Unexpected

I wandered away from Cat in search of Draco and hoped that he wasn’t smart enough to notice any small difference between my face and Cat’s. I still didn’t trust Draco as far as I could throw him and no matter what I told him and Cat, I blamed him slightly for my fire incident the other day. I would have been fine if he hadn’t scared the stuffing right out of me. I loved my sister more than anything and that’s why I at least tried to tolerate him but as for liking him, that was never going to happen. Never.
“Hey Cat, have you seen Mollie?” a familiar voice asked from behind and I slowly looked over my shoulder.
“How did you know it was me?” I asked in response.
“Just a hunch,” George chuckled and I smiled as my heart skipped a beat at the sound of his musical laugh, “So…your sister?”
“Oh, right, Mollie,” I replied and then pointed over to where I had last seem Cat, “I left her over there. She couldn’t have gotten too far.”
“Thanks Cat, wish me luck,” he winked through his mask and then started trying to get his flaming red hair to lay straight.
“Wish you luck with what?” I called after him and mentally smacked myself for ever choosing to go along with his plan.
“Don’t worry about it!” he laughed over his shoulder before disappearing into the crowd and leaving me by myself.
Cat had yet to find out whether I had invited George or Neville and I was worried about how she would respond when she found out I hadn’t even bothered to see if Neville was interested in coming. It took time away from the two of them, two sleepless nights, and countless headaches but I finally managed to figure out who I wanted my first love to be; George. Neville was too much like a brother to me and I felt like I would only end up hurting him in the end. I knew that I’d have to face him sometime and confess how I didn’t want to be with him, but for now I just wanted to be happy and enjoy my time with George. Except now Cat gets the time and I get…Dorkfoy.
“Cat?” a quiet voice asked from behind me and I turned and smiled as full heartedly as I could at Malfoy.
“Hello, Draco,” I replied.
“You look beautiful,” he sighed and smiled at me brightly.
“Thank you, you don’t look so bad yourself,” I gushed and tried to keep from vomiting as I did so.
I had to act like Cat. This was my chance to finally see the side of Draco that only Cat got to see and to be able to tolerate him once he and Cat finally admitted their feelings and got together. That’s a when not an if.
“So what’s Weasley doing here?” he half sneered and stared after what I assumed to be the retreating red head.
“Mollie invited him, they’re close friends,” I replied and tried to keep any obvious sign of anger and annoyance off of my face.
“You really think that it’s proper that you’re sister associate herself with someone like a Weasley?” he asked, “I mean, after all, they are below her in the-”
“I don’t see why that matters Draco,” I interrupted him coldly, “You’re below me aren’t you?”
“Well…in a way, yes, but that’s far more different,” he replied and smiled lightly at me.
“How so?”
“I’m not part of a family of blood traitors that can’t afford to buy a loaf of bread,” he scoffed teasingly in an as-if-is-wasn’t-obvious tone.
“Draco,” I nearly whined as I stared at him.
“What?” he asked in an oblivious tone.
“Mollie really cares about him and I think he cares about her so isn’t that all that should matter?” I answered and he stared at me for a moment.
“I suppose your right,” he sighed lightly but I could tell he just didn’t want to fight about it, “Would you like to dance, Cat?”
“I would love to,” I answered with a smile and took the hand that he offered to me.
It odd to be the one touching Draco and dancing with him but I suspected that Cat felt the same way with George right now. This was our only chance though, that’s how she put it at least. This would be the only chance I would get in my lifetime to get to know the real Draco. The one that only she thought was real that is.
“So…” Draco trailed off as we shuffled unskillfully back and forth.
“How are you enjoying your time at Grandma Ashlings?” I asked and he smiled brightly at me.
“It’s amazing. I’d love to come every year if I didn’t think Mollie would eventually end up killing me in my sleep,” he teased and I couldn’t help but to laugh.
“She really is trying you know,” I replied, “She wants me to be happy and she’s trying to put up with you. It’s just…it’s just hard for her to let the past go sometimes.”
“You mean all those times she overheard me making jokes about Weasley and Longbottom?” he wondered out loud and I nodded silently, “They were just jokes.”
