CHAPTER 12: The Yule Ball
"MERRY CHRISTMAS!"
It was the morning of the Yule Ball, which meant it was also Christmas morning. Daphne had awoken the entire Slytherin fourth-year girls dorm by getting up early extra early and storming back in with numerous mugs of steaming hot Conjure Cocoa, topped with far more whipped cream and marshmallows anyone could stomach at such an early hour. However, Daphne's christmas cheer was annoyingly infectious, so much so that even Pansy got up for the promise of hot chocolate.
Presents were unwrapped in the common room first thing. Madeline's family had decided to keep the present exchange until they were together for the holidays, which was understandable. To her surprise, however, her friends had gotten her gifts.
Daphne had given her an enchanted hairbrush to smooth down any flyaway hairs, and Theo had gifted her a collection of fancy feather quills that would write in any colour ink you could imagine. Tracy had given her some Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans (as she had been shocked to find out that Madeline had never tried them), and even Terence had given her a book about Quidditch (which she would not be reading).
Madeline had given her friends neatly packaged French hard-boiled sweets that each tasted of a different dessert ("You have to try 'Madame's Bonbons', they are to die for!"). She had to order the majority of her gifts from boutiques she knew in France, as she hadn't been to Hogsmeade yet. For Daphne, she had gotten a beautiful carved marble jewellery box with small blue flowers engraved at the top. For Theo, she'd gotten him an antique set of cufflinks with elegant golden designs.
The trio went to breakfast together, Madeline carrying a box filled with the bags of 'Madame's Bonbons' for her friends in other houses. She'd caught Cedric on the way down, who seemed very excited at the candy, and gave her a parcel of homemade mince pies from his mother, as well as a warm hug only the likes of a Hufflepuff could achieve.
"Merry Christmas you idiot," Madeline had laughed, ruffling his hair.
The trio had a joyful breakfast as the rest of their house joined them, laughter and cheer filling the hearts of the Slytherin students. Malfoy and his goons were notably missing, but Pansy had joined them regardless, laughing along to Tracy's stories. Some of the younger students had stayed regardless of not being able to go to the Yule Ball, so Madeline and Daphne made sure to share their sweets and chocolates with them.
Before returning to the common room, Madeline had hopped over to the Gryffindor table and given each of the Golden Trio a bag of Madame's Bonbons (much to Ron's surprise, and utter delight). She did the same for Neville, George, and of course, Fred. The twins seemed to be completely transfixed with the candy, and Madeline promised to bring more back after her visit home.
She'd delivered Fleur her present the night before, leaving it outside the Beauxbatons carriage with a neat note; a gorgeous blue crocodile hair clip. She spotted her wearing it at breakfast, and upon arriving at the Slytherin dungeons, found a lovely set of French potions textbooks waiting for her.
The day was spent with the rest of her house, everyone somehow managing to pile themselves around the fireplace. Draco eventually resurfaced, surprisingly seating himself next to Pansy as everyone shared sweet treats and stories. Barely anyone made their way to lunch, opting to eat at the ball instead with the promise of a large Christmas feast.
It was many hours later before people started trailing back off to the dorms to get ready. Madeline was the last of the girls to leave, opting to spend a few more minutes (or hours) with Theo beating him at Wizard Chess over and over again. She was only dragged away by Daphne hours later, insisting that an hour was far too short of time to get ready.
"We can literally magic makeup on our face," Madeline protested as the dorm door shut behind her.
"And where is the fun in that?!" Daphne laughed, her hair pinned back in curlers and her makeup half-done, "Now, get to it."
"Bloody hell, you're like my mother," Madeline sighed, making her way over to her trunk.
The fourth year girls chatted amicably, even Pansy joining in once in a while. Tracy had come in from the fifth year girls dorm to bring them an enchanted gramophone, a gift from her cousin, which played cheesy christmas music throughout the room. The girls laughed and celebrated, even dancing between hair and makeup (Daphne performing a particularly good rendition of the holiday classic 'Charmed Christmas Eve').
An hour later, all the girls had slipped into their gowns apart from Madeline, who was still lagging behind. Pansy had opted for a ridiculously frilly pink dress that suited her complexion, while Daphne had straightened and pinned her hair up in a sleek bun, with a beautiful silky dark orange gown, the neckline strappy and scalloped, and the skirt embroidered with tiny specks of gold. A matching sash was tied around the bun like a hair-tie.
