AN: I'm giving up with the bold, italics because I don't know how to work them. :tear: Anyway, here is chapter number seven! It was quite fun to write, if not something of a pain to get somewhat-right. I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 7: Before the Ball
The next day in class, while passing back homework assignments, Seraphim slipped Harry a note.
'Meet me in the Room of Requirement tonight at ten. I've got a favor to ask of you. Thanks, S.'
Harry made eye contact with Seraphim and nodded, wondering what could be so secret. He was snapped out of his reverie when Seraphim announced they had ten minutes to finish their assignment, making a snow globe swirl perpetually.
Later that night, Harry found Seraphim pacing in the Room of Requirement even though there were big armchairs, a coffee table laden with snacks, and a roaring fire in the fireplace.
Hanging up his invisibility cloak on the coat rack that appeared to his right, Harry tapped Seraphim on the shoulder. "Sorry, were you waiting long?"
Seraphim jumped and looked at Harry. "Oh, um, well I got here early just in case and, eh, sit down." She led him to the fireplace and hurriedly poured them some tea.
"You wanted to talk to me about something?" Harry asked after a brief, awkward silence.
"Um, yes." Seraphim shifted and sipped her tea uncomfortably.
"Well?" Harry leaned forward, "Why couldn't you tell me in class? Or in the common room?"
"Please don't laugh and don't criticize me. I've done enough criticizing to myself for everyone, even Ron," Seraphim got up and started pacing again.
Harry rolled his eyes, "Just tell me already."
"I guess I should start at the beginning," Seraphim muttered to herself. "I was walking around the castle that night you and the others were studying for your potions exam about a month ago."
Harry nodded to show he remembered.
"Well, I found a room that was just…it was exquisite. There were beautifully crafted musical instruments everywhere. I was about to try one of them when I heard footsteps. I excused myself and hid behind the draperies of one of the windows. I saw Malfoy enter the room seconds after I'd hidden.
"I was about to go in and ask him what he was doing in there and warn him not to damage the instruments when I heard music. It was honest-to-God music produced by Malfoy. It was violin music, really good violin music, really, really good violin music." Seraphim started pulling on loose strands of her hair.
"After that, I observed him. I saw how he drummed his fingers on his desk, the rhythm in which he spoke, the change of voice he used while muttering to himself as opposed to speaking with other people. I watched him to figure him out. I just got more confused," Seraphim looked at Harry.
He nodded to show he understood what she was saying, though he was still a little confused, and encouraged her to continue.
"Then," Seraphim continued, "that night we went down to the kitchens, a couple weeks ago. Afterwards I wasn't tired, so I took a walk. I went to the owlrey and the Astronomy tower and then to the hill across the Herbology greenhouses to see the sunrise. It was cold when I sat down but I figured it was worth it to watch a Hogwart's sunrise.
"I felt a cloak being dropped on me. After turning around, I saw it was Malfoy. He explained that I looked cold. We actually had a civil conversation. I had a civil conversation with Draco Malfoy. Those words don't belong in the same sentence unless there is a negative in there, but it happened. Then we had a disagreement and I left but something about talking to him was different from talking with you guys. The feeling, the connection, was different."
Seraphim stopped pacing and looked at her feet, "A few days ago I fell asleep in History of Magic and I had a dream. I was dancing with a person I couldn't see in the great hall and we floated up through the ceiling to the clouds. He leaned in to kiss me and, when we parted, I saw his face. It was, well, it was Malfoy."
Seraphim bit her lip nervously, looking in Harry's direction.
The expression crossing Harry's face was a cross of amusement, antipathy, and disbelief. "So let me get this straight," he said finally, "you fancy Malfoy."
Seraphim tried to avoid Harry's eyes. "Well, in short, yes."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Damned if I know," Seraphim sat, putting her hands in her face.
"You do realize he's one of the most foul students in the school. And he has an obvious dislike for you," Harry pointed out.
"Yes."
"And you're still willing to pursue a relationship with him?" Harry looked incredulous.
"Um, yes…" Seraphim squeaked. She could tell Harry was having a very fierce internal debate over helping a friend achieve happiness and giving a sworn enemy a second chance. Seraphim was very lucky that Harry was such a nice, trusting, supportive friend.
"Well, the sorting hat did say that we'll need to unite if we're going to win the war," he ran a hand through his messy hair. "Are you positive you want this?"
Seraphim nodded.
Harry sighed, "As I'm an honorary Weasley and your partner in crime, what's the plan?"
Seraphim threw her arms around Harry. "Oh thank you, thank you," she kissed his cheek. "I thought you'd disapprove."
Harry thought a moment. "Well, I'm more surprised. I might be a little disgusted later but I won't disapprove. It's your life," he blinked. Of course, it would take some getting used to.
"Okay," Seraphim moved to sit in her armchair. "Now for a plan."
"What exactly did you have in mind?" Harry questioned.
"Well it's quite simple really, Hermione came up with it," Seraphim explained. "Will you go to the Halloween Ball with me, Harry?"
Realization dawned on him, "You want to make him jealous?"
"Of course. Think about it, Hermione thinks he's attracted to me in one way or another, be it physical or intellectual, why else would he converse politely with me? So if I show up on the arm of a popular, handsome, all-around great guy, what will he think?" Seraphim smirked, hoping the flattery was working too.
