The Weasley's Masquerade party was at its peak when Blaise, Crabbe, Goyle, and Draco finally arrived.
The lawn of The Burrow had been decorated with black and gold streamers draped artistically over the trees and bushes while twinkling fairy lights that floated around and about. Large bundles of balloons swayed merrily in the sweet breeze that filled the area. Loud, lively music filled the scene originating from an ornate white tent set up in the middle of the lawn. Inside was a large dance floor where many guests were happily dancing the night away.
Blaise had commented earlier that half of the local Wizarding society would be present, and it seemed to Draco to be the truth. There were people everywhere dressed in fun, elaborate costumes. People with colorful, feathered, sequenced masks surrounded him. With a pang Draco was reminded of a very different type of mask: the kind that usually resulted with the Dark Mark looming overhead.
That's all over now Draco reminded himself.
To his right Blaise elbowed him gruffly in the ribs. "Put your mask on, you wanker," he whispered as they passed through front gate of the Burrow.
He had forgotten. Draco hurriedly withdrew a silver mask from his pocket and set it over his eyes.
Blaise studied him. "Maybe you should have taken some Polyjuice Potion," he announced. "That mask only partly covers your face."
"It'll be enough," Draco drawled. "No one will guess it's me with this hair."
Blaise gave his friend a dubious look. "Just make sure that mask stays on. Put a Fixing Charm on it or something."
"Whatever you want," said Draco, and with a wave of his wand over his face the mask pressed firmly onto his skin. "Satisfied?"
"Quite. You make a very dashing knight by the way," Blaise sniggered.
"You gave me this costume," he countered fingering the chain mail tunic that covered his chest. "And you've always been jealous of my dashing."
Crabbe and Goyle sniggered.
Blaise grinned. "Let's have at it boys. Tonight we are whoever we want to be."
* * *
It was their fourth dance. Neville had stepped on her toes for a majority of those four dances. Ginny had also feigned politeness for a majority of those four dances. Neville was nice enough, she thought but where did he come off asking her to marry him? It was ridicul-
"Ouch!" Neville had taken a wrong step and crushed her foot yet again.
"Sorry!" squeaked Neville. His round face went red.
"I think that's quite enough dancing for now," Ginny said letting go of Neville's shoulders and turning away.
He looked crestfallen. Ginny bit her lip. "Uh, I'm thirsty Neville. Could you go and get me something?" He nodded anxiously and strode off toward the Burrow, the tail of his alligator costume bouncing steadily in his wake. She had half a heart to tell him he was going entirely the wrong way, but thought better of it. The longer he took, the better.
Ginny took off across the opposite side of the dance floor. She had to get as far away from Neville as she could. In her hurry she ran into a girl in a red and white ball gown.
"Sorry, sorry," Ginny breathed to the girl as she steadied herself.
"Ginny, is that you?"
Ginny blinked and looked at the girl again. "Oh, Hermione I didn't recognize you!"
Hermione laughed and moved her red and white mask to the side. "I almost didn't recognize you either! I knew you were going to be a fairy, but I didn't get a chance to see you in costume with all the preparations and decorating. You look great!"
"Thanks. I like your costume," Ginny said appreciatively. "The Queen of Hearts. Brilliant."
"Thank you," Hermione replied with a regal bow. "Have you seen Ron anywhere?"
"No!" Ginny shouted as the band started up a rather raucous number. "But it's hard to spot anyone here unless you know what they came as!" Ginny and Hermione made their way off the dance floor. "Did Ron tell you what he his costume was?"
Hermione shook her head. "He doesn't tell me much of anything these days." Her eyes were troubled.
"Don't you think on it, Hermione," Ginny said quickly. "It's nothing to do with you."
"He was devastated by Harry's death," she said softly. "And I haven't been able to help him cope. He can't understand that it's what Harry wanted, what he knew had to be done. I've tried to tell him-"
Ginny saw the tears mounting in Hermione's eyes as she spoke. "Ron's a thickhead. He always has been," Ginny soothed. "He's shutting everyone out. He's not himself anymore."
"He worries me so."
"He worries us all," Ginny said. "Especially Mum."
Mum Neville. Throbbing toes.
