A/N: Schoolwork officially sucks. I haven't had much time to breathe between schoolwork and preparing for Puerto Rico's equivalent of the SAT, which I'm taking October 15. To say nothing of the SAT itself, which I have programmed for January or February. Still, I have managed to scrape together some time to finally put this bloody chapter down. A few of my favorite parts of the story are coming soon, so I'm really excited to finally have some time to put into this. Hope you all enjoy.

Bold italics are Railane's intros, italics are thoughts, and anything in bold is a diary entry.

Chapter nine: A night of wonder

The days leading to the Christmas Ball were not very memorable, mostly because the buzz over the ball got really boring by the time the ball actually arrived. Since it was the night before we left for the Christmas holidays, I'd already packed my bags when my mother pulled one of her usual tricks. At the time, I was so mad at her, but now that I've had a chance to look back I realize that there was a reason for it to happen. I just didn't know it yet.

Railane walked into the Great Hall with a grin, excited over the prospect of going on vacation with her mother and over the Christmas Ball. Even though she didn't have a date, she'd helped Liana pick out her clothes and jewelry and was dropping by the Gryffindor dorm to do her hair and makeup. They'd promised to each other that they would have a blast together no matter what happened, and Railane planned to uphold her part of the deal.

Taking her seat, she realized that Blaise and Draco were both silently staring at something on the table, and she followed their gaze. There, staring up at her, was a new letter from her mother. Picking it up with a sigh, she read it quickly before tearing it up. Draco stared at her quietly and Blaise simply shook his head. "She pulling one of hers?"

Railane nodded heavily. "As per usual. Says that she and Da are going to treat this as another honeymoon, so I can't go. Damn it. I'd already packed my bags."

Draco simply stared at them. "So you'll be staying here for the holidays?"

"Apparently. I'll have to talk to Professor Snape."

"You could come with me," Blaise offered, but Railane shook her head.

"I'd rather have some time to myself, you know? Time to think and maybe do something remotely productive."

"You sure?" Draco asked, frowning.

She nodded, rising. "Yeah, I'm sure. Now let me go and tell Liana that the Caribbean souvenirs will not be arriving." She walked over to the Gryffindor table, and Liana immediately scooted over to give her a space. Sitting down, she sighed. "I'm not going to the Caribbean with mother after all."

"You going somewhere else?" Harry asked.

"That was naïve," Liana replied with a grin. "Her mother has a knack for canceling on her at the last minute."

"Oh, that's terrible," Ron replied sympathetically.

Hermione nodded. "Horrible. You'll be staying to catch up on your studying, I suppose."

Liana rolled her eyes and both Harry and Ron shook their heads. "She's going with us," Ron declared. "Mum won't mind."

"Agreed," Harry added. "There is no way that you're staying here alone for the holidays."

"I need time to think, so I'll stay here."

Liana glared at her. "Lane!"

"I'm serious. I'm staying. And I'm not hearing another word about it. But thanks anyway, Ron and Harry. I appreciate the thoughtfulness. Now, I must depart. I have to speak to Professor Snape about staying for the holidays."

"She's going to talk to Snape?" Ron asked, mouth full of porridge.

"Obviously," Liana replied, wiping the corner of his mouth with a napkin. "He's her Head of House, remember?"

His ears turned pink. "Right. I keep forgetting that. She's not very Slytherin."

"You're stereotyping," Hermione chided absently, and Liana shot her a dark look as both boys rolled their eyes.

After a short day of class, everyone filed back to their rooms to get ready. Railane changed into her dress robes quickly, and sat on the bed, brushing out the brown waves of her hair idly as she killed time. She pulled some of her hair up, pinning it back with a barrette before commencing her makeup. All of the others were chatting and being rather loud, but Railane simply ignored them and finished getting ready. Packing some of her makeup, she slipped out the door and headed to Liana's room.

She was about to begin doing Liana's hair and makeup when she realized that Liana was staring at her. "What?"

