I am finally back! I'm sorry, I had the chapter done a week ago, but somehow my computer got attacked by adware and several other things. I won't go into detail. Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 17

When Draco finally got apart from Pansy, it was nearing the end of the ball. People would in about half an hour begin to leave. There was one problem: he had to dance the closing dance with Hermione. It was customary for the highest couple to close the Opener, thus invite the rest of the Season to begin.

The problem in this would be finding Hermione; she was no where in sight. He had lost track of her when she'd bolted earlier and had no idea where to look. He glanced around and his gaze settled on Potter and the Weasleys. They were his best bet if he was going to find Hermione. Draco looked around to see if there was anyone else he could possibly ask. He grimaced at the thought of being polite to Potter and a foul taste came to his mouth. Draco slowly began his march over to them. They didn't notice his coming, and were talking intensely about something. Draco swallowed the awful taste, and went up next to Potter.

"Potter."

Harry turned around slowly, "Malfoy. What do you want?"

Malfoy glanced once around the circle. Weasley's eyes were narrowed, and his sister had a look that could kill on. Potter was pretty stony himself.

"Er. . ." Draco cleared his throat, "I. . . Have you seen Hermione?"

Harry raised an eyebrow, "I thought she was your girlfriend. Haven't you been keeping better track of her?"

"You lost her!" Ron blurted. Ginny grabbed Ron's head in her hand and turned it towards her. She told her brother something and he quieted down, looking at the floor as Ginny released him and turned to Malfoy.

"No, actually, Malfoy, I haven't seen her. Last I saw her she was dancing. Harry, did you see where she went?"

Harry stared at Draco for a second, as if contemplating to tell him something or not, "I saw her go off into a side parlor. East side, if I'm not mistaken."

Draco turned to go and started walking, but then stopped and turned to face Potter once more. He nodded, and he knew Potter understood him. He couldn't say thank you to his long-time enemies just yet. Then his mind was back on Hermione.

Hermione was still in a state of shock, sitting against the wall and looking up at the angels on the ceiling. She was still doing this when Draco finally found her. She just looked out of it. Draco went over and offered her his hand. She stared at it for a moment.

"We have one more dance to go," he said.

Hermione looked at his hand a moment longer and then slowly began to reach out. What seemed like a lifetime longer, their hands met, and Draco grasped hers and pulled her up. They looked at each other for a moment, and then Draco led Hermione out of the door of the side-parlor and into the ballroom, where they made their way silently to the middle of the floor where the other couples parted and backed away from the center of the room.

The couple halted as the reached the center of the room. Draco offered Hermione one hand, and gently place the other on her waist. Someone made an announcement through the air about the closing of the Opener and the beginning of the rest of the season. Draco didn't hear it. Neither did Hermione.

The conductor of the orchestra tapped his wand on his stand a few times, and then a waltz began drifting through the room. Draco led Hermione across the dance floor, stepping, twirling, spinning. Everyone who was watching found themselves holding their breath. The night was ending on a miraculous note.

Hermione returned home to a dark house, nearly asleep. She entered her room and made her way towards her bed. About to fall on it, Mel caught her.

"You need to get out of your dress robes," Mel said, steering Hermione into the bathroom, where she started unlacing the dress. It was silent for a minute.

"So? How was it?" Mel asked. There was silence for another minute more. Mel looked at Hermione's face to see if the girl had fallen asleep. She hadn't. She was deep in thought.

"Hermione?"

"I . . . I don't know," Hermione said, slipping out of the last piece of clothing and wandering over to the bath tub, which was filled with water.

"You don't know?" said Mel, "You just went to the most spectacular ball of the year and you don't know what it was like?"

"Yep," said Hermione, beginning to wash her hair.

Mel gave Hermione a strange look, and walked out of the room to grab a towel.

Thing is, thought Hermione, I don't really know how to define this last night. Parts were wonderful, she thought of the magnificent room and of Harry, Ginny and Ron parts were horrid, she thought of slapping Draco, and parts were just confusing. Hermione finished washing her hair, and Mel re-entered with a towel to let Hermione dry herself off.

