When I woke the next morning, Draco was already awake and watching me. Studying me. I smiled, kissed his chest underneath me and looked back up towards him. He didn't say anything. I quirked my brow and waited for him to speak.

Eventually, he spoke up. "How are you feeling?" I kissed my way up to his face until I reached his mouth. "Amazing. And a bit sore. But definitely amazing.", I said, before kissing his mouth.

He encased my face with his hands, one resting on each side of my face. He pulled my face back and studied me once more. I sighed impatiently. "I know you're worried about me. But you need to stop treating me like a vulnerable little girl. I won't break."

He shook his head. "You're the strongest girl I know, Katarina. And I include my mother in that assessment. But I also know you bury every fear and every insecurity so people can't help but be impressed by you and your strength. But they're there. And if you don't acknowledge that, they'll hurt more than they did when you pushed them down." He pushed my hair behind my ears. "I'm your husband. It's my job to take care of you. And that means that I need to check if you're pushing something down or that you're really alright."

His gaze was intense and while I didn't want to back down, I did. I looked away. But he didn't back down. "Talk to me, baby." He took my chin gently and forced me to look at him again. "I don't know what to say.", I whispered. He shook his head firmly. "Don't, Kat. Don't run away from me. Tell me what's on your mind."

I sighed. "I'm just not used to someone taking care of me, Draco." And I didn't realise how true the words were until I said them. And then, the words fell out of my mouth, out of my control. "I've always wanted to be strong, to have my parents be proud of me. We moved in high circles, perfection was expected. When I was five and fell of my horse, I brushed myself off, got back in the saddle and continued the lesson. And I was praised for it, that I was strong and a good girl."

I got up from his embrace, and sat back, creating some distance between us. My back was resting against the footboard. "When I got my Hogwarts letter, the expectation of my parents was clear. I needed to be perfect in a world we knew nothing of. So I got tutors who prepared me to step into a different world on my own to conquer it."

He sat up and leaned against the headboard. He reached out and grabbed my legs and put them over his, closing the distance between us. He caressed my legs for a while, before speaking up. "You know, that explains quite a bit, actually. You threw us. There you were, a Muggleborn behaving like a Sacred Twenty-Eight."

I smiled softly. "That's not just the tutoring. I've been groomed for aristocrat life, something that appears is not that different from Sacred Twenty-Eight expectations."

My smile faded as the next words tumbled out of my mouth. "The only thing my tutors didn't prepare me for, was the bigotry surrounding blood status. I had no idea I was seen as low-level, purely based on my blood." I sighed. "So, I realised on the first day that I would fail my parents and there was nothing I could do about it."

I looked outside. "But I still tried. I tried to be a good Slytherin, I tried to be a top student and I tried to be a good friend."

Draco spoke up once more. "You were. You still are. You're the best damn Slytherin I know. Merlin knows we treated you horribly, but you powered through. We couldn't help but feel respect for you. We couldn't show it, of course. And you were third in our year every single year, proving to everybody that not being raised as a witch doesn't matter as long as you put in the hard work. And even watching from the sidelines, I know you were a good friend. A bit too Gryffindor in that respect."

We looked at each other in silence for a few minutes, each of us wrapped up in memories of our school days. Suddenly, he smiled wistfully. I quirked my brow, curious of the memory that triggered that reaction. "I just remembered Yule Ball, our fourth year." I smiled, it was a fond memory of myself as well. "It was hard to admit for all us Slytherins, but the most beautiful girls in the room that night were two muggleborns."

I chuckled. "Hermione looked gorgeous that evening. The looks on everyone's faces when she walked in the room at Krum's arm." I shook my head. "I bet it was the first time many of the boys realised she was a girl and not a swotty know-it-all."

He smiled. "It was her transformation that shocked us. But you, you exuded class. And that dress…" He trailed off, the look in his eyes more intense.

It had been a stressful couple of weeks. The tournament was consuming Hermione's time in the library so if I wanted to spend time with her I had to help with research. My House's support went to Cedric, so I had to be discreet while supporting Harry. That caused some discussion with Ron, who was being very hypocritical, since he was fighting with Harry at the time.

The Yule Ball was a welcome relief, a night to have fun and relax. But I knew it was an important social event, a coming out of sorts. So I used every bit of aristocrat and Pureblood knowledge and put it to good use. I helped Hermione with her outfit after settling quickly on mine.

The choice in dress was deliberate. The forest green colour was a clear nod to House Pride, the satin fabric and simple cut gave the false illusion of a simple dress. The spaghetti straps pulled the fabric high up towards my shoulders in a wide V and then the fabric went deep in the back. My back was completely bare, save for the straps. A sash was wrapped around my hips, knotted in the front, the two ends of the knot merging with the sleek skirt.

My hair was pulled into a low, thick chignon, a few strands of hair seemed to have slipped from the updo, but that was deliberate as well. The silver heeled sandals were hidden beneath the skirt, peeping underneath the hem as I walked. The only jewellery I wore was a thin diamond choker.

I had been asked by two boys. One was a Gryffindor, and I knew it would be too much of a dig to my House to accept. The other, Nathaniel Douglas, was a fifth year Ravenclaw. Outside of Slytherin, it was the house we most respected. And going with an older boy would get me an edge with the girls.

When we walked inside the room, the entire room watched us carefully. I was glad to find that Nathaniel was a terrific dancer as he twirled me around the dancefloor expertly. But the boy had been a bit too handsy. After two dances, I had pulled him aside gracefully, but my message to him had been anything but. "If the hand on my back feels a sliver of fabric, your hand is too low. Keep it proper, Douglas, or you'll learn quickly how well a dress like this can hide a wand."

The threat had been weak, but it hadn't been necessary. Just a few seconds later and his hand slipped down again. He was hexed quickly and I caught Flint put his wand away quickly.

I smiled at the memory. I had been shocked at the time that a Slytherin would be protective of me, but in hindsight I knew they were more protective of my reputation, and therefore the House's.

"You were with some fifth year tosser that night.", Draco said, breaking the silence between us. I chuckled. "A bit too hands-on while dancing, but he behaved like a gentleman the rest of the night." I noticed the change in his eyes, subtle as it was. I frowned. "Not a true gentleman then?"

The signature Malfoy-smirk appeared on his face. "Not quite." I shook my head. "So how did you guys convince him to be?" Draco shrugged. "A few threats about his future at the drinks table, nothing too major. Oh, and Flint reminded him they share a potions class. Something about unsteady hands above a cauldron."

I shook my head and laughed. "Well, at least it worked. He didn't even kiss me goodnight after he walked me out of the party. Of course, a nest of snakes waiting at the stairwell down to the dungeon would discourage anyone."

Draco tutted, showing his disapproval. "Not everyone. And especially not when you looked like that." I smiled warmly. "A snake is never scared by another snake, Draco."