Hello, everyone...long time, no chat. All I can say is...I needed some me time, and it's helped.

"And I'm back with the madness" ~FOB

~A.

(Special THANK YOU to LightofEvolution for pushing me, beta'ing for me, and just being an all-around great friend. I don't deserve her, but she's mine)

"If it doesn't challenge you
It doesn't change you"
~Fred DeVito

Center Stage
Full Cast

Morning came, just as it always did, but this time it came with a sense of purpose. A cool blanket of nervousness settled on the shoulders of Draco, sending a shiver down his backbone. With heavy eyes and a foggy (but elated by last night's events) brain, he stepped out of the WWW and inhaled the scent of rainwater that drenched the streets. As luck would have it, the sun had decided to make an appearance, despite the storms only hours ago,

He caught sight of Hermione walking alongside Greg Diggle, no doubt discussing how best to set up the dance stage for today's festivities. He knew just as well as they all did that they didn't acquire the proper permits to host such an event, but desperate times called for desperate measures, and should this work, he'd gladly pay the fee later.

"Thank you, Greg. This means so much to us," Hermione could be heard from the base of the stage.

"It's the least I could do…" Diggle replied. "After my father mucked up your opening night..."

"Don't be too hard on him...he's struggling. Have you spoken to him?"

Greg Diggle scoffed indignantly.

"Everyone is struggling," said Draco, approaching the two with his arms crossed. "Doesn't make what he did right. But Hermione is correct about one thing - family can be a royal pain in your arse, but you'll always eventually be forced to face them. It's your choice on how you want to lay out the battlefield."

"I take it yours is a stage?" quipped Greg.

"Something like that." Draco quirked an eyebrow. "I was made for the stage, you know. Have you seen my jawline?"

"Oy, oy, oy!" It was Blaise from down the road, waving his arms and grinning. He jogged up to the three and wrapped an arm around Draco's neck, effectively pulling him off his axis and nearly toppling him over.

"You look well rested," Draco sneered dully, attempting to pry Blaise off of him.

"I provided an entire inventory of dance shoes to the cause. I think that makes me entitled to a decent night's rest. Besides, Daphne needs me to take care of her." With a flick of his wand, a sign for his designer accessories line appeared. It floated in the air, sentinel, as if looking for a wall to hang from.

"What's that?"

"It's to put up in the shop window."

"Really?" Draco finally freed himself from Blaise's grasp. "You're going to use the shop to advertise?"

"Considering he's done us a solid, I'd hang fifty of them," said George from the doorway.

"Oh, good," said Blaise. "Because I've also got some business cards…" He abandoned Draco and followed George inside to talk shop, much to the amusement of Hermione, who was smiling like a cat that had caught her mouse.

"What's that look about?" asked Draco.

"Everyone's getting along," she stated with a lilt. "It's a rare sight." Shaking herself from her thoughts, she added with a shrug, "Business is business. I wish I could invite the Red Hat Society. They'd be oh-so-thrilled to see the performance."

"And they'd all die of heart attacks the moment they'd see magic," Draco replied dryly.

Another person approached them, this time with a tray of something - it appeared to be muffins. Lavender Brown tried her best subtle smile, but the tenseness in her jaw made it look more like a gnarled, feral snarl. Or maybe that's how Draco took it because he knew her history with werewolves.

"Hello," she said quietly.

"Lavender!" Hermione exclaimed. "Um, what are you-"

"I baked these. For you. For your big day today." She smiled shyly. "I...overstepped yesterday with Ron. I just hadn't seen him in so long, and he was kind to me...I'm not used to that. Not anymore." She tucked her hair behind her ears, revealing her scars.

Hermione immediately took pity on her, accepting the muffins - the softy that she was. "Thank you, Lavender. That's very kind of you." Silence fell between them, until Hermione obviously couldn't bare it any longer. "Would you...would you like to stay and help out? We could use some extra hands with setting up - if you're interested?"

Lavender's face lit up. "You want my help?"

Hermione nodded. "If you go find George, I'm sure he'll put you to work. He's inside."

"...Thank you." Lavender looked happier than she'd ever been. She headed inside immediately, but not before doing a small happy dance on her way.

Draco and Hermione finished preparations on their finishing touches; an arch, adorned in roses, domed over the stage just outside of the establishment, blocking most of the street. Surprisingly, when the shopkeepers began to filter in, not one complained. They seemed more interested in what would happen next as they unlocked their stores, eyes careening to the WWW.

