This was going to be one of my favourite chapters, because I had the idea for it ages ago, and my mind has been building up hoping this is good enough. The song is Cosmic Love by Florence + the Machine.

"You know, if you keep doing this, I'm going to end up falling over someday."

Draco covered Hermione's eyes completely before leading her into the ballroom, smirking at the quite shushing sounds people were making behind the door. When he turned the doorknob, and let her through, Hermione looked up and gasped.

"Surprise!" Luna was the first to say so, and didn't seem to embarrass herself at all as she flounced across the room towards her, in an ethereal dress reaching her knees. As a break from tradition, instead of her typical radishes, she had bright L-shaped earrings.

Her announcement was followed by roughly a hundred more cheers and shouts. Hermione took this all in. It was really far more than she expected; the room was completely decorated in gold and silver, with green and red balloons scattering the cieling. After the tense waiting, and the pre-empted declaration from Luna, people started laughing at her awestruck expression. She rarely was overwhelmed like this.

"Thank you, I mean how could you spend so-?" she whispered to Draco, who beamed at her.

"I've had help. Lots actually." He nodded at Blaise, who smiled in return, then winked secretly at Hermione. What does he mean by that...?

Harry, Ron and Ginny rushed over in the next few moments; the latter of which had a strange mixed expression on her face, smiling surely, but as if hiding something, Hermione knew. She herself had done this often enough.

"Ron?" Hermione turned her attention to him instead, pulling him into a hug. "How did the Quidditch go? Why's Ginny-?"

"Oh, Merlin, you should have seen it. She - and I'm being deadly serious - is the best Chaser of all time."

"Aw, you're not such a bad brother either, Ron," Ginny replied sarcastically, before turning to Hermione again. "Ron? Excuse me? I need to discuss something and I don't want my nosy, silly brother getting in the way."

She dragged her to the corner of the wall before sighing, doubting whether she should tell Hermione or not. Well, there certainly was no time like the present.

"It's Harry. He... when he came home... right, I'll just spit it out. His scar's hurting again."

Her eyes widened for a moment. That wasn't possible. There was no way, at all, that Voldemort would be able to come back. Glancing quickly, Hermione saw Harry out of the corner of her eye, who didn't seem affected in the slightest. It was however, fairly plausible that Draco's and her own warped dreams may be a consequence of it, whatever was wrong. She answered, controlling the panic in her mind.

"Are you sure? Absolute?"

"I'm not sure. He said he was imagining it, but if it's hurting, why's he being so relaxed about it?"

"Ginny." She held her friend's shoulders. "It is impossible, I know it. If it happens again though, owl me."

Yet in the deep dark doubtful back of her mind, Hermione was not sure at all if this was impossible anymore. There was one, one Horcrux they never knew about, which only Hermione realised had existed. If this could have been hidden so easily, why couldn't any others?

"Thanks."

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the densely populated ballroom, Draco noticed someone had not seen in ages. He was talking to at the time he glimpsed her jet black hair, and a sudden thought struck him. It had been over a year he had last met her face to face, as he already knew her cheating, knieving ways with men. Understanding that he should best avoid her, he excused himself from a deep conversation about the Quidditch World Cup, and made his way through the crowd towards Hermione.

"Drakie?"

Maybe it was not just coincidence that Pansy had spotted him at that moment. In fact, his trademark blonde hair was like a target for her; he knew from countless escape plans that failed due to her finding him again.

"Oh, hi Pansy. How are you?"

From only seeing the back of her, he had not realised how much she had grown up. Mentally, anyway. It was not the fact that she was his ex-girlfriend, it was the fact that she had ended it in a rage of tears and tantrums. Her hair was curled - in fine ringlets down her back - and she was, for once, dressed fairly sensibly in a chiffon and lace black dress.

"I'm fine..." Her eyeline narrowed as she saw Hermione at the other end of the room. He had expected this: So why did she come? "I miss you."

"Pansy, if you only came here to get me back, then you can leave." He snapped.

She blinked innocently, her dark eyes twinkling as she smiled in return. Something, and Draco was not quite sure what, in her smile unsettled him for a few seconds before she replied.

"I was only saying I missed you. You needn't go putting those silly ideas in your head." She laughed childishly, as if trying to intimidate him. So much for growing up. "In fact, didn't Blaise tell you about us?" She nodded over to Blaise, who was talking to some strangely dressed men by a vast catholic curtain, and Draco suddenly realised who they were. Another surprise for Hermione.

"Well, good... good." He saw Blaise smile back at Pansy and head over to the spot they were standing in, and in those one or two seconds he felt Pansy's hand brush past his. He frowned and turned back.

