Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the Harry Potter world, I just own a few stray characters.

Harper Mulciber was sitting in the Slytherin Common Room after dinner, waving her wand around her fingernails and turning them different colors.

"What do you think?" she asked, looking at the pale blue she had just turned them. "Darker?" With another wave, the blue nails turned a darker shade. "Or maybe I should try the red again, but a darker red. Ooh, like blood-red. Gabrielle, you're not paying attention!" She looked exasperatedly at her friend, who was sitting across from her in a high backed chair, flipping casually through her Charms textbook. "It's not like you even need to study that stuff," Harper said huffly. All the Slytherins knew Gabrielle was the cleverest witch in Hogwarts- the only reason she wasn't top of the class was because of a few insane Ravenclaws and that pathetic four-eyed Gryffindor.

"I missed a few lessons that week when I was in the Hospital Wing," Gabrielle replied, looking up at Harper. "Flitwick's test is bound to cover the material I missed. And don't keep your nails that color, it's the color Gramilda Vane has her nails."

With a wave, Harper quickly changed her nails to a blood-red color. She had forgotten about Gramilda Vane, the insufferable Gryffindor.

"I still don't know why you're studying," Harper said. "You'll probably ace the test anyway. I bet no one else in the class got eleven 'Outstanding' O.W.L.s."

"Eleven 'Outstandings'?" a deep voice cut through, as a tall figure walked toward the two girls. "Gabrielle Dionesia, you're practically a Ravenclaw." It was Vince Jugson, a seventh year Slytherin and the Captain of their Quidditch team. He was an amazing Keeper, and was also quite handsome, with broad shoulders and dark penetrating eyes. Harper smiled prettily at him, twirling a strand of dark hair around her finger.

Gabrielle gave a short laugh. "Ravenclaw?" she said in a voice of disgust. "Spare me. The Sorting Hat told me I was a Slytherin if ever there was one."

Vince Jugson gave a cool grin. "No denying Malfoys aren't fit to be in Slytherin," he said in his smooth, dark voice. "Just don't forget we have practice tomorrow." And he disappeared into the shadows of the Common Room.

Harper let out a squeal. "You're so lucky you're on the Quidditch team with Jugson!"

"Why am I lucky?" Gabrielle said absently as she turned her attention back to the Charms textbook.

Harper rolled her eyes. No matter how smart Gabrielle might be, she never seemed to notice the important things- like how half the boys in school had crushes on her.

"In case you hadn't noticed," Harper said patiently, "Jugson is unbelievably good looking."

Gabrielle shrugged. "Yeah, he's all right," she drawled.

"You are impossible," Harper said, shaking her head. "Jugson is without a doubt one of the five cutest boys at Hogwarts."

"Yeah, okay," Gabrielle said, turning a page in her textbook. "And who are the other four then."

"Besides Jugson there's Edin Taylor of Hufflepuff, James Straus and Ian Knopf of Ravenclaw, and Aiden Potter of Gryffindor," Harper recited, counting off her fingers.

Gabrielle almost dropped her book at the last name. "Potter?" she repeated. "You think Potter is one of the five cutest boys at Hogwarts?"

"It's what everyone thinks," Harper said, rolling her eyes.

"Taylor and Knopf I could see. Even Straus I guess could be considered alright, even if he does have a slightly crooked nose, but Potter?" Gabrielle exclaimed. "Are you mad?"

"Honestly, Gabrielle," Harper said with a sigh, staring at her nails once again. "I don't like the prat of course, but you can't deny the boy's got amazing eyes and that unruly just-got-of-my-broomstick hair. Not to mention he's a Quidditch player and a shoe-in for Head Boy next year."

"But it's Potter!"

Harper could see this was going nowhere, so she changed the subject. "Are you going to the Ministry New Years Eve Ball?"

"Of course, we go every year," Gabrielle said with a sigh. "And it's always dreadfully boring. My feet hurt for weeks afterwards last year- a fish coud dance better than Erwin Parkinson. "

"I can't believe you don't realize how lucky you are," Harper said. "The rest of us have to wait until we're of age to attend. I don't turn seventeen for another six months!"

Harper was incredibly jealous of her best friend. Gabrielle had been attending Ministry Balls since she was in fourth year, because her father was just that influential in the Ministry. Not just her father, Harper reminded herself. You'd have to be blind not to see how much respect Gabrielle commanded from everyone, even the teachers.