Suddenly her deranged brother was the furthest thing from her mind. "Damn!"
Hermione looked scandalized. "What is it?"
"You've got to help me get far away from Neville." She looked around warily, as if expecting him to pop out at any moment. "Far, far, far, away."
"But I saw you dancing. You two looked...quaint."
Ginny wrinkled her nose. "Quaint is a word people use when they are secretly absolutely horrified," she said resolutely. "I have half a mind to set Neville straight on this whole marriage kick right now."
"You promised you would at least try to like him, Ginny," Hermione reminded as the pair grabbed two butterbeers from the refreshment table.
"I tried," she groaned. "I tried four times on that dance floor. And now my toes are being made to suffer for my trials."
Hermione laughed mid sip of her drink, causing the liquid to sputter down her chin and onto the front of her costume.
"I'm glad my plight is at least amusing to you," Ginny said raising her bottle to her friend.
* * *
Draco was in a daze. He had drunken too much, to say the least. Blaise did say we were going to get pissed he mused to himself. The gang had divided the night between drinking, dancing, (discreetly) jinxing, and drinking.
"In retrospect," he shouted to Blaise over the party's loud music, "maybe the drinking was a little overkill!"
Blaise nodded shakily as the crowd around him pulsated to the music. Crabbe grinned drunkenly near them as Goyle, much to Draco's amusement and horror, danced haphazardly to his left. Draco's head throbbed as his vision became distorted, blending all the multicolored costumes and masks around him into one rather sickening blur. Just as he thought he would surely lose it, the energetic music around him began to fade into a slow ballad.
The crowd around him relaxed as people began to couple up. Blaise, the slightly lesser drunk, clapped one arm around Draco and led him off the dance floor towards a remote part of the grounds.
"Blaise," Draco said thoughtfully, "be a pal…and do a sobering charm on me."
"God, Draco…you only had five shots," Blaise scoffed. "You used to take eight, easy, before you even felt anything." He shook his head disappointedly but performed the charm as requested.
"Sod off."
"You're supposed to be sober now!" Blaise scoffed.
"I am," Draco snickered. "And I am still telling you to sod off."
"You were much nicer drunk," his friend remarked with a sigh. "Do it on me, now. I'm too sloshed to do magic."
"Yet you just did," Draco drawled, half laughing. "And on me too. How lovely to know that you care so much for my wellbeing."
Blaise laughed, his long slanty eyes twinkling in the moonlight. "Desperate times…and all that."
* * *
Another slow ballad was just beginning as Draco reentered the party tent. Blaise had gone off with Crabbe for more drinks, while Goyle was no where to found.
Draco walked slowly around the dance floor, looking but not really seeing the couples intertwined before him. He was thinking lightly to himself that tonight, really, had been okay. He had forgotten how much fun Blaise was, how exciting their little adventures had always been.
Then with a pang he thought of what was waiting for him back at Malfoy Manner: the pampered and planned life he no longer cared for nor wanted. Draco sighed frustratedly. He turned to leave the tent altogether when a flame of red caught his eye.
It was a girl.
Her vivid red hair was swaying lightly as her partner twirled her. She was dressed as a fairy with an emerald green dress, white sash around her waits, and sheer wings sprouting from her back. Part of her face was covered with a sparkly green and silver mask, but even from a distance Draco saw that she was very pretty. The girl smiled and laughed happily as her partner, who Draco recognized as the Gryffindor Seamus Finnigan, dipped her. Her white skin contrasted with her glowing hair, making her pop out in the crowd of people that flanked her. She really was very pretty.
Draco's gaze was interrupted as Goyle joined him under the tent, liquor in hand.
"What're doing?" Goyle gruffed as he took a swig of his drink.
"Nothing, nothing," Draco said absentmindedly, running his hands through his dark hair. A slight pause came between them before he spoke again. "Do you know who that girl is dancing with Seamus Finnigan?"
Goyle peered into the crowd on the dance floor. "Which one?"
"The one dancing with the bloke dressed as the Leprechaun," replied Draco with ill-disguised impatience.
