Disclaimer: Still don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that you may find familiar…too bad ;) I can play around with them though…

Author's note: Thanks to hpandfriendsruletheworld and Masha Malfoy for the reviews! I'll update as soon as I can, although I'm rather busy with a literature essay right now…people keep saying I have to start earlier, maybe I should…well, never mind, I hope you enjoy! Let me know.


Dances and Discoveries

The Great Hall was beautifully decorated. There were heaps of snow in each corner of the Hall and Christmas trees full of lights and glittering decorations were everywhere. The windows were frosted and the ceiling showed a sky of black velvet and a myriad of diamond stars. Huge icicles were hanging from the walls and reflected the soft light from the candles that were floating around the Hall. Seats were arranged at the long sides of the Hall and at the far end a stage was erected for the Hobgoblins, who would be performing tonight.

I felt a tingle of anticipation. Now that I was free, anything could happen.

Then I saw Narcissa waving at us from the side. A whole lot of Slytherins were gathered there and I sighed.

Duties first, I reprimanded myself

Lana and I walked over to the side and were welcomed by some very approving cheers. Lana immediately flashed a dashing smile, flipped her long and shiny black hair over her shoulder, and sat herself on the lap of what I assumed would be her next victim: Devon Malfoy, Lucius's cousin.

I raised an eyebrow at her that was answered with a apologetic but naughty grin. I hid my smile in the bottle of Butterbeer I was handed by Narcissa. "Cheers, to our last year here," she said.

Devon was very good looking, having the silky white-blond hair that almost everybody in his family had, icy blue eyes, and a handsome, aristocratic face.

I sighed. All the members of the Malfoy family were good-looking. Lucius was no exception. The physical aspect of our relationship had never been a problem and even now I was affected by the thought of his physique. I decided it was time for another gulp of Butterbeer.

I sat down next to Narcissa, who began to inform me of the latest gossip. I didn't pay attention, but looked around the Hall instead.

Several teachers were dancing with each other. Professor Dumbledore was talking to professor McGonagall, Hagrid was sitting behind a huge pint of what could only be Butterbeer, and professor Flitwick was trying to get the fairies to form a formation, something he attempted every year, but still hadn't managed.

Most of the students were already at the ball, since Lana and I had been very late. A group of Hufflepuffs were laughing about something a small brown-haired girl had said. A girl with a round face and fine blond hair was dancing slowly with a brown-haired boy. I knew his name was Frank Longbottom, a seventh-year Gryffindor that was very good at Defence against the Dark Arts, but I didn't recognize her. I supposed she was a sixth-year or something.

James Potter was staring at a red-headed Gryffindor – the Head Girl, I believed - who didn't seem to pay any attention to him whatsoever and instead was talking amiably to her friends. James kept rubbing his hair frantically and had a gloomy look on his face. Peter Pettigrew was sitting next to him with Remus Lupin on his other side, who looked me straight in the face. Quickly I averted my eyes and I felt flushed. He always seemed to know more than he should.

Next to Remus a whole group of girls were standing around someone I couldn't see. When one of them moved I saw a person leaning back in his chair with a confident smile.

Of course, Black and his fan club.

He was talking to the girls who seemed to do their best to get any attention from him.

I wonder when the autograph session starts, I sneered to myself.

As if he had heard me, he looked right at me and smirked! I raised a haughty eyebrow and gave him a icy look. I looked away as if he were no longer worthy of my attention, but not fast enough to miss the ticked-off expression on his face.

What on earth is his problem? I wondered. It's not as if he isn't used to my reaction. I had used it on him for the last six years. I knew he was gorgeous, or -- as Lana liked to put it -- drool material, but I couldn't stand him for making use of it. Effective use, I had to admit, but still, that smug and cocky guy infuriated me.

Suddenly I caught his name. "Sorry, Cissy, what were you saying?"

"I said I heard that Sirius broke up with his latest girl."

"Really? And which one of the drooling damsels over there might that be? It's too hard to keep up, you know," I said with disdain.

Narcissa giggled. "You've never really warmed to my cousin, have you?"

"Sorry, no."

"Well, he is a disgrace to the family, so I can understand." She shrugged in an elegant fashion. "Bit of a waste, really."

I didn't feel the need to say I thought the fact that he had managed to cut himself loose from his heritage was one of the few things I admired in him. One of the very few things. The only thing. No, admire is not the word – I do not admire Sirius Black. I just think it's brave of him to have managed that. No, Sirius Black is not brave; he's just a Gryffindor without brains. What I meant was --

"I believe her name is Linda Buney."

"What? Whose name?" I asked, being ripped from my internal dialogue.

"Niamh, you are so absent-minded tonight. What are you thinking of?"

I felt my cheeks glow and quickly said, "Nothing. Now whose name is it?"

"The name of Sirius's girlfriend, of course. Well, ex-girlfriend I must say. Linda Buney, she's a Ravenclaw."

"Linda Bunny, I can't believe it." In mock disbelief I shook my head.

