* ~ The Eighth Year Universe Series ~ *
PART THREE
The Eighth Year
Chapter 62: Let's Make it a Night to Remember
There wasn't much of a break between the Defence Against the Dark Arts exam and the prom. The schedule was tighter than most previous years because of the fact there was an eighth year. It meant that the exam finished just before lunch and the prom began at 7 pm on the same day.
The girls were freaking out, as they often did, about whether or not they would have enough time to get ready. They all had their dresses, as was wizarding tradition their mothers had sent them. Or at least Daphne and Sadie had been. Even Melody had been given her dress rather movingly in the great hall by Trelawney. As worried as they had been about the DADA exam, everyone had still found it in them to 'aww' at this, and Harry was pretty sure that he'd caught Filch wiping his eyes with his handkerchief. Those who didn't have parents or wizarding mothers had gone shopping together, and included in that group were Hermione, Susan and Lilly. Harry was pretty sure Hermione had decided in the end to make alterations to her dress from the Yule Ball in fourth year and wear that again.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked Hermione quietly as Sadie pulled Daphne away to start getting ready in their dorm room.
Hermione shrugged and said to her friend, "I'm fine. I just feel left out."
"That's the point," Neville said with a sigh from where he was sitting nearby, "I read somewhere that part of the reasons muggle-borns were looked down upon was because they had to buy their own prom dresses and robes, which usually meant they looked scruffier than the others."
"Gee, thanks, Nev," Hermione said miserably, "I'm supposed to look the best. I mean, I'm Head Girl."
"Hermione," Harry said as he put his arm around her, "You could go out there in rags and still look beautiful."
"Oi, back off, Potter," Draco said jokingly from where he had just arrived behind the armchair Hermione was sitting on. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, "That's my girlfriend you're talking about."
Harry and Hermione both chuckled, and Draco said with a smile, "My mother and one of her friends are outside. They want to talk to you."
Hermione frowned and got to her feet. She let Draco take her hand and lead her out of the common room. She didn't know what she was expecting, but she wasn't expecting to see Narcissa Black and Molly Weasley.
Narcissa smiled and said, "Molly and I became friends through our shared connection to Teddy, Hermione. We are only here to give you a gift; you do not have to look so worried."
"We know your parents aren't wizarding, and we didn't want you to have to wear any old thing to the prom," Molly said with a smile, "I remember having to wear my mothers dress, and I was bullied rotten for it."
"You are Head Girl," Narcissa said kindly, "You should shine brighter than everyone else."
"So we bought you a prom dress. It's from both of us," Molly said, "You have felt like a daughter to me and a sister to Ginny since you were eleven years old, Hermione."
"And I hope, from the way that Draco talks about you, that you will be a daughter to me one day," Narcissa said as she handed Hermione a box.
Hermione was utterly speechless and baffled.
"Merlin," Hermione eventually managed to say breathily, "Thank you, thank you both so much. This means so much to me."
"Don't say that. You have yet to look at the dress," Narcissa joked with a light chuckle.
Hermione laughed. It was a laugh of happiness and relief, "I don't need to. I know it will be brilliant."
"Oh, go on," Molly smiled, "We want to see your reaction."
Hermione opened the box and saw before her a beautiful dress. It was folded up, of course, and she didn't dare take it out in the corridor and get it dirty, but she could make out the colour and the material. The dress was primarily made of white lace with a silk underskirt to stop it from being see-through, but the bust was made up of gold sequins. It was the perfect mix of subtle, which Hermione liked and glamorous, which she didn't think she could pull off. It was clear that Molly and Narcissa had worked together to pick out this dress which brought Hermione to tears.
"It's beautiful," Hermione said honestly.
"I'm so glad you like it. But we won't keep you, Hermione. I know you must be in a hurry to get ready for tonight," Molly said. She pulled Hermione in for a hug, "Have a great time!"
"Enjoy yourself," Narcissa said as she drew Hermione in for a hug and kissed her on both cheeks, "You will look more beautiful than ever, I expect."
Hermione was still in shock a few minutes after both women had left, and she was also still in shock after Draco had steered her back into the common room. Harry asked what had happened, and Draco relayed the story to the boy-who-lived.
The boys had been playing exploding snap for an hour by the time the girls were ready. They stood together in the common room, and each of them looked as beautiful as the next. None of the boys had been allowed to see the girl's dresses (another wizarding tradition), so they were all in awe when they saw their girlfriends (or fiancés) standing together by the stairs.
"Wow," Harry breathed as Daphne floated over to him. He had seen her looking beautiful on many occasions, but this topped the Yule Ball and the Ministry Ball. Daphne had this knack of managing to look stunningly beautiful and elegant in the simplest clothes. Tonight she wore a floor-length, metallic gold dress that practically shone. The dress was pulled in under the bust and was strapless on one shoulder. There was also a slit in the side that started mid-thigh.
"Thanks," Daphne said with a radiant smile, "My mother knows my taste well, right?"
"Definitely," Harry smiled, "You look beautiful."
He really meant it. Daphne had left her long hair down, so it curled around her shoulders. She had also carefully applied golden eye shadow and glitter eyeliner, and mascara; she did look fantastic.
