Elio scowled as he looked down at the ridiculous outfit he was wearing. A bloody tux? His mother had to be joking. No way was he going to wear this. Nope. He was getting out.

Until his father walked into the room and threatened to deck him if he didn't cooperate. So the suit stays, Elio thought dryly. Well, at least he looked good in it. It was all black and if he undid a few buttons, his toned chest could be out on display, showing off the dangling silver chain while the rolled-up black sleeves showed a hint of the tattoos his mother hated. He was wearing a mask, a black one that covered half of his face, leaving the other side out and ready to flirt with whatever woman came his way.

Elio had realized that this ball was actually a perfect opportunity. There was no way he would be the only one wanting to just have a good time. Surely there was some woman looking for a good fuck, one that would allow him to pretend he was courting her so his parents would get off his back for a year or two. Yes, it was going to be perfect.

So when his mother came into his room, asking if he was ready, Elio smiled charmingly at her through the mirror. "Very ready, Mummy."

Aria smiled brightly. For a moment, Elio felt bad for lying to her. They had always hated lying, agreeing on that fact together. But then again, he had also always thought that she accepted him for who he was, even if who he was was a little wilder than most. No, this is better. If she knew you weren't taking it seriously, it would just be another fight. This is who you are. She'll learn it.

He took a swig from one of the many liquor bottles on the floor—the only alcohol he was allowed to drink now considering his parents hadn't noticed yet—before apparating to the ball.

The Malfoy Masquerade Ball was so crowded and ornately decorated that Elio hardly recognized the place. He and Scorpius were best friends—perks of having parents who were also best friends as Astoria and his mum introduced them to each other when they were infants—so he had been to Malfoy Manor on several occasions, now even more often since they were out of school. But when they were escorted into the grand ballroom, Elio realized he hardly knew the place.

Chandeliers were lit throughout the large hall and mirrors lined the edges of the room. A string quartet played music while the center was filled with couples already dancing. There were plenty of refreshments around the ball; most of the tables were surrounded by young ladies eagerly waiting to get their first partner.

"Holy shit," Elio whispered as he walked in with his mother on his arm. "This is... excessive." He couldn't say anything too negative, not since Aunt Astoria was his mother's best friend and the planner of this asinine party.

"Language, Elio," his mother hissed as though he were thirteen, not twenty-three. "I told you this morning that if you behaved well tonight, you wouldn't have to go to the other nights of the ball. Foul words will not help you win a woman."

Elio scowled. "I don't want a woman. I want to find Scorpius and get this over with." So much for pretending to go along with it. Oh well. His temper and pride got the best of him. He was his father's son, after all, and the apple didn't fall far from the tree.

"One day, Elio, you are going to find a woman who takes your breath away and you will be begging me to give you these little tips."

"And you'll give them to me like the sweet mummy you are," he replied while kissing her cheek. His father snorted from behind them. Theo had always accused Aria of babying their son too much, though she usually responded by making Elio cookies while Theo was forced to just watch him eat them until he apologized. So Elio was a little spoiled. It was a perk of being an only child.

From across the room, Elio saw a flash of blond hair and bright green eyes. "Gotta go, Mummy. Scorpius is waving me over." He wasn't but he would have if the boy had turned around and seen him. Elio kissed her cheek again. "Love you."

"Love you too, baby. Please dance with someone tonight." Elio groaned while his mother pouted. Why did this look always work on him? Because you're a mummy's boy at heart. "Promise me, Elio. There are plenty of beautiful young ladies here. Promise me you'll dance with at least one."

"I promise, Mother," Elio grumbled under his breath. Aria smiled because she knew that he wouldn't break a promise, not to her. Elio Nott might have been a lot of things—a drunkard, a player, you name it—but a liar wasn't one, not unless you counted him going along with this asinine plan. But he had already felt terrible about that and was already going along with it despite the fact that he didn't want to so even that wasn't a lie anymore. Elio didn't have a lot of good qualities, that was something he would admit. But he was fiercely loyal to those he cared about. Guess I'm dancing with a girl, he thought with a large internal sigh. He would deal with that later.

Scorpius grinned when he saw his friend walk up to where he stood. "Well, I'll be damned. Elio fucking Nott at one of these stupid things."

Elio chuckled and shook Scorpius's hand. "Mummy dearest wants me to find a wife."

"And you want?"

"To have some fun and get my dick wet." Scorpius laughed loudly.

"What a charming notion, Nott," a deep voice drawled from next to them. Elio turned and glared. James Riddle—son of the Dark Lord and the most stuck-up prick he'd ever met—stood there, looking at Elio as if he was disgusted. "I'm sure the ladies here would love to know that's what you think about them."