While Narcissa was still laughing, I was asked to dance by Marcus Crast, a fellow Slytherin, and I accepted. A nice song was playing and we were dancing slowly around the Hall for a while.

"You look very beautiful, Niamh," Marcus said.

"Thank you, Marcus. You look very nice yourself."

Indeed he did. He was very tall, with broad shoulders and strong arms thanks to his Quidditch training as a Beater. It was very nice to be held by him. I looked into his dark eyes, which were almost black, and looked at the shadows on his face caused by his black hair that obscured his forehead.

Suddenly that image was disrupted by another image of someone with black hair, but with grey eyes and a naughty smirk on his face.

Snakes of Salazar, where did that come from? I was so shocked I missed a step and completely lost my rhythm.

"Are you okay?" Marcus chuckled.

"Yes," I answered. "I'm fine. No problem." Silently I cursed Lana for her suggestions about Black.

They must be the reason I'm acting like an idiot right now. Just think about something else, I said to myself. Concentrate on the dance. Right, left, right, close. Left, right, left, turn. Where the hell is Lana? I need to talk to her. I tried to find her in the Hall, and immediately forgot another step.

Merlin be damned!

"Are you sure nothing is wrong?"

"I think I'm just a little tired," I excused myself. "Could we sit down for a minute?"

Or go and kill Lana, I added to myself.

"Sure." Marcus looked a bit disappointed, but didn't protest. "Why don't I get you something to drink? You'll feel better."

"Thanks. That's very sweet of you." I smiled at Marcus and sat myself at a bench on the side. Marcus looked around for the bar and started walking towards it.

I looked around for Lana and gave an irritated groan.

"Now, that doesn't sound like you're having a good time. Marcus-the-gorilla not your type?"

I quickly turned my head to see who made that rude comment and looked straight into the face of the guy who, for some reason, had been on my mind the whole evening. Blood rushed to my face so I quickly narrowed my eyes to hide it.

"What do you want, Black?" I snapped at him.

"Tsk, Tsk, not very polite, miss Carden. For some reason I doubt you're not acquainted with the art of conversation. Let's try again. Don't you want to know how I'm doing?"

"No, not interested, sorry." He had caught me completely off-guard and I tried to pull myself together. I tried to sound as cold as I could, but without any result. That idiot just pissed me off!

"Don't you have somewhere else to go?" I encouraged him with a small gesture of my hand and looked at the dancing couples to indicate that our conversation had ended. Unfortunately he didn't take the hint. Instead he sat down next to me. I scowled and folded my arms. Very un-ladylike. I resented him even more for it, that I hadn't been able to come up with something more dignified.

"I am doing very well, since you ask so nicely. Don't you find the decorations beautiful?"

I turned my head to him and gave him a very sinister look.

"Okay, I'll take that as a no," he said cheerfully.

"On the contrary, the decorations are fabulous. It's just the company that bothers me."

"Yes, you're right. I've never found Marcus much fun either." My 'that's not what I meant' was interrupted by a charming smile. "But now you are in much better company."

I pretended to gag. And of course at that moment I saw Lana passing by with an enormous grin on her face. I tried my best to jinx her into growing antlers that very moment, but without my wand in my hand that wasn't much use.

I watched the line in front of the bar, but there were at least fifteen people standing in line before Marcus.

"Don't worry, he won't be back yet."

I rolled my eyes, trying to appear cool, but Black was sitting way too close. I was tempted to bang my head against the wall behind me in frustration, but my pride would never recover.

"I suppose if I asked you for a dance, you would try to kill me?"

"Very good, Mr. Black."

"What a shame, what a shame."

I gritted my teeth. "Don't you have something better to do than annoy me? There must be loads of people more interested in talking to you than I am."

"No doubt, but you are intriguing, Niamh. Seems to me you've changed from a stuck-up bitch into -- well, I don't know, something else. I would like to know more about you."

"Thank you, what a nice thing to say," I said, sarcasm dripping from every single word.

"Don't be sarcastic, it was a compliment. When I say you've changed, I mean you don't seem to take much pleasure and pride in being a pureblood Slytherin from an ancient family anymore."

My gut clenched in pure fear. "I have no idea what you're talking about," I muttered quickly and I felt my heart beating in my chest. If he has noticed it, who else has too?

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go." I stood up and walked straight out of the Hall.


I was sitting on a toilet seat trying to calm my raging heart. How in Merlin's name could he know what was going on with me? No one else seemed to have noticed it. Certainly not Lana of Narcissa, who were my closest friends. I was being extremely cautious. Was he spying on me?

Don't be ridiculous, I told myself. That guy is too caught up in himself to notice a pink elephant dancing the Tango right in front of him.

That was a reassuring image, which calmed me down a little. He had just guessed and I had given him exactly what he wanted. I could hit myself in the head for my stupidity. What was it about him that made me lose my senses? Hiding my feelings was never a problem, until he showed up.

