"Well Hermione, you sure do have a large selection of boys to go to the ball with. Now, do you want to know about the guys from your grade, or are you interested in the older men?" Angelina asked Hermione. It was the next day, and they were in the Gryffindor common room. It was a Hogsmeade weekend, but neither Hermione of Angelina need to buy or see anything, so they decided to stay at Hogwarts and discuss possible dates for Hermione.
"I think I'd like to know about my grade first."
"Okay. For your grade we have the semi-cute Dean Thomas; Ernie Macmillan, although I don't suggest him after all the trouble Harry had with him in your second year; and the evil, yet still very handsome Draco Malfoy. Oh, plus Neville, he'd love to go with you, but I promised you someone other than him. I`ll tell you about the others too, because I can see that you want to know. Colin Creevey has been thinking about you all day, and George Weasley seems to fancy you also."
"But I thought George and Alicia..."
"Yes, I thought George was going to ask Alicia too, and he still might, but it's you he wants."
"How exactly did you find out about all of these boys wanting to go with me? Surely you didn't ask the whole school. And I know for a fact the Draco would never tell you, even if he did like me. So how'd you do it?"
"I didn't ask anyone. They don't even know that I found out about them liking you. It's a spell, I can read minds with it. All I did was mention the Ball around large groups of boys, and listened to who they were thinking about. Then I tuned into anyone who thought about you."
"How come I've never read about it? I've never heard about it before."
"That's because it's a family spell. I don't use it unless I have to, because I think it's rude to listen to other people's thoughts with out them being able to stop me. That's why it's never left our family, because just think of the destruction it could do if it was in the wrong hands."
"So when you mentioned the Ball, all of those boys thought about me? Well, Harry and Ron would kill me if I ever went with Draco," `maybe I should ask him, I despise him, but then maybe Harry would come and rescue me from him,' she thought. "So he's off the list. And Ernie and Collin are out too, no offence to them. I'll have to think about Dean and George. Thanks for all your help. You'll be the first one to know when I ask someone to the Yule Ball."
"Glad to help, but I think the rest of the school is coming back, so maybe we should split up. I'll talk to you tomorrow, bye."
"Bye."
`What am I doing?' Hermione thought as she walked to the Slytherin tower. `I don't even want to go to the ball with Malfoy, so why am I asking him? You want to make Harry mad and jealous, just how he made you feel,' She reminded herself. Hermione came to a painting that she recognized as the entrance to the Slytherin common room, and was asked for a password. "Password?" Hermione asked out loud. "I really should have gotten it before I came. Now what could it be? Err...Pureblood...I guess not...hmmm...Knockturn Alley...OPEN UP NOW!!!" Hermione finally shouted, very irritated, mostly because she hadn't found out the password before she came.
As Hermione yelled, the portrait swung open and Draco stepped out. "Temper, temper, Granger. Why are you trying to get into the Slytherin common room anyway?" he snarled.
"I was looking for you, actually. Would you like to go ball with me?" Hermione asked, cool as ever.
"You want to go to the ball with me? Do you really think I would want to go with you?"
"You could have just said no, you didn't have to rub it in," Hermione said, turning away. She was trying her hardest to look and sound hurt. It must have worked, because just as she was about to walk away she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were serious. I would love to go with you, Hermione, that is, if you still want to go with me."
Hermione turned around. "Of course I still want to go with you." She looked up into his eyes and smiled. `I can't believe I'm going with Malfoy. Now I have to pretend to like him, and be nice to him, and everything.' She mumbled a goodbye and turned away.
"The password is `Basilisk' in case you were wondering. You know, to visit me or anything, I mean, if you want to," Draco called after her. Hermione kept walking. She somehow found her way to the Gryffindor common room. She swore to herself in her head the whole time. She saw Harry and Ron playing chess in the common room, and put on a happy, dreamy look and walked toward them. She sat down on the couch next to Harry and sighed.
"What are you so happy about?" asked Ron, looking up.
"Only the fact that I have a date to the ball," she replied. Harry and Ron's mouths dropped open.
"Who?" they asked in allusion.
"Draco," she said, drawling as she said it, letting her words roll off her tongue. She wait for her word to register in the minds of Harry and Ron.
"Malfoy? Are you crazy?" asked Ron, shocked.
"I forbid you to go with him," said Harry, very sternly.
"You can't forbid me to do anything! You're not the boss of me, I can do whatever I want!" screamed Hermione.
"I'm only trying to protect you! You know what Malfoy's like! I wouldn't trust him with you for even a second."
"I don't need your protection, I'll be fine by myself. Bye," said Hermione, as she walked away.
"I was only trying to be a friend, I don`t want to see her hurt," said Harry to Ron.
"I know, Harry, I know. Something is defiantly up, and it's our job to find out. As much as I hate to say it, maybe we should talk to Malfoy, see what the deal is."
"Fine, you can, but I'm going to stay here, because if I go I'm going to end up cursing him, and then Hermione would hate me more than she already does."
"She doesn't hate you."
"Still, I'm going to stay here."
"Okay."
