midnight of the masquerade | d. malfoy

eight ; spells and declaration to find love

I wake up days after the Masquerade, my eyelids open slightly-then all at once.

My eyes take in the dim autumn light peeking through the curtains. I wasn't on my bed, or in the Slytherin common room either;I was in the hospital wing. I didn't have my dress on, but I was able to spot it on a hook at the other end of the room, behind a wall.

Madame Pomfrey quickly rushed over to me, in realization that I was awake and rushed over to me with medicine.

"How are you feeling, dear?" She asks handing me the medicine which I drank in a gulp.

"I'm a bit better," I say, though I wasn't even sure.

"Well I suggest you stay here one more night and then you can go," Pomfrey was about to scurry off but then I realized one extremely important thing.

"Wait!" And so she stops and looks at me, I cough as I know I might've said it too loud, "What happened after I blacked out? Does everyone know that-"

"No no no Ms. Blanchard," she started, shaking her head. "Professor McGonagall was able to put everyone under the Forgetting curse. All your classmates should know is that the dance ended early and that you were hurt the day after." She says it so confidently that it reassures me.

I lay back down and pat my forehead with my hand, I was frightened to find that on my head was a bandage. Also along my arms and my legs.

What the hell happened to me?

***

Draco

"Mate, I can't stop thinking about her," I say to my roommates Blaise Zabini and Marcus Flint.

After the dance ended early, I couldn't forget about that one girl I danced with. Although I couldn't make out her face, I knew she was gorgeous.

"It's weird, though, I barely remember being separated from her."

"You're always the lucky one Malfoy; had some ballet lessons as a kid?" Zabino jokes at me, making Flint laugh as well before it died off.

"What's ballet?" Flint asks, realizing he had about no idea what he was laughing about.

We both snort at him, Zabini more than myself. As the sounds around me go silent, I begin thinking about her again.

The question was, however:
Who was she?

***

A day goes by and I wake up early as always, so I decide to head down to the common room.

The portrait opens to reveal a bandaged and slightly bruised Blanchard. She doesn't see me on the stairs when suddenly she falls on her knees.

With no hesitation, and almost instinctively, I rushed down to her aid.

"Thanks-" she says, gripping onto her left arm which was wrapped.

She stops her sentence when she looks up to find me. She then backs away and continues, "Malfoy..."

"You look horrible." I say, practically snapping at her.

A tear slips from her right eye as she turns away from me and starts for the stairs. Judging from the tremble of her mouth, it wasn't my insult that had caused it, but rather my mention of what possibly could've happened to her.

"Blanchard-"

"Save it Malfoy." She says still not looking at me.

I watch her climb up the stairs in pain, I sigh with one arm extended in the air as if I wished she came back.

You're stupid.

Once again, the voice was correct.

***

"I've decided to find her." I say at the doorway of my room.

Zabini and Flint came up to me at the same time and grinned.

"We'll help." They say, Flint pats me on the back leading me back into the room.

Before I know it, we're coming up with a plan. Have I become soft? Not entirely. Am I in love? Sort of.