Disclaimer: I do NOT own Harry Potter, but I do own this plot and the character Mary.

Authors note: Hey guys! Guess what? I made the freshman basketball team! This is good for me, but is bad for you. Because of this I won't have as much time to work on this story (even though it's my pride and joy). So, if I don't update next week, that's why. I'm sorry for the inconvience, but I will try to update A.S.A.P.!

P.S. hey, my chapter title reminds me of a killer's song...weird I didn't mean 2 do that

Unvoiced Decisions

Chapter 8: Smile Like you Mean it

As Draco lay awake in his bed, the object of his grief laid awake a few floors above. Her head ached from contemplation, but she couldn't stop thinking no matter how hard she tried. She was snuggled up on the edge of her bed; her hands were folded as if in prayer, and were sandwiched between her head and pillow. Her body was curled into a 'c' as she lay motionless on her right half.

She was stupid to have believed that Hermione had fully understood. She was stupid to believe everything that Hermione had said. It was clear now that her friend was only being supportive for the sake of their friendship. As soon as her relationship with Malfoy ended, so did Hermione's act. Everything had gone so wrong. It was clear from their encounter in the library that Hermione was glad that she had discovered the truth; hoping that now she would give up on him and find someone new.

In reality it only made Mary want him more. It gave her motive. He was a death eater; destined to a life in Azkaban. She wanted to help him. She knew that if he went to Dumbledore everything might work out, but he had to be stubborn. She knew the task would not be easy, but she had to try. That's why she chose Harry. He was the one person that could cause Malfoy to snap. She knew that they were always in competition with one another. He despises the fact that Harry is always better than him; always beating him at his own game. She knew he would agree to her terms once Harry stepped into the picture. It was the only plan she had, so she hoped for the best.

"Are you ready yet!" Harry shouted to Hermione through the open door of the girls' dormitories. He had promised to wait for her, but he hadn't expected to be waiting so long. He glanced at his watch and let out a muffled curse. They were officially late, and he didn't want to keep Mary waiting.

Mary on the other hand, was far from worried about Potter's tardiness. She had expected him to wait for Hermione, and she knew that she would wait to the last second to get ready. She always tried to cram in as much studying as humanly possible.

She walked slowly around the adorned great hall and admired the stunning decorations. Jack-o-lanterns grinned madly from above, levitating over student heads; turning slowly. Candles floated among them, as well as tiny little bats that weaved in and out of the magical display.

The rest of the decorations were just as amazing. Giant pumpkins guarded the entrance doors and all the balloons, streamers, and banners sported orange, silver, and black. Only two of the house tables remained, but both were covered in delicious looking snacks. They were pushed against the side walls leaving a large open area in the center of the room.

As she took in her surroundings she noticed Malfoy enter through the large doorway. At first her spirits sank, but upon realizing that he was surprisingly unaccompanied, she regained some strength. She found a seat in the far corner of the room attempting to distance herself as much as possible. She was soon forced to shorten the space when she spotted Harry, Ron, and Hermione entering.

Hermione looked dazzling. Her hair was pulled into a loose bun that left a few curly strands framing her face. She was wearing periwinkle dress with a sheer outer layer. It had spaghetti straps that exposed tone, but delicate shoulders. The material draped down her frame hugging every curve; falling softly around her ankles.

Harry and Ron were both sporting black dress robes, but Ron's seemed a little more faded and worn. They both looked nervous entering the room, but the mood soon changed as music began to fill the vast space. Students continued to file in as others started dancing.

"Hey guys!" Mary smiled as she approached the trio.

"Hey!" Hermione smiled back. "Sorry, we were running a little late."

"You were running a little late." Harry corrected.

"It's ok as long as you guys are here." Mary began to direct them towards the area she had just occupied when Hermione suggested dancing. Ron looked rather flustered, but agreed and the two set off onto the dance floor. Harry and Mary both agreed that they weren't up for dancing just yet, but instead found themselves empty seats and began to talk.

"You look great." Harry stated simply after getting a good look at his date.

She was wearing a shimmery pea green dress. It had thick halter straps that outlined the simple silver chain and diamond that rested on her collarbone. A silver and green flower broach was pined in the valley that the straps created. The top half was form fitting, but the lower half allowed her to move more freely. This was because the bottom was cut in slants that went diagonally across her legs. The shorter pieces came to halt at about mid calf; the longer at the top of her bare ankles. She was wearing silver high healed slip ons that had one clear thick strap across her toes, which were painted metallic green silver to match her fingers. All of her hair was collected in a curly up do. She had a side part and makeshift bangs that she swept to the opposite side. Her makeup was simple yet effective.

"Thanks. You do too." She said pointing to his suit.

"Yeah, I bought this the day after you asked me. I'm glad you like it." He said, inspecting his bowtie.

She smiled half heartedly remembering her plan. She glanced over at Malfoy who was sitting dejectedly on the opposite of the room. His usual posse surrounded him with the exception on Zambini. It didn't matter that he was missing because from the looks of it Malfoy wasn't talking to anyone. He almost looked like he was in some sort of trance.

Pansy waltzed over from her spot between Crabbe and Higgs and placed herself at Malfoy's side. She gently stroked his hair while whispering something in his right ear. She would normally have felt some form of jealously, but was distracted by Malfoy's appearance. She suddenly realized that his hair had changed. It wasn't slicked back in its usual manner, but instead fell softly around his head covering his dark brows. It looked good, different, but good.

Her thoughts shifted as she remembered the situation.

"Hey, is it ok with you if we start dancing? I suddenly have an urge to."

