Chapter 2
"What does Miss Grace think?" Rosie stepped back, her hands wringing together nervously though Grace could see her smile through the mirror. She shook her hair behind her back, the ringlet curls falling over her shoulders as Rosie rushed forward to press a few pins better into place, holding all but her bangs from her face.
"Rosie, stop fussing, I love it!" Grace assured her, pulling away from the elves' small hands.
"Miss does look perfect." Rosie agreed, stepping towards the jewelry box on the large dresser across the room. "What jewelry-"
"Rosie, you're very sweet to help me with my hair, but I'm sure you have so much to do. I don't want to keep you-"
"No! Rosie is on top of it, plenty of time." She assured, pulling down a matching pair of earrings and a thin golden necklace. She held them towards Grace for only a second before the blonde nodded, reaching for them and clasping the gold around the back of her neck, sliding the first earring through her ear.
"Alright, I really think you've run out of things to fuss over now-" Grace's breath caught in her throat as her mother's voice carried up the staircase.
"Grace!" The blonde secured her final heel before sending Rosie a thankful smile and starting down the stairs at record speed. What her mother could need this close to when she was supposed to leave...
She took the final curve of the steps and nearly fell down the next two, the sight of the tall blonde standing before the green flames of the fire.
"You're running late, dear! I promise she's not usually like this-"
"Mom!" Grace felt the familiar irritation flicker through her throat as Draco laughed easily.
"She's not. I'm early." He explained, glancing at his watch lying beneath the dark suit.
"Mom, would you find my purse, please? I think it's in the kitchen..." Her mother had already torn from the room before she had even finished her thought, Grace letting out an embarrassed sigh and turning back to Draco. "I was just about to leave, I swear."
"I didn't want you to have to show up on your own. Plus I needed a few minutes out of the chaos." He shrugged, stretching his arms out behind him as if he'd stood very rigid for most of the day, which Grace was guessing he likely had been. "You look great by the way."
"Thanks." She mumbled, thankful for the dim light from the fire which had nearly lost all it's green now. "I heard someone liked green."
"Yeah, I heard it was you." He bit back a grin as Mrs. Abbot returned, purse in hand. "You really won't need that. What are you bringing?"
"I don't know," She glanced through the contents of her purse. "Money, wand..."
"I think I can manage to keep you safe for one boring night." He assured her, setting the purse on the couch nearest them and looking to Mrs. Abbot. "It was nice to meet you, I promise I won't keep her late. I know it's a holiday."
"No worries, dear!" Her mother offered the boy a sickly sweet smile that Grace was entirely sure she had never seen before. "Have a great night! Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas." Draco nodded before nodding towards the fireplace and stepping through easily, Grace on his heels.
There was the familiar blur of scenery changing, accompanied by the rush of warm air before Grace stepped onto a beautifully tiled floor, completely soot free despite the amount of people that already filled the manor.
"Your mom talks a lot." Draco mentioned, a small smile on his face as Grace rolled her eyes. "You've no idea. You should have just let me come on my own."
"What kind of gentlemen would I be? My mother would have my head on a spike." He teased, pulling her away from the fire as it glowed again, the newest guests stepping into the drawing room and greeting Draco who exchanged a quick hello and handshake before leading Grace towards the ballroom.
"Pansy's already here and she won't talk to any of us." Draco explained as Grace's eyes landed on Blaise, Enzo and Theo, the three of them already halfway through crystal glasses of amber liquid. "Just keeps glaring and whispering to Milicent."
"Well, you must have really broken her heart." Grace grinned watching his lips curl into a scowl.
"Spare me." His blue gray eyes flickered through the room as they continued towards his friends before they landed on a tall blonde man in the far corner of the room who waved him over. "One second. My father must want to introduce me to yet another friend from forty years ago. You'll be alright?"
"I'll be fine!" Grace assured, watching for a second as Draco sauntered towards his father. She turned back to look for the boys, eyes linking with the hazel ones only a few steps before her.
"Hello, gorgeous." His voice was low in the noisy ballroom, yet there was no mistaking his words.
"Hello, Theo. Don't you look dashing." She grinned, eyes rolling over his suit which was such a dark shade of blue she couldn't be sure if it wasn't actually black.
