PART 8

 HORDES of students dressed in silver and emerald robes stood huddled all around the arching room , the marble pillars engraved with shards of obsidian rising into the darkness , the ceiling crossed by original beams , a chandelier with drooping crystal raindrops hanging from it. The room was a fresh change from the damp dungeons for all Slytherins.

But despite the musty odour of the enclosed dungeons , and the chill that followed them wherever they went - each student bearing the snake symbol was proud to think of it as their home , the lair of the snakes.

Neither knew why they had been summoned out of lessons , in front of Professor Snape - who looked bored out of his wits and appeared to be wishing that he were any where else , but in that room with his students.

Draco stood leaning against a pillar , his hands in his pockets as his gaze lazily followed his Potions Professor.

Blaise stood beside him , the girls - Pansy , and Daphne - stood across the room with several other girls.

"The Yule Ball is an ungodly tradition , that has been followed for centuries throughout - during the Triwizard Tournament", Snape drawled , looking around as everyone naturally fell silent.

He continued.

"On the eve of Christmas , Triwizard champions and others gather for a night of well behaved frivolity. I will not have any of you throw dirt upon the name of Salazar Slytherin , or the house itself that has commanded the respect of the wizarding world for nearly eleven centuries. Formal behaviour is expected of each of you , and for you to polish up your waltzing skills - because the Yule Ball , is , first and foremost - a dance."

His speech was taken in a different light amongst each student. Some gasped in awe , eager and excited whispers coming forth on their part - while others groaned and mumbled unintelligible things.

A dance ? , Draco thought.

"Now , I want each of you to come forward in pairs and practice. Filch , the music", Snape said , clasping his hands as his dark robes billowed around him. Filch scurried forward from a corner of the room , putting on the gramophone as a mellifluous melody filled the air around them.

From his peripheral vision , Draco saw Blaise confidently stride up to Daphne , and ask her to dance. She blushed and agreed , while Pansy danced with another girl - both of whom were smiling brightly.

He rolled his eyes , before agreeing to dance with a third year Slytherin. As he waltzed around the room with her , twirling her with the ease and grace of a pureblood , Draco couldn't help but let his mind wander , wander over the castle tops and the Astronomy Tower - the wind whistling in his ears as his thoughts found , like they always did , a certain girl with copper-coloured hair and crystal blue eyes.

                                                ________________________________

Two weeks had gone by in the blink of an eye , bringing forth early December , and the onset of Yule. Winter had flourished throughout , covering the shingles of the castle , the shops and streets of Hogsmeade with pure , white quilt. The previous night's snowfall had stopped , leaving behind tiny snowflakes that tickled the cheeks of the students clad in woollens , crowding the cobblestone paths of the wizarding village. The air hung still , surrounding them with a feeling of numbness. The trees enshrouding the winding paths had shed their leaves , waiting for the arrival of spring – when stubby green buds would flourish on their bare branches , making them reborn.

Draco walked along the less frequented areas along with Evanna, behind the Shrieking Shack , one of the streets that led them to particularly nowhere. His gloved hands were shoved inside the pockets of his black trouser , and he pulled them out to adjust his fur cap so it covered his ears. Tilting his head slightly , he observed Evanna through the corner of his eye. She wore a tea green jumper , with little daisies woven in at the corner , which she had tucked into a pair of cream trousers. Snowflakes rested against her thick eyelashes , and the bit of her copper hair that escaped her cap , brushed gently against her pale cheeks , making him swallow the urge to tuck it behind her ear.

Evanna had needed help figuring out the golden egg. Both had mutually agreed to meet up at Hogsmeade. Apparently , it was a device which held a hidden clue regarding the second task. Earlier on the same day , a kind Ravenclaw by the name of Luna Lovegood had informed her that the egg needed some sort of catalyst to open up. Draco and Evanna had tried opening it , but all the egg would do was screech whenever they tried to pry it open.

In the due course of the weeks , Draco had sent home a letter – more specifically , to his mother.