"An hour until opening, gents!" greeted George from the doorway of his shop. "Oh, and ladies. Mustn't forget the stronger of our species."

"How generous of you," sneered a plump keeper as she walked by, cracking the mood like glass. With the streets still barren, her voice carried wonderfully. "I expect to be compensated for the disturbances today, Weasley!"

"If I go out of business, then you'll never get that compensation, Missus Greeves! So please promote us today!" He waved boisterously.

Rolling his eyes, Draco conjured the final rose at the top of the archway, smirking at the fine work he and his partner had done. "Nervous?" he asked her.

Hermione wove an arm around his and clasped his hand. "What is it that Harry said to you once? You wish?"

"Like I would keep a recollection of any of the idiocies Potter has thrown at me," he commented back, knowing damn well he did. He would never admit it, though. He'd rather die.

POP.

Weasley and Astoria appeared, arms full of brown, paper bags.

"Anyone hungry?" asked Astoria cheerfully, her hair more unkempt than normal. Draco knew that cheesy look on her face, and it was unsettling to know Weasley had the talents to put it there. Not that he cared what Astoria and that git did. Just thinking about Weasley performing sexually in any capacity made Draco want to vomit. Profusely.

"What's in the bags?" asked Diggle from the stage.

"Breakfast of champions! Mum's cooking!" answered Weasley.

"Molly's cooking?!" Hermione exclaimed, dragging Draco toward the food without realizing it. "Oh, please tell me there's some of her danishes in there."

"Yeah, I think she packed a few." Weasley nodded, glancing down at the bags. "She says she's gonna stop by soon, so I figure we all better get to eatin' before she takes offense."

Now that Draco could relate to. The few times his mother cooked, he knew better than to let time sit before eating. There was nothing more fierce than a mother who thought someone didn't enjoy her cooking - well, maybe Draco's mum was an exception in the fact that she was ruthless at business as well…

Everyone followed Weasley and Astoria inside. Diggle conjured up a long table, while Lavender Brown worked on chairs, and soon they all were seated with barely enough space for them all, but they made it work. Draco had some sausage links; Weasley and Hermione split a gigantic pastry; Astoria, Lavender, and Greg worked on some toast with jam, and Blaise took a bit of everything from the bags, piling it up on his plate until there wasn't room. Not one to be outdone, George soon followed in Blaise's footsteps. Potter arrived shortly after, and they were all forced to make even MORE room, so Draco found himself elbow to elbow with Weasley, who had no sense of personal space. His elbow came into contact with Draco's arm one too many times, and Hermione had to pry a fork out of Draco's hand before he stabbed Weasley in the neck with it.

All in all, it wasn't a horrible meal.

As they were finishing up, Ginny appeared out of nowhere. Draco had almost forgotten about her - it was hard to keep up with so many Weasleys in one establishment.

"Right. I've just received an owl - the entire Harpies Quidditch team will be here this afternoon in support of the cause!" She grinned from ear to ear, wagging a paper out in front of her.

George nearly spit out his mouthful as he exclaimed, "That's amazing, Gin! Brilliant!"

"Say it, don't spray it," muttered Draco, sipping from his cup of water. Although, deep inside, he was just as elated. It was amazing news, to say the least. As he looked about the table at all of the smiling, hopeful faces...he grew just a bit more confident in their plan.

"What are you smiling at?" Hermione asked, poking him in the side.

"Weasley has a crumb up his nose," Draco replied without missing a beat, thankful he was one for quips, because he couldn't fathom if Hermione would ever let him live it down if she knew that, for once, the smile was genuine, and he was thankful for everyone in attendance today.

Once the table was cleared and gone, and everyone had a full belly, George began to delegate tasks.

"Right. Ron and Astoria: register. Ron, you can do the bagging - let Astoria handle the money side of things."

"But I-" Ron began to protest, but George ignored him.

"Zabini can help with sales, charismatic fool that he is."

"Here, here!" catcalled Blaise.

"Lavender," continued George, "I'm going to need a strong pair of arms working inventory in the back. I know how strong your lot can be."

Draco watched Hermione lean forward and whisper to the shopkeeper, "I don't think it's appropriate to say something like that."

"I'm fine with it, really," said Lavender immediately, shaking her head. "I'd like to help in any way I can."

"Great." George never missed a beat. "Diggs, Hermione, Gin, and Malfoy will be outside, promoting the show."

"And you?" asked Draco, folding his arms over his chest.

