HI AGAIN!
Thanks to those who reviewed my other stories, you're awesome!
Please let me know how I did in this story in a review!
Disclaimer: I only wish i owned Harry Potter and its characters, plot and everything.
"Gin, it's no use! My hair is simply impossible!" Hermione said while Ginny was helping her get ready in the room of requirement which some girls had turned into a dressing room so they could get ready for the victory ball. The ball was to commemorate the downfall of Voldemort.
"Please, you and I both know that's not true, you look beautiful" Ginny replied.
"Yeah and we both know you're saying that to make me feel better" Hermione said sarcastically.
"I'm not just saying that! All these years you've believed your hair was terrible because of Malfoy! We'll make him eat those words tonight" Ginny told her grinning. Ginny had a plan for tonight.
"Ginny this is a waste of time; he'll never like me back anyway!" Hermione said.
"Sure he will, you know how in books when a boy likes a girl he's mean to her so she won't find out? I think he's been doing that his whole life" Ginny told her knowingly.
"It's not that simple, there's blood status to think about too you know" Hermione reminded her.
"I think it was all an act for his father. When's the last time he called you mudblood?" Ginny asked with an eyebrow raised.
"Just after the war when he and his father ran into me" Hermione replied quickly.
"See, that was a year ago. Now that his father's out of the way he doesn't need to keep up the pretense" Ginny said.
"I think it was the truce we made upon becoming heads" Hermione told her.
"I guess it's true when Harry told me you would be this stubborn admitting it" Ginny said quietly.
"Wait Harry knows?" Hermione said. She was shocked.
"Of course! Unlike my brother, Harry actually pays attention" Ginny told her smirking.
"And he's ok with it?" Hermione was in disbelief.
"Well... He did say he'd kill Malfoy if he hurt you" Ginny said thoughtfully.
"He told Malfoy?" Hermione demanded.
"No, not yet, only when you get together will he do that" she replied nonchalantly.
"Who said anything about getting together? He doesn't even like me like that!" hermione protested.
"We'll see..." the younger of the two said.
"There's something you're not telling me!" Hermione accused.
"Trust me, this is something you'll want to find out on your own" Ginny said.
"I usually have to find out things on my own" Hermione muttered.
"Good cause you'll need to know this" Ginny told her.
"If I don't know whatever you're talking about then how is it that you know? No offense there" Hermione asked curiously trying to find out as much as she could without Ginny suspecting it.
"I have a knack for these things, besides you already know, you just don't know that you know" Ginny said avoiding telling her anything important.
"Give me a hint!" Hermione said.
"Ok, you'll find out tonight" Ginny said.
"Yeah so give me a clue on what to expect" Hermione said impatiently.
"That was the clue" Ginny told her.
"Oh... Well in that case thanks for helping me get ready, I'll see you during the ball" Hermione said as she got up and left.
"Oh you bet you will" Ginny said when she was out of earshot.
Hermione walked to the head dorms thinking about what Ginny had said about her knowing but not knowing. This would be a hard thing to figure out and she only had a few more hours before the ball.
"Whoa, Granger, what happened to you?" Draco said upon seeing her enter the common room.
"Can it Malfoy, I'm in no mood for insults, I'm trying to figure something out" Hermione said testily.
"I didn't mean it that way! I just meant you look... Well... Good" he said backtracking.
"Er, thanks I guess..." she said looking unsure.
"Well, seeing that it's required that you go with me, it's a good thing you look that way" Draco said looking relieved.
"Arrogant git" Hermione muttered under her breath.
"You are wearing a green dress aren't you?" Draco asked hoping she was.
"No, you didn't say anything when I asked you" Hermione told him. She bought a blue dress she saw in a muggle shop knowing it wasn't likely anyone would have the same one.
"Hmm, well that just won't do, you'll need a new dress" Draco said almost as if he was talking to himself.
"Where am I going to get a new dress by this evening?" Hermione said slightly panicked. If she couldn't get a new one she'd settle on charming her dress green.
