Not So Ridiculous

Chapter 20: Mysteries

A/N: Hey guys over 300 reads! Thanks y'all, and if you like the story let me know here, it'd be great to know I'm not ruining Harry Potter for you guys XD)

Draco's POV

I had to admit that the Halloween ball had been well planned. Although I may have been forced to complete Granger's work, thanks to Blaise, the both of us had finished the decor and gotten out of there with enough time to get ready ourselves. Blaise had me enchant his mask for him; he may have bested me at potions, but when it came to using his wand he was nothing short of pathetic. I admit it may have been a bit complicated, but it seemed that there were only a few of us Slytherins that could complete it.

Speaking of Blaise, I began, where did he go?

I whipped around, but he was nowhere to be found. He was here a bloody second ago.

"What a tosser," I mumbled to myself, probably off snogging a fifth year in a broom closet somewhere.

Oddly specific a guess, perhaps, but it's happened before. He didn't have a date, but I 'spect his reasons were different than mine; of all the girls in our house, most of them had a Death Eater in their family in some way; however, even after these people had been locked away, they still believed in the same rubbish. Blaise never talked about his family much, but I knew well enough they were supporters of You-Know-Who.

The same went for Pansy; she never voiced her opinions much, but she hadn't seemed to change at all, either. She was still as desperate and clingy as ever but as much as she continued to flirt, I... suppose I accepted her as a friend. Never repeat that out loud, I told myself, smirking.

Except, now that Blaise was gone, I was alone. I knew no one would bother me because no one could say who I was, but that was both a blessing and a curse. I decided that I should get something to drink to keep me busy; I was sure that one of the drinks had been spiked; we Slytherins do that every time, and I could definitely use it.

Bloody hell, I thought as I made my way through the crowd around the dance floor, this is barmy. I couldn't recognize anyone, which set me on an edge. If Blaise hadn't run his big mouth about the Identity charm we found to anyone who'd listen, we could be the only ones who knew about it.

In time, I couldn't but notice an older man standing in the corner of the hall, near the door. The hell? I thought, until I noticed there was a second one standing somewhat behind a few of the professors, near a window, but this one was a young woman. Aurors, I thought immediately, looks like McGonagall was serious about the extra security.

I thought back to that meeting in her office and immediately frowned. When Weasel was under the impression that those Eaters would come and recruit me, I would have punched him right there if the Headmistress wouldn't have been a meter away. This year I distanced myself from the other Slytherins (although it didn't take much to do it), rejected the old ways and contacts from captured Death Eaters, and I wanted nothing to do with them; but the worst part was, by now, they must've known all that.

The Aurors watching over us like a bunch of bloody hawks only reminded me of all that, which was another reason why I didn't want them around. I wasn't afraid of my former allies, I had told Granger the truth; and even though I wasn't sure I could handle them alone if they came around again, I certainly didn't want the help of anyone else.

I remembered Blaise going on about keeping a bit of firewhiskey in the pocket of his dress robe; I thought he was joking at the time, but now I regretted not making that choice myself. I looked up and down the rather large table of refreshments for a second, but didn't have time to choose one as my attention was soon directed elsewhere.