A/N: :O It's the Yule Ball! This is actually one of my personal favourites out of all the chapters. Savour it :P
X ; Wintersong
Ten o'clock, Saturday morning, Hermione and Malfoy met the other prefects down in the now empty Great Hall. The long house tables had been replaced with smaller, round ones and they were placed along the sides for now. Hermione gathered the prefects around, and put a large amount of bags on the floor next to her. She used her wand to carry a table to the middle of the hall, and put all of the decorations in a pile on top of it.
"Guys, we're in a hurry," she proclaimed. "It's already past ten o'clock, and the Ball starts at eight, plus we all will need a few hours to get dressed and ready. I suggest you work your best. We will take a lunch break later, but for now work as you've never worked before."
Her obedient prefects nodded vigorously, but watched the messy pile of different decorations on the table with slight confusion.
"And - I never thought I would say this - listen to Malfoy"
He chuckled at that, still standing behind her with his hands crossed over his chest. Every prefect's eyes swung towards him, some of them wearing rather surprised expressions.
"Yes, good people, I will guide you in what to put where and how it should look. I've done this a few times before." He shrugged. "Granger will be a regular on-the-ground worker with the rest of you, since she has no clue what so ever."
"Oh, thank you, Malfoy. That's so kind," she snapped, and he grinned at her before he suddenly straightened up. He raised the volume of his deep voice and began delegating the jobs around to different people.
Soon they were all working fiercely to make the Great Hall perfect. Even Hermione had to admit that the white and silver theme began to look stunning, as she worked with Ginny on setting the tables. Now and again she watched as Malfoy hovered around, correcting or giving advice, and found she liked his bossy side.
"Granger, don't fold the napkins like that," he moaned, and she turned around with her hands glued to her hips.
"What's wrong with this?" she asked indignantly.
"Well for one, it's not the way I said." he smirked, and he came up behind her to show how she should fold them. "It needs to look more elegant."
He was standing close to her, folding the napkins into an elegant swirl, and she sighed. She couldn't possibly do that. She really did have no clue. He watched her expectantly, but she just looked at him in confusion, and he sighed. Dragging her forwards he put his arms around her and guided her through the folds step by step. She swallowed quickly, ignoring how his tall body moved behind her.
Eventually, she got the folding of the napkins and he smiled quickly at her before he yelled out for Ginny to put the silver under the white and then the other white on top of the silver again.
"You really have an air for this," she commented, as she continued folding, and refolded the ones she had already done. "You could organise our wedding."
She suddenly saw his eyebrows shooting so high up that they disappeared under his fringe. "Our wedding?"
"I didn't say that," she muttered in a horrified tone, realising she had said just that, and wondered why on earth she had.
His eyes glittered with amusement. "Yes you did." She shook her head violently, denying it furiously.
"Hermione, you did say that." Ginny chuckled, looking at her in amusement as she put down the eating utensils by the plates they had just finished setting.
"Well I meant your wedding, and my wedding, as in… our weddings," she said, waving her hands furiously in the air in a gesturing manner.
"Yeah, I'm sorry," Malfoy said with a remorseful expression, and she shot him a weak smile. "I won't do it again… Mrs. Malfoy."
He laughed loudly as he turned his back on her and walked up to the prefects decorating the walls. Hermione fumed with embarrassment, feeling her cheeks redden drastically and she stomped her feet angrily towards the floor. She turned around to find Ginny laughing hysterically.
"I spoke before thinking. I didn't mean I wanted to marry Malfoy," Hermione cried, and Ginny shot her a reassuring glance once she managed to drown her own laughter.
"I know you don't, that's why it's so hilarious, you nitwit."
"I just hope he knows that."
"Of course he does. Sure, you get along alright cause you have to, but once you don't have to anymore it'll go straight back to normal," Ginny assured her, and couldn't possibly know how badly those words struck Hermione.
