Disclaimer: The summary text and the prose in the Prologue are both written by William Shakespeare and appear in his play Romeo and Juliet.

A Rose by Any Other Name
Prologue

Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair England, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whole misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

* * *

Chapter One - I Do Bite My Thumb, Sir.

In the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts, during the seventh year of The Boy Who Lived, a fight of enormous proportions was breaking out. The Gryffindors and Slytherins hated each other more than words could say, and had cost members of the opposite house more deducted house points, hospital wing visits, and detentions than could be counted on two hands and feet. During this fine October afternoon, tempers were being tested in a very brutal way.

"What did you say?!" yelled Gryffindor Ron Weasley. Ron was a typical Gryffindor. Everyone of his family members to walk through the walls of Hogwarts had belonged to this house, of which Ron was Prefect.

"I said your girlfriend is a fithly little mudblood, Weasley!" Slytherin Blaise Zabini sneered over his shoulder, doing a remarkable yet unconvincing impression of the Head Boy at his snobbiest.

"That's it!" Ron launched himself at Blaise, who was all too eager to fight back. Soon, more people were joining in on what was becoming a full-scale war. Gryffindors Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan were struggling to take on Malcolm Baddock and Graham Pritchard, the Slytherin cronies. Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown (Gryffindors) had pinned Millicent Bulstrode to the ground and were obsessively pulling out her hair, while Millicent attempted to claw their eyes out. Theodore Nott, a slim Slytherin second-year, had levitated Neville Longbottom to the ceiling, who in turn was sending down a shower of curses to the floor, none of which did any good, or even hit their targets.

"Stop!" cried Gryffindor Hermione Granger. "I am Head Girl, and I order you all to stop this instant!"

"Oh, put a sock in it, Granger," yelled Pansy Parkinson, who had just arrived on the scene. Hermione had been having a rough day, and she wasn't in the mood for being nice. She turned around lightning fast and punched Pansy in the jaw so hard that the Slytherin was thrown all the way across the Entrance Hall. Pansy stood up and took out her wand, beginning to make use of a wide library of curses.

At the entrance to the Slytherin dungeons, Head Boy Draco Malfoy leaned casually against the wall. Draco was, if anything, the typical Slytherin. Draco was one of the few people who had been sorted into his house before the Sorting Hat had even touched his white-blond head. He was brought up in a family of Dark Wizards; they had all believed that Hogwarts should be kept for the pureblood families, and Draco was no exception.

Draco regarded the scene, not sure if he should join in on what looked to be the largest Inter-House battle to take place in all his seven years at Hogwarts. Normally he would beeline towards Harry Potter, The Boy WHo Lived, and commence pounding (or cursing) him into oblivion. But Draco was in no mood to fight today. As though his archnemesis was reading his mind, Draco spotted Harry across the way at the staircase, looking equally as gloomy as Draco felt, if not more. They made eye contact, and simply nodded at each other, a silent agreement of momentary peace. It was just as well. Draco had other places to be.

The battle continued. Malcolm and Graham had overtaken Dean and Seamus, who were now struggling to be free of their grip. Millicent had large chunks of hair missing from her scalp, while Lavender and Parvati sported long scrapes where Millicent had made use of her long nails. Neville was thrashing about madly, and Theodore, easily the youngest there, squealed in delight. Blaise and Ron were rolling around on the floor, each with swollen lips and black eyes. Hermione and Pansy were sending rapid-fire curses at each other in flashed of red, blue, and purple lights.

"STOP!!!" a commanding voice shouted from the entrance to the Great Hall. The battle froze in place, completely still, except for Neville falling from the ceiling as Theodore stopped concentrating. The Deputy Headmistress, Transfiguration teacher, and head of Gryffindor House, Professor Minerva McGonagall stood in the doorway, scowling, with her hands on her hips. She surveyed the freeze-frame battle with pursed lips.

"You all know I enjoy a little rivalry between Houses, but this has gone far enough. The past two years have been simply madness! None of the other Houses argue nearly as much as you do. I expected better from all of you! And you, Miss Granger!" Professor McGonagall turned her sharp eyes to Hermione. "I expected a higher level of propriety from our Head Girl." She paused again, glaring at each of them in turn. Her lips were pressed thinner than anyone had ever seen. "Never in all my years of teacher have I seen anything quite like this. I don't care who started it, Fifty points from both your houses and week's worth of detention for all of you! Don't try to sneak away, Mr. Nott, I see you there in the corner." Theodore at least had the grace to look guilty. "Now, move along before I feel the urge to start deducting even more House points!"

The Professor stalked off, and the crowd slowly began to unfreeze and disperse.

In the dark shadows of the Entrance Hall, Ginerva Weasley stood up and gathered her school things, having come with her brother Ron from the library. She didn't like fighting, and was especially glad she hadn't joined in this time. Ginny was a Sixth year Gryffindor, and thought to be one of the most beautiful girls in the school (along with the Patil twins and a Ravenclaw named Emma Watson). Her fiery red hair perfectly matched her feisty attitude, stubborn but gentle. Her chocolatey brown eyes, normally alight with joy, were dull and tired. Ginny leaned against the wall with a sigh. Something was bothering her, though no one knew exactly what it was.

Hermione, fixing the tapestry many of her curses had hit, spotted Ginny moping in the corner. She tucked her wand into a pocket and walked over, putting a friendly arm around the younger girl's shoulder.

"Something wrong, Ginny?" She thought of Ginny as a younger sister and great friend. Ginny let out another sigh. "You know you can tell me anything."

"I know, it's just..." she paused, not sure whether or not to continue. "Promise not to tell anyone? And I mean anyone. Especially not Ron or - "

"Harry?" Hermione finished for her.

"Yes, most importantly not Harry."

Hermione hugged Ginny lightly. "Of course I won't tell anyone, Gin. What do you take me for?" She grinned, encouraging her to continue.

"Remember how I used to... er... worship Harry? And then I stopped?"

"Yes..."

"Well... I guess I didn't really... I mean... Oh Hermione!" Ginny buried her face in her hands, slightly ashamed of what she was admitting. "I thought it was just a phase, I thought I just liked him because I worshipped him from the time I was three... But it's not that, not anymore. I just..."

"I know how you feel. I've had my share of unrequited love." Hermione sighed. "That must be awful... since he's so moody all the time. He's got a lot on his mind. He doesn't sleep much anymore, and when he does he wakes up screaming."

"I know, it was all Ron talked about over the summer, how he's worried about him. And I couldn't stop thinking about him too..." Ginny picked at a loose thread in her shabby robes. "I don't want to fall in love with him, but I can't help it!"

"Hey Ginny... are you coming to the Halloween Masquerade?"

Ginny shrugged. "I wasn't going to. I'm not really in the mood to prance about in a fancy dress and a mask. I'd much rather wallow in my own self-pity."

Hermione began to walk Ginny back up to the common room. "Ginny, you really should. It'll be fun! We can laugh at Ron trying to dance and failing miserably!" There was a hint of wistfulness in that last sentence.

"Hermione, I don't have a dress, a mask, or a date..."

"Dean said he wasn't going with anyone. You could see if he could take you, just for the sake of going with someone. And I have an idea for the dress."

"I still don't know..."

"Harry will be there."

"I'm going."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the dungeons below Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy made himself comfortable in the sitting room of Professor Severus Snape. Severus was the Potions master and Head of Slytherin House, as well as having a close acquaintance with Draco's father, Lucius Malfoy. They both shared a similar relationship with Lucius - They pretended to love him, but in actuality hated his guts. This illicit hatred had brought them close together, as Lucius Malfoy was also using Snape as his private correspondent. This was advantageous to everyone involved - Lucius believed he was free to talk about Death Eater activity, Snape was alerted of any plans for Draco before they happened so he could possibly alter them, and Dumbledore was kept in the know about Voldemort's plans for his young prodigy.

"So, what did he say again?" Draco was poking the fire and not really listening to Severus.

The Professor glared at the blond boy. "I said, you are to be married to Pansy Parkinson by the end of the year. Love, Daddy."

