Translation of my story in English. I'm sorry for the mistakes, English is not my mother tongue. I hope you like it.

Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling.

The Yule Ball

'Why don't you go find Vicky, he'll be wondering where you are,' Ron shouted.

'Don't call him Vicky.'

Hermione rose from her chair and ran away from the Great Hall. She would never thought that Ron could tell her something like that. How dare he to say that she fraternized with the enemy! That she betrayed Harry by agreeing to go to the yule ball with Viktor Krum ! Ron was the first one to admire him at the Quidditch World Cup and when the Durmstrang students got at Hogwarts. He wanted to have his autograph. If Ron really wanted to go to the ball with her, he should have thought about it before being rejected by Fleur Delacour and not saying 'Hermione, you're a girl!'

'Idiot !' She sobbed.

Without realizing it, her footsteps led her to the lake. In the distance, she could hear the music from the Great Hall. The party continued without her, she thought. It was not like someone missed her. Especially not Ron. At the lake, she sat on the ground. She bent her knees, wrapped her arms around it, and looked at the water. Tears were running down her cheeks. She remained motionless for several minutes. Suddenly she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw Malfoy arriving. That was the last straw. She was already feeling bad without Malfoy taking advantage of it to make fun of her.

'Granger ! What are you doing here ?'

Hermione snorted and turned her head, trying to hide her red eyes and wiping away her tears. She refused to let him see her in this state.

'What ! You're crying !' He laughed.

Footsteps were heard and a high-pitched voice rose from behind the bushes. That voice belonged to Pansy Parkinson.

'Draco !' Pansy called.

'Damn it,' Malfoy mumbled.

He looked around, more and more panicked. The bushes leaves moved, indicating that Pansy was getting closer to them. Malfoy went up to Hermione and grabbed her arm.

'Get up,' he ordered. 'Come on hurry up !'

'Malefoy ! Let go of me !'

He did not listen to her and forced her to her feet. He went to the nearest tree, forcing Hermione to follow him.

'I told you to let go of me !'

'Shut up !'

Malfoy held the young Gryffindor firmly in his arms and put his hand on her mouth, preventing her from speaking. She tried her best to struggle. She regretted to have left her wand in her dormitory. What could happen to her tonight, she had thought a few hours earlier while getting ready. What an idiot she had been ! She was about to bite him, but froze when Pansy reached their level.

'Draco !' She called. 'Draco, where are you ? Draky !'

In other circumstances, Hermione would have burst out laughing. But for now, she had to find a way for him to let her go. She still kept Malfoy's new nickname in mind, hoping that someday it would come in useful. Still hidden by the tree, Pansy went pass without seeing them. She walked away, calling the Slytherin. Once she was gone, Malfoy sighed and hastened to let go of Hermione, who moved away quickly from him. She gave him a black look.

'Are you crazy ?' She said. 'What's the matter with you ?'

Malfoy grimaced in disgust and wiped his hand on his pants.

'What are you complaining about ? It's me who will be infected by your mudblood germs.'

'You are impossible !'

Hermione became more and more annoyed.

'It was you who prevented me from moving. And why, by the way? What is it to you if Parkinson saw me ?'

Even him did not know. When he heard Pansy arriving, he panicked and did the first thing that crossed his mind. Hermione sighed, turned her back to him and went back to the castle.

'Why were you crying earlier ?' Malfoy asked.

Hermione looked at him.

'And you ? Why were you hiding from Parkinson ? Wasn't she supposed to be your partner Draky ?'

She was blatanly making fun of him and he refused to let her get on with it.

'Krum finally came to his senses and realized that you were not worth it. After all, who would want to be with you?'

'You make me sick Malfoy.'

She felt her eyes sting. No ! She would not cry in front of him. She was not going to let him make fun of her. The was the sound of a song. And by the time it was, it must be the last dance. Hermione sighed.

'The last dance,' she said. 'I should be inside with my friends but instead I am here with you. It's the worst night of my life.'

She was about to go back to the castle when Malfoy grabbed her arm.

'What do you want now ?' Hermione asked, exasperated.

'As you said, this is the last dance and it would be surprising that you arrive at the Great Hall before it's over.'

He moved her closer to him and put his arm around her waist, while his hand took her.

'What are you doing ?' Hermione said indignant.

'Our evening is ruined anyway, so let's enjoy this last dance.'

Hermione nodded and tried to relax. After all it was only a dance. What could be wrong with it ? Except she was dancing with Malfoy and she was really fraternizing with the enemy, to quote Ron. No, it was out of the question that she thinks about him. Malfoy moved her closer to him.

'If you ever tell someone what happened ...' He said.

'As if I will brag about it.'

What was he doing ? He thought. He was dancing with Granger ! Granger ! Mudblood, Miss goody-two-shoes and know-it-all, and Potter's best friend. If his father saw him, he would kill him. If he had not a heart attack before. Draco had wanted to dance with her at least once in the evening since he had seen her came downstairs with Krum. For once he had found no insult to tell her.

They started dancing, to the rhythm of that slow music they could hear from the Great Hall. Little by little, both started to relax, forgetting that they were dancing with the enemy. It was strange, but for once, just for this dance, they realized that they wanted to play the game and pretend they were not enemies, not a Slytherin or a Gryffindor, not Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy. The music stopped, it was the end of the ball. They stopped dancing, but did not separate. They were still in the moment where they had forgotten who they were and with who. Draco came up to Hermione, until their lips were only a few inches apart. The distance between them reduced a little more until their lips touched. They kissed for a few moments, refusing to separate. But they quickly came back to reality when they heard roar of laughter and voices getting closer to them. Probably some students who did not want their evening to end. Hermione and Draco parted, trying to put as much distance as possible between them. Hermione blushed and looked down, refusing to look at the Slytherin. Draco did not feel better, looking around but Hermione.

'I should go,' Hermione said in a small voice.

'Me too,' Draco said quickly.

They left in opposite directions, not wanting to look at each other. If Hermione's brain had worked properly, she thought, she would have slapped him and insulted him. How dared he to do that ? It was her first kiss and he had to be with him. Even though it was Malfoy, she could not help smiling. And the worst part was that she loved that kiss. It was a secret they would share all their lives. She put her finger on her lips still smiling. In the end, her evening had not been as horrible as she thought.

The end