Anything that rings a bell belongs to JK Rowling

Italian to English translations

"Cara" : "Dear"

Chapter Twenty Nine: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Ky sucked in her stomach, and she could hear Mi's grunts from behind her.

"Why are you sucking in your tummy?"

"So that you can zip me up."

"Yes Ky, but the reason why I am having difficulty zipping you up is because the bust of the dress is too small! Sucking in your stomach is just making your bust bigger."

"Ohhh, yeah. That does make sense."

"Who doesn't try on a dress before buying it?"

"I told you Minnie and Mona bought it for me."

"And they never asked you if it fits?"

"They did. And I said it did."

"But IT DOES NOT"

"I held it up against my body and it looked like it would fit. How was I supposed to know that they meant to actually try on the dress? I mean I just got into my pyjamas and then I would have to take them off, then put the dress on, and then take the dress off and then put the pyjamas on again. You see my problem, right?"

"Yes. You're too lazy for your own good! Oh, I cannot believe this is happening! The Ball is in forty minutes. And your hair is wet, and your dress doesn't fit. This is why we should have started getting ready at five, but you ran off playing potions!"

"Woah calm down. Look we can fix this. We're smart and you're the most brilliant witch of our age. So, what's our problem?"

"The dress won't zip up because the bust is too small."

"Or is it because my boobs are too big… You thinking what I'm thinking?"

She slapped her hand to her forehead, "Of course."

"I know right. So, I don't really know how to control how small to make them, I mean we haven't tried it on organs. I don't mind them smaller it's just that I still like to have them there you know. To warm my chest."

"What are you talking about?"

"Aren't we going to shrink my breasts?"

"What! NO! KY! We haven't done that on humans before. I was talking about making the neckline deeper. Just slightly, not too deep…do you want to do it. OK wait no I'll do it. Oh, but I could ruin the dress but then this is you, you will ruin the dress. OK fine I'll do it…. Oh Merlin."

-x-x-x-

Thirty minutes later they were waiting at the bottom of the stairs to the dungeons. Mi looked gorgeous and graceful in a strapless, full length blue ball gown, well she called it periwinkle blue, but blue is blue is blue to Ky. The gown complimented her tiny waist well and the bust was sprinkled with diamonds, or whatever fake things they put there that shone like the jewel. She had her hair up in a complicated do that they had perfected last night. Some strands were up, some were down, but it all was sleek. She wore simple jewellery and basic make up, only truly noticeable around the eyes where they went for a dramatic look.

"Are you sure I look OK. Maybe I should put on more blush? Or maybe I put on too much? Maybe-"

"Maybe you should shhh. You look amazing Mi. Honestly."

"Oh, Ky it's just that he has dated-"

"Dilyana Popova, yeah yeah, I know the one with the boobs as big as Mt Everest."

She recoiled, "I didn't say anything about her having large breasts. Oh Godric, Ky do you think she has huge breasts, look at me, I'm barely a B Cup. Oh Ky!"

"Mi seriously calm down. Look at me. You are acting crazy and deranged, but you know what. He's not going to care because he is a guy, and you are the hottest girl at this Ball. Tongues will literally wag. So, reign in the crazy and save it for the third date like a normal person."

She took a deep breath, "You're right, I am acting crazy. I mean even if I'm not the prettiest of girls, I am able to hold a conversation…"Ky zoned her out. She just couldn't take a compliment. "…. really you do Ky. You look breathtaking. I still think you should let me put a little more make up on you."

She glared at her best friend; she practically had to push her off her earlier. She already allowed her to do so much. They altered the dress which she knew was sure to send Sev on a tantrum - it showed a bit too much cleavage. Well, it's not her fault she was an early bloomer, that and her Mediterranean blood left her a cup size bigger than most of her peers. She didn't have a problem with it, they were just breasts. Pieces of fat upon her chest. Admittedly they were more of a curse than a blessing, she wasn't fortunate enough to go braless in public without causing a stir. But she wasn't overly shy about them so never tried to hide them. What good with that do, they would still be there.