She slipped into her night gown, said good night to Mel, and walked back into her room to find some one sitting on her bed looking waaaay too wide awake in her pajamas.

"Hi!" said Chels with wide eyes in a hyper state, "Guess what Hermione! I'm staying the rest of the weekend with you! Starting now!"

Hermione groaned and slowly made her way over to her bed. "Don't you have your own room at least?"

"Nu-uh. My mom wants us to bond as cousins. So, first night at least, I'm in here with you! Isn't it exciting?"

"Ummm suure. But I have other guests over too. . ." Hermione trailed off.

"Oh Miss Weasley is going to sleep over with us too, Mel just went to get her. But it isn't very proper to have guys sleeping over in the same room, now is it?" Chels giggled. Hermione sat down on her bed next to her cousin, who was chatting up a storm.

"Don't you. . . have to be somewhere tomorrow?" Hermione asked.

"Of course," said Chels without hesitation, "It's the Season. We're visitng grandmother for lunch, and bringing Miss Weasley along of course, and then Mrs. Zabini is having a dinner party for a few families."

"Shouldn't we get some sleep?"

"Cousin, dear, it's tradition for the females to sleep over after the Opener. Besides, during the Season days aren't officially started until eleven a.m."

"Er. . .okay."

"Now, onto more serious matters. I know we just met and all, and you probably don't trust me after my act in public, which I wouldn't blame you, no one trusts me when they see my public face, but we are family, and I could tell something was wrong between you and Draco without second-guessing. What's going on?"

At this moment, Ginny entered the room in a nightgown and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want to spill her guts to a complete stranger.

"Hi 'Mione," Ginny said, and turned to nod to Chels, "Miss Copalia."

"Hi Ginny," said Hermione meekly.

"Miss Weasley! We were just talking about boys! Come in!" said Chels excitedly, "You and Mr. Potter look so cute together! Almost made for each other, as if you decided to date out of choice!"

Ginny blushed, and Hermione hide a smile behind her hand. Maybe her out-front cousin wasn't so bad after all. Then Chels turned to Hermione.

"Now dear cousin, let's get back to you. Like I said before Miss Weasley joined us, I don't think everything's right between you and Draco. Yet your parents seem to be raving happy about the match, as does grandmother. Were you two forced to date?"

"Er. . ." Hermione couldn't decide what to say, and breathed a sigh of relief when Ginny cut in. Sometimes, it's just good to have friends around.

"Well actually, Draco was really infatuated with our dear Hermione here, and his mother and Hermione's were so excited about the match they agreed with him almost instantaneously. Hermione really had no say in the matter, and it was a bit sudden, so the two have been a bit on edge."

"Really?" said Chels, "Oh, well if that's all, that's perfectly normal. You two will be fine and settled within the week. I could tell you millions of stories of couples exactly like you."

"Oh," said Hermione, "They must be interesting."

"Actually most of them are kind of dull," said Chels, "Except for a few, like the Zabinis, or, how could I have forgotten! Hermione, your parents had pretty much the same thing happen. . ."

"Really?" said Hermione, who still had not heard much of anything about her father.

"Yes," said Chels, "your father was enchanted by your mother, and your grandparents wanted the match so it happened. They ended up loving each other in the end, though it was an arranged marriage."

Hermione closed her eyes for a moment and took a breath. Arranged. . . marriage? That's what this whole society was about anyway, wasn't it? Marriage.

I did actually really enjoy this chapter when i wrote it ages ago. I know my beta, Flo, however, really got annoyed because initially there was a LOT of choppy writing. Thanks for putting up with my Flo!

And of course, thanks you to my many reviewers! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

As for the question, we're going to try something new. It's not a right-wrong answer question. It's an opinion question. If you could pick ONE PERSON, Who do you think will die in book seven?

(And remember, just because someone disagrees with you on the question does NOT mean you need to be pissed at them. Be nice when leaving reviews.)

See you ch 18!