Her entire life had been a lie. Her friends. Her family. Her house. Her looks. Everything.
Hermione has returned home before fourth year to find her parents sitting in the living room with another set of adults and a boy she knows from school-Blaise...
It's close to Christmas, and I'm in my dorm finishing getting ready when an owl swoops in. I recognize it as Salazar, my dad's owl. He has a letter attatched to his leg. I take it off, give Salazar a pat, and sit down on my bed to read. Oh my Merlin. It says:
Dear Ariana,
How is school, darling? How are your brothers? (Emery was sorted into Slytherin, just like me and Blaise.) We wanted to tell you that we will be hosting a ball at Christmas. It is tradition in pureblood society to introduce our children when they turn eleven. As you, Kayla Malfoy, and Nathaniel and Lydia Nott were not raised in your true families, we, along with the Malfoys and the Notts, decided that it would be prudent to introduce the four of you while you were home for Christmas. There will be a gown waiting at home for you. Make sure that your friends know about the ball, as they are all invited. We will be hosting it at our home. See you soon, darling! Lottie misses the three of you and is excited to see you.
Much love,
Mum, Dad, and Lottie
A ball? Where I'll be introduced to basically the whole world? No thanks. I know that my family, as well as the Malfoys and the Notts, know witches and wizards from all over the world. The thought of a party like that makes me shudder. I pull on my outfit for the day-a green blouse, black denim shorts, combat boots, a black purse, and gold jewellery. I put my hair in a messy bun and secure it with a green scrunchie. Thank goodness for being able to wear whatever we want on the weekends.
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Ariana's Outfit ^^^
After putting my clothes on, I head downstairs. My friends are all sitting on some of the couches in the common room. They grin at me and wave me over. I'm still clutching the letter. "Sit down, Ari. Why do you look so nervous?" Nate asks. I grimace. "I got a letter," I say. "Basically, my parents, the Malfoys, and the Notts are going to be hosting a Christmas ball together. They're planning on introducing me, Kayla, Lydia, and Nate at said ball. So yeahhhh...I have good reason to look nervous, considering we're going home two days from now."
Theo's POV
A ball? Poor Ari, Kayla, Lyd, and Nate. I remember my eleventh year ball. It was completely nervewracking. What seemed like a thousand pairs of eyes upon me. And with three families, there will be three times as many people. A sudden thought strikes me. I can ask Ari if she'd let me escort her to the ball! Something tells me that Draco is likely thinking the same thing. This means that I have to ask her first. But before I do that, I have to ask Blaise.
Blaise's POV
Onthe way down to breakfast, Theo and Draco fall into step with me. Theo speaks first. "Blaise, would you mind if I...uh...asked Ari if I could escorthertotheball?" Obviously scared, he rushes through the last bit. Draco glares at him. "No way, mate! I'm going to ask her...with your permission of course, Blaise." The final part of his sentence is obviously an afterthought. I look at them. "You can both ask her, but Ari gets the final say on who can escort her. This means no duelling to win her favor, no angry fistfights, no embarassing pranks...unless you're venting your anger by pranking Weasel and Potter. Then it's perfectly fine."
Draco's POV
Just outside of the Great Hall, I gently grab Ariana's elbow. "Can I ask you something, Ari?" I say. She nods. "Sure, Drake. Go for it." I blush. No! I curse inwardly. Stop blushing! Malfoys DO NOT blush! "Ariana, would you do me the honor of allowing me to escort you to the Christmas ball?" The words don't come from my mouth, but Theo's. I glare at him. "Ari, I would like to ask you to go with me as well," I say, still glaring at Theo. Ari is biting her lip. "Calm down, guys! This is MY decision to make, remember?" she says scoldingly. Theo and I look down at our feet. She sighs. "The one that will be escorting me to the ball is..."
Astoria's POV
Ariana and Theo walk into the Great Hall for breakfast-hand in hand. The other girls and I all smirk at Ari, and she grins back. Draco is lagging behind, looking a bit disappointed. Ari sits down and Pansy turns to her. "So, Ari, tell us everything."
*EARLIER* (THIRD PERSON POV)
Ariana sighed. "The one that will be escorting me to the ball is...Theo." Both boys looked shocked. Ariana sighed again. "Drake, you're a great guy, but I would just feel more comfortable with Theo. It's nothing against you, just, you know, our history. I know we're rewriting it, but sometimes..." Draco finished for her. "The memories are overwhelming. It's fine, Zabini. I get it." Ariana turned to Theo to find him beaming at her. She smiled back. Theo gently took her hand and the two went in to breakfast.
PRESENT TIME (STILL THIRD PERSON POV)
Two days later, the dozen Slytherins boarded the Hogwarts Express that was bound for King's Cross. On Platform 9 3/4, Ariana and Blaise embraced their parents as Kayla, Lydia, and Nathaniel met theirs for the first time in years. All was right in their small world, if only for the moment. Christmas, however, was fast approaching and in a matter of days the four new Slytherins would be introduced to the world-a nervewracking thought they weren't soon to forget.
Hey guys! Sorry for not updating recently! I did edit a few small mistakes in previous chapters, so that's fixed now. The next chapter will be the ball, and definitely some theomione! So be looking for that to come out eventually. I make no promises on the next update day, but hopefully it will come soon. I have my county spelling bee tomorrow, and I'm kinda nervous. WIsh me luck! Word count for this chapter was about 1000 words. Bye for now, and don't forget to vote, comment, and follow!