Ky didn't have many complaints about the dress, it was silk and that tickled so at least if it all goes wrong her dress could make her laugh. It was floor length and silver grey, with thin straps. It didn't have a stitch of work on it, but the silk was shiny so it didn't look plain, and other than the bust it fit her well. Some places snugger than others but that's something else she couldn't change. If she had it her way, she would have just brushed her hair and be done with it. But much of tonight wasn't 'her way' but 'Hermione's way', and her friend insisted on doing 'something' with it. So, she had pulled a few of the front strands back, so people could 'see her face better.' Like they couldn't see it before? Ky allowed Mi to put eye liner, mascara, and lip gloss on her but she drew the line at everything else.

If Malfoy couldn't live with the fact that she didn't have perfect skin, then she will graciously point him towards the nearest tower to jump off. She was actually surprised at the fact that she could walk in the heels that Minnie and Mona purchased, but then again, the night is young. Or maybe they're charmed for that purpose?

She was about to ask Mi if she thought so, when a gruff voice spoke, "Hermowninny?" and they turned towards it.

Ky greeted Krum but he barely grunted in response, he was too busy gawking at Mi. She shook her head amused and told her friend that she would meet her inside, that's if Krum remembers how to walk.

Ky spotted a head of blonde hair and walked over to it, "It's not fair you get to use black. I wanted to change this to black but Minnie wouldn't let me, she said something about mourning clothes. Well, I am going to this thing with you, so who could blame me for being mournful."

She laughed at her own joke, but it echoed lonely in the corridor. She looked at Malfoy, who just stared back at her, dumbstruck. He was wearing black dress robes with a high collar that made him look like a vampire. She liked it.

She spotted a single red rose in his hand and groaned, "Sweet Salazar you did not get me a rose! Oh Malfoy, I'm totally against flowers. Well not in general, I'm just against the giving of them to me. Seeing as I can't look after them and they just don't bring me any joy. Fine, I'll take it but don't expect me to put them in water and I didn't get anything for you because I didn't know-"

"Lick it."

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He finally seemed to have recovered from whatever episode he had elapsed into, and that's what he says?

"Go on, lick it. Or is that too hard for you little brain to comprehend."

She shrugged, that was more like Malfoy, and she licked a petal. "Hmmmm…its candy."

"I know. Do you think I would make you lick a real rose? Actually, don't answer that. Don't suck on it, it's supposed to last the whole night. I don't want you running away because you got sick on sweets."

"But it's tasty."

"If you don't stop, I'll take it away."

"Yeah, let's see you try."

She took a large lick to reiterate her point and he groaned aloud, muttering that he didn't think this through. He held out his arm and Ky looked at it. "What?"

He rolled his eyes, "You take my arm, so that I can escort you upstairs. To the Ball. You know like we agreed to."

"I know what we agreed on and the last time I checked I can walk just fine on my own. If you need help you may hook your arm onto mine." She held out her arm and he glared down at her. His glare softened slightly, and he gulped, she followed his gaze and laughed, "You know I didn't peg you for a boob guy."

His eyes snapped forwards quickly and he went slightly pink, "I don't know what you're talking about, if you're insinuating that I am looking…there, then you are sadly mistaken."

"So, you weren't looking down my dress?"

"What? Of course not. I unlike you was raised to be a complete gentleman and it would be extremely rude-"

"OK OK I get it. You don't like boobs. Shall we?"

Ky gestured to the stairs and walked ahead of him, he followed her, arguing that was not what he had said. She quickly turned around and saw that his eyes where blatantly fixed on her ass, he saw her looking and his pink tinge darkened.

"Let me guess…you were staring at my shoes?" She laughed and continued walking up the stairs.

They met Crabbe and Goyle at the top of the stairs, looking like bouncers. They looked at her with their beady little eyes, Crabbe opened his mouth, but she held up her hand,

"I do believe this night will go better if we do not converse…. that means me no talk you." She said slowly and with gestures.

"So, I can't be mean to your friends, but you can be mean to mine?" Draco drawled.

"I'm glad you understand that." He rolled his eyes at her, and they walked into the Entrance Hall. It was weird seeing all the colour, such a change to the usual black, white, and grey. She didn't like it. She spotted a mass of pink descending on them.

"Speaking of friends Malfoy, here comes your snog buddy."

"Drake." Ky cringed at the piercing voice. Parkinson lunged herself on to him, "Oops, I seem to have lost my footing."

She snickered at the blatant lie as Malfoy pushed the girl off; Ky just spotted Ron though and told Malfoy to wait a second.

