As Pansy Parkinson walked past the tittering Ravenclaw girls, she couldn’t help but smirk satisfyingly with a sense of pity for the poor girls who had always hoped for her boyfriend’s affection. However, she quickly composed herself and turned her smirk into a sweet smile towards the boy she was holding hands with. She gazed adoringly into his eyes and couldn’t help but noticing, for the third time today, how brightly his blonde-white hair shown in the light and how handsome he looked, even with the hint of a scowl reflected on his pale face. “Draco’s good looks and my new dress are more than enough to turn heads at the upcoming Yule Ball.� she thought happily to herself.


Nearby, a group of girls were also thinking about Pansy and Draco’s new relationship, but it was far from Pansy’s fantasy.



“Is Draco really going out with her?� Iris Borgin asked her friends in a choked voice. Iris was a pretty girl with sleek brown hair and deep blue eyes, which were flashing angrily at the moment. She was the leader of the group of Ravenclaw girls huddled together in the common room, and the other girls shuffled their feet awkwardly. Everyone knew that Iris and Draco were meant for each other, and that his new relationship with Pansy was a dramatic blow to her.


“She’s not even pretty, the prat,� reassured Danna Cadwaller, patting her friend on the back in a consoling way. “You would be much better for him. Why he picked her is beyond me…probably fed him a love potion, for all we know. �


Becky and Rena Fobworth nodded vigorously in agreement. Rumors soon rose from the huddle, most of which outlined various love potions that Pansy had poured into Draco’s glass without him seeing. Iris, however, was deep in thought and hardly noticed the chatter around her.


She still couldn’t believe that Draco Malfoy was going out with Pansy Parkinson. Was he still the same Draco, the one she had liked since the beginning of summer, and the one who had liked her back? Hot tears fell thick and fast into her lap but she barely noticed them. Memories of her first encounter with Draco at her father’s shop filled her head, and for a few moments it was all she could think about.



It was at Borgin and Burkes, the shop in Knockturn Alley that was owned by Iris’s father. Iris’s mother, a renowned potions master, was on a trip to seek the perfect bezoar that could be added to her new potion. As usual, Iris was stuck with her father for the entire summer, but she didn’t mind. Although Mr. Borgin was always fixated on dark magic and collected sinister objects as a hobby, he was nonetheless a good father, and Iris had great respect for him. That day, she was sitting in her father’s shop, dusting off a case of cursed necklaces, when a tall man with sweeping blonde hair and a boy of her age walked in. This man seemed to be a friend of her father’s, as Mr. Borgin quickly steered him to the back of the shop where they began to talk in hushed tones. The boy that had walked in was looking curiously at Iris. Annoyed, she looked back at him.


Recognition dawned on both their faces as the boy’s eyebrows rose in surprise and asked, “You go to Hogwarts too, don’t you?�


Iris nodded, as she took in the boy’s pale face and his sleeked back hair, which was just as white-blonde as his father’s. “I’m in Ravenclaw. What about you?� she asked, trying to be polite. Father had always taught her to have good manners around customers.


The boy’s features arranged themselves into a sneer and replied, “Slytherin.� as if it was the best House of the four, and that being in Slytherin made him more superior than her. “Say, if I’m not mistaken, you would be pure-blood, wouldn’t you?� he asked lazily, looking around the shop.



“Well…yes.� replied Iris, not sure what her blood type had to do with anything. This boy’s attitude was starting to get on her nerves, and as she didn’t have anything else to say, she went back to dusting the box of necklaces.


But to her dismay, the boy seemed to be interested in the shop and continued totalk as if she hadn’t just turned her back on him. “What’s in that box you’re dusting?� he asked.


“Cursed necklaces,� she replied.


“Really, now,� he asked, looking mildly interested. “What do they do?�


Iris began explaining the effects of the cursed necklaces in great detail, hoping to scare the arrogant boy off so she would be left alone. On the contrary, the sinister effects of the necklaces didn’t seem to faze him at all.


“Wow,� he said, when she had finished her explanation. “A pretty little girl like you knowing so much about the Dark Arts, that’s really something.�


Iris was pleased to see that the boy was impressed, and shrugged off the compliment.


“My name is Draco Malfoy, what’s yours?� he asked, extending a hand for her to shake.


“Iris Borgin,� she replied.


The two shook hands and Draco said, “You have a very pretty name. It suits you.�


Maybe it was the compliment, or the interest they both shared in the Dark Arts, but Iris started to see him in a new light, and gladly gave him a tour of the shop. When he had to leave, she was sorry to see him go.