"You look perfect." He answered without a second's hesitation, eyes latched to hers as if he was in a trance, and she ignored the way her heart jumped.
"Mr. Nott, I beg... Don't make me blush." She teased, stepping closer to him hoping they could continue her walk towards Blaise and Enzo, anything to get his eyes off her face.
"Someone's got to. I doubt Malfoy's said a nice word to you all night." His voice was teasing, yet his lips were set in a thin line.
"Well, Draco's not known for hisย niceties." She smirked, looking up to the boy again, "He doesn't get around like you do."
"How do you mean?" The edges of his lips curved into the start of a smile, his eyebrows drawn together.
"Sleeping with half the school... even the Hufflepuffs now, I hear-"
"That's blasphemy." He cut her off, the smile gone now to be replaced with an eye roll.
"Abbot, damn!" Enzo called as they approached, pulling Grace's attention from Theo beside her.
"Hi Enzo," She nodded, biting back a nervous laugh as his eyes skated over her dress.
"Will you quit eyeing up Malfoy's girl?" Blaise snapped, though his tone sounded teasing. Grace hadn't spoken to them much, though she never would have guessed how much they would play around.
"I'm going to getย Malfoy's girlย a drink." Theo muttered, nodding back into the crowd as Grace hurried to catch up.
"They know Malfoy and I are just-"
"Yeah." He answered, "They're fucking around."
"Oh." She sighed, scanning the room for the tall blonde again, wishing Theo would slow down a bit as he weaved through the crowded room. "What are you guys drinking?"
"Nothing you would like." He smirked as he finally locked eyes with a house elf, a glistening tray of drinks suspended a few feet above the small creature.
"Try me!" She begged, reaching for his arm to pull him to face her. Part of her was annoyed that he would assume to know what she liked, the other just aching for anything that might take away a bit of the nerves that had settled in her stomach the second she had opened her eyes that morning.
His eyebrows raised in sync, looking down to the blonde witch before him and passing over his half empty glass.
"My apologies, I didn't realize I was dealing with a certified alcoholic." He watched as she took a hesitant sip before raising a hand to her lips to stifle her cough. Theo's laugh roared through the room, the guests beside them all glancing over in astonishment. "Wrong pipe." He assured them all, laughter still painted onto his face as he watched her glare. "I did warn you." He whispered, slipping the glass from her hand once again and reaching towards the tray full of champagne and colorful bubbly drinks, passing her one of the tall glasses, a few floating berries bobbed among the ice.
"I didn't expect you to be drinking straight petroleum."
He chuckled, shaking his head as he finished his drink, setting the empty glass on the tray and grabbing a fresh one before the two started back to their friends.
"Did you bring a date?" She asked, slowing a bit as they made their way back, thankful when Theo slowed with her. Draco still hadn't returned, and she was in no rush to make small talk with the boys until he joined them.
"Do you see a date?" He answered after a moment's silence.
"Alright, grumpy." She glanced nervously to his face, though let out an easy laugh when she decided he didn't look angry. "How about the boys?"
"Blaise never does. He's quite particular," Theo explained.
"Ah, no one's good enough?"
"I didn't say that!" Theo shrugged, "Enzo asked Daphne. She should be here anytime. She'd better, someone's got to keep him in line tonight. You think he's bad sober, you don't want to deal with him drunk."
"Does he like her?" She pressed on, Theo glancing down at her and blinking in confusion. "Enzo? Like Daphne?"
"I'm sure?"
"Don't be thick." Grace laughed, "Does he fancy her?"
"Oh, Enzo fancies something new each week."
"You're one to talk." Grace grinned up to the tall boy, his jaw tightening at her words before Draco stepped out before them.
"Sorry, Salazar, he never shuts up." Draco looked over Grace before his eyes landed on Theo, offering him an eye roll which Theodore did not return. "Daphne here?"
"Not yet, noticeably." Theo answered, nodding towards Enzo who was grabbing another bourbon from a passing elf.
"Great." Draco muttered, looking back to Grace. "Do you want to dance?"
Grace blinked in shock. Obviously she had known there would be dancing, though she had assumed she would have had a bit more time to get used to the idea. And perhaps a few more drinks as well.
"Okay." She nodded, hoping neither of the boys would notice the way she sounded nearly out of breath, although Theo was already making his way back to the rest of his housemates, his drink already half drained.
