Chapter Ten: The Halloween Ball (Part 1)
Hermione ran round the great hall making sure that everything she and Draco had prepared was in place. She was standing in the center of the changed hall and looked at her checklist. "Pumpkins…check. Candles…check. Sound effects…" A low rumble ran through the hall and Hermione smiled. "Check. Ghosts…" she jumped backwards as nearly headless Nick popped up from the ground in front of her. She giggled and watched as he floated away. "Double check. Food…check. Tables, chairs etc…check." She wondered round the room making sure her list was complete. She hadn't noticed Draco standing in one of the dark corners staring at her. He smirked and decided that whilst she was here, it was the best time to tell her about Dumbledore's requests.
As soon as her back was turned and she put her list on one of the tables, Draco made a dash for her. He snuck up and quickly pinched the list before she had time to notice his presence. She jumped out of her seat as he touched her shoulder. "Dammit, Draco…don't do that!" she hissed at him whilst regaining focus. He smirked and walked away looking at her list. She ran after him. "Malfoy give that back to me…" he stopped abruptly and she crashed in him, causing them both to topple over. "Why Miss Granger, do you honestly believe this is the time or the place for such…advances?" he smirked at her flustered look. She ushered herself off of him and scanned the room, luckily there was no one around. Draco jumped up in front of her and she stumbled backwards. He quickly grabbed her round her waist and drew her in close.
Hermione had put her hands on his chest as soon as he pulled her in close. She could feel his heart pounding. Her heart suddenly picked up and felt as though it would burst out of her chest. She looked up and saw his deep blue/grey eyes piercing into her hazel eyes. She noticed just how pale his hair was and how tall he was. Her breaths came short as Draco dropped her list and traced his hand gently down her face, her neck. He snaked his hand to the back of her neck and pulled her closer.
Hermione gasped as his lips touched hers. She closed her eyes and moved closer wrapping her arms round his neck. Draco toyed with her lips with his tongue, beckoning them to open and was granted entrance. His embrace tightened, deepening their kiss. Draco's hand worked its way up into her long hair and pulled slightly making her moan into his mouth. He growled and began to make the kiss more passionate and deep as he could. Hermione was caught off guard and was thankful for his hold on her. Her legs became weak and she leaned into Draco even more.
A few of the decorations fell down causing a loud crash that made them both freeze. They pulled apart gasping for air. Hermione felt like she was going to fall down so she rested her head on his shoulder. Their embrace loosened, but neither one pulled away.
A few minutes later, Hermione pulled out of Draco's embrace. They stood staring at each other. Another low rumble sounded and they both smiled. "Err…Hermione…" Draco started to stumble on his words. Hermione stood there, holding back her giggles. "What's so funny?" she shook her head and regained her composure. "Go on Draco…" he was blushing furiously. He moved closer and lifter her chin to meet his eyes. "Tell me what's so funny…or do I have to force it out of you?" she smiled and her eyes sparkled. "You may just have to do that." He smiled again and was about to kiss her again when…
"Well I must say, you two really have done wonders for tonight." Both Hermione and Draco stepped apart and saw Professor Dumbledore walking backwards and surveying the room. "Although it would appear a few things have fallen down in the corner. Hermione smiled at Draco, "We know Professor, and we just needed to check the list first." In this response that Hermione had made, Draco bent down and grabbed the list by Hermione's foot; he smirked and gently let his hand stroke her calf causing her to move backwards.
As soon as Draco had stood up again, Dumbledore turned round and faced them. "Well I suggest that you fix that corner then proceed to get dressed. We wouldn't want our hosts to be late for their grand entrance now, would we?" he smiled, winked and walked out the room, leaving the two teenagers alone.
"What does he mean 'grand entrance'?" Hermione asked herself out loud. She looked at Draco who had everything written all over his face. "YOU KNEW! AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME! DRACO MALFOY YOU ARE SUCH AN ASS!" He grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her quick. That stopped her ranting at him. He pulled her out at arm's length and looked at her frustrated face. "I was about to tell you before he walked in. Actually, I was going to tell you before…listen, I know its last minute but…Hermione would you go to the Halloween ball with me, please" Stunned by his speech, she shook off his hands and went to the corner to fix the decorations. Draco wasn't sure what to do and quickly followed.
She stayed silent and didn't look at him once. They had fixed the problem in 5 minutes. She stood still, breathed in and looked at him.
This has to be the craziest thing I'm about to do! What am I saying? We just kissed…what a great kiss…
She took hold of his hands. Looked him in the face and gave her response. "Yes." Draco was shocked. "You're saying 'yes' to go with me to the ball?" She giggled and kissed him on the check. "Of course I am. I would love to go to the ball with you." A large smile widened Draco's face and he pulled her into a tight embrace. "Draco…" he pulled back, still holding onto her. "We should get ready." He grabbed her hands and kissed them, then pulled her towards the doors. "Wait! He stopped, looking back confused. "You go on up, I need to grab my things." He pulled her close and kissed her again and then left her. She walked towards her things and sat down.
"Draco Malfoy has kissed me." She screamed into the air and heard it echo back at her. She jumped up and ran for their common room. As she ran out of the hall, she remembered she had forgotten her things. She ran back and bolted out the room.