----------

----------

"I can't believe I have to go to this stupid thing," Aiden muttered, as his mother smoothed out the new green dress robes he had gotten for Christmas a few days ago.

"You're seventen now," his father replied, trying to comb his hair. "The Minister would take it as an insult if you didn't attend."

"But Dexter's New Years Eve party-"

"Please, Aiden," his mother said patiently. "Your father and I have certain responsibilities, and this is one of them. I promise we'll leave as early as possible without seeming rude."

"That'll take hours," Aiden complained, but his parents just ignored him.

Three hours later, Aiden wished for the thousandth time that he could've been at his friend's party. The Ministry Ball had started off with dinner served by hundreds of waiters in crisp black and white suits. Aiden had been on him most polite and respectful behavior, but it had been particularly hard with Erwin Parkinison sitting a few seats down from him. Erwin was a Slytherin who had graduated from Hogwarts the year before, but Aiden still remembered him as a slimeball.

After dinner, the tables had been cleared and many adults had begun dancing, with others socializing on the side. His parents were in the center of the room, dancing away. He had seen his Uncle Ron and his Aunt Hermione as well as his Uncle BIll and Aunt Fleur, but they had all been too busy to say more than a hello to Aiden. He was definitely one of the youngest ones there.

This is the worst party I've ever been to, he thought irritably. He had just spent the last hour and a half trying to avoid a rather large blonde girl who looked about his age. He had politely declined her offer to dance, but as each new song began he found her next to him, asking him to dance again. He kept slipping away from her, but she just kept following him, not taking the hint.

Finally, he saw a door on his right that had been partially obstructed by a large plant. He spotted the large blonde girl coming towards him yet again, and quickly ducked out the door and slammed it shut. When he finally turned to see where he was, he felt himself stop breathing. It was Gabrielle Malfoy, but in stunning dress robes of shimmery pastel green. She looked- there was no other word for it- beautiful.

----------

----------

Gabrielle groaned. Her hiding spot had been discovered, and by one of the last people she ever wanted to see.

"What are you doing here?" Aiden Potter asked her in surprise. They were standing on a small balcony overlooking a large garden.

"What do you think I'm doing," Gabrielle snapped. "I'm avoiding the ball. People keep dragging me to the dance floor. This is my hiding place, go find your own."

Aiden ignored her last sentence. "What do you mean, dragging you? If you don't want to dance with them, why don't you just say no?"

Could Potter really be that stupid?

"Say no?" Gabrielle said sharply. "Ladies never decline a dance."

Why was Potter grinning?

"So you're saying," he said slowly, "if I asked you to dance, you'd have to dance with me!"

"No." Idiot.

"But you just said-"

"You don't count," Gabrielle broke him off. "Avery, Parkinson, Jugson- I have to say yes to them. You are a completely different story."

Why was he always talking to her? ...And why did she always respond?

"I'd rather not be compared to lugheads, if you don't mind."

Gabrielle scowled, and was about to tell him to get out of her hiding spot when-

"Can I please stay here?" Gabrielle closed her mouth and her eyes widened. Aiden Potter had a nervous grin on his face, and he was running his hand through his hair. "Because there's this girl that keep following me," he said in a rush, "and she wants me to dance, but-"

He began to ramble on about some twit who he was trying to avoid, but Gabrielle couldn't get over how he had said please. As far as she knew, Potter didn't have any manners.

"Fine," she said curtly, cutting through his inane talking.

----------

----------

Aiden wasn't sure why he was so relieved. He could have probably avoided the large blonde girl and found another hiding spot, but instead he just leaned against the bannister and looked out at the garden, which was lit up with floating lanterns..

"I used to come here a lot when I was little," he said, surprising even himself by breaking the silence. "I mean, not to this balcony, but to these gardens."

She had a slightly confused look on her face. "But this is the Minister's private mansion," she said slowly. "He only invites people for the balls."

"Does he?" Aiden didn't know that. He shrugged. "I don't remember why we were here, probably over for dinner or something. See that statue of a fish over there?" He pointed at one of the statues in the garden and she nodded. "I buried some of my most prized possessions there when I was little. You know, toys and action figures."

Silence fell upon them for a few minutes as they both gazed out at the garden. Then Aiden felt her looking over at him.

"Are they still there?" she asked. "Your toys, I mean?"

"I... I guess so," he replied, furrowing his eyebrows. "I can't see why anyone would dig up a bunch of knick-knacks."

"Lets go dig them up, then," she said.

"What?" She had to be crazy.

