Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
"It's late, Hayley," My mother said as soon as I walked in the door, "Are you going to bed?"
"I know it's late, I'm sorry," I turned and looked at her, "But there's something that I've got to do first before I can go to bed." I replied, "I won't be out long—I just need," I looked down, "I just need to go see Pansy—about tomorrow, her ball and things, There's just something I need to secure first."
"Okay, Darling—don't stay out too late."
"I won't, mother." I replied, kissing her on top of the head before exiting the parlor. I quickly went upstairs, changing into a pair of cropped jeans, and a tight scoop necked emerald green shirt. I looked in the mirror, frantically running my fingers through my curls, trying to make my appearance more casual and less formal. I used my wand to redo my makeup—just leaving on some mascara, a hint of eyeliner, and a light gloss.
I finished, slipping into a pair of Zac Posen black flats, and headed out onto my balcony. I closed my eyes, and focused, I pictured the green, grassy slope of the lawn, the pond that nestled there at the end.
I pictured the window, so much like my own, that I hadn't seen in years—with a final wish of hope, I closed my eyes tight and whisked away into the night.
Seconds later, I was standing on Draco Malfoy's balcony.
I saw him look up from a book that he'd been reading, his eyes went from narrowed slits, to as wide as saucers. In a mere matter of seconds, he was standing, striding across the room and to my side.
"What are you doing here?" He asked, shutting the glass door behind him, leaving us out in the dusk—standing on his balcony.
"I had to come see you," I muttered, "I need to set things right."
"Why? What's going on?"
"I lied to you Draco, I lied, lied, lied." I muttered, I looked down, not baring to look at his face. I couldn't see what his reaction was. I wouldn't let myself.
"What are you talking about?" He put his hand under my chin, and lifted my face to see his own, and I felt my eyes welling up with tears.
"Let's start with the easiest, and most obvious. I broke a promise to you—"
"What are you talking about?"
"Do you know how, you made me promise you that I'd never enter any sort of union with Marcus?" I looked at his eyes, those icy blue eyes that I always managed to melt.
"Tell me you didn't," I sat down on the little bench that he had decorating his private haven—that's what his balcony had always been to him. I motioned for him to sit, and he did.
"Well, I'm going to start with where it began, My mother and father were instantly for Flint and I being a match, and I sort of entertained the idea. And then he started calling around the house, and I started screwing with him, flirting but being mean at the same time, I don't know how to describe it. I was just leading him on for a bit of fun,"
He poked the tip of my nose with his finger, "You, dear, live too much up to your Merlin given name. You're becoming quite the scarlet," I widened my eyes.
"Draco Archibald!" I chided.
"Only joking, Except, not really...But, continue in your story. So you're leading Flint on..."
"Yes, and he asks me to dinner, and I go with him, and then, at the end of dinner, he tells me that he's already secured my hand with my parents."
"You can say no."
"No, I cannot. It would be dishonorable for me to disagree with whom they've chosen. He's like a hunter, Draco—he laid out the trap and he's already got me ensnared."
"Well, it sounds like that's what you wanted. You haven't seemed to mind him as of late, and you've already expressed that you no longer have feelings for me." His tone was cold, and his eyes began to freeze again.
"But that's the other part that I hadn't told you," I fidgeted on the bench, turning to look at the stars rather than at him. I could feel that he was watching me, I just couldn't look at him, "I lied about something else as well." I snuck a peek at his face, trying to read him, I think he knew exactly what I was about to say, "Draco, I do still have feelings for you. It's been hard for me to admit, but I do—I do, and I shouldn't."
"Why shouldn't you?"
"Because—that was seven years ago, I wasn't old enough to know what I wanted in life. I wasn't old enough to fall in love. I wasn't old enough to meet the person that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, I wasn't supposed to do any of that."
"I don't know what to tell you, Hayley. You've created quite a mess of things, and it isn't my job to clean up after your mistakes anymore." His face was cold, but then, for a second he softened, "You always were the reckless one."
I laughed bitterly—"That's not going to help me now."
"I think you're just getting ahead of yourself, Hayley. He hasn't proposed. The two of you are just casually dating. You haven't gotten caught in a trap that you can't find your way out of." I sighed, leaning my head onto his shoulder.
"Why have you always been the sensible one?"
"Because you're such a hot head," He replied, patting the top of my head gently. I sighed, "So, you stopped explaining things. You shouldn't love me...that's all you've really said."
"I do still love you." I looked at him, my face full of sadness and longing, "It just doesn't make sense why I do."
"Love doesn't make sense, Hayley. You're making this more complicated than it is."
I shook my head, "We didn't know anything about us back then—how could we have honestly thought we loved each other?"
"How does anyone know that they love each other?"
"I don't know," I muttered, staring at my feet.
"Hey, Everything is going to be okay." He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer.
"How can you say that? You're no seer."
"Because I have faith in optimism."
"You? Draco Malfoy? Have faith in something?"
"I've always had faith in you," he replied softly, "Now, what do we do about this all? You're practically engaged to Flint, and my parents are encouraging me to be with Pansy..."
"I don't know Draco, I don't think we can be together," then something hit my mind, and I grinned, twisting myself to where I could look into his eyes, "You love me?"
"I always have, and I don't think I'll ever stop loving you."
"Draco, I don't know what we're going to do. I really don't." I sighed again, picking at a loose thread in my jeans.
