Disclaimer: I do not own any recognisable characters in this Fan Fiction
Chapter 11: The Malfoy Ball Part I
'Make Your Guitar Talk'
When she fell through the grate his breath had caught. She was beautiful. Stunning. He didn't care about the soot that covered her face or the fact that her usually neatly plaited hair was slightly tousled she was gorgeous to him. She coughed and spluttered as he led her out of the room and into the entrance hall. She looked truly speechless.
"Come on," he said, "I've got so much to show you but first we'll go upstairs so you can put your trunk in your room." He grabbed her hand and dragged her upstairs.
"Woah, easy! You're gunna pull my arm out my socket soon!" she said laughing.
"Sorry," he mumbled. He soon came to an abrupt stop outside of the door of her room. He had asked that she be put in this room because, of all the guest rooms, this was his favourite.
Her jaw dropped and her eyes were as round as saucers. She couldn't believe that this room was only for her! The walls were painted a cream with a large maroon flower motif. The floorboards were almost black and shiny. The chest of draws, wardrobe and dresser were all of the same dark, glossy wood. In the middle of the room was a bed much like the one in the dormitory at Hogwarts, with cream drapes and maroon silk bedding.
"If you stay here often, then this will be your room and we can decorate it as you please," Rose jumped slightly at the voice next to her; she'd forgotten Scorpius was with her. She smiled.
"Thank you, it's beautiful," was all she could manage as she walked around the room. The main source of light was a floor to ceiling Gothic window, which had a window seat, much like the one in her room at home. It was padded out with fluffy cushions in the same colours of the walls. She walked over to the window and peered through the glass. She could see the whole of the Malfoy gardens as they vanished into the distance. She could just make out a stable and paddock in the distance. She felt arms snake their way around her waist.
"Come on," Scorpius whispered, "I want to show you something," he said before leading her out of the room.
These horses never ceased to amaze him. Although technically he couldn't call them horses. Rose's face was a picture as she watched the winged creatures glide on the wind.
"Wow," she said eventually, "they're amazing."
"Want to meet them?" Scorpius asked. She nodded enthusiastically. He led her over to the first stable in which an Abraxan stood. "This is the main stallion and family horse, Marni." He then led her to a stable in which an Aethonan was held, "this is another stallion, his name's Tanger," he walked her back outside and pointed to the horses flying above them, first another Abraxan "that's Mother's mare, Lyra, she's big but she's one of the gentlest here. That's mine," he said pointing to an Aethonan, "Mum and Dad bought her for me when I was 11 for my birthday, I called her Aurora. That grey over there, the Granian, she's Dad's. He got her about a month after I went away to Hogwarts last year. He loves her. Sometimes, when he is stressed or he's had a massive row with Mum, he comes out here to see her. She always seems to calm him down."
"What's her name?" she asked her eyes never leaving the glimmering horse.
"Maya," he said casually. He turned to her; her expression was one of wonderment. As if the horse had heard her name she landed in front of the teenagers. She folded her wings into her body and walked toward Rose, whose mouth was open with astonishment. The horse bowed her head when she reached the girl. Rose reached out hesitantly and stroked Maya.
"She likes you," Scorpius said smiling, "that doesn't happen often."
"What's not to like," Rose said with a wonky smile on her lips.
"She hates Mum with a passion, bucks and rears whenever she goes near. We had to keep her in a different paddock for a while because she only trusted Dad." Scorpius watched in awe as Rose gently patted the usually hostile beast. He had never been this close to the grey before, due to his mother's fear that he would be injured. She was very beautiful; her milky white fur glimmered in the midday sun and reflected the light in a multitude of colours. Scorpius was reminded of light splitting as it went through a prism. Her wings looked almost silver, they shined so much, and he noticed a few dapples of grey on her rear. "Want to go for a ride?" he asked eventually.
"Sure," she replied absentmindedly petting Maya.
