Tom reached out his hand to me, his smile was ice white and blinding. He knew I couldn't refuse him, or wouldn't refuse him.

"I need you to trust me." Tom's eyes were intense as they stared at me. "Don't make this difficult."

He held out a pale hand, the gold of his shirt cuffs glinting in the light. All of the voices around me seemed to die out. I could hear my own breathing, my senses were flooded with Tom. He was tall, he looked extremely good tonight. But what was new. He always looked good. And it pissed me off.

I took his hand and allowed myself to be guided by Tom out to the centre of the floor. It was one dance. Surely I could survive this. All around me there were other dancers. Isabella Rey and Daniel Dolohov. Shalini, her tear streaked face in the arms of Xavier Malfoy. I caught her eye and looked away quickly, but not before she gave me a small kind hearted smile. The music began, and Tom led the way. I didn't know what style of dance it was.

"Follow my lead." Tom said in my ear. His arms were on my waist, mine on his shoulders. He knew how to dance, and I wasn't surprised. He knew a lot of things, it really was a shame the only side of him I ever got to see was the mindless psychopath. The music helped calm me, and as we danced I couldn't feel fear. It felt like the old feelings had died out and had been replaced. Power emanated from Tom in a way that now reassured me. Maybe it was his height. I'd always been a sucker for tall guys, especially for someone as short as me. He made me feel protected, somehow. Like when he was there nothing could hurt me. Except him.

The music stopped, and Tom gave a low bow.

"Thank you for the dance." He said to me lowly. His dark eyes were shining very brightly.

"You're welcome." I stepped away from him, and as I did his eyes narrowed ever so slightly as they analysed my dress.

"That dress," He said. "I recognise it. Where did you buy it from?" It was the second time tonight I had seen him look so surprised.

"That's for me to know, and for you to find out."

"It belonged to the secret mistress of Salazar Slytherin didn't it?" Tom was looking at me as though he had never seen me clearly before.

"Such a thing is rare to come by."

"How did you know it belonged to her?" I asked him, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Not many people know about this."

"There have been photographs of Salazar with her. You can find them in the library." Tom told me. He stepped closer, his hands tracing along my back coming to rest on the silken fabric against my shoulder. "There was one picture I saw when I was doing some research on Slytherin House, I found it in a very old book. I'll have to show you if I find it, it's got Selise in that exact dress. But that's not what I'm curious about."

I looked up to find Tom's eyes focused on me intensely.

"What made you decide to wear something Salazar Slytherin gifted?" He asked me directly.

"I..." I couldn't for the life of me remember.

"Are you going to dance?" Someone asked us. Tom rolled his eyes. "What do you think?" He snapped at them.

"Let's go..."

I took his hand and walked away from the dance floor, taking him through the crowd until we reached a spot beside the wall where we were alone.

"I have no idea." I said truthfully. "I was drawn to the fabric. And then a witch offered it to me."

"Who was the witch?" Tom pressed.

"I-I didn't get her name."

That was the truth, she never actually told me her name throughout the whole time she helped me.

"What does it matter?" I asked him. Tom looked distinctly angered, and I had no idea why.

"That was wrong of her." He said more to himself than to me. "There is a great chance that the dress is cursed. As exquisite as you look in it... that was stupid idea of you to take it, Hermione."

"I didn't know it could have been cursed!" I told him, starting to get upset. "I was told Salazar gave this as a gift to Selise. They were in love anyway, so why would he give her a cursed gift?"

I ran over the fabric of the dress in my hands. Was this the reason why Veela never decided to buy it? Could they sense it was cursed?

"Did you not just hear me say Selise was Salazar's secret mistress?" Tom's words were like ice. Cold, sharp. "There would've been a point during their affair where there would've been a falling out. I think there's a high possibility Salazar gave her a cursed gift, one last goodbye present as the icing on whatever perfect disaster happened..."

I thought back to when I was at the shop. Now that I thought about it, I realised it was weird how no one else had gone into the part of the shop where I was. And the dress... I didn't spend any money on it. I was told I didn't need to. And didn't the witch tell me Selise was his wife, not his secret lover?

"So what does this mean?" I said slowly. "Am I... going to die?"

