Hermione's hand drifted unconsciously to the mask on her face, adjusting for the third time since the song began. Her large brown eyes scanned the room, searching for him. She was always looking for him, even when she didn't realize it. She forced her hand down and clutched the red silk of her ball gown, shook her head and then smoothed out the delicate fabric. The song changed: a soft and haunting melody now filled the Great Hall, the candles dimmed slightly and the ceiling darkened, creating an atmosphere to match the tune.
The Great Hall never looked better; they really went all out for this occasion. Professor Dumbledore felt that Halloween at Hogwarts had such a bad memory attached to it: the troll from first year, Mrs. Norris being petrified, Sirius Black breaking in and the like. So for their 6th year at Hogwarts, Dumbledore announced they were going to have a midnight masquerade ball to celebrate the night. Professor McGonagall had finally began teaching them Human Transfiguration and announced that the ball was going to be a practical test, they each had to change a trait about themselves and find her during the ball to pass.
Hermione smoothed the long blonde hair she was now wearing, smiling at how stunned Professor McGonagall looked when she introduced herself. Of course, she was given an A and permission to remain that way the rest of the night. She had hoped to be unrecognizable and so far it was looking that way, no one knew who she was. She looked around, hardly able to put a face with a name – the ball was really perfect – no one knew who the other was and it had people believing strangely.
She looked down at the dress she never would have imagined wearing if it hadn't been for the disguise. Blood red silk and clinging, the low neck line gave the slightest hint of cleavage, and fell to the floor. A slit to the middle of her thigh, trimmed in black lace made the dress even more out of character for the timid witch, but behind the black feather mask – she felt invincible. And tonight she was going to make her move, no matter what. Dutch courage was better than none at all.
Her eyes shifted across the unfamiliar faces, though there were some she could pick out. Ron hadn't bothered to change his hair color, which made him easily detectable, instead opting to make himself taller and almost laughably muscular. Luna was flirting with him, silver hair and an intricate tattoo of moons and stars around her arm named her easily, but they were a cute pair together – whether they knew it or not.
Her attention was grabbed by a dark hair stranger standing near the duo. Something in his body language named him as their friend but her mind couldn't form a name. He stood up straight and Hermione gasped softly. He was tall and broad shouldered, the muscles of his defined chest were evident through his white shirt, even more so by the black vest he wore. His black jacket was slung over his shoulder, and his head was tossed back in a laugh and she caught the edge of something white masking his eyes.
Hermione couldn't help staring at the beautiful stranger, her pulse began to race and small beads of sweat popped out on her forehead. What was this man doing to her? She didn't even know who he was and he was making her feel something no other person had. She longed to hear his laugh, to run her fingers up and down his arms verifying their strength as they danced together. She imagined kissing him, wondering what it would be like to surrender to a complete stranger.
Flustered by her own thoughts, she fanned herself and took a large drink of her pumpkin juice – her eyes never leaving him. She forced herself to look away and focus on something else, anything really. She stared into her pumpkin juice, trying to convince herself that it was the most interesting thing in that room. But unable to shake the sense of being watched, she looked up slowly and directly into the stranger's eyes. It was too far to tell if they were the eyes she always dreamt of, but they seemed to look straight through her disguise.
Dropping her eyes down, Hermione put the cup on a nearby table and ran towards the bathroom. She leaned over the sink, willing the flush in her face to go away as she splashed cool water on herself.
"Get a hold of yourself Granger! Merlin's sake, you act like you've never seen a boy before!" Her voice was harsh and direct. A small pep talk to get her self esteem back up and she was heading out of the bathroom, head held high and oozing confidence.
As she entered the Great Hall, her eyes went to where she saw the mystery man last. Finding it empty she walked slowly around, trying to remain subtle while desperately searching. The music stopped suddenly and a hushed silence fell over the Great Hall.
"Students, it is now 11:30, only 30 more minutes until midnight! Remember at midnight all your transfigurations will reverse and you will look your normal selves again. So enjoy your last half hour of anonymity!"