Would it really go back to normal once they were no longer Head Girl and Boy? She didn't know if she liked the thought at all. Against her will, the thought mulled in her mind all afternoon, until Malfoy suddenly called for everyone's attention.
"I know we're not done yet, but we're far enough along that I think we should release the girls, so that they can get ready. Since we all know they need half a day," he said, rolling his eyes and the guys laughed, while the girls chose to ignore his comment and beamed at the thought of being off the hook.
"Really?" Ginny called from her spot behind Hermione.
"Yes, all girls may go beautify themselves." He nodded, and gathered the males up into a group.
The girls ran up the stairs together, all of them heading off to their respective common rooms.
"Want to come get ready with me and the girls?" Ginny asked as Hermione was about to run up to her room.
"Sure," she beamed. "I just have to get my dress."
Not long after, she found herself in her old dormitory with Lavender and Parvati, and seconds later Ginny joined them. The three girls laughed and talked as they got dressed and ready, and Hermione felt comforted by the light atmosphere. It was almost like she was back in old times, making her feel nostalgic and at home.
Hermione slipped into her deep dark red dress, enjoying the cool silk against her skin, and how well it fitted after Madam Lewy had taken it in a bit. She came out of the bathroom she had changed in, and looked down at her feet, smiling at how the fabric danced nicely around them when she walked. As she looked up she met the stricken faces of her two former roommates.
"Hermione!" Lavender squealed. "You look absolutely amazing."
"Really?" Hermione smiled, giving a little twirl.
"Merlin, you've grown up," Parvati cried. She ran over and hugged her fiercely, and Hermione complimented the other girls, who looked great in their own dresses.
"Ron is going to die," Lavender said with a mischievous expression on her face.
"Well, Ron and I are just going as friends," Hermione assured her.
"He agreed to that, but I think he'll regret that tonight," Ginny snickered, reaching out to soften Hermione's hair.
"I hope he doesn't," Hermione said with her head bowed. "I just don't feel that way about him."
"Too bad for him," Lavender commented, as they were all doing the finishing touches. Hermione fought with her hair endlessly, ended up sighing in despair.
"We'll do it for you," Ginny volunteered, and both she and Lavender took out their wands to make Hermione's hair do their biddings. She sighed greatly, wondering for the millionth time why it just wouldn't listen.
When she looked at herself in the mirror, her hair looked better than she ever thought it could have done. It was put up in a messy bun on her head, but long curls framed her face and also emitted from the bun at the back of her head. Sure, the other girls had nicer hairdos, but it was the most controlled she had actually seen her hair before.
"Thanks, you guys." She smiled, touching it delicately, almost refusing to believe how nice it looked compared to what she could do.
"You're welcome, sweetie," Lavender beamed. "Now let's go, we'll be late."
Hermione threw a quick look at the time, and couldn't quite believe they had spent all that time getting ready. She wondered how the Great Hall had turned out, feeling a bit bad for just running out on the guys. As the other girls began leaving, she followed them down the stairs, and noticed their dates waiting down in the common room. Dean was taking Lavender, while Seamus was taking Parvati. Harry looked stricken by the sight of Ginny as she walked up to him, and gave him a quick hug. She really did look ravishing in her emerald dress, Hermione acknowledged, as she walked up to Ron.
Ron looked a lot better in his suit than he had in his ridiculous dress robes, and Hermione gave him a quick peck on the cheek before smiling at him. He looked like someone had smacked him in the face, looking down at her with an absolutely baffled expression. Hermione heard Ginny laugh loudly at her brother's behaviour.
"Ron, be sure to keep your hands to yourself," Ginny reminded him in a teasing tone. "You're going as friends, remember?"
"Let's just get downstairs," Hermione said in exasperation at her friends teasing each other, and they all exited the common room together.
"Who's Neville going with, by the way?" she asked suddenly, looking around.
"Believe it or not, he's taking Luna." Ginny grinned, and Hermione smiled happily at her in slight disbelief.
"Really?"
