That Christmas night, Lucius had informed the Death Eaters who had decided to join him that his son and his intended were being made aware of the Dark Lord's ranks. This made him the proud ice-breaker who introduced his son to the concept of their affiliations - a general level of knowledge was enough for now. The announcement was well-received with admiration and applause, no doubt causing several other Death Eaters with children of similar ages to consider taking the same step.

After that, came the unavoidable discussions about the mysterious man who had met Annelyse Rosier in the garden. Some ridiculed the idea, others found it foolish, while a few considered anyone would be better than Blackwood for a young and beautiful lady like Rosier's daughter. Malfoy refrained from comments as he wrapped up the meeting and invited everyone to enjoy themselves at a real ball. There were a few absentees who had either left altogether or chose to stay at the Rosier Manor, but mostly everyone was there.

It just so happened that Narcissa was leading the children back into the ballroom as Lucius was returning. Giving Draco a meaningful look to step aside, he invited Narcissa to dance, finally finding the time to give his wife the attention and affection that she deserved. Of course, showing off was part of the deal - the two of them had been the king and queen of every ball they had attended and had such a contest. Even unofficially and without the 'crowning' ceremony, they were still renowned for their grace and elegance.

Draco was once again in front of something rather familiar. It wasn't the first time he witnessed his parents enjoying themselves at a party. Katherina was in awe. She remained on her spot by the door, watching as mostly everyone freed the dancefloor for them. There were few those who dared to dance at the same time, completely overshadowed by the Malfoys - the couple who most other noble-born purebloods envied. With all the self-control in the world, one cannot fake love.

As the guests were distracted, Draco took her away towards the gift table next to their Christmas tree. Katherina followed him blindly, her eyes still admiring Draco's parents.

"Don't you want to see what we've got?" he asked excitedly.

"Can't it wait?" she asked as she laced her fingers with his.

"I guess it's nice if you're not used to it," he shrugged.

"Nice? Draco, they're wonderful!"

Seeing that he had no chance to distract her, Draco stepped in front of her and held out his hand. "Since you like it so much, do you want to dance with me in a proper ballroom?"

Katherina chuckled at his remark. He was obviously at ease now. "We can't compete with your parents..."

"We can try, and you know how I try," he smirked, still holding his hand out for her.

The girl took it. A few others noticed and they began clearing a path for them to the dancefloor. At the same time, with Zabini out of the way, Solomon Abbott asked Selena Selwyn for what could only be assumed to be a friendly dance. Theodore Nott was trying hard to dance with Pansy Parkinson, who was more preoccupied with Draco and Katherina than she was with her own feet. Vincent Crabbe asked Astoria Greengrass, but she was a bit young to keep up with his wide steps.

Married couples danced on the sides, well aware they couldn't compete for the spotlight with Lucius and Narcissa there. The only pair coming close were Draco and the girl who had all of them whispering behind corners, the pureblooded bastard unrecognized by Stephan Avery, a half-commoner with heritage rights over half of Diagon Alley businesses and many others aimed at muggles all across Europe. Even if most despised Muggles, there was one thing they couldn't deny - businesses bring money, no matter the currency.

Selena was a little disappointed that neither Anna nor Ron were there. She tried to talk to Vesuvia, but the girl avoided her and so, she didn't insist. She had been attempting to blend into the noisy crowd but found it exhausting. People were talking about the most diverse topics. Her parents seemed to be having a good time though, so she couldn't ask them to leave. That's when Solomon approached her and asked her for a dance. The girl was glad that he was somewhat familiar, although they haven't spoken much before. Vesuvia used to talk about him a lot back when they were close, so she felt a sense of closeness.

Solomon led her softly, not trying to impress anyone, unlike most other pairs. They danced on the side for a few songs, both glad that the Malfoys' ballroom allowed for so much more space. This way, they didn't have to be the center of everyone's attention. He noticed the girl wanting to say something and hesitating, so he gave her an encouraging smile.

"Are you enjoying the night?" he asked softly.

The girl put on a smile meant to hide her insecurity. "Very much. Are you?"

"I've been looking for a way to tell you," the dark-haired boy began, "If you ever need anything, please consider coming to us for help. I know my sister has become distant - she distrusts Slytherins altogether, although it's clear for me to see you are nothing like Draco or his kind."

The words brought an honest smile to Selena's pale face. "Thank you. I appreciate your kindness..."

"Has..." he began. looking away. "Um, has your father promised your hand to anyone yet?" Lifting his blue eyes to meet Selena's amber ones, he noticed the blood rushing to her face.

"Um, n-no, he hasn't... Or, at least, I'm not aware if he has."

"I see," Solomon said with a kind smile. It was obvious to Selena he was a Hufflepuff, and she was certain she would have guessed his house accurately even before the Sorting Ceremony. His smile was bright like a summer day and his words kind, calculated in such a way as to avoid hurting anyone's feelings.

