Disclaimer: I really wish I owned the characters in this story, but I
don't.
"So Hermione, what are you dressing up as tonight?" Ginny asked as they headed up to Hermione's room.
They both had very expensive and delicate dresses that had several pieces to them. It would take twice as long to put them on as it did the other dresses.
"Remember when I was at your house over the summer? If you remember what she looks like, I'm being Arwen from the Lord of the rings. The pretty white dress she wore is what I'm wearing. I found an almost exact match." Hermione answered with a smile already spreading across her face.
"I wonder if Harry likes yellow. Would he care if I wore a yellow dress?" Ginny began to panic.
"Ginny, calm down. I haven't been given the more recent of Harry's favorite colors, but I can already tell you it doesn't matter. He's liked you all this week, he'll be stunned by your beauty once again." Hermione assured her now slightly insecure friend.
First they dressed Ginny up. Her dress was a bright, shimmering, yellow that drew attention. She wore white gloves, and her hair was put up just like in the movie. She looked beautiful. Then they started to dress up Hermione. Her dress was long, white, delicate, and it practically glowed. Hermione even ordered the necklace that she wore. Her hair was long, wavy, and almost black.
"You ready?" Ginny asked.
"I'm ready. Can you believe it Ginny? Tomorrow night we unmask ourselves." Hermione moaned.
"Don't remind me. I'd at least like to enjoy the next few hours without having to think about that." Ginny covered her ears, not wanting to hear any more of what Hermione might have to say.
"You're right. Let's just go and enjoy ourselves." Hermione agreed.
As they walked down the halls people starred at them. The crowd parted to let them through. They smiled and waved as they made their way to the front.
Harry and Ron were standing side by side in the same spot they had been in the past three nights. Harry was dressed as what appeared to be a vampire. Not the most original costume. There were already at least five Hermione had seen. Ron was dressed as a character that Hermione knew well. She stifled a laugh as she greeted Ron.
"Oh please don't tell me you're Arwen?" Ron groaned.
"I won't tell you I'm Arwen if you won't tell me you're Aragorn. I did this all first. I got my dress three weeks before you got yours. So I still get points for originality." Hermione placed her hands on her hips.
"People are going to think we're together." Ron complained.
"No they won't. I'm going right now to meet the guy I've been seeing these past three days. No one ever sees us. Don't worry Ron." Hermione patted is shoulder and started to walk to the balcony.
She stopped to look at the costumes. Neville was dressed as Frodo. Pansy was dressed as Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde. Lavender was Pocahontas. There were a lot of other costumes she recognized, but the saw a shimmer of silky blond hair enter the balcony and was there almost instantly.
When she got there she was surprised to see his costume. His pants and tunic were mossy greens and browns. Black boots, long blond hair, pointed ears. She knew instantly who he was and she smirked.
"Legolas, I didn't see that one coming." She grinned.
"And Arwen, I'm shocked. I expected something more like what all the other girls are wearing, but then again, I should have realized, you always separate yourself from the others. You aren't like them. They are plain, boring and common. You are different, exciting, and exotic." He smiled.
"Why thank you. You know, if you had been Aragorn I would be rolling on the ground laughing my ass off." Hermione told him.
"I was seriously considering him, but he isn't that graceful, he's kinda dirty, and brown hair would look really funny on me. Besides, the girls all went for Legolas. He's what I guess you guys think is hot, and I get to wear these cool ears." He tugged at the tips of his ears.
"I'm glad you chose to be him. You look really good right now, and it helps that I have a crush on him." Hermione smiled.
"Oh really? So does this add to my charm?" He asked with a grin.
"Yes. Now, come on. I want to dance." Hermione placed her arms around his neck and began to dance.
It was every bit as magical as it had been the three nights before. Slowly everything began to fade again. No laughter, not talking, just music and the man in front of her. He looked cute even with long hair. Most guys can't pull that off successfully. She reached up and ran her hands through his hair. It was softer then she ever could have imagined. He smirked and started to feel her hair. Hers was just as soft, only it was wavy.
"Your hair is so soft. Did you cast a spell to make it so soft?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Yes, and I'm guessing you did too. It is even softer then mine. How is it you can look so different every time I see you, and yet become more beautiful every night?" He whispered.
"I could ask the same of you. You become even more handsome every time I see you. Is it even possible to get any more handsome then you already are?" Hermione smiled.
"I'd like to ask my question now." He stopped dancing and pulled her over to the bench.
"Please don't ask any questions that will give my identity away." Hermione pleaded softly.
"I won't. I just have one question for you. If you had to pick three people, name the three sexiest people here?" He looked at her and a smile crept upon his face.
