Madame Josephine's Love Calculator

The Great Hall chattered loudly without Draco's participation. He glumly ate his food barely looking up at Pansy and Blaise who were parked beside him and trying to include him in their conversation on who was the best looking guy in Seventh Year.

"I must admit that Draco is the best looking guy in Slytherin," cooed Pansy waiting for Draco's reaction. He made no abrupt gestures to show that he cared at Pansy's remark.

"What about me?" asked Malcolm Baddock who was the seated on Draco's other side.

"What about you?" questioned Blaise, her dark green eyes in Malcolm's direction.

"In which place am I?" he asked.

"You're not even on the list, Baddock!" snapped Blaise as Malcolm glared at her.

Blaise was the type of girl that if she had to be sorted in a Thesaurus, she'd be under the category of Cruel. Sure she was attractive with her silk-like black hair, fair skin and green eyes. They were the same color as Harry's but they seemed darker. Maybe because they didn't have that nice, warm, twinkling feeling, it made them seem darker than they really were.

Despite from her great looks, Blaise's personality was as beautiful as a rotten apple. Despicable and disgusting. Most people were scared of her since she acted like a Demon most of the time trying to amuse the boys and jealous the girls. Though Draco found it quite ridiculous.

Draco rolled his eyes at Malcolm as Blaise and Pansy continued their conversation. Malcolm smirked back. Even though it sometimes seemed that Malcolm despised Blaise, Draco secretly knew that he fancied her.

He saw how Malcolm looked at her in the Common Room, how he was always trying to boast himself and slip kind remarks towards Blaise, complimenting on what she was wearing or how she put her hair up.

Draco was not the kind to spit out anything that was ticking in his mind. He chose his words carefully and observed the surroundings around him. He liked keeping his inner secrets inside. Though he didn't have much of a choice.

There was no one in his life that he could confide in. Crabbe and Goyle were as dumb witted as 2 year olds and Pansy and Blaise just love spreading the secrets out and not in. even if the world was crumbling down on him would he ever go to his father.

"That is so childish of you, Draco; you're a disgrace to me."

The ignorant voice of his father rang in his mind. How much times he had heard him say those words.

"Draco, cut it out!"

Draco blinked and saw Malcolm waving his hand in front of his face.

"Oh shove off, Baddock," groaned Draco as he pushed Malcolm's hand away from him.

"Finally you're back to reality!" replied Malcolm. "I'm trying to tell you that Dumbledore's making an announcement."

Draco looked up at the teacher's table to see Dumbledore standing up, clapping his hands together to grasp the attention of the room.

"Thank you!" began Dumbledore, his rich blue eyes twinkling on his students. "I have exciting news to tell you and I think you'll be quite pleased."

The Great Hall was then filled with suspicious whispers and Dumbledore raised his hand and the whispering stopped immediately.

"We have had many extra-curricular activities here at Hogwarts," he continued. "The Yule Ball, the Triwizard Tournament and many more. Though there has never been a Masquerade Ball here yet."

There was an excited buzz passing through the Hall after Dumbledore finished speaking. He waited a moment before it quieted down again.

"A Masquerade Ball will occur here at Hogwarts for the first time for Year Five, Six and Seven," announced Dumbledore. "Here is how it will work. Each person will have to acquire costumed robes and a mask of course. You may ask someone to accompany you to the Masquerade Ball but upon entering you will immediately be switching partners over and over again so that you will not know who your partner is. At the stroke of midnight you will remove your mask to your mystery partner. This Ball is basically a dancing party so I must warn you all to be pretty good dancers. Other than that, it is for fun so I trust you all to have fun."

The Great Hall was stock-still for a bit a minute before it exploded into noise.

"Wicked!" cried out Ron. "Best thing so far this year, apart from Quidditch!"

"I suppose it'll be interesting," said Hermione slowly. "Plus it'll help us practice our dancing and social skills!"

"Yes, yes, yes all of that," replied Ron rudely as Hermione frowned. "Now are you going to go with me to the ball?"

"You've got to be kidding me, right?" said Hermione as she looked at Ron with one of her looks. Ron just shrugged. "After the way you just spoke to me? No way Ronald Weasley! Not until you truly apologize to me will I go to the Masquerade Ball with you!"