It was twenty minutes before the Slytherins were due in the Great Hall, so with Madeline's insistence, the girls left the dorm room and headed down to the common room to meet their dates, leaving Madeline to slip into the gown her grandmother had sent her alone.
"Bloody hell, where is she?" Daphne sighed to Theo as the Slytherins stood in the common room, all dressed in their best robes and gowns.
Daphne, Theo and Terence were stood at the corner of the common room, just outside the girls dorms, waiting for Madeline. They were due to leave soon, albeit the Great Hall was not too far from the dungeons. None of the other Slytherins paid them much mind apart from Tracy, who stood with her boyfriend and his friends not too far away.
"Lets just head down without her," Terence suggested, earning himself a sharp glare from Daphne.
"And here I thought you were the one for the dramatics," Theo remarked, smoothing down his dark blue velvet robes.
Theo looked up when Daphne didn't reply, to see her with her mouth wide open, eyes fixated on the entrance to the dorms. She followed her gaze, and all at once realised what, or rather who, had paralysed her from shock.
For in that moment, Daphne and Theo realised that Madeline could very much be French royalty.
"What are you lot staring at?"
Madeline descended into the common room, her hair curled loosely and partially pinned up, with a few stray strands framing her face. Her makeup was natural and neutral, with a very slight gold shimmer on her eyelids and rosiness in her lips. The necklace she had received from her mother hung around her neck, but the true crowning piece of the outfit was, well, the dress.
The top of the dress was made of a dark purple velvet, Madeline's favourite colour, which would shift to an equally dark green if the light would allow. It was embroidered with golden thread and tiny leafed garlands, with the tiniest green crystals Daphne had ever seen. The skirt was of the same material, but also had a layer of a lightly blushed tulle underneath, which could be seen by the opening at the front of the skirt. On the skirt were numerous little golden embroideries, all of a similar variation to the top of the dress.
Daphne was sure that if Madeline were to walk into a palace, that they'd crown her queen on the spot.
"Bloody hell, you clean up well," Terence complimented, earning an eye roll from Madeline and a nudge from Daphne.
"I do have years of gruelling practice, thank you very much," Madeline huffed, looking at her two awestruck friends curiously, "Are you guys alright?"
"You're beautiful," Daphne admitted, blinking herself out of stupor, "I mean, you look really, really good."
"Seriously, Weasley is a lucky man, and you better make sure he knows it," Tracy complimented, joining the small group with her boyfriend, "We should head down now, shouldn't we?"
The small group nodded in agreement, and it seemed that the rest of the Slytherins had made the same conclusion, all moving to the dungeon door with gleeful chatter, an unfamiliar sight in the dungeons. Theo and Madeline lagged behind the group slightly, even as they made their way through the corridors.
"Where is your date?" Madeline asked Theo once they'd left the common room, realising that there was no girl by his side (and to be honest, Madeline had been hoping for Pansy).
"Meeting her in the Entrance Hall, same as your date," Theo shrugged, holding his arm out, "But in the meantime, shall we?"
Madeline grinned, looping her arm dramatically around her friends. The two held their heads up high, "We shall dear Theodore, we shall."
Neither friends noticed Draco Malfoy curiously peer behind him, trying to catch another glimpse of the girl in the shifting dress.
The Slytherins climbed the steps from the dungeons up to the entrance hall, met with busy and bustling crowds of students. The students who were meeting partners from different Houses were edging through the crowd trying to find one another. Madeline spotted Harry and Ron with their dates, Padma and Parvati, both of which looked stunning.
She also spotted Fleur, who seemed to be searching for her date in the crowd, a few other Beauxbatons girls doing the same. She navigated her way towards the Slytherins, which was curious, because surely there was no one in Slytherin she would be attending the ball with-
"Theodore!" Fleur exclaimed once she'd arrived in front of the two, a smile on her face, "I was beginning to think you'd dashed away!"
It took Madeline a few moments to process it, her jaw dropping in shock, but once she had, she playfully slapped Theo's arm, "Why didn't you tell me?!"
"I wanted it to be surprise. I am a gentleman, after all," Theo muttered, rubbing his arm. He extended his hand to Fleur, who took it. He leant down to kiss her hand gently, as a gentleman would, and offered his arm to her much like he had with Madeline, "You look beautiful, Miss Delacour."
