Sixth Year in the Life of Draco

It had been one week since Ella had first arrived through the doors of Hogwarts. It was the day of the "Welcome Back" ball and Ella could hardly wait. She had heard from a few people that there were only three balls per year at Hogwarts: The Welcome Back Ball, the Yule Ball, and the Farewell Feast. This was a big culture shock to Ella. The Bulgarians always found an excuse to celebrate. Sometimes there was a ball every other week at Durmstrang.

Ella was primping her hair, trying to decide on the best look. She had her most consulted book, Beauty: It's As Easy as Magic! and was flipping through the hair styles. She didn't feel like solid curls or anything of that sort. She looked to her dress for inspiration and it finally hit her.

She flipped through the book and found the one that she was looking for. It was simple and yet it spoke volumes to her. Carefully, she pointed her wand in just the right places. She saw it move and twist and was instantly excited. Looking at her dress, she sighed. Draco may have been ignoring her recently, but he wasn't going to be able to take his eyes off of her tonight.

~*~*~*~*~

Draco prepared slowly and steadily for the evening. He was going with Ella, that was for sure, but there was something about her unexpected arrival that shook him up. When he saw her walk through the doors, it had been a fabulous feeling. Then, after he had had time to think about it, he viewed this situation as possibly threatening to his reputation.

At school, Draco Malfoy was "The Bad Guy" and it was something that he valued. Some people respected him, others feared him and that was ok to him. With Ella here all of the sudden, that was threatened. He loved Ella... but a loving Draco? Malfoy showing affection towards another human being? It was absurd in most people's eyes. Draco wanted to prove them wrong, but not all at once like Ella seemed to be planning on. He straightened his jacket one more time before turning to Glen.

This evening, Glen was sporting a black and white pinstriped robe. He was a little more outgoing than most of the older boys. Maybe a little more stylish, too. As always, his brown hair was lying perfectly on his head. Draco glared at it and turned back to the hair gel in his hand.

When he deemed himself worthy, he walked down the steps with Glen into the Slytherin Common Room. Everyone was there in their finest dress robes and was mingling around the fire. They found Crabbe and Goyle and waited in the corner for their dates. Well, Draco and Glen waited for their dates.

~*~*~*~*~

Ella was flustered as she crawled on the floor of her dorm looking for her other shoe. Her new Ravenclaw friend Megan was trying her best to help her. Megan Davies was a sixth year who was in a few of Ella's class. She had black hair and green eyes and was a little on the short side.

"Ella, I don't see it!" she said in a defeated huff. "And my hair is getting messed up!"

"I don't bloody care about your hair! I can zap it back to the way it was when we find my shoe!" said Ella, who threw a magazine across the room in frustration. She had been looking forward to this night since she had first heard about it, and everything had to PERFECT!

"Wait! Is this it?!" she said, holding up a silver sandal.

"No! Those are my other silver sandals! I need the ones for evening wear."

"Oh, Ella! Why don't you just wear these?!" said Megan. She was becoming frustrated with their never ending search, too. Ella looked up from where she was searching under Pansy's bed and she could see tears running down her pale cheeks.

"Ella! What's the matter?" asked Megan, now concerned.

"Oh, Maya, I'm just so confused! First, Draco is all sweet to me this summer and I come here hoping to make everything right between us and so we can be together all the time and he just ignores me! I don't get it!" she sobbed, covering her face. Megan smiled sympathetically.

"Now listen here, missy. You know a Draco that none of us have ever seen and I'm concerned for you. He's not a nice guy most of the time. Maybe the Draco you knew was just-,"

"No! Draco is the nicest most caring guy I have ever met! He's not different!" said Ella. She knew she sounded a bit in denial, but what was she supposed to do? Draco had been the greatest guy she had ever met, next to Viktor. She wasn't going to accept the fact that he was different even if he was. Just then, a girl came into the room that Ella recognized as a fifth year. She was holding her missing sandal.

"This was found at the foot of the staircase. Is it one of yours?" she asked nervously. This was an uncomfortable situation to walk into. Megan turned to Ella, who wiped her tears and stood up.