'Mother , she has the most dazzling blue eyes. You must meet her in person again' , He had written. Narcissa had returned him a letter the next day , letting it 'slip' that the second task was taking place at the Black Lake. This clue itself , had been enough to reveal to both that the catalyst needed was water – and Evanna had decided to get hold of the keys to the fifth floor Prefect's Bathroom.

"And , how will you get about it ?", Draco had asked , kicking the layer of thick snow that lay around him with the point of his shoe.

"I happen to know that the Ravenclaw Boy Prefect – Joseph Fitzergald – adores Chocolate Cauldrons. All I have to do, is buy him a box or two of those", Evanna had said , shrugging as though it were the simplest thing in the world.

Draco had chuckled , and they had continued walking – comfortable silence engulfing them. They needn't speak to communicate with each other , the twitch of their lips , the raise of a brow – spoke more than words. It was a silence that befell him only when he was in the company of Evanna , a luxury of being able to stay quiet and yet expressing more than he ever could with mere words.

And so , they strolled. Not really fast , or slow , just a comfortable pace that allowed them to enjoy the speckles of sunlight shining through the cracks in the trees , and the withering beauty of mother nature.

All of a sudden , Evanna quipped , breaking the comfortable silence ,"When is your birthday ?"

Although he raised an eyebrow at the abrupt question , he answered ,"5th of June. When is yours ?"

"20th June."

"So I'm older than you", Draco said in a teasing tone.

"Only by a few days", Evanna replied , not meeting his eyes.

"A fortnight is not a few days."

"Oh , shove off."

They walked again , in silence , until Draco said ,"Evanna ?"

She stopped in her tracks , humming absent-mindedly as she turned towards him.

"When we were younger , and you had come over to the manor at some point of time – you had said to me that you were not from London , unlike your mother. That your birthplace was elsewhere , and then you had promptly proceeded to throwing me off my broom. Where was it ?", He asked , walking until he reached a few steps in front of her. The corners of Evanna's lips curled upwards as she said ,"You still remember it ?"

"Just answer the question."

"Little Hangleton."

"Little Hangleton ?", Draco enquired , the name rolling of his tongue somewhat unfamiliarly , an unusual chill running up his spine as he recollected the fact that he may have heard the name of the place before , but couldn't gather from whom or when. Evanna nodded.

"Do you remember anything , about that place ?", He asked unsurely , assuming it was impossible for her to remember something so old.

"I do", Evanna said , surprising him. "I remember flashes of it , and up until second year I visited the place every summer. My mother has a little warehouse there , and it's quite comfortable being around there. I don't remember the little amount of time of childhood I spent there , but there always has been , and will be – an odd sort of comfort visiting that place. It sounds so strange , doesn't it ?"

Evanna laughed awkwardly , scratching the back of her neck.

"No , no it doesn't", Draco said , genuinely interested in hearing about the village.

"Well , it's a muggle village. Don't ask me why my mother and I were there for two years , because I don't have a single clue about it. There are narrow streets, dusted with pebbles and gravel and lined with geraniums, and at times, rose bushes too. The houses are quaint; most have only a single floor, with caving – whitewashed walls and wooden roofs painted red. Our warehouse was a dove grey, and dust coated the roofs since it was never much in use. The village has a post office – that is the muggle form of communication – and a police station, that is – the muggle keepers of law and order – sort of like aurors. There's a tiny apothecary, with medicines lined up neatly – and other small shops catering to other needs. The town is enshrouded with numerous trees, pine, fir and the cream coloured birches", Evanna finished, a small smile on her lips as she looked up at him.

"What about the people?" Draco asked.

"The people? Well, I don't remember much - just that, upon a hill there was a single manor. It was made of dark, quivering bricks and the roads were lined with stone. No one ever ventured up there, except for the occasional visitors who were either invited or were about to do some sort of job for the family. The Riddle Manor. A family, the Riddle family, once frequented it – but now, no one lives there. It's just the home of crows and bats and webs litter every corner of the grand manor. I have heard stories of it, some from my mother, but no one knows for sure what happened to them. They just ..... vanished, one fateful night in 1945. I didn't long enough there to know anything else about them , just that they were the richest in the village besides us , and died mysterious deaths. I suppose , part of the reason I like the village is because there is an air of mystery surrounding it", Evanna ended with a chuckle.

