Chapter 19

A Ball to Remember

Stepping into Daphne's home, Hermione was greeted by the blonde Slytherin and her family. She followed the lead of her parents and brother by showing deference to Lord and Lady Greengrass with a curtsey and allowing Theo to do their introductions. She shared a quick wink with Daph as they were escorted to the ballroom which was currently set for dinner.

The Greengrasses had spared no expense and the whole hall was trimmed. Evergreen garlands were strung around every table and each place setting had a small sprig of holly and sage tied around a slim candle.

Hermione quickly surveyed everyone milling about in the room and was surprised when her eyes landed on Harry and Ginny standing near the bottom of the stairs. She wondered just how much begging had occurred to convince Daphne to have her parents add two more to the guest list on such short notice, especially since one of them was a Weasley.

Draco must owe her big time now, she thought.

The Malfoy twins and Theo quickly made their way down the stairs to the two Gryffindors. Ginny was looking only mildly uncomfortable and Harry looked like a stag in the headlights.

"Lord Potter, Miss Weasley." Draco greeted them both formally and left a light kiss on the back of Ginny's knuckles which had the girl flushing almost as red as her hair. "You're looking beautiful this evening Miss Weasley."

"Thank you, Heir Malfoy. I'm told I have you to thank for getting myself and Harry invited." Ginny said, looking at the blonde boy with an appraising eye.

Draco blushed slightly before pulling a Gryffindor and looking her in the eye.

"Miss Weasley… Ginerva, you and Harry have shown loyalty to my sister, and by extension myself and our House. The rest of the Sacred Twenty-Eight may not recognize the importance of this yet, but I do. I'm glad you both accepted the late invitation for this evening."

Draco pulled two envelopes from the inside pocket of his jacket and handed them to Harry and Ginny.

"With my parents' blessing, I'm extending a formal invitation to both of you for the New Year's Eve ball at Malfoy Manor next week. This also extends to Mr. Weasley as well if he's feeling up to joining you Ginerva."

Ginny laid her hand on Draco's arm and smiled at him, "I'd be honored to attend, and I'll pass the message on to Dad."

"Same." Harry chimed in.

"However, if you call me Ginerva one more time I'm going to hex you, Draco Malfoy." Ginny warned, making him smirked.

"Maybe I'm willing to flirt with fire Weaselette." He said and winked at her.

"Don't say I didn't warn you Ferret."

Adhara watched this exchange with pride. Their little group was living proof that backgrounds could be put aside in favor of a better place for everyone. No matter how blurred the lines between good and evil became in the coming months, she knew that their thrown together group would have each other's backs.

The teenagers fell into easy conversation as more guests came in until the Greengrass family walked into the ballroom and announced that dinner was about to begin, and everyone quickly found their seats. Daphne was forced to sit with her family but she looked almost longingly at the table where her five friends were seated with Lucius, Narcissa and Theo's father.

Harry Potter had captured her attention in a way that frightened her as much as it intrigued her, and it made her head spin with its intensity. She wasn't used to someone so unassuming interacting with her. Slytherins were all the same, finding ways to give backhanded compliments, giving veiled and not so veiled threats and insults, and generally playing the sociopolitical game between Houses to further the family line and amass more wealth.

Daphne's eyes swept the room, mentally tagging every male who was of age there without a contract in place. Most of them made her cringe for one reason or another. Too old, too bigoted, to chauvinistic, or in the case of the boys her own age, too much like brothers. Harry was not only new blood but an unknown. And if Adhara was to be believed the Head of three very powerful Houses in their world.

She let her gaze rest back on the messy black hair of Lord Potter, watching as he laughed at something Ginny or Adhara quipped about. She suddenly hoped that none of the other men attending that night asked her to dance. Even knowing how truly terrible Harry was at that particular activity she would much prefer his company to anyone else there.

While Daphne was daydreaming, Adhara was mentally reciting potions ingredients to keep her temper in check as she did her best to keep interactions with Lord Nott to a minimum. The scowling man had said next to nothing during dinner, choosing to glare daggers at her every few minutes and grind his teeth every time she and Theo touched. Ada knew she was no saint and to further grind her future father-in-law's gears made sure to touch Theo as often as was socially acceptable during their meal.

