A/N: Enjoy the second chapter of Dramione my lovelies!
- Chapter 2: Dance with the Devil -
Hermione walked through the corridors of Hogwarts, on the way to McGonagalls classroom for what was sure to be the most awkward hour of her life.
It had been a week since she found Draco in the Room of Requirement. A week since she had poured her heart out to him and she he had comforted her. A week since they had shared such amazing chemistry. A week since she had started avoiding him.
As she walked through the corridors she realized how utterly messed up her brain was.
For the first time since she had been on her quest to find the Horcruxes with Ron and Harry, Hermione Granger was completely confused.
On the one hand she had Ron - her first boyfriend. Her first love. And a complete and utter arsehole.
She had been through so much with Ron. So much. She had known him since they were 11 years old and loved him since they were 13!
He had been the sunshine in her life for so long and now that sun had been covered by a big, dark, monstrous thunder cloud in the shape of Lavender Brown. She knew that she should just forget about him. Get over him somehow. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't! Deep down she still love Ron. And she realized that a part of her always would.
On the other hand she had Draco. She didn't like avoiding him. In fact she hated it! She was only doing it because she was so confused!
She liked that he comforted her. She liked that he listened. But most of all she liked that she could be herself around him! Not once did Draco ever tell her to 'stop crying'.
He had just held her and told her reassuring things. He let her look like a mess, cry her eyes out and vent her feelings, and not once did he ever ask her to stop or not be herself.
But no matter how much she liked all of these things about him, she couldn't help but be reminded by a sobering fact.
THIS WAS DRACO MALFOY. This was her childhood enemy! This was the boy she had punched in the nose! This was the boy she and her friends had laughed at and called 'Ferret'! This was the boy that killed Dumble- No she couldn't think about that. He had never wanted to kill their beloved Professor.
It almost brought a tear to Hermiones eye as she thought about Dumbledore. Draco had never wanted to kill him. He was forced into it by Voldemort - by the Darkness. Hermione knew he was only going to do it to save his family - but did that make it right? As she approached the classroom she wondered if she would have done the same thing in his shoes - Kill someone to save the people you care about most.
But for now Hermione had to push those thoughts away. She had to mentally prepare herself for what she was about to endure.
Dance lessons.
Yes, dance lessons. As was tradition, the school was having their Halloween Ball and since it was the first one after the War, McGonagall and the teachers wanted it to be perfect and amazing.
So they had taken all of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th years out of their free periods one at a time to teach them how to dance the classic dance steps.
Although Hermione loved to dance, she was dreading this.
Knowing her luck right now, she'd get stuck with Draco and then the awkwardness would start. Also depending on what dance they were learning, they would have to switch partners meaning that she couldn't avoid him any longer.
Sure enough, when she walked into the room McGonagall greeted her and paired her with Draco instantly. As Head Boy and Head Girl they had to set an example of 'House Unity' and 'Friendship'. What they were really setting an example for was 'how to create the biggest awkward moment imaginable'.
Draco smiled and bowed when he reached Hermione. Always the gentleman. 'Not really' thought Hermione. 'He's only doing it because it's the polite thing to do' she reasoned.
He held his hand out to Hermione, offering it to her.
"Shall we dance Hermione?" he asked with a crooked smile. Hermione's heart melted a little bit when he said her name. It sounded so perfect whenever he said it!
But she hesitated as she looked at his offered hand. She had been avoiding him for a week and now she was expected to dance with him? This wasn't exactly going to help her sort through the jumbled mess in her brain.
"Come on little Lion, I don't bite" he teased, still with his hand outstretched towards her.
She was hesitant, but slowly reached for his hand and placed hers in his.
His hand was warm and as he led her into the centre of the classroom to join the other couples he placed his right hand on the small of her back and pulled her close to him. Perhaps a bit too close.
She could feel his breath on her face, and it smelled like Spearmint toothpaste. Something that Hermione absolutely loved. Her head was started to feel dizzy and so she looked away from his eyes and placed her hand on his shoulder.
McGonagall started the music and instructed the students how to perform a basic Waltz.
Hermione ofcourse needed no instruction, she'd been doing this dance since she took dance lessons when she was six. And to her surprise neither did Draco.
While the rest of the couples were still on the first step, Draco jumped forward about fifty and began leading Hermione around the room and twirling her inbetween steps.
To say Hermione was shocked was putting it mildly. Although her expression was nothing compared to that of her classmates. Everyone stared at the couple with jaws hitting off of the floor - including Lavender. Hermione glared at her as Draco led her past her and she thanked Merlin that Ron and Harry were not here to see them. They would surely hex Draco into oblivion.
