Disclaimer; I don't own anything yet. I will soon. Thanks.

A/N Lots of questions! 'Why didn't he recognize Hermione?' and such. The reason he didn't recognize her is because he never saw her up close. The first time he saw her from afar by the staircase, the second time she was onstage with a spotlight obsuring her face and Draco was in a far seat. The third time he was at the top of the steps and she was running. Whew! So anyways I hope you enjoy this next chapter and review like no other.

Happy Reading and don't forget to review!

The Starlight Ballroom

For the first time in his life Draco Malfoy was nervous about meeting his date. The fundraiser had been on a Sunday, so he had to wait until the following Saturday. He paced his large home incessantly debating on what to wear and how to approach her. He even considered backing out a few times. Nothing in his life had ever made him this anxious. Blaise had dropped by a few times but his constant joking about Draco's state of mind had made him a less than welcome houseguest. After pushing Blaise out the door on that Saturday afternoon, he made his way up the large marble staircase towards his master suite. He opened his closet doors and browsed its contents. Suits, robes, dress shirts and pants hung neatly in proper order inside. Rows and rows of leather shoes stood arranged at the far end. He walked up and down the closet feeling fabrics and picking things off hangers only to put them back. He sighed heavily before grabbing a crisp white dress shirt and black pants. A matching black jacket and tie came next followed by black Italian leather shoes. He laid his things out neatly on the bed before heading into the bathroom.

The bath was large and luxurious with marble floors and gold leaf on the walls over the creamy colored paint. In the corner was a large shower, large enough for 12 people to fit into. It had clear glass doors and gold embellished faucets. Directly in the middle of the room was a swimming pool sized bathtub that Draco never used. He stripped off his clothes and tossed them into the hamper on the side of the double sinks. His smooth pale skin glowed in the dim candle light of the bathroom. The Malfoy's never had electricity installed in the mansion, so every room was lit by magical candles. They could be dimmed or brightened according to the user's preference. He reached into the shower and turned on the water. Soon steam filled the glass enclosure and Draco stepped in closing the door behind him. The hot water hit his skin instantly relaxing him. He shampooed his shoulder length white blond hair and washed quickly. Soon he was drying off just outside the shower on the marble bench near the bathtub. He walked naked over to the mirror over the sinks and wiped the steam off of it with his hand. Draco turned the cold water on in the sink and splashed his face. He grabbed a comb out of the drawer and ran it through his wet hair. A few quick sprays of cologne on his bare chest and neck followed. His wand lay haphazardly on the countertop and after grabbing it he dried his hair with a charm. He applied liberal amounts of hair products to slick his hair back in his normal fashion.

He wondered aloud about his date.

"I wonder if she recognized me? I mean if she went to school at he same time how could she not right?" he asked his mirror image. "I was the most popular guy there, Head boy and all. She was probably some mousy Hufflepuff that blossomed after school. Or maybe a nerdy Ravenclaw that took all the advanced classes. I wish I knew her name…"

He left the dark dim light of the bathroom and walked back to his bedroom. The bright light from the sunset entered the many windows filling the room and blinding him momentarily. He put on a pair of black silk boxers and his white dress shirt first. He then pulled on his black pants tucking his shirt in neatly. He put his tie around his neck and used his wand to make a perfect knot. His black jacket followed along with a red rose boutonnière with a gold number 21 emblazoned on the petals. His date was to be wearing a corsage with the same rose and numbers. He slipped on his shoes and grabbed his gold watch, checking the time as he put it on his wrist. Nearly 7:30. He was to meet her at 8pm at the Starlight Ballroom. The most extravagant new place in the wizarding community. He had not been there yet even though it had been there for over a year. Draco looked at himself one final time in the floor length mirror and straightened his tie out. His heart was beating out of his chest and he felt like his stomach was in knots.

"What in the name of Merlin is wrong with me?" he asked "Get it together Draco." A few deep breaths later and he felt much better. He grabbed the bouquet of roses he had purchased and apperated to just outside of the Starlight ballroom.

The large gleaming white marble building stood out among the shabby buildings that surrounded it. It was invisible to Muggles so it was located in the warehouse district of old London. It was all but abandoned so the choice was perfect. Two men in severe black robes stood on either side of the door. They eyeballed Draco cautiously as he approached them.

"Draco Malfoy." he said stiffly to the two men. One looked at a long piece of parchment and checked off his name with his wand. The other man opened the large heavy door and motioned for Draco to enter.