"Can they already have graduated a few years ago, but they were here at some point while I was?" Hermione questioned.
"You can pick one. The other two have to be here right now." He answered.
"This is tough. You see, there are a lot of guys who are a little cute, but I don't really have feelings for any one person at the moment. If I had to pick, I think I would say Oliver Wood, Seamus Finnigan, and Harry Potter." Hermione thought carefully about her answer, wanting to say Draco.
"And why exactly did you pick those three?" He asked.
"I can't answer that. You asked your one question, now, you must tell me who you think is pretty." Hermione grinned playfully.
"I don't like most girls here. A lot of them are prissy little bimbos. If I had to pick, I guess it would be Cho Chang, Katie Bell, and I don't know pick someone else." He shrugged.
"You weren't answering completely truthfully." Hermione stated.
"You didn't either. You said Seamus, but the way you said it, I think you meant someone else. I understand why you didn't say anything. If when we take off our masks, we turned out to be enemies, you probably wouldn't want to see me any more, and you probably wouldn't want me to know whom it is that you really have feelings for. I understand." He nodded.
"I'm sorry, you're partially right. The thing is, I still don't think you'll like me. You probably know whom it was I was about to say, but if you don't like me, I didn't want you to go and tell him. You see, we didn't get along for a very long time, and recently we had this sort of unspoken truce. He's finally being nice to me, and if he ever found out how I felt about him, things would turn out badly." Hermione sighed with a bit of sadness detectable in her voice.
"It's ok. I have a similar situation going on and if she ever found out how I feel about her, she'd tell her friends and they would treat me like shit again." He whispered.
"You know, you are much easier to talk to then even my best friend. Maybe its because it seems easier to trust someone you may never see again, or maybe you are just a really good listener." Hermione smiled.
"Both I think. It is pretty easy to talk to someone you may see just once in your life, then to someone you'll see every day." He agreed.
"Yeah. I'm so nervous and excited about tomorrow night. I'm dying of anticipation, and yet I'm dreading it." Hermione sighed.
"I know, but I think everything will be ok, and if it's not, then at least we can say we were once loved the way we had always wished for. I've had girls in love with me before, and I've dated, but I never really felt this way before." He shyly admitted.
"Same here. I have had my little crushes before, and I have gone out with a guy once. I'm not your normal girl that flings herself at the nearest male who seems even slightly cute. I get to know the guy. That's why I've only dated once. It was last year. He was a year or two older then me, but I liked him. Yet I never felt love for him. That's why we broke up. We're still friends though. He wrote to me about a week ago. I never got the chance to reply. I've been so busy with all of this." Hermione smiled and glanced inside to see Ginny kiss Harry.
"I only dated to impress my father. He's an ass. I don't do that any more. I stopped at the end of last year. I was forced to take this girl I loathe to the Yule Ball. It was the worst time I had ever had in my life. I was supposed to marry her too. It was an arranged marriage, but I refused to. Once my dad saw her, he immediately canceled it. He said she wasn't worthy of me." He shook his head.
"That's good. Otherwise you would be in there now having a terrible time with that girl, and I would probably dance with a few people, then be back out here to get away from all of them." She stated with a grin.
"That's a scary thought. I don't believe I like it." He shuddered with disgust at the thought.
"I don't like it either. I can't imagine being anywhere but here right now. I love this. Dancing on the balcony, away from the crowd. Being here with you." Hermione whispered softly.
"Promise me, that whatever happens tomorrow night, when you look back on these past few nights, you will remember me the way I am now, not the way I really am. Because this is the real me. The me I rarely ever show." His lips lightly touched her ear.
Hermione stared up at him. His eyes were so familiar. Everything about him drove her crazy. With every second, his identity became clearer. Hermione knew that she knew him, she just couldn't figure out who he was. She wouldn't care if he were Crabbe or Goyle. He had made her feel special, and to her, these precious nights would always be special.
They were interrupted when a large bang went off in the dining hall, and they both jumped. Looking inside they saw Dumbledore raise his hands to gain everyone's attention.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we went on past twelve and I apologize. You must all get to bed now. Get some rest before your final night." Dumbledore announced and everyone filed out of the room.
"I'm so sorry, I wish we could stay longer, but I have to get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow night." Hermione leaned up and kissed his cheek.
"Goodnight." He bent down and kissed her softly and then walked towards the exit.
A/N: I hoped you liked that one. I may not be able to add the next chapter tomorrow. I'm having problems with my computer at the moment. Hopefully I will be able to update. Thank you all for reviewing, and for all your suggestions.