McGonagall was thoroughly impressed and sent Draco and Hermione to the other side of the room to practice other dances while she kept the other students to finish teaching them the dance that they had mastered in seconds.
Hermione didn't like being so isolated from everyone else as Draco led her to the other side of the room. Although they were supposed to practice other dances, they kept with the waltz and moved silently around the other end of the room.
Draco was the first to speak.
"So, you've been avoiding me" he stated. It was meant as a question but came across as though he were stating a fact. And it was. She had been avoiding him. Although she wasn't expecting him to be so forward about it.
"I er- I ummmm...errrr..." Hermione struggled with her words as she looked into his grey eyes. It was amazing how flustered he made her! "I've had a lot of homework!" she blurted out. In her mind she slapped herself repeatedly. 'Hermione, you are the worst liar imaginable' she told herself.
Draco heard this and smirked.
"Homework hmm? So that's why you've been avoiding our common room like the plague is it?" he asked. As Head Boy and Girl they had to share a common room. They had their separate rooms but to get to them you had to walk through the common room. This was also true. She knew Draco spent a lot of time there and avoided it as much as possible.
"I've been in the library" she blurted again. At that moment she wanted nothing more than for the floor to swallow her up and end this awkward and embarassing nightmare.
"Mhmmm" replied Draco, still with the smirk on his lips. "So who's taking you to the Halloween Ball might I ask?"
"Nobody. I'm not going" she responded, not looking him in the eyes. This was a lie. Someone had asked her - Cormac McLaggen. He had cornered her earlier in the week outside of Potions class and asked her. She had made something up about having a mild form of Spattergroit and ran away as fast as possible.
"Nobody asked you?" cried Draco in an incredulous tone of voice. This bamboozled the Hell out of him. Hermione Granger, Hermione-with-the-honey-eyes-Granger,Hermione-with-the-honey-eyes-and-beautiful-curls-Granger had not been asked? This defied all logic in his opinion.
"Yes" she stated simply, still avoiding his disbelieving gaze.
"Go with me!" he blurted.
"What?" she looked at him and could only stare as she tried to comprehend what he had just said. If she went with him, and Harry and Ron found out, she would never hear the end of it. She would be isolated, cut off from her friends.
Besides, they were a Gryffindor and a Slytherin! This was asking for trouble!
"I don't have a dress!" she said, trying to find an excuse. Draco smiled.
"I can take care of that" he said, a mischievious sparkle playing in his eyes.
"I don't see how! The ball is tomorrow night and the only thing my Mum will be able to send is a horrible Orange dress from home and I don't have enough money to buy something! I know it's Halloween, but nobody should have to wear orange! I'm not going!" she insisted.
"Oh yes you are. I'll meet you in the Entrance Hall at 7pm" and he bowed, kissed her hand and left the classroom.
Hermione stared after him, unaware that the full hour had passed and the dance lesson had finished. She stood in the empty classroom and looked around. McGonagall smiled and nodded her head at Hermione.
'Has she just heard everything we spoke about?' cried Hermione in her mind and when McGonagall grinned, Hermione blushed and fled from the room.
By the time Hermione returned to the Common Room it was late. She had just been to see Hagrid and then had gone to the library to kill some time. Although she was now going to the ball with her old childhood enemy, Hermione still felt the need to avoid him. 'This is ridiculous' Hermione thought as she said the password for the Heads common room and walked in. Draco was no where to be seen to Hermiones disappointment so she climbed the stairs to her bedroom.
She had been worrying all night about what she was going to wear. She refused to wear that orange dress that her mother would no doubt send her. She hated that dress, it made her look like a pumpkin and did not flatter her toned and curvy figure at all.
But when she reached her room and opened the door she found a surprise waiting for her.
On her bed lay a large garment bag with a single red rose with a black ribbon tied around on top.
Hermione was intrigued and placed the rose on her bedside table, admiring the way it glowed in the candle light of her room and opened the garment bag. She gasped when she saw what was inside.
It was the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. It was all silver and the straps were silver lace and sat just off the shoulder. Hermione couldn't decide which was more stunning, the bodice or the skirt. The bodice looked almost like a corset, and was silver with black diamond studs all over it, giving it a very edgy yet still elegant look - perfect for Halloween.
The skirt was also silver and hung in large rufflied tiers. Hermione wasn't going to lie, she was dying to wear this dress and was already planning how her makeup would look when a thought hit her: 'Who sent it?'.
She found a note inside the garment bag and she smiled while her heart melted when she read it.
"Nobody should have to wear Orange".
Hermione hung the dress in her closet and sat down on the bed, a million thoughts running through her brain.
Maybe she'd have a good time! Maybe she and Draco should be friends. Maybe, this how things were supposed to be. Maybe this was right.
