Somewhere I Belong

I lose my step
I lose my ground
I lose my self
When you're around
I'm holding on for my life
To keep from drowning in your eyes
what have you done to me
To make me fall so desperately
To think that I don't even know my name
No, no
How am I supposed to live
If I can't get over this
You decide you don't feel the same
- "Fallen" by 'N SYNC

Alex looked around, trying to find familiar face in the crowd of masks and disguises. She noticed someone looking at her, and slowly coming toward her. They looked a bit sinister, but she decided to just look away. Eventually the person was standing right beside her. Chills were running up and down her spine. She didn't like not knowing who they were and why they were there. She looked up and she noted that the person was a boy, tall, and completely unknown to her. He was wearing long black robes, and a black hat. The mask was quite eerie, and she noticed the eyes looking out, staring right at her. She swallowed and decided to speak up.

"Are you looking for someone?" she asked, not being able to hear herself over the music and the commotion.

The boy shook his head and asked, "What are you doing here all alone?"

"I'm waiting for someone," she lied, not wanting to seem strange. He didn't respond, but held his hand out, waiting for her to accept it. It took her a few moments to grasp what was happening at that moment, but she accepted it. He guided her to an open area and they danced. He watched her, and tried to figure out who she was. She didn't look familiar, but there was something about her. The song ended, and she was about to retreat to her seat when he stopped her.

"Don't you like to dance?" he asked. She nodded, not wanting to voice her answer and continued to dance with this person. Pansy watched Draco and some other girl dance and she grew angry. She wanted to dance now, and she became bored of being disregarded. She decided she would do the same. She headed out into the crowd and she looked for someone to dance with.

Alex found that she was having a very good time after all. She was dancing with someone she didn't know, but she didn't care. She rather liked it. Draco's boredom went away with the beat of the music, and the swarm of people dancing around him. He couldn't help but wonder who she was, but he would see at midnight, so he didn't care. He just hoped she wouldn't be upset with who he was. He slowly forgot all about Alex. He had to admit though, this girl's eyes were similar to Alex's. He shook the thought out of his head, remembering that she would never go to a ball.

Harry, Hermione and Ron were having a pretty good time. Lavender danced with Harry to most every song. Ron and Hermione were having a little argument about the Yule Ball two years earlier, but it didn't interfere with their time.

"Well it's a yes or no question. Am I a better dancer than Krum?" Ron asked.

"Oh, will you please just drop it? It was two years ago!" Hermione said. Ron rolled his eyes, and continued to dance.

The clock read eleven fifty seven. Alex looked at it nervously. She knew everyone unmasked at midnight, but she didn't think she wanted to. She knew she could just stay, but her fear took over her, and she stopped dancing. He person she'd been dancing with practically all night stopped too.

"What's wrong?" he said as loud as he could over the crowd.

"I uh...I have to go," she said disappearing into the crowd before he could respond. He was distracted because the unmasking was beginning. The clock struck midnight, and everyone unmasked. Draco's eyes searched the hall, but he just couldn't find her. He walked through the doors of the hall, and saw her recede outside. He followed after her, leaving his mask on a table in the hall. He soon found her, but she was still wearing her mask .

"You know, it's not polite to run away from people. I thought you were going to unmask like everyone else," Draco said approaching the girl. She jumped back startled and amazed at the same time.

"It's you," she said staring right at him.

"What do you mean?" he asked. He was getting curious as to who she was, and what her problem was. She took off her mask and looked up. Draco stared, unable to speak or blink.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, thinking it had been a joke.

"Same as you, dancing. I just didn't want everyone to know who I was. I didn't expect you to come looking for me!" she said loudly.

"Well, I didn't expect you to be here," Draco said just as loud.

"Why? Because I'm invisible?" she asked getting upset.

"No, I didn't say that," he said defensively.

"You don't have to," she said heading back toward the school, the last song playing.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"To bed. What's it to you?" she shouted.

"Well I wanted to know if we could have one last dance," Draco said, stepping towards her. She waited for him to smirk or laugh or anything, but he was completely serious. She walked back toward him skeptically. He opened his arms, and she stepped forward. Her face flushed red with awkwardness. She liked it better when she didn't know him, and vice versa. Draco could feel her uneasiness as she danced with him. He stepped closer to her making her tense. It was quiet, and the music pulsed inside the school. She had begun to relax, feeling less self-conscious, but neither of them spoke. They were interrupted in their dance by a voice.

"Draco, there you are. I've been looking everywhere for you," Pansy said. Draco and Alex jumped apart, and stood awkwardly. They knew that Pansy had caught them dancing. Pansy walked up to Draco and kissed him, smiling evilly against his mouth. Her eyes then traveled over Alex, making her feel uncomfortable, and insignificant.

Pansy spoke again, humor and sarcasm dripping from her words, "Well Draco, you said you were bored, but I didn't know you were that bored." Alex stood frozen. When she was finally able to move, she looked disgustedly at Draco, and took off toward the school.

Pansy wrapped her arms around Draco and said, "It's not like you to do charity work." Draco pushed her away harshly and ran after Alex but by the time he got there, she was nowhere to be found.