🤍

"Isn't this exciting!" Hannah gushed as she twirled around in her dress. The gold fabric glittered in the rays of the setting sun that flitted into the room.

Hannah twisted around in the mirror to check if her zipper was done up properly and caught sight of Angel behind her. "Angel Dawson..." she paused dramatically. "What's-his-face is going to positively shit himself when he sees you!"

Susan reappeared out of the bathroom, decked in her navy blue gown.

"Dmitri. Dmitri Ivanov," Angel corrected, but Hannah didn't seem to hear. "And what's that you're wearing! Is it lipstick and mascara? And blush, too! Where'd you get makeup?" Susan bounded up to them, studying her face. Angel's cheek flushed. "My Mum sent it."

"Well, go on, then! Do mine!" demanded Hannah, sticking out her face. The two girls squabbled about who was going to go first, much to Angel's amusement. "There's plenty to go around," she laughed, whipping out the lipstick bullet.

"The perks of being friends with someone who has a Muggle-born parent," Hannah said, trying not to move her mouth as Angel tapped on the lipstick, and they all giggled.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

The lawn in front of the castle was lit up with hundreds of magical lights, luminescent in the darkness of the evening. Students milled about, tittering excitedly as they waited for the ball to start. 

Ernie and Zach spotted them from afar and hurried over. "Alright, ladies?" Zach greeted them. "You four clean up well," he said, his eyes lingering on Angel. She felt her cheeks go red again.

He had asked her last week, but she already accepted Dmitri's invitation just the day before, and felt terrible for turning him down, so she'd convinced Hannah to go with him instead. Now, she was wondering if she had made the right choice. She barely knew Dmitri, and Zach did look rather dashing in his formal suit tonight.

"Not looking too shabby yourself!" Angel smiled back at the boys. "I'm going in to look for Dmitri." Hannah linked arms with Zach, and Susan with Ernie, as they followed dozens of other students into the foyer.

To their wonder, they found that it had been completely transformed as well. Huge ice sculptures stood by the doors, and at the front, three gigantic Christmas trees towered grandly over everybody, their stars brushing the ceiling. Hundreds of glittering icicles dripped from the ceiling as enchanted snowflakes drifted lazily down.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder and she turned. Dmitri stood proudly before her in his blood red robes. "Dmitri, I was looking for you!" She stretched out her hand to shake his, but he brought it to his lips instead.

"Dobriy vecher," he said, regarding her with his light green eyes. "You look very beautiful."

She found herself speechless, and smiled shyly to hide her awkwardness. He offered his arm and they both stood in line to welcome the tournament champions when they marched in.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

🖤

Pansy clung to his arm like her life depended on it. He had only asked her that afternoon as a last resort. She looked like a granny in her dull and frilly purple gown, but he kept this comment to himself.

A great fanfare played as the champions paraded in. He clapped and hooted for Krum and Cedric, and glared at Potter. That twat had first cheated the Goblet, and now had the cheek to look so smug as he pranced down the carpet. Unbelievable.

They got into their positions as Flitwick started up the orchestra. Dumbledore and McGonagall were the first to join, followed by the other headmasters and students. Draco held back, hoping no one would notice.

"Come on, Draco. We have to dance, everyone's looking," Pansy hissed. No one was. He opened his mouth to protest but she got up and yanked him to his feet as well. She placed his hands firmly on her waist - very much against his will - and started spinning themselves around.

He stomped on her feet by accident, and mumbled an apology as she yelped in pain. He glanced over at Crabbe and Goyle. They seemed to be having an alright time with Millicent and Tracey. Meanwhile, he was stuck with this screaming vole. This whole thing was a dumpster fire.

The music finally ended and he took his hands off Pansy immediately. Wanting to get away from her and also desperately needing a drink to soothe his dry throat, he made his way to the snack table. A girl stood there, looking around contentedly in quiet observation.

"Having fun, Malfoy?" she asked as he approached. It was that wretched Dawson. He hadn't spoken to her in a while, keeping to the deal they had made way back in their second year.

"Dancing is for pansies," he growled, turning his attention to the hors d'œuvres on the table. Dawson laughed at his unintended pun. "Oh, lighten up. You looked like you were having fun!"