Fleur smiled as the two made their way to the front of the Entrance hall, ready to begin the dance. She shot Madeline an excited look over her shoulder, walking away as her beautiful silvery-blue dress shimmered with every step.
Madeline attempted to peer over the heads of the crowds, searching for Fred. She had yet to spot him as she watched other partners couple up, including Cedric and a rather pretty Ravenclaw girl named Cho. Even Neville and Ginny seemed to be particularly cute together, much to Ron's displeasure, she was sure.
At once, the oak front doors opened. Everyone turned to look as the Durmstrang students entered with Professor Karkaroff leading them. Krum was at the front of the party of students, with a rather pretty girl in frilly pink robes. Not as frilly as Pansy's, no one else would dare be that extreme. But the dress seemed to make her float, the layers painting her like a pretty flower.
And then Madeline realised who it was.
"Daphne!" Madeline hissed, moving through the crowd over to her friend and nudging her pointedly. She nodded her head to the oak doors, "That's Hermione Granger!"
Daphne's mouth fell open. She immediately stood on her tip-toes, peering over the crowd. When her eyes fell on her, she smirked and nodded in approval, "Well, she looks hot."
Professor McGonagall's voice caught everyone's attention, distracting Madeline and Daphne from the view of Hermione, "Champions over here, please!"
At once, the four Hogwarts Champions made their way over to McGonagall. Some couples began floating into the Great Hall to find their seats for the feast, taking the cue from the way McGonagall was animatedly moving her arms.
"Do you want me to wait with you?" Daphne asked Madeline, squeezing her arm reassuringly.
Madeline shook her head, spotting Angelina Johnson with George as they walked into the hall, "No, it's alright. I'll wait a few more minutes. George and Angelina just walked in, so he can't be too long."
"If you're sure," Daphne pressed, grabbing Terence's arm, "Alright, lets get this party started."
"Get this party what-"
Madeline watched as Daphne all but dragged Terence to the Great Hall, shaking her head fondly. If Terence could learn to keep up with her best friend by the end of the night, she'd be surprised, and slightly impressed.
"Maddy!"
Madeline spun around at the nickname, knowing only one person in Hogwarts had the guts to call her that so far. Her eyes widened as she spotted Fred rushing over from the Grand Staircase, straightening the thin black tie around his neck.
"Sorry! I'm sorry," he apologised immediately, catching his breath. However, it was knocked straight back out of him the minute he really took Madeline in.
"Oh. Wow."
Madeline felt herself blushing, but plastered a cocky grin onto her face. She clicked her fingers in front of his face, "Chin up, Freddie. You don't look so bad yourself."
And he really didn't look bad at all, wearing black robes with a velvet orange waistcoat. In fact, he looked positively handsome.
"And here I was beginning to think that you'd changed your mind," Madeline teased.
"Me? Change my mind? Absolutely not," Fred grinned, a smile akin only to a Cheshire cat.
"Well then Freddie," Madeline offered her arm out to him, "Shall we?"
Fred grinned, looping his arm around hers much like Theo had, "We shall, Maddy."
For the feast, Madeline had found herself at a rather… Curious table. She had sat herself between Fred and George, with Angelina at George's left. Ron and Padma Patil sat across from them, as well as Ginny with Neville, Lee Jordan with Katie Bell, and Seamus Finnigan with Lavender Brown.
All in all, Madeline felt like a snake in a den of lions. Which, she kind of was.
Daphne, Tracy and Terence had found themselves seated at one of the Slytherin tables, far far away from Madeline, unfortunately. Theo and Fleur were sat at the Champions table, both their backs to the girl.
The walls of the Hall had all been covered in sparkling silver frost, with hundreds of garlands of mistletoe and ivy crossing the starry black ceiling. The room had a chill to it, as if everything had been replaced with ice, but it wasn't cold at all.
Small menus had been placed on the tables, with at least two dishes from each country of each magical school in attendance per course. Madeline had gone with the pork chops for her main course, and the moment she had spoke it out loud, the meal had appeared in front of her.
The table had been halfway through their food when Madeline realised something. She didn't really know any of these people very well, the majority of her friends sat on different tables or at the Champions tables. She didn't know how to join in when Angelina made an inside joke about the Gryffindor Quidditch team, nor if she should laugh when Seamus made a snarky remark about Neville.
