she was already with someone else.

A boy. A very tall, very flustered dark-haired boy.

"I-I was looking for you all over the place," the tall boy stammered, scratching his head furiously in front of the blonde witch. He had already cleaned up the mess he had on his face earlier on. But he looked like his nose was about to bleed again any second now. "I was just wondering...since the ball's almost over..." he nervously continued. "Would you...would you like to dance?"

Eva smiled brightly up at him. "I would love to, Theodore."

Timidly, the boy took the girl's much smaller hand and lightly placed his own on her waist. Slowly, they danced to the sweet and enchanting music of the piano and violins. To Theodore, everything was perfect. Beautiful music, beautiful lights, beautiful party and a beautiful dance with an incredibly beautiful girl.

It was the kind of memory that you would play over and over again in your head at night. It was the kind that you never forgot, no matter how old you were. It was the kind that Theodore never really had before. But now, he made a resolution to make as many memories as he could with the girl smiling up at him at that moment.

"You're quite a good dancer, Theodore," Eva said, laughing a little as she remembered the previous dances she had with the other boys. "My toes never felt safer."

She then looked around the ballroom.

"S-Something wrong?" Theodore asked with concern.

Eva looked back at him. "Hmm? Sorry?"

"You were smiling a little while ago," he said. "And now you look a little sad..."

"Oh." The blonde shook her head and regained her smile. "Oh no, no, I'm fine." She chuckled lightly. "Don't worry about it."

She looked around the ballroom a second time, and then a third time before finally giving up.

"I guess he decided to stay at the balcony."

The next morning was the day before Christmas. Her parents were still fast asleep, exhausted from the ball, but Eva was woken up early by their house elf, Periwinkle, who bounced with excitement about something.

The witch groaned and pulled the covers up to her head. "Winkle...I'm allowed to sleep in today."

"Yes, yes, I know, Little Miss!" the creature said, poking at the girl. "But Winkle has something to show you!"

Eva tossed in her bed. "Can't it wait? I'm really tired..."

But the elf persisted, saying an owl had delivered something special for the witch, saying she needed to see it quickly, and saying she would be very pleased when she saw it. So the blonde dragged herself out of bed and proceeded to brush her hair while the elf went off to get whatever it was she needed to see.

When Periwinkle returned, struggling with the large object in her arms, Eva nearly dropped her brush.

"W-Who is that from, Winkle?" she asked, scarcely believing her eyes. "A-Are you sure that's for me?"

"There is no name, Little Miss, except yours," the elf reported, passing the object to her.

It was wrapped in brown paper and string. And indeed, there was a note attached to the wrapper with only her name on it. As for the object, it was irregularly shaped – very long and bulging at one end – and Eva knew there was only one thing that could have had a shape like that.

Without wasting another second, she ripped through the wrappers and strings.

And when she had finished, she was out of words and out of breath, and lying in her hands was the latest and fastest broom model, the Firebolt.

And on its handle, tied with a little silver ribbon, was a short note:

"Tamed any chimaeras lately?"

A/N: Aaaannnddd I'm back from the grave. I checked how long it's been since my last update and all I can say is, I am sooo sorry. It's been faaaar too long. It's like I just dropped dead. So I hope this chapter makes up for my prolonged absence! It was initially titled, "Frenemies"...and then "Malfoys and Bellators". I started this chapter back in November but then stuff came up (what's new?) and I came back to it just recently. It took me more or less a week to try and get it right. So I really hope you like it! :)

One thing though, I've changed Eva's tutor's name from Mr. Gravis (it never really sounded "right" in the first place hahaha) to Mr. Burke. (Yes, that does sound familiar, doesn't it?) So now it's Mr. Tristram Burke.

Thanks for the reviews! And for the encouraging messages as well! And yes, I will finish this story. It might just take awhile for me to update, but don't worry. I shan't give up on this so I hope you don't give up either. :)