The Starlight ball room lived up to every expectation Draco had. The room was dimly lit by hundreds of candelabras that hung every so often on the walls. The middle of the room was a huge wooden dance floor connected with a stage where a band was playing soft background music. But it was the ceiling that nearly took his breath away. It was vast and black with tiny twinkling stars. Misty swirling colors appeared giving off the purple and blue hues of forming galaxies. Shooting stars sped across the dark sky. He stared up at the masterpiece in awe. It was so realistic but even more beautiful. He found his way to the table marked

Draco L. Malfoy

And

Guest

He sat down and waited checking his watch every few seconds. A moment later Blaise showed up looking casually unkempt. He wore a dress shirt; open at the top and black pants. His dark hair looked as if the wind had blown it dry.

"Draco!" he said smiling and extending his hand. Draco took it and shook heartily. "Sorry about the shit I was giving you earlier mate. I was only kidding." Draco nodded and motioned for him to sit for a moment.

"Nice of you to dress up." Draco laughed.

"Well I figured I paid for the date so it doesn't matter what I look like. You on the other hand…" he let out a low whistle as he looked Draco over from head to toe. Draco couldn't help but smile. In his opinion he looked better than anyone else who had arrived. He checked his watch again. It was 8pm. Suddenly, the doors at the opposite end as the stage opened and the girls walked out looking for their dates.

"See you." Blaise said sitting at his nearby table. The girls walked out and searched for the numbers on the men's roses. Blaise's date found him quickly and soon they were engaged in a light pleasant conversation. It seemed to take forever for Draco's date to find him. But then there she was. A sparkling red sequin cocktail dress caught his eye. It was short in the front revealing her striking legs, but the back was longer and trailed on the floor. Her hair was long and straight this time pulled into an elegant pony tail. Diamonds and rubies sparkled on her neck and ears. Draco's breath caught in his throat as she approached. He stood from his seat to welcome her and grabbed the bouquet of roses.

"Number 21?" she asked in a timid voice that floated through Draco's ears. It was faintly familiar.

"Yes." he said holding out his hand for her to step into the dim light of the candle lamp that flickered on the table.

"Nice to meet you." she said smiling. It was so dark she could just barely make out the outline of his face. Strong jaw and cheekbones. Blond hair. He was tall and well dressed. It was then she glanced at the card on the table.

"Draco L. Malfoy and guest?" she whispered. "Draco Malfoy?" she said pulling her hand back from him.

"Yes." he said slightly taken aback by her reaction to his name. 'She must recognize me from school.' he thought.

She had taken a step backwards in the meantime and was nervously biting her lip.

"Look, this was a mistake." she whispered with fear in her voice. "I will reimburse you for the donation."

"Don't be silly." he replied. "Look I know you went to Hogwarts. I know you probably heard rumors about me. But trust me, it was all exaggerated. Please sit." he motioned for her to sit down but she shook her head no. He tried to get a closer look at her, but she kept backing up into the darkness.

"I don't understand then. Please. Do I know you? You seem familiar but I can't quite place you. What house were you in?" he asked in a calm voice in a vain attempt to console her.

"Gryffindor." she whispered. She knew Draco Malfoy all too well. She was head girl with him during their seventh year. He had made her life miserable by disagreeing with every idea she had and calling her mudblood every time they passed in their shared common room. She looked around at the room and people were starting to stare at her. She felt very uncomfortable with this situation, but she also knew she didn't have 1500 galleons to pay him back for the date. He obviously did not recognize her. But how would he react when he found out who she was. He was still looking at her and she could see that he was trying very hard to figure out who she was. They had shared a common room for the entire seventh year of their education and he still couldn't remember. Of course she had looked much different in school. Her hair was still brown and bushy but she could get it under control most of the time. She still had a nose covered in freckles but tonight it was under a heavy amount of makeup and blush. She normally never dressed like this but it was for the orphan fund so Ginny and Mrs. Weasley had helped her go all out.

"Please sit down. People are starting to stare." he said softly approaching her at a rapid pace. She sat in her chair keeping her face lowered so that her ponytail obscured some of it.

"I didn't catch your name." he said taking a seat across from her.

"I didn't tell you yet." she said softly not knowing what to do now. She was stuck at a table with her worst enemy. The boy who tormented her relentlessly in school.

"Well, let's try this again. I am Draco Malfoy. And you are?" he said sticking his hand out to her.

"I…well I am…uh, my name is…" she wanted to give him a fake name but nothing came to her. Her mind was a total blank. In a panic she said "Hermione." A lump caught in her throat. She waited for his reaction. He cocked his head to the side and stared at the stunning girl in front of him.