Draco threw the poker onto the hearth, and leaned backwards onto the rug. "I wish he would let me make my own decisions for once." He absentmindedly picked at a scab on his thumb. "Since when do I have to marry who he chooses? And by the end of the year! Is that even legal?"

Snape sat down in a black armchair near the fire. "Yes, it is legal, and to answer your other question, since the day you were born. Well, actually, since the day she was born, Parkinson's younger than you by two months. He promised you as her husband to Mr. Parkinson, another stupid thing he did to gain power in the Ministry. Not that there is any correlation between the two, but that's Lucius Malfoy for you." He glanced at the young Malfoy, and felt sorry for him. It must be hard to have no control over your life, he thought. I chose to become a Death Eater - a rather stupid decision, looking back on it, but a decision nonetheless.

"I'll try to delay the wedding as much as possible. Dumbledore's not concerned with that, neither am I, really, we're more concerned about you and those few other Slytherins joining the Death Eaters."

Draco sat up. "That's another thing. When do they expect me to take the Mark?"

"No idea. I joined when I was twenty. Sometime soon, I expect. The Dark Lord wants to use you to spy at Hogwarts. And you, of course, will not be as eager to bend to his will as it seems. We are also trying to delay that as long as possible."

"Well, that's just brilliant. I have to get married before I leave school, and become a Death Eater before I get married. Bloody brilliant." Draco's gray eyes were cold and empty. He had become hardened to any emotion but anger, having been brought up by a family that didn't know the meaning of the word love. Had his father known that raising the boy to be a Death Eater would make Draco resent him and wish to rebel in every way, Lucius might have done things differently. But Lucius was as bad at being a father as Voldemort at being a saint.

"Draco, I'm doing the best I can. For now, I want you to worry about the things a normal seventh year is supposed to worry about. Go to the Masque tomorrow, dance with a few girls, have fun. I'll deal with your father later."

"I don't dance."

Snape shrugged. "Neither do I, but I must say I enjoy watching other people make fools of themselves. Go eat something."

"I'm not hungry."

"Yes you are."

"If you say so, Professor."

* * *

A/N: Myself and the lovely Transcendancer would like to thank our lovely beta reader, JJ. Without her, people would be sitting in a couch instead of on a couch. Also, credit should be given to the two geniuses who inspired this story: the lovely Mrs. Jo Rowling and our good friend Willy Shakespeare. Stay tuned for chapter two, where a Halloween Ball turns the school upside down.

Chapter Two - Paper Faces On Parade

Gryffindor Common room was distressingly absent of girls fourth year and above. Ron, Dean, and Seamus sat on the couches near the fire, nervously fiddling with their masks, waiting for their dates to enter. Seamus was wearing a white suit with a green crush velvet cape and green mask to match. Dean was dressed very simply- black suit, blue shirt, and a black mask. Ron was dressed a little wild (for him anyways). He had on a convincing Prince costume, complete with a sweeping royal blue pimp hat. He felt like the biggest prat. If only Harry would get downstairs. Harry had promised Ron he wouldn’t look like a fool.

Meanwhile upstairs in the Seventh Year dorm, the girls were just warming up. Hermione was bending over the Big Book of Girly Spells from Mrs. Weasley, while the other girls were furiously constructing a costume for Ginny; Parvati had even snuck her sister Padma into the dorm for the task. The other girls consisted of Lavender and their other Sixth Year friends, who were all stalking around the dormitory half-naked, searching for their makeup. Ginny’s dress was white, the fabric courtesy of the Hogwarts house elves. They were fixing feathers and fake diamonds to the elegant white gown, and Ginny was trying to do something with her hair.

Suddenly, a rhythmic knock came from the window. Hermione ran over to it, muttering, “Thank god!� under her breath. Luna Lovegood hopped into the dormitory and tossed her broom on Lavender’s bed. She was already dressed and ready to go.

“Just tell me what to do.�

* * *

“I almost decided not to go,� Dean commented as he leaned against the wall, staring intently at the staircase to the girl’s dormitory.

“Why?� Ron asked. He usually didn’t talk to the other boys in his dormitory, so he hadn’t heard the gossip.

“Couldn’t find a date.� He didn’t look the slightest bit embarrassed, to Ron’s amazement.

“I know how it is.� There was about a second of silence. “So, who did you ask?�

“Oh, Ginny agreed to come at the last second.�

Ron bit down a very nasty comment. “I thought you two broke things off!�

“Calm down, Ron. I just needed a date. Believe me, I have no intention of trying to win her back.� There was another pause. “Where’s Harry, anyway? Is he even taking a date?�

“No idea,� Ron said with a shrug. “The only thing he said about the dance was, ‘I promise you won’t look like a prat.’�

“That’s…heartening…�

“Ron, you look great,� Seamus cut in.

“There you go, Ron, straight from our resident gay man.�

“I’m not gay!�

“Yeah, says you.�

Suddenly, the door to the boy’s dormitory swung open, and everyone’s jaw dropped. Harry emerged wearing a perfectly fitting black suit, with a stark white shirt. His hair was slicked back, and a short, black top hat was delicately balanced on his head. A black opera cape, lined with red silk, swooped from his shoulders to the floor. His hands were covered with elegant leather gloves, and his mask was white; smooth yet stiff, covering the left half of his face. His emerald eyes stood out like jewels on a black velvet cushion.

“Harry?�

The apparition nodded, and swept across to their couch. “Hey Ron. I told you you wouldn’t look like a prat.�

Ron scowled at Harry. “You bastard.�

Harry grinned. Generously. “Just lose the hat and you’ll look fine.�

Ron tossed the hat away, only too glad to be rid of it. Harry was right-the royal blue and silver of the prince was a splendid idea.

Just then, the girl’s door swung open and out came…Colin Creevey?

“The girls are done.�

There was a very awkward silence that followed, only broken when Dean hit him with Ron’s hat.

“What were you doing in the girl’s dormitory?�

“And how come you’re allowed?� Ron cut in.

Colin shrugged. “I dunno. I was just helping Ginny with her hair.�

Dean fell back onto the couch. “God, kill me now!�

“Why?� Colin asked, looking confused. “She looks quite lovely. You’d be missing out on a great dance partner.� And with that, Colin left to find his Ravenclaw date, leaving Ron and Dean speechless with their mouths hanging open.

“Is he real?� said Ron.

“Is he gay?� Dean exclaimed.

“Think so,� Harry responded, laughing slightly at the thought.

“Then, who’s the girl from Ravenclaw?�

“Oh, he never said it was a girl.�

They sat in silence for a few minutes, taking in the news. Dean finally spoke.

“Hey Seamus, if we throw you up there-“
But just then the door swung open again, and this time the girls emerged.

First to come was Hermione, in a shimmery blue dress reminiscent of Cinderella. Her mask matched the Fairy Tale theme-it was faceted glass, reflecting the firelight so her face was hidden. Ron stood up shakily, gaping at her. She smiled and took his arm.

Next came Lavender, Parvati, and Padma, dispersing to their various dates. Lavender tugged Seamus off the couch and they began to head down.

Then came Ginny. Though her gown was put together last minute, it was quite stunning. The mask was made of white feathers, and a small pair of wings topped the “swan� look. Her fiery hair was pressed into gleaming curls, making her look older and very un-Weasleylike. She outshined Dean completely, not that he minded. His date was gorgeous, and that was all that mattered.

The last to come was Luna, a beauty in crimson silk. Her long and usually knotty hair had been tamed and beaten into submission – the finished product was almost as stunning as Ginny.

Ginny turned from fixing Dean’s collar (a habit she could not break from having six brothers) to look at Harry, and suddenly felt as though someone had kicked her in the stomach. Harry was offering his arm to Luna, who took it gracefully. She suddenly saw how the red rose tucked into Luna’s blonde mane matched the one in Harry’s pocket. He wasn’t just being nice; he had actually asked her to the dance. So that’s why Luna had clammed up when asked about her date. She hadn’t wanted to hurt Ginny’s feelings. Well, screw that! Ginny thought. The only reason I agreed to go to the dance was because Harry was going. So much for that!

