"Ron, you spoil everything!" Hermione sat on the steps and cried as Ron and Harry ran upstairs to Gryffindor tower. Not wanting to cause a scene or be noticed crying, Hermione hurried outside to the gardens. She sat on a bend and let her frustrations out.
Ron is such a git! He was clearly jealous I went to the Yule Ball with Viktor, he's just too bloody stubborn to admit it. Good thing I didn't go with him anyway, as I would have spent the entire night siting around. And I did NOT spend nearly two hours letting Ginny poke and prod me with hair products to just sit around all night. No, I'm glad I went with Viktor, but why does Ron have to be such a bloody prat?
Hermione's thoughts were interrupted by footsteps approaching her. She turned to find a head of blond hair standing cautiously.
"Malfoy, what do you want? Come to make fun of the crying mudblood?" She spat.
"Actually, Granger, I came to ask if you wanted to dance."
"What? What are you playing at?"
Malfoy fidgeted. "Come on Granger, I'm trying to do something nice."
Hermione scoffed. "Best not let it go to waste, then. It could be decades before you decide to do it again." She stood up and straightened her dress before walking over to Malfoy and taking his hand. He took her waist and started spinning her around, dancing to the music coming from inside Hogwarts. About a minute in, Hermione asked, "Why are you doing this Malfoy? It's very nice of you, but it's no secret that we hardly get along."
Draco Shrugged. "You may find this surprising, but you're one of the few Gryffindors I can stand to be around. Besides, it wasn't fair for Weasley to ruin your night just because he wasn't having fun. I wanted you to have a better ending to your night than that. …I also had to get away from Pansy – she was driving me mad!"
Hermione chuckled and dropped Malfoy's hand as the song came to an end.
This was very sweet, thank you." She reached up and kissed him on the cheek. "Goodnight, Malfoy. And Happy Christmas." She turned and walked back into the castle.
"Happy Christmas, Granger."