Her mother caught her eye and gave her a sly smile, knowing exactly what game was being played and fully approving. Narcissa knew that Alfred Nott was a vicious man, and how he had sired such a sweet child in Theodore was a mystery. As their plates were cleared away Lord Nott stood and gave the table at large a sharp nod before turning on his heel and heading towards the door. Theo rolled his eyes at his father's dramatics and the table seemed to breath a little easier now that they no longer had to witness the barely concealed disgust that Lord Nott had worn every time he happened to look at the Malfoy Heiress.

Music filled the room and Theo watched as his witch closed her eyes for a moment and just listened. Her dress caught the lights and made her look like she was wearing a gown of diamonds. The silver white gown hugged her waist and flared out slightly at the bottom, the perfect compliment to her willowy frame. The open back and cutouts at her sides gave him all sorts of idea on how to tease her, but he was doomed to distraction by the expanse of skin that the neckline of the gown showed, the small swell of the top of each breast making him salivate. As gorgeous as she looked, all Theo wanted was to take her back to his room and peel it from her curves so he could worship her properly. He led her onto the dance floor and pulled her close, flirting with propriety and not giving a damn. Adhara hummed with pleasure at being held in his arms and he leaned down to speak lowly into her ear.

"I've been remiss in my duties to you my love. The first words from my mouth should have been about how stunning you look. I am the luckiest wizard in this room."

"Thank you, Theo." Ada said quietly. "Now that I don't have too many listening ears, I wanted to thank you for saving me tonight."

Theo pulled back so he could look in her eyes. "How am I saving you, Adhara?" He asked, a little confused.

"If our fathers hadn't put a contract in place for us, tonight would not only have been my reintroduction to society but the first chance at a bidding war for my hand. Even if most of the other available men in the room consider me damaged goods because I was Muggle raised, my Father's money and the connection to the Malfoy name still hold a lot of weight with them. It's truly medieval, honestly." She grimaced at the thought once again and he pulled her as close as humanly possible, anchoring her to him with his arm firmly about her waist.

"Well then you are welcome. The rest of the world can go hang with their medieval practices because I don't care about your Father's money or the political sway I gain by marrying you. There is nothing in this world that is more precious to me than your safety and happiness. You are the true prize Ada. You're a gorgeous, brilliant, talented, witty, magically gifted woman and they are all fools for choosing to make your upbringing a mountain out of a molehill. I intend to make sure every other wizard here knows that I'm proud that you are mine, and anyone who has a problem with it can take it up with me in a duel."

Adhara laid her head on his chest, soaking in the feel of being loved and cherished. His heartbeat made her relax and release the tension in her shoulders that had crept in during dinner.

"There's no one else I would rather have protecting me." She whispered and he pressed a kiss to the top of her curls.

The young couple allowed themselves to get lost in their own little world for the next few songs, uncaring that the world continued on without them.

Draco had been unable to keep his eyes off Ginny since he'd spoken with her earlier, and the fiery Gryffindor had continued to look his way during dinner. Her off shoulder emerald green gown flowed down her body like it had been tailored for her alone, the silk just kissing her waist and hips as it wrapped around her. He'd already danced with Daphne and a few of the other girls he knew from school, and now he was going to get Ginny Weasley to dance with him, even if it took the rest of the night to convince her.

He swallowed hard as he approached the two witches. Ginny noticed him first and gave him a small smile. Despite her bravado she was extremely nervous standing in a room full of people who had shunned her socially for her entire life, and she could not have been more shocked at how easy it was to converse with Lady Malfoy.

"Mother." Draco kissed her on the cheek before facing Ginny head on.

"Ginny, would you do me the honour of being my partner for this next dance?" He extended his hand to her, praying to Merlin she wouldn't make him work too hard for something as simple as a dance.

Narcissa's eyes danced with amusement as she waited for Arthur's youngest to reply. Ginny cocked her head at Draco and stared for a moment before reaching out and taking his hand.

"Yes, Draco, I would love to." Draco's responding grin took her breath away and he quickly led her to the floor. She shivered at the feeling of his warm hand on her back, her right hand squeezing his left briefly as the music began.

