WHO: Princess Belle & Draco Malfoy WHAT: Dancing WHERE: The Ball WARNINGS: N/A STATUS: Completed Log
Belle explored Asgard, it was gorgeous and she loved it. She was in love with the place as a whole, it made her feel like she was somewhere comfortable. Her long hair was loose and it didn’t take her long to find an artisan to make her a dress for the next few days. She’d had one for the ball later too. She was excited, so terribly excited.
She arrived at the ball in a powder blue dress with gold embellishments and decorations. Her hair was curled loosely and woven with gold strands. She’d made sure that she looked like she belonged here for such an event. She’d been enjoying everything so far.
Once the feast and dancing began she sought out Draco. “Draco - would you give me this dance?” she asked softly, her head tilted a little shyly, she was breaking societal norms but this was Belle after all.
Draco only attended the ball because it felt rude not to. He didn’t think it was a good idea to get on the Entity’s bad side, after all. It had been difficult deciding what to wear, but he finally settled on an all black ensemble. However, now that he was at the ball, he felt out of place. The last formal ball he attended had been for Yule in his fourth year. He was a whole other person back then. And now? Now he just felt like he didn’t belong among the groups of dancing, laughing groups.
He noticed Belle making her way over and smiled. However, she caught him by surprise. The girls in his year would never ask a bloke to dance. Still, he couldn’t help blushing a little. “I’d love to,” he told her as he held a hand out to her.
Belle was glad he came, she'd have been sad to have gotten dressed up for no reason. Her smile was brilliant as she took his hand and drew him out to the floor.
She was nothing like any other girl, she had no problem breaking rules she found silly. "You look handsome, Draco. I like it." Her fingers smoothed part of the jacket down deftly.
Draco actually shot her a genuine smile. He usually felt too guilty to smile about anything so it had been a while since a smile really reached his eyes. “You look lovely,” he responded. “You always look lovely,” he added, “but that dress…” He glanced away for a second, hoping she wouldn’t catch how shy he felt. He never felt that way around Pansy! Granted, he’d known Pansy since they were in nappies. “It is beautiful,” he finished awkwardly. He gave her hand a little tug to lead her toward the dance floor.
Belle liked when he genuinely smiled, and the fact it reached his eyes made her feel good. His compliments made her blush a little, cheeks red..he meant them, they weren't false or platitudes like when Gaston had tried to give them to her.
She noted the look away then smiled even brighter. "Why thank you. I found a seamstress here who literally worked magic. She had this on a rack then added to it for me." She smiled shyly.
Draco was impressed. He’d barely managed to find his own suit. He was used to other people handling that sort of thing for him. Still, he’d managed to buy one and get it tailored to his liking. It felt a little strange not wearing fancy robes, but he found he liked the suit - at least no one could step on it like they did the robes.
He placed a hand at Belle’s hip. It felt awkward at first, like he was doing something wrong, but he reminded himself that she did ask to dance. “This alright?”
Belle was persuasive when she wanted to be, and really, she just had to smile softly at people and she generally got what she wanted. She was kind, and always went the extra mile for people. It often got her things others might not get. She never abused that, but it did come in handy when you needed a sparkly gown for a ball.
She draped one arm around his shoulders, smiling softly. “Don’t worry so much.” she teased gently, she danced, and she danced well - she’d learned forever ago, then perfected it in the Beast’s castle. She easily covered any mistakes he made out of nerves.
Draco was taught to dance too, but he was nervous and not paying as much attention as he should to steps. He was caught up in how beautiful Belle looked. Was it odd that he fancied her so much considering all the years he detested Granger? He tried not to think about it too much. He was already a bundle of nerves, which was new territory for Draco. He was used to feeling so self-assured and smug, especially when it came to ladies. Then again, a lot changed in the last few years. He guessed worrying about how others viewed him was par for the course now. “You are a good dancer,” he told her.
Belle smoothed over every step easily, mindful and making it look easy. “I have had plenty of lessons - we did not have much to entertain ourselves back in my day, and then when I was in the Castle, it was just a thing to do.” she smiled softly at him, then moved her hand down to adjust his hand to rest more comfortably on her hip. “Relax.” she tossed a curl out of her eyes as she smiled again at him.