“Is everyone ready?� Hermione asked. The three couples nodded and headed out the portrait hole.

* * *

“What’s with the long face?�

“It’s nothing.�

“That’s a parakeet and you know it. C’mon, Ginny, you can tell me!�

“I said it’s nothing.� Ginny couldn’t help but notice that Harry and Luna were holding hands.

“Fine.� Luna tried to skip like she usually did, tripped on her skirt, and would have fallen flat on her face had Harry not been holding onto her hand. “Maybe you’ll feel better once the dancing starts.�

“I’m not dancing.�

“WHAT!?� Dean, Luna, and Hermione all said at once. If there’s one thing Ginny loved, it was dancing.

“I said I’m not dancing!�

The group remained silent down the next staircase. Luna spoke first. “Ginny, what’s gotten into you?�

She was glad of the mask, to hide her emotional face… but wished Luna could have seen the impressive eye roll that accompanied her reply. “I had a dream,� she said, sarcasm dripping from every word.

“Really? So did I!� Luna switched from concerned to excited in the blink of an eye.

“What about?� Ginny asked dully.

“I dreamed that dreamers often lie.�

Ginny snorted. “Sure, they lie in bed, dreaming!� While the others laughed, her mind continued, ‘with nothing but the reflection of their hearts to keep them company…’

“You’ve been listening to the Sandman, then?� Luna asked, pulling Ginny out of her reverie.

“The who?�

“The Lord of Dream, who deals in fantasies and illusions. He is seen as a tall man with skin like moonlight, but with robes and hair of the darkest black. And his eyes-his eyes are black holes into the very soul. They trap men in the land of dreaming, until some believe their dreams are reality, and they will not see reason. They loose themselves in passion and believe it to be love, they convince themselves that friends are enemies, and enemies friends. They hide behind a mask, only to spend their lives running from the truth. They-“

“Luna!� Harry gave her a look. “Stop babbling!�

“True, I speak of dreams-the children of an idle brain, nothing but a vain fantasy. Dreams that, to the sleeper, are thin of substance as their air, and more inconstant than the wind.�

They were almost to the Great Hall. “Luna, that’s Shakespeare!� Ginny said.

Luna grinned, slipping on a black lace mask. “I was paraphrasing.�

* * *

The Great Hall was decorated in its usual Halloween get up - though the tables were not the usual long trestles, but small hexagonal ones. On each table were beautiful candelabras and a few miniature trees growing right out of the woodwork. There was no dinner this time; everyone had enjoyed a late lunch.

Many Hogwarts students were simple milling about, or getting drinks. Ron and Dean excused themselves to the drink table and after a moment, Luna followed. Several wizards in black robes were checking the equipment up on the stage that was in the exact spot where the staff table usually was. The main feature was an exceptionally plentiful drum set, with fiery letters on the bass drum that read Celestina Warbeck.

As the clock struck eight, the last stragglers scurried in, and the lights dimmed, but for a bright blue witch-fire burning inside the bass drum. Out came Celestina Warbeck, seeming to appear from the shadows. She was dressed all in black, with lace cuffs. She had no mask, but the outline of butterfly wings was traced around her eyes. Her hair, pulled into a low ponytail, was bright cerulean blue.

The crowd cheered, and she grinned. Now that Ginny’s eyes were adjusting to the light, she saw that Celestina was not, in fact, completely in black. On her left wrist was a worn-looking rainbow wristband.

“Things have changed at Hogwarts since I’ve been here.� She was holding a pair of drumsticks wrapped with crisscrossing blue ribbons. “We never had dances, for one.� Far in the corner, Dumbledore grinned. “So it’s with great pleasure that I come here to perform at my old school. Enjoy yourselves. The first number’s a ballad, so I won’t play just yet.� She let go of the drumsticks, and they hung suspended in the air. “But I’ll sing. Muriel?�

The piano player began to play. Ron and Luna came back to claim their dates, who gladly joined them on the dance floor. Dean tried to pull Ginny with him, but she wouldn’t budge. He shrugged, and scurried off through the crowd in search of another girl to dance with.

Meanwhile, in another part of the Great Hall, a far more interesting conversation was being held.

“Right, who’s that girl?�

“Luna Lovegood.�

“No!�

“Yes.�

“She looks pretty.�

“From far away.�

Snape was wearing his usual black robes and no mask, being strongly against fun of any kind. Draco, on the other hand, was completely shrouded in a silver cloak, black mask (which was currently pushed up on his forehead), and elegant black formal wear. He was playing the game of “Guess Who?� with Professor Snape.

“How about that girl?�

“Who?�

“The leopard one.�

“That’s not a girl, that’s Malcolm Baddock.�

“What?!�

“Are you surprised?�

“No, not really…�
Only a Fool like me would follow you so far.
Someone has to remind you who you are.
They scanned the dancers for another few lines of the ballad, before Draco spoke up again.

“Her. The wallflower in the white dress.�

Snape leaned forward to get a better look, then frowned. “I have no idea.�

Draco gave him an odd look. “Are you sure?�

“I really don’t know who it is.�

The younger man leaned back thoughtfully as the song changed to a faster one. “Strange.� He watched her sitting at a table alone, but no one came back to her. Blaise Zabini stopped by and asked her to dance, but she declined gracefully. Draco stood and pulled on his mask. “I’m going to do a little reconnaissance. I’ll be back in a minute.�

“Well, get me a drink, will you? Something with bloody alcohol…�

Draco nodded and steered his way towards Blaise. He caught hold of Blaise’s arm as he was making his way towards the drink table.

“Who was the girl in the white dress?�

“What? Who are you?�

“Draco!�

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t recognize you.� Blaise gestured to the drinks table and Draco nodded. He began pouring drinks as Draco spoke again.

“The girl, you asked her to dance just a second ago.�

“Oh, her?� Blaise turned around to glance at the mystery girl and shrugged. He then turned back to the drinks and handed Draco something in a glass with little colorful bubbles. “No idea. She turned me down, too…can’t seem to get a dance partner tonight.�

Draco downed the drink and handed the empty glass back to the black haired Slytherine. “You’ve just got to have charm, that’s all.� And with that, he turned and threaded his way towards Snape’s table.

Blaise scowled at Draco’s retreating back. “I didn’t see you dancing either!�

Draco turned just enough to address Blaise. “I don’t dance.�

He turned back just in time to see the girl in white disappear through the doors. Almost without thinking, he changed directions and followed her.
Snape frowned when he saw Draco turn away from the drinks table empty-handed. He followed the young man’s line of gaze to the “white wallflower�, who was heading outside. Suddenly, as he watched her walk, he realized who she was. Who would have guessed this elegant young lady was, in fact...
Ginny Weasley.

* * *

Seamus had danced the customary first dance with Lavender, then they parted ways. He and Dean Thomas were now sitting playing cards with some Hufflepuff guys. Dean poked him in the ribs as a dancing pair came into view.

“Seamus, look. Colin’s date was a girl.�

Seamus looked up just as the girl tripped on her dress and they fell into a fit of giggles. “That doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a dance, he could be taking her to be friendly,� he sniped morosely. Seamus turned back to Dean, who was giving him an odd look. Seamus blinked, then sighed. “I just signed my own death warrant, haven’t I?�

* * *

Outside Hogwarts, the teachers had again transformed the garden for the dance. Instead of bushes with fairy lights, they had seven-foot tall hedges, like the ones from the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament. But instead of being dense and concealing, they were thin and sparse, enough to see a person clearly on the other side. Draco glided through the trees, searching for a flash of white. In each hedge, there was a multitude of tiny birds, colorful and bright. As Draco came around the next bend, he saw her disappearing around the next corner. Draco called out to her, and she froze, staring back at him through the hedge.

Ginny caught her breath as mysterious figure gazed at her through the hedge. The man was wrapped in a flowing silvery-gray cloak, and a sleek black mask obscured his face. Ginny took a step closer to the hedge, fascinated. He looked quite familiar, but Ginny couldn’t figure out who he was. She was glad of this, for she was sure that he didn’t know who she was.