"I'll have my mother order one" Draco said as if it was something that would happen everyday.
"And she'll be able to get it here on time?" she wanted to know.
"Obviously, that's why we have floo powder here our common room. I'll floo her now and she'll have the dress by tonight for sure" Draco told her sounding bored.
"you go do that, I'll be in my room" Hermione said before going to her room and closing the door behind her.
2 hours before the ball…
Draco knocked on her door. "Granger, I have your dresses, you needy try them on!"
"What do you mean by 'dresses'?" Hermione asked opening the door
"I couldn't have mother buy just one. Whet if it made you look terrible, how would I look then?" Draco said, concerned on his reputation.
"Gorgeous as usual" she said under her breath hoping he wouldn't hear.
"Sorry what?" he said.
"Nothing"
"Here, just try them on and make sure you pick the best one" he said dumping the dresses in her arms.
"Ok... Wait let me give you the money to pay you back" Hermione protested before he could leave.
"Who cares, think of them as gifts" he told her. It didn't matter to him. It wasn't as if he would take them back if she didn't pay him; what would he do with a bunch of dresses?
"Er, thanks then" Hermione said awkwardly.
"Whatever just make sure you pick the best one" he said again before leaving
•••••
15 min before the ball is about to start...
"Granger are you done yet?" Draco demanded knocking on her door.
"Yeah give me one more minute!" Hermione shouted.
"No, whether you're done or I'm coming in! Alohomora" he said opening the door.
"Malfoy!" she yelled. Luckily she was ready to go when he came in.
His eyes widened in surprise. "You look... Good" he managed to stutter.
"Ok now I'm ready"
"Good let's go" he said awkwardly taking her by the arm leading them to the Great Hall.
"You do know how to dance right" Draco asked realizing he should've asked her earlier in case she didn't. He assumed she did though.
"Of course I do. Do you?" she countered wondering if he was asking because he didn't.
"Granger, what do you think I did my whole life before Hogwarts? Obviously I had to be taught things properly" he said as if it were the most obvious thin in the world.
"Why does it matter if we dance or not, you can't say you honestly want to anyway" Hermione said.
"And here I thought you knew... McGonagall specifically said that as the heads we have to set an example of inter house unity and setting aside prejudices" he told her. For once McGonagall trusted him to be the one to tell her instead of the other way around.
"Since when did you care about any of those?" she asked. It was true, if you told him he'd be saying this a few years ago he would've said you needed to go to St. Muggo's.
"Have you not noticed that I've stopped calling you mudblood?" he asked.
"I knew it was just because of that" Hermione said.
"Er..."
"Oh let's just get it over with"
They entered the great hall which looked similar to the way it did during he Yule Ball. They officially open the ball with an obligated dance.
"Er, do you want to sit down for a while?" Draco asked when it was over.
"Sure. You don't have to stay with me though, you can go off with your friends or whatever now that we're done with our required task" she told him knowing he probably would.
"Do you want me to leave?" he asked wondering she was subtly telling him to leave.
"Either, that's your choice" she shrugged.
Draco went with her anyway to the table where Ginny, Harry, Ron, Lavender, Luna and Neville are sitting.
"What's he doing here?" Ron asked looking at Draco.
"He happens to be my date" Hermione replied icily
"You guys are dating?" Lavender demanded to know.
"No, we happen to be required to attend this ball together by McGonagall" Hermione said.
"Right, I'm getting us some refreshments who wants to help?" Harry said giving Draco a look that said 'you'd better volunteer or I'll hex you'
"I'll help" Draco stood up and smirked as if to say 'you don't scare me Potter'
"Let's go dance already Won-won" Lavender whined.
"Fine"
Draco, Harry, Ron and Lavender left the table. Harry dragged Draco of to a corner near the refreshment table to talk.
"Listen here Malfoy, I know you've got a thing for Hermione but hurt her in any way and you'll have me and all the Weasley to answer to" Harry threatened.
"Does this mean you and Weasel approve?" Draco asked as if Harry had not threatened.