I will just ignore him, I decided. Likes to know more about me, right! Find yourself another victim, Black, because I am not falling for it and I am staying out of your way.

All the way back to the Great Hall I did not listen to a little voice nagging, "What if he doesn't stay out of your way?"


Poor Marcus was looking for me when I returned. He looked very annoyed and I hoped Black didn't pester him as well.

Stop! Do not think of the idiot again, I reproached myself.

I flashed a charming smile at Marcus. "I hope you didn't look for me for too long. I just went to refresh myself a little." I tilted my head to one side and lifted my eyes to him with what I hoped was an adoring look. "I do feel much better now. Why don't we continue our dance?"

Marcus seemed delighted and offered me his arm. The Hobgoblins had begun their performance while I was in the lavatory and were now playing a ballad.

On the dance floor Marcus pulled me very close and I let him in order to rid my mind of – no, not thinking of him. I am not thinking of him. I leaned my head against Marcus's shoulder and enjoyed the song.

The Hobgoblins continued with another ballad – the floor was filled with couples – and I didn't mind staying in Marcus's arms for another while. Suddenly he was tapped on the shoulder and a voice asked if he could cut in.

"Well, actually…" Marcus began to protest, but the voice simply said, "Great, thanks."

I looked up in a couple of twinkling grey eyes and felt Black's arms slip around me. Instantly I pulled back and hissed, "What makes you think I want to dance with you?"

He pretended to look hurt, but exchanged that expression immediately for a roguish smile. "You don't want to make a scene, do you?"

That was the last thing I needed right now so I told Marcus, who looked capable of punching Black in the face, "Don't worry, it's just a dance. I'll see you in a minute."

Marcus cast a very dark look at Black and marched away with clenched fists.

I turned to the idiot. "What is it with you? Do you take pleasure in irritating people?"

"Do I get on your nerves, Niamh?" The way he pronounced my name sent a shiver down my spine.

"You have absolutely no effect on my nerves, whatsoever." Coolly I looked him in the eye. Thank God I wasn't prone to sweaty hands, or I would have been exposed immediately.

The corner of his mouth crept up into a seductive smile. Mine instantly went dry. He pulled my body to his own and moved slowly to the rhythm of the music. My heart was pounding so loud I was afraid he could hear it.

Merlin, woman, get your act together. It's just a dance!

But the way his body moved against mine seemed to promise a lot more than just a dance and my body reacted with full force. He had his arm around me so tight that my whole body was pressed against his. His hand was low on my back and I could feel the hard muscles of his body.

Black was also a Beater, on the Gryffindor team of course, but there was such a big difference between him and Marcus. Being in Marcus's arms was merely nice, whereas Black's body gave the sensual impression of holding in pure strength and energy, controlled only by his will. I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if he lost that control.

My eyes widened. Wow, thoughts definitely going in the wrong direction now!

He bowed his head, inhaling my scent. His lips briefly brushed over my jaw. My eyes fell shut at that sensation. By now I was panting slightly. My hand was on his shoulder, which felt like steel. With all the effort I could muster I kept it there, instead of letting it run over his body. The other one was trapped in his grasp.

His thumb began to caress my back through the silk of my gown and I could hardly contain a soft moan. I felt caught and helpless in his arms, but I wasn't sure I wanted to leave.

Neither of us spoke a word, until the song ended. Reluctantly he let me go and I stepped backwards. I felt shaky. Free at last I dared to look in his eyes and what I saw sent warm blood rushing through my body. His grey eyes were dark with hunger for more and I knew my own blue ones reflected the same.

"You'd better go," he said huskily. I knew full well what would happen if I didn't and a make-out scene in the middle of the dance-floor was not high on my list today, so I fled.

To my horror I discovered my hands were actually clammy, so I rubbed them over my skirt. My cheeks were burning and I felt as if everybody could see what was going on.

Pull yourself together, pull yourself together, it was just a dance, I kept repeating. Sooner or later I would be able to convince myself of that. Then I remembered the look in his eyes.

Okay, maybe not.

Suddenly I was blocked in my way by a dark-headed girl. "You stay away from him!"

I raised an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon?"

"You know what I mean. He is mine. You keep your hands of him, you hear me?"

"Yes, quite clearly, actually. There's no need to screech. I'm sorry, I must have missed the name tag while I was dancing." I couldn't help being sarcastic. The girl was acting absurd.

"He doesn't need a filthy Slytherin hag like you."

That does it, I thought.

"No, I suppose he needs a hysterical child such as yourself. Give me a break, girl, and get over yourself. There is nothing going on with me and Sirius" – when did I start using his first name in public? – "and even if there was, he is old enough to make his own decisions. Now, out of my way," I said and walked past her.

Lana was sitting on a bench next to Devon and I dropped next to them.

"Had a nice dance?" Lana simply couldn't resist. I shrugged and mumbled I just didn't want to make a scene.

"It seemed a whole lot more than an obligation to that girl over there." Lana nodded with her head to the dark-headed girl that was still eyeing me furiously.

"It was just a dance!"