"Yes, I think it's so cute." Ginny smiled.
"It took him several days to pick up the courage to ask her," Harry snickered. "He was pacing around the common room for hours on end."
"No matter how bad he was, he can't have been worse than Ron," Ginny cried and began laughing hysterically. "It's too embarrassing for me to even bring up around people."
Ron gave her a dirty look, and Hermione just shook her head, her arm hooked comfortably around his. The four couples rounded the last corner of the stair case, and was met with a sight not even Hermione and Ginny was prepared for.
"Oh my lord!" Hermione cried, and she looked at Ginny in utter shock.
The white and silver had looked good when they left, but now it looked beyond amazing. Silver ice crystals were enchanted and hung nicely on the white drapes they had put up, making the room sparkle. Hundreds of candles lit the room nicely, and the tables had been decorated with large crystal centre pieces with white and silver roses, making the look complete. The entire Great Hall sparkled like an ice castle, and Hermione found herself with her hand over her mouth.
"What on earth did he do after we left?" she cried in disbelief, and Ginny was taking it all in with wide eyes as well.
"This is incredible. I bet he sent us off to surprise us," she breathed, grabbing Harry's hand. "Come, let's find a table."
The four of them found a table together, and admired their surroundings in awe. Hermione couldn't believe Malfoy had done all this. He had told her to trust him, and at that moment she was incredibly happy she had. It couldn't have looked any better. She looked around to find him, but was interrupted by Ron, who asked her if the food would come soon.
"Ron, relax. There will be food once McGonagall has held her speech." Hermione smiled, and continued to look around the hall. She finally found him at a table on the other end of the large dance floor, which she noticed had been enchanted to a glowing white. He was sitting next to a beautiful girl with curly, black hair, and he was laughing with her just when Hermione found him among the other Slytherins. She tried to get his attention, but he wasn't looking in her direction.
She turned around in disappointment, and found Ron and Harry once again indulged in a Quidditch discussion. She rolled her eyes in disbelief, and begged for McGonagall to stand up soon, which she probably would, seeing as the Great Hall was quickly filling with beaming couples, and then those who went alone to keep their options open. Hermione caught Neville's eyes and she beamed at him and waved, and he smiled happily back at her, holding his arm securely around Luna. She felt a small stab in her chest at how pleased he looked, and wondered if that could have been her if things had been different.
"Will you two knock it off?" Ginny suddenly exclaimed. "It's the Yule Ball. Neither Hermione, nor myself, want to hear about Quidditch all evening."
"Oh God, thank you Ginny," Hermione breathed quickly, as she had wondered if it would ever stop. The two guys snapped their mouths shut at once, and looked completely embarrassed at this.
They were saved from having to think up anything new to talk about as McGonagall rose from her seat, and the buzzing from the hall ceased immediately.
"My dear students." She smiled. "You all look wonderful. We're celebrating the beginning of another holiday season with this marvellous Yule Ball. The staff hopes you will have fun, dance and eat well with your fellow students before travelling home to your respective families."
Everyone cheered at that, and she kept smiling as she looked at them all.
"As you all have noticed, the Great Hall has been tremendously transformed. This is thanks to our prefects who have been working all day, but even more so thanks to our Head Boy and Girl who have had the entire responsibility for the design and the execution. May I offer my gratitude for a job exceptionally well done," McGonagall said enthusiastically. "May Miss. Granger and Mr. Malfoy please stand up so we can acknowledge your wonderful work?"
Hermione blushed crimson, knowing she had played a part so tiny in this it wasn't even worth a pat on the shoulder, but she got up nonetheless, and accepted the applause from the Hall. As she stood there, she caught Malfoy's eyes and they locked for a moment. She smiled quickly, but he didn't quite return it. Sighing a bit, she returned to her seat just as McGonagall told them to dive in.
A delicious meal appeared on their plates, and everyone began eating hungrily as the conversations ran across the large hall. Hermione ate in silence, though, and she watched Ron as he concentrated immensely on his meal.
