Draco watched as Viktor and Hermione danced, smiled, laughed, and talked freely with each other. Of course, he was jealous of the guy. He had the perfect girl in the palm of his hands and Draco couldn't do anything about it. His friends kept asking him what was wrong through the evening, to which he said nothing and waved them off. He sighed as he saw her sitting down. He looked around for Victor and spotted him with another girl. He looked back at Hermione and sighed softly. She looked so beautiful. He finally got up, planning to pretend he didn't know it was her. "Hello beautiful." he smirked slightly, putting on his stupid 'bad boy' look. He stood behind her as he waited for her to turn around.
Hermione was dancing with Victor. But she could sense someone starting at her. She looked around. It was Malfoy! What that that brat have to say about this situation? Possibly that a World Cup athlete couldn't score with a bookworm like me? She diverted her glance quickly so he wouldn't notice her looking. She wished he would stop looking though. Moments later, Victor went to get her a drink and she went to go find Ron & Harry. "Hello beautiful" she heard someone say behind her. Slowly, she turned around, and to her shock. It was Malfoy. "What do you want?" she demanded. Clearly he had mixed her up with someone else. There was no way Draco Malfoy. The arrogant, rich, pain he was, was calling her, Hermione Granger pretty. That would be the day...
Draco rolled his eyes "Must you be so harsh" He said as he straitened his his tie.
"Sorry" she said, still a cold a tone in her voice. "But, what DO you want?"
Draco sat down beside her "This ball is a bore and your the only one to talk to that has some form of brain cell" He said, part of it was truthful, the ball was a bore, but he wanted to talk her.
"Well I'm a little pre-occupied at the moment," she told Malfoy shortly "My date..." her eyes wandered to find Krum, he was laughing with some other Drumstrang boy "is getting me a drink"
Draco snorted "And it looks like he's hurrying back" He said sarcastically "He was talking to Lavender Brown earlier"
"Do you really expect me to ever feel jealous of Lavender Brown?" she rolled her eyes. She thought about the girl she shared a dormitory with, sweet as she was, she was far too giggly to hold down Krum's attention...or any boy's for that matter. "Besides," she added on "Vicktor has millions of girls fawn over him on a daily basis..Can't work myself up too much, can I?" She smirked.
Draco looked at her "Wait a minute.. Do you think he actually likes you?" He asked and laughed "I hate to break this to you Granger but he doesn't give a toss about your personality or you, it's your body he's after, and probably because you were the only one who wasn't falling head over heels for him, so he has to make you"
She took these words a little personally. Yes, she was in the minority of girls that weren't drooling over his presence, but did-did that mean she was just a challenge? a token to be won? She tried to reconstruct her face to hide her doubt, but she feared he had already seen.
Draco winced slightly but made sure she didn't see. He may of taken that a little far, but she needed to be told before she got really hurt. "Look Granger, and i swear to Merlin you tell anyone i said this i will kill you, but you're so much better than him. You can do so much better than a brainless ape who makes a living off a stupid game. And look at him he's flirting with every girl in sight, even if he did like you do you think he's be loyal"
She let out air slowly through her mouth. Krum, the sweet boy who had tried to win her affection, was..indeed, flirting. But then again, Draco Malfoy had just complimented her. She couldn't figure out which one was worse. "It's not like we're going steady" she replied cooly.
Draco snorted "Steady is the last thing that's on that boy's mind"
"How do you know it's on mine?" she inquired
"Pardon?" He asked looking at her
"How do you know that I want to go steady with him?" she rephrased the question
"I don't" He replied simply "Merely a guess"
"Well," she said loftily "I'm far too busy for that"
"No you're not" Draco smirked "You're just smitten with someone"
She raised her eyebrows. "Am I?"
"Yes, it's obvious" He smirked "You should know by now Granger i'm rather good at reading people"
"Enlighten me." she challenged him
"The way your cheeks go ever so slightly pink if the subject brought up, No you're not afraid of the subject or your eye would widen slightly but there is still a reaction. And when you think of Vicktor, you don't really care if he does not like you, you're just scared it was a game, or challenge. So it can't be him. It's someone in this room but that's as far as i know by the reactions you are giving me" He smirked knowing he had gotten it all spot on
Her face was blank. She would never admit it, but he was good. Really good. "Tell me then, Malfoy, exactly WHO am I smitten with?"
Draco looked into her eyes "Now that is hard to tell. I'd have to go through millions of questions and deduction, and quite frankly i'd rather not"
"That's convenient." she muttered under her breath
Draco frowned at her "You don't believe i can do it"
"I'm just curious to see what you come up with" she answered innocently. It was the truth... She looked at Krum. He was now talking, or flirting, as Malfoy said, with Pansy Parkinson...Draco's very own date. Draco saw her looking and followed her gaze. "Does that bother you?" she asked him, jerking her head to indicate them
"No" He replied simply "Pansy can do what she wants, she can get with a Blaise for all i care" He shrugged
"Oh" she was genuinely surprised. "I thought you two were a thing..."
Draco snorted "No, that was all for look"
"Oh." Her legs were starting to hurt. She looked over to where she saw Harry and Ron sitting earlier. Now their chairs were empty, instead, Percy was sitting there. Filling in for Crouch, probably. Her eyes wandered to another empty set of chairs.
