Disclaimer: Much as I'd like to, I don't own Draco Malfoy, or any part of the magical world that J.K. Rowling has all the copyrights to ... please don't sue me. There are some parts of this story that are quotes from the book - it can't be helped - events are the same as in the book, but Draco's opinion of these events may vary from Harry's. The two songs played in this do both belong to real Muggles (the first one is I Believe, by Savage Garden - and the second is Together We're Strong, by Patrick Duffy and M.Mathieu) - and they're two of my favourite songs (after Bat Out Of Hell, by Meatloaf (who is a god ... or, in my fanfic-verse, a vampire) {sheepish grin}).
Author's Notes: {blink blink} my version of PoA was 20 chapters long ... it's only Christmas and GoF's already at ch20! And these are longer chapters! How did I write this much?! Ah well ... it's all good, anyway ... enjoy. Oh, and there's one little teensy Red Dwarf reference, and a more obvious Simpsons reference, hidden in here ... see if any of you can spot them.
"Kindly remove your head from the gift horse's mouth" -Andromeda
Chapter 20 - Yule Ball
"Champions over here, please!" McGonagall called out over the chattering crowd.
She beckoned the four champions and their partners to stand next to the door, while the rest of us were to go in and take our seats first. When we walked past the champions, I noticed that Potter was too busy staring at Krum's date to notice I was glaring at him ... and when I looked at Krum's date, I saw why - it was Hermione. I just stared, surprised, as I passed her. She was beautiful. Pansy also couldn't think of anything to pick fault in, so she elbowed me hard in the ribs when we got into the Great Hall, "You were staring at that Mudblood." she snapped.
"Well, she looked different. I was trying to think of something to insult about her appearance." I replied.
"And nothing springs to mind?" Pansy asked scathingly.
"Could you see anything to insult?" I asked.
"No ... but at least I wasn't almost drooling." she said coldly.
"I was not drooling over that Mudblood!" I snapped.
Pansy huffed as we sat at an empty table near the back of the Hall.
"What nit decorated this place with all that mistletoe? The rest of it's fine, but the implication of the mistletoe is too obvious." Blaise said, as she led her Ravenclaw date over to our table, "I mean, I'm surprised the teachers let that pass."
I shrugged, Pansy ignored her, and Blaise let the subject drop.
Milli and Cat also dragged their dates over to the table, much to the Hufflepuff and the Mudblood's disapproval - apparently they didn't particularly want to be at the same table as the one voted 'most-likely-to-become-a-Death-Eater' in the current student body (yes, there was a vote - and they still think I don't know about it).
"Guys, you know Luna, right?" Theo asked, gesturing towards the short blonde girl next to him - she was wearing lurid blue robes, with moving black spider designs that matched the cobweb pattern on Theo's robes - her hair was tied up in two bunches, like a small child might wear, and she was wearing eye shadow and mascara the same colour as her robes. Amazingly, while it was very bright, it wasn't as bad looking as it sounds.
"Yeah, how could I forget her?" I asked.
Luna smiled vaguely, "You look nice." she said to me.
I blinked, surprised at the simple compliment. I smiled, and nodded in as close to thanks as anyone normally gets from me. Pansy clutched my arm possessively.
Luna saw this, and leaned against Theo as if to tell Pansy she had no intention of stealing me from her, "That dress looks good on you." she said to Pansy.
Pansy frowned, confused by this, "Thanks." she said, warily - she didn't appear to understand the concept of giving a compliment without expecting to get something from the person you're complimenting. I barely do, and I don't usually bother with such nonsense, but that's beside the point.
"Where's the food?" Pansy asked as she picked up the small menu off her plate.
Theo looked around, craning his neck to see what everyone else was doing, and turned around and picked up his menu at the same time as Luna said, "Nut rissoles and Brussels sprouts." clearly to her plate, and what she asked for appeared on her plate.
"Try saying that three times fast." Theo said, then read the menu and ordered, "Trout a la Crème."
"Ew." Blaise said, pulling a face. Theo shrugged and tucked into his food.
The rest of us ordered, as well. "How'd you figure out how to order the food?" Blaise asked Luna, "I mean, I saw Theo look round to see what other people were doing, but you didn't."
"Was it not obvious?" Luna asked innocently, "They give you a menu and magic plates - how would you expect to make the food appear?"
"Actually, scarily, that makes some sort of sense." Blaise admitted. Luna smiled.
x x x
When we had finished our food, Dumbledore stood and gestured for the rest of us to do the same. Once everyone was standing, Dumbledore waved his wand at the room, and simultaneously the tables flew to the sides of the room, and a platform appeared at one wall, on which were musical instruments.
Then the doors opened and The Weird Sisters trooped out and onto the platform. I'd seen them on posters before, but never in person. For those of you who don't know who they are - they are THE best band in the magical world, consisting of five wizards and two witches - the drummer had dark purple hair and a beard that wouldn't look out of place on a Hell's Angel. There were bagpipes played by a man with a nose to rival Snape's and hair about half as greasy and twice as long. The cello was played by a wizard with blue hair almost as messy as Hagrid's. A woman with long dark red hair and glasses played the lute. Three different guitars were played by the most well known members of the band ... Donaghan is the bass guitarist - he has that much brown hair his eyes are covered ... Ophelia is the female singer and guitarist - she has gold-blonde hair with pink streaks that's longer than Luna's, and always wears way too much make up ... and Romeo (I pity him growing up with a name like that - really I do) is the lead singer and guitarist - he has long black hair with green streaks, and is the only male in the band without a beard. All of them wear black robes that are deliberately torn - I still don't understand that particular fashion, but everyone else thinks it's cool, so who cares?
