Slytherin

“I ha-ha-hate October!” Draco mumbled, shivering as he took his usual seat beside me in the Great Hall.

I had to agree with him there; there were only four days till Halloween, and it was already thirty degrees outside. Most of the students (including myself) were not pleased. They had even taken to wearing their scarves and gloves around to classes.

“Suck it up, Draco,” Paul Jolkins yelled from across the table, throwing a piece of bread at him. “Be a man, like me.”

He winked at me, and I rolled my eyes.

“If I were a man like you, I’d be gay,” he retorted, sending the same piece of bread torpedoing towards his head, via magic.

I smirked and continued eating my roasted pork until I heard Pansy talking about the Slytherin’s annual Halloween party.

“I’m going as a devil this year!” she bragged, describing her slutty costume in great and obnoxious detail.

Of course, I had known all along about the party, but never had attended it myself. I usually spent my Halloween nights reading ‘scary stories,’ like The Tale of Randal Goshak, by Jorgin Lolligins. It’s a story of a wizard, obviously Randal Goshak, who gets hunted down by an unknown magical force. It wasn’t really scary; more of a suspense/thriller.
The sound of Pansy’s nasally voice woke me up from my thoughts.

“Well, Paige?” she asked me, looking rather smug. “Are you going to go to the party this year?”
“I’m thinking about it,” I said nonchalantly. “But I don’t have a costume.”

“You could borrow one from me!” she squealed, clearly excited at the idea of playing dress up.

I cringed. I knew about her previous costumes; she would always flaunt them in the girl’s dorms…and in the guy’s dorms.

“No thanks,” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t want to reveal more of my body than necessary. If I do go, I’m sure I could figure out something.”

I glanced down at Draco who was grinning to himself, thinking only God knows what.

“Excuse me,” a deep, Bulgarian accented voice called out. “But, vould you mind if I joined you?”

I turned around curiously to see one of the students from Durmstrang standing perfectly straight, waiting for something. He was tall and massive; almost like a body builder. He had fine dark brown hair that was cut very short, and he had a small goatee forming around his mouth. It took me a minute to realize that he had been talking to me. I had almost forgotten about the foreign students here at Hogwarts, what with the creepy stalkers attacking me, Neville, and Draco. Not wanting to seem rude, I told him it was alright. And then Draco interrupted.

“Actually, I mind,” he stated, rising out of his seat and starring at him, irritated. Crabbe and Goyle stood up behind him to back the green Slytherin up.

“Oh, vell I apologize then,” he said, bowing slightly and looking slightly embarrassed. “I did not realize that you were courting her.”

“He is NOT courting me,” I said, scooting over and patting the seat next to me, which was vacated by the first year who had been sitting there previously. “Please, have a seat.”

“No, that is alright,” he said, giving me a grateful look. “I vould not like to start a feud vith anyvone here in this school.”

He walked back to where his friends were sitting, but not without giving Draco a small smile. His friends patted him on the back and glared at Draco, who looked rather smug.

“Nice, Draco,” I said, agitated. “Very nice. A real gentlemen.”

I rolled my eyes and stood up, figuring that this was as good a time as any to go back to the dorms and sleep, but before I could do that, someone grabbed me by my wrist and pulled me out into the hall. I panicked, thinking it was the Freak, but then relaxed once again when I saw it was the Prince.

“Hey, Paige,” he said, once we had stopped in the deserted entrance hall. He leaned up casually onto the wall and smirked down at me. “Just asking what you’re really going to wear to the party so that we could match.”

“What makes you think I am going to go?” I asked, narrowing my eyes and staring him down. “And that I’m going with you, for that matter?”

“I thought we went through this, Paige,” he stated in fake disappointment, his smirk getting wider. “I’m the Prince and you’re the Princess.”

He took a step closer towards me and I backed away, getting annoyed at his cockiness.

“And haven’t I explained that that’s not how it works?” I shot back at him, crossing my arms. “A queen doesn’t do anything with a lowly PRINCE.”

I turned around to escape the god’s grasp, but was once again stopped by him pulling on my arm. I turned around and sighed, ready to demand what the heck was wrong with him, when he looked at me without any coldness in his eyes. Well, to be fair there wasn’t any warmth, either, but this was still a step up for him. The words I were about to say got stuck in my throat. His piercing eyes stared at me with the utmost sincerity.

“Will you be my date for that Halloween party?” he asked me, placing his hands on my shoulders, and closing the gap between us.

This was a side of him I had never seen before. This side sent severe shivers up and down my spine. This side was...different.

“I, I, uh,” I couldn’t get the words out. Now that he asked me, and actually asked me, I wanted to scream the words yes at him, but I couldn’t get them out.

“Please, Paige?” he asked again, almost desperately. “I know I seem like a jerk, but, you know just as well as I do, maybe even more, that you have to act like a complete ass hole to be respected in this house. I know that you’re not really like this, and neither am I. So, at least consider my offer.”

He gave me one last tear-jerking look, and then let go of me and headed down the stairway to the dungeons.

I called out to him before he descended down, and he stopped and turned around, his face the same as it had been a few seconds ago. I ran over to him and took his hand.

“Of course I’ll go with you,” I said, relieved that I had finally found my voice again.

“Great!” he said overconfidently as he wrapped his arm over my shoulder. “So I’m thinking we could go as Voldemort and Bellatrix. That would make an impact, wouldn’t it? But you would have to wear something more sexy-“

I pushed his arm off of me and groaned in disgust at him. I should’ve known that he was only pretending.

“I can’t believe you!” I cried out and ran down the steps.