"Why would you want to dance with me Draco?" Ginny asked, knowing that getting an honest answer from a consummate Slytherin like Malfoy could be damn near impossible.

"Who wouldn't want to dance with you? You're the most gorgeous witch in the room." He said quietly and she gasped at the compliment. She searched his face for any sign of deception and found none there.

"Draco, I… are you trying to tell me something here?" Ginny asked, wondering where this rambling of his was leading.

Since he had joined the Defenders of Hogwarts they had partnered up more often than not and she had felt conflicted about how much she'd come to like being around him. She'd grown up hearing about how the Malfoys were horrible people who only cared about their wealth and power, but Draco wasn't like that at all.

He was witty and charming, a hell of a Quidditch player, and a very talented wizard overall. But Ginny had never hoped in a million years that she would hold his interest. He was Scion Malfoy, and she was a blood traitor. His father was already dividing the Sacred Twenty-Eight with the ready acceptance of Adhara and the Muggle upbringing she'd had over the last decade, so while she felt that Lucius and Narcissa wouldn't have too much trouble accepting she and Draco as a couple, she wasn't sure how her own dad would feel about it. Sure her mum had always been the one spouting about how the Malfoys and Blacks were horrible families and should be avoided no matter what, but Ginny could only remember seeing her dad staying silent and looking sad when Molly would start those particular tirades.

Draco had maneuvered them to one of the doors leading to a small balcony and pulled her outside, immediately casting a warming charm on them both before stepping away from her. He leaned on the railing behind him and swore softly to himself as his eyes trailed over her figure.

"Salazar, you are gorgeous." He whispered, and she blushed at the compliment. He smiled softly before his face sobered.

"I… Well I mean look, I'm not good with expressing my emotions." He started, and she snorted, making him glare a little before continuing.

"I can't get you out of my head Ginny, and it's driving me up the fucking wall. I see how easily you touch Potter and the other blokes you're friends with and I get irrationally jealous because I want that to be me. I want all your attention to be on me, which I know makes me sound like a spoiled little rich boy.

"You're teaching me how to cast a Patronus for Salazar's sake, and you give as good as you get when I get snarky. You call me out when I'm being an arrogant prat, and you're not afraid to challenge me."

He approached her and she backed up until she was trapped between him and the stone of the doorframe. He reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear before trailing his finger down her cheek and placing his palm on the wall next to her head.

"Is there any world where you would agree to a date with me?" He asked softly and her brown eyes widened as her breath caught in her throat.

"You… you want to take me out? In public? Together? Is that even allowed?" She asked and he grinned at her.

"I'm a Malfoy, Weaselette. My family basically makes the rules so if I say it's allowed then it is."

"Merlin, you're so arrogant." She said, but there was no heat behind her words. She felt almost dizzy with how near he was, and her tongue darted out to wet her lips.

"Put me out of my misery and just say yes. Please Ginny. I won't ask for my father to talk with yours, but I want to see what would happen if I let myself do what I want for a change. Everyone expects me to want Daph or Astoria or even Pansy, but none of them make me want to be a better person the way you do." His grey eyes pleaded with her as he spoke, and before she knew what she was asking her mouth moved on its own.

"Kiss me." She said, and he stared at her hard.

"Excuse me?" He asked, half wondering if he was hallucinating now.

Ginny took a fortifying breath before forging ahead. "I said kiss me, Malfoy." Her voice was more sure this time and she reached up to grab the lapels on his jacket to pull him closer.

Draco put his hand on her neck, his thumb tracing her cheekbone as he leaned down, brushing her nose with his gently as he whispered, "As the lady commands."

Draco sealed his lips to hers and Ginny's grip on his jacket tightened as she pulled him closer. The wall was cool on her back, contrasting deliciously with the heat of Draco's body pressed against her front. He ran the tip of his tongue across the seam of her lips and she opened for him, tangling her tongue with his.

She whimpered and his grip on her neck tightened, a low rumble coming from his chest in reply. He kissed her languidly for another moment before pulling back slowly. Her eyes opened and they were slightly hazy. He chuckled softly and rested his forehead on hers.

