midnight of the masquerade | d. malfoy

thirteen ; saviour

I look around and make sure I'm alone at the back of the library, then I plop myself down and take out the muggle book I brought with me from home. It was Romeo and Juliet. The storyline is actually a lot more complex than you think; loving someone when your families are rivals is hard! It's quite depressing if you're in love but no one supports you really.

I was then interrupted by a book falling from a tall shelf, Madame Pince asked me politely to pick it up and place it back before she tells me that she's leaving to get scrolls, and so I agreed. I grab a wooden ladder and start climbing with the book in hand. At this point I wished that I could have my father's tall genes, but I had my mother's size and frame. I managed to get the book back up by hopping when I twist my ankle and I forgot that I was on a ladder. It rattled before completely falling under me. "NO!" I scream looking up saying to myself: Get ready for the pain. But I didn't feel it. I'm now in the arms of someone muscular and warm. His scent was familiar... A Rainforest. I look up to thank my saviour when I see that it's Malfoy. I jump off him and he looks shocked, but not as I was when I fell to the floor writhing in pain as it feels as though my bone has crushed. Not again. It wasn't as painful as I've dealt with in the past...

He takes my arm and throws it over his shoulders. "I'm taking you to the hospital wing-"

"No." I say demandingly.

He looks down on me with a raised eyebrow, "Why?"

"Because, I'm fine." I say lying.

He sits me down on the coffee table when he looks at me as if I'm crazy, "Are you serious Blanchard? I heard a crack and I'm sure it wasn't Madame Prince's glasses." I shrug and look away. "I haven't even gotten a 'thank you' from saving your life," he exaggerated and smirks. Would you stop doing that? I think to myself.

"Thank you, but I've dealt worse in my life." I try to stand up and walk off but I fall and he catches me again.

"You should get used to this Blanchard," he says as we both know I should accept going to Madame Pomfrey. "Shut up Malfoy," I say with a smile of appreciation as he helps me to the hospital wing.

Draco

I watched as Alana breaths in and out from her nose in sleep. She looks the exact opposite as she did last night in the common room; though I've figured out it was all a dare this morning. I wasn't really disappointed or relieved. I just needed to know why she agreed to it. Her eyes opened heavily, she's weakened from the sleeping potion Pomfrey made her drink before doing something quite horrific to watch. I sit up in my chair and lean forwards.

"Malfoy?" She barely made a sound.

I nodded and grinned. I stare at her as she looks around the room-then finally she panics when she realizes where she's at. "Whoa calm down. What's with the jitters?"

"I'm in the exact same bed as I was when I-" she stopped putting her hand to her mouth. She's hiding something and I intend to find out what it is.

"When you what?" I ask turning a grin to a straight face. Then memories came back from last night and struck me. "When you shagged with someone?" I say still emotionless.

Her expression looks hurt, but that fire and confidence kicks back in. There's the real Alana. She was never one to stay sad before insulting back. "That was just a dare!" She says moving up in the bed.

"I know," I respond. "Millicent told us. She figured you didn't want to be known as the Slytherin slut."

"Great way of putting in it a sentence Malfoy." She rolls her eyes.

"But back to my question." I say hitting her with a surprise, "What happened?"

"Why do you care?"

"Why do you hide it?"

"Because it's a secret obviously."

"A secret I want to find out whether it's boring or not."

We stop, she sighs. She tells me what had happened. That I was right. She did shag someone here. Adrian Pucey. I hide what bit of jealousy is building up in my stomach and ask her a question with an emotionless face. "Weren't you two eventually caught?"

She shakes her head, "They had a meeting so we thought-" she choked. "That it would be the perfect time."

"But why here? Why not just do it somewhere else?"

"First of all it was, the common room was packed, and at night I knew you would be downstairs." I shrug. "The Astronomy Tower was covered in snow and it was freezing, the Room of Requirement was dusty and being cleaned out." She then continued as all her reasons seemed to add up. Except for one.

"Why Adrian?" I ask making her surprised.

"Because..." She decided to try to distract herself by looking around the room. But I stop her and put my hand on her knee. "He was hot and I was drunk. It all matched up." This definitely wasn't the Alana I remembered in the library a few hours ago. I decided to let it slide and let go of her knee.

"So are you two going out?"

She scoffs, "No."

"Do you want t-"

"Stop asking me questions Malfoy."

I sit up and glare at her, "I'm just curious."

"Yeah but you have an entire day on Friday to ask me questions. I don't want to answer any while my foot is currently wrapped."

I completely forgot about Hogsmeade. "Oh, yeah."

She looks at me in a 'obviously' way. Then she turns back to smiling.

"What?"

"You're a curious git Malfoy."

"I'm only curious about you."

She then wipes away her grin with an uncomfortable face. Great job.

"You just seem to have a lot of secrets. I want to be the one to figure them out."

"I do have a lot. But, Friday. You'll be able to hear them, Friday."

I let out a smirk, "I'll see you later then Blanchard." I begin to start moving when she grasps my arm.

"Thank you. Again." She then lets go and goes to sleep with a smile on her face.

The way her long pure black hair is spread across the pillow, and her pale skin shimmers from the sunlight. Then I remember those big ocean blue eyes, and when she seems to be happy; glints of purple appear.

Snap out of it Draco.

I shake my head and make for the exit quickly. Glancing back at her before leaving the hospital wing.