Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except for missing wisdom teeth.
The Challenge (posted by Ms. Louis Cordice Zabini): Dumbledore wants to lighten up spirits after the war. He does this by making it mandatory for teachers and students to partake in Spirit Week. (Author's Note: I tweaked it a little to make it Deathly Hollows compatible by having his idea carried out by Professor McGonagall, so I figured I was close enough. I also added the dance myself, just to make it so that Spirit Week was leading up to something like it does at my school.)
Requirements: Spirit Week: Monday-Little Kid Day; Tuesday-Social Swap Day; Wednesday-Twin Day; Thursday-Opposite Gender Day; Friday-School Spirit Day. Must be 5 chapters or more. Harry/Ginny, Ron/Pansy, Blaise/Luna, and Draco/Hermione. Draco and Hermione MUST kiss. Must have a happy ending.
Author's Note: I'm trying to decide whether to do another chapter after this as a sort of epilogue at the end of their last year at Hogwarts. Not really sure if that's going to happen yet. But we'll see. Enjoy the (probably) last chapter! Thanks for reading!
Nine. May I Have This Dance?
Saturday couldn't fly past fast enough for Hermione. After her conversation with Ron in The Three Broomsticks, she had paid for her butterbeer and headed back up to the castle with Pansy and Ginny to get ready for the dance. Ginny was even more surprised than Hermione by the maturity that Ron had shown in the pub and also a little offended that she was considered a boy in Ron's eyes. But then she had to concede that she had beaten Ron wrestling a fair number of times and admit that it was fair to see her that way. Pansy just nodded and Hermione suspected that she had something to do with the way Ron had handled things, but she said nothing about her suspicions.
When they got back to the castle, the girls separated and headed for their Houses. Pansy was to meet Hermione and Ginny up in Gryffindor's common room in fifteen minutes with her dress and makeup so they could all get ready together, but neither Hermione nor Ginny thought she would be there on time. She'd probably enjoy a quick snog with Ron, who had followed them back up to the castle with Harry, before she came up to the room. This in mind, Hermione shook her head and waved her hand at Ginny's pleading look. Beaming, Ginny immediately skipped off to find her own boyfriend and get in a bit of snogging for a bit.
Hermione hadn't seen Draco all day and found herself somewhat bothered by that. They had spent the evening together in Hogsmeade the night before, and in Hermione's opinion it had been wonderful. He hadn't tried anything she was uncomfortable with even though she knew he was far more experienced than she was, and she had to respect him for that. But she almost wished that he would have at least kissed her goodnight.
We're not dating, Hermione reminded herself. I'm not even sure we're talking. We're just going to a dance together. For all I know, he might just want to go to the dance and then be done with things. Be rational here. He also might just want to make himself look better after the war by going to a dance with one of 'The Golden Trio.' Oh, listen to me. I sound like Ron... I'm supposed to look for the best in people. Stop it, Hermione.
She arrived at the portrait hole and started to say the password as she looked at the ground and chewed her bottom lip, thinking. Halfway through the password (peppermints), a hand clamped down over her mouth and silenced her. She squealed futilely and started to struggle in an attempt to get away from whoever it was behind her. It was obviously a boy behind her because he was stronger than any girl Hermione had ever met, including Ginny. But even though she could sense his strength, he didn't place too much pressure on her mouth as it would cause pain. Hermione assumed that he meant no harm and stopped her struggles, figuring that he just wanted to talk in private.
She found herself pulled gently into a small alcove and turned around to face her captor. But before she could take in his face or body, she found his lips pressed to her own. She'd only ever been kissed this ferociously twice in her life: first by Viktor Krum during the Yule Ball (and that had been one of the most uncomfortable moments of her life) and the second time when she had kissed Draco in the library mere days ago. That being the freshest memory in her mind, she could tell from the way he nipped at her bottom lip that it was, in fact, Draco who had pinned her against the wall and started snogging her in earnest. Her hands began to roam over his chest of their own volition as he pushed her against the wall harder and brought their bodies closer together.
Draco pulled away all too soon for Hermione's preference and before he could get too far away, Hermione grabbed his face and turned it back to her own for a few more seconds of snogging. They finally broke apart, each breathless, and looked at each other.
"I have to go," Draco murmured. "Your friends will be here soon. And you need to be in the common room when they get here."
Hermione nodded, not sure that she could speak. Draco slipped away from her, his eyes lingering on her face before he turned and stalked lithely down the corridor toward the dungeons. Hermione remained in the alcove for a moment to collect herself, then stepped out, murmured the password, and entered the common room. She didn't even think she could walk up the stairs, so she pulled her wand out instead.