Elio grinned. "Now, James, old sport, don't be angry just because you haven't been laid. Maybe if you took my advice, you wouldn't act like you have a stick up your ass."

James glared at him. The two of them had never gotten along well, both alpha males at their cores who were unwilling to submit to the other. Elio thought James was pretentious. James thought Elio was a disgusting manwhore. In a way, both of them were right. The only thing that saved them most of the time was that James was a year older than Elio so they rarely interacted.

Elio eyed James's poor excuse for a mask. "Why are you even here?" Though James was the same age as him, the other boy had never acted interested in socializing or attending parties, not like Elio. Seeing him here was as shocking as hearing Elio's mum wanted him to find a wife.

Scorpius decided to butt in before things got any worse. "Mum insisted on all of the cousins coming."

James sneered. "That's right. And I'm keeping an eye on my sister so people like you stay far away from her."

"James, you idiot," Scorpius mumbled under his breath.

But Elio's eyes were already widening with a mischievous glint. "A sister, you say? Why have I never met the lovely creature? Thank you, James. I look forward to making her acquaintance. I look forward to making her acquaintance several times."

James growled. He seemed to register the mistake of giving Elio Nott a challenge with fury. "You stay the fuck away from her. You got it, Nott?"

"Well..." he drawled, loving the way he got under the boy's skin.

But James didn't accept that, instead stepping forward with a hard look in his eyes that slightly unnerved Elio. Their arguments had always been petty spouts of immaturity and dominance. The look in James's eyes went far beyond that. "I mean it, Elio. If you so much as breathe near her, my father will make sure you regret it for the rest of your miserable life. She's a daddy's girl so you will endure not only my wrath but his."

And that was enough to shut Elio up. He would gladly mess with James but Tom Riddle? Fuck no. No idiot would do anything to piss off the Dark Lord, even if their parents were somewhat friends. Elio had never seen the man and he had never planned to. "Alright, no little sister. Got it," Elio grumbled with his hands in surrender. James seemed satisfied by his answer, walking away before any more could be said.

"Sheesh," Elio said as the two boys watched the boy stalk away, probably to kill a puppy or something. "Who shat in his pumpkin juice?"

Scorpius spat out the punch he was drinking. "You're demented, mate. Want a drink?" He gestured over to the table of what was clearly spiked punch—something Elio was very much interested in until he looked over and saw his mother eyeing him like a hawk.

His mum shook her head. "No, Elio," she mouthed with death threats in her eyes.

He groaned—probably overexaggerating it just a tad—before looking back at Scorpius. "I would indeed love a drink, Scorp, but mummy dearest has threatened to murder me if I take so much as a sip tonight."

Scorpius laughed and took a giant swig of the punch just to make him jealous. "So drink tomorrow. Or ignore her and drink tonight."

Elio shook his head vehemently. "No way. She told me if I behaved, I wouldn't have to come tomorrow or night three. I'm going to be a fucking angel tonight if it means I get out of two more days of this shit."

Scorpius snorted. "Lucky bastard. Mum will never let me get out of these, not until I'm married." And that, it would seem, was a long time away. Everyone knew that Scorpius Malfoy was desperately in love with Rose Weasley. Everyone but Scorpius, that is. Even Rose knew and the pretty little redhead clearly returned his affections, coming to all of these stupid parties in hopes that he would dance with her once. But Scorpius didn't seem to understand quite yet why his cheeks flushed every time she was near, nor why he stammered like a bloody idiot every time she smiled. It was pathetic, really. One of the many reasons Elio didn't want a relationship. Why would he want to be reduced to that: a stuttering, strutting peacock in hopes of finding a mate?

Again: it was all pathetic.

Elio rolled his eyes. "So get married then. Weasley would do just fine."

Scorpius choked on his drink. "R-rose? Why would I m-marry her?" See. Stuttering, strutting little peacock.

"Maybe because you're in love with her."

"I am not in love with her!" Scorpius's ears turned pink with his lies, which looked rather funny against his white hair.

"Sure, mate."

"Maybe we should be talking about your love life. Who is finally going to snare Elio Nott's heart?"

Elio chuckled loudly. "No one. My heart is un-snarable."

"Says you."

He eyed the boy next to him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Scorpius smirked. At that moment, he looked just like his father, who, as Elio's dad put it, was "an arrogant little git" even though they were best friends. "It means," Scorpius drawled, "That you say your heart is 'un-snarable' but you just haven't found the woman worthy of having it. One day you will."

