Set Up by MadderThanHens
Disclaimer : I own only the plot, the characters are entirely J. K. Rowling's, although they may be a little out of character…
Author's note: Please review to encourage me to write more as this is my very first fanfic!
As everyone knows, Hogwarts is usually quite empty during the Christmas period. This year, however, there were even less students than usual. There were only fourteen: four Gryffindors: Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny/ five Slytherins: Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bulstrode/ three Ravenclaws: Terry Boot, Mandy Brocklehurst, Michael Corner/ two Hufflepuffs: Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones. And as Christmas is a time for partying but that there weren't enough people for each house to have their own private party, the students had come together every night so far in a huge room with a big fire place and a sitting area composed of comfortable looking sofas and arm chairs, as well as a dancing area, and tables around the walls covered in food and pumpkin juice flasks on the third floor. It was now the fourth night of partying and there were only four more left until the 25th, but that didn't matter much since there would probably be others on the 25th and 26th, maybe the 27th, who knew? It was now the third night in a row that Ginny had observed Hermione turning bright red whenever Draco came near her, or that strange kind of electricity passing between them now and then… After about a dozen times that evening, Ginny dragged her friend into a corner:
"-You like Malfoy.
-No I don't! What the hell is wrong with you!
-Oh, come on! You'd have to be blind not to notice! What's more, I'm quite sure he likes you too…
-He does?
-Yep! And I think you should do something about it… (Gets cut off)
-That's ridiculous! He doesn't like me! And I don't like him! Now get off my back!" With that, Hermione stormed off to go and get some pumpkin juice. Ginny sighed. This is gonna be harder than I thought… And then, totally unexpectedly, like all good ideas are, she got an idea. A great one. She was so excited that she ran off to find Harry and Ron who were in a corner playing wizard's chess. She sat down on Harry's knees, causing Ron to mumble. He hated seeing his little sister with guys, even if this one was his best friend. At least that's what he said. But what really annoyed him, was that she was going out with people, and he wasn't!
"-Hey guys! She said, kissing Harry.
-Hey!
-Hi…, Ron replied, still muttering to himself.
-I just had a great idea!
-Really? Ron perked up a little.
-Yes. Well, I don't know if you've noticed… (She hesitated, looking at Ron…)
-What?" Ron didn't like getting that look from people. It usually meant bad news. But Ginny didn't have to continue, Harry did:
"-About Hermione and Draco?
-WHAT? Ron erupted like a volcano, causing several people to stare at him for a while.
-Well… (Ginny was unsure how to tell him…)
I think… I think they may… have feelings for each other…"
Ron raised an eyebrow:
"-Other than hate?" He was unsure weather or not to laugh. Normally he would have done, but then again, what if it was true? And in that case, this was no laughing matter. In fact, not much about Draco made Ron laugh… Except the occasions when Draco happened to trip up or something… Harry came to Ginny's rescue:
"-Well, it looks like it… And I mean, he isn't such a bad guy now… He's really nice once you get to know him. Now that his father's gone, he's like a completely different person…
-What the hell! You must be mad! Hey, are you sure this isn't actually Draco and Crabbe or Goyle using polyjuice potion!
-Ron, Draco and his friends are all over there, Ginny said, pointing to were Draco was.
-Well…well what are you saying then, Ron asked, looking very worried and like he wished he didn't have to hear the answer to that question.
-Well, they obviously like each other, Harry replied." (Ron looked like he was seriously considering committing suicide…)
After about a minute of stunned silence (from Ron) in which Ron imagined what his life could have been like if Malfoy hadn't been in it, he said:
"-Fine!" Ginny smiled.
"'Good, coz I was hopping you two could help me set them up." This time Ron almost died of shock:
"-You want to what! Are you out of your mind!
-No Ron, I am perfectly sane. You, on the other hand, don't seem to be quite yourself…
-Quite myself! Nobody would be quite themselves after being told such a thing!
-Well, Harry seems fine with it.
-Yeah, well… He's weird…
-Oh! Ron! Stop being such a baby and put your differences with Draco aside for a while!
-And why would I do that?
-Because if you don't, then I'll tell Pansy you like her!" Ron turned a violent shade of red and then green.
"-Wha… what, he managed to stutter.
-You know perfectly well what I'm talking about Ron! And don't try to deny it! I know the truth, you were saying her name in your sleep almost all the time last summer!
-Yeah…well…I…you…she, Ron started babbling incomprehensively.
-It's OK Ron, I'm not gonna tell anyone!" Ron thought it was best not to say anything, so he just nodded.
"-Good! You've finally come to your senses!
-So, what do you have in mind, Harry asked.
