"I've been raised by one of the most prominent families in Britain, and I still don't understand these things," Emerald murmured as she, Daphne and Pansy looked through the dresses and dress robes the shop had to offer.

The group of girls were at Madame Malkin's browsing. After it was announced that there was to be a ball, excitement rang throughout the school. Mostly for the girls, the boys were indifferent or just plain "this is bloody ridiculous" was some of the talk amongst them.

"Ever the girl that doesn't like dresses. Emerald seriously, it doesn't get much better than this! Imagine, you, and your gorgeous dress. Cedric, in his dashing tux, the most beautiful couple, dancing, laughing…" Pansy sighed.

"Oh Pans shut up! You're making me blush!" Emerald said as she pushed Pansy away.

"Haha, it is true though, the dress Mrs. Malfoy made for you will outshine everyone. Even mine and Pansy's." Daphne sighed as she walked out of the store.

Emerald and Pansy followed her, "That's not true. Your dresses are just as nice."

"Although you could've told her to make it in another color. Black is…. well it's…" Pansy tried to find the right word.

"Boring." Daphne said.

"Classic." Emerald said. "Classic ladies." She put her finger up, "It never gets old, is always in style, a classic never dies. And it's simple. Just what I like. My mom knows me. it's perfect. To hell with what everyone else thinks!"

"Here here!"

The girls turned around to see Cedric and Draco walking up the path.

"That's my sister, "to hell with what everyone thinks," haha, always one to stand out." Draco laughed.

"That's my girl. So what are you three up to?" Cedric asked as he put his arm around Emerald's shoulders and kissed her cheek.

"We were looking at dresses, even though we have ours already. We wanted to see what the shops had." Daphne said as she rummaged through her bag.

"Ronald I've told you, just leave me alone. I told you I needed some time!"

Everyone turned to see Hermione and Harry walking away from Honeydukes with Ron trailing after them.

"But Hermione I said I was sorry. To both you and Harry, I just miss us being a group." Ron said.

Hermione turned around, "Look, I appreciate that, but Harry doesn't want to talk to you, and I'm not READY to. If you can't respect that, then there's nothing more to say." As she turned around Ron grabbed her hand.

"Hermione! Please!" Ron gripped her harder.

"Ouch Ron, let go!" Hermione tried to pull her hand away.

"The lady said let go!" Draco knocked Ron's hand away and shoved him back. Ron lost his balance and fell back. "Back off Weasley!"

"What the hell Malfoy? Mind your own business!" Ron said getting up.

"Anyone that acts that way towards a lady, I'll make it my business Weasel."

Hermione was shocked as she rubbed her wrist.

"Hermione you ok?" Emerald asked as she went up to Hermione and took her wrist.

"Yeah, he just grabbed real tight. Think it might bruise." She mumbled as she took off her glove. It being close to Christmas it was cold and snowing already.

Upon hearing Hermione mumble about a bruise Draco got furious, "You happy Weasley? Bruising someone you want to be your friend, what type of FRIEND are you being then?"

"It's none of your business Malfoy, you don't even care about her. What's it to you?!" Ron asked stocking towards them.

"Leave now." Said Harry standing beside Draco. Cedric came to stand on the other side of him.

"Harry…you don't mean that." Ron said confused.

"He said leave. You've hurt her. How can you expect her to talk to you right now?" Emerald said putting her behind her with the other two girls. Emerald was just as furious as Draco was to see Hermione hurt.

"You snakes really need to mind your own business." Ron said backing off.

"She's an adopted snake, so if I were you Weasley, I'd stay as far away from her as you can." Emerald said icily. There was something in the way she said it that put ice in all their veins.

Ron could've sworn he saw something in Emerald's eyes. Whatever it was, he didn't like it. It scared him. "Whatever." He walked away.

"Merlin, what is it with boys." Sighed Pansy.

"Let's get her to Pomfrey, it's getting too cold out here anyway." Daphne said as she and the others started walking.

Emerald took a few steps and stopped. She felt a feeling in her chest. She looked around but couldn't see anything or anyone suspicious around.

"What's wrong Em?" asked a concerned Cedric.

"Nothing…. I…. I just felt something."

"You're probably cold." He said as he took off his outer robe and put it around her."

"You'll get sick," Emerald said.

"Nonsense, come on, let's get your friend checked out," he smiled and kissed her.

As the group made their way up to the castle, a tall figure sat on a nearby roof on top of a three story shop. Ready to fight if a certain someone was in danger. Amber eyes a blaze.

