It was another Ministry gala, and to be completely honest, Draco was completely and utterly bored to death. On most occasions, such as these, Draco Malfoy would find himself entering the gala, fashionably late of course, always running about an hour or so behind with a pretty new face to decorate his arm and warm his bed at the end of the night. But not this evening. That had actually, if he was honest with himself, not been how he had even attended the last at least three galas or balls, because he had been dating Astoria Greengrass and she had been on his arm then. But as I said before, not this night.
No. In-fact, this night, Astoria Greengrass was attending a high society charity ball in France with some other guy and Draco was attending London's Ministry of Magic's fundraising gala alone. They'd split after seriously dating for about a year or so (he could never quite remember just how long) due to the heavy pressure she and her family and his put on him to finally pop the big question and tie himself down. He refused. Refused even to get engaged. He would do it when he wanted to. He would not be pressured into it as he was pressured into everything else in his life.
His mother understood and quickly backed off, feeling guilty. Unfortunately, Astoria and her parents, as well as his father, did not. Astoria had proceeded to give him an ultimatum, and what any girl should know is ultimatums are the worse things you can do to your relationship when your man just isn't set in stone on things yet. And true to that, it was the worst thing for them; Astoria quickly moved out and on to other available men.
But that was three months ago and Draco was not too concerned. Just as she had quickly moved on with her life, so had he. For a handsome man with high society connections and loads of money, women had never been hard for Draco to get. There were always other blondes to throw themselves at him. Brunettes too. And red heads. And midnight haired witches. Blue eyed, green eyed, brown, hazel, or grey. Tall, short, boards and curves. You name it. Needless to say, Draco had not been lonely. But tonight he had opted not to bring one of his many lovers, chose not to allow anyone to use him for their fifteen seconds of fame. Tonight was about him, and boy was it already boring.
Of course, when he had walked through the door relatively on time, he had been thrown right into the spotlight; everyone wanted to know how England's newly available, most eligible, bachelor was doing and why he had not brought a date and so on and so on. Now though, he was inside the ballroom and hanging around the outskirts, just observing the activities. His role here was never to truly participate, it was to bring attention to the goings-on's of the Ministry to the members of higher society. And the Wizarding World's Boy Wonder and his two sidekicks, the redheaded stepchild and the Wizarding World's own Golden Girl were there to bring the Ministry's goings-on's to the attention of everyone else. It was easy for Draco to fade into the background when Harry Potter had just gotten engaged and flaunted his own redhead around or when Ronald Weasley comes in with- hold on... Draco took another look at the girl on Ronald Weasley's arm, coming very quickly to the fact that it was not Hermione Granger that was currently walking with the weasel, smiling and laughing.
In-fact, Weasley himself seemed to have a blonde girl of his own.
Well I guess if you can't find another redhead to make more redheaded children with, blondes are your next best choice. Or maybe the know-it-all realized she was much smarter than that bloke. Draco concluded and moved on.
After scanning the crowd and drifting from corner to corner, chit-chatting here and there, Draco realized he still had not seen Hermione Granger, which was odd. Especially considering, he was pretty sure she was the one that put this fundraiser together. But not really caring, he continued on his boring way. Making his way to the bar, he ordered a shot of Firewhisky and a Magic Man on the rocks and turned around in his seat. Sipping on his second drink after shooting back the Firewhisky, Draco took a moment to just relax and people watch. And that's when he saw it, a flash of gold. It was just for a moment. He saw a shot of gold dress, the flip of a hand, and the glow of smooth skin, and then it was gone. So, like the seeker he was in Hogwarts, he immediately began intensely looking for any tiny speck of gold. Something was drawing him to it, the color or the woman, perhaps the reminiscing of schoolyard quidditch. Just something made him look for it.
Then he heard the sound of laughter, loud and heavy, coming from the left side of the room and within the laughter he heard a light tinkle of a giggle that caught his attention. Turning his view that way, he saw the gold again, but it was already fading into the crowd and the color of the gown was all he caught of the woman. Knocking back the last bit of his drink, Draco placed the cup on the counter and headed into the crowd, following flashes of gold dress and light giggles, before he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. Turning toward the pressure, Draco came face to face with his best friend, Blaise Zabini. They exchanged pleasantries, though Blaise very quickly picked up that Draco was distracted, constantly looking over his and Blaise's own shoulders, searching.
"On the hunt are we? Who're we looking for?" Blaise asked, looking around himself to see if he could spot anyone that may have caught Draco's attention.