“Does that mean we’re not going together anymore?” he yelled down.

Is that REALLY all he cares about?

“No!” I yelled back at him.

“No we’re not going together, or no we are going together?”

I didn’t answer him, but giggled the rest of my way down. I don’t mind leaving him clueless.

********

“Annual Gryffindor scary movie night? On Halloween?” I asked Neville nervously.
We were sitting on our rock, backs up against each other, and I was hugging my knees to my chest.

“Well, technically, it’s the first annual,” he corrected, playing with his maroon and gold neck tie. “But you get the idea. We decided to do it this year, right after the three champions are chosen. But if a Gryffindor wins, then I’m sure we’ll throw a huge party. Either way, you can still come. I’d, um, really like it if...you were...there.”

There was an awkward pause between us as I thought about what to say to the super sweet boy. I love Neville, but as a brother, and nothing more...at least I don’t think. If that’s true, then why do I feel so terrible for turning him down?

“I want to, Neville, really do,” I began miserably. “But Draco already invited me to the Slytherin Halloween party. And I said yes.”

I could feel his shoulders slump dejectedly behind me.

“Oh,” he mumbled, and then whipped around suddenly. “Wait, I thought you would hate Draco.”

He sounded mad. I turned around to see his face in a scowl; an emotion I had never seen on him before.

“I mean, after all he’s done to you and,” he paused an avoided me gaze. “And done to me, you still like him?”

“Oh come on Neville,” I began, lying down on the rock. “He’s, Draco Malfoy. The Slytherin Prince. I have had a crush on him ever since I became a Slytherin. I mean, who could not? He’s gorgeous and sort of a bad boy. A lot of girls like that.”

“He called you a cow,” he reminded me, turning around so that he faced the lake. The squid lifted a tentacle, making a large ripple throughout the water. “He’s made fun of you and of me. Can’t you see that I can’t look passed that?”

“Neville,” I began, reaching for his hand, but was rejected. He pulled his hand away from mine and began storming back up towards the castle.

“Come back here!” I demanded, but he didn’t turn around.

He simply shouted back, childishly, “No.”

I ran up beside him and tried to stop him from entering the castle by grabbing his hand and pulling him down. I managed to fall down onto the ground on top of him. It was
uncomfortable, but at least it got him laughing. I rolled onto my side right next to him and we both laughed as we saw the sun set behind the Forbidden Forest. And suddenly, I had an idea.

“What time do you think the ceremony will last till?” I asked him, turning onto my stomach so I could look at his face properly.

He shrugged his shoulders and said, “I dunno. Probably not very long. It starts at four, right? Then I’d say about five or six.”

“And what time are you guys going to put the movie on?” I continued to interrogate the Gryffindor boy.

“Nine, I think,” he said thoughtfully, and then nodded his head to confirm it.

“Alright then,” I said confidently. “I will go to both. The Slytherin Halloween party starts at 7, and goes on all night. I’ll leave at about 8:30 and meet you in front of your dorms at about 9. Sound like a plan?”

“Oh-ok,” he said, still looking gloomy. “I guess I could live with that.”

I assumed it was alright with him because it meant that I wouldn’t be...DOING anything.

“Brilliant,” I exclaimed with a grin. “Where do you want me to meet you?”

“By the entrance to the Grand Staircase would be fine.”

“Alright, it’s a date!” I announced, and quickly regretted it. He had totally taken it the wrong way.

He looked up at me with hopeful eyes and asked, “Really?”

“Oh Neville, you know what I mean,” I answered, rolling my eyes. I grinned at him playfully, and he didn’t look too disappointed.

********

“I’ve decided what we’re going as,” I announced, taking a seat next to Draco in the common room.

The light from the lake reflected off of his pale face as he looked up at me, smirking.
His feet were propped up on a pillow and the rest of his body was lying flat on the long, black leather couch. He lazily put his hands behind his head as if he were on vacation and looking out on a tropical beach. The tropical beach being me.

“Really,” he began with interested, raising his eyebrow. “So we are going together, huh?”
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Boys.

“Yes,” I continued, pushing his feet off the couch and taking their place. “And we are going as, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask!”

His smirk disappeared and his eyebrows creased skeptically.

“Sailor Moon...and Tuxedo Mask?” he repeated, turning his head to the side, obviously not impressed. “Who the hell are Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask?”

“Oh come on,” I groaned, hugging my knees into my chest. “You know, that old muggle TV show, Sailor Moon? It was a classic!”

He shook his head, showing that he did not know. "I don't watch muggle crap."

“Stay here, I’ll get a picture,” I commanded, and ran upstairs to the girl’s dorm, returning only a few seconds later. He still resided on the couch.

I showed him the picture of Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask at a ball and dancing around together. Draco started laughing.

“It’s a bloody cartoon!” he said through his fits.

I scowled at him, but then got an idea. I snuggled up close to him, like I had months earlier, and put on my cutest face.

“I think the Tuxedo Mask costume is really sexy,” I said with a Cheshire cat smile. “And Sailor Moon’s is so pretty. We’ll look fantastic together. And, you know, I could always make the dress shorter.”

Oh yeah. I was going to wear the pants in this relationship.

He looked at me, clearly trying to resist, but I made his desire worse by petting the back of his head and leaning in closer to him. He caved.

“Alright, alright,” he said, throwing his hands up in surrender, and then placing them around my shoulders. “As long as you don’t do your hair like that, and you need to make some costume adjustments.”

“Ok,” I said with a devilish smile.

Ha. I had won. I let him keep his arms around me until Pancy came in and asked him to 'help her with her potions essay.'