I'm two chapters ahead right now, but couldn't help myself. I've just been in a writing mood recently and have to keep going. I'm super excited to keep the story moving, and I hope you guys like it.
Special thanks to Pokegirlsil for the always positive feedback!
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The day had gone by quickly. Hermione was nervous about the party, but also kind of excited. She had never been to something like this before. They had been making strides with the apothecary too. Earlier they had practiced making phone calls, so that they could order supplies much quicker and more efficiently. They had officially found sources for ninety percent of the materials they wished to carry, so the apothecary was really coming together.
Before they left for the party, she put the dress on, along with a little more makeup than usual. She even tamed her curls into a neat the dress wasn't what she usually liked, it hugged her body well. When she looked in the mirror, Hermione thought that she cleaned up well and she was finally excited to go.
Draco had dressed up nicely too, not to her surprise of course. He wore a dark, double-breasted coat that went mid thigh, along with a crisp white shirt and a thin black tie. His hair always looked more polished than hers, and today was no exception.
"You look lovely," he told her.
"As do you," she chimed.
"Before we go, just a reminder that the mother is Nancy and the daughter is Elizabeth. They have an older son named James and a younger daughter named Evaline, who is currently enrolled at the Salem Witches Institute, and Elizabeth graduated last year. They have influence on the school, so it is important to keep good relations with them. There shall be others who have children at the school or are currently there, so keep that in mind. And of course, be polite."
"Aren't I always?" she joked. "I should be telling you that."
After sharing a smile, he took her by the hand and together they apparated to the house.
Well, it was more of a mansion. Hermione gazed, in awe, of the size and majesty. It was a red brick house with four columns that were two stories high in the middle. Hermione counted four chimneys and at least twenty six windows in the front of the house. Six of her parents' home could have fit into the one house.
They hadn't stopped holding hands, and together they walked down the long driveway to the door. They were greeted by Elizabeth, and Draco gave her a bottle of champagne that Hermione hadn't noticed before. They were welcomed into a large hall and from there they went into the living room. There were at least fifty people in the room, and still plenty of area to spare. With his hand on her waist, Draco introduced her to many people, before breaking off and telling her to mingle.
She started out with someone who must have been Evaline. She had the same honey hair and huge hazel eyes as her sister, and she couldn't have been much younger than hermione.
"Hi!" Hermione started. "I'm Hermione Granger, Draco's plus-one."
"It's wonderful to meet you. I've heard so many things about you." She didn't know if she meant in the wizarding world or from Draco.
"Hopefully all good things," Hermione joked.
"Of course. Draco speaks very highly of you." Hermione felt butterflies inside her when she heard that Draco was talking about her.
"How do you like the school? Draco told me that you're currently attending the Salem Witches' Institute."
"It's great. I know that you two are working on the Apothecary. I've heard some teachers talking about it, and think that everyone is excited. You should have no problem getting customers."
"That's really great," she responded. We've been working so hard, but I think that everything is coming together.
"I'm so glad to hear that, Evaline told her. Changing the conversation, she stated, "you should see the way that Draco looks at you. He keeps glancing over." Hermione looked in his direction, and they met eyes, before he pulled away. "He really adores you," she continued. "How long have you been together?"
"Together? No... we're not." Hermione was blushing now.
"My apologies," she laughed. "But by the way it looks, you two could be… Anyway, I must head over to the kitchen to check on dinner." Hermione didn't know what to say.
Next she talked to two more people. The first was a man named Stephen, slightly older than Hermione, who was very obviously flirting, but couldn't take a hint. She also talked with a mother of a young girl at the school. She has a son too, but since there are no boys' schools in the area, he is at Durmstrang. It seemed a little far to send a kid to Hermione, but she wasn't going to tell the mother that.
Before she got the chance to talk to more people, the bell was rung for dinner, so she met Draco and walked over to the dining room. There were seven large, circular tables with name cards on each. They found theirs next to a family and an older couple from Germany. After introducing themselves, Draco did most of the talking, though Hermione was okay with that. They were served a four course meal, and Hermione was glad that her dress was black, because she spilled on it twice.
After they ate, everyone headed to the ballroom, which was filled with dancing and a live violinist and pianist duo. Hermione didn't even know that people still had dances at parties other than weddings.
She started the first dance with Draco, but being rather clumsy, she had to stop herself from falling the whole time. High heels were not her friend. Apparently ballroom dancing was a very important skill in the Malfoy household. It was obvious that he had taken lessons, and all she had to go on was the waltz, which her mother had taught her, and a year of ballet lessons. To make a long story short, he was trying to slowly teach her some of the dance, but ended up lifting her up half the time so that she wasn't tripping over herself.
She then danced with the kind German man, who sat at their table. Thankfully, he was a slower dancer, so she was able to catch up. Stephen, the flirt from earlier tried to dance with her next, but wasn't prepared for her two left feet and wasn't as skilled as Draco, so it was more of a shuffle. A fast song came next, and she danced with Elizabeth, who whispered that Draco was staring at her the whole time. This time when she looked over, his attention was diverted. He caught her eye soon, though, and walked over, stealing her away from Elizabeth.
"I'm sorry," Hermione told him, "I don't really know what I'm doing."
He smiled and pulled her into the hall, close enough that they could still hear the music, but far enough that they had more space. Then he walked her through the steps. His hand rested on her hip and hers on his shoulder as she slowly followed his footsteps and movements. She hoped that he could not feel her heart pounding. They kept eye contact and eventually, Hermione got the hang of it. He suggested going back into the ballroom, but she interjected saying, "no, this is nice." She wasn't sure why she said it. It was awkward and nerve wracking just to be dancing with him, and worse when they were alone, but for some reason, she wanted to stay with him. When he smiled, she felt warmth, and smiled back.
After another dance, she grabbed his hand and led them back into the room. She saw Elizabeth's excited expression, and wondered what this meant. It couldn't be anything, right? Well it seemed more than the work associates title they'd been keeping, and it was more than friends too. She just decided to trust the good feelings and see where they led her.
...
This is one of my shorter chapters, but I wanted to end it here. And I'm working on the next right now, so don't worry!
I don't usually do this, but I was thinking of Rihanna's Love on the Brain when writing the scene where Draco is teaching Hermione, so if anyone likes that aid, let me know. When she sings, "played like a violin" i kept thinking of some sort of slow dip on Hermione's part. If a bunch of people like song recommendations, I'll add them at the beginning of each chapter.
Please leave comments and responses; they really help me get the words out. I'm hoping to get to (at least) 20 reviews by the end of January.