Funnily enough, Neville and Ginny were the first to notice that the Slytherin girl was in fact maybe a little lost. Ginny cleared her voice pointedly, drawing the conversation to her.
"Madeline, I can't believe I haven't asked you before; but how is France?" Ginny asked with wide glittering eyes, Madeline's own widening in surprise. All eyes turned to look at her, "I bet it's so glamorous!"
"Oh, well," Madeline began, wiping her hands with a napkin, slightly flustered, "What would you like to know?"
"Do you live in Paris?" Lavender asked excitedly.
Madeline shook her head with a short laugh, "Actually, I live on the edge of Grasse. It's not exactly the biggest place in the world, but it's the world's perfume capital, so I guess it counts for something."
"Oh! Is that why you always smell of lemongrass?" Fred asked, Madeline turning to him in surprise.
"You noticed?" Madeline asked in surprise, her eyes lingering on Fred's for a little while too long. She cleared her throat and turned back to the group, "But, yes. My grandmother and I made the perfume while visiting the city. I've worn nothing else since."
"That's so sweet," Lavender gasped, Padma nodding along.
"Do you know when you'll be going back?" Seamus asked abruptly, a clear dislike for the girl evident in his tone.
Madeline frowned, "Well, my stay in Hogwarts is indefinite."
"What a shame," Ron muttered to Seamus lowly, earning a sharp kick from Ginny underneath the table, "Oi! What was that for?"
And so, the meal continued in a similar fashion. No one really asked Madeline much else, apart from Fred and Ginny, who eagerly tried to find out more about her. Eventually, when the meals had been finished, Dumbledore stood up, asking everyone to do the same.
At once, with a wave of his wand, all the tables zoomed back along the walls leaving the floor clear, and then he conjured a raised platform into existence along the right wall. A set of drums, several guitars, a lute, a cello, and some bagpipes were set upon it.
"Bagpipes?" Madeline muttered.
"Trust the process," Fred winked.
The Weird Sisters trooped up onto the stage to wildly enthusiastic applause; they were all extremely hairy and dressed in black robes that had been artfully ripped and torn, which Madeline could appreciate. They picked up their instruments, the Champions making their way to the now cleared area in the middle of the hall.
Seamus, Ron and Dean sniggered as they watched Harry badly waltz to the sound of a mournful tune, Parvati seemingly leading the dance. Krum and Hermione elegantly swept across the floor, her beauty far more apparent as her confidence grew. Cho and Cedric were rather attractive together, despite Cedric's dopey smile. And of course, Fleur and Theo were the best, elegantly moving across the floor with precision only they could muster, a delighted smile on Fleur's face.
Eventually, after some of the Professors had stood up to dance, Fred turned to Madeline.
"I don't suppose you're any good at dancing, are you?" Fred asked cheekily, extending his hand to Madeline.
Madeline looked at it for a moment before smirking, a mischievous glint in her eye "Oh, you have no idea."
She grabbed his hand, all but dragging him onto the dance floor, the first non-champion couple to step up. One of his hands landed on her waist, the other holding her other hand. Madeline mirrored this, with her hand on his shoulder as he began leading the dance. She pointedly ignored Daphne's cheers as they passed her, and instead focused on Fred.
"You're not bad," Madeline complimented in surprise, "Guess you only have two left feet when it comes to potions."
"Hey, I'm not that bad," Fred grinned, "We're not all blessed with a brilliant mind like yours, Bisset."
"Yes, well; you should be," Madeline replied, "And what's this I hear about Canary Custards?"
"Staple pieces those are. Perhaps you can help me alter the formula a little."
"How about Dog Digestives? I'd pay to see Malfoy sprout a tail and some ears."
Fred chuckled, spinning Madeline before reconnecting his hand to her waist. He raised his eyebrow, "You're quite something."
"Oh, what a compliment!"
"Seriously!"
"Actually, it's called being fun," she corrected him with a grin, "Did you know that 'fun' is my middle name, Freddie?"
"Really?" Fred smirked, moving to suddenly dip Madeline down. He held onto her waist, "How's this for fun?"
"Not bad," Madeline complimented as he pulled her back up, a flush on her cheeks. She noticed Ginny wincing frequently as Neville trod on her feet, only a few couples away. "So, Weasley. I have a question."
"Oh Merlin."
"Nothing bad!"
"And here I thought you liked me."