They started playing a slow song (not one I've heard before, so I'm guessing it's a new one), and the champions led their partners out onto the dance floor to open the ball. Well, three of the champions led their partners - it looked more like Potter's date was leading him (and yes, that does mean Delacour was leading her date).
After a minute, some of the teachers took the dance floor as well, indicating it was ok for everyone else to join in. Theo offered Luna his hand, she curtsied, and they began to dance - I was careful not to watch them both directly, in case the bright colours blinded me, but at least they appeared to know how to dance ... as if they were dancing to a much faster song.
I heard a tapping noise beside me, and looked to see Pansy giving me a pointed look and tapping her foot impatiently. I frowned for a second, before realising she wanted me to ask her to dance. I offered her my hand, and she took it, smiling. I led her onto the dance floor, and made a point of staying as far away from Potter and his date as possible.
The second dance was faster, and livelier. Pansy insisted we continue to dance, and I was actually in too good a mood to argue. About halfway through this dance, I spotted Potter's date (you can tell her apart from her twin by the colour of her robes) dancing with Blaise's cousin from Beauxbatons.
After the third dance, I managed to convince Pansy to stop and take a break. She led me over to a couple of chairs in a darkened corner of the Hall.
""Why sit so far away from the dance floor, Pansy?" I asked.
"Why do you think?" she replied, leaning closer to me.
I edged away slightly, "Pansy, I really don't think -"
She pointed above us ... there was mistletoe there.
"Oh." I sighed, "I guess it can't hurt."
"Exactly." Pansy said, leaning closer to me. I really didn't want to kiss her - I think of her like an annoying little sister, rather than anything else - but I also didn't want to say no to her, partly because I was sure she'd make herself more annoying if I did.
Her lips met mine for a moment - I'm not saying that it was a bad kiss, but sparks definitely did not fly - then she sat back suddenly, and frowned, "I'm sorry, Draco."
"Why are you sorry?" I asked, confused.
"I ..." she shook her head and muttered, "It's like kissing a brother." and she stood up and left me alone quickly.
I blinked a few times, and shrugged. I didn't mind being left alone, and I actually agreed with her - I'm just glad she's finally lost interest in me. Of course, that won't stop me from holding this action of hers over her head when I want something from her.
x x x
Over the course of the next half hour, I was asked to dance by four other girls (Wednesday, Padma Patil, Carrie, and Samantha). I danced with all of them, just to pass the time. I should consider it a good thing that I'm good enough looking to be asked to dance by so many people (most of whom are actually older that me) ... but honestly, I already knew I was that good-looking and didn't care about being asked to dance.
As I sat down again, Theo could be seen talking to Wednesday, and I noticed Potter and his pet Weasley sneaking out towards the grounds (where I had also seen Delacour and Davies sneak off to - I could take a wild guess at what people go out there to do).
Wednesday nodded in what seemed an overly businesslike way, and Theo went to lead Luna onto the dance floor again. Wednesday then went to get some drinks, and I stopped paying attention to her.
Another half hour passed, and the Weird Sisters ran out of their own songs. They never repeat a song at the one performance. So, they do cover versions - never quite as good as their own songs, but usually equal to the original versions - I read that they won't cover Meatloaf or Celestine Warbeck, because they don't cover songs unless they think they can sing the song as well as the original. Romeo made an announcement, "Alright, most of you guys know the drill - we're now taking requests for songs. Just come up and tell Jason your request, and we'll probably play it." he said, indicating the member of the band with the bagpipes, as he said this, "But since it's Christmas, we'll start with a nice little Christmassy song, shall we."
"Bah Humbug!" I said quite clearly, for everyone to hear.
"And a very merry Bah Humbug to you too." Donaghan said cheerfully.
I smirked faintly, and didn't bother retorting.
While the Christmas song was playing, I saw Luna Lovegood walk over to the stage, and say something to the bagpipe player. He nodded; Luna smiled, and walked off. She waved and nodded to Theo - it's blatantly obvious they're plotting something.
The next song they played was 'I Don't Bite', originally by one of the less well-known magical singers, Pixie Styx's - this song was her only hit (although I liked all her songs, and have a copy of her album - they're all very dark, gothic type songs). Theo and Luna both immediately stood up on hearing the introduction, and walked over to where the staff were gathered - Theo went to McGonagall, and Luna to Dumbledore ... and they asked the teachers to dance. McGonagall was, naturally, sceptical, but Dumbledore immediately accepted the offer. Theo put on his innocent face, as the first words of the song started, "You don't think I'm evil, do you?" (that's the first line of the song - go figure). McGonagall rolled her eyes, and accepted the offer to dance.
And I'd thought the Gryffindor head teacher was too uptight to dance any more than she could avoid ... let alone with a student ... let alone with a Slytherin student. After this dance, Theo planted himself in the seat next to me, while Luna wandered off to sit near some Ravenclaws at the other side of the Hall.
"What was that about?" I asked curiously.
"Well, 'I Don't Bite' is one of the ultimate 'trust me' type songs." Theo said, picking up a bottle of butterbeer from the table next to us, "And while everyone's too busy worrying about inter-school relationships, they're ignoring the fact that our own inter-house relationship stink."
"So you went and danced with the Head teacher of Gryffindor house?" I asked.
"Yep. I don't think anyone noticed, besides the two teachers involved, though. Too bad, really." Theo said, shrugging.
"Why does it matter?" I asked.
"Because ... the Slytherins are the ones losing out ... being called evil, and not liked by most of the school ... I'm getting sick of it." Theo replied, and then he paused to try to empty his bottle of butterbeer in one gulp. After less than a minute, he returned his attention to me. "So, do you read meaning into songs, or are they just pretty tunes?" he asked, totally changing the subject, I thought.