Draco's reaction to Hermione's dress had been similar to Harry's reaction to seeing Daphne. He had gaped at her for a moment and then made his way over to her.
"What do you think?" Hermione asked. She seemed slightly nervous and unsure of herself.
"I think it's perfect," Draco said as he kissed his girlfriend. Hermione was wearing the floor-length strapless dress that was almost entirely made of white lace. As Hermione had realised earlier when she had gotten the dress, the bust was made of golden sequins, and from there downwards, the dress flowed almost magically.
"I wasn't sure," Hermione said, but she smiled, "I feel…different."
"Well, you look great," Draco said. Daphne had helped her apply light makeup and had given Hermione the same hairdo she had sported for the Yule Ball. It all made Draco feel a bit sentimental. He smiled at her and said quietly, "With your hair up in that style, I can just see you four years ago…at the Yule Ball."
"You remember that then?" Hermione asked with a slight smile.
"Hermione, it was the night I started to fall in love with you," Draco said softly, "I noticed everything about you that night."
Hermione smiled and glanced down to hide her blush. Draco's smile widened, and all of a sudden, he felt the weight of the engagement ring in the pocket of his robes. He ignored the suggestive look shot his way by Harry and put his arm around Hermione as the others met their dates.
When Theo saw Sadie in her dress for the first time, he whispered, "You look so beautiful."
Sadie was wearing a pale green floor-length dress with a silver shoulder strap and an elaborate silver jewelled bust.
"Thank you," Sadie said happily, "I'm excited about tonight."
Theo smiled broadly at his fiancé and put his arm around her, "So am I. It's going to be a night to remember."
Neville hadn't seen Lilly's dress. Only Hermione and Susan had, and that was because they had helped her pick it out. He was lost for a moment when he saw her, just like he had been before the Ministry Ball.
Lilly was wearing a floor-length strapless dress, it was turquoise with a simple silk skirt, but the bust was elaborate. Under the bust, there was a slightly darker green ribbon which showed off Lilly's petite, thin form. Above that, the bust was decorated with green, blue and purple jewels. It was slightly more elaborate than the clothes Lilly usually wore, but she looked great, and Neville told her as much.
"Have I ever told you how lucky I feel to have you?" Neville murmured as he pulled her into his arms.
"You tell me all of the time, Nev," Lilly smiled as she pushed herself onto her toes and kissed him.
"Because I mean it," Neville said quietly so that the others wouldn't hear, "There's something perfect about falling in love with your best friend."
Lilly smiled, "Yeah, there is," she agreed as she caught his eye, "I love you too, Neville. I have done for a while now."
Neville's grin widened as he held her tightly, "You've already made my night, and we haven't even left the common room yet."
Lilly laughed again, "Alright, enough cheese for one night. I'm lactose intolerant," she joked as she turned to admire Susan and her incredibly sexy prom dress.
Susan was the only one riding this solo, although from what Daphne had talked to her about earlier, she got the impression that things were changing between her and Percy. Susan had said that he had asked to come to her graduation before she had even offered and that they had started going out together on proper dates.
When everyone was ready, the group headed down to the entrance hall, where they were each handed a complimentary glass of champagne on their way into the great hall. Harry was surprised when he saw the hall because it had been split down the middle by a large see-through glittery curtain. On one half, there was a dance floor, and on the other half, there was a dining room with six circular tables of four and a long head table for the teachers.
Everybody gathered by the door and waited for McGonagall to speak. As they did so, they looked around the hall. It was decorated simply but beautifully. The tables each had a sparkly white tablecloth on them, and there were white and gold balloons floating magically above each table. There were also white banners with gold writing saying "Class of 98/99".
"Welcome," McGonagall said as she stood and smiled at them all, "To the first-ever "eighth-year" prom. I feel a personal attachment to this year group, more so than I have since the class of 1978."
Harry grinned. The class of 1978 had included his parents, Sirius and Remus.
McGonagall continued, "I wish you all the best of luck, but for now, it is time to enjoy the last few days you have with each other and with Hogwarts. So tonight, I beg you all, have a good time!"
There were cheers, and McGonagall smiled, which was something she still did rarely, "As you remember, you chose the seating arrangements before the exams, so please take your seats and enjoy the meal."
McGonagall sat back down, and everybody headed to their seats. "Table 1" seated Harry, Daphne, Hermione and Draco. Next to them at "Table 2" were Theo, Sadie, Neville and Lilly. Susan was sitting at "Table 3" with Melody, with who she got on very well, and Hannah and Blaise.
Before the food could even be served, the attention was drawn to "Table 4", where Megan, Ernie, Justin and Zacharias were sitting because Justin had cast a silencing charm on Zacharias the moment he began to complain about there not being enough choice on the menu. McGonagall then thanked Justin and asked him to keep the charm in place until the end of the meal.
As they ate, everyone talked about meaningless things like Quidditch and the food, but they also spoke about the more serious things in life. Like what would happen after Hogwarts and who would work where or who would live where and when so and so were getting married. It was all very sophisticated, really.