"Why did you ask me to be your date?" Madeline interrupted, "I mean, it's probably not winning you any favours with your house."
Fred paused, "Because you're interesting, and far more brilliant than most people would ever hope to be. And… You're not half bad to look at, you know?"
"I'd hope so," Madeline rolled her eyes, the two switching arms as they began waltzing the other way.
"Why'd you say yes?"
Madeline was the one to pause this time. She considered it, and began grinning.
"Because if I said no, I wouldn't be able to do this."
Immediately, Madeline dipped him backwards, like he'd dipped her just moments before. A loud giggle escaped her mouth at his shock face, pulling him up once they'd caught the attention of their peers.
"Bloody hell," Fred grinned, "You might just be the death of me."
As the night went on, the Weird Sisters began playing much more upbeat songs. Madeline and Fred didn't leave the dance floor once, dancing wildly and exuberantly, as if they were at a rock concert. Sometimes, Fred would grab her by the waist or her hands and conduct her in a ridiculously dramatised waltz, crowds parting in fear of being knocked over by the ridiculous couple.
Madeline hadn't been this wild in… Well, ever. Even Fleur had looked at her incredulously when she'd caught her slipping her heels off. Fred's cheery optimism brought about an energy Madeline hadn't felt before. It made her want to get up and dance and enjoy her life, not for anyone else but herself.
And of course, Madeline hadn't missed the incredulous looks people had thrown them. Pansy had sneered at her with disgust more than once, and she could swear she'd seen Dean and Seamus snickering at the pair not long after. But truthfully, she couldn't find it in herself to care.
She wasn't sure how long it had been before they both admitted they probably needed a break. She'd spotted Hermione storming off not too long before, while Ron and Harry moped on the sides of the hall, both left with no dates.
However, the minute Fred spotted a red-haired Ministry Official making his way over to Ron and Harry, his eyes lit up with mischief akin to none Madeline had seen before.
"I've got to get George real quick while my brother is distracted," Fred admitted, gesturing to the man, "I'll come find you in a minute if that's alright?"
Madeline shrugged, "We don't need to spend every moment next to each other. It's fine, go spike the punch or whatever."
Fred grinned, signalling his brother over from the other side of the hall. He ducked to Madeline's ear, whispering;
"It's already spiked."
He winked at her before making his way to the corner of the hall, his brother in tow. Madeline could only stare at him with a fond smile, shaking her head to herself.
Madeline sighed, her heart beating far too fast at how close Fred had been to her face. She most definitely wasn't ready to unpack that. She looked around, spotting Theo and Daphne at the same table the Slytherins had been sat at earlier, both looking rather worn out from the dancing. She quickly rushed over, a smile stapled to her face.
"Well damn," Daphne complimented, taking in Madeline's blushing face, "You look like the cat who just got the cream."
"Gross, Greengrass," Madeline snorted, "How's it been?"
"Terence here has had a little too much punch," Daphne sighed, tapping the top of the table. It was only when Madeline looked down did she realise that a leg was poking out from underneath the tablecloth, clearly Terence.
"Sleeping?"
"Something like that," Daphne shrugged, "But I don't mind. Some of the Beauxbatons boys haven't stopped looking at me all night. I might just go make… Inter-school relationships."
"Go to bed," Theo rolled his eyes, turning to Madeline, "Fleur is with her friends. She's really… Interesting."
"That's not a good sign," Daphne sing-songed.
Theo shrugged, unbothered, "At least my date isn't passed out under the table."
"Touché," Daphne nodded, sipping her own glass of punch.
"Treat her well, Nott," Madeline scolded, but Theo's eyes were focused on something behind Madeline. He frowned.
"Why is your date accosting Ludo Bagman?" Theo asked. Madeline frowned, turning around.
True to his word, Madeline spotted Fred and George talking animated with Bagman, who also seemed to have had some of the special punch. The two Slytherins watched the twins have a short conversation with the man before hurrying off towards Ron and Harry. Madeline shrugged, turning to her friends.
"So, what's the deal with you two then?" Daphne asked suggestively, leaning forwards with her head perched between her hands, "Is it true love? Soulmates? No, don't tell me; enemies to lovers."
"What- No," Madeline scoffed, crossing her arms, "Only because he asked me to the ball, doesn't mean it's going to go anywhere."