Hermione looked back and saw Ron leaving and Harry sitting in a big armchair with his arms crossed. He looked very upset. `I can't believe we just fought, that was the biggest fight we've ever had, and it was over a guy I don't even like, one that I hate, at that! Well, at least I know he cares,' Hermione thought before going to her room.
"I think I'd like to know about my grade first."
"Okay. For your grade we have the semi-cute Dean Thomas; Ernie Macmillan, although I don't suggest him after all the trouble Harry had with him in your second year; and the evil, yet still very handsome Draco Malfoy. Oh, plus Neville, he'd love to go with you, but I promised you someone other than him. I`ll tell you about the others too, because I can see that you want to know. Colin Creevey has been thinking about you all day, and George Weasley seems to fancy you also."
"But I thought George and Alicia..."
"Yes, I thought George was going to ask Alicia too, and he still might, but it's you he wants."
"How exactly did you find out about all of these boys wanting to go with me? Surely you didn't ask the whole school. And I know for a fact the Draco would never tell you, even if he did like me. So how'd you do it?"
"I didn't ask anyone. They don't even know that I found out about them liking you. It's a spell, I can read minds with it. All I did was mention the Ball around large groups of boys, and listened to who they were thinking about. Then I tuned into anyone who thought about you."
"How come I've never read about it? I've never heard about it before."
"That's because it's a family spell. I don't use it unless I have to, because I think it's rude to listen to other people's thoughts with out them being able to stop me. That's why it's never left our family, because just think of the destruction it could do if it was in the wrong hands."
"So when you mentioned the Ball, all of those boys thought about me? Well, Harry and Ron would kill me if I ever went with Draco," `maybe I should ask him, I despise him, but then maybe Harry would come and rescue me from him,' she thought. "So he's off the list. And Ernie and Collin are out too, no offence to them. I'll have to think about Dean and George. Thanks for all your help. You'll be the first one to know when I ask someone to the Yule Ball."
"Glad to help, but I think the rest of the school is coming back, so maybe we should split up. I'll talk to you tomorrow, bye."
"Bye."
`What am I doing?' Hermione thought as she walked to the Slytherin tower. `I don't even want to go to the ball with Malfoy, so why am I asking him? You want to make Harry mad and jealous, just how he made you feel,' She reminded herself. Hermione came to a painting that she recognized as the entrance to the Slytherin common room, and was asked for a password. "Password?" Hermione asked out loud. "I really should have gotten it before I came. Now what could it be? Err...Pureblood...I guess not...hmmm...Knockturn Alley...OPEN UP NOW!!!" Hermione finally shouted, very irritated, mostly because she hadn't found out the password before she came.
As Hermione yelled, the portrait swung open and Draco stepped out. "Temper, temper, Granger. Why are you trying to get into the Slytherin common room anyway?" he snarled.
"I was looking for you, actually. Would you like to go ball with me?" Hermione asked, cool as ever.
"You want to go to the ball with me? Do you really think I would want to go with you?"
"You could have just said no, you didn't have to rub it in," Hermione said, turning away. She was trying her hardest to look and sound hurt. It must have worked, because just as she was about to walk away she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were serious. I would love to go with you, Hermione, that is, if you still want to go with me."
Hermione turned around. "Of course I still want to go with you." She looked up into his eyes and smiled. `I can't believe I'm going with Malfoy. Now I have to pretend to like him, and be nice to him, and everything.' She mumbled a goodbye and turned away.
"The password is `Basilisk' in case you were wondering. You know, to visit me or anything, I mean, if you want to," Draco called after her. Hermione kept walking. She somehow found her way to the Gryffindor common room. She swore to herself in her head the whole time. She saw Harry and Ron playing chess in the common room, and put on a happy, dreamy look and walked toward them. She sat down on the couch next to Harry and sighed.
"What are you so happy about?" asked Ron, looking up.
"Only the fact that I have a date to the ball," she replied. Harry and Ron's mouths dropped open.
"Who?" they asked in allusion.
"Draco," she said, drawling as she said it, letting her words roll off her tongue. She wait for her word to register in the minds of Harry and Ron.
"Malfoy? Are you crazy?" asked Ron, shocked.
"I forbid you to go with him," said Harry, very sternly.
"You can't forbid me to do anything! You're not the boss of me, I can do whatever I want!" screamed Hermione.
"I'm only trying to protect you! You know what Malfoy's like! I wouldn't trust him with you for even a second."
"I don't need your protection, I'll be fine by myself. Bye," said Hermione, as she walked away.
"I was only trying to be a friend, I don`t want to see her hurt," said Harry to Ron.
"I know, Harry, I know. Something is defiantly up, and it's our job to find out. As much as I hate to say it, maybe we should talk to Malfoy, see what the deal is."
"Fine, you can, but I'm going to stay here, because if I go I'm going to end up cursing him, and then Hermione would hate me more than she already does."
"She doesn't hate you."
"Still, I'm going to stay here."
"Okay."
Hermione looked back and saw Ron leaving and Harry sitting in a big armchair with his arms crossed. He looked very upset. `I can't believe we just fought, that was the biggest fight we've ever had, and it was over a guy I don't even like, one that I hate, at that! Well, at least I know he cares,' Hermione thought before going to her room.
