Hellllllllooooooooooooooooooooooooo. Hi. I'm here with a new chapter, but I can't really say that this might live up to your expectations. I suspect it's not that high to begin with :( Due to my not being a fantastic writer. But I do work hard on my writing, however i cannot help but feel that this chapter is...well...I worked hard on it, I really did. It's just...it doesn't really satisfy me. I'm really sorry is this is disappointing, but in my defense I've been lacking inspiration lately. T.T I know this might sound like a common excuse, but I'm sirius. Okay, that might have killed the mood, sorry for my corny joke, I love doing that, though.
Beetle126 : I can always count on you to brighten up my day! :) Thank you so much(again)
Aimdemort Riddle : Awwww thank you! Although I feel that you are exaggerating just a teensy bit, I will ignore that and continue to wiggle in joy! ;)
Guest : I'm glad you think that, thanks for telling me! (^.^)
Last time :
Hermione agrees to have tea with Narcissa. Lucius is happy with this and promises to owl Draco and her the date in the near future. Intentionally, the older Malfoy brings up 'the ring' in a casual way, which makes Professor McGonagall and Hermione curious about it. Draco tells Hermione later that what his father was talking about was an engagement ring. Hermione is embarrassed with this and cannot help but doubt that things are going too fast. After all, this was the same boy that had taunted and made her miserable in her earlier years. She chooses to avoid him, which lasts for about a week. In that week, Hermione gets friendlier with Evan and starts to develop some feelings for the sweet, smart boy. While she was doing that, Draco realizes that he has feelings for her, but does not know how do anything about it, since he had never done this before. The chapter ends with Hermione asking Draco if he thought she was attractive
Disclaimer : Harry Potter? Mine? Ha! As if.
Chapter 10 : Options for the Dance
Hermione sighed. "Okay, I shouldn't have asked that anyway. It was a stupid question. Evan just told me about his theory."
"NO!" he burst out, before he could stop himself. "I wasn't denying it." He was heating up. So was she. "I find you...okay looking." Okay looking?! Why'd you say that?! If you're going to compliment her, do it properly! Draco remembered what his father had told him, days before, when he and Granger were still avoiding each other. "Don't you understand? The more you get involved with her, the better image you get! Try to flatter the girl, make yourself more appealing, just get her attention before someone else does!"
"Did you get the message? Professor McGonagall said she had to discuss something with us, so she'll visit us at about 8." she brought up, hasty to change the conversation.
Draco recalled the owl he'd gotten from the professor that morning. "Yeah. It's almost 8."
As if it was on cue, there was a knock on the portrait door. Hermione rushed over to open it.
"Good evening, Professor." Hermione welcomed. Draco said 'hello.'
"Do you remember the Yule Ball from 4th year?" the headmaster asked, getting to business straight away. She sat down on a seat on the couch. She summoned some teacups and a pot of tea from thin air. She flicked her wand, almost carelessly, and the pot poured the tea in the teacups. "Tea?"
Both students nodded and they plucked the teacups from the air and sipped.
"The ministry thought that the love amulet idea wasn't bringing the students closer. So they want Hogwarts to throw a ball for the 6th and 7th years."
Draco groaned. Hermione had a grim expression on her face, fully interpreting why Draco was groaning.
"I would like it if the head students planned this event, along with the help of prefects and fellow students if they wish." Headmaster McGonagall continued. What she had said wasn't a suggestion, it was clear she had her mind set on them planning this. It was a demand that should not be refused.
Hermione, who didn't want to let the professor down, nodded, mustering up as much enthusiasm as she could. "Of course we will! I'd be honored."
Draco frowned. "Speak for yourself, Granger. I don't want to do this." Professor McGonagall gave him a stern look, but Draco wasn't intimidated. Hermione nudged Draco slightly.
"I will reward points and extra credit points that shall be added to your N.E.W.T scores."
Hermione's eyes widened. Draco looked unwilling, but he agreed. "Fine."
McGonagall conjured up a piece of paper. "This paper will tell you what you need to know, from the budget to the time. You must announce the event, and the date, tomorrow morning at breakfast." She gave Hermione the parchment, which made Draco frown slightly.
"Good night." the Professor said and she walked out of their dorm. Hermione quickly scanned the writing on the parchment, Draco leaning closer to her in order to see it, too. Her eyes stopped at a certain point.
One is required to bring one of their compatibles as their date to participate in this event.
Hermione froze when she read that. When Draco got to that part, he rolled his eyes.
"I'm telling you, they're in it for us."
Hermione propped her elbows on the table in front of her and leaned over to make sure her hands could support her head. She gently stroked her chin with her fingers, the classic pose she took when she had an idea, or was thinking hard.