As not many others seemed interested in spending time with the quietest Slytherin student of her generation, Selena has found herself spending most of the night with her lost friend's brother. A thought crossed her mind for a moment - Anna confessed to her that she has had a crush on Solomon before going to Hogwarts. Of course, she couldn't bring it up as she had promised not to say a word of this, but Selena couldn't help but wonder if Solomon knew, or if he returned Anna's feelings at the time.

They stopped after a while to taste some of the sweets prepared in a rush by the house-elves. Selena noticed that Draco and Katherina were still dancing - the only pair who dared occupy the center of the ring, along with the Malfoy couple. It nearly seemed like Draco had something to prove, be it to his father or to the guests they had so conveniently welcomed into their home.

"Why is everyone staring at me?" Katherina asked after a few melodies.

"You're... quite rare, I think," Draco chuckled. "It's not every day someone brings a noble family to their knees."

"Please!" the girl rolled her eyes. "Avery was no noble!"

"In the papers, they were. See that guy over there? Emmanuel Carrow. He was supposed to marry the she-man Stephanie Avery. It was arranged, I imagine - who would ever want to marry her? But anyway, he proposed two years ago on her birthday. We've been invited, and you can imagine I had to go... It kind of ruined my summer, I took dance classes three times a week with that hag!"

Katherina noticed the young man standing in a corner. "Do you think he's dangerous? Is there any chance for him to have feelings for Stephanie?"

"If he does, he must be on something like a love potion." Draco ended the dance with a bow that Katherina reflected with grace.

"Do you want to know what I was doing two summers ago?" the girl asked him with a teasing grin.

"No, but you're going to tell me anyway," Draco sighed with a smile. "Can we open our gifts now? Have you admired my parents enough?"

Katherina rolled her eyes as it would have been improper to manifest her disagreement in any other way. "Yes, fine, let's open them. I was in Santorini, in a villa overlooking the sea, with orange trees franking the door. I could just change into my bathing suit, climb down the cliffs, and enjoy my very own private beach!"

"Lovely, I'm sure, as the sunburn you probably got," he mocked her as they reached the gift table once more.

"I rarely ever get sunburned," she laughed and leaned closer to his ear. "My father was Italian, Draco. I used to spend all of my vacations in the sun."

The blond smiled, but his teeth were digging into the inside of his lower lip. Such luck! If the sun ever did see him, his skin fried almost instantly. He was much too fair for sunbathing, especially in the sunny peninsula. Katherina began looking from the presents.

"That reminds me - we should definitely go!" she said with excitement gleaming in her green eyes.

Draco turned the tags to find which boxes had his name on them. "Sunburning?"

"No, to Italy!" the girl began setting a few aside.

"To burn?" he insisted.

"We can go out at night if you're a vampire," she teased him again.

"Maybe I am," he smirked, bearing his straight, white teeth.

"Where are your fangs, then?"

"Do you want to see them?"

Katherina suddenly seemed amused as she turned to look away. Concerned, Draco looked behind him to see his two usual followers looking at him all confused.

"Uh... what are you talking about?" Crabbe asked with his usual vacant expression.

"Nothing," Draco replied on a serious note. "Don't you have someplace else to be?"

Exchanging a look of utter confusion, the boys left for the refreshments table. The party kept going until well into the morning, but most people began to crash sometime around sunrise. Since Draco's parents were not exactly focused on them at the time, the two slipped into his room without much trouble. Not thinking anything could go wrong, they also managed to steal a half-empty bottle of sweet rose sparkling wine. They turned on the radio on a muggle station playing late-night music, both from their time and some legendary oldies from their parents' childhood. They sat on a window seat and watched the snowfall, drinking flat sparkling wine.

"Hey, Draco? You know I meant that... don't you?"

He hummed in confusion, absolutely oblivious. "You meant what?"

"Let's run away to Italy," Katherina tried to say in her most serious voice.

Draco began laughing and she joined him. "You can't be serious!"

"But I am!" she defended herself between chuckles. "We'll go on a vacation, even for a few days. I think you'll love it."

"My father will never let us go alone and he's no fun. Don't think he's had a holiday in years - if ever!"

"We're not asking him," she said with a devious smile on her face. Her lipstick was long gone. She still had a certain glow only joy can accomplish.

Draco took a moment to try and grasp what she was saying. "He's going to kill us for this."

"Maybe..." Katherina sighed.

"What are we even going to do in Italy?"

"Well... we can blend among muggles, pretend we're the same as them - ordinary commoners. Nobody would know who we are, so what's the worst that could happen?"

Draco raised his eyebrows and emptied his glass, only to make a face when he felt the aftertaste. Trying not to seem weak, he poured himself another.

"How's that supposed to be fun?"

"We can... We can go swimming at midnight, or run through a museum just for the hell of it, or sit down for a caricature from some no-name street artist."

He eyed her seriously for a moment. Did she really mean that? "...Let's make a bucket list!" Draco rushed to his desk to get a pen and his sketchbook.