Hermione took one last look at herself in the mirror and was pleased with the dress she had brought. It was very pretty and flouncy and Hermione knew she looked good in it. Today had been very busy but it had all gone well. The visitors had arrived mid morning and been introduced to the committee.

There were 3 boys and 3 girls in the party, all Year 6 or 7. Hermione had found them all very polite and pleasant and she had been given the task of showing a couple of them around the castle. Fabien and Alexander had been perfect guests and Hermione had liked them both a lot.

The arrangements for tonight were all in place and Hermione began to feel like she could start to relax.

"Hey, are you ready?" Ginny asked walking up to her. "Ooh! You look lovely, Hermione."

"Thank you, so do you."

Ginny grinned at her and did a little curtsey. "Who needs boys to compliment us when we are doing such a good job ourselves?"

Hermione looked her friend up and down. "Our visitors' jaws are going to drop when you walk in with Draco. You two are going to look amazing."

"Huh! It isn't me that looks amazing with Draco," Ginny said giving Hermione a nudge. "That dance was...well it was wow!"

"Are you OK about that, Ginny? It was just a dance." Hermione said.

"No it wasn't! It was like the two of you could read each other's minds." Ginny said completely honestly. "I like it that you're getting on with him, it would be horrible if you still hated one another, so stop worrying about it. I'm kind of liking things just how they are at the moment."

Before Hermione could ask Ginny to elaborate someone was calling them from the Common Room so the girls descended the stairs and headed for the hall with their friends. Blaise and Draco were waiting for them outside the hall and Blaise made a big deal of running across the entrance hall as Hermione came down the main staircase and helping her descend them. She giggled at his flamboyant gesture and he linked her arm through his with a smile. He then surveyed them both for a moment, grabbing Ginny by the shoulders and turning her all the way round before nodding.

"Yes, not bad," he said.

Ginny and Hermione stared at him both trying not to smile. "Not bad?" Ginny asked indignantly. "Do you realise how long we've spent getting ready only to be greeted with not bad!"

Blaise winked at her. "Yes, you look OK I suppose."

She hit him over the head with her evening bag. "I hate you."

"Liar."

They stared at each other for a minute and Hermione watched their exchange with interest.

"Ginny, you look stunningly gorgeous." Draco said and offered Ginny his arm. "Is that better?"

Ginny took it and grinned at him and gave Blaise a glare from the corner of her eye.

"That will do very nicely thank you."

Blaise wrinkled his nose at Draco. "Such a suck up!" he muttered with a grin that Draco returned. "He obviously thinks you don't deserve a compliment, Hermione."

Hermione laughed at them both. "We haven't even entered the hall yet and you two have done nothing but mess around," she said. "I'm not sure I can stand a whole night of this!"

She and Blaise went to step forward and enter the hall but Draco briefly let go of Ginny's arm and stepped in front of them. He took Hermione's hand and squeezed it.

"Ignore my dear friend, Hermione. Of course you deserve a compliment as well. You look beautiful and when your toes are sore, just come and find me."

Ginny laughed at the expression on Blaise's face and they all entered the hall. It looked lovely and Hermione felt a little emotional. It was going to be a good night and it was down to their hard work.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Hermione sat heavily in her chair, her feet aching. The evening was going really well but she'd been kept very busy looking after some of their guests and making sure things were running smoothly. The music was in full swing now so she felt she could now relax and enjoy herself. Blaise was no-where to be seen but she wasn't complaining as he had been nothing less than the perfect partner all night, even dancing with her perfectly well, so she was more than happy to let him go off an circulate for a while.

Draco and Ginny were on the dance floor still and she glanced over at them. It was a lively song and they were dancing close together, holding hands both smiling and laughing. Hermione suddenly felt a twinge of something she didn't like and turned away from them. She had no right to feel jealous in any way so she needed to get control of her emotions. They were just dancing with each other. She couldn't help it though and after a few minutes she looked at them again. Draco was holding Ginny and twirling her round and she was giggling. Hermione turned away again and sighed. Wouldn't it just be typical that Ginny would finally get Draco's attention tonight? Just when Hermione had finally admitted to herself that she would quite like some of his attention.

"Has he left you on your own?" Draco's voice broke into her thoughts. Ginny was now dancing with Anthony.

"Yes...I mean no...it's OK." Hermione stuttered over her words.

Draco took the chair next to hers and pulled it closer. "Was that a yes or a no? If you want me to go and drag him back over here I will do so willingly."