"I haven't ruled out whether the dress is cursed or not, so I can't say." I was expecting to hear the same harshness in his words but his voice was surprisingly gentle. "For now, I think the main thing is to get you something else to wear. Do you have a different dress?"

"Yes, it's in my bag." I held out my tiny beaded bag.

"An extension charm." Tom said thoughtfully. "Clever. Now go and get changed and bring the dress back to me."

—————————-

I entered the girls bathroom alone. From far away I could hear the Gadding Ghouls starting to play, the music reverberating off the walls of the castle, floating down the halls. It was a slow sort of rock song, one of those ones that couples could slow dance to.

I looked at myself in the mirror - and doubled back in shock. My eyes had appeared black for a split second. Or maybe I was just seeing things. No one else was in the bathroom with me. I took off the dress and rifled around in my bag until I found the red dress I had worn before to Bill And Fleur's wedding. I didn't want to wear it but it was a damn better option than the one I was wearing. I put in on, and looked back in the mirror again.

My eyes were black again. My heart rate pitched, I reached my hand out slowly, watching my reflection as I touched my face. And then I felt it. Something dark come over me. I felt weird, as though I had a burning fever. I couldn't tear my eyes away from myself, and it was several moments later that my eyes returned to their usual colour and even after that I was still standing frozen in place before the mirror. What the hell? What was happening to me? I had no idea but I knew more than anything else I had to get out of here.

I stuffed Selise's dress unceremoniously into my small beaded bag, and at once something began humming and whirring, the sudden sound in the bathroom making me jump. I reached into my bag to see what it was. A Sneakoscope. I knew it would only light up, spin and whistle if something was wrong. I stared at it in confusion. There was no one else in the bathroom except for me. Or was there?

"Hermione." Shalini entered the girl's bathroom, her heels making stabbing noises on the ground.

"I see you've managed to put the pieces of the puzzle together, then." She said in a tone both silky sweet and laced with danger.

I froze. "What are you talking about?" I stammered.

"For someone who is rumoured to be so intelligent you really are quite stupid, aren't you?" Shalini had a horrible sort of glint in her dark eyes, they were bordering on a colour almost as dark as the floor length black dress she was wearing.

"I gave that stupid witch a shitload of money to give that cursed dress to you." She said as though it was the funniest thing in the world. "That's the thing about coming from a very rich family, Granger. Money can make people do things they normally wouldn't do. I was surprised at how easily she complied."

I couldn't think. My head was starting to pound, and the room was spinning.

"What is happening?" I clutched my head and gasped. Pain was flaring through my mind like bursts of white hot flame. "Why are you doing this to me?"

Shalini came closer, grabbing my wrist with one red taloned hand. Her nails dug into my arm painfully.

"I don't like girls who steal men who don't belong to them." She said venomously. "I'd tell you to keep that in mind for next time... but unfortunately for you, you're probably not going to make it to the end of the night. Sweet dreams." The cruel smile was the last thing I saw before she walked off, shortly afterward all of the lights in the bathroom turned off.

"No..."

I stumbled to the door and tried to yank it open but it was locked fast. My head was aching so badly it was becoming almost impossible to do anything, but I had to get out of here, I had to find Tom.

I grabbed my wand, almost dropping it in my shaking hands. I pointed it, trying to keep my hand steady.

"A-Alohomora." Nothing happened.

I swore under my breath.

"Alohomora!" I said insistently and the door fell open at once with a great crash. I stumbled out into the Hall, the lights and music causing an ear splitting pain in my head. I walked, holding onto the wall for support. Several students laughed as they passed me thinking I was just some drunk girl who let herself go on Ball night. I couldn't have even cried out for help if I wanted to. I just needed to find Tom.

It didn't take long for me to see him. By the looks of things he was on his way to find me, walking down the hall towards me. He looked irritated, probably pissed off that I had kept him waiting for so long.

"Where have you been?" Tom approached me, his eyes steel and cold. "I didn't think it would take that long to put on a simple dress."

He came closer, his eyes narrowing in concern the nearer he got. "Look at me." He told me.

I looked up to meet his eyes and saw him pale slightly. "Your eyes..." He was talking but I was having trouble hearing him. "...the effects."

"Hermione?" His voice splintered in my head.

"Something - is happening- to me." I gasped.

I fell against him, finally succumbing to the pain, the last thing I felt was his arms coming to catch me before I hit the ground.