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“has anyone asked you to the yule ball yet, [y/n]?” lavender brown asked you in between forkfuls of shepherd’s pie, nudging dean thomas who was sat next to her. they both snickered as you scrunched your nose at them mockingly. in one swift movement, you flicked a pea at lavender and rolled your eyes.
by now, it was almost common knowledge among the four houses that you were the serpent among lions. they were constantly teasing you about the fact that no one from your house had the courage to even approach you, much less ask you out to the ball, despite the lot of you being from gryffindor.
not to mention, even harry bloody potter, the chosen one, had commented on the fact that you were more suited to be in slytherin back when you were second years, when he experienced your ambition and resourcefulness firsthand.
“i don’t plan on anyone asking me to the ball, actually.” you started, puffing out your chest arrogantly, a smirk on your face, earning raised eyebrows. “i’ve got my sights set on the one cedric diggory.”
“you’re kidding, the hogwarts champion?” seamus finnigan blinked dumbfoundedly from beside you, making his presence known. “girls his year were turned down, what makes you think you’ve got it?”
you narrowed your eyes at him. “that sounds like an insult, you know. but…”
you then shrugged at seamus and turned to glance across the great hall to where the said hogwarts champion sat amongst his hufflepuff peers.
just as the two of you made eye contact, you winked at him flirtatiously. seamus let out a whistle in awe as cedric ducked his head with an evident blush on his face. you turned to grin triumphantly at your friends, wiggling your eyebrows at lavender.
“it’s a wonder why the sorting hat didn’t put you in slytherin, you know.” dean chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief.
lavender gaped as she watched cedric get teased by his friends as he recovered from your apparently fatal wink. “a right old mystery that was.”
“but something about that kind of confidence doesn’t feel quite gryffindor, does it, lav? dean?” seamus mused, touching his finger to his chin and donning a mock-thoughtful look. “to me, it seems a little—”
“ssssslytherin,” the three of your friends hissed in unison, wiggling their fingers at you just like draco did to harry the year before, during your care of magical creatures class with the slytherins. it quickly became an inside joke between you four, before falling into fits of laughter. you couldn’t help but join them. it was just practically silly at this point.
“slytherin? [y/n]?” you heard someone comment from behind you and a sort of domino effect occurred as you and everyone within earshot all turned towards the voice instinctively.
draco malfoy was sat directly behind you and had twisted around to face you, his usual proud smirk etched on his face. he was flanked on each side, as per usual, by his goons, crabbe and goyle respectively.
pansy parkinson sat directly across from him and looked particularly displeased at your interaction. right next to her was daphne greengrass, who you could’ve sworn was giving you an almost knowing look.
“eavesdropping, malfoy?” you tilted your head at draco, who just infuriatingly grinned in response. you didn’t want to address the fact that it seemed to create some sort of tension in the air, like the people around you just sucked in their breaths and held it.
they didn’t know if they expected the two you to fight or jump each other’s bones, that’s how charged the air was. out of the corner of your eye, you caught fred and george placing a bet.
draco continued, as if trying to grab your attention before you turned away . “i mean, sure, you would’ve been a lovely addition to the snake pit had the sorting hat called slytherin but,” he looked you up and down slowly, not unlike a predator addressing its next meal, and a funny electric feeling followed where his gaze touched your skin. you suppressed a shiver. “i doubt you’d even look good in green.”
when he met your eyes, they were practically twinkling with mirth. he was thoroughly enjoying this. and his statement was blatantly laced with a challenge.
you lifted an eyebrow in response, because two can play at that game. “red doesn’t seem much like your color either, draco.”
you drew out his name, almost like a sigh, not realizing how close the two of you were slowly leaning towards each other. draco’s lips twitched, like he was trying to hold himself back from grinning.
“is that so, [y/n]?” he retaliated, his line of sight dropping to watch your lips as he leaned close enough that you could smell his scent. he smelled very much like expensive cologne.
you nodded stubbornly, holding his gaze as his eyes met yours once more. “oh, absolutely.”
he held your eyes for a few more moments, watching you watching him, before you decided to break away first, heart beating wildly like a hummingbird’s wings. of course, draco being draco, always wanted to get the last word in.
“see you at the ball, [y/n].” draco quipped in a sing-song voice as he too went back to his meal. you just huffed and rolled your eyes for the nth time, seemingly unfazed. your pulse told a different story.
back at the gryffindor table, seamus, lavender, and dean were all staring at you, their own meals practically forgotten. the few first years nearby mirrored them, but looked away pretty quickly when you glanced their way.
lavender was the first to recover, leaning forward as her eyes flicked to the two boys, as if checking to see if they witnessed the same thing. “what the bloody hell was that?”
dean cleared his throat, amusement in his tone. “it was like the two of you were… in your own little bubble or something.”
“well, it looked like they were flirting to me,” seamus shrugged as he helped himself to another serving of mashed potatoes.
you rolled your eyes and laughed nervously. “he was just teasing me, is all. trying to challenge me too, i think.”
“there was definitely a challenge in there somewhere.” lavender narrowed her eyes before leaning back and giggled menacingly, something that only lavender could achieve.
