The Debutante Ball
A fanfiction novel by sizzleberrylicious
Chapter One
x x x x x x x x x x
Hermione stared on in shock. "But, Professor Dumbledore, sir, with all due respect, Malfoy and I can't possibly plan the Debutante Ball together!"
Dumbledore held a bemused look on his old, wrinkled features. "Miss Granger, you and Mister Malfoy are Head Girl and Head Boy; it is part of your duty to plan the Debutante Ball together. It's simply a Hogwarts tradition."
"But, Professor," Hermione spluttered helplessly.
"Besides, Miss Granger," Dumbledore continued. "Mister Malfoy seems to have no problem with your situation."
Hermione glanced towards Draco, who was seated loose-limbedly on the chair next to hers, and glared, fuming. She hated how he could seems so aloof and uncaring in a situation like theirs. Hermione had jumped out of her seat the moment Dumbledore informed them of their duty as Ball planners. She had babbled on fruitlessly and paced the circular office like an idiot whilst Draco had been seated comfortably all along, watching her amusing display with his signature smirk.
It's any wonder how Dumbledore named him Head Boy, with the exception of his grades, Hermione thought bitterly as she seated herself and grabbed a handful of sherbet lemons from the inviting crystal container.
"Mister Malfoy," Dumbledore turned to face him. "Do you have any complaints?"
Bloody old dingbat, Draco thought.
"Of course not, Professor," Draco smirked, watching Hermione fume out of the corner of his eye. He turned to face her, his steely silvery grey eyes penetrating her soft chocolate ones. "Unless, of course, Granger here has anything else to say?"
Hermione felt her heart skip a beat as Draco stared her down. She ignored it and lifted her chin with an indignant huff, glaring back at him.
"Of course not, Professor."
x x x x x x x x x x
"Why didn't you put up a fight back there?!" Hermione practically shrieked in his ear as they made their way back to the Heads Commons.
Draco rolled his eyes. "What did you want me to do, punch the old coot? 'Cause I don't think that would've helped our case. Besides, your ranting should've given him a bad enough headache, no?"
Hermione quickened her pace to catch up with him. Even at his leisurely stride, he was much further ahead of her. Hermione cursed those long, muscular -
WHAT?!!
"Dumbledore is not an old coot," Hermione said, hotly, brushing off her disturbing thoughts. Draco snorted.
"He's one of the most powerful wizards of all time," she continued. "He's in the Order of Merlin, First Class, and a Grand Sorcerer. He's also a Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation -"
"Merlin's beard, Granger, would you just shut up?!" Draco said, annoyed. "I don't need a bloody lecture on the old wanker's extra curricular activities!"
Hermione glared daggers at him as they approached a large oil painting of a prince and princess holding hands.
"Password, sweetheart?" the princess asked them.
"Sceliphicus," Hermione snapped. The princess turned up her nose at them.
"No need to be harsh," she muttered as the portrait swung forward and Hermione and Draco clambered through. Well, Hermione clambered. Draco glided.
Hermione had a most excellent view of Draco's rear end as she entered closely behind him, but brushed any naughty thoughts out of her head.
By the time Hermione entered the luxuriously-decorated Head Commons, Draco was already sprawled out on one of the plush couches. Hermione stormed over to him, not willing to give up a good argument.
"Really, Malfoy, why didn't you say anything?"
Draco gave her a slow smirk and almost laughed out loud when he caught her blush. "Because it'd be fun, Granger."
With that, he gave her a wink and sauntered off to his Head Boy room, leaving a confused tomato-faced Hermione Granger behind.
x x x x x x x x x x
Hermione let herself drop back onto a cushioned sofa and stared with wide eyes at the large mahagony door to the Head Boy quarters.
Did Draco Malfoy just wink at me?!!
"Good Lord, I'm going mad," Hermione muttered, letting her head fall back.
Suddenly, the portrait to the Head Commons swung open and a smirking Ginny Weasley strolled over to where Hermione sat and plonked herself down next to her.