"Well, Professor McGonagall said we had to plan the dance-" Hermione started.
"Oh, I had no idea." Draco snapped sarcastically. Hermione sent a glare in his direction, which clearly suggested 'shut up.' Draco rolled his eyes again and made a gesture with his hands that meant 'go on.'
Hermione, seeing it was safe to continue, continued. "But she didn't say we necessarily had to go to the ball."
Draco looked offended. "You would rather spend your time studying in the library, than to go with me to the ball?"
Hermione sighed, agitated. "Who said you were my only choice for the dance? There are other solutions to this problem, you know."
Draco rolled his eyes. "And what might those be? Hm?"
"One of my other compatibles could take me to the dance." Hermione suggested. Draco frowned and knitted his eyebrows together. Hermione kept talking, "And you could stay and not go."
Draco vetoed that option quickly. "You can't do that!"
"Well what do you want me to do?!" exclaimed Hermione, tugging on one of her locks in frustration.
"I don't know!" Draco snapped, angry at the fact that Hermione had more choices than him.
"I know you're not happy with arrangement-"
"Isn't it obvious?" Draco interrupted, Hermione shot him down with another glare.
"And trust me, this has made my year complicated, too, but we have to work together!" Hermione said, her volume higher this time.
"Why?" Draco asked.
Hermione had expected that question, but she didn't imagine he would say it in that curious, innocent tone, that implied she would have to answer it truthfully.
"Because...we're suppose to! We're heads, for Merlin's sake! If you don't improve your 'I'm better than everyone else' attitude, we won't be able to do anything!" Hermione finished. A wave of anger washed over Draco. She had no right to insult him like that!
Draco bit his lip, his front teeth penetrating the surface of the skin. "I don't care! And stop with your insulting, you don't know anything about me!" he shouted, rising and marching to his room. He shut the door loudly. Hermione could hear him raging inside, stomping on the ground and taking out his frustration at no one in particular.
Hermione sighed, unsure of what she should do. What she wanted to do, was go into the bathroom and take a nice, warm soak in the gigantic bathtubs with scented candles that set a pleasant aroma in the air. However, it was too late for a bath, she had homework to do, and the fact that she already washed didn't support this desire. What she could do, was go on about her business, ignoring everything that had just happened with him, but she knew she wouldn't be able to focus well. She looked at the clock, fantastic ; it was already 9. She accomplished nothing in the last hour. 'Pat on the back for you, Hermione.' she thought sarcastically as she mentally scolded herself for wasting precious time.
Draco was in his room, raging, as Hermione had figured. He was currently suffocating his pillow with his arms, but the soft, fluffy blob had just sagged. He threw the pillow at his closet door with as much force as he could muster. Needless to say, the pillow did not make the loud noise that Draco was hoping for.
What had he been expecting anyway? Why was he so disappointed? And how could she be so idiotic to suggest the idea that he stay, lonely, while she was accompanied to the dance by Potter, or the loathsome Brooks? Wasn't it common decency to not talk about other males while one male is in front of you? Then again, maybe he didn't even deserve that. Thinking about this topic made his self-esteem diminish, and a Malfoy with a damaged pride had no right being a Malfoy, like his father had reminded him so many times. 'Chin high, perfect posture, that's what Malfoy's do.'
Draco decided to go the Slytherin dorms, hoping his friends could cheer him up. Well, they could cheer him up and nurse his bruised ego. He opened the door and went out into the common room. The fireplace was still burning, fuming warmth, but she wasn't out there anymore. What did you think?, he thought bitterly, that she would be waiting out here with an apology? He swung open the portrait exit with more force than necessary and he walked out into the corridors, closing the portrait entrance carelessly. He was allowed to go out into the hallways, actually, 'allowed' wasn't a suitable word. He wasn't allowed to, but he could use his being the head boy as an excuse, it was one of the privileges of being Head Boy.
He found his way to the dungeons, a faint memory of the Slytherin password that Blaise had informed him about made its way to his head.. Was it Serpent? He tried it, and the portrait parted to make way. He crawled in the hole then jumped out. His friends, Nott, Blaise, and Goyle, were thankfully in the common roon, talking among themselves, comfortably sprawled on the large sofa.
They all welcomed him, and they shuffled to make room for him on the sofa. Draco sat down and he was met with curious gazes.
"Well?" Blaise demanded. Draco cocked an eyebrow, indicating that he had no idea what he was talking about.
"What's the deal with you and Granger?" Nott asked.
"Nothing." Draco drawled. Goyle raised his eyebrows, Blaise mouthed 'denial' to him, his attempt at explaining Draco's situation. Goyle made an 'o' with his mouth, and nodded. Draco slapped Blaise on the head. "I have eyes, you know."