“well, if there’s one thing i know about [y/n] is that you love a challenge.” lavender grinned and winked, “drop ‘em dead, love.”
night of the yule ball
turns out, you didn’t ask cedric to the ball. you decided to go stag last minute, which earned you knowing looks from the seamus and dean while lavender just blew out a frustrated breath.
two hours later, you were starting to pick at your hair, moving strands and loosening curls before lavender slapped your hand away, tucking the last of it into the low bun you specifically asked for. you shared earlier in the afternoon that you were going for an effortless sort of look, as if you’d simply just woken up glamorous.
at this, lavender looked at you weirdly for a whole minute, her lips pursed, before disappearing behind your head, muttering, “if you wanted to look like you’d just rolled out of bed it wouldn’t be so glamorous, you know.”
she ducked, laughing, as you tried to smack her with a pillow.
when you finished with your makeup, you watched lavender brush back her hair. for the first time in your four years together as dormmates, it was pin drop straight, and changed so much of her face that you couldn’t help but stare. as you did, she simply shared how much of a drag it would be to do it daily and that she preferred her hair curly anyways.
momentarily, you’re reminded of how lavender and hermione would’ve been really good friends had certain circumstances been different.
as you made to stand with her, lavender smirked, eyeing your dress. it was the most dazzling emerald green, silk dress that hugged you in all the right places. the v-neck strappy neckline kept you modest, while at the same time, a teasing slit ran up all the way to the top of your thigh, right from where the dress fanned out up to just below where it cinched at your waist. and best of all? it had pockets!
you tucked your hands into said pockets, twirling for lavender as she squealed in her own fuchsia colored gown. she tugged at her tube top, bedazzled with gems that faded out at the waistline to the point that they looked like stars, and interlocked her arms with yours.
“off we go,”
when you reached the top of the stairs right before the corner that turned towards the great hall, you sucked in a breath at the sight of draco leaned against one of the pillars, his hands tucked into his pockets. you watched him lazily scan the crowd, like he was looking for someone but didn’t want to appear as such.
lavender smirked, following your line of sight. she cleared her throat as she subtly pushed you in the slytherin prince’s general direction. “right, so. this is where i leave you, moppet. i’m going to go mingle with the others, as it is an inter-school event, and you should too.”
you didn’t take your eyes off of draco’s blond head of hair, not even when lavender left your side when her date called out to her. you had just taken a single step down the stairs when his head swiveled towards you, as if sensing you, and he pushed himself off of the pillar.
you didn’t know why you blushed a beet red when he did, you assumed it was because because he was impeccably dressed in a maroon five-piece suit. his jacket, vest, and pants sported your house’s colors, as your own outfit did his, while his dress shirt was black and his tie a bright silver. it was well put together for sure, but you would never admit to checking him out in a million years.
“you look magnificent, [y/n].” draco approached, holding out his hand to you, which earned him a questioning look, even though you knew what he was asking. he smiled sheepishly, glancing around that no one was nearby, “would you like to accompany me to the ball?”
“i’m sorry, but is the draco malfoy asking nicely?” you teased, bringing forth that scowl you know so well. he instantly dropped his hand to his side and clicked his tongue, his insecurity getting the better of him, the tips of his ears turning into a color that matched his suit.
he began to turn away, embarrassed. “‘s’alright then, i’m sure pansy’s—”
you laughed at his reaction, taking his dejected hand softly in yours for the first time in a long while. “kidding, draco. you can tease, but i can’t?”
if anything, draco blushed deeper. your smile grew, pulling him closer to you. you soaked up this side of draco like a sponge. it was a side that you were lucky to witness in abandoned hallways between classes, or just before the tree line of the dark forest, or in the quiet courtyard well after curfew.
you supposed this “relationship” of yours with the slytherin prince started in third year, when you found him crying under the quidditch bleachers when the teams had made their way back to the castle. you started as friends, but somewhere along the way, he kissed you.
and you kissed back.
“i suppose we should go together, hm? seeing as you’re dateless, as am i. how odd. unless pansy’s…?”
draco blinked at you, puzzled and a little distracted by the way you absolutely glowed, before shaking his head. “pansy’s not an issue. never was. i’ve been waiting forever for you to show up, you know.”
you were pleased at his assurance. you felt him interlock his fingers with yours as the two of you stepped into the great hall. you knew by the way he squeezed your hand that he was asking for bravery. and brave you were as the great hall erupted into chatter when they noticed who had walked in.
a gryffindor and a slytherin. dressed in each other’s house colors. hands interlocked and eyes soft. you thought about how your friends would never let you live this down.
and glancing at the three of them in the corner, jaws dropped, you knew you were in for a wild ride with them later. but right now, your attention was on the boy holding your hand like it was you two against the world.
and in a way, it was.
“my father will hear about this, you know.” he whispered softly in your ear as numerous pairs of eyes followed you while he twirled you on the dance floor.
as you leaned into him though—tucking your head into the crook of his neck, his expensive cologne wafting over you like a lavish hug—it was like the rest of the world melted away, leaving you and him swaying to the music.
you hummed from where you were, eyes closed as though to make the moment last longer. “no, he won’t.” you reassured him, lifting your head to meet his brilliant blue eyes.
“it’ll be our little secret.”
that was the farthest from the truth as the two of you danced together in the crowded hall, beneath a blanket of pseudo-stars. but draco appreciated the sentiment, and pulled you closer, touching his cheek to the top of your head as you danced the night away.