Goyle lifted the hooded tunic from over his face and looked harder into the crowd. "No," he finally announced seconds later. "Bloody hot as hell under here, though." He took another swig of his drink and turned to Draco. "Why?"
"No matter," said Draco, quite unsure of what had made him even ask Goyle to begin with.
* * *
Ron Weasley's freckled face bore an angry expression as he pulled his wand from the pocket of his robes. He had seen Goyle reveal his face moments ago, and had a good idea of who the black-haired stranger next to him was. In his rush to get across the tent to the pair, he ran smack into his father.
"Ron!" Arthur Weasley said jovially, grasping his son with enthusiasm by the shoulders. "I'm glad you came!" He eyed his son's lack of a costume. "Dressed as a wizard, right?"
Ron moved to get around his father. "Not now, dad."
"What's the matter? Why on earth are you so angry?" asked Mr. Weasley steadily, eyeing his red face and free wand.
"Draco Malfoy is here," Ron gruffed. "I can't believe that two-faced bastard dared to gate-crash."
Mr. Weasley turned and looked into the crowd where Ron was staring. "That bloke with the black hair?"
Ron nodded vigorously.
"Are you sure it's him?"
"I'd never forget an ugly git like him," Ron replied scathingly, moving around his father again to try and flee. "I'm going to rip him a new-"
"Calm down, Ron," his father said bracingly, standing ground in front of him. "There's no need for that. Let him alone. You didn't even notice him until now."
Ron looked incredulous. "Let him alone? Malfoy?!" He laughed derisively. "Do you know what he did? What his lot is responsible for?"
"That's quite enough," Mr. Weasley interjected.
"He's a bloody murderer!" Ron hissed. "And he shows up at your party, uninvited, and you want me to just go about my business, blissfully ignorant!"
"Lower your voice!" said Mr. Weasley sharply. "Now listen to me, Ron." He stared at his son intently. "Even though you don't live here anymore, this is still my home. You will listen to me. Lucius Malfoy is bound as I am to keep the peace among our families."
"I don't care about the Ministry. I won't tolerate this," Ron said, his voice now deadly even. "This is beyond disrespect. He's making a bloody joke out of us all by being here."
"You will tolerate him," Mr. Weasley said calmly and clearly. "You will Ronald. Draco is not causing trouble, and I will not have you starting a riot among my guests. Mr. Weasley stared evenly into Ron's eyes, which were livid.
"After all, we've all had quite enough fighting to last a lifetime. It's time to let the past go, son," he added gently. "Harry would never-"
"If you won't let me do anything about that idiot, then I'm leaving," Ron interjected angrily. "Forgive me if I can't stay here rubbing elbows with the man responsible for my best friend's death." With a cold look at his father, he turned and left.
* * *
He couldn't understand. He couldn't understand why he had kept staring at her on the dance floor. He couldn't understand why he kept imagining himself dancing with her, touching her gorgeous red hair as she twirled in his arms. He couldn't understand why his body was aching to take this strange girl into his arms and kiss her.
"Last song of the night!" rang out a voice from the stage.
Draco followed the girl with his eyes as she made her way off the dance floor and he made his own way towards her. The girl gave a start and turned as he grabbed her hand.
"M'lady," Draco said with a kiss to her hand, still held firmly in his own. "Care to dance?"
Ginny started at him, her bright brown eyes peering intently through her green mask. She tried pulling her hand out of his grasp, but he held onto it tightly.
"I would like my hand back," she said evenly.
"Dance with me and you will," Draco replied a smirk.
Her eyes studied him, moving from his face to his body and back. She frowned slightly. "Do I know you?"
He shook his head, and pulled her back towards the dance floor. Ginny reluctantly allowed the stranger to do so, all the while trying to place his somewhat familiar face in her mind.
They began to dance, his arms gripping her firmly around the waist. His eyes stared at her through his own silver mask, making her slightly uncomfortable under their gaze.
He had striking eyes, she thought to herself. Gray and intense.
Her arms wound up around his neck. His dark hair fell into his face, and without thinking she moved to brush away the fringe from his eyes.
"Are you sure we've never met?" Ginny asked again, both annoyed and enticed by his boldness. "Did you go to Hogwarts?"