"Accio dress," she said and waited for a moment for her dress to arrive in her hands. She sat back into an armchair and fixed her hair so that it didn't look too much like she had just been snogged senseless.
Well, I suppose that answers the question of whether he's using me or not, Hermione thought, a smile stretching itself across her face unbidden. A moment or two later, Ginny arrived at the common room in a state of dishevel that she quickly corrected. She smiled sheepishly at Hermione, not noticing anything out of place with her friend. Ginny took the stairs to their room two at a time and returned with her dress just as Pansy walked into the common room with her own dress and makeup.
"Shall we?" Ginny asked from where she stood at the bottom of the stairs. The two older girls nodded and followed Ginny upstairs to get ready.
0000
"Merlin, I'm nervous," Harry whispered to Ron as they waited for their dates in the common room. Ron nodded his agreement, but Harry thought he looked much more confident now than he had before the Yule Ball. Maybe it was the new dress robes, but Harry got the feeling that Ron wasn't worried about tonight at all. Which was odd, because Hermione would be on the arm of a man Ron hadn't been able to stand since he was born. Ron hadn't told him what he and Hermione had said to each other at the pub earlier that day, but they had looked fine when they had walked back to the table, so Harry had tried not to worry about it. But he knew that Ron still didn't like the fact that Draco Malfoy was her date to the dance that evening. He also knew that Hermione was stubborn, so once she had made up her mind to go to the dance with Malfoy, there hadn't been a chance of anyone changing that decision.
"Just breathe, man," Ron murmured. It almost sounded like he was telling himself to breathe and not his best friend, which was actually what he was doing. He planned on keeping an eye on the newest couple - if you could even call Hermione and Draco that - all night to make sure that nothing went wrong. If it did, Ron would probably knock Malfoy's head so hard he was facing backwards. And there was nothing Hermione or anyone could say to change his mind.
"I'm trying," Harry replied. "It's not exactly easy in this bow tie."
"Fair enough," Ron murmured. "I'm having trouble with that myself. I don't think I tied it right..."
"It looks right to me."
"Yeah, but it doesn't feel like I did it right."
"So? No one can tell."
Ron grimaced and tried to loosen the bow tie around his neck when he noticed some movement on the girls' stairwell. He and Harry immediately looked up at the stairs, hoping to see their dates but seeing Parvati and Padma Patil instead. They were instantly reminded of the Yule Ball and groaned. But directly behind the twins were Pansy and Ginny. They were talking to one another animatedly, waving their hands around and laughing.
Harry's mouth dropped as he took in Ginny's appearance. Her dress was simple, but it fit her in all the right places. It was strapless with a slightly sweetheart neckline and the color set off her blue eyes and red hair. The dress was just tight enough to hint at her figure, but loose enough to leave enough to the imagination to catch attention. It cut off three inches above her knee and Harry couldn't help but follow the length of her leg down to her gold three inch heels. He could feel her eyes on him and looked up to meet them with his own. Her makeup was done perfectly, her eyes lined with a charcoal black liner and her lips glossed to perfection. Her hair fell in soft curls around her shoulders and halfway down her back. It was like she was walking down the stairs in slow motion.
Ron was flabbergasted to see Pansy at the top of the stairs as well. Pansy's red dress had one strap that split into two when it got to her back, connecting to both sides of her dress in the back. The fabric was plain red until just below her ribs, where it then sparkled down to where it ended two inches above her knees. The ensemble finished with a pair of black four inch heels. She had left her straight hair as it was and had chosen to play up her face instead, her dark brown eyes lined darkly with black and her eyeshadow more dramatic than Ginny's. Her lips were also glossed, but she had used a touch of the snake venom gloss Hermione brought from the muggle world to make them a deeper red.
Arriving at the bottom of the stairs, the pair of girls giggled and walked over to their boyfriends.
"Hello," they said in unison. Harry and Ron could only nod, unsure that their tongues would work if they tried to speak.
"Hermione should be down in a few minutes," Ginny said. "She had to finish putting her shoes on. And she's kind of freaking out right now."
"Why?" Ron managed to choke out, never taking his eyes off of Pansy.
"She's not sure she looks good enough," Pansy said, rolling her eyes. "But I'm positive that she looks too good to be Draco's date. She just won't believe Gin and me."
Harry looked somewhat perplexed. He had never known Hermione to worry about how she looked for a boy, but he supposed anything was possible.