"Say yes, Ginny." He begged. "Let me be your escort next week when you come for the New Year. Let me show you off. Let me take you to Hogsmeade when we go back to school and hold your hand between classes. Give me the chance to show you I'm better than the boy you've seen over the last four years."

"Okay." Ginny whispered, and Draco's answering smile could have rivaled a bright Lumos. She leaned up and kissed him again softly before they walked back into the ballroom. Narcissa and Lucius watched them walk back in and she turned and smirked triumphantly at her husband. Lucius gave her a half hearted glare before sighing.

"I promise I will play nicely with Miss Weasley, and with Arthur the next time I see him." He grumbled and she patted his arm with faux sympathy.

"Very magnanimous of you dear." She said, And it will be lovely to see Arthur again, she thought to herself.

Elsewhere in the room, Harry had talked himself into approaching Daphne for a dance. If the Yule Ball last year had proved anything it was that Harry was not by any means a graceful dancer. When Malfoy informed him that he'd bent Daphne's ear and gotten he and Ginny invitations, he had begged her and Sirius to teach him the basics again so he wouldn't make a complete fool of himself.

He steeled his nerves as he approached Daphne and her mother. He studied Daphne as he walked towards them, mentally comparing the blonde girl to a goddess. The sapphire blue of her dress made her blue eyes shine, and her hair fell in gentle waves down her back. He didn't consider himself a very tactile being, but at that moment he wanted nothing so much as to see if her hair felt as soft as it looked. When he finally stood in front of the two witches he bowed at the waist.

"Lady Greengrass, I wanted to thank you for your willingness to add two members to your dinner last minute. I'm grateful that Draco pleaded our case because I wouldn't have known where to start." Harry said, and Larenia Greengrass eyed him critically for a moment before smiling at him.

"Young Lord Potter. I'm grateful to Draco for telling us your situation. I'm sure we'll be seeing more of you in the months to come, isn't that right Daphne?"

Both teenagers blushed and knew that the woman had noticed all the surreptitious glances they had been sending each other.

"Yes Mother." Daphne murmured.

"Please call me Harry. Harrison if you feel Harry is still too informal. Lord Potter makes me feel like I'm acting too big for my boots. I'm really… really just Harry. May I steal your daughter from you for a moment?" Harry asked with more bravery than he actually felt.

"Of course Lord Pott… I mean Harry." Larenia corrected herself and watched the boy's shoulders relax almost immediately.

Turning to Daphne, Harry extended his hand as he asked, "Care to risk your toes and dance with me?"

His lopsided grin made every girlish fantasy of a knight in shining armour come rushing back to the forefront of her mind and she quickly put her hand in his.

"I think I can handle that." She replied and he squeezed her hand gently as he led them to the floor. He placed his hand on her waist and started to lead them in a slow waltz. They were silent for a moment before Daphne broke the ice.

"Have you been enjoying yourself Harry?" She asked.

"Surprisingly, yes. I've never been invited to anything like this before. I just keep hoping I don't embarrass myself."

She laughed lightly. "I don't think you've embarrassed yourself at all. You've done very well actually."

"Thanks Daph." He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I… Well, I hope I'm not being too much of a Gryffindor when I tell you that you look stunning tonight."

From her brief experiences talking with him, she knew that Harry was not the kind of boy who gave empty or unintended compliments. She relaxed a little more into his hold on her and smiled at him as a pretty blush painted her cheeks.

"It may be more bold than I'm used to but it means more because I know you mean it. It isn't just an empty gesture and I truly appreciate that. I'm so used to Slytherins and formal social graces. You kind of scare me a little."

Harry looked alarmed at this and she hurried to reassure him.

"No, it's a good thing! You make me rethink how I want conversations to go and how I want to be seen. I was raised to be the pureblood socialite wife. Always seen and envied but never actually heard. But you actually listen to my ideas. It's like you want me to think for myself."

"I do…. Daphne, whoever told you that a woman should be seen and not heard obviously lives in the Dark Ages. Unless they told you that so men would underestimate you. I mean honestly, who really runs your house. Is it your dad who's in meetings all day with the Ministry or Wizengamot or is it your mum, the one who keeps him organized, puts together balls like this and makes sure everything is where it needs to be, and generally keeps the whole house on task?"

