A/N: So as I read back over the previous chapters, I realized that I named the Head Girl "Alicia" initially, and then randomly switched her name to "Rosa" , so sorry if anyone noticed that, haha! It was probably only me…anyhoo, thank you for reading! AND REVIEWS ARE SOOO APPRECIATED THAT I FEEL LIKE DOING CARTWHEELS EVERYTIME I GET ONE! If that influences you at all…well, happy reading!
The first thing Hermione saw when she opened her eyes was clouds. Two clouds, to be precise. With a hint of blue around the edges. The combination of the two colors was breathtaking. Hermione couldn't stop her heart from clenching, however, when she saw how much anguish was held in the clouds. It was if the clouds would pour out rain at any moment. Driven by instinct, Hermione reached her hand up to gently touch the clouds. The softness of the clouds rivaled that of her newborn cousin's bottom. Hermione gently smiled up at the clouds, hoping that it would provide some comfort to them.
And then reality kicked in. She wasn't staring up into the clouds; she was staring into the eyes of Draco Malfoy. And her hand wasn't resting on a cloud; it was resting on the cheek of Draco Malfoy. Shit.
In an instant Hermione was off of Malfoy and screaming, "What the hell are you doing, Malfoy!"
Malfoy looked genuinely shocked. He quickly recovered, however, and cleverly responded, "What are you doing, mudblood!"
"What do you mean, 'what are you doing, mudblood'! I passed out, you stupid prat, and you took it as an opportunity to try to…" Hermione was at a loss for words. What exactly had Malfoy been doing?
Hermione looked over to where Malfoy had previously been hanging decorations. Then she looked back to where Malfoy and she were now. So did he come over to help her after she passed out? And then it clicked.
"You were trying to hex me! Or worse," at this she gasped and continued in barely a whisper, "you were trying to kill me. But I awoke before you could complete the task! Oh, my Merlin…"
Malfoy looked at her as if her were looking at a buffoon, and then said slowly, "You fell on me when you passed out, Granger. And you got your stupid mudblood genes on me in the process…" He said the last part with a look of disgust.
Hermione felt her chest well with anger and felt the all-too-familiar pressure behind her eyes. Her breathing got very heavy, and she opened her mouth to hex him but quickly shut it. What time was it? How long had she been out? The Halloween Ball was in only a few hours!
"What time is it! We need to finish! What time is it, Malfoy!" She was panicking and furiously walking around the room to see what needed to be done. When did I put that up? She thought several times as she passed by decorations which certainly hadn't been in place prior to her passing out. She snapped her head over to look at Malfoy who was leaning nonchalantly against the wall and wearing an expression of pure annoyance.
"It's all done, Granger. A lot of help you were. This is the third time you've passed out. I can't wait to get this damn Ball over with," he said this while walking away. And then he was gone.
Hermione couldn't help but scream after him, "It was only TWO times, you prick!"
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When Hermione entered her dorm room at three in morning, she had a million things on her mind. Well, maybe not that many things, but it sure felt like it to her. All of the questions she had were centered on a ferret named Draco Malfoy. She couldn't get the image of his eyes out of her mind. Why were they so sad?
Well I suppose if I were a pureblood prick with a name like 'Draco', I would be sad too. Hermione thought logically.
It was now 3:12. By doing simple arithmetic in her head, she concluded that she must have been unconscious for at least two hours. If she was unconscious for that long, why didn't Malfoy fetch Madame Pomfrey? Maybe he was hoping that she was dying and was simply waiting for to take her last breath. That made sense.
Then why did Malfoy have her situated so comfortably against his body? Maybe he just wanted her closer so that it would be easier to hex her. Yes, that's what he was doing. But then why didn't he have his wand out?
"ARGH!" Hermione exclaimed falling backwards onto her four-poster bed. There was too much to think about. She was mentally and physically exhausted; she didn't have the energy to logically think everything out. She needed some sleep. The Halloween Ball was tomorrow so she would need to recover some energy tonight.
As she drifted off to sleep, Hermione vaguely remembered that she hadn't bought a dress for the ball yet.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Hermione's eyes fluttered open to reveal the time. It was six o' clock in the evening. She felt refreshed and stretched contently. But why did the news that it was six o' clock on a weekend night turn her stomach in knots? She snapped her head to look at her enchanted calendar and her jaw instantly dropped.
It was October 31st. The Halloween Ball started in an hour. She didn't even have a dress. Oh boy.
"Hermione, I heard some movement in there. Are you finally awake?" Rosa's voice came from the other said of Hermione's closed door.
Hermione ran frantically to the door, opened it with a flushed face, and practically screamed, "Rosa I need your help!"
Rosa glanced over the panicked girl before her, gave her a sympathetic smile, and said, "Of course."
Rosa then left Hermione and went to get something from her own room. When she returned, she had a small bag in her hand. It was an enchanted bag, Hermione gathered, since Rosa opened the bag and half of her arm disappeared inside it as she searched for something.
What Rosa eventually pulled out caused Hermione to gasp in amazement. It was a beautiful red gown that was embroidered with white thread. It was strapless and was fitted down to the waist. From there it elegantly cascaded out. As she got a closer look, she saw that the white thread actually formed several, tiny irises that stretched across the bodice. The design and the beauty of the gown was breath taking. Hermione could only gape at Rosa.
When Rosa realized that Hermione was at a loss for words, she explained, "Your friends, Harry Potter and two red head siblings, stopped by and talked to me. They were worried that you were overworking yourself. The red head girl-Jenny I think her name was- was especially worried that you wouldn't be ready for the ball. So, they all bought this for you."
Hermione was speechless. Her friends cared so much about her. Even though she barely spent time with them anymore, they still cared for her. Hermione was filled with so much love at the moment that she could barely breathe.
"If it doesn't fit completely, I could put an alteration spell on it," Rosa suggested sweetly.
Hermione smiled and said, "I'll go put it on."
With an alteration spell, white high heels, muggle mascara, lip gloss, and a curling iron, Hermione was ready for the dance. Hermione was filled with excitement. After all of her hard work, she was about to go see its product. Plus, it was a dance. It had been a year since Hermione went to a dance. Rosa and she linked arms as they made their way down the stairs leading to the common room.
As Hermione walked out of the common room and into the hallway, her heart was furiously thumping because she couldn't get the image of beautiful gray-blue eyes out of her mind.