Harry soon followed suit. "That is an excellent idea. And I won't have to worry about finding a date. Shall we go all out and pretend to be a couple say, a week before the ball?"
Seraphim thought a moment. "Will that be looked-down upon? I mean I am sort of your professor."
"Well not really. You're like one of the assistant seventh-years," Harry argued.
"Hm, agreed," Seraphim and Harry shook hands.
Over the next couple weeks, Seraphim and Harry were seen walking arm-in-arm and whispering to each other between classes. Hermione and Ron, who were also going together, would often join them after dinner to go over costume ideas.
"How about we go as muggles?" suggested Ron, thoroughly out of ideas.
"That's silly," Seraphim replied.
"Why don't you two go as Romeo and Juliet during the masked ball scene?" suggested Hermione, pointing to Harry and Seraphim.
"My dad likes that book," said Ron, wrinkling his nose. "But the alchemist was an idiot. He should have known Juliet wasn't dead."
"It's a good idea," Harry replied, ignoring his best friend.
"Why don't you guys go as…" Seraphim thought. Seeing Ron's red hair gave her an idea, "Peter Pan and Wendy."
Harry snorted. "Yes, do."
Hermione and Ron looked at each other. A smirk to rival Malfoy's rose to each of their lips.
"I like it," Hermione grinned.
"So, we've got a week to get our costumes ready, get cracking everyone."
The night of the ball, Hermione and Seraphim were in the latter's room making use of her private bathroom to get ready.
Hermione's bushy hair was tamed and part of it was pinned to the side to show her face. Her make-up was minimal as Wendy was a youthful character, barely out of her childhood. Light blue enhanced her eyes, a sprinkling of glitter, and some lip-gloss and she was done.
Her costume itself was modeled after a 'movie.' Long, flowing robes of a light satiny material graced her slim form. Her outer cloak was a turquoise while the dress itself was a sky blue. When the cloak was removed, Hermione's dress revealed slightly puffed sleeves and tiny turquoise ribbons. The traditional golden chain with the acorn pendant was displayed in full.
Hermione had spent a full hour dolling Seraphim up, "So you can knock Malfoy's socks off." Her make-up was more mysterious than Hermione's. Glasses replaced by contact lenses, dark blue liner on her eyes, silver dusted the lids, and a tiny diamond star gracing the outside corner of her right eye. A deep, blood red lipstick that Hermione described as 'sexy' graced her lips.
Seraphim's hair was also one of Hermione's masterpieces. Her hair was mostly piled up on her head in an elaborate up-do. Tiny braid criss-crossed to form a pattern that looked like vines with tendrils snaking down to frame her face. Star-shaped diamond stud earrings and a silver chain with a matching pendant were her jewelry.
Her dress was also exquisite. Seraphim was dressed in silver. A princess seam on silver satin covered by sheer silver chiffon hugged her upper body and fanned out near her hips. The small silver stars embroidered on the top grew more numerous as one looked lower down the dress, finally stopping at her ankles. Her wrists were wrapped in silver satin ribbons that criss-crossed up to her elbows like a ballerina's toe shoes, the ends hung down in elegant strands. Her feet were also clad in silver toe shoes. Sheer ribbons, crossing once behind her, held up her dress.
As she was posing as Juliet, Seraphim had opted for a mask since the famous couple first met at a masquerade ball. Her mask was satiny white adorned with silver and pearlecent ribbons and tiny sequined stars. The ribbons flowed gracefully behind her as she danced around the room, laughing.
Harry and Ron soon entered the girls' room, eager to be off.
Ron had gone all-out in his costume. He had the green hat with the silly red feather perched lopsidedly on his head. The green, short-sleeved tunic was secured by a brown leather belt. He held a small reed flute that Hermione and Seraphim doubted he knew how to play. He even wore the green tights with the leather shoes.
"It's a good thing you work out on the Quidditch field so much Ron," Seraphim commented, tucking a copy of Romeo and Juliet in her bureau. "You've got pretty nice legs."
Turning scarlet, Ron merely glared.
Harry was dressed in a scarlet shirt that billowed at the arms. Instead of buttons down the front, it was tied at the top with two silk strings. Fitted black pants covered his legs and ended in matching leather boots. The pants were embroidered at the hem with tiny gold and crimson flames. In one hand he held brown leather gloves and a hat, in the other was his mask. It was a burgundy and decorated sparsely with deep red and black feathers. His hat was an earthy color and a bright red plume curled up out of the brim.
Taking Seraphim's arm, swirling his black velvet cloak, and securing his mask, he turned to Ron and Hermione. "Shall we be off?"
Seraphim giggled, this masquerade, literally and figuratively, would be most amusing.
Ron and Hermione nodded, giggling. "Come on then Wendy, I'll teach you to fly."
The quartet quickly exited Seraphim's room to meet the rest of the Gryffindors attending the ball. When they reached the doors of the great hall, hurried glances of excitement were exchanged.
Hesitating, Seraphim reached for the door. "Well guys, here we go."
Pushing the huge doors open, they entered the great hall.
So that's chapter seven. J I hope you liked it. If you did, please review and say so. If you didn't, tell me why so I'm not left hanging. (Although cliffhangers are a great way to end chapters, they are not good for writers who want to know how they're doing.)