Draco stepped closer to the hedge, too. Now that he was closer, he was sure that this girl reminded him of someone. He did not dwell on it - instead, he walked around to the other side of the hedge and faced her. They looked deeply into each other’s eyes and hesitated, almost unwilling to shed a layer of mystery between them.

“Who would not change a raven for a dove?� Malfoy asked, struck by sudden inspiration. His voice was soft and playful; flirting, but mysterious at the same time.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream.� Ginny replied, smiling. “Act II, Scene ii.�

Draco was delighted; he thoroughly enjoyed reading classics like Shakespeare. He decided to continue. “The will of man is by his reason sway’d; And reason says you are the worthier maid.�

“Things growing are not ripe until their season,� said Ginny. “So I, being young, till now ripe not to reason.�

“And touching now the point of human skill, Reason becomes marshal to my will.�

“And leads me to your eyes, where I o’erlook.�

“Love’s stories, written in love’s richest book.�

Suddenly, a peal of laughter burst from the section of hedges ahead of them, followed by a low chuckle. Ginny’s eyes narrowed. That cadence was familiar - Harry and Luna. Without thinking, she grabbed a hold of the stranger’s arm and pulled him back towards the entrance.

“Hey…wait…damn, you’re strong!� Draco let the girl pull him a few more yards, and then yanked his arm away. “Where are you going?� he asked.

“Back inside,� she replied. “I just--� as she turned away, Draco caught her arm and pulled her close.

“Do you have any idea where you are?�

She looked at him strangely. “I’m in the garden, with you.�

Draco shook his head. “No, love. I mean,� he pointed to his right. “Hogwarts is that way.�

Ginny frowned. “Strange. I was sure we were heading right towards it.�

For the next half hour, they tried to walk back to Hogwarts, but they could never seem to find the exit of the hedge maze.

“I think we’re lost,� Draco announced.

Ginny crossed her arms. “We’re not lost. We’re in the garden, how can we be lost?�

But they were lost. Draco had a feeling that the garden was trying to keep them in there, though he had no idea how or why.

And then it began to rain.

Ten minutes later, they were almost soaked and still lost. Once they had passed the same stone bench for the third time, Ginny gave up and sat down on it. Draco sat next to her, deep in thought. He didn’t know who she was, and yet he liked her. A lot. Fine time to fall in love, Draco thought. Especially since I’m engaged.

Ginny’s thoughts were of the same nature. Am I so fickle that I fall in and out of love as fast as changing a pair of shoes? Part of her was worried, because she didn’t know this stranger at all. The other part of her was glad, because maybe she could stop loving Harry.

They sat in silence for a few more minuets, enjoying each other’s company. Draco wasn’t sure how much longer he could stay sitting calmly next to this girl and not do anything. The sensation of just being with her was overwhelming. Finally, he broke the silence.

“Take all my loves... my love, yea, take them all. What hast thou then, more than thou hadst before? No love, my love, than thou mayst true love call... All mine was thine, before thou hadst this... more.�

Draco looked deeply into her eyes, his heart pounding. He could see her breath catch in her throat, completely unprepared for his statement. Then, he did something totally uncharacteristic of him. He lifted her chin and brought her lips to his.

Ginny couldn’t think; she couldn’t breathe as this mysterious stranger wrapped her in his arms. All she knew, as their lips parted, was that Harry Potter was the furthest thing from her mind, and her thoughts were filled with this nameless man. And as she lifted herself up to kiss him again, she felt sure, for once in her life, that nothing could be more perfect than this.

* * *

All it took was a few drying charms in the Entrance Hall, and Ginny was ready to return to the dance. She would rather stay kissing that stranger all night long, but he had disappeared after…well it must have been forty minutes they were making out in the rain!

Ginny smiled and returned to her table. Harry, Luna, and Hermione were sitting together, talking of nothing. Hermione gave Ginny a strange look, but Ginny grinned and sat next to Luna. She had wasted a whole evening being mad at her best friend for a stupid reason. Luna forgave her instantly, and they began to chat. Ginny considered telling her about the stranger in the silver cloak, but decided that now was not the time.

Hermione suddenly stood. “I think I’m going to get drinks. Does anyone want anything?� Ginny asked her to get her something, and she nodded.

A second later, Ron fell into Hermione’s chair. “Has anyone seen Hermione?�

“Yea, she was just here,� Harry responded.

Ron snapped his fingers and stood up. “Damn! Thanks anyway. Bye.�

“She went to get drinks!� Harry called after him. “He didn’t hear me, the stupid git.�

Suddenly, the clock struck midnight. Celestina stepped up to the edge of the stage and called out over the crowd, “It’s been a great evening!� The students all looked up. “Seen some great dancing here. Before we close down for tonight, let’s have one more ballad. A song from my favorite story of all time – The Phantom of the Opera.� Muriel started playing the piano, the opening chords to “Music of the Night.�

Harry and Luna stood, taking hands to dance again. Ginny looked away, trying to find her silver Prince amidst the crowd.

“Ginny?� Harry asked. “Is everything alright?�

She turned to face him and smiled. “It’s wonderful. Go dance.�

* * *

“Is that a guy or a girl dancing with Creevey?� Draco squinted at the dancing couple.

“Guy,� Snape responded. “And it’s Seamus Finnegan.�

“Is he gay?�

“Yes. Beyond a shadow of doubt.�

There were about five seconds of silence before Snape spoke again.

“Draco…�

“Hmm?�

“Go ask your wallflower to dance.�

Draco was about to respond that he didn’t dance, but then he thought. It was the last dance of the night, and the last time he could find her before the illusions of the night disappeared. He stood, pulling his mask back down, and made his way to Ginny’s table. He came up behind her and rested a hand on her shoulder. She started and half turned, looking up at him.

“Care to dance?�

She stood shakily, a smile forming on her lips. “I’d love to.�

He was a phenomenal dancer. Draco may claim not to dance, but he moved with a grace that suggested years of practice. Ginny, too, felt as if she danced with the shine of a thousand stars. He twirled her around, and she soared.

All too soon, the dance was over, and the cloaked stranger was gone. Ginny moved through the crowd of students heading for the door, looking her prince before he faded into nothing.

Before Draco could disappear around the corner, Blaise caught hold of his arm.

“Draco! Nott’s been looking all over for you! He wants to know when Quidditch practice is.�

Draco pushed his mask up to his forehead, all romance forgotten. “Potter’s booked the pitch Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. So that gives us Tuesday, unless the team wants to practice before breakfast, which I doubt…�

Ginny stopped dead in her tracks as she watched her stranger push up his mask. Draco Malfoy?! It couldn’t be! He would never be so sweet, Ron had spent many a day ranting about what an insufferable prat and a slim ball he was. But, no, it was definitely Draco Malfoy, and he certainly wasn’t an insufferable prat OR a slime ball. Ginny wiped the shocked look off her face and rushed past him, unnoticed. She diffidently had more to think about than homework, Quidditch, and Harry Potter…

* * *

Draco flopped down on the rug in Snape’s study. A few minutes later, the professor came in, scowling at Draco. “What are you doing here? Get back to your dorm!�

Draco ignored him. “I need to find out who that girl in the white dress is.�

Snape sat in his armchair and sighed. “If I told you who it was and you didn’t like the answer, would you kill me?�

“Of course not!� Draco said lightly. “Waste of a good Potions teacher.� He grinned. How bad could it be?�

“Draco... that was Ginny Weasley.�

* * *

Masquerade Ball a Bug Success

Almost 70% of the students 4th year and above attended this year’s Halloween Ball. It was originated last year, based on a petition from the majority of Hufflepuff and Gryffindor (along with some Slytherin and Ravenclaw) girls following the Yule Ball of three years ago.

“This year was much better than last year’s,� said 2nd year Ravenclaw Gabrielle Delacour, famous last year for being the youngest student ever asked to a Ball.