"She doesn't believe you. You know." Draco mumbled as he watched Madame Pomfrey walk into her office.

He decided to stay with Hermione as she got her wrist healed by the nurse. Everyone else left, of course Emerald just winked when no one was looking and he rolled his eyes. But grateful nevertheless.

"Hmph, well I'd rather not say the truth. Even though he was being an arse, I don't want trouble over this." Hermione said as she got off the bed. "I never thanked you for stepping in. Why did you?" she side glanced as she asked.

"Ahem, well, I just don't like seeing girls treated like that." He looked away towards the window. "If someone treated Emerald like that I'd have their head on a Malfoy silver platter. So would my Dad."

She just looked at him.

He side glanced her then looked fully to her, "I may be an arse Granger, but it'll a cold day in hell before I see someone treat a girl or woman like that in front of me without my intervention. I was brought up better than that."

"You've always been mean to us though, me and Harry. I've noticed that you're acting different. Why?"

Draco started walking away. "Too many questions Granger, it's late. I'll walk you."

Hermione just stared after Draco's form as he walked away completely unaware that he was calling her.

"Granger!...Granger let's go!"

"Oh, yes. Sorry." She said as she ran to catch up to him.

Silence met echoes of their feet as they walked up to the Gryffindor tower. Neither one of them could think of anything to say that wouldn't make themselves sound dumb. It was a comfortable silence though.

After a few minutes they made it to the portrait.

"Thank you, Malfoy. For walking me, and for stepping in with Ron."

Draco had a smirk on his face. "You're welcome."

Hermione didn't like that smirk. "Why are you smirking like that?"

"I've had a thought." He replied.

"That's new." Hermione saw Draco's smirk falter and she grew a smirk herself.

"Anyway," Draco began to pace, with a confident glide, "I've saved you twice now. First from dumb Krum, and now Weasleby. I've yet to call in on my favor." He stopped and turned to her. He saw her eyes wide. "I'm calling in the favor you owe."

She did not like this at all. "What…. what did you want?"

"Hmm, well now I've got to think of something big, seeing as how you owe me twice over."

"Malfoy, you're richer than me, you probably have more stuff than you can count. What could I possibly give you that's worth anything?" she asked worriedly.

He walked up to her and took her hand in his. Examining her wrist. It's healed, but has slight imprints of fingers that would go away in a few days. He looked up to her.

She looked at him and swallowed. He has never looked at her in that way before.

"Would you do me the honor of going to the ball with me?" he whispered so low that no one would hear him except her.

"Wha…. why…. are you serious?" she asked disbelievingly.

"I am." He said leaving no room for misinterpretation.

All Hermione could do was just stare. She couldn't believe, Malfoy, her long time enemy (cause of Harry), long time crush (no one knew, except for Emerald) just asked her to the ball. But wait, this was because of the favor she owed him. He wasn't asking her because he liked her. Although her hopes shot down a little, she was relieved there was no pressure. Yes, surly this was because of the favor.

"Ok Malfoy. I will go with you." She said nodding.

"Excellent. I'll wait for you by the entrance hall a quarter till 7." He let go of her hand, did a slight nod with his head and turned to walk back down the stairs.

Hermione turned around and gave the password to enter the common room. She walked right up to her dorm and sat on her bed. With her dorm mates fast asleep she signed and laid down. Thinking about all that happened in just the past couple of hours.

Draco made it to the dungeons without any issues. Before he made it down the stairs he stopped. He felt something was off and looked around. Not seeing anything out of sort, he shrugged thinking he was just real tired and went downstairs not seeing the slight shimmer of something partially invisible in the moonlight sneaking to a secret portrait that led outside.

As soon as Emerald made it out of the castle she took off in a run to the forest. She kept at a steady pace once she was inside. Knowing exactly where she was going. After about a mile she stopped. She caught her breath and continue for about a minute more to a clearing with a lake. Her lake. One where she swam in the warm weather, and skated on during the winter. She sat on a rock near the lake. As she scanned it, it was perfect. The moonlight coming through the clearing was perfect she could see almost every sparkle the lake showed as it shined. She said a spell that transfigured her boots into ice skates. McGonagall would flip her hat if she knew Emerald could do this. Emerald smiled to herself. She looked out to the lake again and took a deep breath and stood up. She tested the shoreline, sturdy. She smiled and began to skate to the middle of the lake. Testing the whole lake, she found herself ready to really skate and she took off. Doing turns, jumps, and simply gliding. She felt free.