"Yeah, it's mine," she said in a waterlogged voice. She took it from her hand and began to slip it on her foot. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she grabbed the other sandal. Slowly, she maneuvered the clasp. Straightening herself and moving the hair from her eyes, she looked at Megan, who began laughing.

"Ella honey, I'm sorry but you look dreadful," she said. Ella looked at her and pouted.

"Thanks Meg, you're a real sweetie," she said. Ella couldn't help but smile herself when she saw her reflection in the mirror. "Can you help me out?"

"But of course! Give me a moment," said Megan, grabbing the "Beauty Bible" from the nightstand. She looked up the correct spells and in a matter of seconds Ella was back to her beautiful self. "Ok, now it's my turn," she said, handing the book to Ella. The pages were falling out from all the use it had gotten over the years.

"Hmm... here it is! One second," said Ella as she concentrated on the spell. The silver vapors wrapped themselves around Megan's face and instantly her makeup was fixed and her hair was perfect. Excitedly, she jumped from the bed with a dramatic flourish.

"Well, Ella-my-love? Are you ready to go rock Hogwarts until nothing is left standing?!" she practically screamed. Ella couldn't help but feel excited when Megan was.

"TOTALLY! Let's go get our men!" she said. They linked arms and walked from the room.

~*~*~*~*~

Down in the Common Room, Draco sat in the corner with Glen, Theodore Nott, and Crabbe and Goyle. Someone had managed to sneak in some Firewhiskey and Draco had just taken his first shot. He enjoyed drinking, but it was more nerves now than ever. He waited anxiously for Ella to come down the stairs. Finally, she did.

The room seemed to stop. No noise, no movement other than her gliding down the staircase and into the crowd. He recognized the dress instantly as the one they had purchased in France. He saw the tail of the dragon embroidery sitting neatly on her hip. Its silver head was near her neck. The Japanese style of the dress was a great silhouette on her. The blue of the dress matched her eyes, and the silver heals matched the embroidery and jewels that were at places on the dress as well. Her hair, which she had spent so much time picking out, was pulled onto her head and held in place by Japanese picks. There were a few loose pieces hanging around her face, making it seem like she hadn't spent hours on it.

Megan, on the other hand, was wearing a bohemian-inspired dress. It was teal blue and featured ruffles and an empire-waist. It was made out of a light-weight muslin fabric. It contrasted with her dark skin perfectly. There were many ruffles and trims, but it suited her random personality.

Megan strolled over to Glen, her date for the evening, and took his arm. Ella wasn't sure what to do, so she stood in front of Draco, waiting for him to make the first move. She didn't have to wait long. Draco bowed low and took one of her hands, raised it to his lips, and kissed it gently. She giggled, remembering the first day they had met last summer. He twirled her around and pulled her into his arms.

"You look beautiful tonight, you know," he said in a low voice. She shivered at his touch.

"You don't look so bad yourself, Mr. Malfoy," she said back. They both laughed lightly. She laced her fingers through his. Tonight, any doubts that she had would either be confirmed or proved wrong. Then, Professor Snape came in to announce that the Great Hall was now open. Draco glanced down at her.

"Shall we?" he asked, offering his arm. She took it and nodded and they were off with the rest of the Slytherins to the Great Hall.

~*~*~*~*~

Yes, Ella had taken his breath away from the moment she had walked down the stairs. Yes, he had wanted to snog her face off right there in the Common Room, and yes he did love her. So why did he have such a hard time acting on his feelings? Well, he was Malfoy... pure and simple.

Draco didn't know why he had had such a hard time since Ella had come here. He had fought the urge so many times to just scream that he loved her, tell all of Hogwarts that she was his. Tonight, he wanted to make her feel special and let her know that his love was still there. Since he had seen her come down the stairs, this had been perfectly clear in his mind.

When they reached the doors of the Great Hall, they looked at each other and smiled. They seemed to have done this fifty times tonight. No words could seem to describe the attraction. They found a table at the far corner and sat with Glen and Megan. No one was dancing yet because it was typical for Dumbledore to give some fancy speech before the festivities began. Ella wasn't too fond of this waiting game. She shifted in her chair, wanting to get on the dance floor.