It was incredible. She had always loved flying, ever since her Dad had thrust a broomstick in her hand at the ripe age of 4. This had annoyed her Mum endlessly. She could still hear her berating her Dad for 'encouraging her to break her neck'. This of course was unlikely as the broom only rose about three feet in the air.
Her parents had told Rose that they had once ridden Thestrals to London. That sounded a little far fetched to her and always asked why they didn't just use brooms. Her mother also told her she'd ridden a Hippogriff and that it was the most terrifying experience she had in her life. Again Rose found this hard to believe as Hermione Weasley had later gone on to fight in a War, faced torture and been on the run.
Rose couldn't believe that her parents had hated this so much. It was so thrilling to have the amazing creature beneath her with its wings rising and falling around her. When Maya lifted her wings Rose felt protected, like nothing could harm her. Despite all this she clung to the silky moonlight white mane in front of her to ensure she didn't fall.
Maya took them over the whole of the grounds and Rose was astounded by the expanse of the property. They eventually landed at the edge of some woods on an embankment next to a babbling stream. Both of them slid off and onto the grass while the horse grazed. They lay on the grass and listened to the river trickle by.
This memory was one Rose would treasure dearly within her heart. She felt a drip land on her closed eyelid, then on her cheek and then her lips. She savoured the feel of the rain gently caressing her skin, drip by drip. Suddenly the drizzle turned to sheets of cold, harsh drops and the moment was lost.
Scorpius was a little pissed off. The perfect day was ruined by the weather. God he hated it here sometimes.
The annoying thing about the South was its inability to snow. It could rain and rain but it never snowed. At least if it was snowing they could have a snowball fight or something, but it wasn't. So they couldn't.
As soon as it had started raining they had ridden Maya back and run to the Manor. Despite their best efforts they were still soaking wet and were now sat in front of a fireplace, wrapped in blankets with big mugs of hot chocolate. That was one thing he enjoyed about having house elves. They knew when he needed a mug of hot chocolate. Whilst they sat by the fire they talked about their houses and home life.
"After the war, Granddad had one room destroyed in a contained fire. I'm not allowed to go in there, Dad says it's because something truly terrible happened in there when this was the headquarters for Voldermort."
"Where are your grandparents? I half expected them to be here, living with you."
"Oh, no. Despite his brief relapse after the war, Lucius went back to his old ways so Dad cut off all ties. By that time, Mum and Dad were married, although Dad often says that if he could have done it earlier, he would have. I've never met him and he died when I was 10. Grandma is coming tomorrow night. Dad said that she was the one who gave Dad the Manor after Lucius died, said we needed it more than she."
"Wow. Mum and Dad have loads of stories about your Granddad and how loyal he was to Voldermort. They never really met your Grandma but they said she was my Uncle's Godfather's cousin. A Black."
"Yeah, that's right."
"Then I have news for you on the house of Black. Teddy and Victoire had a baby! He is your Dad's 1st cousin once removed... blimey, your family's confusing!"
They continued their conversation much in the same manner. He realised that despite it not being what he had planned for their day it was amazing all the same. They sat for hours talking until they heard the house elves calling to them to dinner.
After dinner; which was an extravagant affair of different hot meats, condiments, potatoes and rice; the teens left the table to ascend to their rooms. Rose, being curious as to what the rest of the house looked like, asked to see Scorpius's room, to which he agreed.
His bedroom was on the third floor, he explained that it was only for immediate family and guests generally didn't stay there. When they walked into the room she was sure they had entered the wrong room. The walls of the room were soundproofed with the same material used in the muggle recording studios. Along one wall were an array of musical instruments that included; bass, acoustic and electric guitars, a drum kit and various brass and wood wind instruments. In the centre of the room was a microphone that hung from the ceiling. On the opposite wall were a keyboard and several amplifiers. There were also recording and sound decks, turn tables and other such electrical equipment. Next to a large pile of amplifiers and wires was an almost undetectable door leading off from the music room. On the other side of the door was a crimson couch. It looked into the music room. In the corner nearest it were shelves filled with CDs, cassette tapes and record discs. They ranged from Ray Charles to Metallica and surrounded a truly unique looking sound system which was unlike anything she had ever seen in both the wizarding and muggle worlds.
