~Accidentally on Purpose!~

~24~ ~MISS RIGHT ~

Don't worry. I don't own anything. It is the world of JK Rowling. We are just living in it ;) And none of the art except the cover page belongs to me. HAPPY READING!

Draco took another round of the hall, just in case he had missed her but the lingering doubt of her eloping was eating his brain up. She just seemed conspicuously absent.

Just as he was fawking over all the current inhabitants of the room, he came across Natasha who was visibly brooding and sat in a corner seat with hands in her lap and her head bent down, almost shamefully. Guilt coursed in his vein at the speed of a bullet train and he took his steps towards her.

He called out her name and she smiled at him uncomfortably. The tension was unavoidable and Draco knew she was not a stupid girl who was unable to catch up on things unlike some red-headed weasels, and one of them was walking towards them very aggressively.

"Malfoy, where is Hermione?"

"Good evening to you too, Weasley. I don't know where she is. I am not her guardian. It should be me asking you about her whereabouts. Please excuse us, Ms. Petrova."

She passed a smile again at him and greeted Ron with a small nod of her head and he stormed off, thankfully.

"I am sorry, Draco but I couldn't help but notice that you're looking for her."

For a reply, Draco did not say anything. He only glanced at her guiltily when she continued.

"Perhaps we should talk."

"Yes."

He took her one hand in his own and guided her to the dance floor where a slight melody on violins was playing and other couples were simply swaying to the song. He cast a Muffiliato charm around them and lead her in the dance.

They looked at fit as the perfect couple but it was almost too perfect to be real.

"I get the sense that the thing between us may not be what we first imagined."

"As much as I truly convince myself otherwise, I think you're right."

"Please don't misunderstand. You're a wonderful man. We have so much in common." She said and abruptly came to a halt.

"As friends", he finished for her.

She smiled and repeated, "As friends."

"Because we're missing that one key ingredient." She forwarded her arm and in her palm sat a velvety box that made him furrow his eyebrows.

He took the box and opened it to reveal the brooch he had previously seen on Natasha's dress.

"I think you should keep it." She was saying but he could not hear anything but his heart beating loudly and his ragged breaths.

"It can remind you that when you meet that special someone, never let her go."

Natasha took a step further, brushed her lips with his cheeks, and went out the door without a single word or even looking back.

Her exit was complemented by the entry of Narcissa, the host of the party. Every eye was on the enigmatic woman before them who was first known as the wife of Lucius Malfoy, then the mother whose love for her son saved Harry Potter and the wizarding world from the clutches of a dark wizard, and now, she was Draco Malfoy's proud mother and her self who had proved that purity and love lie deep within every individual.

She took her rightful place beside her son at the epicenter of the room and everyone's attention and began her speech.

"This year marks the 10th anniversary of the War of Hogwarts where we all lost family, friends, and loved ones. But the world lost a horrible influence and leader and his wrath on our world. But we all earned something, we learned lessons for life and the meaning of true happiness and love. At this juncture, I believe everyone here is proud of themselves and their decisions as I am of mine to repent my, our decisions and vow to make this world a better place to live in."