The Hollow Beneath Hogwarts

99. The Way We Were

The ballroom seemed to disappear around them.

The music still played. People still danced. Laughter still echoed beneath the enchanted ceiling.

Yet none of it seemed to matter.

Not when Draco's hand rested securely against the small of Sloane's back. Not when her hand fit so perfectly in his. Not when he looked at her the way he was looking at her now.

Sloane had danced before.

School dances.

Formal dinners.

Charity events with her parents.

Ministry functions with Kingsley.

She had spent years being dragged around dance floors by various family friends and polite young men whose names she could barely remember.

Yet she had never felt like this.

Never.

Dancing with Draco felt effortless. Like breathing. Like they had been doing it their entire lives. He guided her around the ballroom with a confidence that bordered on unfair.

Every turn was smooth.

Every step perfectly timed.

Every movement seemed instinctive.

At one point he spun her beneath his arm and she barely even realised she'd moved until she found herself back in his embrace again.

The annoying thing was...

He wasn't even showing off. Draco genuinely made it look that easy.

Sloane couldn't help smiling.

The orchestra drifted through the hall around them as they moved together. The lights overhead sparkled like stars. The polished floor reflected the dancers. And somewhere between one song and the next, Sloane found herself drifting away into her own thoughts.

Not sad thoughts.

Happy ones.

Future thoughts. Dangerous thoughts. The sort of thoughts that made your heart race because they felt so real.

She imagined graduation.

Leaving Hogwarts behind. Packing their things. Travelling. Showing Draco all the places that mattered.

The tiny coffee shop in Nevada where her father used to bring her for hot chocolate. The old hiking trail near Nashville. The lake where she and Sawyer had spent entire summers trying to catch fish and failing miserably.

New Orleans. Los Angeles. St Louis. Every place she'd ever called home. Every place she'd ever loved.

She wanted to show him everything.

The good memories. The painful ones. All of it.

Because somehow those places didn't feel complete anymore unless he was there too.

"I'm sorry if she ruined your night."

Sloane blinked.

The ballroom suddenly came back into focus.

Draco dipped her backwards effortlessly before pulling her upright again and spinning her into his arms.

His expression was apologetic. Almost guilty.

"Sorry?" She laughed softly. "I was miles away there."

Draco studied her carefully. That only made him more concerned. "Everything alright?"