Last year, several pranksters (now believed to be the Creevey brothers) got carried away with showing off and set the garden on fire. However, Dumbledore was willing ot give the Hogwarts students a second chance. This year, the theme was “Enchanted Forest� – though, as usual, most students did not take notice of the theme at all.

The celebrated singing sorceress, Celestina Warbeck, returned to her old school to perform for the dance. She was excited to be back at Hogwarts and is pleased to see the changes made since she was a student here.

“I wish I could go back and do it all over again!� She says.

All in all, it was a great success.

~Natalie McDonald, reporter for the Hogwarts Times

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The chapter name came from Phantom of the Opera. Myself and Transcendancer would, of course, like to thank JJ, our beta, and good old Willy and Jo for writing the stories they write so that we can work off of them. Also, thanks to all the people who read chapter one. Chapter three will be a comic chapter, and that's all I can say for now. Please review!!

Chapter Three - Drive Myself Distracted

After the ball ended, no one in the entire school was ready to go to sleep. The party continued for most of the night in the Common rooms of each house, waking up those students who were too young to attend the ball.

The next morning in Gryffindor Tower, the Fifth year boys were woken up to a loud scream. Dean was standing next to Seamus’s bed, staring at his best friend in complete and utter disbelief. Seamus suddenly realized that Colin had actually fallen asleep in his bed.

“I told you that you were gay!� Dean yelled at Seamus as Colin quickly snuck downstairs to his own dorm room.

“I’m not gay, Dean!� Seamus yelled back.

“Not gay my ass! What the bloody hell was that then?�

“I’m…I’m…uh…experimenting.� Seamus said it more like a question then an actual answer.

“You ought to face the music, Seamus,� Ron said as he realized only too late that Hermione’s panties had somehow found their way onto his pillow. “You are most definitely gay.�

* * *

The detentions for those who took place in the Great Hogwarts Battle (as Luna Lovegood was calling it) were to take place some time before Christmas, but after the first Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. The two teams prepared in their customary ways. Harry booked the pitch nearly every day, while Draco tried to scare the other team out of showing up for the match. However, he was unsuccessful, as usual. By Saturday, both teams were in their respective changing rooms getting ready while the assembling students cheered loudly outside.

Ginny sat clutching her broomstick nervously as she watched the others put on their robes. She was slightly nervous, but not because it was the most important game of the season. Draco was on the other team. It seemed really juvenile and childish, but she really wanted to impress Draco. Every night since the ball, Ginny dreamed of the time they spent together in the garden. She never felt quite like this when she was thinking about Harry, and Harry didn’t make her feel even close to the way Draco made her feel. Getting Draco to realize that, however, might be another story.

Draco was in his own changing room, eager for the match. He had not once caught the snitch before Harry, and he felt sure that he could do it today if he concentrated hard on the match. Those, however, were his famous last words.

The pitch was screaming loudly with excitement for the match. Draco walked purposefully towards Harry, his Nimbus 2001 clutched in his hand.

“Shake hands!� Madame Hooch ordered.

Draco reached out and grasped Harry’s hand. He was just about to pull his hand back when he saw a very distinct flash of red hair. He cautiously looked past Harry, and confirmed that the fiery red head of hair belonged to the feisty girl he was thinking about.

Ginny gulped as she briefly made eye contact with Draco. For a split second, she thought that Draco knew that she was the girl in the white dress. But Draco’s searching eyes left hers almost as quickly as they came, and Ginny sighed in relief. Of course, she thought. If he knew it was me…I don’t even want to think about what could happen.

Ginny mounted her broom and pushed off the ground hard as the whistle was blown. All fourteen players shot into the air. Draco flew up high above the pitch and began to circle in search of the snitch. He could do this. He could pay attention to the game instead of…Ginny.

But just then, Ginny snatched the quaffle and raced towards the Slytherin goalposts. Draco couldn’t help himself. He decided he would just watch her until she scored, and then he would go back to looking for the snitch.

That didn’t take very long. After Ginny reverse passed to Natalie McDonald, Natalie skillfully performed the Porskoff Ploy and thus Ginny took the quaffle and immediately scored. Draco didn’t care that his Keeper, Theodore Nott, was kicking the air in frustration. He simply watched in amusement as Malcolm Baddock attempted to take the quaffle down towards the Gryffindor end of the pitch, but failed after Ginny kicked the quaffle out of his arms (no penalty was called because she did not make any contact with Malcolm’s body). The crowd started cheering Weasley is Our Queen.

“Thirty-nothing Gryffindor!� Draco heard the commentator shout. He didn’t care. And he didn’t even know who the commentator was. He kept his eyes glued to Ginny. Draco couldn’t help but notice that Ginny bit her lower lip when she concentrated really hard. It was so cute.

Suddenly, both bludger’s were headed in Ginny’s direction. From either side, too, were Crabbe and Goyle. Ginny had no means of escape as she twirled around, trying to find a way out.

“No!� yelled Draco in fear. Draco was two seconds away from plummeting down to rescue Ginny, when she suddenly swung her legs to the side and jumped off her broomstick.

“Ginny!� Draco yelled. He was in panic mode for all of two seconds. Ginny landed gracefully on the back of Harry’s broomstick. She wrapped her arms around his waist as he took her back up to her own broom. In one fluid motion, Ginny swung herself up onto her broomstick and soared after Christopher Nott to steal the quaffle from him.

“Damn you, Potter,� Draco muttered to himself as the crowd started singing Potter is our King. However, he was relieved that Ginny was safe. He watched her pass the quaffle to Gabrielle Delacour, who promptly scored.

“Seventy-nothing Gryffindor!� Draco heard echo through the stands. He didn’t care.

Down at the Gryffindor end of the pitch, Ron was very bored. He was singing 99 Bottles of Butterbeer on the Wall to himself, since he hadn’t seen any action the entire game. The Creevy brothers were doing an excellent job of keeping the two bludgers aimed at the Slytherins, and thus Ron had nothing to do since no one could get past the center field mark. The closest anyone came was Agatha DeLamya. It was a very funny story, Ron mused, how she had gotten on the team, since Slytherins don’t normally play with girls. Agatha had threatened the boys with magical breast implants had they not allowed her to play. In fear of his manly pride being wounded, Draco had caved and allowed her a spot on the team.

Ron couldn’t take the boredom anymore. With a burst of energy, he shot all the way across the field towards Malcolm and easily snatched the quaffle from his hands. He tossed it hard past Theodore, sending it soaring through the center goalpost. Ron was back covering his own goalpost before the cheering crowd could complete the first stanza of Weasley is our King.

It didn’t even faze Draco that his team was loosing by so many points, and possibly the only way they could win was if Draco caught the snitch (which he wasn’t even looking for). The only thing that mattered to him was watching Ginny as he hummed Weasley is our Queen to himself. She passed, dodged, and zoomed with such amazing grace that he was completely mesmerized by her.

Down below, Ginny was hoping that her efforts would impress Draco. She felt so stupid for thinking that, but she thought if she played Quidditch really well, Draco would like her. She thought that the night they spent in the garden didn’t even faze him (not that he knew it was her) because he appeared to be the exact same Draco that Ron was always complaining about; arrogant and big headed. As she dodged another bludger easily, she tossed the quaffle through the left hoop and scored another goal.

“150-nothing Gryffindor!�

All of a sudden, it dawned on Draco that if he didn’t catch the snitch that very instant, he would loose all hope of winning the game. Draco furiously looked for the snitch, hoping he would see it soon.

“MALFOY!!!�

Draco looked up to see an annoyed looking Harry staring back at him.

“What the hell do you want, Potter?�

Harry pointed to a spot about two inches in front of his right shoulder. It took Draco a couple of seconds to realize what was there. Draco made a snatching motion to grab the snitch, but it suddenly plummeted straight downwards. Draco dove.

It only took a second for Harry to catch up with Draco. Soon, they were shoulder to shoulder, racing to catch the snitch before either of them hit the ground. Ten feet from the ground, Harry spurted forward and snatched the snitch from the air, skillfully pulling out of the dive. Draco, however, crashed into the ground.

