Across The Veil

Chapter Three: The Masquerade Ball

The Masquerade is almost. Tonight, everyone will know that Hermione and I are dating, and I can't bear the thought of it. Sure, Hermione's intelligent (and a pretty good kisser, if truth be told), but she lacks a certain je ne sais quoi. Perhaps it would be best for the best to break it off with her. Then again, I did enjoy her company. Sighing, I stopped my pacing and shook my head; I wasn't going to think about this now.

Determined to put the whole matter out of my head, I walked over to my closet and surveyed its contents, trying to decide which robe I should wear. We were already given masks, colored according to house, year, and gender. Only the poorer of the students had to worry about matching; most of the wealthier kids had more than one robe to choose from. I, of course, had many.

Amazingly, it took just over twenty minutes to select the top five – a record, I believe. The first one I grabbed was a dark forest green with elaborate black stitching, the inverse of my third choice, a black rode with green stitching. The most elaborate of the five was a shimmering emerald with silver cuffs and trimmings. In addition to these, I chose two solid robes, one of black and the other a green that matched the mask perfectly.

I chose the green and sliver one. Slipping it on, I rushed to my private bathroom. The ball was to begin in a mere two hours, and it would take me at least half that time to perfect my hair.

An hour and forty-five minutes later, I was ready to make my grand entrance.

I had thought I was ready, but obviously, I was mistaken. It was a half an hour until the Ball began, and I was dressed up in the robe I bought the past summer. I put my deep burgundy mask on and looked in the mirror. I scowled slightly and attempted to fix my hair, failing spectacularly.

Giving up, I made my way down to the common room to wait with Ron. We were discussing the finer points of dress robes when Hermione came down, effectively cutting our conversation short.

She looked stunning, really. She had on a pale red robe, heels, and had her hair in and elegant twist. She even had make-up on for once! If I hadn't known it was Hermione, I wouldn't have been able to recognize her. A sudden shout broke my train of thought.

"Harry James Potter, you look an absolute mess. Get you arse up here right now so I can fix you up."

I looked at her in shock. Yep, that's my Mione. Did she just say arse?

"Harry, now!" I ran up to her and, with a look of determination, she dragged me into the common bathroom.

Stumbling, I was turned so that my back faced the mirror. Hermione gave me a quick appraisal before muttering a spell. I felt an odd sensation and was shocked to find Hermione tying my now long hair with a red ribbon. Occupied with my hair, I hardly noticed when she opened my robes and pointed her wand at my clothes.

"Take off your tennis shoes. There is no way, you could go to a ball in those," she said as we made our way to the dorms. She began to rummage through my drawers.

"Harry, it would really help if you told me where you kept your dress shoes."

I pointed to a small cubby.

"Well, put them on. That is the point, you know."

I slid the shoes on and tied them up. Hermione tapped her foot impatiently and I finished quickly.

"There," she said proudly, "take a look."

I glanced into the full-length mirror. She really did do a good job. My hair looked like black silk and my robes no longer bunched up around the clothes underneath. I wasn't wearing my glasses and, because of this, my eyes seemed more striking than usual. They contrasted with my hair and blended with my robes, creating a nice effect. I pulled my mask up to my face and looked. I rather looked like a Christmas tree.

I left my dorm and went to meet up with Ron and Hermione. They were waiting for me in the common room, and we set off to the Great Hall. Arriving, I looked around, entranced by the decorations. They were quite similar to those from the Yule Ball in forth-year. The tables were pushed to the side, the floor obviously cleared for dancing.

'Dancing,' I thought, startled. I couldn't dance for my life. 'What if Luna wants to…'

Ron's voice snapped me out of my worrisome musings.

"Hardly anyone's here." He glanced down at his watch. 6.50. "Oh, no wonder. We're early."

I looked around, seeing only two others. Crabbe and Goyle were at a table across the hall, eating ravenously. They must have found out that food was served starting at 6:30. Grimacing at the display, I sat down with Ron and Hermione, the three of us waiting for our dates. I was going with Luna and Ron was going with Padma (just as friends). Hermione sat there staring at the door. She didn't tell us whom she was going with, only that Ron and I had to be nice.

After a few minutes or so, Luna came in and rushed over, taking the seat next to me. She leaned in to give me a quick kiss and, in no time, we were avidly discussing the dance and our inevitable departure halfway through.

Lost in conversation, I hardly noticed the hall filling with students. By 7:15, nearly everyone had arrived, with the exception of Dumbledore. The headmaster entered only moments later and the hall hushed, eagerly awaiting his speech. They were sorely disappointed, however, when the aged man remained silent, seemingly waiting for some unknown signal to begin. I looked around the hall curiously; noticing that someone was missing…Malfoy.

A small murmuring caught my attention, and I looked up. It was Draco, and he looked amazing, not that there was any surprise there. My heart skipped a beat as I watched walk closer to my table. What was he doing? Confused at first, I soon put two and two together. 'Malfoy and Hermione?' My suspicions proved correct when the blonde sat down and inconspicuously slid his hand to Hermione's, holding it softly.