"It would be quite scandalous," Daphne wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
Just as Madeline was about to answer with a witty retort, the loud sound of electric guitars being tuned interrupted the conversation, The Weird Sisters preparing for yet another upbeat rendition of their songs. Madeline smirked, looking at her two friends mischievously.
"Well? What are we waiting for?" Madeline asked, dragging Daphne and Theo up and towards the dance floor.
"Merlin help us," Theo muttered, but even he couldn't fight the smile off his face as the trio began dancing wildly to 'Do The Hippogriff'.
The night was drawing to a close, many couples sneaking off to partake in… Extra credit activities in the empty classrooms. Daphne had convinced some of the Slytherin Quidditch team to take Terence back to the dorms, Theodore walking Fleur back to the Beauxbatons carriage. Lee Jordan had also just so happened to have drunk far too much of the spiked punch, and the Weasley twins had taken it upon themselves to take their best friend to bed.
"I had a great night," Madeline replied sincerely when Fred had apologised for leaving early, "Don't worry about it. The Weird Sisters are back to ballads anyway."
And it was true. They'd been playing slow romantic songs for the last ten minutes, which left a lot of the students to clear out of the hall.
"In that case, would you fancy picking this back up in Hogsmeade after the break?" Fred asked cheekily, hands buried in his pockets and tie askew from the dancing.
Madeline looked at him in surprise. She'd had a good time with Fred, but his friends obvious distaste for her had made her doubt Fred's willingness to ever speak to her again. But once again, the red-haired boy had surprised her.
"Looks like its your lucky day, Weasley," Madeline grinned, a cheeky smirk sprouting on Fred's lips. However, the moment was ruined as Lee Jordan toppled over, catching himself on Fred's arm, "Or, maybe not."
"Come on mate," Fred encouraged as he swung Lee's arm around his shoulder, George doing the same to the other one.
"See you later Bisset!" George nodded, Fred simply winking at her as the two carted Lee out of the hall.
Daphne had been watching from just a few feet away, wasting no time rushing over to her friend the minute the boys had left.
"Not joining the big boys tonight?" Daphne asked cheekily, Madeline's face flushing red.
"Daphne!"
"I'm kidding, it's cute when you get embarrassed," Daphne laughed, "So, what's the verdict?"
Madeline paused and bit her lip, "Hogsmeade after the break."
Daphne grinned, "I knew it! Theo so owes me!"
"You bet on us?!"
"And we bet on Granger and Krum," Daphne nodded, "She left the ball ages ago. Apparently Pansy saw her argue with Ron."
"Doesn't surprise me, the git has a way of getting on peoples nerves," Madeline shrugged.
Although the night was winding down, some of the Slytherin students still stayed in the hall, all sat around one table on the side of the room. Daphne and Madeline joined them, perching themselves on the edge of a nearby table.
Tracy Davis and her boyfriend, both of who hadn't drunk anything (thankfully), were sat on one side of the table with their hands tightly clasped, the picture-perfect couple. Pansy Parkinson had gone to bed after Draco had refused to dance with her, and even Theo had returned by the time Madeline and Daphne had sat down.
"Seriously, a Gryffindor?" one of the fifth-year girls had asked Madeline as they each sipped a cup of punch, but she'd just shrugged.
"He's nice, and not a half bad dancer," Madeline answered, raising a few eyebrows.
"And he's hot," Daphne finished for her with a decisive nod.
Draco scoffed, "Oh please. I saw you two dancing Bisset, and quite frankly, I couldn't tell which one of you was worse."
Madeline frowned. "Well Malfoy, you certainly wouldn't be able to call what you were doing the other day dancing," she snapped, a few of the Slytherins sniggering with her.
Before Madeline could bask in her witty reply, Madeline noticed something just behind Draco's shoulder. On the dance floor, amongst the few couples left awake, Seamus Finnigan and Lavender Brown were still swaying to the slow song the The Weird Sisters were playing. She smirked, and idea forming into her head.
Draco scoffed, "You-"
"Dance with me."
Daphne stared at her friend with wide eyes, Madeline staring directly into Draco's eyes. She tilted her head innocently, wide-eyed and a small grin on her face. Draco was shocked to say the least, as were the rest of the Slytherins.
"Excuse me-"
"Come on, get up then," Madeline pressed, standing up with her hands on her waist, "Prove me wrong."
"Have you gone mental?" Daphne hissed in amusement.