Finally, the old man stood up. Ella liked Dumbledore, even though everyone in Slytherin seemed too loath the old man with a passion. When they had met the first time and Ella had pleaded her case, he had listened patiently. Thanks to him, she was here.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure you all are anxious to get on the dance floor, but please allow an old man his words. Another year and another chance for so much. Please remember that even though this place may feel like a prison at times, it is a home to you. You will always be welcomed back each year with open arms. Please, enjoy this dance," he said as he took his seat. The music started up and Ella grabbed Draco by his robes and pulled him to his feet.

He should have been expecting this. Ella enjoyed dancing more than any girl he had ever been with before. She had talent, that was for sure. In Paris, they had caused quite a stir at the muggle clubs. Ella had always seemed to have guys all over her, but was constantly focused on him. That was another reason he loved her; she was loyal.

The song was fast paced and they danced any way but dignified. Ella was a good girl most days. Now was a time to let her hair down. Besides, what was wrong with a little grind now and then with the love of your life?

When the first song had ended, most of the students were out of breath and walked off the floor. Ella and Draco were two of them.

"That... was... AWESOME!" screamed Ella over the roar of the music. She was already a little out of breath from their first dance. Draco didn't seem too phased by it. They went back to their seat. Megan was sitting by herself.

"Where's Glen?" Ella asked her.

"He went to get some punch," she said. Megan wasn't into fast-dancing. She claimed her hips didn't move the way that is required for that type of thing. Ella sat next to her.

On the other side of the dance floor, Pansy glared at their group. She hadn't managed to find a date. She loathed Ella for even looking at Draco... and making Draco look at her the same way. Draco had never danced with her like that before. It wasn't fair. What does she have that I don't?! Pansy thought to herself. Nose in the air, she walked from the Great Hall. She would get her revenge in due time.

~*~*~*~*~

After nearly an hour, Glen finally returned to the table with punch for everyone. His excuse was that he had run into a few guys from the Quidditch team. Knowing him, it was entirely possible for him to talk about Quidditch for an hour. After harassing him, they drank happily and talked amongst themselves. Naturally, questions were asked about how Ella and Draco had met and they gladly talked about their sweet summer. Glen had a lot of questions for Ella about Viktor Krum. He was a huge fan, after all.

"What's he like? You know, like at school?" he asked, wide eyed. Ella smiled and went on about how he was a normal kid at Durmstrang who partied, flirted, and played Quidditch.

"So you guys were best mates, right?"

"Yeah, we were. Then he had to go off for training with Bulgaria full time so I didn't see much of him anymore. We write each other a few letters a year still," she said. Glen seemed satisfied with that and sat back to talk to Megan. Ella looked at Draco. A slow song started up. Ella bit her lip nervously, waiting for him to ask for a dance. His eyes softened and the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile.

"Ella Stone, may I have this dance?" he asked. Ella smiled, too.

"But of course, Draco," she said, taking his hand. They walked out onto the dance floor. There were a few couples dancing, but not very many. All eyes were on them as they took their place under the center light. Draco placed his hands on her lower back and she draped her arms over his neck. Her head rested just under his chin and she could feel his breath. The music was slow and sensual. Then she felt Draco pull away slowly.

She looked up at him, confused. He was smiling at her again. Ella stroked his cheek tenderly. Slowly, she felt herself be pulled back into him. Their bodies moved together and she felt his lips meet hers. Electricity shot through her body and she forgot that there was anyone else in the room. He heart leapt and she seemed to go numb.

A few people gasped, one screamed, and a there was a rush of whispers through the room. A Malfoy showing affection? Impossible... was this kid on Polyjuice Potion? Love Potion? Some weird potion no one had ever heard of? People really weren't sure.

But the happy couple was blissfully unaware of the whispers. There were only them and a dance floor while the music played slowly in the background. It was Ella who broke their kiss. She had a tear in her eye.

"I love you so much, Draco," she said, hugging him with all her strength. He lifted her off the floor and squeezed her tight.

"I love you too, Ella. With all my heart."

*****