"I can't help but read meanings into the words." I said honestly.
"Me too." Theo said, nodding, "So what do you think of this one?" he asked.
I paid attention to the words - I'd been happily ignoring the song until now, and it was a very fast song, so I had to pay close attention to catch all the words as they were sung: "I believe you can't control or choose your sexuality. I believe that trust is more important than monogamy. I believe your most attractive features are your heart and soul. I believe that family is worth more than money or gold. I believe the struggle for financial freedom is unfair. I believe the only ones who disagree are millionaires. I believe in karma, what you give is what you get returned. I believe you can't appreciate real love till you've been burned. I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side. I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye."
"I like it." I said, thinking for a second, "I'd deny liking it to most people, but I do like it."
Theo grinned, "What about the part about money?"
"Why do you think I insult the Weasel?" I asked coldly.
"Jealous?"
"Ever say that again and I will hurt you." I growled ... but it was true in a way - I still don't get how his parents have enough love for seven children, while mine don't have enough for just me.
"So ... how would you react if I said they swiped that song from a Muggle band?" Theo asked, grinning evilly.
"I'd say one more reason for me to deny that I like it." I said, shrugging.
"You wouldn't disbelieve me?" Theo asked.
"Surprisingly, no." I said, "If they can come up with such imaginative compensations for not having magic, I'm not surprised at least a few of them have some sense."
"Only a few?"
"Only a few." I said, nodding firmly.
"Ok, then." Theo said, and he stood up and walked over to Wednesday. I watched, disinterested, as Theo whispered something to her, she nodded, and he smirked evilly before walking off across the room. He stopped behind where Hermione was sitting, and whispered something to her - I noticed her blush, and felt the barely controllable urge to hurt Theo - they talked for a few minutes, then he smirked again and walked over to Luna. I was now curious what the insane boy was up to - he was obviously up to something - so I continued to watch, but all he did was start dancing, quite extravagantly, with Luna.
After another half hour, the Hall appeared almost empty - the teachers were almost all there (only Snape, Karkaroff, Hagrid, Maxime and Moody had disappeared), there were precisely three Gryffindors in the room (Hermione, and the evil twins), four Slytherins (Theo, myself, Blaise and Cat), half a dozen Ravenclaws (including Carrie and Samantha, who were now dancing with each other), a dozen Hufflepuffs (not worth naming), all the Beauxbatons except Delacour, and five Durmstrangs (Wednesday, Krum, Susan, and two boys I couldn't name).
I watched, suspiciously, as Theo walked over to the man playing the bagpipes, and said something to him. He nodded, and Theo smirked, giving Wednesday a thumbs-up sign. Theo returned to the edge of the Hall, sitting next to Luna, and I was surprised they didn't have popcorn, the way they looked like they were waiting for a show. Wednesday walked over to Krum and Hermione, and started pestering Krum about something - it looked like she was trying to convince him to dance with her, or something. Either way, she ended up dragging him away from Hermione, and across the room, they appeared to be talking in angry whispers (well, he looked angry, anyway).
Then the next song started playing.
The lead singer, Romeo, began - speaking rather than singing - which is what caught my attention, "A great man once said winter never fails to turn into spring, and though we are so different, you and I, when we're together, even the cold of December feels like the middle of May."
Ophelia, the female singer, began the song itself, "You are the night I am the day, you are the star that shows the way, you are the instrument I play, you are the words I long to say."
As Romeo took up the song, I looked across the Hall, and my eyes met Hermione's - she was watching me, too, "You are the land I am the sea, you are in counterpoint to me, and we agree to disagree." I smiled faintly.
Then both sang together, "No need to lie."
When Ophelia sang, "I only know when we're apart, I only live with half a heart," Hermione blushed slightly. Apparently I'm not the only one who reads meaning into songs. I smirked. "I need your hand to play my part."
Both together again, "Together we're strong, we can't go wrong."
Then just Ophelia, "And now we know just what to do, and how we get our meaning through, we're only one when we are two."
"Together we're strong."
As Ophelia sang, "Together we're strong," I looked quickly around the Hall to check there was no one else who I hadn't noticed before - no one, "Together we're strong," I stood up, and walked across the Hall towards Hermione, "Together we're strong." and offered her my hand, to dance "Together we're strong, we can't go wrong." she accepted, "And every time your eyes meet mine, I feel the world fall into line," I led her onto the dance floor, and we started to dance, "I'm passing on that good luck sign."
Both singers sang together, "Let's keep hanging on. And now we know just what to do, and how we get our meaning through, we're only one when we are two, together we're strong."
Ophelia sang, "And I will always try to understand you."
Romeo sang over her, but both sets of words were still intelligible, "I'll be there if you should need me. There's so much we can share with each other."
"And if we say goodbye, it's not forever."
"I can't lose you now I've found you."
"I need you in my life."
"Cause now you're in my life." then he started speaking instead of singing, again, "And together we're strong. There are so many ways of looking at the world. Everyone has a different dream - yours may not be the same as mine - but when we're together, we can make them all come true."
Ophelia began to sing again, "You are the night I am the day, you are the star that shows the way, you are the instrument I play, you are the words I long to say."
Romeo took up the words, exactly as they had before, "You are the land I am the sea, you are in counterpoint to me -" the music was very fast at this point, and I spun Hermione so we ended up arms outstretched holding on by the tips of our fingers - not a move that could have worked if she had thought there was a chance I would let go - I pulled her back to me, smiling - she had to have trusted me, "- and we agree to disagree."
Then both together, "No need to lie."
"You are the night I am the day, you are the star that shows the way, you are the music to my song."
"Together we're strong. Together we're strong. Together we're strong. Together we're strong." And the music stopped - I realised what I'd done.
