Кассандра Клэр: Draco Sinister

"She looks great. Aside from that big ugly thing stuck to her arm," said Fred cheerfully.

Percy blinked. "Ah. You mean Malfoy." He smiled, and pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose. "He's getting nearly as famous as Harry, these days, isn't he? Teen Witch Weekly was running some sort of contest the other day — first prize was a photo of Draco."

"Second prize," said George, "was two photos of Draco."

"Now be nice," said Honoria, and extended her hand as Draco and Ginny reached the bottom of the stairs and joined their group.

"Ginny — lovely to see you. Draco Malfoy — you probably don't remember me, but — "

"Honoria Glossop," said Draco, looking at her thoughtfully, "Ravenclaw. You were a seventh year when I was in third. Your family are the Dorchester Glossops, aren't they? Totleigh Towers?"

Honoria nodded, quite pink with pleasure. "You have a remarkable memory."

The rest of the group proved less easy to charm. Angelina, recollecting Draco from many a bitter Quidditch match, looked at him as if he were something stuck to a fly swatter, Jana looked nervous, and Fred and George looked churlish. Hermione felt herself unable to say anything, as feelings of confusion prevented her from speaking. She wished Harry were there, but he had vanished to speak with Charlie. It seemed aeons that they stood there making small talk before Harry and Charlie returned. They were accompanied now by two other guests — Viktor Krum, and a tall, unfamiliar, dark-haired man with bright blue eyes, who Charlie introduced as Aiden Lynch.

"You used to be Seeker for Ireland!" Angelina exclaimed, recognizing him immediately.

"Still am," said Lynch in a pleasantly accented voice. "Took a year off. But I'm back now."

"And we can all rest easy," said Draco, a slight bite to his voice.

Hermione glanced sideways at him. She could tell that the toll of spending this much time in the company of Weasleys who disliked him was beginning to show. When Draco was under stress, he was sarcastic. He was looking sideways, over at Harry, but Harry, for whatever reason, was ignoring him and talking to Charlie.

"I saw you´ve got a Quidditch pitch outside," said Aidan to Draco, still pleasantly. "We should have a game tomorrow. Viktor and I, we´re staying in town, and-"

"What, you and Viktor against me and Harry? The four of us?" said Draco. "An all-Seekers game? Oh that´ll be a blast, just hanging about for eternity waiting for the Snitch to show up."

"Draco," Ginny reprimanded him. "Don´t be unpleasant."

Draco's eyebrows shot up. "And don't tell me what to do, Weasley."

Harry looked over, his attention caught at last. "I think it sounds relaxing," he said, with a slow half-smile. "An all-Seekers game, I mean."

Draco said nothing.

Hermione bit her lip. Ginny looked tense and annoyed. Draco looked tense and annoyed. Some small part of her was pleased about this, and this made her feel terrible. She looked over at Harry, who smiled at her, and that made her feel worse.

It was Aidan who broke the silence, with a rather astonishing request. He held out a hand to Ginny, and with a smile that lit his blue eyes, asked, "Would you like to dance?"

Ginny stared at him, then at Draco. He looked at her with the blank expression that Hermione knew meant that he was very angry, and shrugged. Ginny turned back to Aidan with flaming cheeks.

"I'd love to," she said.

Aidan took her hand and whirled her away into the mass of dancers.

They nearly bumped into Ron and the French girl, who were snogging in a manner that Hermione felt should not be legal in England. Aidan was an excellent dancer, Hermione had time to note, before the pair disappeared from sight among the crowd.

Harry looked over at Draco, and raised an eyebrow.

"Shut up, Potter," said Draco, without moving. He was standing with his arms crossed and looking very annoyed indeed.

Harry grinned. "What're you going to do, then, Malfoy?"

Draco slowly uncrossed his arms. "I promised Ginny I'd dance," he said. "I'm going to dance." He turned around and looked at Angelina, who was standing close by.

She shook her head. "I am NOT dancing with you," she said. "I'd rather eat a Bludger."

"Fine, then," said Draco, and held out a hand to Jana. She looked blank for a moment, emitted a small stunned squeak — then, without a moment's further hesitation, seized Draco's hand and followed him out onto the floor.

"Jana!" protested George, looking aghast as his girlfriend and Draco vanished into the crowd.

Harry grinned. "Better buy yourself a pair of leather trousers, George," he said. "You've got competition."

George looked irritable. "She's just annoyed about the penguin thing."

"Or maybe all those Teen Witch Weekly articles turned her head," said Fred. "She does have a subscription, you know."

"Bugger," said George.

Harry took Hermione's hand. He was no longer smiling, but his green eyes were dancing brightly. "Let's dance."

"But you hate dancing, Harry."

"True, but I want to see what happens. Don't you?"

Hermione let herself grin. "You know I do," she said, and threw her arms around his neck as they waltzed out onto the floor.

And as he had promised Ginny he would, Draco danced. He danced with Jana, holding her lightly around the waist, until George showed up and cut in with a murderous glare, he danced with Pansy Parkinson, whose hair was done up in enormous curls that threatened to put out his eye every time she turned; he danced with Blaise Zabini, who with her long sloe-green eyes was probably the prettiest girl in Slytherin; he did not, however, dance with Ginny.

She seemed completely wrapped up in Aidan Lynch, and danced every dance with him. Draco was conscious of a growing sense of irritation that it was becoming harder to fight down. To distract himself, he danced with Fleur, who looked stunning in almost-sheer white robes. The Dark Mark had disappeared from her arm as it had from his own, and the color was back in her face.

"You back together with Bill?" he asked, as she executed a slow turn.

Fleur chose not to answer this. "You know, you still owe me a favor," she said, her tone as airy as her dress robes.

Draco shook his head. Fleur was impossible. "I suppose you want me to make mad, passionate love to you right here on the dance floor?"

She widened her indigo eyes. "Not at all. I was 'oping you might buy me a 'ouse."

"A 'ouse — a house?"

"In the south of France, I think."

"Fleur! Get over this! It was not that big of a favor!"

"It doesn't 'ave to be that big of a 'ouse," she said reasonably.

Conversations with Fleur always made Draco feel as if he were running very fast in a very small circle and getting nowhere. As soon as the song ended, he excused himself and went over to the drinks table, where a green-skinned dryad maid in a white apron was mixing up some interesting-looking cocktails that smoked and steamed. He'd just selected a Mai Tai and was taking a long drink of it when he heard a voice behind him, "No green umbrella this time?"

It was Hermione. He raised an eyebrow. "Who told you about that?"

"Ginny, who else?" said Hermione, eminently practical. She sighed then, and brushed an errant brown curl off her face.

"Where's Harry?" said Draco.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Dancing with Cho."

"Hostile takeover?"

"No, I think she means well," said Hermione, and shrugged.

"Anyway, I'm sure he'll get away as soon as he can. Draco — I wanted to tell you something."

"What?"

In answer, she cocked her finger like a pistol, and poked it hard into his clavicle. "Ginny-does-not-like-Aidan-Lynch," she said, enunciating each word clearly. "She is trying to annoy you. You are a very jealous person even if you don't like to admit it, and she is a very stubborn person, and for goodness' sake just go ask her to dance, or we will all gang up on you and dye your hair bright yellow, and you will have to start seventh year looking like a daffodil and you won't like that."