(This is my Harry Potter/Cinderella Story fanfic and I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Basically, this is the plotline of A Cinderella Story but to Harry Potter, with some slight alterations.

I don't own the characters; they belong to JK Rowling and her fabulous imagination. The plotline isn't mine either. So nothing belongs to me really.)

Chapter Ten

Hermione turned around, her dress swishing. Her eyes fell upon someone she recognised but couldn't place a finger on who it was. 'He is dressed like someone out of Shakespeare but not Romeo. Is he Confused Dragon?' she asked herself 'and if he is, who is he. I just can't…think who he is.'

"Hermione, is that you?" the voice behind the mask asked and Hermione gasped, clasping her hands over her mouth in realization.

"Neville?! You're Confused Dragon?"

Neville Longbottom nodded; slightly confused at the dragon part Hermione was talking about.

"How are you Hermione, you look wonderful. Can I get you a drink?" he asked politely as he bowed before her. Hermione, slightly disappointed that Confused Dragon was Neville, nodded. He disappeared into the crowds.

Draco was only two metres away from his Juliet when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned and he was once again in awe of her beauty. He watched as the two conversed and then the male disappeared into the crowd. Draco took this as his chance to meet her. He stepped forward and whispered in her ear.

"Misunderstood Muggle-born?"

Hermione jumped as a silky voice whispered in her ear. She turned, yet again, and came face to face with a very handsome, masked young man wearing Shakespearian clothes. 'Phew, Neville wasn't Confused Dragon. This must be him.' She looked at his costume. That was how she imagined Romeo. This person's costume was in the same colours as her – red and gold. Whoever he was, he looked amazing in the costume. As if he was going to start spouting Shakespeare quotes any minute now. Just then she noticed his hair. White-blonde. And his eyes, she noticed those next. Grey. Hermione's eyes widened behind her mask.

"Draco Malfoy?" Hermione's jaw dropped. "You're Confused Dragon?"

'Confused Dragon is Draco Malfoy. This can't be. Draco is an evil, mean little cockroach who has bullied me for years because I'm muggle-born. He can't be the nice young man I know and trust to be Confused Dragon. But, he must be. All these times he's told me he plays up to a character and lives behind a façade. That no-one knows the real him and how he wants to be a medi-wizard. Everyone expects him to be a death eater or something. Maybe…maybe Draco is decent after all. He says he doesn't mind muggle-born and he's already accepted me, but will he accept me when he finds out who I am…Hermione Granger. Do I tell him?'

Hermione opened her mouth to speak. She closed it.

"I know my costume isn't good at hiding who I am." Draco apologized, spreading his arms.

"No, I know exactly who you are." Hermione snarled slightly "I'm sorry, it was a mistake coming here tonight."

Hermione hitched up her skirt and walked away from Draco. Draco was surprised, and he followed her.

"Wait…wait." He grabbed her arm, turning her around. "It isn't a mistake."

"Do you even know who I am?" Hermione asked, her caramel eyes blazing behind her mask.

"Of course I do!" Draco exclaimed, throwing his arms up. "You're Misunderstood Muggle-born. You're the girl I've been waiting to meet. I know exactly who you are! What's your name?"

Before Hermione could do or say anything a voice announced.

"I'm back with our drinks"

The person followed the voice. Neville stood there with two drinks in his hands. He looked from Hermione to this stranger and noticed the similarity in their costumes. This stranger, whoever he was, was wearing a Romeo-styled costume in the same shades of red and gold. "Oh…you've got a date. Sorry." Neville was about to walk away when he also noticed who this person was, "Draco Malfoy?"

Draco sighed. Too many people were recognizing him. 'Damn this uncommon hair.' He laughed to himself inwardly.

"Demetrius, I presume?" Draco looked at the costume of the rounded young man before him.

"Close…Lysander." Neville smiled, surprised at how…nice…Draco was being. Neville pinned it down to the fact that Draco hadn't recognised him as a Gryffindor, which probably meant Draco didn't know he was talking to Hermione. Neville handed the drink to Hermione, grinned and then disappeared into the crowd. Hermione was pleased he hadn't used her name, otherwise Draco would realize who she was and probably dismiss her.

"What about Pansy, your girlfriend?" Hermione inquired.

"It's over."