I blinked several times - Hermione was looking at me curiously, and I noticed the whole Hall was also watching me. The instinct I'd felt for a fraction of a second, as the music ended, to kiss her, died (or, to be accurate, I bloodily murdered it) the moment I realised we were the centre of attention. I quickly backed away from her, whispered, "Thank you." and turned and walked - as dignified as possible when I realised I'd just made a fool of myself - over to the edge of the Hall.
"I told you not to." Cat said quietly.
"I don't know why I did ... well, I know, but I don't know why I did that in front of so many people." I said quietly.
I then looked across the Hall at Theo and Luna, who were both watching me and grinning victoriously. Theo planned this - I know it - I'm going to hurt him.
As I looked around the Hall, I noticed the Patil twins return with a few more Ravenclaw girls - probably from a trip to the bathroom (I still don't get why girls go there in groups - do I really want to know what they do in there?), and went over to a group of Beauxbatons boys who thankfully didn't know or care who I was, otherwise the news would have been all over the school that I'd danced with Hermione Granger. I thanked any passing deities for Theo's frightening sense of timing that the only Gryffindors who would ever know were the Weasley twins - who I still think would make good Slytherins - I know they'll just blackmail me, rather than gossip about it.
True to form, the evil twins appeared at my side, three songs later.
"Hello, Malfoy." one twin said.
"Or are you just someone who looks like Malfoy?" the other asked.
"Because I didn't think Malfoy would dance with Hermione." the first added.
"Perhaps you're some impostor."
"Or you're his good twin."
"We already know if he had a twin he'd be the evil one."
"And which of you two is evil? " I couldn't resist asking.
"Forge."
"Gred." They both answered at exactly the same time.
"Ah, so it's both of you - what about the Patil twins?" I asked.
"Pavarti."
"Without a doubt." They answered, apparently unconcerned that I had suggested they were evil.
"She's the one in your house, isn't she?" I said, smirking.
"Yep."
"Good bookworm Padma."
"And ruthless gossipmonger Pavarti, unafraid to speak her mind."
I rolled my eyes - I'd figured as much ... I was surprised the Evil Twins would admit Gryffindors were capable of being evil, though.
"So who are you, anyway?"
I glared at them, "I am Draco Malfoy ... and it's none of your business why I danced with her."
"We think it is."
"And we think our little brother'd love to hear about it."
"I think you two should leave me alone." I growled.
"Why?"
"We're not doing anything wrong."
"You're annoying me." I said, glaring at them.
"That's the point."
"So, why did you dance with her?"
I had to say something believable, "To piss off your little brother - please do go and tell him - I can't wait to see the look on his face."
They looked at each other, then back to me, "Oh, yeah right ... tell him yourself, see if he believes you."
"Yeah, and if he does hear about it, we'll say it's lies."
I faked a believable glare - I'd beaten them at their own game ... partly because it's one of my favourite games, too. They left me alone, thinking they'd won. That was almost too easy. Almost ... they weren't pulling a double-bluff, were they? Oh, now I'm really getting paranoid.
A few minutes passed, and Hermione left the Hall. Less than a minute, and a damned good fake-excuse-I-can't-remember-now later, I followed her. She turned to look at me, at the top of the staircase.
"Where are you running off to, Granger?" I asked coldly, in case anyone was listening.
"I told Viktor I had to go to the bathroom ... I plan to stare at my reflection for a few minutes, get the ringing from the too-loud music out of my ears, then go back." she said, in an equally cold tone.
I smiled faintly, "So you're not actually doing anything, then?" I asked.
"That's about right, yes." she said warily. I walked up the stairs, and into the first floor corridor just out of sight of where anyone else might be except Hermione herself, and beckoned her to follow me. Cautiously, she did, "So why did you ask me to dance with you - in public - then?" she asked.
"I made a mistake. I should never have made a public gesture like that - I'm just lucky no one important saw me." I said honestly.
"So you didn't really want to -" she started, but I interrupted.
"Of course I wanted to ... I wanted to dance with you that much that the instinct overrode my usual caution."
"Anyone could have seen you."
"The Patil twins got back into the Hall immediately after I sat down again - I am sure that dance was planned, and the lunatic who planned it has an impeccable sense of timing."
"Theo?"
"How'd you -"
"He talked to me about reading meaning into songs - then I saw him wave to that Durmstrang girl right before she dropped something slimy down Viktor's robes."
"Ah - that's what she did." I said, nodding.
"Your friend is dangerous."
"Too intelligent for his own good." I agreed.
"Especially when he's not quite sane." Hermione said, also nodding.
"So ... did you ... like ... that dance?" I asked suddenly nervous.
"Yes. You're a very good dancer." she said, tilting her head to one side. I smiled nervously, and she took a step towards me, "Ever read Shakespeare?" she asked curiously.
"Yes. Why?" I asked, surprised at the sudden change of subject.
"'Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo' ... do you know the rest of that line?" she asked.
I smiled, and leaned closer to her. My lips brushed against hers, lightly, although I don't think you could quite call it a kiss - but unlike when Pansy kissed me, even with this slightest contact, sparks definitely did fly - then I quickly took a step back, "Yes, I know it." I said quietly, "I know exactly what you're implying ... and I can't."
"Too bad." she said sadly.
I smiled weakly, "You think, if they called a rose a stinkweed, it'd still smell as good?" I asked. She sniggered slightly, "But call a beautiful girl a Mudblood, and I'm not even allowed to ask."
She blinked, as if surprised I'd called her beautiful, but then sighed, "I hate talking in circles like this. We could say the same things a thousand times, and nothing will change."
I shrugged, silently agreeing with that.