After about twenty minutes, snow started to slowly fall. She knew it was getting late but couldn't make herself leave. After weeks of studying and fretting over the ball with her friends and Cedric she could finally relax.

"I didn't know witches and wizards ice skated…"

Emerald stopped short from gliding and turned to trees. She knew that voice by now.

"Garrett. What are you doing here?"

"I should ask you. You're the student out late at night, in the Forbidden Forest no less. We need to stop meeting like this." He smirked.

She glided towards him to meet him at the edge of the lake. She looked at him. He even glows in the moonlight. He's beautiful. His eyes even glow. A sinful amber.

"If you won't tell I won't. I need some air. And to your statement, most don't. I heard about it from Hermione and she gave me a book on it. I've been skating for two years. No one knows, not even her." She stated as she glided back out to the middle. She felt a whoosh go by her. She saw Garrett skating on the other side.

Emerald smirked. For some reason she felt bold. With Garrett, she felt she didn't have to hide. "I didn't know vampires could skate."

He came to a sudden halt. He came straight towards her. If she blinked, she'd miss him fading in and out. Took him less than a second to reach her.

"What did you say?" he whispered looking straight into her eyes. For a moment she forgot how to speak.

"You heard me." she tried to seem unafraid but she gulped.

"Hmm, cheeky human aren't you? You know what I am." He stood well over her five foot, seven inches. She was tall considering her age, but to him, she was tiny. Damn six-foot-tall vampire.

"How long have you known?" he asked.

"Long enough." She couldn't stop looking into his eyes.

"You are an intriguing human." He said, but with a troubled look on his face. He shook his head and started backing away and turned.

"Wait," she reached her hand out to open space. He stopped and slightly turned his head. "I won't tell anyone. Your secret isn't mine to tell."

"I know you won't, but I can't stay around you. You knowing about me, you know what my diet is. I'm not a good person to be around Emerald."

The way he said her name gave her a warm feeling inside. She was surprised by the feeling. And confused, but she didn't want him to leave. He couldn't, even thinking about him leaving hurt her. Yet she didn't know why. She was really confused.

"I'm sure you work your own thing when it comes to who's blood you take. I don't know your past. I honestly don't care. I FEEL that you're not bad, and I have good instincts. I don't mind…that you're a vampire."

He turned to face her. Even though he was more than six feet from her, she could see his eyes. They held something she couldn't figure out.

"Regardless, you're a student, I'm a teacher…."

"Don't give me that nonsense. Doesn't mean we can't be friends. You need someone to understand you and not judge you. I know about how other creatures are treated. I know your Dumbledore's friend, but even that won't save you from all prejudice. Not even here. I don't believe in treating someone different that couldn't help their condition. I didn't treat Professor Lupin different, and I won't treat you different. You're a person too." Emerald skated up to him. "Please, stay."

She took his hand and felt the coldness through her gloves.

"Emerald, you are the most unique human I've met." He looked down at her and she looked up at him. Amber eyes met green.

Emerald felt something swirl in her stomach, and jolt. She gasped and grabbed her stomach.

"Emerald!" Garrett held her as she fell to the floor gasping. "Emerald, what's wrong? What hurts?"

"I…. I can't breathe…." She kept gasping holding her stomach. It felt like something flipped her stomach inside out. After a few seconds it stopped. Emerald tried to catch her breath. Garrett picked her up and skated to a nearby rock and sat her down.

"Ohhh, that's fast. Vampire speed…. don't know about that." She tried to laugh but couldn't.

"Tell me, is there something I can do." Garrett said trying to see her face.

Finally, Emerald looked up. "I'm ok."

Garrett's eyes went wide. "Emerald your eyes…."

"What? What about them?"

"They were green, now there's purple."

Emerald gasped and stood up. She said the spell to turn her skates to boots and got Harry's cloak. "I've got to go!" she started running away.

"Emerald."

"Sorry, I've got to go!" she was lost to the woods in the direction of the castle.

Garrett was confused. He didn't know what happened to Emerald, but he didn't think it was good. To be one of the most powerful creatures on earth, he felt powerless against what he felt for this girl.

Hello All, hope everyone is safe. Life gets in the way sometimes, I know, it's been a while. I'm at work right now on lunch. I tried to flesh this chapter out because the next one has the ball. I'm excited. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Until next time lovelies.