"Wha- Oh... No one. Someone. I don't know. Have you seen a woman in a gold dress? It's kind of a champagne color."
"Ah. A golden beauty now? No, I have not." Blaise was looking at him confused yet bemused, and watching him intently.
"I don't know if she's a beauty or not. I haven't seen her face. Or her really, just her dress. Just something about it has caught my attention. I can't really explain it. I-" Just then he saw the flash of gold he'd been looking for. Locking his eyes on it, he apologized to Blaise and moved in the direction he'd seen the dress. Blaise shook his head and moved off, knowing he'd probably hear all about this mystery woman tomorrow.
Draco pushed further into the crowd, seeing the dress more frequently now that he'd finally locked onto his target. He was getting closer but had to pause a moment to hide within the crowd, for his prey had reached the edge of the crowd and made her way to a door at the back of the room where not too many people were. She reached the door and put her hand on the handle, turning it down, and glanced over her shoulder before slipping through the door without anyone but Draco noticing. But in that moment where she looked over her shoulder, Draco could have sworn they'd locked eyes before she was gone. He stayed put for a second, giving her that time to not feel so followed and a moment for himself to try to remember if he knew her. He still hadn't really gotten a good look at her face; just one big brown eye, the curve of her cheek and of her scarlet lips, and the sweep of brown curls over her left shoulder, obscuring most of his view of her face. Something about her curls was familiar but he couldn't quite place his finger on just what it was and couldn't quite put a name to the face. So he moved forward to investigate some more.
Slipping through the door, Draco made it just in time to catch a glimpse of the woman's dress slip around a corner on his right-hand side. Quietly jogging to catch up, Draco saw a flash of gold slip around another corner on his left-hand side. He followed her for two more turns, before she slipped into a room...
She was so frustrated and overwhelmed, she just had to get away from everyone and everything for a moment before she could even think about starting the welcoming and thank you speech. So she managed to slowly work her way through the crown, networking and chit-chatting on her way, ever the gracious hostess. But she just couldn't seem to shake the feeling of being followed, and as she reached the edge of the crowd, about to walk into the hallway for some much needed alone time, she glanced over her shoulder to see if her feeling was founded.
In the midst of the crowd she saw who it was that was making her feel so stalked. Ronald Weasley. Always freaking Ron. And he was watching her, even as his new girlfriend clung to his arm, chatting away to Harry and Ginny. Even with a girl on his arm and her across the room from him, he still kept a close eye on her. Rolling her eyes, she started to turn her vision back on the door but her eye caught on something else. If she wasn't mistaken, Draco Malfoy stood somewhat close by and seemed to be watching her with an odd look on his face. Confused and searching almost. Whatever. Malfoy's an odd git anyways. And so she slipped through the door.
But as she made it to the end of the hall, she heard the door opening behind her.
Seriously? she thought. She couldn't go anywhere without being watched. Harry, Ginny, Ron, the press. Everyone was always on top of her and her life and her whereabouts. Couldn't she do anything alone without someone else needing to know about it?
So she thought, maybe if she slipped around the corner quick enough they wouldn't see her and would give up the chase. But that seemed to not be the case, because as she did just that, she heard light jogging coming from the hall she'd just left. Picking up her own pace, she tried to run away. Finally, she slipped into an empty room and walked over to a table near the window. Cradling her head, she was shocked when she heard the door open behind her.
"For Merlin's sake!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air, as she turned around. "Are you serious right now, Ron- Oh..." Well this is awkward... she thought as she turned around and saw not Ron, but Draco Malfoy standing behind her.
The door shut behind him and they stood staring at one another in an awkward, tense silence.
Finally, he broke the silence. "Granger..."
"Malfoy." She responded with a slightly questioning tone, quirking an eyebrow.
More silence...
"...Can I help you with something?"
His gaze immediately dropped from her face to the ground, to the chair, to the window, to anywhere that wasn't her. Then he took a hesitant step forward and her eye immediately dropped to his legs and then back up again to his face as she stood up straighter and narrowed her eyes for a moment.
"I... I... Don't know..." And he took another step closer, slowly working his way toward her, step by slow step. Not sure why he was even continuing to do so, now that he knew who the woman in the gold dress was. Someone he had no particular interest in, but someone who apparently had something about them pulling him forward.