"Ron, why are you so quiet?" she asked softly, making sure not to spill anything on her dress.
"It's just… you look so…"
"I'm still Hermione. Remember? Your bossy, know-it-all best friend." She chuckled. "Just talk to me like you always do."
"I don't know if I can."
"Don't you go all lost on me, Ron," she chastised, giving him a stern look.
She tried desperately to keep the conversation going normally as their meal continued, but it continued to remain awkward, and she realised his feelings towards her had changed. It made her uncomfortable that he couldn't treat her as he normally did, and she found herself sighing in despair as she picked at her dessert.
"Look, I know I've been weird all evening," he suddenly said, and she looked at him with a pained expression. "But I promise I'm still myself. You just hit me kind of hard."
She laughed, and hit him playfully on the arm. "It's just a dress and a tiny bit of makeup, Ron. Tomorrow I'm just plain old Hermione."
"Well, I sure hope you aren't planning on wearing gowns on a daily basis," he said smartly.
"Oh no," she said in mock despair. "I was only going to bring my fancy dresses to the Burrow for Christmas."
They gave each other a relieved look, happy that their playful nature was back. The awkward tension had been more than just a little bit awkward. They smiled at each other as McGonagall again asked for their attention.
"I hope you all had a marvellous meal. I know I sure did," she said, and a murmur of confirmation ran through the crowd. "Now it's time for the evening to continue, and I will ask the Head Boy and Girl and their dates to come start the dance for us."
Hermione raised her eyebrows in surprise, and groaned inside; knowing Ron was anything but elegant. But everyone was eyeing them expectantly, and Malfoy and his date were already making their way to the dance floor. She sighed as she saw the elegant movements of the black haired beauty, but forced herself to ignore it, and held her hand out to Ron.
"I can't very well dance with myself," she said as he gave her a doubtful look. "Please."
He eventually rose awkwardly from his chair, and nearly tripped over the leg of it, but he got himself together and held out a hand for her. She grasped it gratefully and smiled reassuringly at him, before walking as gracefully as she could master onto the dance floor. The lights were dimmed, and she threw a quick look at Malfoy who was holding his date with ease, ready to start dancing. He looked just as amazing as she had imagined in a suit. It complimented is broad shoulders and tall figure perfectly, and the black, exquisite fabric contrasted beautifully with his blond hair. She sighed heavily at how good they looked together, and grasped Ron awkwardly in the position McGonagall had thought them years ago.
When the music began playing, the floor suddenly started to sparkle wonderfully and she gasped as Ron led her clumsily across the floor. Her lips parted at the beauty of the dance floor, and she heard all the girls squeal in surprise at the sight. She looked at Malfoy with wonder, and he suddenly met her gaze over the shoulders of his date. He locked his grey eyes with hers, and they kept their eyes fixed on each other as long as they could before they were moved from each other's view. They twirled around, and Hermione had to grab Ron several times to keep him from stumbling over her feet. She watched Malfoy again as he came into view, and she felt a jolt in her stomach at how they seemed to glide around the floor, while she and Ron had a hard time keeping on their feet.
Hermione let out a sigh of relief as the teachers joined them on the floor, hiding them from everyone's gaze. She still had a silly smile stuck on her face, and she let him move her along until the song ended.
"You know dancing isn't my thing," he apologised with a sad smile. "Can't we just sit down a bit?"
"Sure, Ron. I know this must have been difficult, but you did well," she assured him as they made their way back towards the table. Ginny and Harry darted past them just as they sat down, and Hermione watched with a pang of jealousy as Harry pressed Ginny close and swung her around with a sheepish grin on his face. Ginny beamed at him, and soon rested her head on his shoulder.
"They're so happy," Hermione smiled, sending Ron a pleased look.
"Yeah, I just hope he stops being such a git about her so called safety," Ron growled, surprising her immensely.
"I thought you would be the only one to agree with him," Hermione said with her eyebrow raised.