From the corner of her eye she saw a tall, dark haired figure wearing a white mask over his eyes weaving in and out of students, seemingly on a mission. She leaned forward, desperately trying to see if those eyes were the ones she was longing to find. Sighing, she resigned herself to leaning against a column, watching as her fellow classmates mingled and laughed with each other. As usual she allowed herself to get so lost in her head she never heard the footsteps behind her.
"Would you care to dance?" an unfamiliar deep voice asked her softly. His breath tickled her ear as she froze. Her breath caught in her throat and a chill ran down her spine. The voice sounded so familiar, yet she was unable to discern who it was. Unable to turn around, she simply nodded her acceptance to dance with this stranger.
She let out the breath she was holding and allowed herself to be lead to the dance floor, a thin black glove the only barrier between their skin, but she could feel the heat from his skin through the flimsy material.
The music started: a slow waltz. Haunting violins played softly in the background as their dance began. She finally gained enough courage to look up into the stranger's face and tried to hide the disappointment as she was met with two crystal blue eyes; their stare piercing into the deepest part of her. There was just something so familiar about him, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
His strong arms circled her waist and he pulled her closer to him, their chests mere inches apart. They kept their eyes locked on each other, letting the music dictate their steps. She relaxed slightly, feeling more comfortable and prayed she didn't step on his toes.
"Who are-"she began, but he placed a single finger against her lips, shaking his head slightly. He smiled softly, and traced her lips. Hermione had to stop herself from biting down, the sensation of his skin on hers still lingered and she wanted that feeling to last as long as possible.
He leaned down, his lips grazing her ear and spoke softly, "No questions. No names. We have until midnight to be whomever we want to. Just, enjoy it."
She pulled back, trying not to be overwhelmed by his intoxicating scent, and nodded. This was it; it was time for her to be bold, brazen and unashamed. She reached up tentatively, willing her hand to stop shaking and traced his jaw. He sighed and leaned his head into her hand, the silk of her glove cool against the flush on his skin. There was no going back.
"I want to feel your skin." He said, looking into her eyes. "May I?" He gestured to her glove and she watched as he slowly peeled the offending piece of material off her left hand, then her right one. Tucking them away in his jacket, he reached for her hand once more and relished in the feel of her skin on his.
"You're cold." Hermione mumbled, unaware she was speaking out loud as she marveled in the feel of his skin. He said nothing as he kissed the back of her hand and asked "Shall I twirl you?"
They danced together like this, his body leading hers in a dance older than time. The floor cleared as the other students stood back and watched the couple dominating the floor. Their steps grew more intricate and their bodies pressed closer. The Great Hall melted away, the music a muted soundtrack and it seemed as if hours had passed from when they started. They were broken out of their trance when Professor McGonagall's voice gave them a 5 minute warning.
"Come with me." He asked, but his voice was shaking slightly. "We don't have much time."
She took his hand and followed him blindly, not thinking just feeling. They made their way through the horde of students and found a quiet corner. Hermione looked up in this stranger's eyes, and took a deep breath.
"I don't usually do this," she said in a breathy whisper. "I'm always logical and I always think everything through before I do something…" she began shaking her head slightly, willing the mysterious man to leave before she did something reckless.
His soft laughter tickled her ears as her face turned bright pink. He took a half step closer to the breathless witch, his smile hypnotizing and befuddling the woman standing before him. "Reckless, eh? Like what?"
She cursed herself internally for letting her thoughts slip out on her tongue. Ducking her head down, she ignored his question, not trusting her mind to censor itself before she made an even bigger fool of herself.
"You know, you outshine every girl in here." He said while tucking her hair behind her ear. "It really isn't fair for them. Your beauty completely outshines theirs. I think they're jealous." He moved another step closer, their chests almost touching and his hands on her waist.
"Me? Oh no. No." Hermione shook her head and rested her hands on his shoulders. "I'm nothing compared to them. It's just this disguise." She refused to make eye contact with him again, embarrassment causing a permanent blush on her pale skin.
"Do you trust me?" he asked quietly, the question coming out of no where.