Hermione laughed. "No, I'm fine honestly. Blaise has been great actually, even his dancing was OK."

Draco nodded. "No broken toes then?"

"No."

"I heard that." Blaise's voice interrupted them and Draco grinned at his friend.

"I was just checking on Hermione as you'd deserted her." Draco said.

Hermione waved her hands at Blaise. "I didn't say that!"

"No she didn't say it but that doesn't change the facts," Draco said.

"I was getting re-acquainted with our Hogsmeade fan club." Blaise said.

"Oh please!" Ginny's voice came from behind the boys. "Fan club? You really think you're god's gift don't you?"

Blaise turned to face her and answered her briefly. "Yep." He then turned back and leant over to Hermione offering her his hand.

"Would my very lovely partner care to dance with me again?" he asked and with a smile Hermione nodded. She enjoyed dancing with him and contrary to what Draco had told her he wasn't half bad. They danced to several songs and Hermione was having a good time. She noticed that Ginny was dancing with Draco again but she ignored them and focused on Blaise. A new slower song came on and Blaise grabbed Hermione unceremoniously, so they could dance closer. Almost immediately Hermione felt him let her go and another pair of arms slid around her. She glanced over and saw that Blaise and Draco had swapped and Blaise was now dancing with Ginny. Blaise grinned over at her, nodded at Draco and then winked. His focus then moved to Ginny who was already sliding her arms around his neck, seemingly completely happy with the change of partners so Hermione turned away.

"What no protests?" Draco asked her, looking down into her face. "You don't look very happy. Surely dancing with me isn't that bad."

"No, of course not, I just worry when you and Blaise keep trying to match make him with Ginny. He seems like he wants to be with her but there's things neither of you know about that will make it all very complicated." Hermione hadn't meant to say quite this much and she brought her hand up to her mouth.

"Sounds interesting, what sort of things?" Draco asked the obvious question.

"I can't tell you, sorry." Hermione sighed. "But you need to stop encouraging him."

"I'm not trying to match make them." Draco protested.

"Well next time he asks you to swap dance partners say no." Hermione said.

"He didn't ask me to swap partners. It was my idea, I asked him." He shook his head at her exasperated. Blaise's wink to her as they had swapped partners suddenly made sense.

"Oh!"

"I thought it was time you got to dance with a proper partner. That's shut you up hasn't it?" Draco grinned at her expression. Hermione stared at him for a minute feeling the little flutter in her stomach again. Draco moved them round the dance floor elegantly. "You're dancing well by the way, it's because you're not thinking about it." He then did a quick twirl making her grasp his arms. "Anyway, I think you're wrong about Ginny, despite you're little secret. She's always flirting with Blaise and look how they are dancing now."

Hermione glanced across at them. "It's just that I know Ginny isn't in to him," Hermione said, knowing she was sailing a little too close to telling Draco the truth.

Draco raised his eyes to the ceiling. "Well I hate to contradict you but she looks totally into him if you ask me."

"See that's what I mean, you were dancing with Ginny earlier and I could have believed the same of the two of you. So looks can be deceiving and Ginny is still insisting that they are just friends, like us." Hermione began to wonder if someone had been slipping her alcohol because her tongue seemed to have a life of its own.

"I definitely haven't danced with Ginny like that tonight, Hermione. I would definitely have remembered." Draco looked across at the other couple again. "You seem very sure of yourself despite what is right in front of your eyes. And I know you're wrong."

"I'm not wrong."

"Well I am so confident that she likes him I am willing to have a bet with you. They will be a couple by the end of the month." Draco nodded his head at her.

Hermione grinned. Well this was a bet she was willing to take, having the little bit of very important information that Draco didn't have.

"OK, what's the wager?"

Draco looked at her suspiciously because she had agreed so readily.

"You have to create that list of Hogwarts sexiest boys you were on about and put me at the top. Then you have to owl it to the whole school with your name as the creator on the bottom." Draco gave her a wicked grin.

"You've got to be kidding!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Well, if you're not confident that you're going to win..." Draco teased her.

"OK, what about you?" Hermione returned his wicked grin. "You have to kiss Millicent Bulstrode, in the great hall, in front of everyone."

"What? I really can't kiss Millicent Bulstrode." Draco shook his head.

"Looks like the bet is off then," Hermione said.

Draco sighed. "OK, I'll do it. Well I won't have to anyway because I'm going to win the bet."

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