Luckily, Draco came back many times the following week, sometimes with his father and sometimes alone. He and Iris spent many hours examining the rest of the Borgin and Burkes stock of dark objects, and as time went by they became close friends.


On the day before Iris’s birthday, Draco came into Borgin and Burkes with the usual air of happiness to see her and curiosity for the objects in the shop, but there was something different about him that Iris couldn’t quite place her finger on.



“You seem different today,� she said, peering closely at his face. “Are you feeling ok?�


“Um…yeah. Hey, say, are you doing anything today? I mean,� he replied hastily, “My mum invited you for a visit to my house. The house elves are making special Pumpkin Pudding today, and if you want to come, I mean, if you want to…yeah.� Draco turned a shade of pink that Iris had never seen before, and looked quickly down at his feet.


“Oh…that’s really nice of your mum. Um, of course I’d like to come,� she replied, turning a bit pink herself. Draco looked up from his feet, surprised, and smiled tentatively at Iris. When Mr. Borgin walked into the shop a moment later, he shook his head in confusion at the sight of a boy and a girl, looking happily, but somewhat awkwardly, into each other’s eyes. They both had a tinge of pink in their cheeks. Mr. Borgin didn’t know it, but this was the start of something good…



Iris snapped back into reality as her friend Danna poked her sharply in the ribs. “We’re going to be late for Potions!� she said, pulling on Iris’s sleeve and dragging her out of the common room.


Iris vaguely felt her feet moving forwards and a weight similar to her book bag being hauled onto her shoulder, but her mind was somewhere else. Although she and Draco were never officially together, she believed that deep down they loved each other, but neither had been able to say the words. I’m going to get to the bottom of this, she thought angrily to herself, wiping away a tear on her cheek. I don’t know what Pansy’s secret is, but I’m going to find out and win Draco back, if it’s the last thing I do.

The dark dungeon was filled with an empty silence that deafened Draco Malfoy’s ears. The usual drop in temperature upon arrival was nothing compared to the cold feeling of dread that had suddenly washed over him. Draco took a deep breath and looked up at his father. He was hoping for a sign of comfort, but it didn’t come. Instead, Lucius Malfoy’s piercing blue eyes stared back at his own disbelieving gray ones. “Father…� Draco pleaded. “Pansy and I…no I mean…Iris and I…I can’t do this to either of them. Can we just forget –-�





Lucius cut him off sharply with a wave of his hand. He studied Draco intently through scrutinizing eyes for a few moments. When he finally spoke, it was in a cold voice that sent chills up Draco’s spine. “Are you telling me, Draco, that you are ruining your father’s last chance to redeem himself in front of the Dark Lord, just for Iris Borgin?� He spat the last few words out and unrolled his sleeves with such force that Draco thought his sleeve would rip. Lucius thrusted his bare arm out, and through the light of a tiny window in the dungeon, Draco saw the outline of the Dark Mark on his father’s arm. He gasped as he realized it was much darker than the last time he had seen it.





“Do you see now?� Lucius hissed. “The Dark Lord is growing stronger each day, and when he returns, he will not be pleased that I didn’t go looking for him these past few years. My only hope for redemption is to find his missing Horcrux and present it to him as token of my loyalty, and beg for his mercy. And you, Draco, are going to help me.�







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Draco Malfoy awoke with a start. He rubbed his eyes feverishly and told himself that it was just a bad dream. But a glance towards Pansy Parkinson sitting next to him told him that it was all real. He had fallen asleep in Potions class again.





At the beginning of the term, his father had asked him to help find a locket that belonged to the Dark Lord, and even before him, belonged to Salazar Slytherin. According to Lucius, the locket contained a part of the Dark Lord’s soul, and was called a “Horcrux�. Draco didn’t really understand what that meant, but he would have been happy to help if it didn’t involve dating Pansy Parkinson. Unfortunately, it did. Draco had heard from his father that Pansy’s mother may have had something to do with the Dark Lord’s Horcrux, and that Pansy may be able to provide some possible explanations. His job was to sidle up to Pansy and find out as much as he could about her mother and maybe the Horcrux as well, but the task was definitely harder said than done.





Oh, the part about getting Pansy to date him wasn’t hard, of course. Pansy had always liked Draco, and now she clung to him everywhere they went and kept up non-stop chatter about the Yule Ball and what they would wear to it. Whenever Pansy asked him to help her pick out a dress to wear, he secretly thought of Iris Borgin, the only girl in his heart, and how he would give anything in the world to go to the ball with her instead.