"I guess I'll talk to you again, soon ... and maybe ... if you ever change your mind ..." she tilted her head to the other side now, for a moment, then turned and walked away.
I didn't go back to see the rest of the Ball ... I returned to the dungeons alone, after that conversation.
x x x
End of chapter 20
A/N: You should know, the quote they were talking about is this: "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo? Deny thy father, and refuse thy name. That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet."
Author's Notes: {blink blink} my version of PoA was 20 chapters long ... it's only Christmas and GoF's already at ch20! And these are longer chapters! How did I write this much?! Ah well ... it's all good, anyway ... enjoy. Oh, and there's one little teensy Red Dwarf reference, and a more obvious Simpsons reference, hidden in here ... see if any of you can spot them.
"Kindly remove your head from the gift horse's mouth" -Andromeda
Chapter 20 - Yule Ball
"Champions over here, please!" McGonagall called out over the chattering crowd.
She beckoned the four champions and their partners to stand next to the door, while the rest of us were to go in and take our seats first. When we walked past the champions, I noticed that Potter was too busy staring at Krum's date to notice I was glaring at him ... and when I looked at Krum's date, I saw why - it was Hermione. I just stared, surprised, as I passed her. She was beautiful. Pansy also couldn't think of anything to pick fault in, so she elbowed me hard in the ribs when we got into the Great Hall, "You were staring at that Mudblood." she snapped.
"Well, she looked different. I was trying to think of something to insult about her appearance." I replied.
"And nothing springs to mind?" Pansy asked scathingly.
"Could you see anything to insult?" I asked.
"No ... but at least I wasn't almost drooling." she said coldly.
"I was not drooling over that Mudblood!" I snapped.
Pansy huffed as we sat at an empty table near the back of the Hall.
"What nit decorated this place with all that mistletoe? The rest of it's fine, but the implication of the mistletoe is too obvious." Blaise said, as she led her Ravenclaw date over to our table, "I mean, I'm surprised the teachers let that pass."
I shrugged, Pansy ignored her, and Blaise let the subject drop.
Milli and Cat also dragged their dates over to the table, much to the Hufflepuff and the Mudblood's disapproval - apparently they didn't particularly want to be at the same table as the one voted 'most-likely-to-become-a-Death-Eater' in the current student body (yes, there was a vote - and they still think I don't know about it).
"Guys, you know Luna, right?" Theo asked, gesturing towards the short blonde girl next to him - she was wearing lurid blue robes, with moving black spider designs that matched the cobweb pattern on Theo's robes - her hair was tied up in two bunches, like a small child might wear, and she was wearing eye shadow and mascara the same colour as her robes. Amazingly, while it was very bright, it wasn't as bad looking as it sounds.
"Yeah, how could I forget her?" I asked.
Luna smiled vaguely, "You look nice." she said to me.
I blinked, surprised at the simple compliment. I smiled, and nodded in as close to thanks as anyone normally gets from me. Pansy clutched my arm possessively.
Luna saw this, and leaned against Theo as if to tell Pansy she had no intention of stealing me from her, "That dress looks good on you." she said to Pansy.
Pansy frowned, confused by this, "Thanks." she said, warily - she didn't appear to understand the concept of giving a compliment without expecting to get something from the person you're complimenting. I barely do, and I don't usually bother with such nonsense, but that's beside the point.
"Where's the food?" Pansy asked as she picked up the small menu off her plate.
Theo looked around, craning his neck to see what everyone else was doing, and turned around and picked up his menu at the same time as Luna said, "Nut rissoles and Brussels sprouts." clearly to her plate, and what she asked for appeared on her plate.
"Try saying that three times fast." Theo said, then read the menu and ordered, "Trout a la Crème."
"Ew." Blaise said, pulling a face. Theo shrugged and tucked into his food.
The rest of us ordered, as well. "How'd you figure out how to order the food?" Blaise asked Luna, "I mean, I saw Theo look round to see what other people were doing, but you didn't."
"Was it not obvious?" Luna asked innocently, "They give you a menu and magic plates - how would you expect to make the food appear?"
"Actually, scarily, that makes some sort of sense." Blaise admitted. Luna smiled.
x x x
When we had finished our food, Dumbledore stood and gestured for the rest of us to do the same. Once everyone was standing, Dumbledore waved his wand at the room, and simultaneously the tables flew to the sides of the room, and a platform appeared at one wall, on which were musical instruments.
Then the doors opened and The Weird Sisters trooped out and onto the platform. I'd seen them on posters before, but never in person. For those of you who don't know who they are - they are THE best band in the magical world, consisting of five wizards and two witches - the drummer had dark purple hair and a beard that wouldn't look out of place on a Hell's Angel. There were bagpipes played by a man with a nose to rival Snape's and hair about half as greasy and twice as long. The cello was played by a wizard with blue hair almost as messy as Hagrid's. A woman with long dark red hair and glasses played the lute. Three different guitars were played by the most well known members of the band ... Donaghan is the bass guitarist - he has that much brown hair his eyes are covered ... Ophelia is the female singer and guitarist - she has gold-blonde hair with pink streaks that's longer than Luna's, and always wears way too much make up ... and Romeo (I pity him growing up with a name like that - really I do) is the lead singer and guitarist - he has long black hair with green streaks, and is the only male in the band without a beard. All of them wear black robes that are deliberately torn - I still don't understand that particular fashion, but everyone else thinks it's cool, so who cares?
They started playing a slow song (not one I've heard before, so I'm guessing it's a new one), and the champions led their partners out onto the dance floor to open the ball. Well, three of the champions led their partners - it looked more like Potter's date was leading him (and yes, that does mean Delacour was leading her date).
