Ron Weasley carried a secret deep in his heart.
Ever since the basilisk incident ended, he had been plagued by strange dreams almost every night. If that were all, it wouldn't have mattered much. After all, who said wizards didn't dream? But the problem was how terrifyingly real those dreams felt.
Especially recently, they seemed completely beyond his control, forcing their way into his mind night after night, growing clearer and more vivid each time.
And the reason they became a secret lay precisely in their content…
Endless darkness. Hoarse whispers. A nauseating, sticky sensation. And the vague outline of a serpent.
All of it was so unsettling that Ron Weasley instinctively chose to hide it, secretly trying to investigate what was happening to him on his own.
From the slightly unhinged look in his eyes and the increasingly gloomy air about him, it was clear he still hadn't found any answers.
"Hey, stop pushing! Are you trying to get yourself killed—ugh…"
"What's going on?"
"That guy… isn't that Weasley?"
Perhaps because Harry Potter was simply too eye-catching, Ron Weasley, who always stood behind him, rarely drew much attention. It wasn't until people moved aside that they finally noticed something off about him.
The figure moving through the shadows, and that look in his eyes, inexplicably gave off a cold, dangerous feeling…
Ron himself was completely unaware of the change. Right now, he was simply staring with naked malice at a figure not far away.
That figure was… Hermione Granger…
...
Ron Weasley's actions below went largely unnoticed, because every young wizard had their eyes fixed on the couple on stage.
And the two dancing there seemed entirely unaffected by the attention…
"Aren't you going to say something?"
Pansy looked straight into Draco's eyes, basking in the happiness surrounding her as she asked playfully, blinking at him.
That teasing expression made Draco instinctively tighten his grip at her waist.
Feeling the subtle movement, Pansy rolled her eyes in mock irritation.
But soon, her expression shifted, a hint of confusion creeping in.
"Draco, you seem different."
"Do I?"
"You weren't like this before…" Pansy muttered, her cheeks flushing as she noticed the growing intensity in Draco's gaze.
It was subtle, but she had been Draco's shadow since childhood. How could she not notice the change?
The indulgent look that once treated her like a little sister had, at some point, gained something else. Something that made her legs go weak.
She had danced with Draco plenty of times at past banquets, but now she realized that the hand resting at her waist had grown far more daring.
That wasn't something a brother should be doing.
Now, whether it was his gaze or the way his hands moved, Pansy felt an overwhelming urge to sink into the powerful tide that was Draco…
"Draco, wait… wait."
"Hm?"
Pansy's trembling voice reached his ear. Before Draco could even react, her legs gave out, and she fell straight into his arms.
The breathless, delicate way she looked made Draco's gaze turn dark.
Luckily, no one noticed this side of Pansy. The music came to a stop at just that moment, signaling the end of the opening dance. The floor was now open for everyone else to join in and enjoy the Christmas ball.
As soon as the music stopped, the wizards below, who had been itching to move, immediately rushed toward their chosen partners. That finally gave Pansy a chance to catch her breath.
"Want to keep going?"
Draco's teasing tone, along with the deliberately warm breath near her ear, made Pansy, already weak, clutch his sleeve even tighter.
From her reaction alone, it was obvious how different she was from Hermione. If it had been Hermione, she would have pushed Draco away in flustered embarrassment.
…Or perhaps she would have kissed him again just to get back at him.
…
As the music started up again and more and more wizards stepped onto the dance floor around them, the romantic atmosphere from earlier vanished completely.
Disappointed, Pansy shot an irritated glare at the others.
That puffed-up, sulky little expression was so cute it made Draco laugh. He reached out and rubbed her head gently.
"Hehe~"
Easily appeased, Pansy's mood, which had just been ruined, immediately improved under Draco's teasing… or rather, his comfort.
"So, shall we continue?"
"Um…"
To Draco's surprise, the girl in front of him shook her head in refusal.
Even though her expression was clearly reluctant and the motion itself looked a bit stiff, it was obvious that Pansy genuinely had no intention of continuing.
"Oh? I won't be angry, but I'd like to know why."
"…It's part of the agreement."
"...…"
Faced with Pansy's slightly resentful look, Draco suddenly felt inexplicably guilty. Without thinking, his gaze drifted toward the corner of the room.
And it was precisely that glance that made a cold glint flash through his eyes. The smile that had been on his face disappeared instantly…
...
Meanwhile.
Although the rules stated that dance partners should be invited before the Yule Ball, the rule wasn't absolute.
In reality, it was still possible to invite someone on the spot during the ball itself.
So now, aside from the wizards who had already rushed eagerly onto the dance floor, even more male wizards could be seen trying their luck and inviting witches to dance.
Perhaps influenced by Draco and Pansy, the success rate of these invitations seemed noticeably higher. Even Goyle and Crabbe, the two notorious food lovers, had managed to find a pair of sisters to serve as their partners.
Spurred on by that, all the male wizards grew bolder…
"Be my dance partner, Hermione. That guy was never going to invite you anyway."
Anyone who could say something like that was either catastrophically lacking in social awareness, or simply had no idea how to speak to people.
And the wizard who said it was none other than Ron Weasley, who had just pushed through the crowd and stopped in front of Hermione.
"Get away, Ron Weasley!!"
Completely unprepared for such a nasty remark, Hermione froze for a split second before angrily stepping back. Beside her, Astoria shot Ron Weasley a look filled with disgust.
But Hermione's retreat seemed to provoke him instead. Ron suddenly stepped forward, closing the distance between them.
"Is it because of money? Or the Malfoy family's status? Believe me, the future me won't be any worse than that Death Eater!"
Setting aside how insulting those words were, just the claim that he could surpass Draco was enough to make the surrounding onlookers laugh at Ron Weasley's confidence.
Who gave him the nerve to say something like that?
"Shut up! Don't come any closer!"
"Why should I? I'd like to see who can stop me!"
Just as Ron Weasley's eyes turned red and he lunged forward, reaching for Hermione, a voice rang out beside him.
It was like a bucket of icy water poured straight over his head, making his whole body shudder.
"And what if it's me?"
The wizard who parted the crowd and walked toward them was—Draco Malfoy, his eyes faintly gleaming with gold.
...
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