-Well, I was thinking…"
Later on that evening, at about 10.30, Ginny could be seen talking to Pansy in a corner of the room. Just as she came back to her friends (Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting on a sofa and arm chairs), a very nervous looking Ron asked Hermione if she wanted to play "that muggle game you taught us last summer…". Hermione guessed he meant truth or dare and accepted. Harry and Ginny said they would play too. The first to go was Ginny who chose truth and Hermione asked her who she would rather kiss, if she had to, Professor Snape or professor Flitwick? Ginny replied that it would be professor Flitwick without a doubt, she'd rather kiss a dwarf than a greasy headed slim ball! Next, Ginny dared Ron to dance like a maniac when the next song came on (which unfortunately for Ron happened to be a slow song, so he was obviously completely out of rhythm as well as dancing weirdly, which was why most people stopped what they were doing and came to watch him…). Then Ron dared Harry to kiss Michael, which he did, but on the hand (After all, Ron hadn't mentioned where he was to kiss Michael…). Harry gave Hermione her dare, which was to go up to the Astronomy tower at midnight (Hermione wasn't so keen on breaking rules and sneaking around at night, as we all know only too well…) Hermione gave Ron a truth question: Who was his first crush? Ron nearly choked and became as red as Rudolf's nose before coming out with a very weak "Y…you…". Next was Ginny's turn to impersonate professor McGonagall. She got quite a few laughs for that. The evening passed away quickly and soon enough, Ginny glanced at her watch and noticed that it was 23.45. She said that they had better be off, otherwise, Hermione wouldn't be at the astronomy tower in time. Hermione asked if it really mattered that she got there on time, it was just a silly dare anyways. Harry replied that she had to because rules were rules, and added that she might just find something she wasn't expecting up there. Hermione sighed and got up:
"-Very well, I'll go." Ginny wished her good luck, which Hermione wasn't sure what to do with since it was quite unlikely that Filch or a teacher would find her at this time, unless she made much more noise than was necessary.
By the time she got up there, it was five to midnight. She entered the room at the top of the tower wondering what on earth she might "find" in there that would surprise her. She was about to turn around and leave right away, but then thought she had better wait till twelve o'clock because "rules were rules". She went to the window and watched the softly falling snow outside.
Then Draco arrived and noticed how beautiful she looked in the silver moonlight. He startled her by saying good evening and walking in. Hermione jumped and turned to face him. She suddenly realized that Ginny must have something to do with this and made a mental note to kill her. She eyed Draco suspiciously while checking out what he was wearing (black flannel trousers, a white shirt, unbuttoned at the top, and his loosened Slytherin silver and green tie) and decided that he looked hot. She started blushing furiously and hoped he wouldn't notice but of course he did. What the hell is Granger blushing about now! All I said was good evening! Seriously! Girls freak me out! They stood still for a while, watching each other, and then a huge smashing noise resounded around the room, and they both realized with horror that the door had been slammed shut. Draco tried desperately to prize it open again and used countless spells on it. He then noticed Hermione just standing there:
"-Come on! Help me! Don't just stand there! You're supposed to be the smart one!
-Malfoy, that was the fermaturo spell. No one but the person who put it on in the first place can undo it." At these words, Draco fell silent. After a while he asked her:
"-What do you propose we do then?
-There's only one thing we can do wait.
-Wait! Are you insane! I would like to return to my dorm, this is madness, I don't know what the hell you're doing here Granger, but one thing's for sure, you certainly don't seem to be doing anything to help. Maybe you want to be stuck here together, maybe that's what it is… (gets cut off)
-Malfoy, how dare you! I don't know why I was told to come up here, nor why you're here, but one thing I do know is that there is nothing to be done about this charm!
-What the hell are you on about! "There's nothing to be done…" Of course there is! There's always something you can do! And I'm sure you know too, as intelligent as you are! So either you enjoy being in an enclosed space with me, either you're playing some kind of hilarious joke on me, which is in no way funny!
-Thank you for the compliment, Malfoy, but as "intelligent as I am" I see no way of getting out of this! Maybe you would like to check that I was right when we get out of here!
-Or maybe, you would like to tell me what the hell is going on now, and save us both time!
-You must have a serious hearing disability Malfoy, because I'm pretty sure that I made it quite clear that I have no more desire than you to be here, and that I have no idea why the hell we' re locked in here!
-I might have a hearing disability, but I have 20/20 vision, Granger, and I know very well that most girls would do anything to be with a guy as good looking as me, even if she has to trick me into it, and… (gets cut off)
-Take my word for it Malfoy, no one I know would ever want to be alone with you, not in a million years!
-Do you really think I'd take the word of a mudblu…, Draco got cut off as Hermione slapped him across the face.
-How dare you, Hermione shouted at him, before moving away from him and sliding down against the wall to the floor.