"We'll figure something out."
* * *
"Why'd you decide on a masquerade?" I asked Pansy, as I sat next to her in her room, putting my mask up to my face, and admiring the way my hair fanned out around it.
"Because no one else was having one—and I need to make a statement." She finished slicking her black hair into a coif, "Help me get my mask on?"
"Sure," I sat my mask down, and stood behind her, pulling the flimsy black thing tight to her face and tying it delicately at the back of her head, it was sheer fabric, adorned with lots of crystals and diamonds—as generic as her dress. I sat back down, pulling my mask on, and fastening it behind my ears. It was red, exquisite with phoenix feathers flowing from the top points above the eyes. It had some gold detail, and very tastefully had a mix on onyx, rubies, and diamonds.
"You look like a siren," Pansy remarked as I swathed my lips in red lipstick.
I looked at her with my eyes widened, "I can't sing to save my life."
"That's true," She remarked, laughing lightly, "But you still look like a siren."
Not too long after, I put on my exquisite, crimson-blood red mermaid dress, it hugged my figure perfectly, showing it to its best advantage. It wasn't haute couture from Paris, but it was something extraordinary none the less. Judging by the whispers as I entered, late of course, everyone else thought so as well.
I had worn black gloves for this ball, regardless of my mother's appreciation for my dark mark. And I felt like a siren as I walked down the stairs, the way that the men watched me pleased me...
Draco was right, I thought, I am living up to my name...
Speaking of Draco..."Well, well, well, might I have the first dance you give away this evening?" he grabbed my hand and bowed.
"I would certainly like that," I replied, curtsying, with a coy smile playing on my face.
"You look exquisite," He commented.
"Not out of the ordinary," I replied, his mask was black, and simple—no frills.
"Quite true." He remarked, smirking...and for once in my life (Okay, maybe not once, but it was a rarity) I succumbed to that sexy little smirk with a smolder of my own.
"Draco Archibald Malfoy—"
"I know, I know, I'm smirking."
"I liked it," I widened my eyes, "The world is ending, is it not?"
"It is." He smiled this time, not smirked, the song was jazzy, and so he decided to spin me, I faltered twirling back in, teetering on my heels I collided into him, and we both went down on the hard ballroom floor.
The hall quieted, as people turned to see what had caused the loud noise. Rather unbecomingly, I let the laughter ring from my lips, Draco laughed too. And we laid in the floor seconds too long, our limbs entangled in wanton embrace.
He finally stood up before I did, offering me his hand, and pulling me up to him, we collided again—only this time on purpose. He pulled me close to him, and bent down in my ear, "Pansy will never forgive you. This is her ball, and here you are, becoming the talk of it," He teased.
I disentangled myself from him, laughing merrily, I playfully slapped him on the arm, "Why, good sir, it was naught but your fault I took quite a fall. A good dancer wouldn't have spun his partner so fast that she nearly lost her balance."
"A good partner would have been more cautious in heels."
"You just wanted to be close to me," I teased, leaning away from him, to prove my point. He pulled me back in.
"So, what of it?" I giggled, as he looked down at me with that look men give women, when they're feeling lusty.
"Well, that is what will raise the talk." I continued to giggle.
He laughed at my face—or my response, I couldn't be sure, perhaps both, "I think we've both had too much champagne. Let's go sit for a while," He decided, lacing his fingers through mine and pulling me away from the dance floor. We found a lounge couch, nestled not too far from the floor, but far enough away, and collapsed, I giggled as my shoe slid off my foot.
He picked up my shoe, and pulled my feet into his lap, carefully sliding my foot back into my strappy heels, and securing the strap around my ankle. I noticed his fingers lingered on my leg longer the necessary, but I didn't say anything.
"You look ravishing," He replied.
"Are you going to eat me?" I teased.
"Nay, but I might."
"I'm so terrified."
"Hayley, perhaps, you'd entertain the idea of the next dance with myself?" I noticed that Flint was so green with envy, his mask almost blended into his face.
"No, She won't."
"You have no authority over her decisions, Malfoy. Besides, I already asked her father—my name is recorded on her dance card." I hated that they resorted to such medieval methods...that was definitely from the Victorian era.
I looked at Draco with a bewildered expression, "I guess I'll see you later."
I continued off in Flint's arms, back to the dance floor of doom. I only hoped that I didn't have the same misfortunes as I did previously, "I thought we'd agreed to be exclusive to one another."
"We did."
"The behavior you conducted with Malfoy earlier didn't honor that decision." He barked.
"Oh, don't be silly—he's one of my dearest friends."
"If you say so," He sighed, and apparently I was forgiven. "You look magical this evening."
"Thank you," I replied.
We kept talking to a minimum, and as the dance slowed to it's final chords, there was a tap on Flints shoulder.
"I have secured the next five dances on Hayley's dance card, So excuse me, Marcus." Marcus muttered something, and ran off to secure the rest of the dances on my card, only little did he know that Draco, after this five, had filled himself in for every other two.
"You did not!" I exclaimed when he confessed this to me.
"I did," He smirked.
"How did you manage that? Oh, Draco! You shouldn't have! That's going to create talk. Two dances with the same partner look funny."
"At the time I signed up, Bellatrix was in charge of your dance card," He replied with a laugh, "Auntie Bella would do anything for her favorite nephew."
"And it doesn't help that it was my dance card, either..." I shook my head.