"She's alright, isn't she?" Goyle questioned, recalling the time she had helped him in Potions.
Draco scrunched his nose, faking more disgust than he actually felt. "What do you mean 'alright'?" he demanded wondering what the 'Smartest witch of the Generation' had done to make Goyle say this.
Goyle shrugged. "She saved our lives-"
"Don't bring that up." Draco said sharply. It was an event that he would rather not experience again. And to be fair, they owed him, Draco had saved Potter's life, too.
Goyl continued as if Draco had not even interrupted, "-and she's not that particularly that nasty to us anymore, since the war ended. She helped me once with Potions. She's not that bad."
"She's hot." Blaise said, resulting in a frown from Draco. "What?" the Italian boy said defensively, "She certainly filled out. Her robes aren't so baggy anymore."
Theodore seemed to be thinking. "Like Goyle said, she's not that bad, actually. She's somewhat attractive. Her hair's not that bad anymore." Theodore used the truth as an example, not just his opinion, which made it difficult for Draco to argue with. Her hair had lost its poof and it was long and wavy.
"Why are we discussing Granger like obsessed school girls?" Draco demanded, uncomfortable with the fact that even his mates had thought of Granger in that way.
"Long legs." Gregory added, ignoring Draco again.
"Small waist." Blaise said. "Cleavage. 8 out of 10. They're nice." Draco closed his eyes in disgust, trying to get picture of Granger out of his mind.
"EW!" Draco shouted. Nott frowned.
"Shout again. I don't think the Gryffindor heard you, mate"
"Fiesty, too." Blaise included, on second thought.
Draco glared at all his friends. "She's a Gryffindor!"
Blaise raised his eyebrows, finally giving Draco's words attention. "Girl-Weasly's in Gryffindor. She's one of my compatibles. She punched me, the other day. Nice right hook."
"Brown's in Gryffindor." Goyle started. "She's not exactly hard to get, no?"
"SHUT UP!" Draco yelled. They all did as they were told, but Theo shot daggers at him again for yelling again.
"Granger's my only compatible." Draco told them. Their reaction was not the ones that Draco had in mind.
"We know." Greg said with a shrug. "Zabini told us." Draco glared at Blaise, who had an innocent expression on his face.
"It doesn't make sense!" Draco cried out. Theo rolled his eyes and sighed.
"It does." Theodore spoke. Draco looked at him, motioning for him to go on. Theodore was the most reasonable of the three, he had to have a good reason for his saying that. "She's the only one who challenges you, mate."
"That doesn't prove anything!" Draco yelled defensively.
Blaise rolled his eyes. "We all know that you don't do anything if it's too easy. You enjoy a challenge." Goyle nodded in agreement.
"Best you accept it. You can't change it." Theodore finished, a smug grin on his face.
"She's can't be compatible to me! She's not compatible to me!" convinced Draco, a scowl on his face.
"She has brains, she's attractive, she plays hard to get, I don't see what you mean by 'she's not compatible to me.'" Blaise said, repeating the last bit in a high-pitched whiny tone.
"Drakie! I thought I heard you!" squealed a feminine voice. All the boys either grimaced and groaned, it was Pansy. "I've barely seen you since that night where you found out that you were compatible to (shudder) Granger."
She walked over to Draco, swinging her hips, and she sat down on his lap. Blaise looked repulsed, Theodore's eyebrows were raised in amusement, Goyle looked on the verge puking as Pansy started to blink her eyes rapidly at Draco.
Draco pushed Pansy off. "Get away from me, Pansy!" he shouted, rising to his feet. He had lost all interest in Pansy the previous year, when she had tried to convince his father for an engagement to be arranged between herself and Draco. Pansy stood up from the ground and dusted herself off, as if she wasn't thrown on the ground like a potato sack.
"You know, I like it when a man plays hard to get." Pansy purred. She jumped on him, straddling his waist. Draco nearly fell down at the sudden weight he was forced to support.
Draco untangled Pansy's arms from his waist and dismissed her, declaring that if she did it again, he would hex her. She frowned, but as she went up the stairs that led to the girls dormitories, she winked at him, causing him to shudder.
"She's ugly. She disgusts me." Goyle claimed.
"Who's better, Pansy or Hermione?" Theo asked.
"Hermione?" Draco repeated, not believing that his friend called Granger by her first name.
"We sometimes study together. Get over it and answer my question." Theo said calmly.
"Well of course it's Granger-"
"Ha!" Blaise exclaimed, a triumphant look on his face.
"That doesn't mean anything, I prefer Potter over Parkinson!" Draco spat. He realized that his friends were in a too-playful mood, making it hard to shield his already damaged ego from their taunts. He stood up and left without saying a goodbye, slamming the portrait door purposely, just to get on Nott's nerves.