She, on the other hand, stayed on the defense. Her posture became extremely erect, she became highly aware of all his movements, her mind was playing out all kinds of scenarios and how she could get out of them, and she backed up with every step he took until she had nowhere else to back up to, as her back was now up against the wall in between two windows. He stopped, though, at the table she'd just been standing next to, and leaned against it, now watching her, seemingly regaining his normalcy .
"So... Weasley huh?"
Of course, still on the defense, Hermione replied with an angry, "What about him?"
"If I do recall, he showed up with another woman on his arm tonight, and yet... You thought it was him coming through the door... I find that a bit interesting, don't you?" and he quirked an eyebrow. She could see the smirk just underneath that poker face, but she remained silent. It wasn't his business what went on between her and Ron, regardless of what the press may think. And it's not like anything was going on between them to begin with. "What? So now little goody-two-shoes, Gryffindor's mudblood Princess is a home-wrecker to top it all off?"
Rolling her eyes at his remarks, she'd decided she'd had enough. "Oh please, Malfoy. 'Mudblood', come on, are you serious? Coming from someone so inbred he couldn't even tell the difference anyways. Did you know your family wasn't even classified as 'Pureblood' until the twentieth century? Or how about the fact that just as many half-bloods appear on your family tree as purebloods do? Your family was always closely associated with power, that is true, regardless if it was the muggle or the wizarding world. Until the imposition of the International Statute of Secrecy in 1692, that is. Which your family greatly opposed until it was implemented and your family changed their minds. There's even tons of supporting evidence claiming the first Lucius Malfoy tried for muggle Queen Elizabeth The First's hand but failed, and rumored he is the reason the Tudor line ended with her. Your family calling themselves purebloods was a political decision to stick with where the power was, the newly instated Ministry of Magic. So... I, personally, think it's quite more interesting just how 'Pureblooded' you and your family really are, don't you?" She mocked. "And as far as your 'home-wrecker' statement goes, let me just say, something needs to be going on between two people for any 'home-wrecking' to happen and when one person from the assumed 'home-wrecking' pair is avoiding encountering the other person, I would think it safe to say nothing is going on between them. Thank you very much." She huffed and waited for a response.
And to her utter disbelief, instead of some angry, ignorant comment he actually started chuckling then laughing lightly. She was completely bewildered and stared at him wide-eyed, caught off guard.
"Actually, Granger, I am quite aware of my family's history. Of both of my families' histories. The Blacks do have quite an extensive reach and history themselves, and varying outlooks depending on what branches you follow. Did you know that Sirius Black and James Potter were more than likely cousins on top of being best friends? One Dorea Black was married to one Charlus Potter and had one son, and it is speculated that they may or may not be Harry Potter's own grandparents." The way he was smirking at her led her to believe that he at least knew the truth behind that speculation. "Which, in case you need some help following the lines, would make your dear friend my cousin too. I'm actually quite acquainted with my non-pureblood side of the family, as well. They're quite interesting, to say the least. In fact, my mother and I plan on meeting her older sister, Andromeda, and her grandson, Teddy, soon. I believe you know them, do you not?"
At his words Hermione's eyes grew large. "Does Harry kn-" Before she could finish, footsteps could be heard coming down the hall, along with someone calling her name. She looked at the door and then focused her wide eyes back on Draco. Then she started rapidly looking around and pushing Draco.
"What are you doing Granger?" Draco asked, amused at her feeble attempts to move him.
"I'm trying to find a place for you to hide. That's Ronald come to find me, and if he finds you here with me he'll think you followed me with the intentions of killing me or something foolish along those lines."
Draco smirked. "But I don't even have my wand out." He said wiggling his eyebrows. Hermione stopped mid-shove and just gaped at him with an incredulous look upon her face which quickly turned into one of offense. Seeing her expression, Draco chuckled and shook his head. "It was a joke, Granger, relax." Then he grabbed her hands, pulling her toward him.
Immediately a shocked and slightly panicked expression crossed her face, and she started to struggle a bit. "Calm down, Granger. I'm helping you." And she stopped struggling and asked, "How do you plan to do that?" He winked and pulled her close, one arm going around her waist and the other circling up her spine, effectively pinning her to himself. Leaning in close, smirk firmly in place he whispered into her ear, "Trust me." just as the door started opening. He leaned her back a little, his face hovering mere centimeters from hers, while their eyes locked. Her eyes searching his face for any indication as to how exactly he planned on getting them out of this and why he was even doing this. He let her search without giving anything away because the truth was he didn't even know why, so he just memorized every detail of her face.
