Chapter Thirteen

"Would you give me just a few bloody minutes?" I yelled irritably at my closed door.

There was a three second pause in the pounding on the wood, "You've been in there for three ruddy hours!"

I rolled my eyes at Ginny, who shrugged, and we both turned back to face the vanity mirror in my bedroom. Ginny and I had locked ourselves into my room shortly after lunch in order to get ready for the Christmas Ball. We had decided to go all out on this one and turn it into a complete girls' day for ourselves. We had slept in, taken long luxurious baths, and walked around in fluffy bathrobes while our fingernails and toenails were painted and drying. Then we had gone down to lunch in sweatpants and t-shirts, ate as fast as we could, and came back here. We had spent the last three hours giving each other facials, doing our hair and makeup, and getting dressed. Draco had been pounding on my door for the last thirty minutes demanding that we come out and talk to him. He was bored, he said.

"Granger, I'm serious, we have to go! Seeing as only McGonagall and us know what the place is supposed to look like, we're supposed meet her there to do last minute decorating! And we have ten minutes before she comes storming in here to drag us out!" Draco was still pounding on my door.

I took one last glance at myself in the vanity mirror before standing up, "He's right, Gin. I've got to go. I'll see you at the Ball. You look gorgeous."

"Thanks. You do, too, you know. Go on. I'll be fine here." Ginny gave me a gentle shove in the direction of my door.

I opened it cautiously so that I didn't get hit in the case that Draco was about to knock on the door. Again.

"About bloody ti—" Draco cut himself off as I walked out and stood in front of him, "Merlin, you look.. you look absolutely beautiful." He said softly as his eyes took in everything from my hair to my shoes.

I blushed and ducked my head, "Thanks."

I felt fingers under my chin, gently lifting my face. I let my eyes roam over Draco's face, across his broad shoulders, down his chest and stomach, to his slim hips and his long legs. He looked great. He was wearing a muggle suit that emphasized his shoulders and long legs. His tie even matched my dress with its light green color. I grinned at his choice of shoes to wear with the suit.

"I hate dress shoes." Draco said with a chuckle as he noticed what I was looking at, "These are much comfier."

"Oh, I agree. I just never pegged you as one for Converse." I smiled up at him.

"We learn something new every day, yeah? Come on; let me go show you off."

Draco led me through the castle at a slow pace, just so we had some time to ourselves before the madness of the Ball. I think he knew I was nervous. This was really our very first big show for the school as a couple. Sure, they'd seen us in the corridors and in Hogsmeade, but that was only in passing and they'd never seen us being affectionate. This Ball was big. The whole school would be watching us dance and talk. They would have their eyes on us all night – We were, after all, the biggest scandal in the past seven years at Hogwarts.

"Ready?" I felt his breath ghost over my ear and down my neck as we stood outside the Great Hall.

"No. No I'm not." I said as my nerves got the better of me.

He chuckled and I sent a glare over my shoulder at him. He just smiled and intertwined our fingers, "You look beautiful. Let them stare and whisper. This night is all about us. I don't care what they have to say."

I smiled, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being here. For not running. For being my best friend."

"I'm your best friend?" he sounded surprised

"Yeah, you've become my best friend this year. We spend the majority of our time together. You and Ginny are the closest friends I have. I have Harry and Ron, but we're not as close as we used to be.." I trailed off as I realized that I was babbling.

"Well, you're welcome. I hope you don't change your mind. Because you're pretty much my best friend, too."

I grinned, "Let's go. We're early so there shouldn't be anybody in here yet."

The Great Hall looked perfect already. There were the traditional twelve Christmas trees already spread around the large hall decorated with enchanted snow. I think there were actually fairies twinkling in the branches. The floor had been charmed to look like a frozen lake and there were ice sculpture spread in between the tables in the shapes of trees, snowflakes, and stockings. There were round tables spread around the perimeter of the room that could seat up to six people. Right beside the doors was a large table filled with desserts and drinks. Before the dance, we had planned a feast. The tables were all set with dishes and goblets of pumpkin juice that would automatically refill as they emptied. I smiled as I looked around the room.

"What else do we need to add?" Draco asked

"McGonagall wanted us to change the house banners. She wants the school crest on all of them instead of the individual houses. Other than that, just whatever we want to add." I shrugged.

"Okay," Draco flicked his wand and the banners all turned silver and had the school crest in black printed on them, "I was thinking that we could add enchanted snow to fall from the ceiling. Boring, I know, but it's kind of traditional."

"Okay. I have another idea. Candles are too.. Halloween-ish. Can we enchant the ice sculptures to glow? There are enough of them that it should light the whole room."

Draco cast the charm for the enchanted snow while I walked to each sculpture and cast the charm to make them glow. Draco banished the candles that were floating above us as the finishing touch. We looked around and grinned at each other in satisfaction. McGonagall entered just a few moments and looked around. I swear I saw a small smile grace her stern features.

"Well done. Is everything ready?"

"Yes, Professor." We chorused.

"The students are beginning to arrive. I shall leave the doors open. I will leave it up to you two to direct them to the tables. I will be back shortly and then you two will give an opening statement before the feast."