Draco and Madeline stared each other down, their icy glares making the room that little bit colder. Madeline had a grin on her face, but Draco held the same cold arrogant frown he always did. Eventually, he stood up, hands straightening his cuffs out as some of the Slytherins cheered.
"If you wanted to come to the ball with me Bisset, you could've just asked," Draco smirked, but Madeline ignored him, making her way to the dance floor as Daphne and Tracy loudly wolf-whistled.
She kept walking forwards until they were far enough away from their friends to not be heard. Madeline turned around, looking at Draco expectantly, "Alright; I need you to waltz me over towards Finnigan when I tell you to."
Draco huffed, "Bloody hell Bisset; one Gryffindor isn't enough for you?!"
"Shut up and do it," Madeline snapped, moving to place her hand on Draco's bicep as the other grabbed his left hand, "And actually try not being terrible."
"Well aren't you nice," he sneered, "No wonder Weasley left the ball early."
"And I bet your face is the reason Pansy left early," Madeline snapped back, her eyes fixated on Seamus as the pair swayed awkwardly, Draco's hand as cold as ice compared to Madeline's warm one, "Alright, we need to go right."
Draco rolled his eyes but complied, the pair awkwardly waltzing to the right in a far less graceful manner than either ever had. Draco huffed.
"Can we at least do this properly?"
"Oh, so you're asking me to dance now?"
"Shut up Bisset and hold my shoulder."
Madeline's eyebrow raised at Draco's tone, finally facing him. He adjusted his grip on her waist, guiding her gently as the two fell into an easy, elegant rhythm. Madeline was surprised at how easy it was, but then again, they both had years of practice. She stared at him for a few moments, because he really was kind of pretty, but she quickly shook the thought away, looking over his shoulder to Seamus.
"So, how's Pansy?"
Draco scoffed, "Like you care."
"I wouldn't ask you if I didn't care."
"She's fine," Draco replied shortly.
"Doesn't look like you care about your own girlfriend."
"That's because she isn't my girlfriend," Draco snapped, "Now, stop being annoying so I can spin you closer to Finnigan and get this over with."
Madeline wanted to snap back at Draco, but she couldn't find the words. Instead, she let him twirl her elegantly, now only a few meters away from the Gryffindor. However, when she looked at him again, something echoed at the back of her mind. Something that Draco had said to her in the first few weeks of the term;
"Just wanted to make everyone very clear about where you came from, Dearborn."
"How did you know my fathers last name?" Madeline asked him, Draco's gaze snapping to hers, "You called me Dearborn a few months ago."
Draco shrugged, looking away, "My father and your family have mutual friends. Doesn't speak very highly of your father, by the way."
"I wonder why," Madeline muttered to herself.
"You know it'll never work, right?"
Madeline furrowed her eyebrows, "Excuse me?"
"You and Weasley," Draco continued, his gaze far away. Instead of his usual sneer, his face was void of emotion, "You have a family name to respect. Sure, the Weasley's are a pureblood family, but they're also blood traitors. You'd have to be mad to think something like that would ever work."
"Christ; you have a bleak view of the world."
"It's not bleak, its real."
"I'm not my family," Madeline shrugged calmly, because although she should be angry with what Draco had said, she wasn't. "I'm not going to equate my worth based on a name."
"A name makes you who you are."
"I choose who I am, and right now…" Madeline paused, moving the hand that had been gripping Draco's bicep to her skirt. Between the layers of tulle, she pulled out her wand, having hidden it in a small concealed pocket before the ball, just in case. She pointed the tip of her wand towards Seamuses feet, casting a Slippery Jinx onto his shoes.
Almost immediately, Seamus began slipping and sliding across the floor, shrieking. Lavender tried to let go of his hand, but his grip was too tight. Eventually, the both of them were on the floor in a pile, Seamus groaning as she landed on top of him.
"Right now, I'm a bloody legend," Madeline finished, letting go of Draco with a grin. She placed her hands on her waist, "I think it's time for me to get to bed."
"You think?" Malfoy smirked in amusement as he watched Seamus attempting to stand up.
"Night, Malfoy. Don't get your head lost in your own ass."
A/N: So the Yule Ball has finally taken place! (This chapter took AGES to write!)
I hate to be a beg, but...
If you have any thoughts, ideas etc about this fic, please please PLEASE leave them in the reviews/comments/DMS! I'd love to hear what you think!