"Hermion- What the bloody hell is this?" What you need to understand at this point is Ronald opened the door and poked his head in to take a look. He couldn't see faces from his angle, but he could see Hermione's dress and her arms holding tightly to some man while the man's arms wound around her, holding her flush against him. This clearly wasn't what he was expecting to find. What he expected was one Hermione Granger to be alone and waiting to speak to him or at least be taking a breather away from everyone. What Ronald found instead was one Hermione Granger very clearly not alone; presumably snuck off to what seemed to be a thorough snogging session with some random bloke. But taking a closer look, Ron realized said random bloke had the signature platinum blond hair of a Malfoy. Of one Draco Malfoy. He couldn't possibly be snogging Hermione Granger, he must have hurt her or cursed her.
"Oi, Malfoy! What do you think you're doing?"
Hermione watched as Draco's signature smirk took up residence on his lips. He winked at her and then took a deep breath. Hanging his head so that it rested on her shoulder, he sighed dramatically. "What does it look like I'm doing Weasley?"
"Wha- Uh... You get away from Hermione. I don't know what you did to her but you better let her go. Right. Now. Malfoy."
Standing up straight, Draco addressed Ron head on with a flippant tone while keeping a possessive arm around Hermione, shielding her with his body, "I do hope you are not insinuating that I forced myself on Hermione here. I didn't do anything to Granger, except snog her senseless. Or at least began to. Can't a man enjoy a few extracurricular activities with a woman without her ex barging in on them?" At this remark, Ron's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets while his ears began to turn red. "Oh don't tell me that upset you? If I do remember correctly, you did show up to this gala that Hermione herself orchestrated with another woman, did you not? How insensitive of you..." And at this Draco closed his eyes and shook his head. Then, perking up with another smirk and a jerk of his eyebrows, "Good thing I was here to make sure she wasn't left to fall to a million stressed out pieces huh? And would you look at that-" Everyone glanced at the clock on the opposing wall "-it's almost time for Hermione's speech." Turning toward Hermione and pulling her forward, he continued, "Come on, love. Let's get you to your awaiting audience."
Hermione couldn't even speak. All she could do the whole time was watch in horror and awe as Draco flawlessly shut Ronald up and effortlessly got them out of the room and on their way to the ballroom. All she could do at this moment was follow his lead quietly. She knew if she so much as opened her mouth, Ron would be relentless and probably attack Draco. So she let him lead her around Ron and out the door, pausing only long enough for Draco to throw over his shoulder, "Oh. And Weasley, do close your mouth. It's unsightly." Once out the door and three quarters of the way to the corner they needed to turn at, Draco picked up speed, almost dragging Hermione with him. "Hurry up Granger. You know he's a ticking time bomb that's going to process everything and blow up any second now."
He was right. She grabbed a fistful of her dress to hike it up so she didn't trip and so she could match Draco's pace. Before they knew it, they had gone around two more turns and were about to make the last turn, when a door slamming open was heard. Hermione's face broke first into an expression of uneasiness and then into a grin. Letting out a soft chuckle that quickly turned into a giggle, Hermione grabbed Draco's hand and jogged toward the door. "Hurry up Malfoy, before he catches us," she laughed. Draco followed, shocked she'd grabbed his hand then chuckling to himself that she was like a teenager sneaking out of her parents' house.
As she ran past the door they'd taken earlier to leave the gala, she pushed him toward it. "Go on back out there. I've got a speech to make," she called as she ran to the other end of the hallway. Shaking his head, Draco Malfoy walked through the door, composing himself. Spotting Blaise at a table on the other side on the room, close to the front, he made his way over. Eyeing his best friend skeptically, Blaise raised an eyebrow at him, "Find what you were looking for?" Before Draco could respond, he heard an angry Ronald Weasley burst through the door he'd just walked through and saw a poised Hermione Granger appear on stage. Draco's only response to Blaise was to just grin. And as Blaise turned toward the stage to see what made Draco grin, he connected the dots. Gold dress, angry Weasel, and one Cheshire Cat grinning Draco. He had definitely found his lady in gold, and something had obviously transpired between the three. Blaise only hoped that Draco knew what he was getting himself into.
A.N. Like my subtle show of Hermione's Gryffindor pride in her gold dress and scarlet lipstick? lol
Also, I have some italics to try to show the places where I put emphasis when I read it but there's a lot I didn't add because I want you to read it the way you will in whatever tone(s) you choose. If you prefer I try to make it clear where I make my inflections let me know.