Saturday morning dawned bright and clear on the crisp grounds covered with
a fresh blanket of white snow. It was Valentine's Day and most of the
school was excited and babbling incessantly about the dance that night –
especially the girls. Bronwyn just rolled her eyes and stared at her
breakfast, trying to choke down some food before the rest of the girls at
her table made her sick. Even Caitlyn, sitting beside her, was joining in
the uncharacteristically excited giggles and whispers. Bronwyn rolled her
eyes and leaned closer to her plate.
"They sound like a gaggle of geese or something," a soft voice whispered over her shoulder. Bronwyn looked up and saw Draco sliding into the seat beside her that Blaise had vacated moments before. She rolled her eyes and went back to her food with nothing more than a glance in his direction and no sound to acknowledge him. She had managed to avoid him all of Friday and had been hoping for the same success on this day.
"Bronwyn, you can't ignore me for the bloody rest of time. So here, I'll make a deal with you. You go with me tonight – eh eh, let me finish," he said as Bronwyn opened her mouth to protest. "You go with me tonight," he continued, "and I promise that if I do anything to make you mad or annoyed or uncomfortable, that you can leave right then and there. I promise to be on my best behavior, but this way, we both get to go and neither of us has to go alone. Everyone wins." Bronwyn glared at him evenly and then turned her attention back to her food. "Come on, Bronwyn. Just go to the dance with me tonight."
Bronwyn sighed at the table and closed her eyes. She remembered the feeling from a few nights ago, how purely tired and exhausted she had been and still was. She was tired of fighting. She was exhausted form the effort it took to actively hate and avoid Draco Malfoy.
"If I go to the ball with you will you promise to leave me alone when it is over and stop bothering me? Will you promise to just let me be?" she sighed.
"Promise."
"Alright. I'll go, though I am going against what everything my head is screaming at me right now. But I will leave you at the first sign of anything I don't like. I promise you," she turned and glared at him.
Draco smiled at her. "It's settled then. I'll meet you in the common room at 6:45," he grinned and then slipped out of the seat and moved to another part of the table.
"Wynnie?" Caitlyn leaned over to her, trying to appear innocent as she apparently took a break from her giggling with the other girls. She seemed to notice Bronwyn's scowl. "Was that what I think it was? It our little Bronwyn going to the Valentine's Day ball with Draco Malfoy?" A smiled tugged at her lips.
"You breathe a word of this to anyone and I swear you will die a horrible, horrible death. I will personally be sure of it," Bronwyn hissed and Caitlyn just laughed at her.
"Alright, Wynnie, have it your way. But you do realize that people will notice when you come into the ball with him. You can't hide from the school all night long."
"Maybe I can just transfigure myself invisible. I've heard that it is possible."
"I've also heard it is extremely hard and much beyond your level. I think you will have to come up with a better plan than that, dear," Caitlyn laughed as Bronwyn stood and hurried out of the Great Hall, attempting to get away and hide in case word got out that she was going to the ball with Draco Malfoy.
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"Come on, Wynnie. You will have fun. You know you will. Besides – I'll be there. Just in case he does decide to be a bloody prat."
"I just wish I'd kept with what I was thinking and just refused," Bronwyn sighed, falling back on her bed and staring up at the green canopy.
"And then you would have stayed holed up here all night and what fun would that be?" Cait grinned, pulling her back up and handing her the dress robes Daphne had just retrieved from Bronwyn's trunk. "Now put those on and march your little butt down those stairs," Cait laughed as she pushed a grumbling Bronwyn towards the door. Bronwyn sighed with a realization that her best friend was not going to let her out of this one and slid into the robes, running her fingers through her hair. Cait handed her a small pot of lip gloss.
"Just put little bit of this on and you should be fine," Cait said as she pulled part of Bronwyn's hair back with a small comb. Bronwyn sighed but obeyed, then turned to look at the three other girls in the room.
"Well?" she asked cautiously.
"You look wonderful, Bronwyn," Tracey smiled at her.
Daphne tried to glare at her through a smile. "You realize I hate you, right? I have spent the last two hours getting ready to go to this ball with Blaise. You just got ready in two minutes."
"So I guess that means I look okay then," Bronwyn managed a weak smile.