Draco held one hand out, eyes already searching through the dance floor, whether for people he knew or an open space for them to join, she wasn't sure. His fingers were cold as she took them into hers, letting the tall blonde pull her towards the crowds, pausing and ducking their way into a small space near the center of the room.
At least if she was going to make a fool of herself, Draco would be the only person likely to notice. No one outside of the dance floor would be able to see them from here, and everyone surrounding them seemed either too intoxicated or too focused on their partners to be looking at the unknown guest of Draco Malfoy.
"Are you nervous?" His voice pulled her from her thoughts, her eyes snapping back to his to find the familiar smirk.
"What?"
"You seem nervous. We don't have to dance."
"No, I'm not... I mean... I just..." Draco was doing a very poor job of reigning in his smile as he slipped one hand around Grace's waist, the other squeezing her fingers in a slightly reassuring manner despite the teasing look still plastered on his face.
"You just don't know how to dance." He prodded, pushing her easily back into the crowd behind them and chuckling lowly as she gasped.
"I knowย howย to." She insisted, moving her feet along with his, forcing her mind back to the crowds at the Yule Ball last year.
"Uh-huh." He teased, and she pulled her thoughts back to her feet, ignoring the feeling of his fingers dancing along the silky fabric at her waist. "Thank you for coming with me. I won't make you dance the whole night, I'm just stalling until Daphne shows up to take care of Enzo."
Grace laughed, letting her head fall back slightly to take in the sparkling lights draped along the vaulted ceilings.
"Does he really get that bad?" She asked, hoping if they kept talking she could keep her mind off worrying that she was making a fool of herself.
"Every time. That's why we all pressured him to ask Daphne tonight. It worked out anyways, he's probably worked his way through most of the eligible girls who would even talk to him."
"So Daphne doesn't think it's... anything romantic?"
Draco was already shaking his head before she had finished his question. "They came together a few years ago too. She came with Theo one year and with me first year... We're all just good friends. She knows she could do better than any of us."
"Is that... humility? From Draco Malfoy?" Grace teased now, earning herself an eye roll as Draco dropped her waist, pushing her out through the crowded dance floor and spinning her back in, enjoying the look of terror that flashed through her expression.
"You'd better be nice, I could very easily drop you in front of everyone."
"Your parents would kill you."
"Might be worth it." He shrugged, his eyes flickering off into the distance. "She's here. I'll introduce you?"
"I'm not sure..."
"She's not like Pansy." He cut in, pulling her with one hand through the dancers and back to the Slytherin's. "She said she was excited I was finally bringing someone this year."
Grace could practically feel her stomach crawl. Did Draco's friends really think this was a date? Did Draco-
"Hi!" Daphne smile was practically blinding, all white teeth and gorgeous lipstick, the shade of which was already smeared onto Enzo's cheek, though he didn't appear to notice, and from Theo and Blaise's matching grins, Grace had to guess that they weren't planning to clue him in. "I'm Daphne, we haven't officially met. Salazar, you look gorgeous..." She trailed off, grabbing Grace's hand and pushing her backwards into Draco as if to get a better look at the dress.
"Oh..." Grace stalled, not knowing how to answer. Did they know the dress was from Draco? Would he be embarrassed if she told? "Thank you so much! I'm Grace." She held a hand back out which Daphne quickly took again, shaking it quickly before pulling her into a tight hug.
"I know that! You've been all the boys have been talking about now for weeks. And Pansy too... And I'm sorry about her. Bit obsessive, that one, but once you get to know her she's not usually like that... I'm sorry, I'm rambling."
"You're fine." Grace smiled, thankful for someone to have pulled the attention from her.
"Why so late, Greengrass?" Malfoy cut in at last, snatching up two crystal glasses from another passing elf.
"Yeah, I was about 5 minutes from locking Berkshire into a coat closet for the rest of the night." Blaise muttered, Theo's lips curling into a silent smile as Enzo scoffed.
"You guys are all assholes, I've literally been on my best behavior-"
"I would have been here hours ago! It was Astoria, took her ages to get ready-"
"Yeah, have you seen?" Enzo whispered to Draco behind Grace who turned to look at the two Slytherin's, watching as Draco paused to look Grace's way, passing over her second bubbly drink of the night.
