A/N: this is Pandora's outfit
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~ 16th December, 1987 ~

"Do you think we'll still have Winter Balls when we come home from Hogwarts for Christmas?"

Draco and I were sitting with the other Pureblood children that Mother and Father liked us to mix with, talking — as usual — about Hogwarts. The conversation had been getting very bigoted though, so I'd quickly changed the subject.

"I'm sure you will," Pansy Parkinson said, in a casual but snobby tone. "Especially as your parents won't have the two of you to worry about taking care of while they plan it."

"But they might want to spend more time with us," Draco pointed out. He was lucky that we were mostly hidden from view of the adults, because he'd taken his jacket and bow tie off, and was now starting to unlace his shoes.

I got very close to pointing out that Father would only want to spend time with him, not me, but decided better of it in the end. That wasn't something I should be saying in front of so many people who might tell Father that I'd said it. In fact, it wasn't something I should be saying in front of anyone.

"Maybe, but it's only one day, and you know how important it is to keep all of our families in the right social circles, so we don't end up having to associate with Muggles," Daphne Greengrass said.

I rolled my eyes as she said that. Draco saw this and frowned a bit, but didn't say anything. Father had managed to get Draco to believe most of the pro-Pureblood things, whereas I refused to listen if he started talking about how good blood purity is, or if he used the word 'Mudblood' at all. This always made him incredibly angry with me, but I could deal with that. Draco, on the other hand, actually respected that I had different views on blood purity to the rest of the family, and just made a point to never talk about it while I was there.

"I really hope we don't have to have these," I mumbled, playing with my necklace.

"What?!" Pansy said, her tone accusatory.

"It's all so pretty, and I like talking to all of you," I said quickly, "but my dress is itchy, my feet hurt, and I always get bored after a while. And planning it always makes Mother and Father really stressed!"

"That's true," Draco said. "Father's always quicker to get stressed when the Winter Ball's coming up." He gave me a meaningful look when he said 'get stressed', and I knew that he was actually talking about how Father always became scarily easy to anger when he had the pressure of something like the Winter Ball on him.

"Mhm," I agreed. "Dray, are you going to take all of your clothes off while we're sitting here?"

I'd said the last bit because having pulled his jacket, bow tie, and shoes off, Draco was now taking his waistcoat off as well.

"What? They're uncomfortable!"

"So's my dress, but I'm not stripping off!" I said, giggling quietly at his pouty face.

"Yes Draco, you're supposed to be the Malfoy heir, not a half-naked commoner," Pansy said jokingly.

My smile became quite fake at that, and I looked away. Any time anyone called Draco the Malfoy heir, it just reminded me of how I would never be good enough for Father, not with his "perfect little Malfoy heir" around. I tried not to hold it against Draco, but it was difficult sometimes.

To distract myself and everyone else from that topic of conversation, I dramatically flopped against my brother.

"I'm boooored."

Draco smirked, then suddenly got a look on his face that I knew meant he'd had what he thought was an ingenious idea.

"Uh oh," I said. "Dray, whatever you're thinking, don't do it."

"What?"

"You've got your 'I've had the best idea in the whole history of ideas' face on," I explained. "Those ideas only end well one in about ten thousand times."

"I was only thinking we should play a game with the hair thing!" he said, sounding insulted. Anyone else might think he was genuinely insulted, but I knew him well enough to be able to tell that he was just joking.

"What hair thing?" Gregory Goyle asked, speaking for the first time in a while. He and Vincent Crabbe weren't all that interested about participating in our conversations, and preferred to just listen, occasionally putting in a comment, or, more often, a question.

"I'm not really supposed to... but as long as none of you tell that I was doing it..." I looked at them a little worriedly. "You won't tell anyone I can do this, will you?

"Of course we won't," Theodore Nott said, as the others all shook their heads.

And with that, I turned my hair the same colour blue as my dress.

"Wow! That's amazing!"

"Shh!" I said, glancing at the entrance to the little den we'd made. The adults were only on the other side of the sheet we'd attached to the opening of the alcove part of the wall, and if any of them came to see what was happening, I would be in big trouble. Especially if that person was Father.

"She's not supposed to do that, so if any of you tell someone, I'm not letting you come to our birthday party next year," Draco said seriously.

"Why aren't you supposed to?" Daphne asked me, sounding a little too interested for my liking.

"Because I'm a Malfoy, and I need to look like one," I said, turning my hair back to its natural platinum blonde before anyone else saw. "Sanctimonia Vincet Semper and all that." I barely resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"Well, if I could do that, I would want to show as many people as I could," Pansy said, frowning. "I wouldn't want my special power to go to waste."

"I'd like to do that," I said, somewhat quietly. "Father says I shouldn't do it while there's anyone around who's not part of the family, though. He doesn't want people to think that I don't want to be a Malfoy."

Draco gave me a meaningful look, and I quickly stopped talking, letting him take over the conversation.

"Did any of you see the fairies in the front garden? Mother and Father had an awful time trying to keep them in the trees, and away from the peacocks. I really don't know why we use them as lights when we can use a spell to make our own."

The others joined in the conversation, their attention taken away from me. Unlike normal, this time I was relieved. Showing them the hair thing had been a very risky idea, and I was thankful none of the adults had seen. Now I just had to hope Draco's threat had worked, and that the other children would keep quiet. If not, I knew I would feel the consequences.

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Word count: 1164