"You look wonderful. Now go. You don't want to keep him waiting," Cait smiled as she, Tracey, and Daphne collectively hurried Bronwyn out the door and towards the common room.
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"What in the world could possible be taking them so bloody long? It's not that hard to get dressed," Blaise rolled him eyes. Theodore laughed at him.
"They're girls, Zabini. You never ask questions like that about them. They have no logic. They take 5 minutes on an exam and 5 hours on their hair," Theodore rolled his eyes and Blaise just shrugged at him.
"Well, they need to be ready. They are all already five minutes late. Malfoy, did she actually finally end up saying yes?" Blaise raised his eyebrows at his friend.
"Of course he did, dimwit. What did you expect?"
"I expected her to put up more of a fight. It would have been much more amusing to watch than another little groupie giving into your 'charms'. She apparently doesn't have near as much conviction in her as I thought she did," Theodore mused as the girls appeared at the top of the stairs and each of the three boys got quiet.
There was an awkward silence and Caitlyn, Bronwyn, and Daphne descended the stairs, Tracey just behind them. Tracey hurried straight out the common room door, on her way to meet her Ravenclaw date in the main foyer. The other three couple just stood for a moment, looking at each other blankly.
Theodore grinned at his girlfriend and broke the silence. "You look good, girls. Come on, we should head to the Great Hall. We wouldn't want to be late, would we?" he laughed and took Cait's hand, pulling her towards the door. Blaise and Draco each cleared their throats and they turned to follow Theodore, the two girls just behind them.
Blaise and Daphne hurried up towards Cait and Theodore, but Draco pulled Bronwyn back slightly as she tried to join them. "You look nice tonight."
"Thank you, but you don't have to lay it on thick for me. I know this is just a convenience thing and that there is nothing there and nothing will happen. I have no misconceptions about this night at all. Don't worry," she said quietly, then hurried to where her friends walked a few paces ahead.
Draco watched her as his lips pulled into a slight scowl. He was trying. 'Maybe you deserved that,' he thought to himself quickly. 'You haven't been the nicest guy to her. She is somewhat right...' Draco shook his head and quickened his step to catch up with the rest. As he fell into step beside then, something occurred to him. 'Fight....conviction....' "HEY!" he said loudly, throwing a light punch at Theodore and catching his arm. The boys started laughing as the girls just stared at them blankly.
"Boys.... I don't think we will ever understand them," Daphne said lightly, and shook her head.
"They sound like a gaggle of geese or something," a soft voice whispered over her shoulder. Bronwyn looked up and saw Draco sliding into the seat beside her that Blaise had vacated moments before. She rolled her eyes and went back to her food with nothing more than a glance in his direction and no sound to acknowledge him. She had managed to avoid him all of Friday and had been hoping for the same success on this day.
"Bronwyn, you can't ignore me for the bloody rest of time. So here, I'll make a deal with you. You go with me tonight – eh eh, let me finish," he said as Bronwyn opened her mouth to protest. "You go with me tonight," he continued, "and I promise that if I do anything to make you mad or annoyed or uncomfortable, that you can leave right then and there. I promise to be on my best behavior, but this way, we both get to go and neither of us has to go alone. Everyone wins." Bronwyn glared at him evenly and then turned her attention back to her food. "Come on, Bronwyn. Just go to the dance with me tonight."
Bronwyn sighed at the table and closed her eyes. She remembered the feeling from a few nights ago, how purely tired and exhausted she had been and still was. She was tired of fighting. She was exhausted form the effort it took to actively hate and avoid Draco Malfoy.
"If I go to the ball with you will you promise to leave me alone when it is over and stop bothering me? Will you promise to just let me be?" she sighed.
"Promise."
"Alright. I'll go, though I am going against what everything my head is screaming at me right now. But I will leave you at the first sign of anything I don't like. I promise you," she turned and glared at him.
Draco smiled at her. "It's settled then. I'll meet you in the common room at 6:45," he grinned and then slipped out of the seat and moved to another part of the table.
"Wynnie?" Caitlyn leaned over to her, trying to appear innocent as she apparently took a break from her giggling with the other girls. She seemed to notice Bronwyn's scowl. "Was that what I think it was? It our little Bronwyn going to the Valentine's Day ball with Draco Malfoy?" A smiled tugged at her lips.