"I was right, wasn't I?"
"Oh, shut up, Gin."
"YES!! So you ARE going to plan the Ball with Draco 'Fine Ass' Malfoy, then?"
"Ginny!" Hermione snapped, good-naturedly. "Mind your language!"
Ginny's smirk widened. "You do think Draco has a fine ass, don't you?"
Hermione felt a blush overtake her cheeks as she thought of her earlier predicament entering the Head Commons. "No, of course not, Ginny."
"'Mione, I'm not stupid! You're blushing like some kind of tomato!" Ginny cried, shrilly, grinning. Hermione stole a quick glance at the Head Boy room door.
"Shh, Gin, or he'll hear you and.. accuse stuff," Hermione finished lamely, mentally kicking herself. She was usually so full of quick, witty comebacks, but all of them seemed to have spiralled out of her mind the moment Ginny mentioned Draco's ass.
"Well, I don't think there's much to accuse," Ginny stated, twirling a lock of her straight red hair around her slender finger. "Anyway, so what's your theme for the Debutante Ball? Surely you've discussed it with Fine Ass already."
"Merlin, Ginny, would you please stop that?" Hermione grimaced. "And no, I haven't discussed anything related to the additional Head duties with Malfoy yet."
Ginny sighed. "Well, then, seeing as there's no dosh on the Ball, fill me in on Fine Ass. How did he react to the 'additional Head duties'?"
"I swear, Gin, I'm going to hex you into oblivion if you don't stop calling him Fine Ass-"
"Fine Ass?" Draco interrupted, leaning casually against his Head Boy door. Hermione gasped. How did he leave his room so silently and how much of their conversation had he heard? He smirked at Ginny, who had suddenly turned the same shade of red as her hair. "I'm flattered by your keen observation of my rear quarters, Miss Weasley, but it would help considerably if you kept your eyes to yourself," he winked at her. Ginny's eyes widened as she scrambled out of her seat.
"Uhm, I'll be seeing you, Hermione," she garbled, making her way to the portrait hole. "I've got some.. uhm.. homework.. essays.. uhm.. see you!"
Draco snickered lightly at Ginny's frazzled escape before dropping himself elegantly into the seat opposite Hermione.
"So, Granger. The She-Weasel thinks I have a scrumptious ass? That's nice of her for noticing."
"Oh, sod off, Malfoy," Hermione snapped, folding her arms across her chest and turning to face the dying embers in the fireplace.
"How did she get in here anyway?"
Hermione raised her eyebrows at him and nearly laughed out loud. Draco Malfoy? Attempting civil conversation with me, Hermione Granger? This is a laugh.
"I gave her the password, of course. Why, Malfoy, do you have a problem with it?"
"Of course not, Granger. Just thought you'd like to know that I gave Zabini the password, too."
Hermione glared at him and opened her mouth to snap at him, but then realised his case was on the same level as hers. She grudgingly shut her mouth and turned back to the fireplace.
"His reason for wanting the password, of course, is to be here in the wee hours of the morning, waiting for you to exit the bathroom in a teeny weeny-"
"UGH!" Hermione cried as she flung herself off the couch and stormed into her room.
"I love it when she does that," Draco smirked to himself after Hermione entered her room and slammed the door behind her.
x x x x x x x x x x
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Harry Potter, nor do I retrieve any reward of any kind in writing this piece of fiction, except for my darling reviews. So go shove your lawyers up your asses, will you?
Author's note: I'm really sorry that this chapter is short, but I've got more plans for the next chapter, I promise. And if you didn't already notice, I'm not following JKR's diminishing of Albus Dumbledore, 'cause he's needed. Period. Just for your information, I've already gotten the whole plot fixed out, it's just the writing bit that's incomplete. I'll do my best to try and update as often as I can, but the new school year's less than a week away, so I may be restricted off my laptop after January the third if I'm not careful. Ttfn, 'sizzleberrylicious. ♥