Finally, the day of the Yule Ball arrived and Rhiannon woke with a smile on her face. The closer this day came, the more excited she became. She sang to herself as she gathered her things and went into the bathroom for a long, hot bubble bath. When Rhi was done, she dressed in plain jeans and a white button down shirt, and went down to breakfast.
Sitting with Pansy and some other Slytherin girls, they all chatted in anticipation. Aiken wanted to know what everyone was wearing, and Sheena asked if Rhi would help her with her hair.
The day flew by, and finally it was time to get ready for the Yule Ball. Draco and Rhi had decided to meet in the Great Hall and to give each other their Christmas gifts. Rhi opened her closet and gently fingered the yards and yards of fabric that made up the skirt of her gown. It had been hand-made just for her and fit like a glove. The strapless black silk gown was stunning with it's silver accents and long black gloves that reached just past her elbows.
She swept her hair to one side of her head, and made the ends of it curl slightly. She kept her make-up light and silvery, like the accents on her dress. To finish it off, she hung a large black crystal around her neck that was set in white gold.
Slipping into the gown was like sliding into the most incredible dream. It hugged her body exactly as it was supposed to. Rhi slid her hands into her gloves and then stepped in front of her mirror. Absolutely perfect, she thought, and swirled a black velvet cloak around her shoulders, drew up the hood, and left her dorm. She walked through the common room and her shoes clicked lightly on the floor.
Walking past the portraits in the halls, the people in them stopped their conversations with each other to stare at her. Peeves stopped raising hell for a brief second to watch her along with the people in the portraits. When Rhi walked past Nearly-Headless Nick, he tipped his head and said, "good evening Miss Rhiannon, you look stunning as you mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother all did when they used to attend the Yule Ball. Seeing you now, is almost like seeing a ghost walk out of Gryffindor's past. I had hopped you would be in Gryffindor just like your family before you. I guess we can't have everything we want though can we?"
"No Nick, we can't. If we could, then everyone would be rich, happy, in love, and have the ability to fly without a broom. I would love to stay and talk with you, but I'm meeting Draco at the Yule Ball, and I must go."
"Of course," Nick said and drifted off through the ceiling.
Walking through the doors of the Great Hall, Rhiannon stopped, and unhooked the cloak from around her shoulders, allowing it to fall to the ground. Before it hit the floor, it faded into nothing. Slowly, people's heads began to turn in her direction as she walked through the crowd. People stopped talking and dancing to stare as she walked up to Draco, who was lost in conversation with Horace, a fourth year Slytherin boy.
Because Draco's back was to Rhiannon, he didn't see her approach, but Horace did, and instantly, his jaw dropped. Draco looked at him with an odd expression on his face. "What's you problem?" he asked Horace.
Horace just nodded in Rhi's direction, not trusting himself to speak. When Draco turned and saw Rhiannon, the slight crease in his brow smoothed over and his eyes lit up. Rhi continued to move slowly towards him, by this point in time, people had gotten over seeing the exceptionally pretty Slytherin girl turned into the breath-takingly stunning Slytherin woman.
When she reached him, Draco slid his arms around Rhi's waist and whispered a soft kiss over her lips. "I guess this was worth the wait," he said softly, looking down at her.
Rhi smiled back. "I was just thinking the same thing."
"So, what did you get me for Christmas?" Draco asked her, with a playful smile on his face.
"I'm not telling you. You have to wait and see."
"You said we would exchange gifts at the Yule Ball. Well," he said looking around, "this looks like the Yule Ball to me," Draco said, winking at her.
"That's right, I said we would exchange gifts at the Yule Ball, but I didn't specify a time, now did I?" Rhi asked, her eyes dancing with laughter. "Now quit whining and let's see if you're as good at dancing as you claim to be."
"Oh trust me," he said, spinning her slowly, " I am." Draco interlocked fingers with Rhi's one hand, and slid the other around her waist, pulling her close as she rested her free hand around Draco's neck.
The music was slow and soft and they began to glide elegantly around the dance floor. As they danced, Rhi's fingers played gently with the hair at the nape of Draco's neck, and her eyes never left his.
Sliding apart, Draco spun her in a slow, lazy circle once more, and then pulled her close again, tracing tiny circles over the small of Rhi's back with his finger tips.
"So do I get a hint at my gift?" Draco asked again, teasing her gently as they danced.
"Rhi glanced up at the enchanted ceiling, a thoughtful expression on her face as she gazed at the magicked stars over head. "No, I don't think so," she said, then kissed him gently.
"You're mean, you know that Rhi?"
Rhiannon laughed whole heartedly, "I know. I'm pure evil Draco Malfoy, and that's why you love me so much."
"Who says I love you?" he teased back.
"I do, and I always get what I want," she shot back with a gentle laugh.
"How is that possible when you don't know what you want half of the time?"
"Maybe I told you that on purpose just to give you a hard time."