"It's sorted, go and get Hermione." Blaise wrapped his arm around Pansy's waist, which Draco didn't mind. He did, however, mind the look she gave Blaise when he said Hermione's name.

"Thanks." And with one last frown at Pansy, he turned sharply and saw Hermione. She looked worried, from this distance, while talking to Ginny. Most likely it was just Hermione being Hermione.

There was a dull thud behind the sweeping curtain overhanging what Hermione first thought was just a wall. Hung like a tapestry, it dissolved in thin air when she turned around - Draco held his hand out to her. Everyone was looking at them, and she could feel the warmth of her blood flush into her cheeks.

"Care to dance then?"

A puzzled expression crossed her face; she glanced over her shoulder and Ginny smiled smugly pointing at the curtain in front of her. Absolute Magic, a three-man wizarding band had just appeared in its place. Her jaw dropped at the lead singer, who happened to be Luna, of all people. Mentally keeping her fingers crossed, she took Draco's hand, which aroused much applause from the others, and walked into the centre of the room.

"Thank you." She whispered in his ear as he placed a hand on her waist and she placed hers on his shoulder.

"Oh, you still have plenty of time for thanks after today."

The first few notes were familiar, not by melody but by the instrument. Hermione glanced back up as Draco spun her around. She wondered if the guitar-like object one of the band members was strumming was what Draco had once used; she still had not told him the song she had heard on Christmas Eve.

"Draco, how am I supposed to dance? I don't know what type-"

"Just trust and follow me." He said, as the first few harps played simultaneously, which calmed Hermione down for a moment.

A falling star fell from your heart and landed in my eyes
I screamed aloud, as it tore through them, and now it's left me blind

The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out
You left me in the dark
No dawn, no day, I'm always in this twilight
In the shadow of your heart

Out of the corner of her eye she glimpsed Harry and Ginny dancing also, nearby. She was pleased to see that Ginny had taken her words to mind. She wasn't sure what was happening to her feet, they seemed to be acting of their own accord, faster and faster as Draco held her closely; the drums beat louder and louder like the blood pumping through her head. Impressed though she was, there was a small doubt that she was going to fall. Toes pointed, she seemed to fly through the air for a split second before he caught her again. She did trust him - she loved him unconditionally, which anyone would have called her a fool for thinking. Hermione, however, was a bright young witch, the brightest of her age, so this was barely proven to be true.

And in the dark, I can hear your heartbeat
I tried to find the sound
But then it stopped, and I was in the darkness,
So darkness I became

"Hermione?" Draco muttered, staring into her deep meaninful eyes. She smiled at her name. "I think I should say thanks."

"Why? You've done all this for me, when I-"

"For helping me. I wouldn't have been able to deal with everything last year alone." He ran one hand along her back, his other interlocked with hers. "And don't be so humble. It's odd sometimes."

"Ha, and your arrogant big headed pomposity is a good thing?" She laughed against his cheek, her warm breath soothing him.

"Yes, it is."

The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out
You left me in the dark
No dawn, no day, I'm always in this twilight
In the shadow of your heart

"Why are you so good at dancing?" Draco asked curiously, noticing her feet glide alongside his.

"Like every little girl, I wanted to be a ballerina when I was six, and my mum let me take ballet lessons. I had to go to Hogwarts so that's why I gave it up. May I ask you the same question?"

"I'm just a natural." He smirked, when their feet knocked each other twice as they span around again. "It's one of those things I'm expected to know, being all posh and high up in the wizarding world."

I took the stars from our eyes, and then I made a map
And knew that somehow I could find my way back
Then I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too
So I stayed in the darkness with you

Once the last of the drum beats had faded into non-existence, Hermione found herself extremely close to Draco, his hands in hers and she could feel his breath start to slow down. Almost the whole of the crowd were cheering either them or the amazing talent that belonged to Luna, except one. Ron had clambered onto the stage and Luna swung her arms around him. Hermione was perfectly happy that Ron and Luna were together; she now felt absolutely no contempt as she had when they had first been together. It was only a matter of time...

"See. I am a natural." Draco placed his lips gently against Hermione's and she smiled.

Yes, again, I have not had the time to update as soon as I hoped. Please review though! It means that I'll want to write more for those of you who are loyal to it! And, I promised you those thankyou's now!

Thankyou to: Lovestoreadlikecrazyyy, Forevacullen, mjmusiclover, Alpha Weirdoz!, CountryObsessedTeen, myriammar, midnightstar4ever, kingbritney, Edward-Cullen-1, Winged-Vamp, FrightlessBird, GhostYeller, Bamberrr.x, Voldyismyfather, Black Alice Butterfly, Charley Reede, David Fishwick, sexxydemon, and Sophie and Georgie who don't seem to have accounts so if they ever read this, thankyou!