Draco sighed "I can't believe i'm saying this" He muttered "Would you care for a dance Granger?"
She instantly looked back at him. She was longing to sit down, but he actually did look quite charming in his dress robes. "All right." she agreed, taking his hand.
Draco pulled her to the dance floor as a slow song played. He placed his hand on her waist and they began to dance "It's not Potter" He said simply
"What?" she said surprised. "Oh, the guy.." she quickly remembered. She turned slightly pink. "No, no it is not."
"And the weasel is out of the question because.. Well just no" He scrunched his nose
"ha ha.." she said softly
"It's someone you have a close but very distant relationship, meaning anything from an enemy, to a very close friend" Draco said smoothly as he looked into her eyes
"That's an interesting take.." she said softly "Close but distant dynamics, I mean."
Draco smirked "And by your reaction in your eyes and voice i can tell it's an enemy. It won't be Crabbe or Goyle because they are halfwits and your temper doesn't allow stupidity. Now i'm assuming you're not gay, so that cancels out Pansy, left with, as far as i know Blaise, or me" He waited for her reaction
"Keep guessing." there was a slyness in her voice.
"No, I am right, It is either Blaise or me, i can tell but the look in your eyes and your attempt at making me believe i'm wrong. And your willingness to dance with me and not Zabini when he asked cancels out him. Leaving me" He spun her and brought her in close "Now are my powers of deduction correct?"
"Zabini never asked." she said flatly. "And you'd like that, woudln't you?" she snapped
"I'll take that as a yes, from the snap" He smirked "Miss Granger, a Malfoy is never wrong when it comes to these things" She rolled her eyes, she would have stormed away, but she didn't want to create a 's smirk faded into a smiled "So it is true, you are smitten.. with me"
"Again, you'd like that, wouldn't you?"
"So what if i would?" He asked
She smiled a mischievous smile. He noticed that she had done something different to her teeth. "Don't think for a second you're the only one to observe things.."
Draco's smile brightened "I don't doubt you Miss Granger, i know what you are capable of, i know you can see details too"
She laughed. "Why are you calling me Miss Granger?"
"Common curtsy" He replied simply "What would you rather me call you?"
"Well, unlike Vicktor...you can actually pronounce my name." she gave him a smile. "Not that you've ever addressed me by it." she added.
"So you wish for me to call you Hermione?" He asked "You do realise this is even more proof that it's me"
"But you see," she replied cheekily "You've never proved that you felt any differently about me."
"Oh? And how could i prove i do?" He asked as he spun her again
"Well for a start, you'd stop dancing with me, call me a mudblood at least six more time - for good measure, insult my friends, tell me that Potter's going to lose the competition and then...get turned into a ferret." she laughed
"No why would do a thing like that?" He asked "When i can just as easily do this" He stopped dancing and pulled her close, he waited a moment then placed a soft kiss on her lips She pulled away and was smiling.
"Knew it.." she nodded to herself.
He smiled "I dont doubt that you didn't" He looked around and noticed everyone was looking at them "Well.. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to do it in the middle of a dance but you know"
"Erm...let's go for a walk." she muttered quietly
Draco nodded and placed his arm round her waist "There's no need to stare, that's just plain rude" He said to everyone as they exited the hall
They were laughing by the time they got out of the hall. "Did you see Pansy's face?" she said to Draco
Draco laughed "Yes, i don't think she'll be terribly happy with me"
"Nor Vicktor with me.." she muttered worriedly
"Ahh he won't care, he'll get with some other girl and it'll be like it never happened" Draco smiled at her
She sighed. "I suppose..." she looked down, and decided to go for it. She took his hand into hers.
He looked down at their hands slightly shocked but didn't pull away. He just smiled at her and squeezed her hand gently
"But you have to admit..." she said slowly "this IS a bit strange.."
"Of course it is. But maybe that's what makes it better"
"Perhaps.." she appeared to be lost in thought
"What you thinking about?" He asked softly
You: "You're the mind reader here" she said slyly
Draco stopped walking and pulled her arm gently so she was facing him "You're wondering what's going to happen next" He said softly "You're wondering if this is real, and this means something"
She looked up at him. "Well?...I think you're wondering the same thing"
He smiled "This may sound cheesy, but will you go steady with me?" He asked softly. She stopped walking. She needed to sit down. Think about everything. She needed to talk about it with people. There was no possible way she could give him the "Hermione" Draco said softly "Stop panicking and relax, you don't have to give me an answer tonight, you can think about it for however long you wish okay"
She looked right at him. "How do you do that?" she gasped
"Do what?" He asked softly
"Know what I'm thinking"
"I don't" He said softly "I read your reactions, and it just so happens i've known you for a couple years so that helps" She laughed. All this time she had been reading books, but Draco had been reading people. She thought about how this was a completely different type of intelligence, but just as important. Draco placed a kiss on her forehead "Take as long as you need to think okay" He said softly . She gulped. Her head was spinning...Krum...Harry...the Tournament...Sirius...The Death Eaters at the World Cup...How he as good as told him that he was, indeed, of death eater origin…
"It..It'll be a while."
He smiled softly "That's fine. I understand why this would be a hard choice for you
"You don't know the half of it" she laughed
He smiled. In reality he did, he knew exactly what they thought and exactly what was going on. She sighed, why did this have to be so complicated?