Hogwarts' Shinobi

Chapter 19

"The Yule Ball, what's that?" Sakura looked up at Professor McGonagall in confusion only receive a look of shock and horror. "Why its a traditional dance which brings out the best in both boys and girls. How do you not know of it?" Sakura just shrugged, face flustered in embarrassment. "Its okay, I expect you to come to my office later, you shall learn to dance, even if it takes you many an hour to do so." Sakura gulped in fear, already regretting admitting to not knowing. Sighing, the female left the hall, head hung low.

It took Sakura three hours to learn to dance to a McGonagall-approved level. Her feet ached and her thighs cried out in pain as she returned to her room. She really needed to ice them. Before the lesson, she'd asked around as to what she was in need of for the dance and she was lucky enough to have bumped into Draco. The boy had mumbled something about doing it so he wouldn't owe her any favours after the whole Buckbeak situation last year before giving her a helping hand in sorting it all out. Krum had asked her out as well, surprisingly, but she naturally didn't like attention and due to him being a champion, there would be a lot of that. So she sent him off to ask Hermione and promised him a couple of dances.

By the time the ball came around, she was really starting to feel the nerves eat away at her. The dress Draco had gotten her had arrived the morning before the dance and she was yet to open it. They all had the day off from lessons that day in order to get dressed - not that it would have affected Sakura. But either way, the girl took the majority of the day preparing herself. 

She started off the day by taking a long soak in the bathroom. But who could blame her? The bathtub was a small swimming pool, one side lined with taps that were filled with a variety of different bubble mixtures. She took great pleasure filling it to the brim with steaming water before she showered herself down. Taking out the coconut scented shampoo and conditioner, she got to work in cleaning her hair until it was spotless and soft. Quickly braiding it, she jumped into the large tub. 

Sakura ended up spending several hours just sitting in the high-temperature water. The soap she'd chosen was coconut and the smell filled the bathroom. Finally, with a lot of self-control, she decided to leave the bathroom. Towel wrapped around her torso, she carefully drained the now cool water from the bath and stepped out and into her room. Carefully drying, she changed into a light t-shirt and shorts, she was not risking messing up the dress just yet. The make-up she ended up choosing was subtle and in natural tones. Her aim was to enhance, not change. After smearing lip balm on her lips, she got to work on rubbing lotion into her skin.

After finishing getting herself ready for dressing, she moved onto hair. Undoing the braid, she smiled at the sight of the gentle waves that ran just below her shoulders. Carefully, she shifted it so it parted on the top left side of her head before running down. Her green eyes suddenly brightening in contrast to the pink of her hair.

Taking a deep breath, she moved to the box in which her dress was currently in. She had no idea what it looked like yet and was worried Draco may just be pranking her. But when she drew it out the box, she gasped, it was gorgeous.

The entrance to the dance was beautifully done, couples looking happy as they mingled in the front hall. Not that Sakura knew, both Sakura and her partner were currently late. This had come as a surprise to the rest of them, Sakura was normally quite good at being on time.

Silence filled the large, frosted hall as eyes turned to the doors. Standing there were the late couple, namely Sakura Haruno and Draco Malfoy. Their outfits, while matching, didn't clash - thanks to the fact Draco had selected both. Sakura's dress was loosely fitted at the top, tightening slightly at the waist before going slack and hanging loose from hips downwards with a slit running from the mid-thigh to the ground. The fabric used to make it pitch black in colour, the sheen of the fabric reflecting the light slightly as she walked. Draco, on the other hand, wore a black suit with a pink tie to match his partner's unique hair. Clutching tighter on the boy's arm, Sakura and Draco descended the stairs, "I told you we were going to be late." she hissed nervously into his ear causing the boy to smirk as he turned to look at her, "Oh I know. But don't you know, it's my job to make quite an entrance and you did perfectly well on your own." Sakura scowled at the boy before turning and seeking for somebody she knew or at least recognised. Eyes landing on Harry Potter and his friends causing her to relax slightly. "We're going to talk with Harry and Ron, do not start a fight, alright?" she told him as her foot stepped onto the floor. Draco groaned in annoyance but allowed the girl to drag him away anyway.

After greeting Harry, the pair wandered over to the dance floor, Sakura's dressed gliding across the ground as she spun round in circles. There was just something so eye-catching about the pair. Krum approached them after a few dances, "May I have this dance?" Sakura raised an eyebrow before nodding her head.

The night flew by as Sakura danced amongst both friend and stranger. Compliments were flung at the girl so frequently, she was no longer flustered by the appreciation like she was at the beginning of the evening. When it was finally over, Sakura found that she'd had one the best nights of her life. Even Draco had been on his best behaviour over the course of the evening and so nothing had ruined her night. The thought of it alone causing her to grin happily, yes, tonight made up for the torturous past few years and for a brief moment, she forgot about all that was wrong with the world.

Sakura's Dress