"It's idiotic. She's probably in more danger without him, to be honest. They already know he has feelings for her, so it won't make a difference if he keeps her away."
"I never knew you felt that way," Hermione said, looking at the couple as they danced all too slowly for the upbeat song. They looked amazing together.
"I can surprise," he said with a slight smile, and she nodded absently, catching herself in looking for Malfoy yet again.
"Want to dance?" someone said from behind her, and she turned around with a smile. She gave Ron a questioning look, and he waved her off.
"I don't care to dance, but you should." He grinned, finding some of their classmates sitting by another table.
"Thanks, I'd love to dance," Hermione beamed, and took Seamus' hand. He led her onto the dance floor, where they swung around laughing and talking.
She spent the evening dancing with her friends, several guys from the DA also wanting to dance with her. She had a fantastic time, knowing this was the last year she had with her friends. To make the best of it had become her newest goal as she rediscovered how great they truly were.
As the song stopped and Neville bowed formally to her, making her laugh, Harry cut in and swung her around in a grand gesture.
"You seem to be having a good time." He smiled as they moved among the other dancing couples.
"Oh, it's been great. I've been dancing around with all our male friends," she snickered, feeling so incredibly elegant as she swung across the sparkling floor.
"I've noticed."
"You seem to be having a nice time with Ginny," Hermione said, looking at her friend who was now sitting by the table talking to Ron, Dean and Lavender.
"Yeah, I forgot how much I love being around her. I miss her a lot," he said with his head slightly bowed.
"Both Ron and I think you're being silly," Hermione told him sternly. "You can't protect her by leaving her alone, and especially not since it's Ginny. You know her well enough to know she won't stay away for the world."
"I just can't have another person's death on my consciousness. I can't," he said in a pained voice.
"Harry, I'm going to level with you and say that I don't think you can avoid people dying in this war. But I also don't think you should think about this now," she said gently, and turned around to find Ginny bowing ridiculously beside her.
"May I cut in?" she asked, and Hermione nodded, about to let her have Harry, but Ginny pushed Harry out of the way and gripped Hermione's hands.
She laughed loudly, and the two girls danced across the floor, making several people grin amusedly at them.
"I know this is not socially acceptable, but I want to dance with my best friend, who looks ravishing today," Ginny said in an overly polite voice.
"It's a pleasure," Hermione replied, and they continued to joke around with each other.
Hermione soon noticed that several other girls followed their example, and danced around with their friends. Soon enough, the floor was covered in chuckling girl friends dancing with each other. Hermione and Ginny grinned and waved as they passed Lavender and Parvati, but both girls stopped in shock as they turned to their right.
Right beside them, Malfoy and Zabini were gliding elegantly along the floor together, and gave them aristocratic waves as they passed. The two girls burst out laughing, watching the two boys – obviously both skilled dancers – dance across the floor as if they were a royal couple. They came to a halt beside them and gave a quick bow, as Hermione and Ginny gave a short applause.
"Oh, I have to dance with a girl now, or my masculinity will be permanently damaged," Zabini cried and grabbed Ginny.
"I put you in the hospital wing mere weeks ago," Ginny said with her eyebrows raised.
"As long as you're female I wouldn't have cared even if you had shut me in Moaning Myrtle's, toilet giving me a slow and painful death by seduction from a ghost," he proclaimed, and she laughed as he pulled her away from Hermione.
Hermione turned slowly to Malfoy and gave him a weak smile. She knew as he stood there that she wanted nothing more at that moment than to dance with him, feel him move her gently across the floor with his arms around her. He was about to speak, when someone suddenly tugged him on the arm, and he turned away from her. Beside him stood the fair-skinned girl he had been dragging along all evening and Hermione felt the unfairness of the situation tear at her.
"Draco, come dance with me," the girl cooed, dragging at his arm impatiently.
"I thought I'd…"
"You've got to save me. Vincent is trying to make me dance with him," she cried, looking absolutely desperate.