Liana grinned. "You look brilliant."

"I-what?" she looked down at herself. "No, I don't. I look… normal."

"No, you don't," she replied, sitting down and pointing to herself. "Now see if you can make me look like that."

"Funny," Railane replied, beginning to comb Liana's hair.

"I'm not kidding. Get to work."

Railane grinned, beginning to straighten sections of Liana's hair quickly. "I've become your stylist, haven't I?"

She nodded, opening a magazine. "Forever and ever, love. Forever and ever." When her hair was completely straight, she examined herself in a mirror and nodded to Railane. "Perfect. Jewelry is done, so all we're missing is makeup, right?"

She inspected said jewelry before nodding. "Yep." She swiped two shades of orange eye shadow and one of yellow on Liana's lids, blending thoroughly with a brush. Then she drew a perfectly straight line in black liquid liner and handed Liana the mascara. "You do that while I look for proper blush." Once she had finished and handed the mascara back to her, she brushed apricot blush on the apples of her cheeks and swiped some coral lipstick on her lips and handed Liana a sparkly golden gloss. "Put that over the lipstick. When you reapply, it'll be just the gloss."

"Aye, aye, captain," Liana replied good-naturedly, swiping the gloss over the lipstick obediently.

"You should go," Railane told her without looking up. "Draco doesn't like having to wait."

"I know, I know. We'll be right down."

"You go ahead. I'll retouch my makeup, give myself a breather, and meet you down there."

Liana raised an eyebrow. "You sure you'll go down there?"

"I promise. Now go on."

Liana nodded reluctantly, checking herself in the mirror for the last time before walking out. Railane watched her before sitting down on the bed. Looking at the floor, she hugged herself and let the tears run down her face silently.

Liana found Draco waiting for her outside of the Gryffindor tower, dressed in silvery-gray dress robes. He looked very much like the aristocrat he was, yet he offered his arm to her with something akin to kindness. She accepted it with a smile, and they headed towards the Great Hall quietly. They each pushed one of the door open and walked inside. Everyone looked at them, mostly in surprise, and, in the Slytherin's case, distaste.

Blaise walked over to them immediately, smiling in his navy robes, Ginny in tow. "Hello. Where's Railane?"

"Up in my room. She should be down here in a bit," Liana replied.

"Good. Now, let's dance."

Liana looked at him in panic. "I don't know about that."

"Don't worry, Richards," Draco assured her with a slow grin. "This is an easy song, and I'll lead." She looked doubtful, but let him lead her to the floor. They whirled slowly, in time with the music, and Liana let herself relax and enjoy the moment. Blaise twirled with Ginny nearby, and they could see Hermione and Ernie in a corner, conversing. She let her eyes roam around the room, taking in the sight of the glimmering flower arrangements, the ice sculptures, and the colored lights.

She was still dancing with Draco when Railane walked into the Great Hall. Everyone turned to look at her, Draco included. She looked very pretty and relaxed in her dark purple dress robes with royal purple accents. She'd altered the robes, and the neckline was a wide V descending from her shoulders. A purple pendant hung around her neck in a delicate silver chain, and the cut of the robes was accented by the wavy hair that draped around her shoulders. She looked uncomfortable at the stares, but still she walked in mustering as much confidence as she possibly could, smiling fleetingly at Draco and Liana before sitting in a corner.

She looked around, letting her eyes wander over the myriad of colors that surrounded her. Everyone looked so different without the black robes of their uniforms; she felt like it was the first time she'd looked at a lot of people. Draco, absolutely elegant in his silvery gray robes, and Liana looked very relaxed and pretty in her robes that shimmered in different shades of orange when the light hit it. Pansy lurked nearby in impossibly pink robes that made Railane's eyes water, Parvati and Padma Patil looked stunning in bright-colored robes that contrasted against their cinnamon skin, and Lavender looked very pretty in yellow-green robes as she made eyes at Ron, whose cerulean robes accented his red locks.