Dumbledore, seeming to know that everyone was now present, stood up and looked around.

"As all of you know," he started, "this is the first annual Masquerade Ball. The faculty and I have high expectations of success and believe you will all have a wonderful time. Before we begin, however, I would like to give thanks to the Spelling Wanderers, who will be providing the entertainment for tonight." A short round of applause followed, ending quickly. "The ball shall end at 11:00 sharp, and food will be served until 10:15. Enjoy your evening." With that, the band began to play.

An hour and a half later, I looked at Luna. She appeared to be having a good time, although we hadn't danced yet. Instead, we wandered around from table to table, talking to people from various houses. Currently, Luna was conversing with a friend from Hufflepuff. I walked up to her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Luna, would you like to dance? I fear my time at the ball may be running short," I whispered in her ear.

She turned around to face me, her smile radiant. "I'd love to."

Just as we found a clear spot on the floor, a slow song began. We stood there swaying, my arms resting on her waist and hers around my neck.

"I will miss you," I whispered. She lifter her head from my shoulder and looked at me intently. "I really don't want to go." I sighed miserably. "You know that necklace," I asked, trying to convey my remorse. "Well, I'd use it to transport you every time, if it meant I could spend more time with you. Promise me, if I can't get back, then you'll forget about me and move on with your life."

Luna looked up and stared right into my eyes. "There's no need; I know that you will come back, and with Black too." She looked down for a second before resting her head on my shoulder once more. I kissed her hair softly.

When the song ended, I moved away from Luna. It was time for me to go. I looked around for Ron and saw him waiting by the doors. Reaching him, we set off to find Malfoy.

Malfoy never saw us approach. I stood there a minute, waiting for him to look up. "It's time," Ron said eventually, impatience in his voice.

The blonde started. We made eye contact and he nodded before hugging a gloomy-looking Hermione. He finally drew up and brushed past Ron and I. Shrugging, we followed, slipping out of the Great Hall unnoticed. In no time, we were well on our way Hogsmeade and the floo portal to London.


All eyes were on me when I entered the Great Hall. I've always loved to be the center of attention. Ignoring the watchful glances of my fellow students, I sat down next to Hermione and grabbed her hand.

Once Dumbledore finished his speech, I drifted away and wandered around for a bit. I had decided to break things off with Hermione; I respect her enough not to lead her on. Really, I haven't any true feelings for her, except maybe lust.

After a while, I made my way back to my soon to be ex-girlfriend. Upon reaching her, she smiled and pushed me onto the dance floor. I sighed, knowing that her cheerful demeanor would soon be ruined. I pulled away after only two songs. She looked at me questioningly.

"Let's sit down for a bit," I suggested.

"Okay," She said happily, and I led her to a private corner.

"Hermione, I have to tell you something," I began slowly.

"Sure, what? Tell me. By the way you look absolutely stunning tonight." She had no clue what was coming – that always makes it harder. I'll just have to do it fast. I put on a mask of arrogance.

"Of course, I always look great," I gloated, "and I do appreciate the complement, but really, this can't continue. It was fun and all, but I have my sights on someone else." It was a lie, but she didn't have to know that.

"So it's over?" She looked almost stunned.

"Yes," I said bluntly, "over. Finished."

"But…."

"It is for the best," I said quickly, cutting her off.

She stared at me for a long time before opening her mouth, obviously preparing to say something. She was interrupted once more, but this time by Weasley's voice.

"Malfoy, its time to go." I turned and saw the redhead standing there impatiently, Potter a few steps behind. I nodded one, standing straight as I gave Hermione a last hug before walking past the three of them.

It took less time to get to the ministry than I thought it would. The floo had taken us to the back of a small pub that was only a few blocks away from our destination. We walked for a bit, stopping abruptly at an abandoned telephone booth. The three of us entered together and dialed the number for admittance, getting in without a problem.

When we reached the department of mysteries, Potter held up a hand and looked around. He looked a bit confused, but determination settled on his face as he set his sights upon a shadowed door. We walked through, handing our dress robes to Weasel as we went. We had summoned our regular robes prior to leaving Hogwarts, as well as the necklace, and changed in the tunnel that led to Hogsmeade.

"Don't you dare ruin my robes. They're worth more than your family, and I highly doubt you could possibly pay for them," I sneered. He glared in response.

"Well, I guess we should go now," Potter said after a minute. Weasley looked away from me, giving his friend a grim smile.

"If he tries anything, kick his arse," he said and stepped back, clearing our path to the veil.

Potter and I grabbed each other's forearms (so we wouldn't become separated) and walked into what looked like a black abyss. I felt a cold blast of air and looked in Potter's direction, unable to see him. A sudden and awful sense of terror hit as the two of us fell into the darkness.


I hope you like this chapter. Keep me motivated.