"Saving you from Crabbe is quite the noble mission. Yes, I'll dance," he replied, and departed with a long look at Hermione.
She tried not to let the disappointment get to her as she walked slowly back to their table, where she found Ron in deep conversation with Lydia, a girl in Ginny's year. She sat down with them and chatted cheerfully for a while, before Ron asked Lydia to dance. Hermione looked after them with a smile, and then found herself sitting alone by the table. Looking around, she took a large sip of her punch before turning her attention to the beautiful centrepiece on the tables. Malfoy really had done a magnificent job with the place.
Ginny suddenly came up and dragged her away into a three-way dance with her and Harry and they shared the last dance of the evening, enjoying each other's company among the students with flushed cheeks and happy smiles. All of them were out on the dance floor now, even if not all of them danced in the traditional couple formation.
When the music stopped, students began piling out in smaller groups at a time, all seemed to be pleased with the Ball, at least that seemed to be the general opinion.
"Are you coming, Hermione?" Ginny asked as Harry dragged her towards the entrance.
"I'm going to stay behind and see if they need some help tidying up," Hermione called, and Ginny nodded with a smile before they disappeared.
Hermione looked around for Malfoy, hoping he too had thought of staying behind, but she couldn't see his blond head anywhere. She felt a bit disheartened that he didn't try harder to see her at all, but then again she had been the first to say they couldn't possibly go to the dance together.
She gave up on her search, and walked up to her Headmistress instead. McGonagall was ordered the teachers around, and she even saw House elves beginning to surface to clean up after the students.
"Oh, good evening, Ms. Granger," McGonagall smiled. "You look very nice tonight."
"Thank you, Professor." Hermione smiled. "I've had a fantastic time. I was just checking if you needed help getting the Great Hall back into shape again"
"Oh no, my dear. You did more than enough earlier today. The teachers and the elves are handling the aftermath," her professor promised and ushered her out of the Great Hall. Hermione sighed, not at all feeling like she wanted to go back to the common room and get out of her gorgeous dress.
Suddenly she felt someone tug at her dress, and looked down to find a tiny house elf wiggling its ears. It held out a little white note, and she took it with a distant look in her eyes.
"It was wedged under your plate, Miss."
Hermione looked at it, thinking it was empty, and wondered why the elf had bothered to give it back to her.
"Thank you," she smiled nonetheless, and the elf beamed as it disappeared back into the hall.
Hermione stared dumbfounded at the empty piece of paper, until ink suddenly appeared letter by letter across it. Her eyes grew wider and wider, and she clutched the note in her fist as she began darting up the staircase.
Meet me on the roof.
She looked down on the white note again, and noticed that the letters had disappeared on their own after she had read it. Letting it fall carelessly to the floor, she ignored the angry shrieks of the portrait about littering and she ran as fast as her semi-high heels would let her.
She grew momentarily confused of the direction, as she had only been there once before. But she forced herself to calm down, and eventually reached a familiar hallway. She slowed down once she turned the corner and saw the window at the very end of it. Her steps echoed through the hallway, and competed with the sound of her pounding heart.
Soon, she reached the window, and climbed through it without even thinking twice. Comfortably warm air immediately swung towards her, and even if she was standing on the outside, it felt like a comfortable inside temperature. She looked down, but her shoes were standing steadily on a few inches of snow, making her certain it must have been a complicated heat charm. It was dark around her, and she looked around in slight alarm. Had she come too late? Had he gone back, grown tired of waiting for her to come?
The roof suddenly lit up as a small lantern glowed eerily near the edge of it. Hermione looked towards it, and found him standing tall, looking straight at her. Her face broke into a wide smile at the sight of his perfect features, his steel grey eyes that could convey so much more emotion than she could ever have guessed and the blond hair she loved to see out of place and unruly.