"Yes, Professor."

As the students poured in we directed them to the tables. It took around fifteen minutes for all of the students to be seated. I glanced at Draco as he pointed the last couple over to a table in the far corner. Everybody was watching us. Vultures, the lot of them.

Draco looked down at me with a gentle smile and nodded. I looked at the student body, packed in at the tables, waiting expectantly, "Hello, everybody! I hope you are all prepared to eat and dance to your heart's content. There will be a feast appearing on your tables shortly and after that, the dance will begin. There are desserts and refreshments over on the table located by the doors."

"And with that, let the feast begin!" Draco finished as the food appeared on the plates.

The other students all grinned and began to dig in, chattering excitedly. Draco wrapped his arm around mine and led me over to the table where Ginny, Harry, Ron, and Lavender were seated. I turned to Lavender and Ginny and joined in their conversation about all the girls' dresses, making sure to halfway listen to the boys – just to make sure that no fights were going to be started. Luckily, Harry and Ron seemed to be making an effort and all three of them were talking about Quidditch. I breathed a small sigh of relief. I knew that Harry and Draco would be civil, if only for me, but I had been worrying about Ron. He can't exactly control his temper most of the time, but he seemed to be trying and I was happy with that. Dinners went by smoothly and as the last of the plates were cleared off, Draco stood up and held his hand out to me.

"Dance with me?" he asked

"But of course." I giggled as I took his hand and let him lead me out to the center of the room. Everybody was suddenly silent, watching to see what would happen. Soft instrumental music began to play and everybody looked around for the source. I grinned because Draco and I had put disillusionment charms on the speakers for exactly this reason. Draco placed his hands on my hips and I laced my fingers together behind his neck. He pulled me as close as he could and I rested my head on his chest as he led me around the room in a slow dance. I closed my eyes and smiled happily, forgetting all-together that there were other people in the room. I opened my eyes as the song ended and another began. I was completely surprised to see that the dance floor was full of other couples now, twirling around each other and entwining in an elegant pattern.

Draco chuckled at the surprised look on my face and tilted my chin up a bit so that I could see his eyes, "Forget where you were?"

"A little, " I said softly as I felt a blush spread over my cheeks.

"Well, let's forget some more."

We danced all night. There were fast songs, slow songs, instrumental, and vocal songs. Everybody was laughing and smiling and talking. There were no fights or complaints. In fact, we even got a lot of compliments.

As the last song faded away, McGonagall stood up from the faculty table and the student body turned to face her, "Well, everyone, this is it. I hope you all had a joyous evening. I believe thanks are in order for the Headboy and Headgirl who single-handedly organized this whole event – "

She was cut off as the students began to cheer and clap. I blushed and Draco just smiled graciously. The applause faded and McGonagall continued, "Now, off to bed, the lot of you. The train will leave tomorrow afternoon at promptly 4 o'clock. Goodnight."

With that, everybody filed out of the Great Hall, leaving Draco and I standing in the middle of an empty room. I yawned and noticed him do the same.

"Let's get these decorations down so we can go to bed." I said tiredly, stifling another yawn.

Draco nodded and cleared the floor of the ice illusion and stopped the enchanted snow. I banished the ice sculptures and turned the house banners back to their normal appearance. We left the trees for Hagrid to take care of and the tables were up to McGonagall. When everything was back to normal – or as normal as they'd get for the night – we made our way back up to our dormitory.

I flopped down on the couch, too tired to do anything but kick my shoes off. Draco flopped down beside me and settled his arm over my shoulders, "So.."

"So.." I repeated

"That went well."

"Yes, it did." I smiled, "Thank you."

"What for this time?"

"For getting along with my friends. I know you don't really like them, but thank you for making the effort."

"Anything for you, love." He murmured.

I laid my head down against his shoulder and stared at the flames that were flickering in the fireplace.

"Draco?" I asked quietly

"Hm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why has Pansy not been around?" I asked hesitantly

"What do you mean?" he said, turning his head to look down at me

"Well, in all the previous school years, she's been hanging all over you. I always thought you guys were together. But she hasn't really been around this year at all." I explained nervously. I don't know what had prompted me to ask, really. It had just hit me at the end of the dance that she hadn't tried to get Draco to dance with her.

Draco sighed heavily, "Well, it's kind of a long story. But I'll do my best to shorten it. You see, Pansy and I grew up together. We attended all the same functions and our parents regularly visited each other for tea, leaving Pansy and I to play together. When we turned thirteen, we learned that our parents had high hopes that we would marry after school."

"What kind of parent would make marriage arrangements at such a young age?" I cut him off

"You weren't raised in the Pureblood circles. They are brutal. But on with the story. Neither of us wanted that. Sure, we grew up together, but in that time we formed a brother-sister bond. I am not attracted to her and she is not attracted to me. But you see, in Pureblood families, the parents make the decisions and the children do not argue. What our parents decide is all there is. We agree to their decisions no matter what."

"That's terrible." I said quietly

"I know. I got out of it because my dad went to Azkaban. I don't have anyone to make decisions for me anymore. Pansy, however, did not. She must still obey her father, who recently decided that I am a traitor."