“What’s with you, Malfoy?� Harry asked after Draco regained composure.

“What are you talking about, Potter?�

“Well, usually you put up a really good fight, and I was kind of looking forward to that. But today you were a little…distracted.�

“Oh, what is it to you if I’m distracted, Potter!� Draco snapped as he glanced at Ginny quickly.

“Nothing, Malfoy. Chill out, will you?�

“Fuck off, Potter!�

* * *

While all the Gryffindors were celebrating their 300-0 victory over Slytherin in the Common Room, Ginny was in her dorm room, staring silently at the ceiling. She knew she should be happy about winning the game, in fact she was the reason they won by so much, but she was depressed instead. Draco had completely ignored her at the end of the game by shoving her aside in his haste to reach the castle and snapping, “Move it, Weasley!� Not that he had any reason to actually pay any attention to her. But she was hoping, just maybe…

It didn’t matter. Ginny decided right then and there that she might as well just forget about Draco Malfoy.

* * *

While everyone in Slytherin was in their dorm rooms trying to recover from their mortifying 300-0 defeat, Draco sat in the common room with a roll of parchment. He had decided to do something about Ginny in the form of writing her a letter or two.

It had taken him a while to come about this conclusion. After the humiliating defeat, he shoved Ginny aside (something he didn’t mean to do at all) and ran all the way across school and up to the astronomy tower. Once he got all the way to the top, he screamed at the top of his lungs. After screaming himself out and realizing that he didn’t feel any better, he had kicked the wall, which only aggravated him more because his toe hurt. Like a bitch.

Draco sat down on the plush black carpet then, thinking. He was annoyed with himself for getting distracted by Ginny, but he couldn’t help it. He really cared about her; he couldn’t deny that, he now realized. No, he loved her. He really did. What he didn’t know was how he came to fall in love with Ginny Weasley, of all people in the entire school. It could never work between the two of them.

He knew now that he couldn’t just toss her out of his life like an old t-shirt. He had to do something, at least. But something discreet, so that she won’t figure out that it was him whom she had kissed in the rain.

That is how he came to be sitting in the Common Room with a scroll of parchment. He was going to anonymously write to her. It couldn’t hurt anything, and then he would be able to forget about her completely. So as he crumbled up another piece of parchment and missed as he attempted to toss it into the burning fire, Draco felt that he had finally made the right decision. Well, maybe…

* * *

DEATH TO THE SLYTHERINS IN A METAPHORICAL WAY

Heart-stopping broom chases! Flying balls! Rivalry, conflict, and lots of damn good other stuff! What could it be?

Yes, my friends, I am talking about the Quidditch game of the century – GRYFFINDOR VS. SLYTHERIN!!!

As we all know, Gryffindors and Slytherins have been fighting since before there was such a thing as Gryffindor and Slytherin. After the Great Hogwarts Battle earlier this year, most members of these prestigious Houses went about their business quietly, seeming to avoid conflict and, while not actually trying to get along, not looking for a fight either.

But this assumption is totally WACKY! In fact, the faithful students of Gryffidor and Slytherin have just been biding their time until TODAY, when they face each other on the pitch!

However, as nasty as the Slytherins were, they were no match for our brave Gryffindors. In fact, Gryffindor won the match 300-0! WHAT A WIN! Such statistics have never been seen in all of Quidditch history, let alone Hogwarts!

Perhaps the credit goes to the star captain of the winning team. Harry Potter, one of the most famous young wizards in the world, is now a Seventh Year at Hogwarts School (though you probably already knew that). He has always been a star player, making another name for himself as the youngest seeker to join the House Team since Charlie Weasley. However, as he has had seven long years to refine his inborn abilities, I don’t believe anyone will dispute that he is, indeed, the best Seeker in our Hogwarts memory.

And to top that off, he’s a bloody great captain, too! Dennis Creevey, a Gryffindor Beater, says, “He’s such a great leader. We really admire him. He’s such a Gryffindor... brave and honest and stuff. The whole team, we all love him to death.�

This will be Harry’s last year as Captain of the team. He hasn’t chosen a successor yet – no one wants to live up to such an honorable name. “I want this to be the best year,� he said before the match. “After this... no more Hogwarts.�

AW! Such a great guy, no wonder the Gryffindors won!!!

- Luna Lovegood, Reporter for the Hogwarts Unlimited

“Luna... I never said that.�

“You would have.�

“Just because you're my girlfriend doesn't give you the right to...�

Luna snuggled up to Harry.

“.... fine. Whatever.�

Silence.

“You know, you're right, I would have said that.....�

* * *

A/N: JaX would like to take this time to thank Transcendancer for finally giving me this chapter, after bugging her for nearly a month. We would both like to, once again, thank our lovely beta JJ for saying things such as, "hahaha...it says, 'Fuck off, Potter!'" And of course, thanks to Jo and Willy for writing their wonderful stories so that we could write this fan fiction. hopefully we'll have chapter four out soon, but it depends on whether or not Transcendancer decides to write it up this weekend.

Chapter Four – Yet We Must Not Be Foes

"How are we supposed to groom them if we can't even see them?"

Pansy Parkinson had her perfect brown curls pulled back harshly from her cute pug-like face. She sneered at the pile of raw meat left to attract thestrals at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Seamus ran a hand through his hair, exasperated with his detention partner. All she'd done was bitch since being led down there and told to wait for the thestrals to show up. Seamus was carrying a blue grooming box, containing a currycomb, hard brush, soft brush, and even a hoof pick. He supposed Pansy must have some experience with horses - he certainly did, spending the majority of his childhood summers on the ranch of his Uncle Nester.

However, he had always been able to see the horses before this.

Pansy was still bitching. "This is the stupidest detention ever! I bet you don't even know how to groom a horse…"

"I know how to groom a horse," Seamus replied through clenched teeth.

She gave him a scathing look that clearly said, "Whatever."

Suddenly, Seamus felt a…something bump into his shoulder. He practically jumped out of his skin as he reached up and felt the chilling hairy skeleton of a thestral. There was a clatter as the invisible beast nuzzled the grooming box. A few feet away, Pansy gasped as she too was accosted.

"Hey…F-F-Finnegan…h-hand over a currycomb…" Her voice was breathy and jumpy, catching on consonants. Seamus wordlessly handed her a currycomb and picked one up for himself.

It was an odd experience. Seamus kept one hand in contact with the thestral to have a frame of reference. At least the beast wasn't moving around, he thought. That would make things more difficult.

They were grooming for two hours when suddenly, the creatures were gone, as surely as if they’d slammed the door on their way out. Seamus and Pansy took that as the cue to leave.

"Oh, thank Merlin!" Pansy said, stalking off back to the school without him. Seamus groaned and collected her brushes in the box, trudging up the hill after her. Upon reflection, that wasn't so bad. Definitely worth the fight.

* * *

Ginny was sitting at the Gryffindor table, eating her breakfast alone. She was ok with that, though - she had been spending a lot of time alone ever since the Masquerade Ball. She couldn't get Draco out of her head.

Just then, an unfamiliar midnight black owl landed in front of her. Puzzled, she looked at the name on the parchment. It was her own, perfectly lettered in a beautiful black script.

"What's this?" Ginny muttered to herself as she untied the letter from the owl's leg. Immediately, it flew off. She ignored it and pulled on the silk black ribbon wrapped around the letter. A white rose fell from the page, magically unharmed despite the journey. Ginny held her breath as she slowly read the letter:

Dear Ginny,

How is it you've managed to twist my heart so that all I see is you? I met you once upon a dream, it seems, and now I do believe I've fallen in love. I would keep it to myself and bear my burden silently, but I've come to realize this - it can't stay inside me any longer.

So here it is, in plain English, for I'm in no mood to be fancy. I love you. Seems a strange place to be, but here I am. Head over heels for someone I hardly know.

Do you remember me? We kissed in the rain, and later we danced. You're a great dancer. You don't know who I am. That's okay. I'd like to keep it that way, if you don't mind. I have a feeling things would be different. If you knew. Yeah. I just think it's…

Oh shit. What am I trying to say, even? I'll go now.