Scorpius, however, seemed unperturbed by the room that seemed to be anything but a bedroom and walked over to the vast and eclectic music collection, selected a record, put it on the player and sat down on the sofa to enjoy the melody. Noticing that Rose hadn't moved from her place in the door way and her look of awe and confusion beckoned her to sit beside him.
The sound of the music reverberated around the room and for a while Rose just watched Scorpius's relaxed demeanour as he nodded to the timing of the music. He seemed to be in his element. Rose could only compare this composure to her mother when she was engrossed in a particular interesting, invigorating or moving book. He was relaxed but focusing on every detail of the collaboration, moving his head to every note with his eyes closed lost in the music. She soon realised that she was still perched stiffly on the edge of the leather couch. She slid back and let her head fall back and eyes close. When the music turned to a track by Jimi Hendrix Rose purred with satisfaction. Scorpius snapped out of his trance then to look over at her.
"You like it then?" he said with a smirk plastered on his lips.
"Mmm... I love Hendrix," Rose said, not attempting to come back to reality, "his voice is good but the thing I like the most is that he can make the guitar talk. The way he plays it makes it sound like the guitar is having a conversation with the listener."
"I just like it because I think his guitar playing is pure genius. I hope that I can play like that one day."
"Hmm. Go on then," she said looking at him now, "play something. Make your guitar talk," she encouraged.
And he did. All night.
Scorpius awoke the next morning anxious about the day ahead. Today was the day of the ball and he hoped that the event would go well. He was looking forward to the evening's events but was worried that they somehow may not go according to plan. The day, he knew, would be full of preparation and decoration for the guests later on. He hoped that Rose would feel relaxed in the atmosphere of the party with half of her family attending. He looked over at the clock on the wall opposite his bed above the door to his music room. The hands on the clock indicated that it was a quarter to nine and he decided he should go to Rose's room to wake her. Today was a going to be a long day. He descended the flight of stairs and walked to Rose's room. He knocked twice before entering.
The sight that met his eyes was one of the most breathtaking he had ever witnessed. The curtains on her window were drawn and a slither of light crept through the gap where they didn't quite meet. The strip of light fell across her pale skin, illuminating it with its golden glow. Her hair caught the light making it sparkle and shimmer with red, gold and brown tones. The rest of her was in relative darkness, her body was curled up into a snug ball, cocooned in the silk sheets that she hugged up to her chin. She looked so peaceful that he felt rude intruding on her slumber. Her perfect pink lips were upturned in the corners, smiling serenely.
He walked over to the edge of the bed and knelt beside her. Not wanting to disturb her by shaking her awake he pressed his lips to her beautiful smile in a hope of capturing it for himself. When he pulled away she made a noise that sounded almost like a purr. He stepped back and her eyes fluttered open to see Scorpius standing in the line of light covering her face. The beam fell on his head making his golden hair light up in a halo. He looked ethereal to her.
"What time is it?" she croaked as she sat up, still holding her covers around her.
"Nearly nine," he replied, "I'll wait outside for you to get dressed and we can head down to breakfast."
She was soon ready and they both made their way down to the dining room where a buffet of breakfast pastries, cereals and fry up was laid out. The assortment rivalled only that of Hogwarts. They took their places at the table and just as they were dealing themselves generous breakfasts Astoria entered the room. She smiled at her son before turning to Rose and smiling too. She sat down and dealt herself a bowl of fruit, yoghurt and honey in silence not once looking up at her son or his companion. A few minutes later his father did the same ritual before helping himself to some bacon, eggs and sausages. The table was silent whilst everyone ate their respective breakfasts. That was until he heard a cough. He looked up and saw that his mother was willing Rose's attention.
"Rose, dear, I was wondering if you would like to get ready in my quarters today. Maybe I could do your hair and make-up and such." Scorpius felt Rose stiffen beside him and was about to tell his mother a polite no before she spoke.