Damn. She could tell he was nervous. He chuckled and let his hands rest more easily against her. “Better?” It felt better at least.
Belle smiled brightly, “yes much.” She was a smart, intuitive young woman. She might be innocent on a lot of things, but she knew more than she looked like she did. She looked up for a moment at the decorated hall. “It is beautiful here.”
Draco glanced around, finally fully taking in all the breath-taking decorations. It felt good to let his guard down even if just for a few hours. “Yeah, it really is a sight,” he agreed. He was used to nice things, of course, but his last years had been spent around blood and darkness so the striking difference wasn’t lost on him. “I grew up with parties like this,” he admitted. “But I think this one puts even Mother to shame.” He smirked a bit, thinking of Narcissa’s face if she saw the place. His parents would hate Goodland.
She hoped he could relax a little. “That would make sense, from what you’ve told me.” she said softly, then smiled. “This is even beyond what I’ve experienced at the Castle, and it is just beautiful.”
The music wound down and she stretched up a little to press a friendly kiss to his cheek. “Thank you for dancing with me, Draco, did you want to go sit outside? I hear the gardens are lovely.”
Draco smiled again and nodded. “That would be nice,” he agreed. “Would you like me to get you a drink first?”
Belle inclined her head towards him, “That would be lovely, thank you.” she smiled warmly.
Draco left her momentarily to get their drinks. He returned and nodded toward the doors leading outside. “Ready then?”
He’d catch her watching him on his return, her smile turning softer, and a blush coloring her cheeks as she nodded, “Ready.” she started towards the doors to the gardens - they were every bit as lovely as she had heard and she was happy she suggested it. She liked gardens, flowers, and the skies really made the whole thing come together.
“I am sorry if I upset you the other day.” she said looking over at him, “I did not mean to.”
He handed her one of the glasses he was holding and frowned at her declaration. It wasn’t her fault, but how could he explain he’d felt envious of her dinner with Hugo? “You didn’t,” he reassured. “I...I mean I was just being daft.” He shrugged and took a long gulp of his drink. “I thought you were going on a date.” It sounded stupid, even to him. Why should he be jealous?
Belle took her drink and started sipping it, before she lowered the glass and furrowed her brows in thought. She was too kind to not feel bad about such things, though she knew also she’d done nothing wrong. She hated seeing her friends hurting in any way.
She turned that over for a moment, in her head, then, “Ah. No, Hugo is just a friend - and one I am grateful for - but…” she paused and turned to face him, her lips twitching into a soft, thoughtful smile. “You were jealous, oh Draco.” she said quietly, “It’s quite alright - if we are being honest, I probably would have had similar feelings if the shoe were on the other foot, as it were.” though, likely not as public or sharp tongued. It would have been demure and gracious. But with a sharper edge than she usually had.
Draco raised his eyebrows. Had he heard right? “You would have?” He asked shyly. He’d been unreasonable and he tried not to show it, but holding back his feelings had always been a challenge for Draco. It was the number one thing his mother made his aunt work with him on during their time under Voldemort. He hesitated a moment before he reached out to take her hand. “I am not going on dates with anyone else,” he said.
Belle was forward in her thinking, and often said what she was feeling, and didn’t really hold back. Sometimes it worked in her favor, other times it got her called weird. It really was a fifty-fifty so she let out a little sigh of relief when he didn’t laugh at her. “I mean, likely less pointed.” she said with a wry smile. “But yes, I quite think so.”
She trusted her gut. When she found herself drawn to someone, it was best to listen to such things. She let him take her hand and smiled at him. “Anyone else?” she teased gently, “Does that mean you’d go out on a date with me?” She had very few shy bones in her body - oh sure there were some things she’d be shy about but not this.
Draco laughed. “I would,” he replied. He inclined his head slightly. “Would you do me the favor of accompanying me on a date this week?”
Belle liked the sound of his laugh, “I could do you that honor.” sometimes being forward paid off. Take that, people who laughed at her, take that! Ha. She smiled at him, then looked up at the sky, it was lovely out here. This, this was perfect. She could not have asked for anything better.