"Surprisingly…I do." Hermione replied, tugging on the collar of his shirt. "I don't know exactly who you are, but I feel safe with you. You feel… so familiar."
"Then close your eyes, beautiful." Hermione felt his hand under her chin as she closed her eyes. She slowly tilted her face up hoping the desperation didn't show on her face. She sensed him first before he actually did anything, and knew what was to come. His hands cupped her face lightly and with painstaking slowness, he inched his lips closer to hers.
He kissed the corner of her mouth softly, a soft sigh left her lips as he kissed the other side.
"Please…" Neither knew who said it first, but their lips were on each others within an instant, a night of mystery and confidence flowing throw their veins expressed in their kiss. He moaned softly, delighting in the feel of her skin on his after all these years.
He had known who she was from the beginning; there was no denying her beauty even through the disguise. He had felt a pull to her, the way he always did when she was around. He was aware of her every movement all night and had to quell the anger that rose in his throat when another man even looked at her.
He slowly bit down on her bottom lip, causing her to let out a small whimper as he pulled back and broke their connection. Her eyes were still closed as she reveled in this moment of pure bliss.
"Hermione, open your eyes." His voice was different now, completely familiar and her eyes flew open.
"You!" She exclaimed. Her heart was racing as she stared at the boy in front of her. "It was you?"
Harry stared at her, refusing to leave the comfort of her eyes. "Yes. I'm sorry if I disappointed but I've been waiting years to do that." He picked her hand up and kissed it again. "And Hermione – you look even more beautiful now than before."
She stood there unable to form coherent thought. The eyes she had been looking for all night were finally right in front of hers. She couldn't escape the feeling of his lips as she watched him walk away. Her mind screamed at her to stay put, that she could fix this logically with a good plan, but her heart. Oh her heart was yelling at her to go get that boy.
For the first time in Hermione Granger's life she ignored her head and listened to her heart. Her mind was made up before she realized it as her feet began carrying her towards the boy walking away.
"Harry!" Her voice cried out over the idle chatter of her fellow classmates and the soft tune being played by the enchanted instruments. "HARRY!"
He turned with a dejected look on his face and faced the brown haired witch calling after him. His mask was in his hand, all but forgotten. She flung her mask off, finally exposing herself completely and ran towards Harry.
Smiling she jumped into his arms, knocking him back slightly as he caught her. He opened his mouth to apologize for being so forward but was quickly silenced by her kiss. Her arms tightened around his neck and he gently lowered her to the floor, his hands trailing up her sides and finally coming to rest on the small of her back.
She kept mumbling quietly between kisses and finally Harry pulled back and took a deep breath.
"Hermione, love, what are you saying?" Harry let a small chuckle out as he took Hermione's hand in his, entwining their fingers. It was amazing that he never noticed how perfect her hands fit in his, but now that he realized this – he planned on never letting her hand go.
"Harry, I've loved you for three years." Her hair was slightly mussed and her lips bright red from use, but Harry only saw her smile: the one that she used just for him. The one that said she had a secret and wanted to share it with only him. "I love you. That's what I was saying. I was so worried when I didn't see you here, but I felt you here. You really did have a brilliant disguise."
She leaned her head on his chest, listening to the echo of the pounding of his heart that was beating incredibly fast.
"Hermione," he began, smoothing her hair, "I'm so glad you said that. I've been so over the moon for you I thought it was going to eat me up. When I saw you standing across the room, staring at me so intently – I thought for sure you knew who I was."
She shook her head and bit her lip. "How'd you know it was me?"
"Hermione… I could never take my eyes off you when you're in the room – disguise or not, I always know when you're here." Harry said with conviction lacing each word. "I love you Hermione Granger."
"And I love you Harry Potter." A huge grin stretched across her face as he picked her up and twirled her in the air. Their laughs ringing out in the Great Hall as the ball drew to a close. From then on, Halloween was always their holiday and every now and then Harry would leave a black feathered mask on Hermione's pillow, to reminder her he saw who she was truly and he loved her for who she was, and always would.