Ron didn't look pleased. "So, are we going for vintage chic?" she laughed and he turned to her.

"Haha, very funny. Saw Hermione?"

"Not since a few minutes ago."

"Who is she going with?"

Ky didn't reply though because she heard Harry's voice calling out to Ron and took her leave. Unfortunately, when she got back to Malfoy, Parkinson was still there, practically pressing herself against him.

"Thornton we better get inside. Pansy, get off me."

It seems his etiquette flew out the window when faced with Parkinson. She frowned and let go off him, tossed a glare at Ky and walked away.

"Was it something I said?"

He shook his head. "You don't have to say anything to upset her. She hates you. But who can blame her. You did steal her date."

Ky smirked at him, "If you thought that would make me feel guilty, you're wrong. If anything, I'm happier knowing I screwed Parkinson over."

"Well, shall we?" He tilted his blonde hair to the door of the Great Hall.

They walked towards it, spotting a handful of people lined up outside. Ky ignored the neat brown hair and untidy black strands and went up to Mi.

She smiled radiantly and Krum greeted Ky as if he saw her for the first time, nevertheless she returned the greeting.

"Granger."

Mi turned stiffly and looked at Malfoy, returning his nod, "Malfoy."

"So, we're going inside. You're probably going to sit at the main table with Nonno, so I'll see you afterwards." Ky leaned forward to hug her and whispered into her ear, "You know the signal, if anything, anything-"

"I know Ky, thanks…but I don't think I will be using the signal."

She blushed and smiled up at Krum. Ky rolled her eyes at the sweetness of it all. She turned and found Fleur Delacour behind her.

They were wearing the same dress robes!

"I hope you are not here to fight me because we're wearing the same dress."

Fleur grimaced at her, "What? No. We are not wearing ze same dress, mine iz satin, yourz iz silk. And ze cuts iz completely different not to mention mine iz French and yours so veree English. It iz just the colour that is ze same. I came over 'ere to tell you to move, you are in my place."

Ky didn't realise the spot right by the door had her name on it. She didn't say anything but mockingly curtsied out of the way. As she was straightening up her eyes met a heated pool of green that burned like a floo beneath jet black strands.

She turned quickly and bumped into something hard. She looked up to see familiar grey eyes looking down at her in ire. She didn't back down though and held Cedric's steely gaze. He looked away after a few moments and apologised to the mop of black hair at his shoulder.

"Sorry about that. What was I saying?"

Did he just apologise to Chang for bumping into her!

He did not!

Malfoy snaked his arm around Ky's shoulder and whispered softly into her ears,

"You're being too obvious. Tone down the green on your face and let's get inside. Now laugh like I told you something amusing."

Ky did laugh and they entered the hall. Malfoy smiled at her, as he led her to the table, "You're a good actress. You should have been in Slytherin."

"Actually, I wasn't acting. Your breath was tickling my ear."

He rolled his eyes and stopped at a table. Seated at it was the loner guy that she had asked to call Malfoy earlier on, with a very petite, very blonde girl at his side. Next to him was the tall dark-skinned boy that she sometimes saw Malfoy with. He was with a tall blonde girl.

Crabbe and Goyle sat down, leaving two empty seats for them. The two boys stood, and the dark boy hit Crabbe and Goyle on the head and they stood too. Malfoy pulled out a chair which Ky thought he expected her to sit on. She of course sat on the other chair. The dark boy burst out laughing at that and then swiftly regained his composure. All the boys sat down after she did, and Ky smiled at the glare Malfoy was sending at her.

"Blaise Zabini." Ky shook the hand that the dark-skinned boy held out, he was very handsome, with calculating brown eyes and high cheekbones. He gestured to his date, "This is-"

"Daphne Greengrass." She held her hand out to Ky and Zabini rolled his eyes as she shook her hand, "I am perfectly capable of performing my own introductions, thank you very much. You of course are Kyrianna Thornton."

The little blonde girl tutted at Ky in disapproval, but she ignored it. Greengrass was extremely beautiful, with high cheek bones and intelligent green eyes, she was as pale as Zabini was dark and they looked beautiful together.