"May I have the last dance of the evening?" he asked, holding out his arms in the right position. A small wave of emotion swam through her, knowing this was what she had been wanting all evening. She put her right arm in his and her left hand up towards his shoulder as he gripped her around the waist. Hermione couldn't believe how well she fit against him. How it felt like she was made to slide against him to dance.
"There's no music, I'm afraid. I guess I could try to hum a bit, but I think you'd prefer no music," he said in amusement.
He began leading her carefully across the snow with strong arms, gliding and swirling in neatly planned movements. It felt just like she had imagined. It was as if she didn't even need to move her own feet, she only needed to hold on. She felt almost as if she was floating without touching the ground, and his firm arms lead her around the small roof elegantly. She more felt than saw him look at her, and she raised her head to meet his eyes. They were free of every ounce of mockery, arrogance and spite she had ever seen there before, and she met nothing but comfortable warmth and softness as she let herself drown in them.
He slowed their pace down gradually until they were moving in one spot, and he let go of her small hand to put both hands around her waist in a tight embrace. She rested her head against his chest and drew her breath shakily, wondering since when life had become so ironic. Why the one thing that couldn't be more wrong felt so right.
"Draco," she whispered, her voice becoming muffled by the fabric of his suit. He answered by running his hand over her back, and his fingers graced her exposed neck, sending small beams of heat all over.
"Did you like my surprise earlier?" he asked, and she felt his chest vibrate as he spoke.
"The Great Hall looked wonderful," she beamed. "I had no idea you were going to do that when we left."
"I made it for you," he said slowly. "Only for you. Even if I couldn't be the one to take you to it."
She raised her head from his chest and looked at him in disbelief. He had wanted just as badly to be there with her as she had wanted to be there with him, even if she hadn't quite acknowledged it.
"And then I saw you enter. You fit in perfectly, just like I imagined you would," he spoke, almost as if she wasn't there… almost as if he was talking to someone who hadn't been there at all. "You outshone anyone in the room. No one could compare to you in any way. And then that Weasel dragged you around the floor as if you were a bag of potatoes, when I wanted nothing more than to give you the moment you deserved."
"I've got it now." She smiled, overwhelmed by happiness at that second. The Yule Ball had been lovely and fun, but this was perfect.
"So, I'm a better dancer than Krum?" he asked, getting those cute wrinkles by his eyes as he laughed. She nodded breathlessly as a smile played on her own lips.
He looked down into her face and smiled gently, before stroking one of her curls away from her face. Her breath caught in her throat as he held his hand over her cheek, letting his thumb caress her cheekbone. His face came so close she could feel his breath tickle her lips and her chin long before she realised what was happening. She felt her heart pound uncomfortably in her chest. She wondered if he could feel it, when his body pushed against hers, and he let his lips grace her own. As he deepened the kiss almost desperately, she could feel her walls crumble inside her, letting every sensible thought she had ever possessed disappear from her mind. She only wanted to return what he gave her, and answered his tongue with the same hunger for real passion.
"Better kisser than Krum too," she said with a wink as their lips broke apart.
"I should hope so." He chuckled. "I would hate to think I make you shudder at the mere thought."
"Not in a bad way," she replied cheekily, and he gave her an appraising look. Their lips met again quickly before she wrapped herself out of his embrace and swung towards the window. He let go of her hand reluctantly, but she sat down on the sill looking at him with her head inclined.
"Aren't you coming back to the common room?"
"No," he replied with a sad smile. "I wouldn't want to ruin this fairytale by returning to everyday life just yet. Going back with you would only remind me what life is normally like."
She swung her legs over the sill, and stood safely on the hallway floor. "You're right. Good night, Draco."
"Good night, Hermione."
A/N II: I hope you all enjoyed this :D
And I have a treat for you all. There was a really cute graphic made, based on the ending of this chapter :D
http // www . deviantart . com / deviation / 53260559 /
I hope the link will show since I added spaces to it. So be sure to remove all the spaces after you copied the link :)
And thanks for all reviews, guys! You make my day!