“That’s the thing, Draco,” I sighed and avoided eye contact with him, “It may have just been a joke to you, but to her it meant so much more. She’s use to being able to protect me and defend me but now that I’ve made it clear to her that I don’t need her to, she feels like she needs someone or someone’s to protect.”
“And those someone’s would be Weasley and Longbottom?” he questioned and I nodded again, “But she can’t protect them forever, too.”
“She can try,” I sighed deeply and closed my eyes as I tried to keep any expression that may reveal my true identity off of my face.
“If it makes you feel better, Cat, I’ll apologize to her. I never really meant to hurt your sister. I was just trying to have a little fun,” he said quickly after misreading the pained expression on my face.
“I’d appreciate that, Draco,” I smiled and finally realized that Cat had been right this whole time, there was another side to Draco that I didn’t know.
“I can go do it now if you want,” he began to pull away from me and I tightened my grip on his shoulders.
It’s not that I actually wanted to keep dancing with him but I’d rather be the person that he actually makes the apology to.
“Not right now. Tonight isn’t for worrying about the past. It’s about making the future count and enjoying the present…at least that’s what Grandma Ashling told us,” I said and he chuckled before pulling me a bit closer.
“Arm’s length apart!” Cat yelled as she danced by with George and pointed sternly at me.
“Mind your own business missy!” I yelled after her and I saw her smile before twirling back into the crowd.
“You sister seems to think that I’m putting the moves on you,” Draco chuckled and I rolled my eyes while trying not to cringe at the thought.
“She thinks what she wants and nothing else,” I replied and he smiled at me again.

“Where are we going, Draco?” I demanded to know as he pulled me down countless amounts of the corridors.
“You’ll see!” he assured me before looking down one hallway and then down another, “Oh darn…”
“If you tell me where we’re going then I can help you, I’ve memorized every room and garden of this place in my lifetime,” I continued on as I tried to figure out where the heck he was taking me.
“I know I can find it, don’t worry,” he replied but there was an unsure edge to his voice, “This way!”
He pulled me down the right hallway and quickly examined every door as we ran by them. I had no clue where we were even heading yet alone the actually destination that he had in mind. For all I know, he was going to lead us out of the trick door and cause us to fall into the Pacific Ocean. I never quite got the point of Gramps putting that door in…
“I know it’s here somewhere,” he whispered, more to himself I think, as I stumbled in my small high heeled shoes, “Are you okay?”
“Can we slow down a bit?” I asked in response as I regained my balance and tried to keep up with him so I didn’t end up being dragged across the floor.
“We’re almost there,” he answered simply and I glared slightly at the back of his head.
I was beginning to regret my choice of agreeing to go with him to where ever he was trying to drag me.
“Now I know where we are!” he announced happily and I rolled my eyes as he finally began to slow down, “It’s just down this corridor.”
“What is?” I demanded impatiently and he smiled before shaking his head, “Draco, I’m losing patience with you right now.”
“It’ll be worth it, trust me,” he chuckled and then pointed to the door that was at the end of the corridor that we were walking down, “Do you know what’s in there?”
“Usually when there’s a door at the end of corridor it leads to a garden but I’m not familiar with what’s behind that particular door so, no. I don’t know what’s in there. Do you?” I replied and looked at him questioningly.
“Well I was up the other night and was in the search of a bathroom and I happened upon this door. I was amazed when I walked through it,” he answered and cupped the door knob in his hand as he smiled at me yet again.
“Are you going to open the door or not?” I laughed and he chuckled once before turning the knob and pushing the door open.
I peered around him cautiously before nearly losing my balance and gasping loudly.
“Is something wrong?” Draco asked as he suddenly began to get nervous.
“Far from it!” I yelled and pushed past him and into the garden, “I don’t believe this!”
“What?” he questioned as he walked with me.
“It can’t be…it just can’t be…” I trailed off in thought and Draco stared at me with the same questioning look on his face that I had given him just a minute or two before, “You don’t know what this garden is, do you, Draco?”