"So Hermione, what are you dressing up as tonight?" Ginny asked as they headed up to Hermione's room.
They both had very expensive and delicate dresses that had several pieces to them. It would take twice as long to put them on as it did the other dresses.
"Remember when I was at your house over the summer? If you remember what she looks like, I'm being Arwen from the Lord of the rings. The pretty white dress she wore is what I'm wearing. I found an almost exact match." Hermione answered with a smile already spreading across her face.
"I wonder if Harry likes yellow. Would he care if I wore a yellow dress?" Ginny began to panic.
"Ginny, calm down. I haven't been given the more recent of Harry's favorite colors, but I can already tell you it doesn't matter. He's liked you all this week, he'll be stunned by your beauty once again." Hermione assured her now slightly insecure friend.
First they dressed Ginny up. Her dress was a bright, shimmering, yellow that drew attention. She wore white gloves, and her hair was put up just like in the movie. She looked beautiful. Then they started to dress up Hermione. Her dress was long, white, delicate, and it practically glowed. Hermione even ordered the necklace that she wore. Her hair was long, wavy, and almost black.
"You ready?" Ginny asked.
"I'm ready. Can you believe it Ginny? Tomorrow night we unmask ourselves." Hermione moaned.
"Don't remind me. I'd at least like to enjoy the next few hours without having to think about that." Ginny covered her ears, not wanting to hear any more of what Hermione might have to say.
"You're right. Let's just go and enjoy ourselves." Hermione agreed.
As they walked down the halls people starred at them. The crowd parted to let them through. They smiled and waved as they made their way to the front.
Harry and Ron were standing side by side in the same spot they had been in the past three nights. Harry was dressed as what appeared to be a vampire. Not the most original costume. There were already at least five Hermione had seen. Ron was dressed as a character that Hermione knew well. She stifled a laugh as she greeted Ron.
"Oh please don't tell me you're Arwen?" Ron groaned.
"I won't tell you I'm Arwen if you won't tell me you're Aragorn. I did this all first. I got my dress three weeks before you got yours. So I still get points for originality." Hermione placed her hands on her hips.
"People are going to think we're together." Ron complained.
"No they won't. I'm going right now to meet the guy I've been seeing these past three days. No one ever sees us. Don't worry Ron." Hermione patted is shoulder and started to walk to the balcony.
She stopped to look at the costumes. Neville was dressed as Frodo. Pansy was dressed as Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde. Lavender was Pocahontas. There were a lot of other costumes she recognized, but the saw a shimmer of silky blond hair enter the balcony and was there almost instantly.
When she got there she was surprised to see his costume. His pants and tunic were mossy greens and browns. Black boots, long blond hair, pointed ears. She knew instantly who he was and she smirked.
"Legolas, I didn't see that one coming." She grinned.
"And Arwen, I'm shocked. I expected something more like what all the other girls are wearing, but then again, I should have realized, you always separate yourself from the others. You aren't like them. They are plain, boring and common. You are different, exciting, and exotic." He smiled.
"Why thank you. You know, if you had been Aragorn I would be rolling on the ground laughing my ass off." Hermione told him.
"I was seriously considering him, but he isn't that graceful, he's kinda dirty, and brown hair would look really funny on me. Besides, the girls all went for Legolas. He's what I guess you guys think is hot, and I get to wear these cool ears." He tugged at the tips of his ears.
"I'm glad you chose to be him. You look really good right now, and it helps that I have a crush on him." Hermione smiled.
"Oh really? So does this add to my charm?" He asked with a grin.
"Yes. Now, come on. I want to dance." Hermione placed her arms around his neck and began to dance.
It was every bit as magical as it had been the three nights before. Slowly everything began to fade again. No laughter, not talking, just music and the man in front of her. He looked cute even with long hair. Most guys can't pull that off successfully. She reached up and ran her hands through his hair. It was softer then she ever could have imagined. He smirked and started to feel her hair. Hers was just as soft, only it was wavy.
"Your hair is so soft. Did you cast a spell to make it so soft?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Yes, and I'm guessing you did too. It is even softer then mine. How is it you can look so different every time I see you, and yet become more beautiful every night?" He whispered.
"I could ask the same of you. You become even more handsome every time I see you. Is it even possible to get any more handsome then you already are?" Hermione smiled.
"I'd like to ask my question now." He stopped dancing and pulled her over to the bench.
"Please don't ask any questions that will give my identity away." Hermione pleaded softly.
"I won't. I just have one question for you. If you had to pick three people, name the three sexiest people here?" He looked at her and a smile crept upon his face.