After a minute, some of the teachers took the dance floor as well, indicating it was ok for everyone else to join in. Theo offered Luna his hand, she curtsied, and they began to dance - I was careful not to watch them both directly, in case the bright colours blinded me, but at least they appeared to know how to dance ... as if they were dancing to a much faster song.
I heard a tapping noise beside me, and looked to see Pansy giving me a pointed look and tapping her foot impatiently. I frowned for a second, before realising she wanted me to ask her to dance. I offered her my hand, and she took it, smiling. I led her onto the dance floor, and made a point of staying as far away from Potter and his date as possible.
The second dance was faster, and livelier. Pansy insisted we continue to dance, and I was actually in too good a mood to argue. About halfway through this dance, I spotted Potter's date (you can tell her apart from her twin by the colour of her robes) dancing with Blaise's cousin from Beauxbatons.
After the third dance, I managed to convince Pansy to stop and take a break. She led me over to a couple of chairs in a darkened corner of the Hall.
""Why sit so far away from the dance floor, Pansy?" I asked.
"Why do you think?" she replied, leaning closer to me.
I edged away slightly, "Pansy, I really don't think -"
She pointed above us ... there was mistletoe there.
"Oh." I sighed, "I guess it can't hurt."
"Exactly." Pansy said, leaning closer to me. I really didn't want to kiss her - I think of her like an annoying little sister, rather than anything else - but I also didn't want to say no to her, partly because I was sure she'd make herself more annoying if I did.
Her lips met mine for a moment - I'm not saying that it was a bad kiss, but sparks definitely did not fly - then she sat back suddenly, and frowned, "I'm sorry, Draco."
"Why are you sorry?" I asked, confused.
"I ..." she shook her head and muttered, "It's like kissing a brother." and she stood up and left me alone quickly.
I blinked a few times, and shrugged. I didn't mind being left alone, and I actually agreed with her - I'm just glad she's finally lost interest in me. Of course, that won't stop me from holding this action of hers over her head when I want something from her.
x x x
Over the course of the next half hour, I was asked to dance by four other girls (Wednesday, Padma Patil, Carrie, and Samantha). I danced with all of them, just to pass the time. I should consider it a good thing that I'm good enough looking to be asked to dance by so many people (most of whom are actually older that me) ... but honestly, I already knew I was that good-looking and didn't care about being asked to dance.
As I sat down again, Theo could be seen talking to Wednesday, and I noticed Potter and his pet Weasley sneaking out towards the grounds (where I had also seen Delacour and Davies sneak off to - I could take a wild guess at what people go out there to do).
Wednesday nodded in what seemed an overly businesslike way, and Theo went to lead Luna onto the dance floor again. Wednesday then went to get some drinks, and I stopped paying attention to her.
Another half hour passed, and the Weird Sisters ran out of their own songs. They never repeat a song at the one performance. So, they do cover versions - never quite as good as their own songs, but usually equal to the original versions - I read that they won't cover Meatloaf or Celestine Warbeck, because they don't cover songs unless they think they can sing the song as well as the original. Romeo made an announcement, "Alright, most of you guys know the drill - we're now taking requests for songs. Just come up and tell Jason your request, and we'll probably play it." he said, indicating the member of the band with the bagpipes, as he said this, "But since it's Christmas, we'll start with a nice little Christmassy song, shall we."
"Bah Humbug!" I said quite clearly, for everyone to hear.
"And a very merry Bah Humbug to you too." Donaghan said cheerfully.
I smirked faintly, and didn't bother retorting.
While the Christmas song was playing, I saw Luna Lovegood walk over to the stage, and say something to the bagpipe player. He nodded; Luna smiled, and walked off. She waved and nodded to Theo - it's blatantly obvious they're plotting something.
The next song they played was 'I Don't Bite', originally by one of the less well-known magical singers, Pixie Styx's - this song was her only hit (although I liked all her songs, and have a copy of her album - they're all very dark, gothic type songs). Theo and Luna both immediately stood up on hearing the introduction, and walked over to where the staff were gathered - Theo went to McGonagall, and Luna to Dumbledore ... and they asked the teachers to dance. McGonagall was, naturally, sceptical, but Dumbledore immediately accepted the offer. Theo put on his innocent face, as the first words of the song started, "You don't think I'm evil, do you?" (that's the first line of the song - go figure). McGonagall rolled her eyes, and accepted the offer to dance.
And I'd thought the Gryffindor head teacher was too uptight to dance any more than she could avoid ... let alone with a student ... let alone with a Slytherin student. After this dance, Theo planted himself in the seat next to me, while Luna wandered off to sit near some Ravenclaws at the other side of the Hall.
"What was that about?" I asked curiously.
"Well, 'I Don't Bite' is one of the ultimate 'trust me' type songs." Theo said, picking up a bottle of butterbeer from the table next to us, "And while everyone's too busy worrying about inter-school relationships, they're ignoring the fact that our own inter-house relationship stink."
"So you went and danced with the Head teacher of Gryffindor house?" I asked.
"Yep. I don't think anyone noticed, besides the two teachers involved, though. Too bad, really." Theo said, shrugging.
"Why does it matter?" I asked.
"Because ... the Slytherins are the ones losing out ... being called evil, and not liked by most of the school ... I'm getting sick of it." Theo replied, and then he paused to try to empty his bottle of butterbeer in one gulp. After less than a minute, he returned his attention to me. "So, do you read meaning into songs, or are they just pretty tunes?" he asked, totally changing the subject, I thought.
"I can't help but read meanings into the words." I said honestly.
"Me too." Theo said, nodding, "So what do you think of this one?" he asked.