"I neither approve nor disapprove. Ron on the other hand entirely disapproves. The only reason I'm telling you this is because Ginny approves and whether you know it or not, you make Hermione happy" Harry told him.
"Well if you're done with your lecture I'm getting them drinks so they won't be suspicious" Draco said.
Meanwhile at the table...
Luna was spacing out as usual while Neville didn't seem to be minding anyone.
"Look Mione, I know for a fact that Malfoy likes you back" Ginny said once their dates were out of earshot.
"How do you know?"
"It's just obvious. I mean come on! He dared sit with us just because you're here, he can be sitting with his friends at their table" Ginny said reminding her of the choice she had given him earlier.
"Are you saying you want him to like me?" Hermione asked.
"Sure, you're the only single one here. Even Luna and Neville are together!" Ginny told her.
"I just can't see how we'll ever get together anyway, with our history it's just not possible" Hermione said pessimistically.
"No, it is possible. He stopped insulting you and even Harry" Ginny argued.
"Shh... They're coming back" Hermione said noticing them heading towered their table.
"What were you saying Hermione?" Luna asked snapping back into reality.
"Nothing Luna" she replied.
"Right well I love this song! I'm going to dance. Anyone care to join me?" Luna asked.
"Harry and I will, won't we Harry" Ginny said as she looked at Harry with an expression that said 'I'm up to something and you're helping me!'
"Sure" Harry said knowing that expression.
"I guess I'll join too" Neville said.
"That's the spirit Neville!" Ginny said pulling them toward an empty space on the dance floor.
"Do you want to join them?" Draco asked seeing they were the only ones left.
"Nah, I'll sit this one out" Hermione said.
"Good because there's something unneeded to tell you" Draco said.
"What?" Hermione asked.
"Can we go outside? This isn't something I want to tell you with so many people around" he said. He was getting nervous.
"I guess" she replied.
"Wow, you guess? That's a first" he teased glad for something to distract himself.
"Shut up" she said though she was grinning.
They went outside to an area near Hagrid's hut.
"So what was it you wanted to tell me?" she asked once they were far enough from other people.
"Hermione, first you have to swear that you'll hear me out before you say anything" he said.
She didn't miss the fact that he used her first name "promise"
"Er... let me just start with the fact that I sort of er... Like you?" it sounded like a question.
"Draco - "
"No, you promised you wouldn't interrupt. As I was saying, I like you Hermione, a lot and while I know I don't have a chance with you I just thought it would be better if you reject me now than me spending my whole life thinking about what if I had told you" he managed to say before she started to interrupt again.
"Dr-"
"Stop interrupting!" he said "Anyway, I know I sound like a girl right now but I have no idea how to say this in a 'manly way'-"
Hermione kissed him to shut him up. "Draco, haven't you guessed by now that I love you?" she told him sounding exasperated.
"Geez... Even confessing your love for me you mange to sound like you're annoyed at the fact that I don't know something" he muttered.
"It's important! Besides, you know you love me for it"
He laughed before saying "and naturally, you're right" He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. She stiffened for a second before responding to the kiss.
"Remind me to thank Ginny later..." Hermione said.
"What for?" Draco asked.
"Giving me the courage to admit to myself that I like you" she said.
"Hmm... You'd think everyone planned everything" he said.
"What do you mean?"
"Well Weaselette helped you with your hair didn't she? And Potter talked to me a while ago while we were getting everyone drinks and Loony happened to leave along with everyone else just when we came back" he said recounting what had happened before this.
"So that's what Ginny meant about knowing but not knowing!" Hermione said realizing it.
"Now I'm lost"
"Well I knew I liked you it took your confession for me to see it" she explained.
"So Weaselette did plan everything?" Draco asked.
"I wouldn't be surprised if you were right"
Congratulations! you just finished reading this story! but wait! you're not yet officially done until you REVIEW!
Go click that button and tell me how I did and if you liked it.
REVIEWS = AWESOMENESS! (and virtual cookies!)