It was also very bittersweet because Dean and Tracey should have been here too. They should have been lighting up the room; they would have been the life and soul of the party. Harry knew that Daphne found it difficult. She plastered on a smile, the smile that made everyone fall in love with her, but behind the small, there was pain in her eyes.
For Harry, the person he missed most wasn't dead. He felt that Ron really should have been there, and as he often did when feeling sentimental, Harry missed his redheaded best friend.
Around ten minutes after everyone had eaten and the food had disappeared, Hermione and Theo got to their feet and disappeared behind the curtain. Not long after that, McGonagall drew the curtain back slightly and let everyone walk through into the other part of the room. Once through the curtain, Harry realised that the décor was the same, but there was a dance floor on this side and a stage at the front of the room with steps leading up to it.
Hermione and Theo were standing on the stage, and Hermione kept glancing anxiously over at Theo. It was time for the Head Boy and Girl speech which Harry knew that Hermione had been writing and practising for a month. He was pretty sure that Theo would make it up as he went along, though.
"Hello everyone," Hermione said as she smiled at them all, "First of all, Theo and I would like to thank you all for coming tonight."
"Yep," Theo said as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his dress robes, "Cheers."
Theo, like all of the other boys, was wearing simple black dress robes. Some of them had a hem or sleeves in a different colour, but most were merely black. Next to Hermione in her beautiful dress, he looked like he was dressed down for the occasion.
"I don't think a year of students have ever been as strong or united as we are," Hermione said with a confident smile, "I believe that war is horrendous, but in some ways, it binds us. To those of you who fought together, you will not forget that. To those of you who were in Dumbledore's Army, the people you met there will be your friends until the day that you die."
Neville grabbed Lilly's hand, and she smiled at him, then grabbed Susan's hand. The Hufflepuff put her arm around her short friend, and Neville chuckled at the interaction. Around the room, several people were regarding those they had met in the DA. It had forged many new friendships and cemented other existing ones.
The look in Hermione's eyes was slightly haunted, but she kept her voice steady, "Our year group has gone through hell and back together. We have faced so much, yet here we stand. We are survivors and fighters, and because of that, we are united. We even managed to unite ourselves with those we may not have known or liked before returning for our eighth year. Those people have not only fitted in, but they have flourished," Hermione shot a smile at the Slytherins in the crowd, "My boyfriend is a Slytherin and this year, I have made some great friends, friends for life. And they are in Slytherin," she smiled at Daphne and Sadie, "Ravenclaw," she looked at Lilly, "and Hufflepuff," Susan grinned and waved.
Hermione smiled and said, "And I don't care when people question why I befriended certain people because I don't see the house or the colours. I see the people beneath them. We should be proud because we are strong, and we are united. Students of each house have lived under the same roof in the same tower this year, and they thrived. So I would like to finish by saying this. We are only as strong as we are united and as weak as we are divided."
Hermione's speech ended with cheers and whistles and shouts. Everyone agreed that it had been moving, it had moved some people to tears, and McGonagall was one of those included in that.
Draco did not cry, but he did gaze at Hermione as she spoke her words of wisdom. It was all true. None of it mattered anymore, not their houses, not their past. It was all irrelevant. As she stood there, so confident and so beautiful, he did something that his logical brain would normally have called incredibly stupid.
Before Theo could do something ridiculous, Draco stepped forward and jogged up the stairs, much to the bemusement of Hermione.
"Draco, what are you doing?" Hermione asked when he came to a stop in front of her.
"Elaborating on your speech," Draco said with a slight smile, "Because you are right, Hermione. It doesn't matter that our houses are different or that our blood status is different. It doesn't even matter that our cultures are different. It's because of those different cultures that you now love the Weird Sisters and that I sometimes sing along to the Spice Girls."
There was laughter amidst their fellow students, and Hermione paled slightly because she had a clue about what was happening. She didn't look away from Draco, so she missed Daphne's smug grin and the beam on Harry's face.
Draco continued, "All that does matter is that we love each other. Because if you love someone, you get past the differences, and you learn to compromise on the things that really matter to you both. Over this last year, Hermione, you have made me question everything about myself, you have made me a better person, and I have completely and hopelessly fallen in love with you. I told you once that I would weather any storm with you, and I meant it."
Hermione's hands flew to her face as Draco dropped down onto one knee and pulled the velvet box from his pocket. Despite the rumours and the stupid thing with the tea leaves, she hadn't expected this to happen, and she especially hadn't expected it like this.
"So will you weather those storms with me, Hermione? Will you marry me?" Draco asked. He popped the box open so that the golden ring with its central ruby could sparkle in the candlelight of the hall.
Unlike Daphne had, Hermione didn't hesitate. She was shocked, but she was also excited and ecstatic. She didn't have to think about her answer at all. Draco had completely healed her, he had made her whole again, and she couldn't imagine a future without him anymore.
"Yes!" Hermione said eagerly but quietly, "Yes, Draco."
Draco grinned and slid the ring onto her finger as he got to his feet. He looked down at her with a mixture of shock and delight on his face.
Hermione laughed, "Did you not expect me to say yes?"