"Yes, Mrs Malfoy, that would be wonderful," she replied.
"Grand. Come through at 5 o'clock then and we'll make an evening of it before the party." Rose looked slightly scared at this prospect and Scorpius couldn't help but feel slightly hesitant. She just smiled and nodded to Astoria before both he and Rose excused themselves.
5 o'clock came around too fast for Rose. It wasn't that she was scared of Mrs Malfoy but the prospect of being in the same room as her for two hours whilst getting ready was a little daunting. She didn't know what to expect from the woman. What kind of preparation takes two hours, although, she realised, that the preparation for the Halloween Ball had taken nearly 14 hours. She knocked twice and heard Mrs Malfoy on the other side of the door grant entrance. She opened the oak doors and stepped through them timidly.
She walked into the room and was once again astonished at what was on the other side of the door. It seemed to Rose to be a chamber with the sole purpose of dressing and preparing for formal events. Although it was not as large as the other rooms she had seen in the house it was still large enough to be a generous sized bedroom. The walls were lined with wardrobes filled with gowns that Rose realised would have only been used once at most. Underneath each gown was a pair of matching shoes. On the wall opposite the door was a seemingly well used dressing table made of mahogany wood with a mirror in its centre. From the mirror hung pearls, silver, diamonds and other pendants. On the table was an overflowing jewellery box. It had a few draws and Rose couldn't help but be intrigued as to what was in them. In the corner of the table were a few perfume bottles, all of which looked both expensive and well used.
"Amazing isn't it," Rose was shocked out of her trance by the voice of Mrs Malfoy.
"Yeah," was all she could manage, "wow Mrs Malfoy, you have a lot of things."
Mrs Malfoy chuckled and said "yes Rose, yes I do, and please. Call me Astoria."
"Ok, Astoria."
"Let's get to work then, there is plenty of beautifying to do and we don't have much time."
Rose smiled, "you sound like my cousin."
They both got ready with each other's help and Rose was surprised at how the time flew by and that it was so easy to get along with Mrs Malfoy. When they were almost ready Astoria insisted she do Rose's hair. She sat her down in front of the mirror and started to brush her hair, using a few spells along the way to make it glossy and smooth. Just as she finished Astoria reached into her jewellery box and extracted a comb with a beautiful flower on it. It was decorated majestically with pearls and she placed it in Rose's hair.
"Mrs Malfoy, this is too much. I can't accept this," Rose said reaching up to extract the comb from her hair.
"How many times Rose, call me Astoria. And I insist, this comb is very old and has been in my family for hundreds of years and it is time you were included in such a family," she said with a smile, "now come along. We don't want to keep the boys waiting." They were about to leave when Astoria said. "Oh and Rose. Things aren't always how they seem. Remember that tonight."
Scorpius was pacing at the foot of the staircase in the Ball Room. He was more nervous this time than at Halloween. What was taking her so long? The only comfort he had was that his mother was just as late. Although, he couldn't take much heed in that as he didn't know how the two of them got on. He hoped one hadn't killed the other. He continued to pace, glancing up every few seconds to see if she was arriving yet. She was twenty minutes late, maybe he should go and find her. Maybe she'd lost her way and didn't know where to come. His pacing became more and more frantic as the clock ticked on. He felt a hand on his shoulder and whipped round, ready to behead the insolent person. He looked up to see his cousin.
"What's the matter?" Austin asked.
"Rose isn't here yet. She should be here. She's with my Mum but what if they didn't get on and they got into a fight? What if she got lost in the house? She doesn't know it very well and if she and Mum left the room at different times then she wouldn't have anyone to show her the way and she doesn't know any of the house elves -"
"Mate," Austin cut off.
"What?" Scorpius said shortly.