He shot her a dirty look, uncertain if she was being sarcastic or not. "Shut up, Mudblood. At least I have a date, unlike you. Snack table duties? I'll have a punch, and make it quick."

She smiled as she ladled the drink into a cup and handed it to him. He made sure to snatch it as hard as he could and sipped the liquid slowly, trying to look casual. The truth was he would rather be trampled by a Hippogriff than spend another second with Pansy that evening.

The orchestra had now been replaced by a loud rock band, and the crowd was bobbing and twisting their heads. What a bunch of buffoons, he mused, pleased that he wasn't part of the crowd.

"You look nice, by the way," Dawson called out to him above the music. He turned back around to her, surprised that she was trying to talk to him.

"Pure silk," he replied proudly, puffing out his chest slightly. Her eyebrows raised in shock.

"Wow. It must've been expensive!" 

He jutted his chin and smoothed his jacket. "Oh, they were. Eight hundred Galleons just for the set, and another two hundred to get them fitted for me!"

She nodded, looking genuinely interested. He took this as encouragement and went on. "Mulberry silk, this is. The finest there is. My father had this specially tailored in Italy for me."

"That's amazing."

Just then, Cedric Diggory sauntered over, nodding a hello at them. The Hufflepuff looked good in his tux, Draco had to admit. But not as good as hisself, obviously.

"Good luck for the first task, Diggory," he said. Cedric thanked him, patting him on the shoulder before turning back to Dawson. "You look... wonderful!"

Dawson chuckled. "Thank you! Everyone looks so good. Where's Cho?"

Cedric shrugged nonchalantly. "I think she's having a chat with Potter and the Patil twins." He leaned in closer to her like he was going to tell her a secret. "You know, I was really going to ask you, but she asked me first, and I didn't have the heart to turn her down. Sorry."

Draco had no idea why a champion like Cedric Diggory would ever want to ask out a loser like Dawson, but continued eavesdropping anyway.

"Hey, fancy going for a walk?" Cedric was asking her.

Draco tried not to laugh as the poor girl physically recoiled in nervousness. "Um, sure. But I don't want to step on any toes. Are you sure Cho wouldn't-"

She was ballsing this up. He decided he would do her a favour and save her from the embarrassment.

"Well, Diggory," he announced loudly to Cedric. "Everyone must be wondering where we are now, I reckon. We should get back. Have fun playing waitress," he added to Dawson.

"I'll catch  you later!" Cedric waved at her before allowing himself to be lead away. Draco shook his head to himself. Hufflepuffs. So easy to manipulate.

As the night wore on, he only became more and more restless. The music had changed once again to a ballad, and couples swayed on the floor, boozy with love. Pansy was getting antsy as she sulked beside him, but he couldn't care any less if he tried.

He was just thinking what a bloody waste of time this whole affair was once more when he caught sight of Dawson again.

To his horror, she was swaying on the dance floor with one of the Durmstrang boys - and a strikingly handsome one, at that.

Her hand was firmly grasped in his as they glided gracefully across the room. So one of Viktor's friends had asked her after all. To think he had assumed she was the waitress! He tried to stop the heat that rushed to his cheeks to no avail.

She caught his eye from across the room and smiled softly. He narrowed his eyes. She was showing off, the cow! He despised the way she always looked at him - as if she knew something about him no one else did. He didn't like that. Not one bit.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

🤍

Dear Mum and Dad,

Thank you for the dress! It was a great choice, Dad. I got so many compliments! Mum, thanks to your little bit of makeup, all the boys were tripping over their feet trying to talk to us! Well, not really.

Anyway, I didn't go to the ball with Cedric because Cho asked him first. You remember Cho, she's that pretty girl from Ravenclaw. I wasn't terribly bothered, though - I went with a Durmstrang boy, Dmitri Ivanov.

BUT GUESS WHAT! Cedric and I are an item now! He asked me for a walk that night after the ball, and he confessed his feelings for me! I told him I fancy him too. Embarrassing, I know. You can tease me when I'm back, but he's smart, kind, funny, and well, everything!

I truly had the most amazing night, and I promise to tell you everything when I come home! Can't wait. Hope you two aren't missing me too much. See you at Kings Cross soon!