"Well, there was a part of me that thought you might punch me in the face again," Draco joked, which elicited laughter from the rest of the hall.
"You were in luck this time," Hermione beamed as she stepped closer to him and let him kiss her. She wasn't usually into public displays of affection, but she felt that it would be okay this one time, given the circumstances. It wasn't a passionate kiss; it was a soft kiss, a knowing kiss. When they drew back and murmured that they loved each other with their foreheads resting together, Theo just had to ruin the moment.
"To completely detract from that beautiful, heartwarming moment, I'm sorry," Theo grinned as he shouted "Stage dive!" and jumped into the crowd. Hermione and Draco were the first to laugh because nobody made a move to catch the idiotic Slytherin boy.
However, much to their disappointment Sadie caught him with a levitation charm seconds before he hit the ground. She rolled her eyes at him and exclaimed, "Theo! Will you ever grow up?"
"No!" Most people in the crowd shouted, which made Sadie laugh. Theo just jumped to his feet and bowed at them all.
Hermione chuckled as she made her way off of the stage with Draco's arm around her shoulder. The moment they stepped onto the dance floor, their friends bombarded them with hugs and kisses, and all of the girls gathered to admire Hermione's ring.
"Congrats, mate," Harry said to Draco, "I'm happy for you, and I mean it. You make her happier than anything; you know that?"
"I know," Draco said with a soft smile, "Her dad said something similar when he gave me his blessing at Easter."
"Even Ron agrees that you're good for her," Neville said as he patted Draco on the back, "So congratulations, mate."
Draco's smile widened, and then he was full-on bear-hugged by Theo, "So I'm best man, right?"
Draco laughed at his best friend, "Course, you will be when the time comes. I reckon it will be a long engagement though, so don't get too excited."
"Hey, I was just making sure you remember where your priorities lay," Theo joked with a mock wink in Harry's direction.
The Gryffindor boy didn't mind; he only laughed and smiled over at the girls. Hermione had been hugged by every single girl in their friend group and congratulated by them all too. He took a step towards her and hugged her, then kissed her on the cheek.
"Congratulations, Hermione," Harry murmured as he held her tightly, "I'm so happy for you both, and I really mean that."
Hermione positively beamed at him as she pulled back from the hug, "Thanks, Harry," she said genuinely.
They were all drawn away from each other and the exciting new engagement as McGonagall took to the stage once more. She openly smiled at them all now, "Thank you for that moving speech, Miss Granger and that amusing fall, Mr Nott. And I would like to offer my congratulations to both Miss Granger and Mr Black."
Hermione and Draco grinned from where they stood at the front of the crowd, they were holding each other's hands, and their friends surrounded them. McGonagall cleared her throat and continued, "Now we move onto the special part of the evening; the achievement awards. Normally, as you probably know, there are only four, but due to special circumstances this year, there will be five," McGonagall explained, and she picked up the first trophy from a small table on the stage and began.
"The first award is for sporting achievement, and this year the staff were unanimous in their choice," McGonagall said.
Draco whispered to Harry, "It's me."
"No, it's not," Hermione whispered with a grin, "McGonagall wouldn't have voted for you; it's Harry."
"It's so me, mate," Harry said with a wink.
"Harry Potter!"
Harry grinned, and Draco glared at him, but it was half-hearted. The Slytherin was far too excited about his engagement to care about the fact Harry had beaten him to an award.
Harry's grin didn't shift as he jogged up onto the stage and accepted the trophy, which had a broom atop it. He did a mock bow in McGonagall's direction, and then he bowed to the crowd as he said, "I'd like to thank the staff for this, because I can honestly say it's the greatest achievement of my life so far, apart from killing Voldemort obviously. I've wanted to win this as Captain since I joined the team in my first year, so again, thank you!"
Harry walked off of the stage to cheers and whistles and some joke boos from certain Slytherin friends of his.
McGonagall then announced the next award, "For extraordinary academic achievement, this award can only go to one person. She is the brightest witch of her generation…it is Hermione Granger!"
Hermione was trying not to cry (again, because she had literally just stopped crying after Draco's proposal) as she walked up onto the stage. McGonagall looked proud as she held the trophy out to the Gryffindor girl; Hermione was sort of her prodigy after all. McGonagall had always seen a lot of herself in Hermione.
"Thank you, Professor," Hermione said to McGonagall as she accepted the trophy, which had a book atop it. She then turned to the crowd and the teachers and said, "I would like to thank all staff for this award. I spent a lot of time being put down and bullied for being smart, but I channelled that into getting smarter. I'd like to thank Draco too for his constant motivation and for being so easy to beat to the top of every class."
Draco grinned at that, and when Hermione left the stage, he hugged her, kissed her and said, "You're welcome, by the way."
Hermione was too happy to find it in herself to hit him, even playfully, so she just laughed at his remark as McGonagall began to speak once more, "This next award is for the most changed student from first year to, in this case, eighth year. It has been split between two people this year," McGonagall explained, "This award is usually in reference to academic change. However, this is why there are two awards this year. The staff and I have talked, and we believe that due to his dramatic change and the courage that this must have taken. In terms of a change in his beliefs, morals and attitude, this award goes to Draco Black."
