Chapter Ten
Herbert West knew elegance when he saw it. He would never settle for any less.
He stood calmly surveying the already crowded ball room. Hundreds of people came up to him each hour, begging for his attention. He readily gave it to them. They had no idea that he wouldn't remember a face in twenty the next morning.
Herbert nodded politely to Taurine Parkinson as she swept over, her face aglow. This face, regrettably, was one of the ones that he would remember. There was no amount of alcohol in the world that could strike her from his memory or that damn night three years ago.
"Herbert!" she gushed, clinging to him. Taurine was a leech of the worse sort. Most girls would have taken his hint three years ago and frolicked off with another rich guy like Artaz O'Rieley but not Taurine.
"Taurine," he returned cooly.
"This is lovely, Herbert!" Taurine gushed, looking around. Herbert looked down at her. He knew she wanted him to compliment her but Herbert felt no need to lie. Taurine did not look lovely. She did not even look attractive. She looked like a pig in that voluminous pink dress.
Taurine fortunately had become distracted.
"I cannot believe his nerve!" she hissed.
Herbert looked up, idly curious as to who had caught Taurine's attention. He planned to thank the fellow.
His gaze caught and held on two radiant young women. The first was beautiful in a dark blue silk dress that looked like a dream on her. She had a very bookworm feeling to her and she was quite obviously infatuated with the dark man at her side. Herbert recognized the man instantly as Blaise Zabini.
Herbert had nothing against Blaise and so thought nothing of the man being there.
The other woman was breathtakingly stunning. She had long crimson hair done up elegantly and she was wearing the most stunning dress ever. She looked like a fairy tale princess, minus the crown. Herbert couldn't stop looking at her.
A flash of blond caught his eye and he winced as Draco Malfoy took the lovely woman by the arm. Naturally Draco would have the best dressed woman in the room. The loveliest too.
Herbert understood Taurine's annoyance now. Taurine was still very caught up on Draco and his money, which she had yet to see a cent of.
Herbert couldn't care less about Draco. The man was civil enough when he had to be. It was his date that Herbert coveted.
Herbert detached himself from Taurine and sidled over to Draco and his date. Draco looked up as he approached, wariness sparkling in his grey eyes.
"Draco, how wonderful of you to come," Herbert drawled.
Draco's date looked over briefly then away again. Herbert saw something flash over the pretty girl's face but it was gone too quickly.
"Herbert," Draco replied calmly.
Herbert looked pointedly at Draco's date. "And who is this?" he asked.
The woman looked at him and this time Herbert got a full on view of the emotion from before. Dislike. Intense dislike that was echoed in her tone as she replied.
"Ginevra Weasley."
(A/N: Sorry about that last time. Here is the chapter again, with all the problems fixed (I hope).