Love,
Angel

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

🖤

The crowd was buzzing as they waited eagerly for the first Hogwarts student to return from the last task - the student who would be crowned the Tournament champion. It had been an hour, and Fleur and Viktor had already unfortunately been taken out and were seated at the front. 

"Reckon it'll be Potter?" Crabbe asked, and Draco's lip twitched at the mention of that name.

Pansy slapped Crabbe on his meaty shoulder.  "Don't be daft, fatso. It's obviously going to be Cedric!"

A loud crack sounded and Harry and Cedric reappeared with the Cup. The crowd leapt to their feet, cheering as the school band struck up a cheery tune. But the two boys were shouting something, their voices were drowned out by the crowd. He strained to make out what they were saying.

"He's back! He's back!" Harry was shouting as Dumbledore and the professors rushed to them. "Voldemort's back!" The crowd fell silent in disbelief and Pansy grabbed his arm in horror. 

Draco held his breath, his mind racing. The Dark Lord had disappeared off the face of the earth for more than a decade, and all the death eaters who played a major part in the First Wizarding War were in Azkaban. His father only escaped imprisonment because he'd claimed he was under the Imperius curse.

If what Potter was saying was true, what did that mean for his family?

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

🤍

She pushed past the crowd of students to the front. "Cedric!" she cried, catching his attention. Cedric broke away from his dad's embrace and ran up to her. "I'm alright," he assured, giving her a hug.

"I was so worried! What happened? What's Harry on about?"

"I saw him, Angel. He's real. He's back. Harry and I only just narrowly escaped."

"What, Voldemort? Here? It can't be true!"

He hushed her immediately. "You can't go about yelling that name like that, Angel! And no, not in Hogwarts, don't worry. The cup was a Portkey."

Her heart was pounding against her chest as she strained her neck to look for Harry. "Is Harry alright?"

Professor McGonagall came up to Cedric and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Mister Diggory, I think we should let Madam Pomfrey take a look at you."

"I'll tell you more later, yeah?" He kissed her forehead before following the professors and disappearing from sight.

It was close to midnight when he finally came back to the common room. She rushed into his arms. "You waited up for me?" he laughed, burying his face into her hair.

"Of course I did! Cedric, should I be worried? If Vol- I mean, if he's back... You know my Mum works in the Ministry. Will she be safe? Will he come to Hogwarts? Please tell me I'm freaking out about nothing!" She bit her lip to stop it from trembling.

Cedric rubbed her back comfortingly. "You're freaking out about nothing," he smiled. "Angel, if You-Know-Who is really back, they'll deal with him. Dumbledore has alerted the Ministry. They've hundreds of Aurors scouring Britain as we speak!"

His words calmed her, and she allowed herself relax into his embrace. He brought her chin up and kissed her gently. The fire crackled and he plonked himself down on the sofa, sinking into the plush cushions.

"Here, I've made some tea for you." She handed him the cup from the little table beside the couch, and he sipped gratefully before patting the seat next to him. She joined him, resting her head on his shoulder as he put his arm around her.

"You're so good to me," he sighed. "What would I ever do without you, Angel Dawson?"  

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

"You wouldn't believe what happened!" Angel sighed as she took off her jacket and she threw herself onto the couch. "One minute, we were all cheering and the band was playing, and Harry was shouting about Voldemort the next!"

"Angel! I told you we don't say his name out loud," Grace said sharply as she tottered about the kitchen.

Angel rolled her eyes. "This isn't the ministry, Mum. And it's not like he's going to appear out of the blue whenever someone mentions it."

Jacob plonked himself into his armchair and opened the Daily Prophet, calmly remarking -"Well, it isn't in the papers yet. And if it's true, the Ministry would've heard about it, right, love?"

Grace reappeared with a tea tray piled high with cakes and tea. "I suppose," she said thoughtfully. 

"Ugh, I've missed your scones!" Angel exclaimed, grabbing two and scarfing them down at one go.

"We'll just have to be extra careful now," said Grace. "Some of those Ministry folk might get a little... nervous about us. Well, me." Grace wiped her hands absentmindedly as she stood pondering.

"So it's true, then? Cedric said Dumbledore sent an alert to the Ministry."