Draco was surprised, and this showed as his eyes widened and his face paled. Hermione gave him a prod and smiled at him proudly. It was enough to push him towards the stage, which he walked onto slowly. He seemed to be gathering his thoughts together as he did so.
"Thank you," Draco said sincerely to McGonagall as he took the trophy. He then turned to everyone else, "Well, wow…thank you to the staff for doing this because let's face it, I was a smug, arrogant little tosser for the majority of my time here…."
There were chuckles and nods around the crowd. Draco continued, "But I have changed, and that change is thanks to more than one person. Notably it is due to three people, and ironically they are all Gryffindors. I want to thank Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom for being fantastic friends. You guys have taught me a lot, and I owe you both so much. But I have to admit, the biggest factor in this change is Hermione Granger, the beautiful, feisty Gryffindor who just agreed to marry me. Let's face it; everyone knew that she was the girl I had a crush on pretty much all of the way through Hogwarts, right?"
There was a resounding chorus of "YES!" throughout the hall, and Harry was fairly sure that some of the teachers had joined in.
Draco smiled broadly as he finished, "So thank you, Hermione, for being the love of my life and for actually wanting to stick around! And thanks, Harry and Neville, for trusting me and giving me a second chance."
There were cheers at this as Draco made his way off the stage, back to his friends.
"Thanks for mentioning me in your speech," Theo muttered. He actually sounded a little irritated, "What about the second chance I gave you after you abandoned us during the war?"
Draco turned to look at his friend, and when he saw actual irritation in his eyes, he murmured, "I already thanked you for that, that night on the Astronomy Tower."
Theo caught his eye and smiled slightly, "Alright, I'll suppose I'll let you off then," he conceded.
"The second part of this award," McGonagall continued with a smile, "Goes to the student who has improved the most academically over the years they have spent at Hogwarts. I think we all know who this award goes to because we all know that he works hard and that he thoroughly deserves this. I, for one, can say that I am very proud of him. This award goes to… Neville Longbottom!"
To anyone else, it would have felt good, but to Neville, this was something great. It was the most significant academic achievement he had ever had. He had beaten the odds, he had done it, he was going to leave Hogwarts with good grades, and he was going into a fantastic job. He wasn't the laugh of the school anymore; he wasn't the class clown. He had beaten those odds, and to him, that was one of the greatest feelings in the world. He kissed Lilly and practically ran up to the stage; he was buzzing with excitement as he hugged McGonagall and accepted the trophy.
"Thank you, everyone, for this award. I might not have looked like much when I first arrived here, and I know I was the laughing stock of Hogwarts, but it feels good, better than good, in fact, to know I've beaten the odds. I couldn't thank everyone who has helped me in the last few years, but I have to pick out a few special people. I've got to thank Harry, of course, for taking me under his wing and letting me be his snake killing sidekick."
Harry grinned broadly at this in the crowd, and Neville continued, "And I also have to thank my beautiful girlfriend Lilly Moon, who is far more intelligent and academically capable than me, but she keeps me on my toes! Without her, I would never have had the confidence to do some of the things I have this year, including accepting an offer to enter the Auror selection process. So thank you, Lil."
Lilly blushed profusely at this public admiration, and the crowd cheered as Neville jumped down off the stage. He kissed Lilly again, "You're right, Lil. I don't need my parents to be here at graduation; I have you."
Lilly smiled proudly up at him and leant in closer, "And I'm so proud of you, Nev," she said honestly.
Neville squeezed her shoulder and smiled down at her as McGonagall announced the final award, "Finally, this award is for the best attendance throughout the years spent at Hogwarts," she said.
Harry whispered to Hermione, "You'll get that one too."
Hermione snorted and whispered back, "Yeah, right. Do you know how many classes I missed for being in the hospital wing with the face of a cat? Or being petrified for half a year? Or for going out on an adventure with you? I also happened to miss a whole year on the run, remember?"
"Aw, Hermione," Harry teased, "You make it sound like I corrupted you."
Hermione laughed, "You did. Between you and Draco, I'm a ruin."
"Did I just hear my fiancé say that right?" Draco asked as he appeared behind the two friends, "I'm adventurous, Hermione, but not that much."
"Oh hush," Hermione chuckled as McGonagall announced the winner of the award…
"Zacharias Smith!"
There was a collective groan, and even Flitwick rolled his eyes. Zacharias puffed his chest out and walked snootily up the stairs. He bowed to McGonagall, accepted the award and started to talk.
"I would like to take this opportunity, firstly to thank everyone who helped me to get this award; all of the teachers and my friends-"
"- what friends?" Harry asked Draco in a whisper.
Draco shrugged, "His imaginary ones?"
"- I am so thrilled that I achieved this award, after everything I have been through in these eight years. To manage to make it to all of my classes on time with all of the distractions caused by Potter and his hero complex. It's nice to see that some people still value old fashioned hard work in an age where people like Potter, Longbottom and Malfoy just want to spend all of their time fighting and rebelling. Whereas I, Zacharias Ebenezer Smith, attended every class, throughout every year and didn't run off trying to kill some dark lord at the expense of my education-"
At this point, music started to play. Music that anybody from a Muggle background would recognise as the theme music to "Jaws" played when the shark was approaching.