"You breathe a word of this to anyone and I swear you will die a horrible, horrible death. I will personally be sure of it," Bronwyn hissed and Caitlyn just laughed at her.
"Alright, Wynnie, have it your way. But you do realize that people will notice when you come into the ball with him. You can't hide from the school all night long."
"Maybe I can just transfigure myself invisible. I've heard that it is possible."
"I've also heard it is extremely hard and much beyond your level. I think you will have to come up with a better plan than that, dear," Caitlyn laughed as Bronwyn stood and hurried out of the Great Hall, attempting to get away and hide in case word got out that she was going to the ball with Draco Malfoy.
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"Come on, Wynnie. You will have fun. You know you will. Besides – I'll be there. Just in case he does decide to be a bloody prat."
"I just wish I'd kept with what I was thinking and just refused," Bronwyn sighed, falling back on her bed and staring up at the green canopy.
"And then you would have stayed holed up here all night and what fun would that be?" Cait grinned, pulling her back up and handing her the dress robes Daphne had just retrieved from Bronwyn's trunk. "Now put those on and march your little butt down those stairs," Cait laughed as she pushed a grumbling Bronwyn towards the door. Bronwyn sighed with a realization that her best friend was not going to let her out of this one and slid into the robes, running her fingers through her hair. Cait handed her a small pot of lip gloss.
"Just put little bit of this on and you should be fine," Cait said as she pulled part of Bronwyn's hair back with a small comb. Bronwyn sighed but obeyed, then turned to look at the three other girls in the room.
"Well?" she asked cautiously.
"You look wonderful, Bronwyn," Tracey smiled at her.
Daphne tried to glare at her through a smile. "You realize I hate you, right? I have spent the last two hours getting ready to go to this ball with Blaise. You just got ready in two minutes."
"So I guess that means I look okay then," Bronwyn managed a weak smile.
"You look wonderful. Now go. You don't want to keep him waiting," Cait smiled as she, Tracey, and Daphne collectively hurried Bronwyn out the door and towards the common room.
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"What in the world could possible be taking them so bloody long? It's not that hard to get dressed," Blaise rolled him eyes. Theodore laughed at him.
"They're girls, Zabini. You never ask questions like that about them. They have no logic. They take 5 minutes on an exam and 5 hours on their hair," Theodore rolled his eyes and Blaise just shrugged at him.
"Well, they need to be ready. They are all already five minutes late. Malfoy, did she actually finally end up saying yes?" Blaise raised his eyebrows at his friend.
"Of course he did, dimwit. What did you expect?"
"I expected her to put up more of a fight. It would have been much more amusing to watch than another little groupie giving into your 'charms'. She apparently doesn't have near as much conviction in her as I thought she did," Theodore mused as the girls appeared at the top of the stairs and each of the three boys got quiet.
There was an awkward silence and Caitlyn, Bronwyn, and Daphne descended the stairs, Tracey just behind them. Tracey hurried straight out the common room door, on her way to meet her Ravenclaw date in the main foyer. The other three couple just stood for a moment, looking at each other blankly.
Theodore grinned at his girlfriend and broke the silence. "You look good, girls. Come on, we should head to the Great Hall. We wouldn't want to be late, would we?" he laughed and took Cait's hand, pulling her towards the door. Blaise and Draco each cleared their throats and they turned to follow Theodore, the two girls just behind them.
Blaise and Daphne hurried up towards Cait and Theodore, but Draco pulled Bronwyn back slightly as she tried to join them. "You look nice tonight."
"Thank you, but you don't have to lay it on thick for me. I know this is just a convenience thing and that there is nothing there and nothing will happen. I have no misconceptions about this night at all. Don't worry," she said quietly, then hurried to where her friends walked a few paces ahead.
Draco watched her as his lips pulled into a slight scowl. He was trying. 'Maybe you deserved that,' he thought to himself quickly. 'You haven't been the nicest guy to her. She is somewhat right...' Draco shook his head and quickened his step to catch up with the rest. As he fell into step beside then, something occurred to him. 'Fight....conviction....' "HEY!" he said loudly, throwing a light punch at Theodore and catching his arm. The boys started laughing as the girls just stared at them blankly.
"Boys.... I don't think we will ever understand them," Daphne said lightly, and shook her head.