"A shopkeeper's got to make his rounds. Besides, you'll need an announcer for your dance extravaganza!"

"Slap a fake mustache on yourself and you can be the new Senior Diggle." Draco didn't know if he could handle so many eye rolls in one sitting, but he managed just fine.

"While I don't appreciate the man's pyrotechnics, I can say he has a dapper taste in style," George replied, ringing out a pretend mustache. "Alright, people! Places! Chop, chop! Tally ho! And bugger anyone who stands in our way!"

Offstage Left
Narcissa Malfoy

Narcissa Malfoy was sat in her comfy office chair, taking in the morning notes while sipping her tea when her assistant knocked quietly on the door.

"Yes?"

"It's begun, ma'am. You told me to let you know as soon as-"

"Mm, yes. I figured my fool of a son wouldn't let this go so easily. You know what to do. - Oh, and do let me know when the crowds have died down, yes?"

"Yes, ma'am."

As her assistant closed the door, Narcissa's upper lip curled into a grin worthy of any Malfoy. She glanced at the clock on the wall - Eight in the morning.

She leaned back in her chair.

"Well done, Draco. Now let's see how far you go."

Back to Center Stage

"First performance is in five minutes. Are you two nervous?" asked Lavender, sat atop a pile of unopened boxes as she watched Draco fidget with tie around his neck. Hermione, to her credit, could sense his nervousness and slipped a reassuring arm around his neck, pulling him close until they were chest to chest. The moment they came in contact with each other, it was as if the anxiousness about him sloughed off like old skin.

"Brown, I do wish you'd go somewhere else," muttered Draco as Hermione fixed his tie for the umpteenth time.

"Where am I supposed to go? This is where George put me."

"Be nice," said Hermione, tucking a finger under Draco's chin and tracing it all the way to his adam's apple. She loved the way he gulped, breath ghosting along her face. It smelled of spearmint toothpaste - something Hermione always found arousing. Of course, the scent of a freshly cut lawn did the same thing…

"Me? Nice? When ever am I not?"

Hermione turned her attention to Lavender. "To answer your question, I think nervous doesn't begin to cover it. But we really don't have a choice, so we'll push through. We always do." She noticed the way Lavender squirmed and added, "What?"

"It's just...odd, you know? To see you two...all...that." She pointed between them. "I know they say opposites attract, but this is a bit extreme."

"We're not that different," said Draco, crooning his head to glare at Lavender. "Both the top of our class-"

"Though I was a smidgen higher," Hermione added, loving the way his lip twitched at that.

"We both are competitive," Draco continued smoothly, "as Hermione just proved. I suppose if she must win, it should be for biggest bragger of them all."

Lavender snorted. "I dunno, Malfoy. I say you'd have her beat by a mile. Have you met yourself?"

Hermione couldn't help it - she let a laugh escape her lips, and sniggered into the back of her hand when Draco's cool disposition faltered.

"We both can dance," he said, this time with more bite in his tone, "but you see, I had to teach Hermione how to not stomp across a room with two left feet."

"Ha!" Hermione poked him in the chest. "I certainly beg to differ."

"Well, you certainly can beg - I can attest to that," Draco smirked. "Perhaps after this performance you could-"

"Oi!" Lavender jumped up, checking the time on her watch. "Ten seconds to launch!"

"Ready?" Hermione asked, smiling up at Draco and offering out her hand.

Draco grinned in return, a blaze of tension dancing in his eyes. "Not in the slightest."

POP!

The roaring of the crowd filled their ears before their eyes adjusted. They hadn't been able to tell how many would be in attendance from the back room of the WWW, but as Hermione focused her eyesight, she was more than astonished to find the entire street - not just in front of the WWW, but the whole block itself - packed shoulder to shoulder.

And they were cheering, some with signs that read 'We're With You' and 'WWW for LIFE!'. At the front was none other than Rita Skeeter and half of the various wizarding magazines, all with trained, watchful eyes.

Hermione exchanged glances with Draco, who looked just as surprised as she felt. They stood, petrified, for a moment.

Then Draco squeezed her hand, and beyond the roar of the crowd, she heard him whisper as he turned her in place to face him, "I meant what I said last night." His fingers slipped around her side.

"I did, too," she whispered back meekly.

"Then...let's give them what they came here to see."

"Yes." She set her pose, exhaling and focusing solely on him to calm her racing heart. "Let's."

Shoot me some motivation in my review section, please! I'm writing you the sexiest dance number I can muster!
~A