Anon.

Ginny was completely flabbergasted. She knew it was Draco; who else had she kissed in the rain? Of course she would remember. She reverentially rolled the parchment back up and retied the black silk ribbon that it had arrived in. She couldn't think. She wanted to love Draco, but she thought he didn't know who she was… but this was proof that he did.

Suddenly, Ginny rose from her table and ran from the Great Hall.

* * *

Of all the people to have to spend detention with! Even Malfoy would have been…familiar. Ron was used to the Slytherin's particular form of evilness. He could have handled that. But Millicent Bulstrode!? Not only was she a Slytherin, but she was just so…UGLY!

"We have to do WHAT?!?!" Millicent screamed. Ron snapped back to reality, realizing that he missed what their actual punishment would be.

"It's quite simple, Miss Bulstrode," Dumbledore said. "Find Mrs. Norris. Turn her back form a wombat into a cat. I assume you're both well versed in Switching Spells?"

They nodded.

"Good! Well, I shall leave you to it. Ta!" He swept out of the Entrance Hall, leaving them to glare at each other.

"Ok…" Ron said. "Well, you'll start from one end of the school and I'll start from the other end and we'll-"

"I've got a better idea," Millicent interrupted.

"Ok…"

"A cunning plan, actually."

"So, what is it?"

"How much gold do you have on hand?"

Ron felt in his pockets. "A few knuts, maybe a sickle. Nothing more."

"Yea, I've got two sickles and ten knuts. You think that's a lot of money to a First Year?"

"No."

"Damn." Millicent gnawed on the edge of her thumbnail. Then she gave a dazzlingly evil grin that the Slytherins were so famous for. "How about a Muggle born first year?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Enough to bribe them into searching for Mrs. Norris?"

"Possibly," Ron said, a smile beginning to creep onto his face. "A Hufflepuff. They're too bloody nice to refuse."

* * *

"Retiling the roof?!"

"On top of the Astronomy Tower?!"

Blaise and Hermione glanced shakily at each other, and then the roof of the highest tower in the school.

Blaise cleared his throat and stuffed Dumbledore's note back into his pocket. "Oookay…let's just get this over with." He mounted his broom and glided upwards a few feet. Then, suddenly he stopped, realizing that Hermione wasn't with him. He glided back down to the Head Girl. "What?" he asked sharply.

Hermione shut her eyes and took a deep breath. "I…I'm afraid of heights."

Blaise sighed in frustration. "Look, just get on the back of my broom and hold on."

Hermione took a step back. "No way! I have a boyfriend."

"Granger, do you want to get this detention over with or not?"

She nodded slowly.

"Then get your prissy butt on the back of my broomstick. You don't even have to do anything, just close your eyes."

Hermione shakily shut her eyes tightly. "You better not try anything funny, Zabini."

"Don't worry, I won't."

Slowly, the two Seventh years rose to the roof of the Astronomy Tower. It was shaped like a cone, sloping downwards steeply.

"There's a steeple up there at the top," Blaise said. "Do you want to grab on to that?"

"YES!" Hermione practically shouted. "Just put me down already. I know what to do."

Blaise flew close enough to the steeple so that Hermione could grab onto it. She wasted no time, practically jumping off the back of his broom. She took a deep breath.

"You said you know how to retile a roof?" Blaise asked. Hermione nodded back. "Ok, just tell me what to do. You don't have to do anything."

Hermione looked at the roof. A good third of the tiles were missing, and the rest were chipped and eroding away. Hermione looked out at the sun already starting to set over the Forbidden Forest. She took another deep breath. Looking out wasn't as bad as looking down.

"Ok, first strip off all the old tiles."

Blaise obliged. He didn't seem to mind that she wasn't really doing work except bossing him around. Hermione frowned, a little annoyed that he was being so submissive.

"No offense or anything," Hermione said, "but why is it that you're actually listening to me? You called me a mudblood."

"Look.� Blaise sighed. “I have a 10 year old sister who's afraid of heights. One summer I… levitated her on to the roof while she was sleeping. She woke up screaming." Blaise pulled away a few more tiles before he spoke again. "So from now on I sympathize towards anyone who's afraid of heights. Including you." He tossed aside the remaining tiles. "Ok, what next?"

Hermione and Blaise spent the rest of the evening fixing up the rooftop. They were fairly civil to each other, actually. Hermione actually mellowed out a bit. Now that she was actually up there, it wasn't so bad. She even let go of the steeple for a few minutes so that Blaise could retile it. And when the wind picked up, Hermione was very proud to say that she didn't scream.

"It's amazing from up this high," Hermione said randomly as she looked out at the setting sun.

Blaise looked up for a second, flicking a lock of black hair out of his eyes. "Hey, you're right. There are no trees to get in the way."

An hour later (due to an incident with the grout), they were finally finished. Hermione couldn't get back on the ground fast enough. When Blaise's broom finally touched down, Hermione jumped off and collapsed to the grass, kissing the ground.

"Damn it, Granger, can you be any more…odd?"

"Yes I can, thank you very much." Her stomach grumbled. "What time is it?"

Blaise pulled out a gold pocket watch. "It's after eight. We missed dinner." Blaise scratched his head while he thought. "Let's go down to the kitchens. The House Elves will give us something."

"No way! That’s slavery, those house-elves don’t - "

Blaise gave her a funny look. "Slavery? Haven't you read your history books, Granger?"

Hermione nodded as they made their way back to the castle. "Of course I have. Who do you take me for?"

"Well, you obviously did a lousy job."

"Excuse me?"

Blaise sighed. "Let's just get some dinner and take it back to the Slytherin Common Room. I'll explain when we get there."

"You’re kidding, right? The Slytherins’ll kill me."

"You're Head Girl, remember? You can go wherever you please. And besides, if I set foot in Gryffindor Common Room we'll be in for another batch of detentions because I'll probably sucker punch your boyfriend again. Mm, no. Definitely."

* * *

"Mister Weasley, shouldn't you be in detention?"

Ron froze. Professor McGonagall had stopped him on his way into Gryffindor Tower.

"Uh…I'm looking for Mrs. Norris in Gryffindor Tower, Professor."

"I see." Her lips were pressed together very thin. "And what would Mrs. Norris be doing in Gryffindor Tower?"

"Um…taking a nap?"

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips. "I highly doubt it."

"Professor!" A voice yelled from the end of the corridor. Professor McGonagall turned towards Professor Snape, who was practically dragging a First Year Hufflepuff by the shirt collar.

"Now, tell Professor McGonagall what you told me, Mister Johnson."

"Well," the timid boy said, talking to the floor. "They - they asked me if I wanted make some extra money. So I said yes. Then they…they told me to look for Mrs. Norris for them and they left." The boy was shaking all over by now.

"Thank you. You may go." Professor Snape turned to glare at Ron. "Mister Weasley, the next time you want to bribe someone into doing your detention for you, make sure you are not standing right next to the staff room!"

Ron turned beet red. Oops.

"You and Miss Bulstrode will serve yet another detention, having failed to complete your first one. And an extra fifty points will be taken!"

Ron tried to think of something to say, but no adequate words came to mind.

"I also suggest," Professor McGonagall said, "That next time, you at least look for Mrs. Norris in the most obvious of all places - Filch's Office."

"I'll try to remember that, Professor."

* * *

Why did they always make him clean? Probably because he hated it so very much. Adding that it was in the dungeons with Professor Snape, dirty vials probably didn't help. If it wasn’t already Ron's second detention, he would have broken something.

Suddenly, he heard someone come into the room. Ron picked up a new vial and a sponge, and then turned around to see who the visitor was.

Draco was handing a roll of parchment to Snape, who unrolled it carefully. Ron turned away to wash his vial.

"You wrote her again?"

"Sent already. This is the facsimile."

Snape sighed. "Why are you showing me this?"

"I thought you would want to know."

"I suppose the more proper question would be, why are you doing this in general?"

