The Half-Blood Princess

Chapter 11

Alexis' POV

      It's been a long week of classes and dress shopping. Almost every afternoon I've been going into town with the girls. I'm pretty sure most of them have picked out their dresses by now, which is a relief. The only problem is, Aubrey and I haven't seen a single one we like.

          "This is stupid, I should've told Neville I didn't want to go." Aubrey huffs.

     I take a seat beside her on the sofa in the shop. Her hair covers her face so I slowly pull it behind her ear.

             "Maybe we should try a different store?" I mention.

   Aubrey agrees. I hop up then reach my arm out to help her stand. She grabs my hand and we make our way to the exit.

               "We'll be back later!" I shout at the rest of the group.

      We walk down a few blocks and eventually find a small dress shop sitting alone. I peek in the window to find that no one else is inside.

             "Do we go in anyway?"

    Aubrey pretends to think for a minute. "We need to find dresses, come on!"

      Before I can agree I feel myself being pulled inside. Immediately, I'm in shock by the amount of dresses. They're not like the one's in the last store, though. They're much darker.

       "This is what I'm talking about!" Aubrey lets go of my hand and rushes over to a rack.

      I watch as she flips through the dresses quickly. The second she sees one she likes she pulls it off for me to see. It's a beautiful dark green off the shoulder with lots of detailing on top.

                 "That is beautiful, Aubrey!" I say happily.

       She smiles and flips it around to get a better look.

       "Have you decided on a fairy tale character, Lex?"

       I stay quiet for a moment and walk over to a dress hanging on the back wall. The second my eyes lay themselves on it I know it's the one I want.

      Aubrey continues talking when I don't reply. "I can't think of any princesses that wear dark green, can you?"

      I take the dress off the wall and walk back over to where Aubrey stands. Her eyes grow big when she sees what I've picked out.

         "Wow!" She gasps. "It's perfect, but for what fairy tale?"

       "I was thinking about going as the Evil Queen." I say softly.

                  Aubrey takes one last look at my dress, then back at hers.

                  "How about Maleficent?" I ask.

        She looks up at me and her smile grows. We may get a few stares at the ball but it doesn't bother me. I can tell it doesn't bother Aubrey either.

     Neville might be shocked at first, but I see the way he looks at her. In his eyes, she's a really strong and powerful girl. I think he searches for that in hopes of bringing out his inner hero.

       "Hello girls!" The both of us jump and spin around to see an old woman appear from the back room.

       "Are you looking to buy dresses this evening?"

        Aubrey and I turn to each other then nod.

Draco's POV

       All week I've tried to find a subtle way to ask Alexis to the fall ball. I know she'd say yes, it's just not like me to ask a girl. Like I said, I never actually asked Pansy in the past. She just assumed we were going together. Luckily Zabini did agree to take her so I'm free.

               "Looks like someone is lost in thought."

       I look behind me and see Aubrey, Luna, Gabriella, and Alexis entering the common room. They're all carrying large bags, I assume today was dress hunting day.

      I watch as Luna struggles to hold her things. "Why don't you be a gentleman and help us, Malfoy."

                 "I think I'm alright." I chuckle.

     The girls all roll their eyes in sync then head downstairs to their dorms.

      After a few moments of sitting in complete silence I hear the girls giggling and shouting nonsense from below.

      I should just mind my own business, but I'm bored. So quickly I get up from the sofa and walk down to the girls dormitories.

       Although the doors are shut they aren't allowed to be locked, so I enter without permission. Instantly, Aubrey, Luna, and Gabriella turn to me with wide eyes.

           "What the fuck, Malfoy!" Gabriella screams at me.

       They're all fully clothed so I don't know what the big fuss is about. Aubrey throws a pillow at my face but I catch it with my hand.

       "You all were being quite loud, I wanted to see what was going on." I scoff.

      Luna turns to her friends. "Alexis is trying on her dress for the ball, she should be out any minute actually..."

      Before anyone can say another word Alexis enters the room. My eyes are drawn to the all-black dress. The sparkle covering the middle reflects off the lights.

       She took my advice.

      I know Alexis is staring at me, confused as to why I'm in her dorm room.

        "Do you just let yourself into everyone's rooms?" She chuckles.

      I feel the corner of my mouth rise. I don't even mean to smile, it just happens. The girls are all talking to me, trying to get my attention. I don't know what they're saying but I know it's not important. My eyes continue to trace her body over and over. Then eventually, I look up.

          "Go with me."

    The room gets quiet. Alexis' eyes widen as she looks into mine.

                She breathes in heavily. "Okay."

      Feeling embarrassed I wipe the smile off my face. My hand runs through my hair as I give Alexis a subtle nod, then exit the room.

      A few minutes pass and I'm still standing beside the doorway. The girls can't see me so I glance inside.

      I only look for a second, but when I do I see Alexis staring down at her hands, playing with her fingers. And through the strands of black hair dangling in front of her face there's a smile. Not her normal smile, this time her teeth are showing.

            Wow.

Alexis' POV

       "I can't believe he just waltzed in here like that!" Aubrey giggles.

     I pick at the black polish on my nails and bite down on my lip trying to hide my excitement.

     Gabriella walks over to me. "What happens when your dad sees you with him at the ball?"

     She's right. I didn't forget about it, but at the same time I did. It's just a school dance, will he really be that mad?

     I answer my own question instantly. Yes, he will be. My father is quite dramatic which is a blessing and curse.

    "Maybe we can find a way to make sure he doesn't know..." Luna mumbles under her breath.

       Aubrey scoffs, "Oh, brilliant. Let's just hide Alexis from her father during a school event."

       "Hold on," I finally join the conversation. "Luna may be onto something."