From the far corner of the dance room Pansy and her friends looked over. She could see her ex-boyfriend talking to a girl. She scowled.

"So I guess you were expecting some studious looking guy who spends his time in the library researching healing spells." Draco stated simply.

"Something like that. Come on. You're Draco Malfoy. Slytherin muggle-hater and a popular icon here at school. And a wannabe medi-wizard with a heart? You can't be both people."

"I'm not!" Draco defended himself.

"So who are you?" Hermione asked.

Draco paused before answering.

"Remember three days ago I wrote 'I live in a world full of people thinking I'm someone I'm not, and when I talk to you…"

"I'm who I want to be.'" Hermione finished his own quote off for him.

"Give me a chance to be that guy. Take a stroll in the grounds with me?"

Hermione stared appraisingly at Draco. She nodded. Draco offered her hand and she took it.

Across the room Harry and Ron were talking with their dates. Harry noticed Hermione and her 'date'. He elbowed Ron and the two of them stared. They grinned at each other before resuming their conversations with their dates.

Draco and Hermione walked outside to find it had also been decorated. A small courtyard was there for the students to use, with wonderful flowers climbing up wooden supports. There was a pathway covered with an arching tunnel-like structure, also covered with flowers, and what looked like faeries fluttering around. The two students walked slowly underneath it.

"Would you tell me who you were if I guessed it right?" Draco asked.

"Maybe." Hermione smiled, shrugging her shoulders.

"Well, can I ask you a few questions?" Draco asked hopefully. "Say…ten?"

"How about five?"

"I'll take what I can get." He joked, spreading his arms. He turned to Hermione.

"First question. You are actually a student at Hogwarts right?"

"Of course!" said Hermione as she laughed.

"Just checking, you never know. Okay. Given the choice would you rather go to a Quidditch match for a mindless game of Quidditch, or to the library to curl up with a good book?"

"The library," Hermione answered immediately. "But what was the point of that question?"

"Well, you just eliminated over four/fifths (4/5) of the girls at this school." Draco replied. "Besides, I was curious as to see your answer. I know you like books, but I didn't know if you liked Quidditch or not."

"From the sound of the question it sounds like you don't either."

"I don't, but people expected me to play. I only joined the team because Potter got in during first year and my father wouldn't stand for me being second best to him. I was made to play. I don't like it that much really. I also went to the world cup but that was boring and dire, then there was that whole death-eater thing. I ran into Potter and his friends that time, but I managed to steer them and Hermione from danger, without raising suspicion." Hermione was shocked by this revelation, but didn't show it. "Anyway, enough of Quidditch. Next question. Were you disappointed when you found out I was Draco Malfoy?"

"Surprisingly no." said Hermione, shocked that she had admitted that.

Draco smiled. He turned to Hermione and Hermione to him.

"You have such beautiful eyes." Hermione blushed, averted her gaze and walked onwards, Draco followed. They continued to walk until they reached a small, beautiful gazebo.

"If I asked you to dance, would that count as a question?"

Draco offered Hermione his hand. She giggled and took it, as he led her to the Gazebo.

"But there's no music." She said.

"It doesn't matter." He brought Hermione's hand up to his shoulder, and placed his on her waist. They joined hands and started to sway. They were surprised when music appeared magically from no-where. They smiled to each other and danced.

"Are you out of questions?" Hermione asked as they danced.

"Do you believe in love at first sight?"

Hermione paused. She cocked her eyebrow as she searched Draco's eyes with her own.

"I'll let you know." Draco nodded.

"But I've seen you before?" Draco asked.

"Yes."

"How could I have seen you and not know you are now."

"Maybe you were looking, but you weren't seeing. You have one last question." She reminded him.

Draco smiled, walked to the edge of the gazebo, picked a rose and came back to her. He held it out for her to take.

"Do you, Misunderstood Muggle-born, regret meeting me tonight?"

"No. Now let me ask you something. Do you want to see me again after tonight?"

Draco paused as if thinking and Hermione frowned. Then he grinned to let her know he was messing around.

"Absolutely." He reached up to cup her face, about to kiss her when they were distracted by a clock chiming. Hermione pulled back. "I have to go." She walked off extremely quickly, holding up her skirts, unable to believe she'd almost kissed Draco Malfoy.

Draco ran after her, but she had disappeared, leaving behind only her scent and the memory of her eyes gazing into his.