"You wouldn't dare Brandy."
"Oh yes I would, Malfoy."
"Okay, maybe you would, but you didn't . . . Did you?"
Rhiannon laughed and buried her face in Draco's neck, inhaling his musky scent, making her heart flutter.
"No, I didn't. Will you wait here for a minute?" she asked. "I have to go do something."
"Yeah, sure. I'll be waiting right here for you," Draco replied.
"Thank you," she said, kissing him quickly, and then dashed off through the crowd.
Draco stood there with an irritated expression on his face. Why does she keep doing this recently? It can't be that she's seeing someone else, I would have heard about it by now. But then, she's a very crafty witch, maybe I shouldn't have - "Oh calm down Draco," he muttered to himself. "She's not dating anyone else, you're just being paranoid. Rhi said she'd be right back, so she will, and there's nothing to worry about."
Just then, Aponi swooped into the Great Hall, circled Draco, and then dropped a piece of parchment into his hands.
Draco caught the letter, and opened it as Aponi flew back out of the Hall. In Rhiannon's perfect script, it said "Happy Christmas Draco. Look at the stage and enjoy your gift."
He frowned slightly. What the hell did she mean?
Just then, a funky beat sounded, followed by an equally funky guitar riff, that flowed from Rhiannon's little box with the silver music notes on the side, and a deep, sultry voice flowed into the room as Rhi walked on to the center stage, wearing a black skirt with flames on it, and a black top instead of her gown. She sang:
"Verse 1
I don't want no reason
I don't wanna ask you why
And I don't ever wanna
Let my conscience be my guide
No I jus want it to happen
Whenever it comes around
Cuz you know you've got the best thing
That I have ever found
Verse 2
You make it so easy
Baby you make it so bad
You know you've shown me something
That you know I've never had
Now I found out something
That I never have been told
When you reach into my heart
You steal away my soul
Bridge
One day this feeling will be more than I can fight
When you put it all on me I wont know wrong from right
Chorus #1
You got my number
You really got your spell on me
You put your arms around me
Now your all that I can see
You got my number
But I'm not gonna feel no shame
You came into my life and now I'm never gonna be
Never gonna be the same
Verse 3
I can see you coming
But there is no place to hide
I know just where your going
I can see it in your eyes
You know that I've been watching
And I sure like what I see
And if you wanna feel good about someone
Make that someone me
Chorus #2 You know you've got my number
You really got your spell on me
You put your arms around me
Now you're all that I can see
You got my number
But I'm not gonna feel no shame
You came into my life and I'm never gonna be
Never gonna be the same
Chorus #2 (repeat)
You know you've got my number
You really got your spell on me
You put your arms around me
Now you're all that I can see
You got my number
But I'm not gonna feel no shame
You came into my life and I'm never gonna be
Never gonna be the same
End Chorus
You got my number
I'm never gonna be the same
You really got your spell on me
I'm never gonna be the same
Oh no I'm not gonna feel no shame
I'm never gonna be the same
You really got your spell on me
I'm never gonna be the same."
When the song ended, she blushed slightly as students and instructors alike applauded enthusiastically, some of them whistling and yelling for another song. Rhi shook her head and called out, "maybe later, I have a date to get back to!" then ran off the stage to change quickly back into her gown and find Draco.
When she found him again, he raised one eyebrow slightly. "That was my Christmas gift?" he asked, a hint of doubt in his voice.
Rhi's breathless smile fell from her face. "Yes. Didn't you like it?" she asked sounding hurt and rejected.
"No, I didn't like it," Draco said, his expression somber, as Rhi's lower lip began to tremble slightly, as his rejection appeared obvious. Taking her chin gently in one hand, he raised her face so she was looking him in the eye. "I didn't like it, because I loved it. It was amazing, Immortal Beloved." He was about to kiss her when she yelled at him.
"Draco Malfoy, you hippogriff's ass! I should curse you right now for making me think you hated it!" Rhi slapped at him playfully, and he grabbed her wrist and spun her in close to him, pressing her back against his front, their arms crossing the front of Rhi's body."
"Close your eyes, and you'll get your gift now," he whispered in her ear.
She did so and felt him slide something cold and heavy over her wrist, "keep them closed," he whispered once again, and slid her necklace off, replacing it with another something that was also cold and heavy. "Open your eyes," he told her in a deep, husky voice.
When she did, she saw her reflection in the mirror Draco held in front of her and gasped. Encircling her throat was a white gold choker that had a huge black heart shaped diamond that was flanked by delicate bat's wings. On her wrist was the matching bracelet.
"Oh goodness," she breathed. "Draco, where did you get these? How much did you pay for them?"
Draco laughed at her. "It's a secret that you can't ever know," he said, kissing her thoroughly. "Are you ready to leave for Wiltshire in the morning?" he asked her as he held Rhi tightly in his arms.
"Of course."
"Good." And together, they danced the night away, oblivious to the people surrounding them.