At the mention of the name 'Riddle', another slow shiver crept up his spine, but like previously, he couldn't place a face to the name.

They walked along, their feet leaving little imprints in the thick, white snow. Draco didn't notice that Evanna had long stopped behind him, continuing to walk at the same pace until -

"Draco?" Evanna's voice jolted him out of his reverie.

"Hmm?' He asked, turning around with a frown as a sudden chill rushed through his bones, spreading across the skin of his face. He brought his hand up to touch his nose, watching as snow brushed off of it.

His gaze went back to Evanna, who had a hand clamped over her mouth, her shoulders heaving as she shook with laughter. Draco squinted his eyes, and muttered ,"Oh no you don't", before grabbing a handful of snow from the ground below and running after her. Evanna let out a shriek, as she ran fast, escaping behind the streets to maintain as much distance as possible – before a ball of snow hit her straight on her neck. She erupted into a fit of giggles, as she positioned herself behind a tree, levitating snowballs and sending them straight at Draco. Draco dodged a few, while others hit him, and he simultaneously aimed for Evanna as she hid behind a tree. Laughs escaped her lips, rising from her throat like a phoenix from its ashes whenever a ball of white snow hit her, sticking onto the strands of her bronze hair, or the threads of her jumper – and butterflies erupted at the pit of his stomach.

Evanna soon abandoned her spot by the tree, chasing each other across the yard with crushing powdered ice within their fists.

At one point, Evanna had been standing close to a bush, panting for breath as her eyes drifted in the search of a boy with platinum hair. Catching her off guard, Draco crept from behind her, and before she could move away, he shoved a snowball into her face. Evanna fell onto the snow, dragging Draco along with her, laughing as her gloved hands swept across her face in an attempt to get rid of the snow.

Draco fell on top of her, careful not to hurt her as he watched her from above – a loving expression on his face. He watched as her laughter subsided into giggles, and finally, quiet fell around them. Evanna had a gentle smile on her lovely face, and Draco's hand inched towards her wind swept hair, tucking it behind her ear. His gaze lingered from her azure eyes, towards her soft, pink lips.

But before he could do anything else, Evanna, in one swift motion – had pressed a snowball onto his face. Draco spluttered, as he rolled over to his side. As he coughed, Evanna burst out laughing. Draco watched, as he lay beside her – how her eyes lit up so bright, and as the soft, golden rays of the sun reflected off them, they appeared to have a minute streak of emerald. So tiny, one might have missed it if they blinked.

And just to watch her laugh, gave Draco an indescribable feeling of warmth that spread through his chest.

                                                 ______________________________

The evening after , when the sky was painted in hues of burning orange and brillaint navy blue , the red sun dipping behind the mountains that circled the moors - Draco was making his way towards the Great Hall , when he noticed a petite figure , dressed in casuals , with another Ravenclaw by the name of Padma Patil.

A tall Slytherin - his brown curls in a disarray - who had not yet shrugged of his robes , came over towards the two girls - interrupting their conversation. Draco watched him walk away with Evanna , both immersed in conversation as they sped further away from Padma. 

He scowled. When had Theodore Nott befriended Evanna ?

A few minutes dissolved , before Evanna strode back towards Padma , a bouquet consisting of blue irises , powder blue pansies and deep violets with white tulips and yellow dandelions scattered in between like doves taking flight against a blue sky - clutched tightly at her chest. It was tied with a silk ribbon , and the flush on Theodore's cheeks did not go amiss.

He put his hands inside his pockets , his lips curling into a sneer when he saw Padma gush happily. Turning around on his heels , he trudged back towards the Great Hall , his mind drifting back towards the smile he saw on Evanna's pretty face.

A smile she had wore while wading in the snow with him , the day before.

A horrible feeling came over him , his stomach twisting into a knot - his bones filling with anger and sudden hatred for Theodore. He shook his head , trying to keep this unusual feeling at bay as he sat at the end of the Slytherin table for dinner. As he leaned his chin against his fist , he mumbled the words ,"I could give her better flowers anyway."