Of course, he had the luck to bump into Filch on the way to the Heads dorms. "Why are you out of bed?" the caretaker snarled.
Draco rolled his eyes and flashed the old man his head boy badge. It gleamed in the faint light illuminated from the man's lamp. The man frowned, disappointed that he could not punish the student, and he walked away, his creepy cat following him.
When he got in the dorm, he immediately went to his room and lied down on his bed. He was tired and he wanted to rest. He forced himself to sleep, reading 'Hogwarts : A History' and curling him the warmth of his bed. When he felt his eyes droop, he turned the lights off and went to sleep.
Next morning, he woke up at 7 and went outside to the bathroom. The bathroom was humid, telling him that Granger had already been in here. He took a quick shower and put on a shirt and a pair of pants. He buttoned his robes over his body and swaggered out the door and out into the corridors, heading for the Grand Hall for breakfast.
As he made his way to the usual table he sat at, he saw Granger walking over to him, a bagel in hand.
"We need to announce the date of the dance today. Like, right now." Hermione told him, gesturing to her watch, her own little way of saying that they did not have a lot of time. Draco sighed, he had barely sat down! He snatched the bagel out of her hand and bit down on it, wanting to get her back for making him lose breakfast-time.
"Hey!" she protested. "That was mine!"
He sneered at her. "Keyword being 'was'." He ate on the bagel, over exaggerating his chews. Hermione muttered 'immature git' under her breath, but he pretended not to hear her.
She scowled and grabbed his wrist, dragging him to the front of the Grand Hall.
Hermione pulled her wand out of her pockets and pointed it to her throat, muttering a spell under her breath. "Ah, ah." she sounded out, her voice magnified. "May I have your attention?" she asked the students. They all looked up at her, pausing in whatever they were doing, whether they were eating or talking.
She continued when she saw that she had the hall's attention. "There will be a dance in about 2 months time, it will be held on Christmas Eve." (A/N I know that not a lot of time passed yet, but let's say it's the middle of October, 'kay?) The Hall burst into excited chatter. "Wait!" Hermione called out. "The dance is 6th and 7th years only!" A majority of the excited students made faces. Many were not happy with this arrangement, seeing that more than two thirds of the whole number of Hogwarts students were yet to be in 6th and 7th year.
A 3rd year raised her hand and started to speak. All eyes were on that girl.
"What if we get invited by an older student as their date?"
Draco scoffed, obviously not believing that a 6th, or 7th, year would invited a 3th year like her as their date. "It is an event related to the love amulet thing." Draco fished out his own amulet, which was glowing due to his close proximity to Hermione, from his robes and held it out. "Now will everybody shut their holes and see what she," Draco pointed at Hermione, "has to say?!"
Hermione resumed speaking, sending him a grateful look. "To come to the dance, one must be with one of their compatibles as their date."
Draco opened his mouth to offer more information. "It's the ministry new stupid idea for the older students to 'get along.' They want us to be closer, I'm guessing next they want to marry us off to each other or something equally ridiculous."
"Uh...yeah." Hermione commented lamely, not even bothering to scold Malfoy for his unprocessed description of the purpose of the dance. She did not want to argue with him already, it was not even noon.
Hermione and Draco stepped down from the pedestal, confirming that they were finished with the announcement. They weaved in and out of the crowds of students that had gotten up, going to their tables to finish their meal.
When Draco got to his table, he found that the seat in front of him, where Blaise had sat, was empty. He stuffed some pancakes into his mouth and searched for the Italian boy.
Hermione sat down in her seat, which was next to Ginny's. Some of the students were already asking their compatibles to be their dates. Almost everyone was excited, well every female in the 6th and 7th year.
Ron groaned in his nearby seat. "Who am I suppose to ask?"
Ginny smirked, finding joy in her brother's depression. "I guess you'll have to ask Parkinson, dear brother. I hear Brown's going out with one of her compatibles, Finnigan. And Luna can obviously do better than you." Ron scowled, and stole her toast as a defense mechanism.
Hermione found another bagel, she had to replace the one that was stolen. She smoothed out some cream cheese on it and proceeded to take a bite. As she chewed on it, someone tapped on her's shoulder. Hermione turned around, still munching on the bread, to see who it was. She smiled up at the ocean blue eyes. She quickly swallowed the last of her toast.
"Oh hi, Evan!" she said.
"Hi." Evan said back. "I know we're not that close yet, but would you like to accompany me to the dance?"
These things always seemed to happen in the mornings.
Disappointed? No? Love it? NO?! Sorry, I'm not good at guessing, I guess you'll just have to tell me :)