HOW TO BE A HEARTBREAKER | draco malfoy ✔️

29. the graduation ball

HOW TO BE A HEARTBREAKER

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

When the graduation ball finally rolled around a few days later, Rowan was relieved. Daphne would not stop crying about how Pansy had bought a dress in the exact same shade as hers, despite telling all of the other girls that they were forbidden from dark green dresses at the start of the year. Rowan was just thankful that she wasn't Pansy, who'd had to deal with snide remarks no matter where they were in the castle, or what they were doing for the last week.

Once she had finished her makeup and hair, she slipped her dress on. Her black ball gown dress ebbed outwards in layers of dark tulle, hugging at her waist where on her top half was a black mesh strapless corset with darker panels going up the length of it. Around her neck sat the necklace that Draco had bought her for her eighteenth birthday, and she wore black gloves that reached her elbows. She felt powerful.

"Fucking hell, Yaxley," Pansy whistled, "Malfoy is one lucky bastard."

Rowan grinned widely and embraced her best friend, being careful of both of their large skirts. "As is Nancy, Parkinson. So, so lucky."

Pansy's dress was much more stunning than Daphne's, in Rowan's opinion. Whilst Daphne had gone for a sort of bejewelled fishtail look that, in her defence, definitely accentuated her curves, Pansy had opted for a stunning ball gown in the same shade of dark green. Her plunged neckline was rather distracting, beaded and beautiful, and her black bob sat around her jaw, her crimson lip nearly matching Rowan's shade.

"Let's just agree we will both be the best dressed there," Pansy whispered to her, the two girls smiling as they glanced over at Daphne who was nearly screaming at Millicent for teasing her hair with the comb too much.

"Deal," Rowan said, and then a moment later, "I'm nervous."

Pansy furrowed her eyebrows. "Why?"

"I just am!" Rowan exclaimed, "I want this to go perfectly. Tonight is one of the biggest of our lives."

"I am sure it will be very memorable," Pansy said, "I mean, look at those three. I bet you ten Galleons that they'll end up in some sort of argument before the night is over."

Rowan snickered. "I'm not stupid. I don't want to lose ten Galleons tonight, thank you very much."

Her heart was pounding when she and Pansy stood at the top of the staircase that led them down to the foyer before the Great Hall where the graduation ball was taking place. Students were everywhere from their year group, including a few from other years that had been invited as dates. Rowan first spotted Blaise and Luna halfway down the staircase, Luna in a rather peculiar dress, and they were kissing as if the world was about to end.

Then, like magnets, their eyes were drawn to one another.

His silver eyes burned into hers and glanced her dress up and down slowly, taking his time. Draco stood at the bottom of the staircase, Theo to his side standing next to a very giddy-looking Tracey. Draco pursed his lips. Rowan found herself breathless at the sight of him— clad in a black suit, his hair neater than it had been over the last few weeks.

He was beautiful.

Pansy squealed from next to Rowan, a shrill sound that nearly had her cringing away. Rowan saw out of the corner of her eye as Pansy raced to where her girlfriend was, the two meeting on the middle of the staircase and embracing happily.

Rowan exhaled and began to walk down the stairs, holding her dress so she wouldn't step on the skirt. She watched her step, her eyes flickering to Draco as she reached him at the bottom. He moved up one, and held his hand out. Rowan grasped it, smiling sheepishly as he guided her down the last few.