"Found her," Austin pointed and Scorpius followed his line of sight. What he saw made his breath hitch. Coming down the long winding steps was the most beautiful creature he had ever had the pleasure of seeing. Her dress was floor length and a dusty pink colour. It had a tight fitted bodice that made her bosom look full with off the shoulder sleeves that were gathered. The long skirt was full and gathered making her look like something out of a fairy tale. Her make-up was light and subtle with shades of pinks on her eyes and dark eyelashes, making her beautiful hazel eyes shine. Her hair was down and sleek with ringlets at the end. In her hair he recognised his mother's pearl comb, complementing her dress perfectly. She was smiling shyly as she descended the steps. As she reached the bottom she locked her gaze with Scorpius and her smile broadened.
"Close your mouth," she whispered when she reached him.
"You look..." he trailed off.
"Thank you," she smiled before taking his hand, "are my parents here yet?" she asked.
"No, not yet," with that she dragged him across the room to the drinks and smiled again. This, he decided, was a hell of a lot better than the vision he witnessed this morning.
Draco was waiting patiently for them to arrive. He'd seen Rose's breathtaking entrance and his son's face when he'd seen her. He couldn't help but chuckle. Scorpius had never been one for subtleties. Still, Draco was waiting for his own personal angel to descend the steps. It was when he was talking to his brother in law that she came in. On the arm of Ron Weasley was a little piece of heaven. He couldn't help but hate himself for not snatching Hermione up when he had the chance and on a night like tonight he was reminded of what he had missed out on.
She looked just as graceful as she had when she had come through the doors at the Yule Ball. She had a long silk dress on with thick straps that formed a 'y' shape at the front, giving it a deep v neckline. The cut of the dress hugged her curves before hanging graciously to the floor. At the back of the dress, he noticed, the straps met before carrying on to the main section. It was the same periwinkle blue of the dress that she had worn to the Yule Ball all those years ago and it looked amazing. Her dark eyes had dark liner and lashes framing them, making their sparkle stand out. Her full lips were highlighted with a sparing amount of lip gloss. A smile came across her beautiful lips. She was the only woman in the room to him.
He watched as she danced with her husband with an elegance that was not fitting for a Weasley. She glided easily across the floor and looked refined despite the blundering oaf she was with. He watched them for two dances before asking to cut in. Ron reluctantly handed her over just as the next song was about to start.
"A love struck Romeo
Sings the streets a serenade."
"You look amazing tonight," Draco whispered in her ear so only she could hear. She smiled and his breath caught again. Her eyes were dancing with a passion that he'd waited so long to see.
"Thank you," she whispered back.
"Laying everybody low
With a love song that he made."
They glided across the dance floor in time to the music, not caring who was watching.
"Finds a streetlight
Steps out of the shade
Says something like
'You and me babe
How about it?'"
"I've been waiting for tonight for so long. I was so nervous about seeing you," he whispered. Her smile faltered,
"Draco..."
"Juliet says, 'Hey it's Romeo.
You nearly gave me a heart attack.'"
"I -" she started.
"He's underneath the window
She's singing
'Hey la, my boyfriend's back.
You shouldn't come around here
Singing up to people like that.'"
"Draco I -" she stuttered.
"I'm sorry, I ruined it. I'll just dance with you, forget I said that," he said
"Anyway, what you gunna do about it?"
"No, no, I've been looking forward to seeing you tonight too. Those letters... I just... A lot of the time you were more of a constant than Ron was," she said looking deep into his silver eyes.
"Juliet, the dice was loaded from the start
And I bet
And you exploded into my heart."
"Those letters were what I so desperately wanted to be. Hermione I lo-,"
"No, don't say it. Not yet."
"And I forget, I forget
The movie song.
When you gunna realise
It was just that the time was wrong, Juliet."
"I just wish the circumstances were different. You accepted me in those letters, you didn't laugh at me. It was just too late."
"Came up on different streets
They were both the streets of shame."
She turned away from his intense gaze blushing beautifully. With that he looked up from her to see the audience they had.
"Both dirty, both mean,
Yeah, but the dream was just the same."
"I guess neither of our stories really turned out as we wanted," she said eventually.
"And I dreamed your dream for you
And now your dream is real,
How can you look at me as if I was just another one of your deals?"