"Hermione? Hermione Granger?" he asked.

She swallowed hard and waited for it to sink in.

"Hermione Granger? You are Hermione Granger? From Gryffindor? Potter's best friend?" He asked her still not letting the implications of this revelation sink in. He, Draco Malfoy, bid 1500 galleons to date Hermione Granger. He was out in public with her and there was no where to go. She was biting her lip across the table from him looking quite frightened of what he may say next. He would not say what he was feeling aloud. After all he was still trying to keep the name Malfoy a respectable one. But inside he was furious. They should have told him they let mudbloods into the auction. Maybe they should have emblazoned them with a big letter 'M' so everyone would know. He looked at her. She looked like she wanted to leave and run out of that ballroom.

"Look, I knew this was a mistake. I'm going to quietly slip out and I will have the committee reimburse you for your donation. Goodnight." she said starting to stand but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back down.

"No. You will make a scene. Just sit back down." he said sternly. "I would never take back my donation. That is not how a Malfoy acts."

"I don't want to be here." she said softly. "Just let me leave."

"No. Dinner and dancing. It's all in the contact. It's binding. Now just sit down and pretend you are enjoying yourself." he spat.

"Fine." she said folding her arms across her chest covering the ample cleavage that was showing. "Wait until Ginny finds out about this." she mumbled "I'll never hear the end of it."

"At least no one is seeing you in the company of a mud…muggle born." he sneered. "My best friend is sitting at a table twenty feet from here. He already was on my case for bidding so much for this date."

"Why did you bid for this date?" she asked leaning in so she didn't have to speak over a whisper.

He was at a loss for words. He could never tell her that she had taken his breath away when he saw her. Or that he tried to find out who she was before the auction. Or how nervous he was to finally meet her tonight.

"Blaise reminded me at the end of the auction that I had not yet bid. You were my last chance. And obviously I didn't recognize you." he said bitterly.

"Oh." she replied trying hard not to look at him. He had hurt her so deeply while they were in school. She never let on just how much he destroyed her self confidence. She was always there with quick jabs at him to fend off her true feelings and keep the tears at bay. She had even struck him in the face on one occasion when he was being particularly evil.

They sat in stone silence for what seemed like forever before he thrust a bouquet of roses across the small table at her.

"I bought these for you. No sense in them going to waste." he said emotionlessly. In reality he was the most conflicted he could ever remember being. She was beautiful. That was true. But she was also a mudblood. Not worthy of being seen in public with him. That's what he had known all of his life. But why? Why did the mere sight of her make his heart beat fast and free? And to top it all off she was smart. Smarter than him. He hated to admit that but at school she was always number 1. And he had always been number 2. The memory of that made his blood boil but he kept his composure.

"Thank you." she said through tightly pursed lips. Gods did she want to leave. She was stuck there with him at least through dinner. She began randomly tapping her fingers on the tabletop.

"Must you do that?" Draco asked in an annoyed voice. She tapped louder and smiled at him. Draco rolled his eyes and slumped back in his chair. His icy blue eyes glared at her menacingly but she paid him no mind. Her long elegant fingers continued to tap on the pristine white tablecloth. Louder and louder until her felt he would go mad. He reacted by reaching across the table and grabbing her hands within his.

"Stop." he said flatly. Just then Blaise walked over with his date.

"I see you two are getting along swimmingly." he smiled looking at Draco's hands grasping Hermione's in what could have been interpreted as a romantic gesture. Draco's head whipped up to look at Blaise. That Malfoy glare meant only one thing. Stop talking. Blaise looked at Draco's date and stuck his hand out.

"Blaise Zabini."

Hermione looked at him suspiciously and took his hand.

"Hermione Granger."

Blaise nearly fell over and Draco looked like he wanted to kill his former best friend.

"Hermione Granger? THE Hermione Granger? The chosen one's faithful sidekick?" he nearly doubled over in laughter.

"Just Hermione Granger, thank you very much." she said bitterly pulling her hand back from him.

"You bid 1500 galleons to date Hermione Granger?" he said in between labored breaths and giggles.

"Time to go Blaise." Draco said under his breath. Blaise stopped laughing and walked back to his table without saying goodbye.

"Seems nice." Hermione said trying to control her impending laughter at Draco's red embarrassed face.

"He was my best friend." Draco growled.

"I see." she replied. Draco could see giggles coming from her and it enraged him further.

"This isn't funny." he said. But her smile was contagious and he felt like laughing as well.