Happy Halloween Everyone! I hope everyone is planning on having fun tonight. Here is the last of the ball. Please don't forget to review, it's the only thing I get for doing this and we are a little over 10 reviews away from 100! My 100 reviewer will get a one-shot dedicated to them ;)
After most everyone was done eating Hermione and Draco took to the dance floor in the second ballroom. After a few songs they stopped by the donations table and spoke to a few people while they placed their donation. Hermione charmed politicians and stuffy old purebloods, most of who walked away from their conversations with small smiles and a fleeting thought of voting for Hermione Granger in the upcoming elections.
After one such successful schmooze, Draco swept Hermione back onto the dance floor. "Well Miss Minister, I think your event is going swimmingly tonight."
Hermione threw her head back and laughed, lighting hitting Draco on the chest as he twirled her. "Draco! I'm not the Minister and this was is not my event! I just helped introduce the speaker, who is actually the Minister of Magic."
"Only for the next few months my love, only for the next few months."
Hermione sighed and shook her head. "I love you but you can be a bit much you know?" She said with a smile.
Draco gasped, twirling them into a little alcove before releasing her and raising a hand to his chest. "Much? Me? How dare- I'll have you know that I am the perfect amount!" His eyes were alight with laughter as he went on about how he was not much at all and if anyone was much it was her and he had no idea why she would even say something like that.
Hermione tried to look serious, but her mouth was tugged into a small smile. "I don't have time for your dramatics tonight Draco, we have to go out there and make sure everyone likes me enough to vote for me."
Draco pecked her on the lips. "I love you, does that count?"
"No Draco, it doesn't. I need more than your vote to win."
"Well everyone will love you because if you could win me over, you could win anyone over."
"I don't think you want me to win everyone over like I did you…" Hermione trailed off with a wicked grin.
"Hermione Jean Granger, how dare you think dirty thoughts while we are in pubic and I can't do anything about them?" Draco mock-scolded, wagging his finger at her. He swept her back onto the dance floor and they continued as if they hadn't just missed the most of the song.
Ginny stood off to the side of the dance floor with Hannah watching the couples twirl around while they talked wedding plans. "I don't know how you do it, a full-time job, dealing with Harry, and planning a wedding. It makes me so glad that me and Neville just walked in the Ministry and signed the papers. Wedding planning is just too stressful." Hannah said as she sipped her champagne and watched Neville talk with Pomona Sprout.
"Well it would be easier if Harry would help, but he seems to be allergic to wedding plans. I'll tell you, it's driving me spare." Ginny tossed back her glass and looked around for the floating trays carrying refills. "It wouldn't be so bad if my mother didn't want to the whole thing to be exactly like her wedding, bells and frills and all." Ginny sighed and shared a commiserating look with Hannah. "I almost want to tell her to just butt out but I don't think I could break her heart like that. How did you manage to break the news to Neville's Grandmother that she wouldn't get a wedding at all?"
Hannah laughed. "Augusta Longbottom is one scary woman and I about worked myself into a panic before we told her, but she just fixed her eye on me and Neville before telling us that she expected to have her grandchildren over soon before dismissing us. I'm half-convinced she cast some sort of nonverbal fertility charm on us! Thankfully I'm not pregnant yet, but I haven't been letting Neville forget the charm even though I'm on the potion. That woman terrifies me."
"She terrifies everyone Hannah."
The ball was over and the last stragglers were stumbling through the floo. "Well I think we can leave now." Draco said from his spot lounging gracefully on a chair, his robes artfully mussed. "I mean we could have left at any point but I'm sure we can leave now."
Hermione scoffed. "We could not leave before now! It's impolite for the host to leave for the guests.
"Well as you've told me multiple times tonight, you are not the host; you are just the introductory speaker." Draco smoothly stood from the chair and grabbed Hermione by the hand. "Please let us leave now, it's going on three in the morning and even Shacklebolt left hours ago."
With a kiss on the cheek, Hermione pulled Draco to the apparition point. "Well Draco, as you have been telling me all night, I'm better than Shacklebolt." With a pop the pair disappeared into the night.