"But Hermione you know I was only joking!" tried Ron as Hermione turned away from him. "Fine! Be that way!"

There was a silence between both of them before Ron finally gave up.

"Oh Hermione, I'm sorry!" Ron said in a childish matter.

Hermione gave a Harry an expression as if saying: "It always works."

"All right I will go to the Masquerade Ball with you!" she replied grinning.

Ron smiled and turned to Harry.

"So, Harry, any knowledge on who you will be taking to the Ball?" he asked his friend.

"Err," squirmed Harry nervously. "No..."

"Well you should really ask someone soon!" advised Ron. "Remember in Fourth Year? We got stuck taking the Patil Twins and what a bloody night it turned out to be."

At the very moment Ron finished speaking, Parvati turned around from where she was talking to Lavender Brown and said furiously, "For your information Ron Weasley! My sister and I had no intentions on going with you two again! You guys were simply a last resource that year."

"LAST RESOURCE!?" cried Ron. "You were thrilled when Harry asked you! Don't go saying we were last resource! YOU WERE LAST RESOURCE!"

Harry sensed a storm brewing up between the two flaming Gryffindors. He slapped Ron on the back and cheerfully said, "Well Parvati don't worry I won't be asking you again this year and Ron, I can find a date for myself alone." He laughed a fake laughter making both Ron and Parvati glare at him.

He turned to face Ginny and Hermione, hiding from Parvati and Ron.

"So, Ginny, you going with Neville again?" he asked.

She seemed startled at the question.

"Oh no, Harry," she replied quickly. "I would like to go with someone else this year and plus I think Neville just asked some girl who's Fifth Year."

"Well then is there any chance I could take you to the Yule Ball?" came his question uneasily as he blushed.

Ginny blinked and paused after hearing what he had just said. Go to the Masquerade Ball with Harry? So long had she wanted to hear him say something like that to her. If she had been the Ginny she was month ago, she would've have agreed with no exceptions.

But now she could not find it in her to say yes to the boy.

"Harry, I'm really sorry but I'm already going with er- someone else," she replied turning away from him.

"But Dumbledore just announced the news like two minutes ago," stammered Harry. "How could you already be taken?"

"This is the Twentieth Century; it's possible that a girl can ask a boy out," she answered with a tinge of annoyance in her voice.

"Okay then," was all he said in a very quiet matter.

Secretly, Ginny felt horrible about how she had responded to the poor boy. Harry had always been so kind to her, even saving her life against the dark clutches of Tom Riddle. How could she answer him so cruelly?

Before Ginny could answer Harry, he had already turned to Lavender Brown and was asking her to the Ball. She giggled and accepted, ignoring her friend's negative glances.

"So much for that," thought Ginny glumly as she continued eating her food that had now gone cold in the time that she had spent listening and talking. She miserably pushed her food aside and sighed.

Hermione seemed to be paying close attention to her and she quickly cocked her head towards Ginny and said, "So who's the mystery guy you're taking?"

"You'll see when I get there with him," was all Ginny answered. How could she tell Hermione that she was asking some boy she had met on the Internet and she didn't even know herself, who he was?

"That'll be impossible!" remarked Hermione attentively. "Everyone will be wearing masks."

"Then I'll tell you at the end of the night if you don't figure out who he is," replied Ginny.

"How could I figure out who he is when you'll be switching partners every ten minutes?"

Ginny had not thought of that.

"Well we're planning to get together again at midnight if we're separated."

"Okay then. I hope it works."

Ginny was beginning to feel irritated by Hermione's questions and how what could and could not work out for her.

"I'm stuffed," lied Ginny as she stood up. "I have to get going on that horrible essay that Professor Snape gave us to do."

"See you and if you need any help just ask me," replied Hermione.

"Right."

***

After finishing his meal and listening to Dumbledore's announcement, there was nothing else for Draco to do at the Slytherin Table except listen to Pansy and Blaises' arrogant talking.

He sighed as he stood up and left without saying anything. He quickly glanced at the Gryffindor Table to see that Ginny was gone.