"GET OFF THE STAGE!"
"SHUT UP, YOU TOSSER!"
Almost everyone in the room had started booing or had thrown something at Zacharias. Eventually, he got the hint and rushed off of the stage, all the while grumbling about how he wasn't appreciated in this school.
"Come on," Hermione said as she dragged Theo up onto the stage. McGonagall still seemed shocked and horrified by Zacharias's speech as she said, "And now I hand you over to Miss Granger and Mr Nott for a mock awards ceremony."
McGonagall then left the stage to stand with the other teachers in the crowd, and Hermione and Theo took control of the prom once more.
"Normally, the awards would be serious, but this year we thought it would be fun to have a student-run awards ceremony," Hermione said brightly, "Which is why of course, a few weeks ago, you all voted on the questions."
"And tonight, the results will come out," Theo said loudly.
"Myself and your illustrious Head Boy-"
"That's me, by the way!"
Hermione rolled her eyes in amusement, "- are your hosts for tonight."
"Are you ready?" Theo asked in an attempt to get everyone riled up.
There were cheers and shouts, so Theo said, "Alright then! Let's begin with our first category. The rear of the year, male and female. Hermione, would you like to tell us who the male winner is?"
"Of course, Theo," Hermione said, and she opened an envelope, "And the winner is…Neville Longbottom!"
"WHAT?" Draco exclaimed, "Fatbottom? I mean, his nickname is fatbottom! His arse is not better than mine!"
Harry patted Draco on the back, "There there, Draco, your arse is perfectly lovely," he joked.
"Thank you, Harry," Draco said. He nodded to himself as if to say that the rest of the year should have agreed with this conclusion. He completely missed Harry's sarcasm which made Daphne giggle at the two boys.
Neville had ignored this exclamation from Draco and bounded to the stage where he did a mock bow and said, "Thank you very much! I am glad that my rear is appreciated!"
With that, he was gone as fast as he had been on the stage, and Hermione and Theo moved on.
"Theo, would you like to tell us whose rear won for the women?" Hermione asked, and she handed Theo an envelope.
"I would, Hermione. I think it should be Sadie Cauldwell, but that's just my opinion," There were chuckles as he winked at his fiancé, "And the winner is… Susan Bones!"
Susan winked at her friends and walked to the stage, "Thank you all, you dirty perverts!"
Her response led to much sniggering, and Hermione was still chuckling as she said, "We now move onto the next award. This is for the 'Most Attractive' student in the year group. Theo, will you do the honours for the female winner?"
"Certainly," Theo said as he opened the envelope, "And the person voted most attractive female in the year is…Daphne Greengrass!"
Daphne looked vaguely surprised. She had gotten more conservative since being with Harry. She had all but lost her nickname of Ice Queen too, but all the same, she floated rather beautifully up the stairs onto the stage and accepted the little trophy.
"Thanks, everyone! It's flattering that you think I'm attractive!" Daphne said, "Sorry to disappoint, but I'm kinda tied down to hero boy for the foreseeable future!"
The crowd chuckled as she flounced from the stage to join Harry back down in the crowd.
"And Hermione, please reveal the male winner. Personally, I think it should be Draco Black with his flowing blond locks and endless grey eyes…."
"Alright, Theo. He's very handsome but don't get too carried away," Hermione joked.
Harry couldn't help but grin at how they made such a great comedy duo. Hermione opened the envelope and grinned.
"It's me, it's so me," Draco said confidently. He was even getting ready to walk to the stage, "I mean, look at me, I'm flawless."
"And the winner is…Harry Potter!"
"WHAT?"
Harry grinned and made his way to the stage. He could hear Draco ranting to Neville as he did so, "Scarhead? Come on! That scar isn't a turn-on; he's a skinny runt with glasses! How is that attractive? Look at me. I'm a perfect male specimen!"
"Alright, Draco," Neville teased, "Try not to get insecure now. What with me having a better arse than you and Harry being more attractive."
"He is not more attractive!"
Harry chuckled and kissed Hermione on the cheek as he took the award from her. He turned to the crowd, "Thanks for the award, guys. I love it for one reason, in particular, it has pissed my good friend Draco off, and I'll have it as blackmail to hold over him forever, so cheers!"
With that, he left the stage, and the hosts moved onto the next award, although Draco was still slightly annoyed with Harry and hadn't stopped glaring at him yet.
"Next is an award for the teachers!" Hermione said with a smile, "For the best-looking teacher, male and female!"
Theo opened the envelope and handed it to Hermione, who grinned, "And it is a draw! Between Aurora Sinistra and Minerva McGonagall!"
Sinistra chuckled and took the stage. She had won for the last few years, so it was almost a joke to her. McGonagall was pale and wide-eyed as she got onto the stage amongst cheers from the students.
"YEAH! GO, MINNIE!"
"Mr Nott, I may not be able to give you detention anymore, but I can still hex you," McGonagall said.