“I just thought that it was the only garden that I hadn’t seen you in but if there’s more to it then no,” he replied and looked around as if expecting to suddenly see the walls plastered with gold.
“Mollie and I designed this garden the last summer we were here! We said that one day we’d grow up and we’d buy a house with a huge backyard and then we’d build this garden,” I explained to him and I took in every detail, “We never got the chance to show Grandma Ashling or anyone else the design because Mollie forget it in her room and Grandma Ashling died before the next summer came.”
“And this is the first time you’ve been back since then?” he guessed and I nodded as I continued to look around.
“I guess she must have found the design and hired someone to construct it before she died,” I sighed happily as I stared at the rows of perfectly trimmed shrubbery and white porcelain benches surrounded by the healthiest looking roses I had ever seen.
“I never would have guessed that this garden would mean so much to you,” he said quietly and my smile grew as I looked up and saw that Grandma Ashling had had someone enchant the sky so that half of it was clear with the sun shining brightly and the other half was dark as the moon shone brilliantly.
“The sun and the moon come together a noon and midnight every day. At noon there’s a solar eclipse and at midnight a lunar eclipse,” I said, more to myself then to Draco as I recalled how even before we knew of our powers when we were little Cat and I had always been fascinated with the moon and sun.
“You guys designed all this when you were little kids?” Draco asked in shocked and I nodded as I watched the moon and sun above me slowly inch closer and closer to each other.
“We never would have thought that we would have found a way to get the sky to do what we wanted though,” I sighed in contentment and sat down on one of the benches as I continued to stare up at the sky, “And now that I actually see it with my own eyes, I’m amazed.”
“I’m glad I brought you here,” Draco chuckled as he sat down next to me and I smiled.
“Me too,” I turned to look at him and saw that he seemed to be debating whether or not now was the right time to say something, “Are you okay, Draco?”
“Can I talk to you about something?” he asked nervously and I nodded, “We’re friends, right?”
“Of course we are,” I answered and something suddenly clicked in my head and I realized where he was going with this conversation.
“Then it’s not going to get weird between us if I tell you that I sort of have a crush on you?” he mumbled and my heart began to race.
What was I supposed to say to that? I knew that Cat cared about him but did she want him to know? Did she even want to be more then friends with him? WHY DIDN’T I BOTHER TO ASK HER ANY OF THIS BEFORE?
“Cat?” Draco asked nervously and I looked back up at him as he began to sweat lightly, “What do you have to say?”
There was only one thing I think to do.
“Draco…” I sighed and took off my mask.
“Just be honest with me,” he nearly begged me and I began to pull off my wig.
“I can’t do that Draco,” I said and let my hair fall down past my shoulders as I looked sympathetically at him, “I don’t know what the honest answer is.”
“Mollie!” he yelled and stood up quickly as a furious expression crossed his face, “What the hell is wrong with you? Does Cat even know that you’ve been impersonating her all night?”
“It was her idea actually,” I answered and his eyes widened, “She wanted me to get to know you better.”
“But…but…but…” he trailed off and let out a large puff of air after failing to speak what he wanted to.
“She just didn’t want me to think that the normal side I see of you is the only one that exists,” I tried to explain, “And I’m glad I want along with her plan.”
“If you repeat one word of what I said-”
“I have no interest in ruining your bad boy reputation, Draco,” I interrupted and he looked at me surprised, “My sister cares about you and I care about my sister, so therefore…no matter how much I don’t like it…I have to put up with you. Besides, ruining your reputation doesn’t benefit me in anyway.”
“So you’re not going to tell anyone about the things I told you?” he asked in confusement and I shook my head, “Why?”
“That’d hurt my sister,” I replied and stood up to leave, “Oh, and don’t worry, I won’t mention any of this Cat. You can tell her again in my own time.”
“I wouldn’t actually have to tell her again if it had been her that I was with tonight,” he mumbled and I sighed as I stopped in the doorway.
“Draco, this is exactly why she wanted me to see the other side of you. Because whenever you’re around me or anyone else that isn’t Cat, you turn into a total arse,” I replied and then walked out of the garden before starting down the hallway towards the ball as I tucked my hair underneath the wig.