"Yeah that's fine with me." Harry took her by the hand, leading her to the dance floor. At the same time Pansy, with a firm hold on Draco's arm, led him towards the action.

At first the music was face paced, but the song quickly came to an end and was replaced by a much slower tune. Placing his arms carefully around her waist, Harry drew her closer. She in turn, wrapped her right arm around his neck, and placed her left arm on his right. She noticed Ron and Hermione across the way. and let out a small chuckle when she noticed how awkward Ron looked.

"What's so funny?" Harry asked lightheartedly.

"Nothing, it's just Ron. He's got to be the worse dancer I've ever seen."

"Yeah, he is pretty bad." Harry agreed, glancing over his shoulder. "I remember when we had the Yule ball in our fourth year. Ron had to get dancing lessons from Professor McGonagall. By the looks of things, they didn't help."

Mary was beginning to feel better about the night. She was actually beginning to think that the plan was a waste of time. She had Harry and he had her. Why not just leave it that way. There was no reason to bring Malfoy into it. Not if it was going to hurt Harry.

She had almost convinced herself it was the right thing to do when she locked eyes with Malfoy. Their exchange was brief, but meaningful. It was enough to cause her to forget what she had just been thinking. It was enough to make her go through with it. She had to do it. She needed him. Sure she liked Harry, but she loved Malfoy, at least as far as she knew. She had never been in love before, but she imagined that it'd feel something like this. Maybe it wasn't love. Maybe it was only a silly crush, but whatever it was the feeling was strong. She just wanted it to last.

She watched him out of the corner of her eye as Pansy pulled him closer. He pulled away. She could see her plan beginning to work. She rested her head on Harry's shoulder as she watched as Malfoy struggled to keep his sanity and ignore the two of them.

The night continued in the same fashion, with Draco sending looks in Mary's direction while she pretended to not noticed. Her attention was solely on Harry.

As the ball came to its end, everyone said goodnight and headed to their common rooms. As she made her way to her common room for the night she was delayed by a familiar face.

"Mary, we need to talk."

"About what?" she asked, storming past the figure. She tried her best to act mad, but secretly hoped that her plan had worked.

"About everything…about us." She stopped in tracks in response to the comment; she opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came.

"I've decided to go to Dumbledore. I mean, if that offer's still valid. I'll talk to him tomorrow morning, I promise. I'll even talk to him now if you want. Just please come back."

She stood staring surprised by his change of mind, but when remembering how Harry had been the object of her affection tonight instead of him it made sense.

"Are you serious? I mean, this isn't all talk. You're going to really go through with this?" She turned to face him and realized just how different he really did look. Other than his hair, there were other differences as well. His eyes were a darker shade of grey and any trace of blue was gone. Not only were his eyes a different color, but they looked in pain. She couldn't describe it any other way. He almost looked as if he was going to cry, but not because of her. She could tell that agreeing to this was painful for him. It hurt his pride. His eyes told it all.

"If that's what it takes to get you back."

"It is." She sated simply walking slowly towards him. They were a breath apart as her hand glided down his left cheek and over his neck, resting on his chest. She felt him tense up and tried to console him.

"I'm really proud of you. You know that don't you?" There was silence. She searched his face for the answer. After a minute or two he spoke.

"It's still hard." He shook his head slightly, looking away.

"I know, but you're strong. Besides, there's nothing weak about asking for help. Especially it you really need it. I won't think you're any less manly because of it. In fact, I'll think the opposite." She smiled hoping to get one in return, but was caught off guard as he responded differently than she had imagined.

In one swift movement he placed his left hand on the back of her neck and pulled her into a passionate kiss. It was very much like the first one they shared, except that she could almost taste his emotion. She moaned exhaling softly as he slipped his tongue gently between her parted lips. She moved one hand slowly up and down his back as he continued to kiss her. Fiercely, he wrapped his right arm around her waist and jerked her foreword. She was so close she could feel his heat against her abdomen. She broke the connection as she gently kissed the corner of his lips. She then trailed tiny kisses down the side of his jaw, stopping at the nape of his neck and resting her head on his shoulder. She snuggled closer still as he held her possessively. Her arms fell around his waist as he did the same.

After a long time of silent emotion her hands traveled up his chest allowing her to push away slightly; giving her a good view of his face. She noticed that some of the color had returned to his eyes, but they still conveyed that same defeated feeling. He tilted his head and leaned foreword attempting to kiss the right side of her neck. She pushed his head aside playfully. Then, placing both hands over his ears she forced him to look into her eyes.

"How bout we start over. I don't know about you, but I'm willing to give this another try. I need you too much." She released the pressure on his head allowing him to continue his exploration of her mouth. A moan escaped from the back of his throat as she began to play to with his new soft hair. They broke apart and place their foreheads together as she continued to play with the small hairs at the top of his neck.

"I need you too." His voice was rich, but husky.

She watched his mouth as he said this. Talking in the pink lines like a drug. Her gaze then traveled to his nose, eyes, and then hair.

"I like your hair." She finally commented. "It suits you."

"Really?" he asked glancing up at his locks. "I did it this evening. I don't know why, I felt like a change I guess."

She smiled, "Change is good."

And for the first time in weeks he smiled, a true smile. He felt his life piecing itself back together. She was his and he was hers. It was the way things were supposed to be. The way they were.

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LiLjDpEgAsUsChIc160: Well, this might be my last chapter for a while, so savor it. I hate to keep people waiting becuz I hate waiting for other people, but what are ya gonna do. All I can say is that I'm gonna try my hardest to get a new chapter out n ready, but till then...

CoMmEnT 33