after dusk - draco malfoy

x. | ten

THE NEXT DAY, AT BREAKFAST, RON had received some dress robes from his family - the looked like something his Great Aunt Tessie would wear and smelled like his Great Aunt Tessie, according to Ron.

Obviously, Fred and George wouldn't let that slide. They had found it very amusing. As it seemed, Ron had forgotten about the formal wear we had been told to bring on our school list before the year had started. I had already thought about what I was going to wear before we started school and brought the dress and heels with me.

Hermione had been complaining about the article Rita Skeeter had written about her in the Daily Prophet, not at all happy about it. Tommy had let some jokes slide but Hermione wasn't having any of it, snapping at him whenever he spoke. It had made Poppy laugh, at least.

Later that day, Professor McGonagall called all the Gryffindors to a House meeting in order to explain the Yule Ball - the reason for the need for the formal wear we were asked to bring. Ron was pulled up for a demonstration to dance with Professor McGonagall and almost had a fit at the thought of putting his hand on her waist.

Harry and I told Fred and George not to let Ron every forget it, to which they replied, "never," with a devious tone in their voice. Professor McGonagall had instilled the importance of the ball on us and how she wouldn't let us, 'babbling bumbling band of baboons', ruin the legacy in one night.

I had then heard Fred and George repeating the alliteration faster than Professor McGonagall had done, followed by a round of sniggering from them, behind me. I blanked them out and thought about how amazing the night would be to spend with Draco.

I had assumed he would ask me that same day but when he didn't, I had just assumed maybe they didn't get the memo, yet. Either that, or he was planning a special way to ask me. When we had met one another to go sit down by the Black Lake, I had decided not to mention it to him, just in case he was planning something special.

A few more weeks went by and still, he hadn't asked me. At that point, I had given up even hoping for him to ask me. I kept thinking to myself how I should've known that it wasn't his thing and he wouldn't want to go.

I was in Study Hall when Harry and Ron were discussing how they needed to hurry up and get a date for the dance. I tried to tune them out as it was starting to get me down about how Draco hadn't even bothered to mention it.

Professor Snape was looking over our Study Hall, forcing Ron and Harry's head down to their work whenever they spoke. Obviously, this didn't stop them from trying to sneakily speak to one another. I was sat beside Hermione, a little bit further down from the twins. I was happily getting on with my work when I was hit on the top of the head with a scrunched up piece of paper.

I, immediately, knew who the culprits would be and looked up to see George pointing at Fred, who seemingly was trying to communicate with me. "Do you want to go to the ball with me?" He mouthed, acting out the 'ball' by dancing.

My heart quickly lifted at the thought of not going to the ball alone and quickly agreed before finishing my work and handing it to Professor Snape and heading back up to the Common Room.

As soon as I arrived there, I explained to Tommy, Stella, and Poppy, how I was no longer attending the ball alone and was going with Fred. Stella seemed happy for me, whereas Poppy seemed upset she was going alone. I knew for a fact she wanted Tommy to ask her to the ball but I also knew that Tommy was planning on asking Stella.

I did feel bad for Poppy so I had managed to get Seamus to ask her, just before Tommy asked Stella so that none of us would have to go alone. I had agreed to meet Draco that night in the library so after a few hours in the Common Room, I started to make my way down there, meeting Draco along the way.

The Yule Ball was only days away and I couldn't stop thinking about how much fun we were all going to have on that night, I kept zoning out. "Hey!" Draco exclaimed, clicking his fingers in front of my face to bring me back down to Earth. "What's got into you? You keep dazing off, have you been getting enough sleep?"

I nodded my head, sitting up straighter. "Yeah, I just keep thinking about the Yule Ball," I replied, quickly. "I don't understand why you're not going," I added on, to which his facial expression changed completely.

He furrowed his brows together and shook his head. "What do you mean?" He asked me, making me more confused than ever. "We're going together, aren't we?"

My heart sank in my chest and I started to get flustered. I knew he was going to be mad I had said yes to Fred. "Well, you never asked me so I agreed to go with someone else," I admitted, making his face twist into a sour look. I could tell he was wondering who so to save his breath, I answered before he could ask. "Fred asked me earlier on today and because you hadn't asked me, I said yes."

Draco scoffed and rolled his eyes at me, in obvious anger. "I didn't feel like I needed to ask you," he told me, which actually made more sense and I didn't understand how I didn't come to that conclusion before. "I just assumed we would be going together."

I started to stutter, not liking the tone he had been speaking to me in. "W-Well, I-I didn't think it was your sort of thing," I replied, truthfully as that thought had crossed my mind many times over the previous few weeks. He let out a sharp exhale and threw my hands out of his, clearly getting very angry. "I'm sorry," I cried out, actually getting upset.

He shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "No, it doesn't matter," he snapped, beginning to stand up and walk away. "You have fun with Weasley and I'll find another girl to take, see how that makes you feel."

At that moment, I could feel my heart break into tiny pieces. I had never meant for him to get upset, I never wanted him to get upset at all. Fred and I were planning on going as just friends as we were pretty good friends. I was definitely closer with Fred out of the two twins and other than Draco, there's no one else I'd rather be spending my night with. Emphasise on 'other than Draco'.

I had just assumed he would take Pansy to the Yule Ball, going as friends. I was clearly mistaken. Very, hugely, mistaken. But I wouldn't know that until a few days later, on Christmas Eve, the night of the Yule Ball.