"It's better than just standing here like idiots, and much better than returning to that stupid ball." And before he knew what was happening, she had gracefully climbed over the balcony and jumped three feet down onto the grass. "Come on, Potter. What, are you scared?"

He glared down at her. "I'm a Gryffindor, of course I'm not scared," he muttered as scrambled awkwardly after her. The two walked through the garden and arrived at the large statue of the fish, and Aiden immediately took out his wand.

"What do you think you're doing," Gabrielle said. Aiden looked at her, confused. She rolled her eyes.

"No magic, it ruins the fun." She dropped to her knees and began scooping up the dirt with her hands. "I used to do this when I was little," she said matter-of-factly.

"Your robes are going to get dirty," he said. He could already see stains of dirt appearing on her dress, but she just shot him a look and continued digging in the dirt with him. Aiden was surprised- this wasn't the prissy Slytherin he had come to associate with Gabrielle Malfoy.

"How deep did you hide your stuff?" Gabrielle asked him after they had been digging for ten minutes.

"We should have hit it by now," Aiden replied, thoroughly perplexed.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" hollered a deep voice. Aiden couldn't help letting out a yelp of surprise. He looked up.

There, basking in the light from the lanterns, was a ghost of a large, fat man with a bushy mustache and a cigar clamped between his teeth.

"YOU'RE RUINING THE GARDEN," the ghost was bellowing. Aiden felt Gabrielle give a snort beside him as she stood up and aimed her wand at the ghost.

"Get out of here," she said, though the corners of her mouth were twitching.

The ghost seemed to drop his bellowing persona and just rolled his eyes at her instead, saying, "You can't hex a ghost, you know. And you won't find whatever you're digging for either, they had this garden totally redone two months ago, brought in the soil from Nigeria. Supposed to be better for the crops, though I find it to be-"

Gabrielle had done a complicated little wave with her wand, and suddenly the ghost's mouth had disappeared. Shooting her a murderous look, he swooped back towards the castle.

"How'd you do that?" Aiden asked excitedly. "Hexes don't work on ghosts!"

Gabrielle pocketed her wand and said with a shrug, "The Bloody Baron told me about that hex a few years ago."

Aiden's mouth dropped. "You actually talk to the Bloody Baron?" Getting tired of being on his knees, he laid down on his back and looked up at the sky.

"Of course. He's a great conversationalist, incredibly opinionated when it comes to Philosophy," Gabrielle said, following Aiden's lead and lying down on her back. "I've never seen him talk to anyone else though. I think everyone else is just scared of him, but he really is just a sweetheart."

"Granted I'm not a fan of ghosts, but a sweetheart?" Aiden couldn't believe it. And before he knew what happened, Gabrielle had started laughing. "What. Come on, stop laughing. What!"

She turned her head toward him and he could see her gray eyes dancing. "You screamed like girl when you first saw that ghost!" she said laughing.

"I did not!" Aiden could feel his face heating up as Gabrielle proceeded to demonstrate with a high pitched yelp.

"You Gryffindors are supposed to be brave." She was still laughing, and finally, to shut her up, Aiden grabbed a clump of dirt and grass and smashed it on her face.

She stopped laughing abruptly and just stared at him with her big, gray eyes, dirt and grass scattered on her face and in her white-blonde hair.

And suddenly, they were having a dirt fight as if they were little kids. Both of them laughing hard and ducking behind statues as they dodged the flying clumps of dirt and grass. When they called a truce, finally exhausted, both were covered head to toe in dirt.

Breathing heavily and trying to catch his breath, Aiden started walking back toward the mansion, Gabrielle next to him.

"That was fun," he said quietly. He had forgotten who he had been laughing with, and once he had remembered it had been Gabrielle, he wasn't sure how he felt about it.

She nodded. They stopped right in front of the balcony, and Aiden could hear music playing as the adults laughed and talked inside. Gabrielle had taken out her wand and with a wave, both of them were cleaned off.

"So... what now," he said nevously, raking a hand through his hair. Suddenly, the music stopped and he heard the adults start chanting a countdown. Had they been outside for so long?

"Ten... Nine... Eight..."

"This... wasn't supposed to happen," Gabrielle was saying to him, brushing a strand her long hair out of her face.

"Seven... Six..."

"So..." Gabrielle continued, but she trailed off.

"Five... Four..."

"One time thing, then?" Aiden said slowly.

"Three..."

"Yeah. Yeah, one time thing..."

"Two..."

"Can I at least kiss you?"

"One."