She was anxiously counting the time until she could exit and tell Liana that she'd been there for a while when a tender and gentle hand was placed on her shoulder. She turned in surprise to find a smiling Oliver leaning towards her. "Hello, Miss Lesperance. May I join you?" he asked politely, motioning towards the chair next to her.

"Of course," she replied, still surprised at his sudden appearance. As he moved over to the chair, she let her eyes roam over his elegant form. He was dressed in dark red robes that contrasted beautifully with his complexion, and his dark eyes shone brightly as he smiled at her, noticing her eyes on him. She looked down at her mirror-encrusted bangles, spinning them a few times so her flush had subsided when he looked up at him again.

"You look lovely," he commented rather timidly, and she flushed again, looking at him through her lashes.

"Thank you very much. And may I say, you look fantastic and very handsome."

He smiled bashfully. "Why, thank you. So, who did you come with?"

"Me, myself and I," she replied dismissively.

"Then you won't mind if I ask you to dance."

She looked at him in surprise, crossing her arms over her chest. "Oh? Why, Professor Wood, I don't think it's allowed," she replied in mock-indignation.

His eyes sparkled with mischief. "What's like without bending the rules a little bit? Besides, Professor Dumbledore will understand. I mean, you're sitting here, alone, and I'm alone, and I want to dance. And you should dance, since you went through the trouble of getting ready for a ball," he commented rather playfully, offering her his hand.

Railane smiled. "You're not very professor-y, you know? Too much like one of us," she told him, accepting the proffered hand.

They both rose and began walking towards the dance floor. "Do you think that's bad?" he asked self-consciously, and she shook her head.

"Not at all. It's very refreshing. And it makes you more relatable."

They began dancing, and he looked at her with a slight frown. "By the way you were nervous about dancing, I wouldn't have thought you'd be such a good dancer."

She steered him a bit away from Blaise and Ginny, who were spinning rather wildly, before answering. "I have a lot of time on my hands, so when I'm not writing, I dance."

He nodded understandingly. "Are you going somewhere on vacation these holidays?"

Her eyes darkened. "I was going to, but my mother canceled on me, so I'll be staying here."

"At least I won't be completely bored here," he commented. "And we could work on your writing."

The shadow in her eyes dissipated and she smiled. "I'd like that."

He was about to say something else when Draco and Liana appeared at his elbow. Draco motioned for them to switch partner, and he and Railane exchanged glances before he courteously accepted Liana and handed Railane over to Draco. As Draco spun her around and began dancing with her, Railane chided herself mentally for getting too involved with Oliver and concentrated on their dance. Draco was a good dancer as well, his elegance stated in the fluidity of his movements. Both Liana and Oliver watched them dance, both with different yet similar thoughts.

"They look good together," he commented, and Liana nodded.

"They're perfect for each other since they're so alike, but at the same time, that makes them clash." She sighed, frowning. "They'd be good together, but they might end up killing each other in a week. No way to predict." He made a thoughtful noise, not taking his eyes off them, and Liana's frown deepened. "I don't mean to pry, but you and Railane looked rather… cozy. Which is probably why Draco wanted us to switch. Is there anything I should know about? Since she's my best friend and all."

He looked at her briefly before looking back at Railane. "She seems to really like him, so I don't think there's anything to say. Besides, isn't she dating Blaise Zabini?"

"Sort of, but I don't think that will last long. They're just too close as friends." She paused, looking at him embarrassedly. "I apologize if I'd made you uncomfortable, Professor. But she's my best friend, and I really needed to know. I hope you don't think I've overstepped myself."

"Not at all. It's understandable that you wished to know." His voice was rather low, and Liana sighed. Things were already getting very complicated in here. She shot Harry, who had followed Mrs. Weasley's advice and looked quite handsome in emerald green robes as he chatted with yellow-robed Cho, a very dark look. Ron walked past her, smiling, and she smiled back before resuming glaring in Harry's direction.

