we always want to be beautiful butterflies, but a moth is the same creature. why do we want to be beautiful on the outside when the inside counts?
***
Hermione wraps her arms around herself to suppress the cold. It is much colder here than her school in France, Beauxbaton.
Hermione's blue dress flutters in the wind against her legs. Her curls tingle in her neck.
She takes a deep breath and, despite the cold, continues walking, away from the grand castle behind her, Hogwarts.
Her heels make a sound with every step. Her arms were still wrapped tightly around her.
The evening had started early and of course, Hermione was there early.
Her Yule Ball date was Ron Weasley, someone she had only known for a few days.
From the day she walked in, she had caught his eye, but hadn't thought much more of it.
He, on the other hand, often tried to be near her. Hermione had laughed about this with her friends, but she thought it was very sweet of Ron.
He had asked Hermione to go with him two days before. Strangely enough, she hadn't had anyone else ask her the same question and she didn't think anyone else would either, so she had said yes.
Tonight she had come with him, but he was not as good a dancer as Hermione had hoped. She could expect a few bruises on her feet. Yet despite everything, she thought he had done his best.
Only, the evening had probably not been so much fun because of him. It had been because of someone else from Durmstrang.
She had not seen him much during the week, but this evening she had eye contact with him all too often.
His light blond hair was easy to find.
He wore a red cloak fastened with black straps. His hair was a little tousled. He also wore a fur tie, but she saw him take it off somewhere during the evening.
She learned his name when the dance began.
At first, Hermione was still twirling around with Ron, but at some point, after they had bowed to each other, the partners switched.
The first few times she was with a few others until he was in front of her.
He had, contrary to what all the others had done, taken her hand and given it a kiss.
‘’My lady,’’ he said, the first words he ever spoke to her.
Hermione did her best to hide her red cheeks and took a curtsy. Then he had stretched out his arm to her and she took it.
After the music started, they began to spin around the room. He was the first who could do it well.
He gently grabbed her waist and guided her through the hall. Hermione felt eyes on her but soon forgot it when he began to speak.
‘’May I ask what your name is?’’
‘’Hermione Granger.’’
‘’What an honour to meet you, Hermione Granger, my name is Draco Malfoy.’’
‘’It's an honour to meet you too, Draco Malfoy.’’ When she said his name, a small smile appeared on his face.
He spun her around once more and suddenly the positions had changed and she was even closer to him.
‘’You do know how to dance, Malfoy.’’
‘’Of course I do. I would never want to lead a woman astray.’’
Hermione felt her cheeks colour again.
The song was nearing its end and, if Hermione was honest, she never wanted to leave the dance floor.
As the final sounds came, he grabbed her tighter around the waist, then pressed Hermione against him and spun her around in the air.
As this happened, Hermione felt as if she were flying.
She and Draco continued to look at each other while this was happening. His grey eyes glinted in the light and she saw herself smiling in the reflection.
After she felt the floor again beneath her, he continued to stay close to her. They both took a breath to recover from the dance.
The rest already started to move on to the next partner and when the two of them realised that, they took a step away from each other.
They gave each other one last bow. When Hermione raised, Draco took her hand again, bent forward a little and gave a kiss.
‘’You dance beautifully. I'm sorry to leave you so soon, I hope to see you again later this evening, Lady Granger.’’
She wanted to say something in return, but couldn't think of words. Her hand was still in his and she tried to get one good look at him before the moment was done.
He gave her a nod, let go of her hand and walked on. Hermione watched him for a while longer before walking off the dance floor.
And now Hermione walks through the outer court of Hogwarts.
She had not seen Draco and was secretly a little sad about it, so she thought an outdoor walk would do her good.
It had been a long time since she had been so enchanted by someone.
Hermione replayed their experience together a few times in her mind until she suddenly heard movement next to her.
Her hand was already slipping towards her wand, but when she looked to her right her eyes were soon met with his grey.
‘’Malfoy,’’ she says with relief.
‘’My lady,’’ he replies.
Draco studied her, drew his eyebrows together and then took a step forward.
‘’Aren't you cold?’’
Hermione casts a glance down and spots her arms still wrapped around her.
Before she can answer, Draco takes off his red cloak and hands it to her. She takes it and wraps it around herself.
‘’Thank you,’’ she says with a slight smile.
‘’No thanks, My Lady,’’
Hermione smiles and shakes her head, ‘’You can just call me Hermione or Granger, Malfoy.’’
A small smile appears on his face as he nods.
‘’May I?’’ he says, stretching out his arm. Hermione nods and hooks her arm through his. Then they walk on together and silence surrounds them.
After walking for a while, Hermione begins to notice something.
‘’Is it snowing?’’
Draco looks up, his eyes studying, and then he nods.
They walk together towards a wall that is out of the wind, so that we can be warmer, which is what Draco had said to Hermione when he started walking in that direction.
When they finally stood together against the wall and looked out on an open field where snow was falling from the sky, Draco looked back at her. Hermione looks around with a big smile on her face. It had been a long time since she had seen snow.
She feels him staring at her and then she glances back at him. Their eyes cross. Draco smiles and she feels her cheeks turn red.
‘’It is really beautiful, isn't it?’’
‘’Yes, beautiful,’’ he replies softly.
And Draco doesn't know if he's saying this because of the open meadow with snow falling and Hogwarts in the background.
Or because in front of him stands a girl in her pretty blue dress, still wrapped in his cloak and smiling as if this were her best day ever.
And her smile enchants him, it does things to his heart that he has never felt before.
If he could, he would never let this moment go, because when she smiles, something in his body blossoms.