There was a silence for a few seconds.

"Because I can't not write to her." Ron was surprised to hear a depth of feeling in Malfoy's voice that he would not have thought possible. "I love her, Professor."

Ron dropped a vial. It shattered loudly on the cold, stone floor, making everyone in the room jump. Suddenly, Snape remembered that Ron was serving a detention with him, which meant that he was in the room, listening to every word that him and Draco had said.

"Out, Weasley, OUT! I never want to see your miserable face again!"

Ron scurried out faster than a golden snidget. Draco sighed and quickly repaired the vial with a wave of his wand. Snape collapsed in the chair behind his desk, winded from his sudden outburst. After a few seconds of silence, he said, "At least we didn't say her name."

"Yea, lovely." Draco's voice was as chilly as mountain air.

"…Draco, how can you love her when you've only just met her?"

Draco grinned mirthlessly. "Because I want to."

* * *

I would write you a sonnet, but I’m no good at poetry. I’d rather tell you what I think of you than what you are. Love is fair strange, and I know you could never love me, for all your acceptance on Halloween. You and I are too different. No, I will not write you poetry – and why should, I when a plethora of perfect poems are just waiting to be stolen? Of course, I will give credit to their original author – William Shakespeare, written for his beloved (name unknown).

Take all my loves, my love, yea, take them all;
What hast thou then more than thou hadst before?
No love, my love, that thou mayst true love call;
All mine was thine, before thou hadst this more.
Then if for my love thou my love receivest,
I cannot blame thee for my love thou usest;
But yet be blamed, if thou thyself deceivest
By willful taste of what thyself refusest.
I do forgive thy robbery, gentle thief,
Although thou steal thee all my property;
And yet, love knows, it is a greater grief
To bear love’s wrong, than hate’s known injury,
Lascivious grace, in whom all ill well shows,
Kill me with spites; yet we must not be foes.

So there, stolen from Willy – but spoken in complete truth from me to you.

Anon.

Another letter. Ginny sat down, folding it back up and placing the pink rose in her pocket. She still wasn't sure how to react to Draco's odd proclamations of love. Not that she didn't love him back… He said he loved her but refused to talk to her. He said he loved her but he assumed she would never want him. He said he loved her.

She really didn't know anything about him. At all. And he knew nothing about her…but she wanted to tell him. She wanted to find out everything about him.

Harry was playing Wizard Chess with Ron when Ginny burst into the Common Room. "Harry!" she yelled.

He looked up. "Oh, hey, Ginny. What's up?"

"Could I borrow Hedwig?"

"What's wrong with Pig?" Ron asked, miffed.

"Shut up, Ron!" Ginny and Harry said together.

Harry laughed. "I'm really sorry, Ginny, Hedwig's out right now…but you're welcome to her whenever you want."

"Ginny, just use a school owl." Ron captured one of Harry’s pawns.

"Shut up, Ron!"

"Um… no, never mind." She had lost her momentum - the confidence that had propelled her before.

Ron glanced up, confused. "What just happened?"

"Just…shut up, Ron."

* * *

After a quick trip down the kitchens, Blaise was giving the password and they were entering the Slytherin Common Room. They had barely sat down when Draco stormed in, beautiful in his anger. To Draco's surprise, Zabini was eating dinner with The Mudblood, Granger. "Zabini…" Draco fingered the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "What is she doing here?"

Blaise glared daggers at Draco. "None of your business, asswipe."

Draco took the insult nonchalantly. "Actually, dung brain, it is my business. The whole damn school is my business. Now, give me a good reason or I'll hex your face off."

"I invited her here. Now, move along before I really give you a reason to hex me."

Draco sauntered to a large black door in one wall and opened it. Before he entered the Head Boy's dormitory, he turned around and said, "Be glad I don't feel like handing out detentions today, Zabini. You have no power. You are nothing but a speck of mud on my shoe." And with that, he slammed the door.

Hermione blinked. "Such a loving family."

"Stick around, Granger, it gets better."

They both smirked.

"Anyway, what were you saying?"

"Oh, right. The house elves. Well, they went to Helga Hufflepuff…"

"DRACO IGNATIUS MALFOY!!!" Pansy Parkinson came flying through the entrance to the Common Room. "Where is he?" she asked Blaise angrily. Blaise pointed to the door without a word. She stalked to his door and flung it opened, ready to storm inside. Draco was waiting, standing in the doorframe.

His sudden appearance did nothing to assuage her anger. She began berating him at the top of her voice while Draco looked around the room with a bored expression on his face.

Blaise sighed heavily. "Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy! Do you mind taking your lover's spat elsewhere? You're ruining my appetite."

Draco rolled his eyes, shoved Pansy into the room, and slammed the door behind him. The screaming immediately commenced after that.

"That'll be a lasting marriage." Hermione said sarcastically.

"You said it. Anyway, the House Elves asked Helga for mercy and forgiveness. She replied that she could not take away their punishment, but she could give them a loophole. She could give them happiness - "

The door to Draco's room opened again, and Pansy stepped out. She slammed the door behind her, collapsing in an armchair near the fireplace. Suddenly, she realized that Hermione was in the room.

"Blaise," she said, mock sweetly. "Why is a Gryffindor here?"

Before Blaise could respond, Hermione spoke up.

"I'm Head Girl, Parkinson. I can go wherever I please." She mimicked Pansy tone for tone.

"I wasn't talking to you, bitch!" Pansy snapped.

"I asked her here, pug face! You don't like it then go cry to Dear Draco. Or are you two not getting along?" The last sentence was said in a sappy, sarcastic tone of voice.

"Shut it, Zabini."

"So, Hermione - "

Suddenly, Draco's door was flung opened. Draco threw a crumpled up piece of parchment towards the fire. Without waiting to see if it has hit its mark, he slammed the door shut once again.

Pansy stood and picked up the letter, just two inches from the grate. She unfolded it carefully and began to read it. Her eyes widened as she neared the end, and absentmindedly walked towards the girl's dormitory.

How very interesting…

* * *

If only we weren’t as different as day and night! You, full of shine and sparkle; and myself, full of shadow. And as there must always be adversity between light and dark, like so our battle, dangerous in its intensity. But... what’s in a name, I ask you? A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet, so they say. But you do not know me, and that will make it easier... to forget you.

For I must forget you. No matter what it takes, I can’t live like this any longer. Something has to change – either our Houses stop fighting, or I stop loving you. Perhaps Master Shakespeare was wrong – he told the truth, yes; a rose would still smell sweet;... but he neglected to mention this: a rose by any other name would still have thorns.

Anon.

Ginny walked as if in a daze from her dorm and through the Common Room. Ron and Hermione were collapsed on a couch, and looked up as she floated by. They thought she hadn't noticed them at all, but Ginny remarked, "Ron, tell Mum I'm staying here for Christmas…"

"Gin, we're all staying here for Christmas." Ron gave her a strange look.

But Ginny was already walking out of the Common Room and outside, towards the lake.

It was the last day of the term. Tomorrow morning, the rest of the school would head home, including Draco. That evening would be Christmas Eve.

Ginny pulled out the third letter and read it once again. She smelled the sweet smell of the dark red rose it had arrived with. Slowly and carefully, she folded it back up and but it away. She decided that she needed to formulate a plan. A good plan, at that. Practically cunning.

She wasn't going to let Draco Malfoy go that easily.

* * *

A/N: SORRY that this chapter took so long. Myself and Transcendancer had many problems, some of which include loosing the chapter outline, summer vacation, loosing the beta'ed copy, the release of Half Blood Prince, the final copy getting locked on a computer, the release of Goblet of Fire, the final copy being on the wrong computer, plus others that are just too stupid to mention. Chapter five will NOT take as long, I promise.

And now for the credits, all of which are by William Shakespeare:

1.) The chapter title and sonnet mentioned in Draco's second letter both come from Sonnet 40.
2.) "A rose by any other name" mentioned in Draco's third letter comes from Romeo and Juliet
3.) I deeply appologize if I forgot anything, but if I did, it's by Shakespeare.