"I am a traveling Knight," was all he said in reply.
Despite herself, the corners of Ginny's mouth turned up into smile, sending pleasurable little shockwaves down Draco's body in response. He grinned back at her, amazed at what something as small as a smile could do to him. He felt better than he had in a year. Hell, since before the war. He moved to pull her closer to him, but she resisted.
"You're awfully forward," Ginny said coolly. "I thought knights were supposed to be chivalrous."
Draco raised his eyebrows. "You sound like a Gryffindor."
"Ah-ha," Ginny said with a victorious smirk. "So you did go to Hogwarts."
He stared at her as if he had never seen anything quite like her before. After a second passed, he tried again to draw her nearer. Much to his pleasure, this time she didn't resist. They were dancing very closely now. "Maybe," he finally whispered into her ear.
The sensation made Ginny's stomach flutter as if wild doxies had taken flight inside her. She relaxed into his arms, weighing her head down onto his shoulder. How strange that such a random boy would have this effect on her. She felt his arms tighten around her, and her stomach gave another pleasurable squirm. She had had boyfriends before, but none that quite made her feel this way. She didn't even know him, and yet here she was. Dancing in the arms of a stranger. A stranger.
She drew a sharp intake of breath and pulled her face from his shoulder. Her brown eyes found his gray ones. "Who are you?" she demanded.
His hand reached up to touch her face. They were inches apart.
"Does it matter?" he challenged softly.
Ginny's answer faltered on her lips as he kissed her.
They broke apart seconds later when the song they had been dancing to ended. As the guests around them clapped and moved off the dance floor, Ginny removed her arms from their place around his neck and stepped back.
Neither of them noticed the magically amplified voice that rang out over them. "All guests are requested to please step out into the garden, where a special surprise lies waiting in the sky."
She blinked up slowly at him, as if not quite sure of what to make of it all. She had a curious look in her eyes.
Draco's insides squirmed, both from the resounding pleasure of the kiss and fear at her reaction. Had he gone too far? He held his breath as she continued staring. After a few moments the look in her eye became suddenly bold. He was amazed as she stepped back towards him.
"I think you're a bad influence on me," she said finally before kissing him again.
* * *
A soft but firm cough interrupted them. They both turned to see a slightly embarrassed looking Hermione near them. "Sorry to interrupt," she said quickly, and then turned to specifically address Ginny. "Your mum asked me to find you. She wants a word."
Hermione's appearance seemed to have shaken Ginny back to reality. She moved away from Draco. "I've got to go," she said in an undertone, as if she was speaking to herself more than anyone else.
"Wait," Draco said instantly. He moved to grab her hand again, but Ginny moved even further from his grasp. She shook her head slowly and turned away from him completely, taking off towards the exit.
"Who is her mother?" he asked Hermione urgently, who by now was looking Draco over very carefully.
"Molly Weasley," she finally replied. She eyed him suspiciously. "Who are you?"
Draco never responded, for he had taken off after Ginny and out of the tent at Hermione's reply.
She was a Weasley.
"I should have known," Draco muttered under his breath. All the Weasley's have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford he heard his father's voice echo in his head.
His eyes darted frantically around the crowd furthest from him. Finally he spotted her in the garden outside the Burrow with the rest of the guests.
She was standing against the very edge of the garden, next to a boy dressed as an alligator on one side and a short, plump faced woman with red hair (whom he assumed to be her mother) on the other. A loud bang resounded over the party, and everyone oohed appreciatively as multicolored Muggle fireworks began appearing in the sky.
"How extraordinary!" Draco heard a balding man next to Ginny's mother declare. "How those Muggles do it without magic…simply extraordinary!"
Without thinking, Draco took off to the opposite side of garden. He crept from behind the edge where Ginny was, through the thick, gnarled trees that lined the garden walls, until he was directly behind her.
Ginny gave only a small intake of breath as Draco grabbed her hand from between the trees.
"What do you want?" she hissed without turning around.
Draco kissed her hand, then turned it over and began placing kisses on her palm and up her inner forearm. Ginny closed her eyes for a moment at the sensation, and then glanced momentarily to her left and right. Deciding that her mother was sufficiently occupied with her father's appraisals on Muggles, and that Neville too was sufficiently enthralled with the fireworks themselves, Ginny slowly backed away into the niche amongst the trees where Draco stood.