Theo gave her a curt nod, much to the amusement of the rest of the students. He duplicated the award and handed one to both professors, who left the stage as quickly as possible.
"And now, the best looking male teacher!" Theo chirped. This time Hermione opened the envelope and handed it to Theo, "It's another draw! Our winners are Charlie Weasley and Alfons Poliakoff!"
Charlie took the award first and said, "Thanks for voting for me! All you teenage girls and boys if you're into that kind of thing!"
"I voted for Poliakoff," Draco said thoughtfully.
Harry sniggered, "You do know it said you didn't have to vote on that one if you were male, right?"
"So?" Draco shrugged, "Did you vote?"
Harry's cheeks reddened only slightly, but Draco caught it and smirked, "See? Who did you vote for?"
"Charlie," Harry admitted, "But if you ever tell him that, I swear I'll hex you into oblivion."
"Alright, calm down, Scarhead."
"Shut up, ferret."
"And the next award is," Theo said, "Most likely to become an Unspeakable," he ripped open the envelope,
"And it goes to Blaise Zabini, of course, it does! That guy is a human chameleon!"
Blaise silently made his way to the stage, so quietly it was like he had just appeared there by magic.
"Thanks," he said. He then took the award and vanished yet again.
"That guy is fantastic," Theo said.
Hermione chuckled, "The next award is for the person most likely to become Head of Hogwarts someday. I'm pretty sure we all know who this award will go to…" she said as she caught Harry's eye and opened the envelope, "…and as expected it is Harry Potter!"
Harry got to the stage once more, "Thanks again, guys. I hope I'll be as good as Dumbledore!" he winked and left as quickly as that.
"The next award is for the person most likely to become Minister for Magic…." Theo said as he looked down at his envelope, "…and it's Neville Longbottom!"
Neville shook his head in amusement and took to the stage. He collected his second trophy and said, "Well, I can't say I've ever thought about it, but thanks anyway! Hope I'll be as good as Kingsley!" he said, it was an echo of Harry's speech, and he left the stage just as quickly.
"Look, Draco," Neville said as he held both trophies in his hand, "Two trophies, how many have you got, Harry?"
"Oh, just two," Harry said casually, "How about you, Draco?"
"Shut up both of you," Draco muttered, "You bloody heroic arseholes."
"So that's zero then, yeah?"
"Next is the award for the person most likely to become the head of St. Mungo's," Hermione announced. She grinned after looking at the paper, "It's Lillian Moon!"
Lilly was surprised and a little embarrassed, but she made her way onto the stage and accepted the award, "Thanks! I guess I'll have to spend a whole lot of hours slaving away healing Aurors first, though!" she joked, which elicited laughter from the crowd.
"The next award goes to the person most likely to end up in the Hogs Head in 10 years..." Theo announced. He looked down at the parchment in his hands, "…And it's me!"
Theo did a mock bow and tried to take his trophy from himself to much laughter from his fellow students. He then gave a short speech about the beauty of alcohol.
After that, Annie won 'most likely to have kids and become a housewife', which she seemed pretty proud of. Then Sally won 'most likely to get married and have an affair'. She stomped onto the stage, took the trophy and left again without a single word while looking very red in the face.
"And the next award," Theo said, "Is for the person most likely to fail at everything in their life, a mock award obviously…" he opened up the parchment and looked down and sniggered, "…The winner is Zacharias Smith!"
Zacharias turned and walked out of the hall. Hermione felt slightly guilty until she realised that McGonagall was even eying the boy as if he deserved it.
"And it's a no show which means the runner up wins, and that is… awesome it's me!"
Theo then proceeded to hand himself the award again, "Thank you all. I am officially a failure!"
Hermione was still laughing as she began to announce the following award, "The next award goes to the person most likely to become a rebel after being a geek…" she opened up the parchment and gaped, "…And the winner is…" she couldn't say it, so Theo looked down and said, "…it's Hermione! Well done, Draco, you have officially corrupted her!"
Despite the fact he was in a bad mood about the fact he hadn't won anything, this cracked Draco up. Theo took the trophy from Hermione and handed it back to her, and she turned to the crowd and said, "Well, thanks…I think."
"And onto the next award!" Theo said cheerfully, "This award goes to the person most likely to play Quidditch for their national team."
"It better be me," Draco said. He was going slightly crazy about the fact he hadn't won one award yet, "I'm awesome; it better be me."
"The winner is…Draco Black!" Theo announced, and Draco actually jumped up in delight and practically ran onto the stage where he tackled Theo and grabbed the award.
"YES! Finally, I won something!" Draco said happily, "And I rightfully won this award because I'm a better seeker than Potter. I'm faster, more skilled and much tougher," he grinned, "So this award is rightfully mine!"
With that, he jumped off of the stage, waved the award in Harry and Neville's faces and then proceeded to calm down when Daphne told him he looked slightly insane.
"The next award is for the biggest rebel," Hermione announced as she held the trophy in her hand, "And the winner is our very own Head Boy, Theodore Roosevelt Nott!"
"Princess, I am not happy that you read out my middle name," Theo said as he took the trophy, "But all the same, I have never been prouder in my life, apart from when Sadie said she'd keep me around forever of course! It's nice to have my behaviour as Hogwarts biggest rebel recognised!"
