There was a blackout at the Yule Ball.
It happened late in the evening.
No one saw who did it, quick as a blink as it was, and most of the teachers had either gone to bed or were dozing in a chair in the back of the room. When the lights came on again, all the couples had been switched, and it was Draco Malfoy standing in front of me, hands outstretched in a dancing position and all.
He was just as confused as I was at first, and a little paler than usual. His ice-blue eyes roamed the room categorically, as if he still didn't understand what was going on, and he looked more baffled than I'd ever seen him.
It was a trick of magic, of course, a joke made by a student bored enough to want someone’s boyfriend to start a fight. The commotion erupted instantly, with some people trying to get rid of their new partner and other people clinging to them. I heard a boy laughing, and a second-year girl yelling "I won't dance with you" at a skinny boy who looked like he was about to cry, and the dance floor was livelier than any moment in the entire evening.
I craned my neck as high as I could, searching for my partner through the crowd, but Viktor was nowhere to be seen. I was sure he would try to find me. Viktor was a considerate partner, who looked after me during all ball. He ignored the big smiles some girls flashed in his direction, treating me like I was the only lady in the room, and I felt grateful that he made me look so special. Dancing with Viktor was safe. He would set sail on his ship in a few weeks, heading for colder seas, and I might never hear from him again, all of this just a sweet old memory.
Draco's hand in mine was different. He looked as if he was about to run, but when I wrenched my arms from his and turned toward the crowd to try and make my way to the door, he pulled me by the elbow, and said:
- You won't make it out of the room with such a mess, Granger.
He could have asked me to stay, if that's what he meant, although I knew he was too proud to do it. If he had, I would have known something was wrong and could easily have gotten rid of him, finding my way to my date right after. With those words, however, I got hesitant. Did he want me to dance with him? Did he want me to stay? What did I want?
I looked straight at his eyes, glowing like two silver moons under the candles as he kept his fingers tight in my skin. Situations like that had happened before, when we looked each other in the eye without judgment. Moments that never lasted more than a few seconds, but were enough to make my heart beat like a drum for hours.
I lowered my gaze, searching for a familiar face among the layers of colorful dresses, black suits, and red capes that filled the place. I was afraid that someone might see us, someone might know what was going on. What if Harry, Ron, or even Ginny, spotted me? I didn't think I could hide the blush on my cheeks, under the glow of all those magical lights, the way I did when I saw him staring at me in the library, hiding my face in some thick cover of a book.
Suddenly, I heard the melancholy sound of a violin: a new song had started, and there was no more time to think. Draco Malfoy reached out to me in a very offhanded manner, pretending he didn’t care if I accepted his invitation or not, but I saw him twisting his lips – down to the left corner – the way I knew he did when he felt uncomfortable. He avoided my eyes, concentrating his attention on a very interesting spot somewhere behind me, and I did my best not to laugh at his embarrassment.
I thought about taking his hand and thought about not taking it. Then I simply stopped thinking and went.
Logically, I wasn't doing anything wrong. It wasn't my fault we'd been switched, and it was easier to get somewhere dancing through the crowd than trying to force my way through it. But back on the dance floor, hands touching neck, arms touching shoulders, his breath so close to my ear it made my skin tingle, I knew there was nothing logical about the whole thing.
Dancing with him was like being trapped in a spell; not the kind I’ve found in my books—those that made you feel tired, powerful, or numb after releasing them—but the ones that were true, that left you enchanted even when they were over.
We danced until the song ended, then Viktor Krum saw me, and I had to let go of Draco’s hands.
He didn’t say anything, just turned his back to me and walked.
I watched as he disappeared into the crowd, being covered by the silver glow of a girl's dress as he passed her.
Soon Viktor's arms were around me, putting my mind back into place.
- I do not know what happened – he said, confusion making his accent rougher – are you alright?
- I’m absolutely fine – I told him. – After all, it was just a joke.
But I knew it wasn’t.