"What are you playing at?" she asked him pointedly.
"What's your name?"
"What's yours?"
"I already know you're a Weasley. So come out with it."
"Oh, yes, because you're asking so nicely."
Draco opened his mouth to retort, then closed it. He only knew of one girl in the Weasley family, and he hadn't seen her since he left Hogwarts over a year ago.
"Are you Ginny Weasley?"
She stared at him fixedly, arms crossed in front of her.
"Are you going to answer me?"
"Maybe I would if you told me your name, or at least if you took off your mask!" she replied. She moved to pull away his silver mask with her hand.
Draco swiftly moved out of the way. "Couldn't if you tried," he teased. "Fixing Charm."
"Ginny!" someone called unmistakably from the other side if the trees. "Ginny!"
Draco smirked at her triumphantly, and she glared back at him as she moved to look through the tress. The fireworks were over, and the guests were pouring out of the garden to leave the party.
"It's Hermione," Ginny said turning to leave. "I'd better go before she tries to use a Summoning Charm on me."
"The Mudblood can wait," Draco said absentmindedly as he moved to pull her back to him. Almost instantly he knew his mistake, for Ginny had wrenched away from his grip rather forcefully.
"How dare you," she said, her face beginning to flush with anger. "How dare you call her that!" She had her wand on him instantly and he backed away, half-alarmed and half- amused, into the trunk of a tree.
"You tell me right now who you are," she said quickly, her wand pointed warily at his chest, "or I swear I will hex you to New Guinea."
Draco chortled. "New Guinea?"
Her response was to poke her wand into his chest rather painfully.
"Hey! Watch where you're sticking that thing!"
"You've got about five seconds," she said, by now clearly agitated, "dear Good Sir Knight, to reveal yourself."
"Ginny!" Hermione's voice rang out again. "Ginny! Where are you?"
"Draco!" a rough voice called through the trees. "Come on, let's go!"
Draco grimaced and cursed inwardly the day Gregory Goyle had ever become his friend.
Ginny's eyes widened. "Draco?" she repeated. "Draco Malfoy?" She gave a strained laugh half between incredulity and horror.
No no no Draco thought frantically. This is not how it's supposed to be. He moved to calm her. "Listen to me-"
"Stay back!" Ginny shouted moving her wand up over to Draco's face. "Finite!"
He felt the Fixing Charm lift as the mask slackened slightly around his face, its thin strings the only thing left concealing his identity. Having been unable to withdraw his own weapon until now, Draco held the mask securely into place with his left hand and finally drew his Hawthorn wand with his right.
Ginny stared at him determinedly. "Accio mask!"
"Protego!"
"Ginny!" Hermione shouted again, her voice much closer now than before. "Is that you shouting?"
"I don't want to fight you," Draco said with unmistakable truth in his voice.
"Then tell me who you are," Ginny replied through gritted teeth.
Over her shoulder Draco could see the figure of Hermione approaching them. "Later," he said decisively, lowering his own wand in good faith. "Later, I promise."
Hermione was now so close Ginny could hear the swishing the skirts of her costume. Her brown eyes sought Draco's gray ones. Then, not fully comprehending why, or how, she lowered her own wand and bade him to leave.
Ginny was only alone for a few seconds before Hermione finally joined her. "Where have you been?" she said sharply from behind her. "I've been running around here looking everywhere for you."
"Sorry," Ginny said automatically. She was still looking at the stop between the trees were Draco had disappeared.
"Your brothers are in a right state," Hermione went on. "Apparently Ron told your dad that Draco Malfoy and his gang had gate-crashed."
"Really."
"And I think, Ginny, that that boy you were, well, kissing," she said turning slightly pink, "was him."
"Really."
"I thought he looked familiar, but the black hair threw me off. But now I know it was really him."
"Mhmm…"
"Are you hearing me?" Hermione said determinedly. "You were kissing Draco Malfoy."
For the first time Ginny looked away from the trees and to her friend.
"I know," she said simply. "I know."
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