"Don't say that Maya, you got what you wanted with Weasley. You got your knight in shining armour," he said.
"Did I?"
"Well you can fall for chains of silver,
You can fall for chains of gold."
"What are you saying? Of course you did. You love him."
You can fall for pretty strangers,
And the promises they hold.
"I did. I'm not too sure now."
"You promised me everything
You promised me thick and thin, yeah.
Now you say 'Oh Romeo,
I used to have a scene with him.'"
"Maya, don't play with me. I know he hasn't been around recently but -"
"I'm not playing..."
"And Juliet, when we made love You used to cry."
"You're more than a game to me Dray..."
"You said 'I love you like the stars above,
I'll love you 'till I die'."
"You're more than a rebound or a temporary lover..."
"And there's a place for us,
You know the movie song
When you gunna realise it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet."
"... but we can't be more than friends. We are both married. We both have families to think about."
"I can't do the talk Like they talk on the T.V."
"Look, Maya, I know I'm not much..."
"I can't do a love song The way it's meant to be."
"...and I'm not brilliant at expressing myself but-"
"I know, shh. Don't talk."
"I can't do everything
But I'd do anything for you.
I can't do anything
'Cept be in love with you."
Draco wasn't sure how long he could stay quiet about this. He didn't know if he'd be able to last until the end of the song.
"All I do is miss you
And the way we used to be."
All he knew was he wasn't sure if he'd be able to let her go after this. Not after this dance.
"All I do is keep the beat
And bad company."
But logically nothing could happen. Not with who their families are, they could be friends and even that was frowned upon, especially with his friends. He knew that most of them still held the old ideologies.
"All I do is kiss you
Through the bars of a rhyme."
So he just hoped the way they moved as one, the way that he held her, would tell her the words he wanted to come from his lips.
"Juliet, I'd do the stars with you
Anytime."
That he was irrevocably, indescribably, undeniably in love with her. That he'd go to the ends of the earth for her. That Ron didn't deserve her, that he'd worship her if she were his.
"And Juliet, when we made love You used to cry."
Draco had to hold on to her for this dance. He was on the edge of breaking down and telling her everything.
"You said 'I love you like the stars above,
I'll love you 'till I die'"
Those three words that would change both their lives forever.
"And there's a place for us,"
And that if it were up to him, he'd find a way to make it work
"You know the movie song
When you gunna realise it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet."
But he knew she was right. They had others to think of.
"A love struck Romeo
Sings the streets a serenade."
So for now he'd hold her.
"Laying everybody low
With a love song that he made."
Hoping she would know.
"Finds a convenient streetlight
Steps out of the shade."
But what if she didn't? He'd spend the rest of his life hating that he'd never told her.
"Says something like"
He was going to tell her. Just as the song was ending he took a breath, squared his shoulders and looked straight into her fiery chocolate eyes.
"'You and me babe How about it?'"
"I love you," he said with determination in his voice.
She looked in his eyes and said, "I love you too Draco," before walking off to find her husband.
While their parents were dancing, Rose and Scorpius were with Austin and Albus in the music room. Scorpius was strumming some chords while Rose sang along, much like the time they had met on the Astronomy Tower. Austin and Albus just listened while their cousins jammed. Rose was surprised at how comfortable they were with each other now and hoped it would stay this way for a little longer than three weeks. However sat in a room with such a large window got cold for her and she told them she'd be right back.
She descended the steps and crossed the hall to her room where she retrieved a sweatshirt. She knew she shouldn't have borrowed it from her Dad but it was just so cosy. It was an oversized hoody with warm pockets for her to warm her numb hands. She pulled the hood up for extra warmth and tucked her now freezing hands in the front pocket. As she was about to leave her fingers brushed against something that felt like parchment. She pulled it out curious and saw a letter addressed to her father in a script she didn't recognise, it looked like a woman's hand. With parents in the Ministry she knew what most of the female Ministry worker's handwriting was like and she knew how all the people in her family wrote. She had seen them for nearly fifteen years now on birthday and Christmas cards. This however was not any of them, even more curious than before she extracted the letter from the already ripped envelope and read it.
