A/N: I forgot to say this last time, but thanks to me 200th reviewer: pohkeemawn! You all have made such a great showing in the reviews lately, and the big finish is almost here. I think this will most likely be the last chapter, so I just wanted to say thank you again for your support. I'm sorry if you guys don't like how this ends, but it's the ending I had for this from the very start, so I think I must stay true to that. Thanks again for your continued support.
Chapter 47
Hermione held up the camera for her friends and snapped their picture. They looked very cute in their couples, harry with Ginny, Neville with Luna and Ron with Lavender. She was happy for all of them, but wished she and Jake would have met sooner so she could have a picture with him to remember the night. Oh well, maybe they could take one later.
The seven friends made their way down the grand staircase towards the Great Hall, where the ball would be held. One their way down the stairs, Ron hung back for a moment and grabbed Hermione's hand to get her attention. She pulled away from him out of shock, and he held his hands up quickly in his defense.
"Sorry, I just wanted to say something," Ron said, pulling her back out of earshot. "I'm sorry I've been so crazy lately. I want you to know, all that stuff you said in the Hospital Wing? I heard you. I understand you're not interested and if you want to date someone, you should go for it. You deserve to be happy, and I won't stand in your way."
Hermione smiled at Ron and pulled him into a hug, which for once was not terribly awkward. They caught up with their friends just outside the Great Hall, and the couples all looked at each other happily before entering.
The Great Hall, which normally was impressive with its grandeur, had been transformed into a wonderland of light and sound. Luna and Michael had really outdone themselves. The walkway into the room was lined with two enchanted streams of bubbling water. On the outside of the streams were tall bushes in a labyrinth pattern, perfect for couples to hide in. At the end of the room where the head table normally sat, the dais had been replaced with a large dance floor.
The ceiling of the Great Hall displayed the beauty of the Northern Lights, and there were floating jack-o-lanterns casting flickering light on the dance floor. Hermione found her way to the right side of the dance floor so that she could prepare herself for the first dance. Near where she stood was the string quartet that Astoria and Malcolm had hired. She knew on the other side of the room was a Deejay for later on in the evening.
Hermione paced nervously as she waited for the ball to begin. Little did she know, on the other side of the room, Draco was doing the same thing.
Draco walked back and forth, trying not to mess up his hair by running his hands through it nervously. He kept scanning the room to see if he could find someone in purple, but he couldn't. He only hoped that when Hermione stepped onto the dance floor across from him that she would be the one in the purple ball gown. He fingered the gardenia he held in an open button hole in his shirt. Was the flower for Hermione or did he have a different mystery girl?
Blaise came up behind Draco and patted him on the back. "Don't worry mate, I'm sure she'll be lovely," he said reassuringly.
Draco just gritted his teeth and continued his pacing. A few moments later, there was a tapping noise that made the string quartet stop their tuning.
Professor McGonagall stepped out into the middle of the dance floor and addressed the room, "Welcome Hogwarts' Seventh Years, and their dates, to our Halloween Masquerade Ball. This ball has been a tradition for the Seventh Year students of Hogwarts since its founding. This is our chance to say thank you for your hard work over the years, and to celebrate your achievements. I speak on behalf of the faculty, staff, Head Boy and Girl and prefects when I say we are so proud to see how you've grown."
"And now, without further ado, I present your Heady Boy and Girl to open the ball with a Viennese waltz, Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger.
Hermione stepped up to the edge of the dance floor, opposite from Draco on the other side. Professor McGonagall stepped back and out of the way, and Hermione heard the first strains of the string quartet starting to play.
The Viennese waltz they would be dancing was interesting, in that the first half of the dance required little or no contact. It was more about the subtle flirtation of hands. As the song began, Hermione stepped forward, hands up facing Draco, as she moved toward him across the floor. In the odd lighting, she couldn't see what he was wearing at first, but then realized he had a magnificent cape that reminded her of the one Viktor had worn at the Yule Ball. Draco's cape was much finer though, and it made Hermione want to be wrapped up in it. Then she realized what color his shirt was underneath the cape. Purple.
Draco moved from his end of the dance floor in a similar fashion, struck immediately by Hermione's beauty. He saw her gorgeous ball gown of finest purple, and realized that his assumptions must have been right. She was his mystery girl, he hoped. There was only one way to find out.
Draco and Hermione met in the middle of the dance floor. She curtseyed, and he bowed, plucking the white gardenia out of his buttonhole as he did. When he came up, he levitated the flower toward her, where it affixed itself to her bodice.
Hermione looked down at the flower floating toward her, and gasped when it attached to her. It was a white gardenia, just like the one Jake said he would bring for her. Did that mean… Hermione stared at Draco and almost missed her cue. Placing her hands once more in front of her, she and Draco kept their hands a few inches apart as they turned in a circle.
"Jake?" she asked softly, her voice betraying her with its timidity.
Draco nodded with a smile as they turned the other direction. "Patty?" he asked needlessly.
"Yes," Hermione said with a nervous smile. "I should have known it was you," she commented, as he took her arm and they moved across the floor at a distance.
"I've known it was you for a while," Draco said honestly.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked as they whipped around to go the other direction.
"You wanted to be surprised," he said simply, spinning her out from him and then into a standard waltz position with ease.
At this point in the dance, the rest of the room joined in on the dance, giving Hermione and Draco relative privacy.
"I spent this whole week avoiding you," she said, grasping his hand in hers, with her other on his shoulder. "So that I could give Jake a chance." His hand slipped to her waist as they began to move across the dance floor. "I didn't want to get involved with you until I knew who Jake was. Little did I know, I had already fallen for you."
"Really?" Draco asked in hushed tones.
"Yes," Hermione said, raising her hand from his shoulder to touch his face. "I fell for the man that I met through the journal, and I fell for the boy who kissed me through his tears, and took away my pain. I think I can definitely say I've fallen for you, Draco."
He dropped her into a dip, watching as the smooth skin above her corset stretched as her neck stretched gracefully towards the floor. When he pulled her back up, he tugged her closer than before, so her body pressed right up against his. "That's good," he said, "because I've been yours since the moment we kissed. You changed my life, Hermione. You gave me hope that I could be more than what I've been in the past. You gave me the courage to change. I owe you my life."
The two former enemies held each others' gaze, both sets of eyes brimming with happy tears. The heat of their bodies, connected through so many clothes was almost unbearable until something broke between them and they couldn't take the distance any more. Their lips met, and Hermione finally felt the spark that she'd associated with Jake along with the passion she associated with Draco. Draco felt at peace, like he always did when they kissed, like he was more than himself, connected to this beautiful woman who was more than just a pretty face.
They pulled away for a moment, their eyes locked on each others'. "I knew it was you," Hermione said, her lips crashing against his once more.
THE END