"Can they already have graduated a few years ago, but they were here at some point while I was?" Hermione questioned.
"You can pick one. The other two have to be here right now." He answered.
"This is tough. You see, there are a lot of guys who are a little cute, but I don't really have feelings for any one person at the moment. If I had to pick, I think I would say Oliver Wood, Seamus Finnigan, and Harry Potter." Hermione thought carefully about her answer, wanting to say Draco.
"And why exactly did you pick those three?" He asked.
"I can't answer that. You asked your one question, now, you must tell me who you think is pretty." Hermione grinned playfully.
"I don't like most girls here. A lot of them are prissy little bimbos. If I had to pick, I guess it would be Cho Chang, Katie Bell, and I don't know pick someone else." He shrugged.
"You weren't answering completely truthfully." Hermione stated.
"You didn't either. You said Seamus, but the way you said it, I think you meant someone else. I understand why you didn't say anything. If when we take off our masks, we turned out to be enemies, you probably wouldn't want to see me any more, and you probably wouldn't want me to know whom it is that you really have feelings for. I understand." He nodded.
"I'm sorry, you're partially right. The thing is, I still don't think you'll like me. You probably know whom it was I was about to say, but if you don't like me, I didn't want you to go and tell him. You see, we didn't get along for a very long time, and recently we had this sort of unspoken truce. He's finally being nice to me, and if he ever found out how I felt about him, things would turn out badly." Hermione sighed with a bit of sadness detectable in her voice.
"It's ok. I have a similar situation going on and if she ever found out how I feel about her, she'd tell her friends and they would treat me like shit again." He whispered.
"You know, you are much easier to talk to then even my best friend. Maybe its because it seems easier to trust someone you may never see again, or maybe you are just a really good listener." Hermione smiled.
"Both I think. It is pretty easy to talk to someone you may see just once in your life, then to someone you'll see every day." He agreed.
"Yeah. I'm so nervous and excited about tomorrow night. I'm dying of anticipation, and yet I'm dreading it." Hermione sighed.
"I know, but I think everything will be ok, and if it's not, then at least we can say we were once loved the way we had always wished for. I've had girls in love with me before, and I've dated, but I never really felt this way before." He shyly admitted.
"Same here. I have had my little crushes before, and I have gone out with a guy once. I'm not your normal girl that flings herself at the nearest male who seems even slightly cute. I get to know the guy. That's why I've only dated once. It was last year. He was a year or two older then me, but I liked him. Yet I never felt love for him. That's why we broke up. We're still friends though. He wrote to me about a week ago. I never got the chance to reply. I've been so busy with all of this." Hermione smiled and glanced inside to see Ginny kiss Harry.
"I only dated to impress my father. He's an ass. I don't do that any more. I stopped at the end of last year. I was forced to take this girl I loathe to the Yule Ball. It was the worst time I had ever had in my life. I was supposed to marry her too. It was an arranged marriage, but I refused to. Once my dad saw her, he immediately canceled it. He said she wasn't worthy of me." He shook his head.
"That's good. Otherwise you would be in there now having a terrible time with that girl, and I would probably dance with a few people, then be back out here to get away from all of them." She stated with a grin.
"That's a scary thought. I don't believe I like it." He shuddered with disgust at the thought.
"I don't like it either. I can't imagine being anywhere but here right now. I love this. Dancing on the balcony, away from the crowd. Being here with you." Hermione whispered softly.
"Promise me, that whatever happens tomorrow night, when you look back on these past few nights, you will remember me the way I am now, not the way I really am. Because this is the real me. The me I rarely ever show." His lips lightly touched her ear.
Hermione stared up at him. His eyes were so familiar. Everything about him drove her crazy. With every second, his identity became clearer. Hermione knew that she knew him, she just couldn't figure out who he was. She wouldn't care if he were Crabbe or Goyle. He had made her feel special, and to her, these precious nights would always be special.
They were interrupted when a large bang went off in the dining hall, and they both jumped. Looking inside they saw Dumbledore raise his hands to gain everyone's attention.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we went on past twelve and I apologize. You must all get to bed now. Get some rest before your final night." Dumbledore announced and everyone filed out of the room.
"I'm so sorry, I wish we could stay longer, but I have to get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow night." Hermione leaned up and kissed his cheek.
"Goodnight." He bent down and kissed her softly and then walked towards the exit.
A/N: I hoped you liked that one. I may not be able to add the next chapter tomorrow. I'm having problems with my computer at the moment. Hopefully I will be able to update. Thank you all for reviewing, and for all your suggestions.