"There she is," Ginny said, drawing their attention to the stairs once more. Hermione was looking down at her feet, which were covered in strappy three-inch silver heels, as she walked down the stairs toward her friends. Her purple dress was the only one of her friends' dresses that had two straps, each of them about two inches wide on her shoulders. The dress was light purple and clung to her body tighter than Ginny's or Pansy's dress had. But it was still a little loose, and Ron had to admit that she looked much too good for Draco Malfoy. It ended three inches above her knees. It was the simplest of the three dresses, but it suited Hermione well. She had also opted to allow her hair to fall naturally around her shoulders, the ringlets reaching halfway down her back. She had done her makeup simply, not wanting to do too much, and lined her eyes with the same charcoal liner Pansy had used, but with a simpler line.
"Hi, guys," Hermione said when she arrived at her friends' sides. She looked up from her feet then, smiling sheepishly. "Are you ready?"
"Yes ma'am, we are," Pansy said, lacing her arm through Ron's. "Shall we?"
"We shall," Ginny replied, following Pansy's example and putting her arm through Harry's. The two girls then laced their arms through Hermione's arms and the five began their walk down to the Great Hall. Halfway there, Hermione broke away from the group.
"I have to go - I mean, I told - Well, I -" Hermione stammered.
"Just go, sweetie," Pansy murmured to the bumbling girl. It was a rare moment to catch Hermione nervous and uncomfortable like this, and Pansy wanted to make the evening as easy-going for her as possible.
"Thank you," Hermione breathed and began walking down towards the library. She had told Draco she would meet him in front of the large oak doors at 6:45 that evening. It was 6:40, so she figured she wasn't too early even if the girl was always supposed to make the guy wait. She rounded the bend to the library and was surprised to find Draco waiting for her in front of the doors, fiddling with his bow tie and dress robes nervously. His toe tapped impatiently, and Hermione took a moment to watch him with an amused smile on her face. She then took a deep breath, composed herself, and tried to look confident as she approached him. The clicking of her heels alerted him to her presence, and he looked up at the sound.
"Bloody hell, Hermione," she heard him breath as she approached. She smiled as she finally reached him. Even in her heels, he towered a good three inches over her. "You look beautiful."
"Thank you, Draco," she said shyly, looking down and forgetting her confident act for a moment. He offered his arm.
"Shall we?" he asked, and Hermione was reminded of a few minutes earlier when Pansy had asked the same question, and even before that when Ginny had said it before they got ready. It seemed like the phrase of the day. She giggled and nodded.
"We shall," she said, taking his arm and following his lead as they headed for the Great Hall.
0000
A few hours later, on a break, Ron took Draco aside for a moment. Hermione and Pansy watched from the table they had gotten at the beginning of the dance, nervous about what would be said between the boys. It wouldn't be too out of character for Ron to threaten Draco, even knowing he had matured during the war. Hermione was his "little sister," and as such it would be negligent if Ron didn't say something to a boy who had caught her fancy. But Hermione hoped that their chat wouldn't be too protective on Ron's side. Draco had been nothing but a perfect gentleman all night, and Ron had seen that. Draco's hands had never wandered, and Hermione had done nothing but smile happily the entire night. Knowing how Ron had ruined the Yule Ball their fourth year, Hermione had hoped that something like this could be avoided. But obviously Ron was determined to give Draco a good talking to concerning Hermione and her happiness with him.
"Malfoy," Ron began. Draco was tempted to interrupt and give Ron a well-rehearsed speech he'd figured out the night before, but refrained and allowed the slightly taller boy to speak his piece. "You know that I've never liked you. You made it hard to like you." Draco had to give him that fact; he hadn't really made himself very likable over the past years. "And you know that I love Hermione with all my heart; she's my sister, and she's not very well-versed in the way boys work. She says that you're not taking advantage of her, and I'll take her word for that. But I know that she's not exactly sure of what she's doing right now."
When Ron paused, Draco spoke. "I'm not taking advantage of her in any way, Weasley. And I know she's not exactly the most experienced girl ever, which is why I know things are going to go slowly between us, if there ever is an 'us' to speak of."
Ron nodded. "Just know, Malfoy, that if you hurt her in any way or force her to do anything she's not comfortable with..." Ron trailed off and glared at Draco, but the implication was clear: You hurt her, I hurt you. "I still don't like you, Malfoy. And I can't honestly say that I think I ever will. But I see how happy you make her, and that's enough for me right now. She deserves to be happy. Even if it's with the git who called her foul names for the majority of the time she knew him."
