The Houses Competition

House: Hufflepuff

Position: Head of House

Drabble/Standard: Drabble

Prompt: (Situation) Not knowing anyone at an event.

Word Count: 928

Warning for crack and pure fluff. I would like to take this time to thank everyone who beta read this story for me. It truly means a lot that you would take the time out to help me like this. So, thank you all very much and I hope you all enjoy Then There Was Apple.

I sat with my arms folded over my chest as I watched all the party-goers dance to the classical music playing. I didn't want to be here, and I made that very obvious through everything I did or didn't do. This party was being held by a friend of my parents, and almost all of my parents' friends attended it. I knew most of the attendees by sight, but not enough to want to go up and make conversation with them.

"Draco, can you at least make some attempt at being social?" my mother asked me pleadingly. "It's not like there aren't any other young people your age here. Why don't you go ask one of these pretty girls to dance with you?"

"Because I don't want to," I said, looking up at her grumpily. "Why did I have to attend this ball anyway? It's for friends of yours and father's not mine."

"Draco!" His mother's voice sounded horrified that he would even deem to speak this way about his mother's and father's friends.

"Young man, you heard your mother," my father said, the towering figure standing over me as I let out the annoyed huff I hadn't known I was holding in, "go and ask one of these nice young ladies to share a dance with you." His tone implied that this wasn't a request. It was more of a command.

I rolled my eyes. I got up from my seat and walked towards the gaggle of giggling girls that stood clustered together. I didn't know any of them. I looked around for Pansy Parkinson. If Pansy was here, then at least I'd have someone to share in my misery. But no sight of the dark-haired girl could be seen.

"You don't know anyone either," said a soft yet crisp voice from my right-hand side.

"Not one of them, and yet my father wants me to find some girl to share a dance with," I said, not understanding why I felt the need to share with this person I didn't know and hadn't even seen yet.

"My parents are the same way," the voice said, finally causing me to turn and get my first glimpse of its owner.

My mouth fell open at the vision that I saw next to me. Her skin was a glowing pale that almost looked green. Her eyes were a vivid granny smith apple green and looked as if they'd held a hint of laughter in them. Her hair was the color of a crisp Honeycrisp apple. Her dress was almost the same color as her glowing ethereal skin but a lighter shade. She was smiling at me in quite a friendly manner, and I have to admit I felt taken with her from the first glance I got of her.

"My name is Apple," she said, holding her hand out to me. "Who might you be?"

"I-m-m-my name is Draco," I said, shaking her hand carefully. She looked like she was delicate enough that one wrong move would break her. "You look….you look amazing."

She giggled — a sound that sent tingles of pleasure up and down my spine. I wished to hear that sound again and again and would try my best to make sure that I did.

"Thank you," she said, giving a careful curtsy as she said it. "You look quite dashing yourself, sir."

"Thank you," I said, looking over my shoulder to see my father and mother watching us from afar. "Would you care to dance?"

She blushed, making her cheeks flame a brilliant green that I had never seen before in any other being. "I would love to," she said, taking my arm that I was now holding out to her and allowing me to lead her onto the dance floor.

"Can I ask you a question?" I asked, watching her as she gracefully took the waltzing position that the song that was now playing asked for.

"Of course," she answered, her smile reaching her granny smith green eyes as she giggled once more. "You can ask me any question you want. In fact, you just did ask me a question."

I laughed at this statement. A bit louder than I'd intended to, but I couldn't help it. She was just that funny—my Apple.

"Is your skin actually pale green?" I asked, smiling at her.

"It is," she said, the blush flaring up in her cheeks, making them once more a darker green. "My parents and I are apple spirits."

"Apple spirits?"

"Yes. Everything has a spirit. Some things can just make their spirits more corporeal than others. Apples are the best at doing this. Trees too."

"They're called nymphs, right?" I asked.

She giggled once more. "No," she said, shaking her head, the laughter still plain in her voice. "Like apple spirits, they're called the name of the tree that they are."

"Oh," I said, wanting to learn about this interesting girl that I had just met.

As we danced the night away, we talked and talked and talked some more. I felt like I was learning everything I could about this beautiful being in my arms. By the end of the night, I'd asked her out on a date, and she'd said yes.

As I left the party that I hadn't wanted to go to because I hadn't known anyone at all, I couldn't help but smile. I walked away from this experience with a girlfriend I couldn't wait to take on our first date.

I hope you all enjoyed Then There Was Apple as much as I enjoyed writing it.