Daphne tilted her head to the side and thought about this for a moment before giving Harry a calculated look. "I think I see your point."

Harry snorted and gave a better example. "Take me. I was raised in a terrible home and only found out two months ago that I have not one but four Lordships. If I marry the way I think I'll have to based on my titles, I can promise you that she will be running the show and not me.

"I need a Pureblood wife who can help me understand what all this means, how I'm supposed to act with the other Heads of House, who best to politically align with. I could give you a parchment probably ten feet long on what I don't know and maybe a quarter of that is something my Godfather will be able to teach me. Lord Malfoy is also going to take care of a portion of that education thankfully."

Daphne couldn't help but giggle at his frustrated rambling. She moved her hand from his shoulder to rest on the back of his neck and softly stroked the hair at her fingertips. She'd witnessed Adhara use this method to calm him down once before and she prayed to Merlin it would work right now.

The feeling of her fingers playing with the hair on the nape of his neck made Harry's eyes go wide and his breathing stutter momentarily as he locked eyes with her before relaxing into the touch.

"Now I have to pull a Gryffindor and I'm not used to this so just… let me speak and don't say anything until I'm done, okay?" She said and he nodded slowly.

"Let me teach you about the politics going on with the people our age. Let me introduce you to the people I know that feel differently than their parents about His agenda. Lucius will be a wellspring of information about who you'll need to interact with that is currently sitting on the Wizengamot, use him as often as you can.

"As far as the social parties, the balls and whatnot, do you have a plan of attack to deal with the many people who will be coming after your fortune and titles?"

"No, I don't. But I was hoping that you could help me there. Do you already have an escort for the Malfoy's ball next week?" He asked boldly.

Daphne's breath caught at the question. "Uhm… I… Well no, I don't think so. I'm sure my father tried to arrange someone but as of this moment I'm unaware of who it might be."

"Well then I guess I'll be speaking with your father as soon as our dance is over. I need you with me Daph. Ada is still adjusting to being back in your world and she has Theo and Draco to help her. I love Ginny but I'm starting to understand that Molly refused to teach any of her children much of what she should have concerning their heritage. Everything Ginny knows she told me she had to read on her own."

The song ended and Harry escorted Daphne back to her mother, snagging her hand and leaving a light kiss on her knuckles before turning to Larenia.

"Lady Greengrass, I'm looking for your husband. Any tips on how to get him to agree with my offer to escort Daphne to the Malfoy's ball next week?" He asked, standing at his full height and looking every inch the Pureblood.

Larenia shared a look with her eldest daughter before smirking at the boy in front of her.

"Cyrus is currently talking to Lucius, which will help your case already dear. Be as assured with him as you were with me just now and you should do just fine."

Harry nodded his thanks and shot Daphne another grin before turning on his heel and making a beeline for the two men. Larenia raised an eyebrow at her daughter and Daphne blushed scarlet.

"Not one word, Mother." She said and walked away to go find Adhara. She needed to drill her new friend for information and Theo would just have to go play with the boys for a while.

Hours later the Malfoys returned home and Theo dropped Adhara off at her bedroom door. He kissed her sweetly and nuzzled her nose with his.

"Ada?" He whispered, and she hummed in acknowledgement. "Do you trust me?"

"With everything Theo. Why?" She asked, pulling back to look him in the eye.

He took a deep breath. "Meet me in Hogsmeade outside Honeydukes at ten in the morning on Boxing Day."

Ada leaned in and kissed him softly before snuggling into his chest. "Alright. Do I need to bring anything?"

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, savoring the feeling of her pressed against him.

"Just yourself darling. You are all I ever need."

"Theo… I…"

He tilted her chin up so he could look into her eyes.

"I love you Adhara. I have since we were children. Nothing and no one will ever change that fact."

"I love you too." She whispered, drowning in the adoration shining in his blue eyes.

"Hogsmeade. Two days." He breathed before she leaned up and kissed him again, tangling her tongue with his as she all but attempted to climb him like a tree.

"Two days." She promised after pulling away.

As she lay in bed that night, Adhara couldn't imagine a better outcome for this holiday season. She would enjoy tomorrow with her family but Boxing Day couldn't come quickly enough.