Disclaimer: I'm not JK Rowling and I don't own Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and sobs Draco Malfoy
A/N: Chapter 28 is here!! Yehey! Anyway, this is where Hermione and Blaise had their date. I didn't quite put it into details, I have a reason. Just read this chapter! Enjoy:p
Chapter 28: Prince Charming, is that really you?
"Relax, Hermione," Ginny said. "It's not like you're going to a stampede of deranged hippogriffs."
Hermione was frowning. "It's both your bloody fault. If only you told me about this idea of yours before setting-up a date."
"We did, remember?" Luna said. "We told it to you on the day Malfoy told us that Blaise Zabini likes you."
The brunette blushed slightly. 'Guess I wasn't listening,' she thought, remembering Draco's weird actions that day.
"Now, come on, dress up into something nice," Ginny said, pushing Hermione towards her room. "And don't come out without wearing any decent clothes."
Hermione rolled her eyes and went inside.
After a few minutes, the Princess emerged. She was wearing a checkered skirt just falling 2 inches below her knee. She was also wearing a light pink blouse. On her feet, black criss-crossed sandals were worn. She was wearing a simple make-up (mostly pink) and her hair was made into soft ringlets flowing down her shoulder. Lastly, she was wearing a simple diamond earring and of course, the necklace that was given to her by her parents. But still, she was frowning and her arms were crossed.
"Hermione, you look gorgeous!" Luna exclaimed.
The brunette's frown deepened.
"Aw, come on, Hermione, smile! I don't want you to give that bloke the impression you don't want to be with him," Ginny said.
Hermione frown disappeared but still, she wasn't smiling.
"Come on, lift those lips up," Ginny encouraged.
The Princess slapped her forehead. "Stop making me insane, Merlin!" she exclaimed.
Luna and Ginny both laughed. Hermione stopped frowning and started giggling.
"There, Hermione! I told you to smile and now you look so gorgeous!" Ginny said.
Hermione's smile grew wider.
"Come on, then. Blaise, I mean, Prince Charming is waiting for you already, Princess Hermione," Luna said, teasing the brunette.
Hermione rolled her eyes and the three of them went to the Great Hall.
"Is she there, Draco? Is she there?" Blaise asked, looking around frantically. "What if she won't come? What if she changed her mind?"
He and Draco were waiting at the oak-wooden doors. Some students were already going to Hogsmeade.
The Head Boy chose to be silent. His arms were crossed and was looking anywhere except Blaise. He knew jealousy was growing inside of him and refused to talk, afraid he might do or say something that could be the cause of losing his only best friend forever.
Blaise, in the other hand, had noticed Draco's weirdness. He was unusually quiet for days already and this bothered him.
"Draco, what's wrong with you? You're acting weird lately," Blaise said, worry in his face.
He shook his head. "I'm all right," he managed to say.
"I'm not buying that, Draco," Blaise said firmly. "Don't expect me to – ."
"Blaise!" the familiar voice of Ginny Weasley said, cutting Blaise's sentence.
He and Draco looked at the source of the voice and indeed saw Ginny. She was with Luna.
Blaise was feeling dreadful, growing as time goes by. "Where is she?"
Ginny and Luna looked at each other and smiled. They stepped aside and revealed Hermione. Draco's breath instantly was caught in his throat. She was truly beautiful.
"Hi," the brunette said, not letting her eyes stay on Blaise's companion.
He moved towards Hermione. He held her hand and kissed it. "You are… beautiful," he said breathlessly.
Hermione can't help but blush at his comment. "Why, thank you, Blaise." It was the first time she had called a Slytherin by his first name.
Ginny and Luna giggled. "Okay, we'll leave you now. Blaise, we warn you. Not only Luna and I but also Harry and Ron. If anything happens to Hermione, hide your face and never show it to us."
Hermione rolled her eyes while Blaise snickered.
"As if I will, Weas – Ginny," he said.
Hearing her first name had satisfied the she-Weasley.
"Now, good luck and have fun!" Luna said, waving. "Harry and Ron might be looking for us already." And with that, they went to Hogsmeade.
There was short, awkward silence among the three. The brunette and blond refused to look at each other.
"Err… Princess Hermione - ."
"Please, just call me Hermione."