Ron,
I'm sorry this has happened but it has now. I can't reverse what has happened, not now, it's too late. My husband knows and has said that if you don't tell Hermione he will. He said that he had expected me to end up doing something like this but not you. He says that your wife deserves the truth.
I just want to know where you stand with this, Ron. I want to know if you are going to be by my side or carry on with your life at home. You said that Hermione and you aren't sleeping in the same room anymore. Maybe now's the time to move on. She clearly has her heart somewhere else and now with this, you have an excuse to give the both of you the release that you need.
I know I shouldn't be encouraging you to leave her, no matter my situation. I guess I don't understand. My husband never loved me so I don't know what that's like but surely if she no longer feels that way about her then give her what she wants. I don't want you to end your twenty year marriage for my own benefit. That, ultimately, is between you and Hermione but please consider what I have said Ron.
I'll speak to you at the ball,
AG
A knock came from Rose's door and she stuffed it back in the pocket before Scorpius stepped through the threshold. She looked at him questioningly.
"You've been gone a while, I was just making sure nothing had happened to you." She smiled at his words.
"Thanks but I just couldn't find the hoody. Turns out it was on my bed all along," she chuckled while standing to leave the room. "Come on." With that she dragged him back up to the music room.
After a long session in the music room all the teenagers went back down to join the party. Albus had noticed Rose had been a little distant since she had returned from her room. He had sent her a few meaningful glances which she returned with a nonchalant look of her own. As they went back to the ball room she went back to her room to drop her hoody off and then joined the boys in the party.
When they were all back in the room Austin mentioned something about saying hello to his sister briefly, something about needing a hair pin or so Albus heard. Albus wasn't paying much attention; he was admiring the ice palace decorations of the hall. When the small group came to an abrupt halt he rammed straight into another body. He snapped his head round to see a small feminine body falling, as if on reflex, his arm snapped out to catch her before she hit the floor.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
"That's ok. Watch what's going on in front of you next time though," the girl said before looking up. When he saw her angelic face his breath caught. Her complexion was pale and he could see a sprinkling of delicate freckles across her nose and cheeks. Her eyes were so blue they looked violet and her red hair was up and showed her long neck off elegantly. The way she was dressed made her look like she'd stepped out of a Jane Austin novel. She wore simple empire cut floor length dress in a cream silk. Over the top of the thin material she had an olive green, velvet, long sleeved cropped double breasted jacket.
"Albus Potter," he said breathlessly.
"I know," she said simply "Jenny Nott."
"May I have this dance? To make up for my clumsiness."
"Sure, why not."
"Want a dance?" Scorpius asked.
"Sure, everyone else seems to have had one."
"Everybody wants to be loved
Every once in a while"
"You look beautiful tonight, did I tell you that?"
Rose chuckled "You might have mentioned it."
"We all need someone to hold on to
Just like a helpless child, yeah."
"Thank you, by the way," she said, clutching tighter to him.
"What for?"
"Can you whisper in my ear?
Let me know, it's alright?"
"For helping me. You know seeing what was happening and making it better."
"It's been a long time coming
Down this road
And now I know
What I been waiting for."
"That's ok. I'm happy I did."
"And like a lonely highway
I'm trying to get home, oh
Love's been a long time coming."
As the song finished they held each other just a little longer before the song ended.
Ron Weasley had watched his wife interacting with Malfoy earlier in the night and, after watching a similar display of comfort occur between his daughter and Malfoy Junior, he couldn't help but become uneasy. With this in mind he asked the hostess for a dance. It seemed that it was only appropriate now.
As the song floated around them, Ron couldn't help but think of the letter he'd received a few days before the dance.
"It's got my name on it,
And it's just waiting there for me,
I feel the cold run through my veins."
The truth it told.
"And it's got her shame on it,"
The fact that both he and Hermione had been drifting apart.