"Oh, I don't know, darling. I'm not really supposed to talk about it, but word is the Ministry doesn't believe it. That old fellow's a little barmy, isn't he?"

"Only a little," said Angel through her mouthful of scones. "But you won't lose your job, will you?"

Her dad folded the paper down to look at them. "S'alright. Your mother isn't a very important person there anyway. Practically an intern!"

Grace smacked him with the tea towel. Angel giggled as her dad gave her a sly wink. She had almost forgotten how much she missed being at home with her parents.

"Anyway, dad, listen," she said, heaping cream and jam onto another scone. "Draco Malfoy - you remember him. He went to the ball with Pansy Parkinson!" 

Her dad feigned disgust and shock on his face. "No! The pug-faced one with greasy hair?"

She nodded aggressively. "And he thought I didn't have a date and was serving food, just because I was standing at the snack table! You should have seen the look on his face when he saw me dancing with Dmitri!"

Her dad chuckled. "Well, I hope he noticed your dress too! You must've been the center of everybody's attention if you have boys like Dmitri, Cedric, and Zach going after you."

"Unlikely," sniffed Angel, shaking her head. "Too busy spraying spittle at Potter." She mimicked Draco as she spat out Harry's last name, and Jacob laughed with her. "I'm sure he's an alright bloke once you get to know him."

"Oh, trust me, Dad. I've tried, but he's made it very clear he doesn't want to have anything to do with me. Besides, he treats everyone non-Slytherin so horribly. Hannah says we're Hufflepuffs, not pushovers, and I agree! I don't think I'd like being his friend very much, if I'm being honest."

"Ah, you'll get through to him eventually," said Jacob from behind his paper. "As I always say, 'kill them-"

"Kill them with kindness," Angel finished, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, Dad. He sucks the kindness right out of me. If I gave anymore, I'd start aging five years too fast!" 

She lay back on the couch, looking at the pine tree in the corner. It was still bare because they always waited for her to come home before they decorated it together - her favourite part of every holiday.

Closing her eyes, she smiled to herself. It was good to be back home after everything that had just happened. It was safe here with her parents, and she couldn't imagine spending Christmas anywhere else.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

🖤

The journey back from Kings Cross was exceptionally quiet. There was a heavy tension in the air, and his parents' faces were exceptionally sullen, though Draco didn't know why. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and stared out at the trees whizzing by as they rode in silence back to the Manor.

"How was school?" Narcissa asked suddenly, startling him out of his daydream.

"Good," he said. "They cancelled Quidditch this term, because of the Tournament." This response was met with more silence. He frowned, wondering if he had said something wrong. "It'll probably start again next year, though," he added after a moment.

"That's nice."

He rolled his eyes and leaned back, wondering why he even bothered answering them sometimes. They just asked questions like a clockwork toy, never truly wanting to have a conversation.

"You'll be a prefect next year," Lucius said without so much as a glance at him.

"I will?"

"Yes, Draco. Why would you think otherwise?"

He hadn't even thought about it at all. And while having extra power over his friends and the other houses seemed enticing, he honestly couldn't be bothered. Besides, he would much rather spend his free time practicing Quidditch and lazing about in his room.

"Why?"

"Because I said so." His father turned around to look at him sternly. "My father was a prefect at your age, and so was I. It's tradition. You will become a prefect, and I will hear no more of it."

Screw your tradition, Draco thought angrily to himself.

When they reached the Manor, he was shocked to see that it was bare of any the usual Christmas decorations. The house seemed hollow, bare bones of hallway that stretched on endlessly. There was hardly any sunlight.

"Where are all the decorations?" he demanded. He had been hoping to come home to a livelier atmosphere than the one in the carriage, and found himself sorely disappointed.

"Your father isn't in the mood," Naricssa said darkly as Lucius disappeared into the depths of the house.

"Is this because of what happened at the Tournament? About what Potter said?"

His mother ignored him, and he huffed in annoyance, stomping as loudly as he could up the stairs to his room.

He slumped onto his bed, feeling the familiar coolness of the silk as he rested his arm over his eyes. He was somewhat glad to be home from school. Classes were a bore, and he hated nearly everyone there. But now, it was time to mentally prepare himself for quiet days ahead, and another glum Christmas dinner. As usual.