Draco had been dancing with her quietly for a long time, and whenever she'd try to switch with Liana and Oliver again, he'd pulled her closer and refused. Finally, after Liana and Oliver had both sat down, she sighed in exasperation and spoke. "Dray, are you planning on letting me go anytime soon?"

"I don't know. Are you planning on going back to dancing with your dear Professor Wood?" he countered.

"I don't know, Draco," she replied irritably. "I was simply dancing with him because he saw me sitting on my own and asked me to dance. He was only being a gentleman so I wouldn't feel bad."

He raised an eyebrow. "I don't think that's it. You looked pretty cuddly," he commented dryly.

"Oh, for God's sake! It was just a dance! It's not like I'm jumping all over you for dancing with Liana." That fact seemed to be bothering more than anything else, and he continued sulking, so she rolled her eyes and began moving towards Blaise and Ginny. "I'm going to go dance with my boyfriend. Now, dance a bit with Ginny, then set her loose and go dance with your date." He was going to protest but a glare from her silenced him. "Just go." They moved towards Blaise and he immediately moved to twirl Railane to the side. Draco began dancing with turquoise-robed Ginny, his eyes on Railane and Blaise.

"He's staring," Blaise informed her, and she groaned.

"He's being ridiculous about my dancing with Oliver."

"You two did look cute. I could've sworn he was going to kiss you or something."

"Are you mad? He's our teacher. And besides, you know how I feel about Draco."

Blaise set his blue eyes on her dark ones as if he could determine what she truly felt by looking into them, and sighed. "I do. But I can't help but feel that you're feeling something towards our dear Mister Wood."

"I'm not going to deny that I'm attracted to him, but he's a teacher. It's totally impossible. Plus he's gorgeous and famous and so not interested in me. We're just good friends, is all. Now stop getting ideas, Zabini."

"Whatever you say. I just think that maybe this boyfriend and girlfriend thing should be over soon. Draco seems to be close to marking you as his and I don't want to get in his way."

"We'll be over after the holidays, then? Sufficient time to make it a plausible relationship."

He smiled. "You're so thoughtful, I could kiss you right now."

"You should. It'd shock everyone out of their wits," she told him jokingly, and he grinned.

"I would, love, but I'd rather you have your first kiss with someone who's straight and completely into you." Her expression darkened a bit, and he hastily continued his explanation. "I mean, you know I think you're very pretty and I love you and like you, but I just don't think I should be that guy. You and I just don't have a future as a couple."

"I know what you meant, Blaise. I only looked a bit peeved because I'm sixteen and never been kissed. It's sad."

"That was so teenager-y of you, Miss Philosophic. So out of character."

"My roommates are lowering my IQ." They both laughed and she tilted her head towards the refreshments table. "Want to get a drink?"

"Heavens, yes. I've been dancing since the beginning of the night and I'm virtually dehydrated." They laughed again and headed towards the table, chatting amicably.

When Railane started feeling drowsy and began saying her goodbyes, Draco insisted on accompanying her to her dorm. They began walking over there, followed by Blaise and were nearing the dungeons when Blaise noticed a mournful Seamus in hunter green robes, leaning against a wall. Draco and Railane exchanged glances and motioned for him to go for it. He approached him quietly, and spoke softly when he was near. "Are you alright?"

Seamus turned to him in surprise, eyeing him warily. "Not very much, but why would you care?" he drawled in his Irish accent.

"You just looked like you needed someone to talk to."

"You're avoiding my question," he said with a slight grin, facing him completely. "So, do you really want to hear what's going on?"

"Yes," he replied decidedly, looking at Seamus evenly.

The shorter boy began walking, motioning for Blaise to follow. "I had a fight with my friend Dean," he began in a quiet voice. "I told him my secret, and he flipped out."

"That's horrible," Blaise murmured sympathetically. "I have a secret myself, but thankfully the few friends that I told were absolutely understanding."