"Theodore Nott…but you can call me prat from Slytherin." She laughed at that, he was attractive, but more natural and less model-like than Zabini. He had dark hair that varied from brown to black depending on the light, and crafty eyes that looked green at one angle and hazel-brown at another. It seemed everything about the boy was mercurial. Ky shook his hand and noticed it wasn't as soft as Zabini's. There was the sound of a throat being cleared next to him and without even looking to her, he introduced his date, " Tracey Davis." She fleetingly shook her hand and smiled a fake smile that perfectly matched her fake blond hair and didn't reach her ice blue eyes.

Crabbe held out his hand and Ky looked at it disdainfully, "I thought we had a talk about this." He put his hand down dejectedly. She knew she was being mean, but their stupidity needed punishment.

Suddenly the hall burst into applause, and everybody turned to the scene stealers, the champions, and their dates. Ky jumped to her feet clapping, and finally caught Mi's eye and waved and she returned it nervously, her face flush with embarrassment.

She heard Davis gasp when she saw Mi but didn't hear what she said as Cedric walked in with Chang. Mona was right. They gave Zabini and Greengrass a run for their money. He was looking straight ahead, whilst she shyly held his hand. Ky watched as Harry nodded at Ron as he was dragged across by Parvati clad in bright pink, his green eyes roving the hall. Everybody stopped clapping as they seated themselves at the main table. She sat back down.

"Was that Granger?" Nott looked at her, his eyebrows raised.

"Yes, that was Mi."

Nott wolf whistled, "Didn't know the mu…ndane little book worm had it in her."

The change of word didn't go unnoticed, neither did Malfoy's glare.

Did Malfoy have a talk with his friends?

"Mi is neither mundane nor a bookworm…fine, she is a bookworm, but she isn't mundane. And I don't know what you're talking about, she always looks that pretty."

It was the truth; she just wasn't saddled with her usual ten tons of books and the constant worrying about Harry and homework and sometimes she spiced it up with a little House Elf liberation.

"She's right." She looked at Zabini, who didn't look as taken aback by Mi as the rest of the school was. "She was always a hot piece of ass...pity."

Ky gave him a heated stare, "Please enlighten me as to what the pity is Zabini?"

Malfoy quickly cut in, "Do you want duck or steak…"

"Her inferior blood status of course." Ky glared at him, picking a spell in her head, "That's what you want me to say right? No Daph, she was ready to pounce long before I said a word."

He was right, she was ready and waiting once Mi came up. Wasn't she trying to mend bridges, not burn them.

Zabini smiled at her, but it didn't reach his eyes. "It's OK. It's her Italian blood, we burst before we even sizzle. All is forgivencara."

Ky doused the fire in her eyes but didn't smile back. She muttered her order at the plate and dug in.

Minutes later all was forgotten as Zabini was recounting how he managed to catch his third stepfather cheating on his mother. This didn't seem to bother him in the least but amused him beyond words.

"And then the fat bastard scrambled off the bed and fell on his fat arse. His face was priceless; he actually thought that he was shagging the great great great great granddaughter of Gladison Gungeons."

Malfoy leaned closer and explained, "Gladison Gungeons was a possessive old pureblood wizard that put a curse on his daughter. Any man that violated her…their bits fell off. This was of course never disproved as his daughter's husband passed away just after marriage but that had something to do with splinching. People believe the curse is hereditary to the extent that the Gungeons had to leave England."

"Why did he think he was with Gungeons granddaughter though?"

"Because I was under the bed playing the voice of Gungeons ghost, floating chopped pieces of sausage around the room. You should have seen the way he fled. Ran straight into mother, stark naked and raving about ghosts. Of course, he had to explain why he was in threat of Gungeons ghost in the first place and mother did the ghosts job for him."

He made a snipping gesture with his fingers, and Ky guffawed, Greengrass looked at him in disgust though.

"I cannot believe you hid under the bed while your stepfather was intimate with another woman."

"I guess I shouldn't tell you how I caught my mother cheating on my fourth stepfather then."

Malfoy choked on whatever he was drinking, and Ky patted his back. He nodded a thank you at her and she removed her hand. The plates cleared and everyone's heads turned to the dance floor.

"Want to get out of here?" Ky looked at Malfoy incredulously. Then she looked at Cedric holding Chang's waist, and Harry dancing with a smug Parvati, and turned to him, a determined look on her face,

"OK…. But how?"

A/N: Thank you for reading! What do you think of the story so far?