"Because you're with me."

"In short, yes. He has forbid Pansy from seeing me. So now, the only time we get to really talk to each other is if we run into one another in an empty corridor between classes." Draco said, a hint of sadness in his voice.

"But why did she always hang all over you? She was constantly throwing herself at you."

"For show. Once it became public that we were intended for each other, we had to start pretending. She would throw herself at me and I would accept it. She's nothing like you think, honestly. In public she's a snotty bitch, but once classes were over and we were in our dorms, she's actually really sweet. She's one of the most caring people you'd ever meet." Draco smiled softly, "I actually miss her. She was the person that I used to turn to for everything. When Father would be pressuring me about becoming a Deatheater or Mother would be after me about our marriage or school would get to be too much stress, I'd go talk to her and then everything was okay again."

"Oh.." I didn't know what to say to that. I was hearing a story that turned my experiences inside out. I was also ashamed to admit that I felt a hint of jealousy at the way Draco spoke of her; there was such love in his voice.

"Oh?" Draco asked, sounding slightly hesitant.

"I had no idea. I just always assumed she was a dumb bimbo after seeing how she acted. Now I feel kind of bad about that. Pureblood families are harsh, aren't they?"

"Yes. They are." Draco cleared his throat, "Anyway."

"Invite her over." I said suddenly

Draco turned to me, alarmed over my sudden outburst, "What?"

"Invite her over. If she means that much to you, bring her here. You can't see her in public right? So see her in private. Apparently, she's not a bad person. If you can make an effort to get along with my friends, I don't see why I can't do the same for you." I explained gently

Suddenly I couldn't breathe. Draco's arms were wrapped around me so tightly that I couldn't draw a proper breath, "Draco. Can't. Breathe."

"Sorry!" He stopped squeezing, but still had his arms wrapped around me, "You are amazing. Did you know that?"

"Why?" I gasped, still trying to catch my breath

"Nobody else would have ever understood. You are the first person I have ever known who can put aside seven years of hatred to help somebody."

I just smiled and leaned up to place a soft kiss on his cheek, "Go get her. I'll make some tea."

Draco jumped up and ran over to the door. He stopped and raced back over the sofa. He leaned down to place a kiss on my lips and give me another hug before disappearing out the door. I shook my head and smiled at his childish behavior. If I got to see him this happy, it was worth it to try to get along with Pansy. I stood up and entered the kitchen to start making the tea. I had just finished pouring three cups and levitating them into the common area. The portrait hole burst open as Draco entered the room, dragging a sleepy Pansy behind him. He led her to the sofa and gently pushed her onto a cushion.

"Draco? What's going on? Why did you drag me here at one in the morning?" Pansy asked, bewildered, "And why are you still wearing a suit?"

"Oh. I forgot I hadn't changed. Guess we should do that, huh?" Draco said as he looked down at himself in surprise.

"There's a cup of tea for you on the table, if you'd like it. Let us go change and then we'll talk, yeah?" I said softly, smiling at Pansy's look of surprise as she glanced at me.

"Yeah. O- Okay." She stuttered as she reached for her tea.

A few minutes later Draco was seated on the sofa beside Pansy while I was in one of the chairs closer to the fire.

"So, why am I here?" Pansy asked as she looked at Draco and then over to me

"Well, Hermione here, asked why we hadn't seen you this year. So I told her… the whole story." Draco said with a grin

"Oh!" Pansy said with surprise

I smiled at her, "If you mean that much to Draco, then I'm willing to get to know you. From what I've heard, you're not as snotty as you seemed to be."

Pansy chuckled, "I'm sorry about that. I hated being so rude to everybody, but you know, that's what my Father expected of me."

"I still don't really understand that, but Draco says that's what all Pureblood families are like." I said

Pansy nodded, "Yes, they are. It's quite unfair, really."

She took a sip of her tea and turned to Draco, "So, tell me about your year. I want to know everything."

I grinned as Draco immediately launched into the story of his year. From his Father's imprisonment to our rocky start to his classes and to how we had managed to form a relationship. Pansy sat silent through it all, completely focused on what Draco was saying. I could see why he had gone to talk to her. She listened to everything before talking or giving any feedback.

"Well, you've certainly had an interesting year. I'm sorry I wasn't here for the beginning of it." Pansy said once Draco had stopped talking. She turned to me, "Thank you for being here for him. You have no idea how worried I've been all year. Especially once I heard that you two had seemed to become an item. I knew myself and all of his other friends wouldn't be allowed to talk to him anymore. Given, Blaise obviously didn't care about that."

I smiled, "It's been my pleasure, really. He's not so bad once you get past the arrogant jerk part."

"Hey! I am not a jerk." Draco cut in.

"You were." I teased

He just grinned roguishly at me and turned to look at Pansy, "Tell me about your year. Anything new?"

Draco grin disappeared when tears filled Pansy's eyes, "What's wrong? Why are you crying?" he asked in a panic.

"Well.. Draco, I don't know how to say it.. I'm.. I'm pregnant." Pansy stuttered as the tears finally spilled over.