"She couldn't say it to my face,
But I won't waste time placing blame."
Her distance as of late. Was it her fault? Was it his?
"But I know that I'll move on,
And tell myself I'll find me something better,
I let go and just forget her."
He had other things to think about now. Was their relationship really worth it?
"She was no good for me,
Deep down I know that's the way it has to be so,
How comes I still can't open this letter?
I can't forget her.
Really wish I could."
But she was still his wife and despite how he'd been acting, he still loved her.
"Well, there must be a name for it,
Whatever this is you've done to me
I'm all twisted up inside."
And because of that his heart was broken.
"Well who's gunna pay for it,
If it's not you I guess it's me,
You left with you're life and took mine."
He knew he was the one that had dealt with it the wrong way but she had pushed him to with her self-isolation.
"But I know that I'll move on,
And tell myself I'll find me something better,
I let go and just forget her."
The way she behaved around Malfoy tonight.
"She was no good for me,"
Was this the first time she'd seen him?
"Deep down I know that's the way it has to be so,"
Was there something between them?
"How comes I still can't open this letter?
I can't forget her."
No. Not Hermione, she wouldn't do that.
"But I know that I'll move on,
And tell myself I'll find me something better,
I let go and just forget her.
She was no good for me,
Deep down I know that's the way it has to be so,
How comes I still can't open this letter?
I can't forget her. "
He had a decision to make...
"It's got my name on it,
And it's just waiting there for me."
The dance ended and both Ron and Astoria parted without so much as a word exchanged between them. However, across the dance floor Rose saw them and the comfort they seemed to have with each other.
No one noticed both Malfoy and Hermione leaving the ball room.
She waited in the empty room they were to meet in for five minutes before he showed.
"What is it?" he asked with desperation in his voice.
"Look," she said thrusting a pile of letters into his hands. The grey eyed man looked up at her with a question in his eyes before he took the top letter and opened it.
"Where did you get these?" Draco asked.
"I found them in Ron's desk," Hermione replied. He raised a quizzical eyebrow, "I wasn't as ignorant as people thought you know. He was constantly working late and when I asked Harry, he said that he had left the office at the same time. I had to do something. I knew he wouldn't hide things very well as long as they were out of plain sight then he thought they'd never be discovered."
Draco continued to read the letters, "the bastard," he said under his breath.
Rose, Albus, Scorpius and his cousins were walking past an uncommonly used room when they heard voices. Being curious they all edged up to the door to and stayed as quiet so as to hear the conversation taking place.
"The bastard," a man's voice spoke. Something shifted in the room, "are you saying he never told you about this?"
"No," a slightly distressed female voice spoke. "I had to find out on my own. By stooping to searching his desk."
"Ssh, it's ok. It'll all be ok," the man said. Scorpius recognised the voice, it seemed so familiar. Images of scraped knees after falling off his broom came to his mind.
"I don't know anymore, I just don't know," the woman's voice sniffled. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Rose's face pale, "he got her pregnant. He got your wife pregnant, what am I supposed to do now? That's so typical of him. To do something so reckless and not think of how it would affect me, you, the kids." When the woman had finished Rose froze for a moment before fleeing the scene. Scorpius didn't know what was upsetting her; it was two strangers in there. He went to run after her but Albus put his arm out.
"Just give her some time. She's just found out some life altering news. She'll need time to cool off," he said. So Scorpius just watched her run down the corridor and straight to her room.
A/N: Sorry it took so long. Exams and writers block are a bitch.
Wow! Eventful and no doubt slightly predictable. So that's Part I, I hope it lived up to your expectations, a lot of love went into this. The next Part is the final part of the Ball it's called Demons Confronted and will probably make chapter 8 make sense.
I don't own any of the songs used in this chapter, but if you're wondering what they are here is the list. Draco and Hermione – Romeo and Juliet: Dire Straits or Killers; Rose and Scorpius – Long Time Coming: Oliver James (What a Girl Wants); Ron and Astoria – The Letter: James Morrison