yule ball

first dance

Harry and Draco looked at each other, each with an utterly mortified expression.

"Not that I meant couple - couple-" Harry stuttered out, "But dance couple- I mean partners-" They stared at each other for a few moments before bursting out laughing.

Harry choked out between giggles, "I'm sorry, I wasn't... thinking."

Once Draco had finished laughing, he replied, "No, it's fine."

Before he could think of something else to say- it was beginning to get quite awkward- Dumbledore stood, and the Hall quited.

"Please stand," Dumbledore gestured for the students to rise. There was a rustling as everyone stood, and then, with a flick of his wand, the tables and chairs moved against the wall, clearing the floor.

Everyone began to applaud, and some whistles punctuated the air as a band took to the stage. Draco squinted, trying to figure out who the band was. (he had been much too busy with all this Harry business to keep up with the gossip) When the lights lit up the players faces, Draco turned to Harry. Without thinking, he grabbed his arm in excitement.

"Harry, it's the Weird Sisters!" He looked up at them with wide eyes. His favorite band, right before his eyes.

"The who?" Harry narrowed his eyes at the band, but when he looked back at Draco, he shrugged. "Never heard of them."

"You've never heard of the Weird Sisters?" Draco shook his head in mock disappointment. "I've got a lot to teach you."

When Draco turned back to get another look, he realized that the whole school was looking at him.

Harry grabbed his hand, pulling him down to the makeshift dance floor. "C'mon," He hissed, "We've got to dance."

For one brief, blissful moment, Draco had almost forgot.

Once he and Harry reached the other champions, the Weird Sisters had already begun playing a slow tune. When Draco looked around, the other champions had already started dancing. He could practically see Pansy's smug smirk out of the corner of his eyes.

There was a short, uncomfortable moment where they both tried to put their hands on each others waist, then on the other's shoulders, but Draco decided that since he was taller, just by an inch or two, he would put his hands on Potter's waist.

It was purely practicality.

Normally, during these functions, (his father had held a few at the manor) Draco would try to melt into the crowd. There was no doing that, as there were only six other people dancing at the moment, and they were by far the most talked about couple.

Not that they were a couple. They absolutely weren't, Draco told himself as he looked into Harry's eyes, wondering how he had never noticed the small bits of gold that shone brightly in them.

After a few seconds of being much too tense, Draco somewhat relaxed into it. This was his best dancing he had ever done, and it was with Potter. He could imagine his father's-

No. Draco had been doing his best to avoid thinking of his father throughout the week, and he was not going to let him ruin the surprisingly good time he was having.

"This isn't so bad." Harry murmured.

"Wow, you really expected the worst, Po- Harry."

Harry gave him a glance.

"I'm still working on it, okay?"

"Fine." Harry rolled his eyes playfully. Draco thought that the banter they'd had for the past week was much better than any conversation they'd had before.

Harry was looking into his eyes. There was something deep in his eyes that he hadn't seen before. It certainly wasn't hatred, but it wasn't friendship.

As the song ended and Harry turned, calling to Ron, Draco couldn't get that expression out of his head.

Draco knew he had seen it somewhere. It was so familiar.