Draco kept eye contact with Ron, but inside he winced. He was ashamed of his past behavior, but that wasn't something he was going to let Ron see just yet. They weren't nearly that close, and probably never would be. But the fact that Ron would accept Draco's fancying Hermione simply because she was happy was something he hadn't expected from the redhead. If anything, Draco had expected to come to blows with Ron because Hermione was his date tonight. Draco swallowed hard, keeping his face strong and mostly emotionless.
"Thank you, Weasley," Draco murmured, forgetting his speech and opting for gratitude instead. "I assume Potter feels the same?"
"You'd be mostly correct," Ron replied. "He's more forgiving than I am. He's still wary of you, but he's more accepting of changes in people. I'm not so sure of you yet."
"Fair enough." Draco stuck his hand out for Ron to shake, and the redhead looked at it for a moment. It seemed like Ron was trying to decide whether to shake or not, and he glanced over to Hermione and Pansy. Hermione looked hopeful and worried at the same time, and Pansy was looking at him as though willing him to take the proffered hand. He sighed and looked back at the pale-haired boy in front of him. It took just one more moment of contemplation before Ron shook his hand firmly and the pair made their way back to the table. Instead of sitting, Draco offered his hand to Hermione and raised his pale eyebrows. She beamed up at him as she took it, standing to go dance with him.
"What was all that about?" Hermione asked once they were far enough away that her friends couldn't hear their conversation. Draco looked over to Ron, who was watching them intently from his peripheral vision. Draco looked back to Hermione and shook his head. He pulled her closer as they began to dance and breathed in her scent: apples and cinnamon. He dipped his head close to her ear before he spoke.
"Don't worry about it," he murmured. "Just working out a few things. Just put it out of your mind and have a wonderful night, Hermione."
Hermione turned her face up to him, confusion in her eyes. She hated not knowing what was going on between her friends. But Draco merely shook his head again and touched his lips to hers, silencing any other questions with the most perfect kiss Hermione could have imagined.
"I already am, Draco," Hermione murmured and let her head fall to rest on his shoulder as he led her nimbly around the room. "I already am."
Fin.
Author's Note: Epilogue or not? I'm not really sure if I want to attempt it, because it would be at the end of the school year and I just don't know... Just let me know what you think, I guess. Thanks for reading, though! I hope you enjoyed it!
Also, a huge thank you to Dramione-Fan 17, Ms. Louis Cordice Zabini, BlackWerewolfOfPurpleRoses, SullieBee, Janey Faith Banquee, GoldieFlow, xvamploverx, ObSeSsEd TwIlIgHt FaN jUmElLe, Lexeniah, Elfgurl96, IceSkater76, iamagemm, emilyelektrik, HaleBoppMiracle, naturallyflora, ca803, and Jinxxed by a Shadow for the reviews!
And A-misty-paradox, adalis, AlecLover, aquarius89, Azn Shortii, Becca Granger Malfoy Lovechild, ca803, cadalabicious, Cherry-chan15, deeNiisseeC', Dramione-Fan 17, Elfgurl96, Gleek5227, IceSkater76, IronicallyUnconventional., Janey Faith Banquee, Jinxxed by a Shadow, kaia4draco, lucy rose labyrinth, LumosFlies, MoonShadowPrincess, Ms. Louis Cordice Zabini, naturallyflora, nette91, PicturesOfYou23, pirateKitten11893, Potions 101, spoontastic, SullieBee, xKacyx, and xvamploverx: Thank you so much for adding this story to your favorites! I appreciate it!
And also: A-misty-paradox, AimeeMason, auscorpiotiger, , becks636, BlackWerewolfOfPurpleRoses, blue-eyed-lovers XD, ca803, Cherry-chan15, Dr. Josephine, emilyelektrik, FairyPrincessWithATwist, froggi101, frozenxloveX, GoldieFlow, HogwartsBum64, iamagemm, IceSkater76, IWantMyOwnJamonSalvlock, Janey Faith Banquee, Jinxxed by a Shadow, .Pink., Lexeniah, Megan., MoonShadowPrincess, Ms. Louis Cordice Zabini, naturallyflora, Ninna616, ObSeSsEd TwIlIgHt FaN jUmElLe, shatteredXimagination, SullieBee, SunsStorm, TeamPettyfer, Thecla, TwinsConspiracy, xKacyx, xvamploverx, and xxHeartless Girlxx. Thank all of you for adding this to your alerts! I appreciate that as well.
Finally, the biggest thank you has to go to Ms. Louis Cordice Zabini, who is the brains behind this operation. This was her challenge, and I think she's the bomb. She's got amazing ideas for stories, and her next challenge has me thoroughly stumped. Thank you SO much.