"All right, Hermione," Blaise said, smiling. "Come on now. Draco mate, I'll see you around." And with that, they went to Hogsmeade, leaving Draco.
He looked at their retreating figures. He sighed and ran a hand through his blond hair. Draco just went inside, suddenly having no mood to go to Hogsmeade at all.
"Good luck with your date, Blaise," he whispered to no one then turned around and went to the Heads' Dormitory.
The date went well, in Hermione's opinion. Blaise was such a gentleman, funny, intelligent, good-looking and many more of the good qualities she could think of. But still, there's something lacking.
She wasn't happy with him.
Sure, she smiled but if someone closely observed, it didn't reach her eyes. She would laugh at his jokes but you wouldn't hear the mirth. The happy glint in her eyes wasn't visible. There was somewhat sadness. Sadness she couldn't determine why. But all through-out the date, all Hermione could think was him. Not Blaise, but him. The insolent, arrogant, blond ferret was the only one that was in the brunette's mind. It made her scared. And guilty. She felt guilty because even though she's in a date, all she thought of was her date's best friend.
These thoughts bothered Hermione until their date ended. She immediately went to her room, eager for its comfort.
Arriving there, she removed her criss-crossed sandals and wore a fluffy and comfy one. She decided to go to her terrace to write to her diary.
Once she was there, she was startled to see that Draco was in his own terrace, his hands clutching the railing and looking at the Quidditch Pitch. He looked at Hermione's terrace upon hearing a sound. He clutched the railing tighter while Hermione grasped her diary tighter. They had stared at each other's eyes. Silver met brown.
Hermione again was startled. She didn't know if she was just hallucinating but she saw a flash of hurt in his eyes. Merlin, hurt, and that was an emotion.
'Malfoy's don't show emotions, right?' Hermione asked herself.
But then, it was replaced by a sneer.
"So, how was your date, Granger?" he asked.
"Why do you care, anyway?" Hermione snapped. Draco was startled at the tone of her voice and to tell the truth, Hermione too was surprised. "And mind your own business."
The brunette expected an insult, she knew she expected it. But then, nothing came. Draco averted her gaze away from Hermione to the Quidditch Pitch again. "I see," he whispered.
She flinched at his words. 'Why are you so worked up, Hermione?!' she scolded herself. Releasing a frustrated sigh (inaudibly), Hermione sat down on the chair and started writing on her diary.
Dear Diary,
Today's my date with Blaise Zabini. We went to Hosmeade of course and he brought me to different stores in that town. We had fun, really. Blaise has some qualities of my Mr. Right. He's sweet, charming, gentlemanly, and funny and all those good stuffs. I guess not all Slytherins are evil. He proved me wrong.
WE were together the whole trip. I didn't know where my friends went. I had a feeling that they were spying on us.
You guess that I felt good that time? Well, you are wrong. Yes, Blaise was fun to be with but I have a strong feeling he's just not the one meant for me. Something was lacking and I know that it was happiness. I didn't fell so happy… contented when I was with him. Blaise is nice, I know he is, but it just seems that he wasn't the one for me.
Here's what scared me… terrified me. I was thinking about his best friend the whole trip. Yes, the one and only Draco Malfoy (Merlin, just writing his name makes me nervous). Oh my diary, I don't know what's happening to me. Why do I feel nervous when I see him? Why do I stutter when I just caught sight of him. And why do I suddenly feel dizzy when I had smelled his peppermint cologne. I had a terrible idea what those things tell me. I know what they are telling but no, it is impossible. It is really, really impossible. And unbelievable.
Goodnight.
Love,
Hermione
P.S.
Don't you dare give me the idea that I've fallen in love with Draco Malfoy!
While Hermione was busy writing furiously, Draco was looking at her at the corner of his eyes. He noticed as waves of emotions came crashing in Hermione's eyes. Sadness to guilt to fright to happiness to love (the blond looked curious at this sight) to confusion and then back to fright.
With this, Draco can't quite determine what the brunette really felt right now. He was startled at her grumpiness just a minute ago and didn't know why she was acting like that. With these thoughts bothering his already muddled mind, the blond went back inside his room, not noticing the worry look the brunette had cast in his terrace.
A/N: End of Chapter! Review please! Oh, and I still accepts male names suited for Hermione. :p