Pansy was chatting away happily to Millicent Bulstrode about the Yule Ball again. It seems to be the only thing on girls’ minds nowadays, thought Draco. He snuck at look at Iris who was sitting in the row next to his, then quickly turned back when he realized she was looking at him too. He forced himself to join Pansy in the Yule Ball conversation. After all, the ball was to be held tonight, and he still didn’t know what Pansy wanted him to wear.








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A group of girls giggled wildly in the Ravenclaw common room, modeling their dresses for their friends and helping each other with their makeup. The only girl who wasn’t apart of the chaos was Iris. She ran a comb through her hair absent-mindedly and looked at her reflection in the mirror. A pretty girl wearing a royal blue dress stared back at her. The girl’s hair was in an elegant bun and was held in place by a white tulip. Draco’s favorite, she thought before she could resist. She pulled the tulip out angrily and reminded herself again that she was going to the ball with Anthony Goldstein, and not Draco Malfoy. Anthony had asked her earlier that day and she had agreed because, as her friend Danna kept telling her, Draco was not going to ask her, and Anthony was a perfectly nice guy who had fancied her since the beginning of the year. I might as well enjoy myself, she thought bitterly. Maybe Draco wasn’t worth my time anyways. In fact, I’m not quite sure I still like him…








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“Who was I kidding?� muttered Iris to herself later that night at the ball. Although her date Anthony was dressed very nicely in robes of deep brown and kept offering to get her drinks, he was still no match for Draco. “My feet are killing me,� she lied. “Can we sit this one out?�





She led the way to the tables and sat down. “Can I get you anything to drink? Butterbeer?� asked Anthony.





“Yeah, thank you.� She replied. Anything for a moment alone.





Anthony hurried off, looking pleased with himself.





Iris kicked off her shoes and watched her friends waltz happily around on the dance floor. Danna was dancing with Terry Boot, who constantly stepped on her feet, but Danna looked very happy to be with him nonetheless. Padma Patil and her twin were chatting with some boys from Beauxbatons at a table nearby. Hermione Granger, Iris’s best friend in Gryffindor, was wearing the blue dress that Iris had picked out for her and was dancing away happily with the Durmstrang champion, Viktor Krum. Krum seemed to be enjoying himself, and didn’t even seem to mind when a girl in a frilly pink dress bumped into him by accident. Iris watched in horror as the girl’s date turned around to apologize. It was Draco. And his date, the girl in the pink dress, was Pansy Parkinson.





Iris got up abruptly, knocking her chair aside. She didn’t need to be sitting here, watching Draco and his new girlfriend. Maybe she could go to bed early and just forget about everything. Anything was better than just sitting here. She picked up her shoes and ran, as fast as her bare feet could carry her, towards the nearest exit.








Iris wasn’t the only one having a bad time at the ball. Draco was sick of Pansy’s death-like grip on his arm and as The Weird Sister’s song “Flying Back To You� ended, he excused himself and headed for the nearest table.





The two collided head on; Iris hurrying towards the exit and Draco dashing to a table. They sat sprawled on the floor, staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Then Iris, coming to her senses, promptly stood up and turned to leave.





“Wait!� said Draco, instinctively grabbing her arm.





Iris tried to pull away, but Draco’s grip was firm. Angry tears spilled out of her eyes as she reached for the wand tucked into her dress, her mind full of hexes. Draco seized her other hand as well and hastily dragged her to a corner.





Hidden away from the bright lights and the rest of the crowd, Draco seized Iris and pulled her into a tight embrace. “What are you doing?� sobbed Iris into Draco’s shoulder.





“Iris, listen…I’m sorry. I can’t be involved with you any more…we’ve got to stop seeing each other.� Draco let his arms fall to his side and shifted his eyes to his feet.





Iris stopped crying. She looked at him in disbelief.





“I have to be with Pansy now. You and I…we were never meant to be. I think this would be good for both of us.� He said it firmly, but Iris was not fooled.





“You’re lying,� She said quietly. “You wouldn’t be here if you were telling the truth.�





Draco opened his mouth to lie again, but shut it when he saw the hard, blazing look in Iris’s eyes. He knew he couldn’t fool her. They knew each other too well.





“Why?� she asked. It was such a simple question, but Draco didn’t know how to answer.





“My father…� he finally replied. “I’m on a mission to help him find something. And Pansy…she has the information I need…� he looked at Iris helplessly, hoping she would understand.





“What are you looking for? Maybe I can help–�





He cut her off. “This is between my father and I. I don’t want anyone else involved…besides what I’m looking for concerns serious Dark Magic, and a girl like you wouldn’t know anything about– “ He suddenly stopped in mid-sentence. A light bulb went off in his head.





“Say…maybe you CAN help me…