-You're right. I'm sorry. It's just… old habits, you know?" Draco had realized strait away that he had gone too far. Hermione's slap had finally knocked some sense into him. He realized that he must have drunk a little bit too much at the party, and now he was saying stupid things. He walked to the other side of the room and sunk down into the only piece of furniture in the room, a red pouffy looking sofa. He sighed. Hermione's eyes were glistening with unshed tears. He was surveying her out of the corner of his eye, looking very miserable indeed. After a few moments, he noticed how she was shifting uncomfortably on the cold hard floor:
"- You look uncomfortable, come and sit with me." Hermione glared at him.
"-Come on, it's nice and cosy…
-I'm fine here, she snapped.
-No need to be like that, I'm only trying to help.
-Yeah, well…
-Come on, I'll be nice, I promise…"
She stayed where she was for a few moments, looking up at him. Finally, she got up and went to sit next to him. Draco smiled weakly at her.
"-I'm sorry.
-It's OK.
-No, it's not. I never should have said that, I never should have said any of the mean big-headed things I said." She smiled at him.
"-I'm sorry Hermione. Really, for everything I ever said or made you go through. I used to be very influenced by my father. When he died, I promised myself that I would be nice to everyone, that I would change. But tonight… Tonight I became my old self again… I don't know what came over me. I think I must have drunken too much, and what with mother in the way she is at the moment, because of what happened… I suppose I just have a lot on my mind… And I know that none of that excuses my behaviour, but I wanted to try to explain…
-It's OK…". She looked up at him. He inched forwards, so did she. Their faces were inches from each other… They kissed. Timidly at first, then Hermione deepened the kiss. Draco pulled back:
"-I'm sorry, you know, for having made your life a living hell." She grabbed hold of his tie.
"-Not now Draco." And she pulled him by the tie and started kissing him again. He had his hands in her hair, hers were round his neck… They kissed for a good deal longer before falling asleep in each other's arms.
The next day, Ginny let them out. They were holding hands. She smiled wisely to herself but didn't say anything. The happy couple barely noticed her and walked down to breakfast together.
When Hermione walked in to the great hall, Ron was about to call out to her when the next person to enter was Draco. He stared gobsmaked as Draco took the lead and she followed him to the Slytherin table. As soon as Ginny sat down, he rounded on her:
"- What the hell do you think you're doing giving her a love potion! Are you out of your mind! Undo it at once!" It took a good deal of calming and soothing from Harry and Ginny before he would bring himself to believe that Draco really was loveable…
Just as Ron was about to leave the great hall to stop himself staring at Hermione and Draco, Pansy walked up to him and asked to speak to him alone! Harry and Ginny watched, amused, as Ron was led out of the great hall with a look of utter bewilderment and terror on his face. Several minutes later, he wandered back in with a dopey smile. He nearly tripped over his own feet, but Harry and Ginny caught him and pulled him back into an empty seat. All Ron seemed capable of saying was:
"- She kissed me…". Ginny, suppressing a laugh, said:
"-Well, it looks like we'll be able to triple date…"
Later on that morning, Harry and Ginny were having a walk around the frozen lake. Harry looked at his beautiful girlfriend and asked:
"-How did you do it? Manage to make Hermione and Draco go out, as well as Ron and Pansy, in like, a few hours?
-Well…". Ginny smiled a mischievous smile, and continued:
"-It was quite easy really. You know how I made you ask Hermione to go to the astronomy tower at midnight once Ron had got the game going?
-Yeah…
-Well, I got Pansy to dare Draco to do the same, by telling her that if she did then I would do my best to make Ron like her, since I already knew she liked him too. I took a secret passage that Fred and Georges had shown me at quarter to midnight to make sure I got up there first. I went into the room, and turned the old-moth eaten sofa into a nice new red tasselled pouffy comfy one. Then I went out and hid behind one of the suits of armour. I didn't have to wait long before Hermione came up and went in, soon followed by Draco. As soon as I heard them talk, I crept out from my hiding place and performed the fermaturo spell on the door.
-So you basically set them up? Clever.
-Thanks. There was some shouting from the inside of the room once the doors were closed, but those doors are so thick that you can hardly hear anything from the outside. So then… Well… I just left them to it… I went to bed and at nine this morning, I let them out. They didn't even look like they'd seen me. And then I ran into Pansy on my way down to the great hall. I told her that it was all clear. Ron had admitted to liking her.
-Goodness! A real little match maker, aren't you? Anyways, I was thinking, maybe now that you've finished forming couples for us to "triple date" with, you'd like spending some time with me…
-Hmm… Well… I don't know… I'll have to see…". Ginny pretended to be seriously thinking about it, until Harry pushed her into a pile of snow:
"-Give it a rest will you?" Laughing, he started running back to the castle. Ginny quickly recovered from having being pushed over and was chasing him in no time. Harry deliberately slowed down so she could catch up with him. When she did, she jumped on his back, sending them both toppling over in the snow. She landed on top of him, smiling.
"-You're going to pay for that", she said, and then started kissing him senseless.