"I'll tell you my secret if you tell me yours," he offered suddenly.

Blaise moved a bit to his left, putting distance between them before speaking. "Well, my secret is that I'm… gay. Damn, it feels liberating to tell you that."

He blinked at him a few times before speaking. "That's me secret as well," he told Blaise softly. "Who did you tell?"

"Draco, Liana and Railane."

Seamus frowned at the mention of Draco, and when he spoke of Railane his eyes widened. "Aren't you dating Railane?"

"She's been my cover-up," Blaise admitted.

"That's not very nice of you," he chided.

"I know, and we're ending it soon. I like someone and she likes someone, and we're tying each other down for nothing."

"Today has been wild. I told Dean when I'd promised to keep it a secret, and now here I am, talking to you, a Slytherin, and I just told you my secret. The whole world's going straight to hell, it is."

"Probably," Blaise confirmed quietly. "So why did you decide to tell Dean tonight?"

He scratched his head thoughtfully. "I think he was getting suspicious since I've sort of looking at someone, liking them, you know? So I thought it'd be good for me to tell him before he actually figured it out, and turns out he wasn't very happy with my honesty."

"Shame. So, who do you like?"

Seamus raised an eyebrow. "We became sort of friends five minutes ago. You really expect me to tell you?"

"Hey, I'm your partner in the closeting, eh? I guess you could call me a kindred soul."

He sighed. "If you must know, it's a Slytherin."

Blaise frowned. "Draco?"

"Pale and deathly isn't really my type."

"Huh." Without realizing it, they'd already reached the Gryffindor Tower, and Blaise smiled, deciding not to press the matter further. "Well, here you are, safe and sound. I'll see you later, Seamus."

He turned to walk away, and Seamus eyes followed him. "You too, Blaise."

Railane and Draco had finally reached the dorm, both smirking at the fact that Blaise had gone off with Seamus. She was about to say goodbye when Draco spoke quietly. "I've been thinking… I'd rather you not stay in the dorm during the holidays. Some of those girls are very nasty, and I think it might be a good idea for you to stay in my room."

She was touched by the gallant gesture, but shook her head. "I don't know."

"Go get your trunk, Miss Lesperance," he ordered. "You're staying in my room since tonight."

"Oh, really? And where am I going to sleep?"

"I'll manage. Stop your protesting and get your things." She was going to say something else, but sighed in acceptance. The prospect of getting to stay away from all the other girls was simply too tempting.

"I'll see you in a bit, then." He smirked at her, glad to have won their small argument, and motioned for her to hurry. She ran up the stairs and entered her dorm to find Pansy waiting for her. She walked past her, muttering incantations to pack the few things she'd unpacked, as Pansy began to speak.

"I don't know who you and your little Gryffindor friend think you are, but you should know that Draco is mine, so stay away from him."

"That's for him to choose, Pansy," Railane replied dismissively, her trunk trailing behind her as she moved towards the door, carrying her books.

"Where are you going?" Pansy asked her, and Railane rolled her eyes. "I'm not finished!"

"None of your business. Now I must go; Draco awaits."

Before Pansy could speak again, Railane walked out with a wide smile and slammed the door shut on Pansy's face.

Harry was already in the room by the time they got there, and gallantly helped Railane by carrying her books. She was about to enter the room when she felt like someone was watching her, and she looked over her shoulder and into the empty hallway. Draco frowned, following her gaze, but neither of them saw anything. He placed a hand on her arm, motioning for her to enter the room, and Railane followed, still anxious.

When the door to the room had closed, a cloaked figure stepped out of the shadows, looking at the hallway before walking away to Snape's office. His Master wouldn't be pleased when he found out that the Lesperance girl had been sheltered by Draco in his secure room. Damn his son's instinct. Throwing some Floo powder on the fireplace, he enunciated clearly: 'Malfoy Manor!' and disappeared in a green haze.

A/N: Share your thoughts, loves. They'll inspire me for the next chapter. Hee.