"Seen what?" Grace was only partially listening now, half tuned into Daphne's story and half pretending she couldn't hear Enzo's.
"Astoria! She looks se-"
"She's a kid, Berkshire. Honestly, we're going to have to get you into some sort of therapy-" His words trailed off, leaving only Daphne's voice for Grace to focus on, though she watched Draco's eyes light up as they found the small brunette near the edge of the grand staircase, chatting politely alongside who Grace assumed to her parents and a few other adults.
"Told you, moron." Enzo shoved him, playfully and returned to Daphne's side who at last began to wipe the lipstick smudge from his cheek, apologizing profusely though Enzo grinned through the whole process.
Grace pulled her gaze from where Malfoy's was still stuck to Daphne's sister, forcing her eyes between to the group before her and her heels poking out from the edges of her dress at the marble floor. Daphne was reminding everyone of Enzo's date from the year before which had Blaise practically on the floor with laughter, though Enzo was either doing a great job of pretending he didn't remember or had effectively blocked that night from his brain one way or another.
"I'm going to get some air..." Grace muttered, Daphne's gaze flicking to hers, her eyes dropping before locking with Draco who at least was no longer trapped in his longing gaze with Astoria, but was rather staring off towards the crowd of dancers as if he couldn't hear any of their conversation.
"Want me to go with you?" She asked, stepping towards the double doors Grace was headed for.
"No, I'll be right back! Thanks, though." She offered a convincing smile before turning again and slipping through the smallest crack in the doorway, hoping not to let any of the wintery air into the warm ballroom.
It's a big night. He's probably been up since early this morning, he's probably tired... It's overstimulating, having this many people around. His parents were probably stressed all day, it's warm, so what if he zoned out for a bit...
The door clicked shut again behind her and she spun to find Theo, her untouched drink in one hand and a cigarette already in the other.
"You got me excited, I thought I might find you out here in a cloud of smoke." His smile was lopsided as he handed over her drink, pulling his wand from his pocket and lighting the tip of his cigarette under his breath.
"Oh, how well you know me." She teased, lightly, taking a long gulp from the bubbly drink and watching as he let out his first puff of smoke.
"Are you alright?" Theo asked, leaning against the stone balcony railing, eyes locked on her face.
"Yeah, just a little warm in there." She answered, his eyes slipping down to her bare arms, one eyebrow rising slightly.
"Yeah, you don't seem cold at all." He pointed out, shrugging off his jacket and dropping it over her shoulders without a second's pause. "Whatever's wrong, you can tell me. I can take you home too, if you're over it."
"Over it?" She asked, pulling his jacket closer around her gratefully.
"The party? They're not all they're cracked up to be. I know Draco and Blaise practically live for them, Enzo's always too drunk to care..."
"What about you?"
"I hate them." He answered without thought. "Everyone's so pretentious, who you bring, what you wear, how big the ballrooms are, what jewelry they got for early Christmas."
"Tell us how you really feel, Nott." She grinned up to the tall boy and he shrugged.
"It's just so fake. None of it matters."
"At least there's booze." She pointed out and smiled as his lips pulled up slightly.
"At least there's booze." He agreed, tapping her glass lightly with the edge of his cigarette, ash falling through the air and disappearing at their feet.
"Gross." She wrinkled her nose, earning herself a laugh from the dark haired boy.
"I'd ask you to dance, but I'd feel guilty stealing Malfoy's date from him at his own party."
She shook her head at once, dropping her eyes from his and hoping it was dark enough that he hadn't noticed her face stall or her cheeks brighten at his words.
"You know I'm not his date."
"But you admit I could steal you from him." His words were teasing and she rolled her eyes up to face him again.
"I should think there would be a very long line waiting to be your date to something like this, Theo."
"I let them take numbers. It's classier than a line." He nodded, taking a long drag and leaning back over the balcony.
"Says the boy sneaking a cig twenty feet away from societies best and brightest."
"I'm not sneaking a thing."
"You're right... they'll smell it on you a mile away when we get back in there."
"Then I'm in no rush." His mouth pulled into half a grin as she took the final sip from her flute and leaned against the railing beside him, inching a bit closer and hoping he wouldn't be able to hear her teeth chatter.
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