I paid attention to the words - I'd been happily ignoring the song until now, and it was a very fast song, so I had to pay close attention to catch all the words as they were sung: "I believe you can't control or choose your sexuality. I believe that trust is more important than monogamy. I believe your most attractive features are your heart and soul. I believe that family is worth more than money or gold. I believe the struggle for financial freedom is unfair. I believe the only ones who disagree are millionaires. I believe in karma, what you give is what you get returned. I believe you can't appreciate real love till you've been burned. I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side. I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye."
"I like it." I said, thinking for a second, "I'd deny liking it to most people, but I do like it."
Theo grinned, "What about the part about money?"
"Why do you think I insult the Weasel?" I asked coldly.
"Jealous?"
"Ever say that again and I will hurt you." I growled ... but it was true in a way - I still don't get how his parents have enough love for seven children, while mine don't have enough for just me.
"So ... how would you react if I said they swiped that song from a Muggle band?" Theo asked, grinning evilly.
"I'd say one more reason for me to deny that I like it." I said, shrugging.
"You wouldn't disbelieve me?" Theo asked.
"Surprisingly, no." I said, "If they can come up with such imaginative compensations for not having magic, I'm not surprised at least a few of them have some sense."
"Only a few?"
"Only a few." I said, nodding firmly.
"Ok, then." Theo said, and he stood up and walked over to Wednesday. I watched, disinterested, as Theo whispered something to her, she nodded, and he smirked evilly before walking off across the room. He stopped behind where Hermione was sitting, and whispered something to her - I noticed her blush, and felt the barely controllable urge to hurt Theo - they talked for a few minutes, then he smirked again and walked over to Luna. I was now curious what the insane boy was up to - he was obviously up to something - so I continued to watch, but all he did was start dancing, quite extravagantly, with Luna.
After another half hour, the Hall appeared almost empty - the teachers were almost all there (only Snape, Karkaroff, Hagrid, Maxime and Moody had disappeared), there were precisely three Gryffindors in the room (Hermione, and the evil twins), four Slytherins (Theo, myself, Blaise and Cat), half a dozen Ravenclaws (including Carrie and Samantha, who were now dancing with each other), a dozen Hufflepuffs (not worth naming), all the Beauxbatons except Delacour, and five Durmstrangs (Wednesday, Krum, Susan, and two boys I couldn't name).
I watched, suspiciously, as Theo walked over to the man playing the bagpipes, and said something to him. He nodded, and Theo smirked, giving Wednesday a thumbs-up sign. Theo returned to the edge of the Hall, sitting next to Luna, and I was surprised they didn't have popcorn, the way they looked like they were waiting for a show. Wednesday walked over to Krum and Hermione, and started pestering Krum about something - it looked like she was trying to convince him to dance with her, or something. Either way, she ended up dragging him away from Hermione, and across the room, they appeared to be talking in angry whispers (well, he looked angry, anyway).
Then the next song started playing.
The lead singer, Romeo, began - speaking rather than singing - which is what caught my attention, "A great man once said winter never fails to turn into spring, and though we are so different, you and I, when we're together, even the cold of December feels like the middle of May."
Ophelia, the female singer, began the song itself, "You are the night I am the day, you are the star that shows the way, you are the instrument I play, you are the words I long to say."
As Romeo took up the song, I looked across the Hall, and my eyes met Hermione's - she was watching me, too, "You are the land I am the sea, you are in counterpoint to me, and we agree to disagree." I smiled faintly.
Then both sang together, "No need to lie."
When Ophelia sang, "I only know when we're apart, I only live with half a heart," Hermione blushed slightly. Apparently I'm not the only one who reads meaning into songs. I smirked. "I need your hand to play my part."
Both together again, "Together we're strong, we can't go wrong."
Then just Ophelia, "And now we know just what to do, and how we get our meaning through, we're only one when we are two."
"Together we're strong."
As Ophelia sang, "Together we're strong," I looked quickly around the Hall to check there was no one else who I hadn't noticed before - no one, "Together we're strong," I stood up, and walked across the Hall towards Hermione, "Together we're strong." and offered her my hand, to dance "Together we're strong, we can't go wrong." she accepted, "And every time your eyes meet mine, I feel the world fall into line," I led her onto the dance floor, and we started to dance, "I'm passing on that good luck sign."
Both singers sang together, "Let's keep hanging on. And now we know just what to do, and how we get our meaning through, we're only one when we are two, together we're strong."
Ophelia sang, "And I will always try to understand you."
Romeo sang over her, but both sets of words were still intelligible, "I'll be there if you should need me. There's so much we can share with each other."
"And if we say goodbye, it's not forever."
"I can't lose you now I've found you."
"I need you in my life."
"Cause now you're in my life." then he started speaking instead of singing, again, "And together we're strong. There are so many ways of looking at the world. Everyone has a different dream - yours may not be the same as mine - but when we're together, we can make them all come true."
Ophelia began to sing again, "You are the night I am the day, you are the star that shows the way, you are the instrument I play, you are the words I long to say."
Romeo took up the words, exactly as they had before, "You are the land I am the sea, you are in counterpoint to me -" the music was very fast at this point, and I spun Hermione so we ended up arms outstretched holding on by the tips of our fingers - not a move that could have worked if she had thought there was a chance I would let go - I pulled her back to me, smiling - she had to have trusted me, "- and we agree to disagree."
Then both together, "No need to lie."
"You are the night I am the day, you are the star that shows the way, you are the music to my song."
"Together we're strong. Together we're strong. Together we're strong. Together we're strong." And the music stopped - I realised what I'd done.
I blinked several times - Hermione was looking at me curiously, and I noticed the whole Hall was also watching me. The instinct I'd felt for a fraction of a second, as the music ended, to kiss her, died (or, to be accurate, I bloodily murdered it) the moment I realised we were the centre of attention. I quickly backed away from her, whispered, "Thank you." and turned and walked - as dignified as possible when I realised I'd just made a fool of myself - over to the edge of the Hall.