"Where could she had gone to now?" thought Draco quizzically for about two seconds before he shook his head viciously. "Stop thinking about her. Stop thinking about her. STOP THINKING ABOUT HER!"

He still couldn't shake off the idea that Ginny was the girl he had gone on dates with, that girl he had thought about at night, the girl had kissed!

"How could I have been so stupid?" thought Draco now angry. "A Malfoy falling for a Weasley?"

Draco had been so caught up in his thoughts that he had not realized that his feet had automatically carried him to the Slytherin porthole.

"Duck Tape," he drawled as he entered the Green and Silver colored Common Room. "Well, well what do we have here?"

Sprawled in two large green armchairs with cold cloths over their bumpy foreheads were none other than Crabbe and Goyle.

"Draomleco," mumbled Crabbe as Goyle grunted.

"What, did the little game make you more thick than you already were you stupid gits?" smirked Draco at his two so-called friends as they grunted again. "Oh please, you both sound like distressed gorillas."

Draco left them down in the Common Room as he climbed the stairs to his room that he shared with them, Malcolm and John Nott.

The glowing screen of his laptop caught his attention and he realized that he had left it open.

He jumped on his bed and looked at the screen to see that someone had written to him.

witch_ginger19: Hey!

Draco yelled as he fell off his bed. He stayed on the ground for about five minutes before peeking back up again and looking at the screen hoping he had just imagined the whole thing.

To his disappointment, it was still there. He slowly stood up and backed away from his bed and the computer.

"What the bloody hell am I going to do now?" cried Draco out loud to himself.

"You stupid git," said an irritated voice inside his head. "Just answer the message!"

Draco sighed and sat on his bed and typed a response to the previous message.

Hot_Dragon24: Hi

witch_ginger19: How are you?

Draco focused on the question for a moment and began thinking. How was he? There were many feelings fluttering inside him like butterflies but fine wasn't one of them.

Hot_Dragon24: I'm fine and you?

witch_ginger19: Great! I can't wait for the Masquerade Ball! Have you asked anyone yet?"

It was no use lying anymore. Draco decided just to let loose and answer truthfully.

Hot_Dragon24: No I haven't. Has anyone asked you yet?

witch_ginger19: Yes but I turned him down because I had someone else in mind.

Hot_Dragon24: Who?

witch_ginger19: You!

Draco nearly fell off his bed once again. Ginny Weasley wanting to go to the Masquerade Ball with him... Draco Malfoy? Of course she didn't know who he truly was, he reminded himself...

Hot_Dragon24: But, you don't even know me! How could you want to go with me if we don't even know each other and we'll be switching partners all the time?

witch_ginger19: That was a problem but then I thought up something! We meet at the Old Knight's Statue outside the Great Hall, and before the stroke of midnight, maybe two minutes before that, we'll meet again at the Statue and go back inside and unveil our masks to see who we are! It'll be a perfect way of knowing our true identities!

Hot_Dragon24: You've certainly thought that up all nice and perfect. What if I'm someone that you despise? It won't end happily ever after now shall it?

witch_ginger19: Whoever you are, you can't be as horrible as that idiotic git Draco Malfoy!

"AN IDIOTIC GIT?!" thought Draco angrily before he calmed himself again and continued typing.

Hot_Dragon24: Right, but even though Malfoy can be an idiot sometimes, he really isn't that bad.

Ginny thought about what the boy had just said and remembered when Draco had saved her life.

witch_ginger19: I suppose you're right... Anyways will you agree to go to the Ball with me and go along with my plan?

Draco knew he would regret this, as he sighed and sent in his answer.

Hot_Dragon24: Yes I'll go with you.

witch_ginger19: Great! Now if there is a crowd near the statue, you can recognize me by my robes and mask. They will be green and gold.

Hot_Dragon24: All right, say would you be interested on going on a date with me again?

Draco couldn't believe what he had just written to Ginny.

witch_ginger19: Right now?

Hot_Dragon24: Yes unless you have other plans...

witch_ginger19: No, no of course not! Lets do it! Oh and pick a place to go now since I picked the last place we went.

Hot_Dragon24: Ok, here we go!