Il Silenzio Delle Stelle Cadenti [Harry PotterxPokemon Crossover Fanfic, 2015 PKMNWatties]

A Fiery Mount

Time seemed to have passed by slowly as she danced in his arms. She couldn't tell for sure how long it had been as she was trapped in his embrace, gazing and unable to look away from the dark abyss of his gaze. Surely it hadn't been so long as they danced on the dance floor? But yet everything was just blurring around her and she could see and focus on nothing but him, with equal (though she wasn't sure why) fervor and focus being returned in kind from him.

His presence commanded her gaze, and somehow she also seemed to have commanded his.

She could feel his hand, large and warm, placed flat against the small of her back as he twirled her around in circles, in a waltz lost in the crowd. His other hand held hers firmly, in an escapable grip. Every so often, their fronts would brush against each other intimately, so close together were they.

Even with a mask, she felt so very naked underneath his gaze.

"Harry," he breathed out her name reverently. "In all honesty with you, I plan to abduct you from this place, and rush you off to my blackened world. I do not yet have a chariot ready, but I promise you this, my little Kore."

If she were being rational, if everything was rational, she would have pushed him away and run from him. But she couldn't help being entranced by him and his intensity.

Bells were tolling in the distance and then he was sweeping her off nearer to the entrance, where he stopped and she could break out of his spell, pushing away from him. However, he caught one of her hands and held on tightly, tilting his head as he examined her. He smirked slightly.

"Harry dear, if you so wish to run away from me, then I advise you to not leave behind a 'glass slipper' for me to pursue. Because I promise you, if you leave any kind of clue behind, I shall pursue you to the ends of the earth."

He slowly lifted her hand, watching her watch his actions, and caressed her knuckles with his lips.

"I look forward to our next waltz," he murmured.

Without another word, he straightened up and walked away, and she wanted to scream at him because he was the one chasing her so fervently, when she was the one who wanted to walk away from him. The sounds of laughter and merry cheers sounded distantly to her ears, seemingly so far away, despite only being a mere foot from her spot.

She swallowed harshly and closed her eyes, but he and his words wouldn't stop haunting her.

In fact, even days after the masquerade ball, he haunted her dreams and her every waking hour. Her mind, usually so enwrapped in the torment of the Wizarding World, had instead traded one torment for another, as she was plagued by thoughts of him, about him…

She wished she could just run away from it all –from all of them. Run away from the Wizarding World, run away from him…

Even as the Dursleys left to go to the city for an outing, leaving her behind for once, she couldn't think of anything but him. So she was immensely surprised when the doorbell rang and when she looked through the peephole, saw nothing of note. But as she opened the door, she saw a black box with a bright red ribbon tied around it. Her hands shook as she reached down and took it. It could be any one of her enemies, delivering this unknown box…but she had this instinctive feeling that she knew exactly who this box was from.

She swiveled her head and she looked around in a panic, but didn't see anyone at all or who could have dropped it off.

She went back inside and shakily closed the door, going back to her room and then sitting down dazedly on her bed. She saw a card poking out from the intricate knot on top. She plucked it out and read it quickly.