"No woman is worthy of yours truly," Elio teased. "Except, perhaps, your mother."

His friend glared at him with those bright green eyes. "Shall I remind you who was better at Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

"Five years ago, maybe, but now I think I may have you beat. Besides," Elio grinned, "I've always been the smarter friend."

Elio grabbed his wand just in time to shield himself from the punch headed his way. "Alright, I deserved that," he said with a laugh. "Sorry, I've just been on edge. I have this weird feeling."

"Weird feeling," Scorpius echoed with a knowing little grin.

"I don't know what it means."

Scorpius muttered something under his breath that Elio couldn't hear but before he could ask, a high-pitched squeal sounded from across the room. Elio turned only to grow pale at what he saw.

A blonde woman wearing a very tight corsetted blue dress was looking at him like he was her knight in shining fucking armor. She was wearing a matching blue mask but he didn't need to see her face to recognize her breasts, the same ones he had latched onto just yesterday morning.

"Oh fuck," Elio muttered under his breath.

"Who's that?"

"A girl I fucked a few days ago before lying about seeing her again. Or so I thought." The girl was already fighting her way through the crowd to get to him while Elio was mentally trying to figure out a way to get out of what was surely going to be the worst conversation of his life.

Scorpius grinned. That little shit. "Ahhh. So that's where you disappeared after drinking all that firewhisky. You were fucking a blonde with good tits."

"And a brunette with a good ass."

His friend looked impressed. "Nice. Though, if the blonde is here, her friend probably is too. Good luck with that one, mate."

Double fuck. He hadn't even thought of that, though his friend was probably right. Elio never fucked purebloods for this exact reason. He didn't want to run into them at events like these, where he would have to awkwardly pretend he cared about them. In this case, he didn't even remember the girl's name. Great.

"Elio, baby!" The girl shrieked as soon as she saw him. He could practically feel his friend's smug expression next to him.

"Don't call me that."

Her tits bounced as she talked and though they drew Elio's lustful eyes, they weren't enough to make him want to stay and chat. That would give off the impression that he wanted anything more than sex, which was definitely not true. "Dance with me, baby."

"Don't call me that." Elio winced at the anger in his voice. Charm. Charm got you into this and it'll get you out of that. "And I apologize but I have, unfortunately, promised my last dance to another young lady and it would be rather rude of me to deny her now."

"Last dance, but—"

"I'm leaving afterward," Elio said with a tone of finality. "So sorry." Then, he darted out into the crowd in hopes that she would get the hint and leave him alone.

But he underestimated her stupidity.

"Well, I'll come too! In case she no longer wants to dance!" Fuck. He was throwing out hints like they were fucking Blue's Clues and she still somehow missed them.

"That's lovely," he lied, pushing further through the crowd in hopes of losing her. But when he looked back, she was still there, just further behind, her dress getting caught under the occasional dance slipper.

Okay, Elio. You've got to find a girl to dance with. Then you can lose the girl and satisfy Mum so you can get the hell out of here. It was a foolproof idea except he didn't have a fucking girl to dance with.

There. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a girl standing alone. With her brown hair in an updo that left several curls cascading down her back, she was wearing a mask and a (admittedly) beautiful white gown embroidered with dozens of small, sparkling flowers. White. So she's a debutante. That means she's available and there's no other suitor in sight. Perfect.

Elio rushed over to her, placing a hand on the small of her back and pushing her out to the center where couples were beginning to line up for the next dance—possibly the slow waltz. Bloody hell, he couldn't believe he knew what these fucking dances were called. "Dance with me," he whispered in her ear. "Please."

The girl stiffened but she didn't argue so he assumed it was a yes. Plus, it wasn't like he was asking her to marry him. It was just a bloody dance with another girl who was probably just as stupid as the one he was avoiding.

"Thank you," he breathed when she followed him out to the center. Elio kept his hand on the small of her back, though it didn't take much for him to guide her. She was so thin that he wondered if she would fall over if he breathed too hard. He twiddled the soft fabric of her dress between his fingers while they maneuvered through the floor.

Elio didn't turn to face his partner at first, instead glancing over to see if his plan worked. He smiled at his mother, who was looking at him with wide, happy eyes. And even better: the blonde was frustrated but she seemed to give up, turning around instead to find another man more interested in her tits.

Thank Merlin. All I have to do now is get through one bloody dance and then I'm free. Out of here. Gone. Never to come back to another one of these stupid things ever again. He turned to face his newfound dance partner.

Only to look at the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Ahhh, mini cliffhanger. I am so excited for these next couple of chapters! Hope you are too :)