Hermione chuckled and let Theo calm down for a moment. He put the trophy down next to his other two and said, "And the next award is for the best Quidditch player, no male or female here, just in general…" he opened up the envelope.
"It's gonna be; it's gotta be me," Draco said. With his trophy clutched in his hand, he felt much more confident.
"It's Harry Potter!"
"Draco, hold my two trophies for me while I go collect my third," Harry said, to which Draco responded, "Fuck off, Scarhead."
Harry grinned and handed the trophies to Daphne, then bounded up onto the stage and accepted the third award, "Thanks again, guys, I'm glad you think I'm the best. I mean, I know I'm the best, but it's nice to have recognition," he joked, and he left the stage to laughter.
"You shouldn't have won that," Draco seethed. He was losing it, "I caught the snitch."
"Calm down, Draco. You can release all this tension later with Hermione," Harry said light-heartedly, and as pissed off as Draco was, he couldn't not laugh at that comment.
Hermione read out the second last award, "This one goes to the best couple…" she said, and she smiled as she looked down and read out the winners, "…and it goes to… Theodore Nott and Sadie Cauldwell!"
Theo was already on the stage, and Sadie made her way up with a smile. Theo put his arm around her, and Hermione handed them a trophy each.
"Thanks for voting for us guys," Sadie said to the crowd, "We might look like an odd unmatched couple, what with me being so normal and putting up with this idiot, but underneath it all, I love him!"
"And everything she said is a lie," Theo said playfully, "She's not normal. I'm the normal one, really. It's all a farce!"
There was laughter at that and even more of it when Sadie playfully hit Theo on the arm and left the stage.
"And finally!" Theo said, "To wrap up our awards ceremony is the award to the couple that should have been!"
Harry wondered about this one; he hoped people didn't vote for him and Hermione because if they had done, it would have been very awkward.
"And the award goes to…." Theo laughed uncontrollably and had to start again. That wasn't a good sign, "…it goes to Draco Black and Harry Potter!"
"Oh, Merlin," Draco said.
Harry, however, just burst out laughing, grabbed Draco by the wrist and pulled him up onto the stage. There was a lot of laughter as the two boys accepted their trophies. Both of them were amused yet vaguely embarrassed at the same time.
"Well, what can I say?" Harry began as he looked out at the crowd, "For all these years, I have clearly been bottling up my massive crush on Draco -"
"- Frankly, he's freaking me out," Draco cut in, to yet more laughter, "But all the same, this award is obviously proof of what we've been denying for so long…."
Harry barked out a laugh and said, "As misguided and incorrect as this is, thanks anyway, guys!"
He and Draco left the stage after that to a lot of laughter, especially from their close friends.
Theo and Hermione wrapped up the ceremony after that and made their way back to their group of friends.
"Aw guys, that was brilliant," Hermione said.
Draco rolled his eyes and kissed her, "Yes, very funny," he said dryly.
"Theo, you should be jealous. Draco's moving on," Neville joked.
Theo just grinned and put his arm around Draco's shoulder, "Nah. I don't need to worry about potty wee Potter with his scar and his broomstick, do I Drakey?"
Draco rolled his eyes at the old nickname, "Definitely not," he answered.
Harry snickered, and McGonagall took to the stage to announce the beginning of the dance. The stage was filled with a band, as if by magic, funnily enough. Almost instantly, the music began to play, and the dance started.
Harry loved the way things were. The war still haunted him, but he was alive, and he was carefree. He could dance all night with his friends and the love of his life. He wasn't always on the lookout for Voldemort.
As he danced the night away, sometimes with Daphne and at other times with one of the other girls, Harry couldn't help but think about the ring on Daphne's finger and the wedding they would eventually have. Harry smiled softly to himself as he hid his face in Daphne's shoulder; he held her closer and danced slowly with her for a good while.
However, as the night began to die, Harry found himself sitting alone with Draco while the girls danced together. They discussed the recent engagement and the fact that it had made Hermione glow with happiness when Draco said something out of the blue.
"I'm not good enough for her, Harry. She has just agreed to a life of shame and embarrassment," Draco said. He was clearly starting to have doubts already.
"Or a life with the man she loves," Harry said.
Draco scoffed, "I'm an embarrassment. I'll always be a Malfoy, I can change my name, but I can't change my face. I'll always be that arsehole with a Death Eater for a father…that arsehole who was a traitor in the war."
"Or you'll become an Auror and save lives. People get second chances to redeem themselves," Harry said firmly, he wasn't angry, but he wanted to make it clear to Draco that he wasn't going to be a recluse for the rest of his life, "Draco, you were a teenage boy who made all of the wrong choices. You were scared, but people aren't going to judge the man you've become because of the boy that you were."
Draco gave Harry a weak smile and said a quiet thank you. Harry nodded and grabbed his friend by the arm. He smiled widely at Draco and said, "Now come on. Let's go and find our bloody beautiful fiancés and dance with them."
The blond mustered a genuine smile, "That sounds perfect," he said softly.
* ~ TBC ~ *