"I told you not to." Cat said quietly.
"I don't know why I did ... well, I know, but I don't know why I did that in front of so many people." I said quietly.
I then looked across the Hall at Theo and Luna, who were both watching me and grinning victoriously. Theo planned this - I know it - I'm going to hurt him.
As I looked around the Hall, I noticed the Patil twins return with a few more Ravenclaw girls - probably from a trip to the bathroom (I still don't get why girls go there in groups - do I really want to know what they do in there?), and went over to a group of Beauxbatons boys who thankfully didn't know or care who I was, otherwise the news would have been all over the school that I'd danced with Hermione Granger. I thanked any passing deities for Theo's frightening sense of timing that the only Gryffindors who would ever know were the Weasley twins - who I still think would make good Slytherins - I know they'll just blackmail me, rather than gossip about it.
True to form, the evil twins appeared at my side, three songs later.
"Hello, Malfoy." one twin said.
"Or are you just someone who looks like Malfoy?" the other asked.
"Because I didn't think Malfoy would dance with Hermione." the first added.
"Perhaps you're some impostor."
"Or you're his good twin."
"We already know if he had a twin he'd be the evil one."
"And which of you two is evil? " I couldn't resist asking.
"Forge."
"Gred." They both answered at exactly the same time.
"Ah, so it's both of you - what about the Patil twins?" I asked.
"Pavarti."
"Without a doubt." They answered, apparently unconcerned that I had suggested they were evil.
"She's the one in your house, isn't she?" I said, smirking.
"Yep."
"Good bookworm Padma."
"And ruthless gossipmonger Pavarti, unafraid to speak her mind."
I rolled my eyes - I'd figured as much ... I was surprised the Evil Twins would admit Gryffindors were capable of being evil, though.
"So who are you, anyway?"
I glared at them, "I am Draco Malfoy ... and it's none of your business why I danced with her."
"We think it is."
"And we think our little brother'd love to hear about it."
"I think you two should leave me alone." I growled.
"Why?"
"We're not doing anything wrong."
"You're annoying me." I said, glaring at them.
"That's the point."
"So, why did you dance with her?"
I had to say something believable, "To piss off your little brother - please do go and tell him - I can't wait to see the look on his face."
They looked at each other, then back to me, "Oh, yeah right ... tell him yourself, see if he believes you."
"Yeah, and if he does hear about it, we'll say it's lies."
I faked a believable glare - I'd beaten them at their own game ... partly because it's one of my favourite games, too. They left me alone, thinking they'd won. That was almost too easy. Almost ... they weren't pulling a double-bluff, were they? Oh, now I'm really getting paranoid.
A few minutes passed, and Hermione left the Hall. Less than a minute, and a damned good fake-excuse-I-can't-remember-now later, I followed her. She turned to look at me, at the top of the staircase.
"Where are you running off to, Granger?" I asked coldly, in case anyone was listening.
"I told Viktor I had to go to the bathroom ... I plan to stare at my reflection for a few minutes, get the ringing from the too-loud music out of my ears, then go back." she said, in an equally cold tone.
I smiled faintly, "So you're not actually doing anything, then?" I asked.
"That's about right, yes." she said warily. I walked up the stairs, and into the first floor corridor just out of sight of where anyone else might be except Hermione herself, and beckoned her to follow me. Cautiously, she did, "So why did you ask me to dance with you - in public - then?" she asked.
"I made a mistake. I should never have made a public gesture like that - I'm just lucky no one important saw me." I said honestly.
"So you didn't really want to -" she started, but I interrupted.
"Of course I wanted to ... I wanted to dance with you that much that the instinct overrode my usual caution."
"Anyone could have seen you."
"The Patil twins got back into the Hall immediately after I sat down again - I am sure that dance was planned, and the lunatic who planned it has an impeccable sense of timing."
"Theo?"
"How'd you -"
"He talked to me about reading meaning into songs - then I saw him wave to that Durmstrang girl right before she dropped something slimy down Viktor's robes."
"Ah - that's what she did." I said, nodding.
"Your friend is dangerous."
"Too intelligent for his own good." I agreed.
"Especially when he's not quite sane." Hermione said, also nodding.
"So ... did you ... like ... that dance?" I asked suddenly nervous.
"Yes. You're a very good dancer." she said, tilting her head to one side. I smiled nervously, and she took a step towards me, "Ever read Shakespeare?" she asked curiously.
"Yes. Why?" I asked, surprised at the sudden change of subject.
"'Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo' ... do you know the rest of that line?" she asked.
I smiled, and leaned closer to her. My lips brushed against hers, lightly, although I don't think you could quite call it a kiss - but unlike when Pansy kissed me, even with this slightest contact, sparks definitely did fly - then I quickly took a step back, "Yes, I know it." I said quietly, "I know exactly what you're implying ... and I can't."
"Too bad." she said sadly.
I smiled weakly, "You think, if they called a rose a stinkweed, it'd still smell as good?" I asked. She sniggered slightly, "But call a beautiful girl a Mudblood, and I'm not even allowed to ask."
She blinked, as if surprised I'd called her beautiful, but then sighed, "I hate talking in circles like this. We could say the same things a thousand times, and nothing will change."
I shrugged, silently agreeing with that.
"I guess I'll talk to you again, soon ... and maybe ... if you ever change your mind ..." she tilted her head to the other side now, for a moment, then turned and walked away.
I didn't go back to see the rest of the Ball ... I returned to the dungeons alone, after that conversation.
x x x
End of chapter 20
A/N: You should know, the quote they were talking about is this: "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo? Deny thy father, and refuse thy name. That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet."