Title: The Anniversary
Author: LittleMaggie
Summary: Harry is 22. He holds a party for his 1st anniversary of his wedding to Hermione. Curious of what happened to Draco, Ginny, the other Weasleys, Harry, Hermione? R&R. D/G? H/Hr? R/? . . . ? Look to see. PG so far.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor do I want to for other then making me rich I would most likely ruin its perfection!
Rating:
Date of creation: January 31, 2002 – February 1, 2002
~*~
A thin, piercing wail rattled the crisp morning air. Two big green eyes opened to fix on the fluorescent digits of the alarm clock – 7:00. With a groan, Harry rolled over to face the body lying right next to his. Through the tangle of dark brown hair fuzzily wrapped around a round face Harry could distinguish the features of his wife. He gently traced his finger down her cheek.
" Hey, rise and shine, sleeping beauty." He whispered, making his voice tender, despite the fact he was less then happy to wake up.
She turned her head towards him, a tumble of hair flowing off her forehead. She tossed a lot in her sleep and her hair would end up wrapping across her face and tangling badly. Usually she'd braid it before going to bed but they came home late yesterday from a party at the Weasleys.
" Hmm." She mumbled, eyes flickering open to take in the face hovering over hers. His glasses were off, lying tenderly beside the digital clock that stood on the little bedside table. Her lips widened in a smile and she grasped the pillow under her head and pulled it out sharply, slowly bashing him with it. " Aw, Harry, it's seven!"
He sat up, sitting back on his heels over her. " Actually, two minutes past. You overslept already." His hands grasped tightly on the pillow and he brought it down over her face. Her muffled laughter filled the room as she wrestled out from beneath the pillow and then revealed a rosy face to him.
" What would I do without my own personal alarm clock." She commented.
Harry knew she meant him, not the digital clock on the table. He reached over and pulled on his glasses. The room came into focus.
" You remember what day it is, don't you?" Hermione asked.
Harry laughed. " Oh, sure, I gotta get my tuxedo back from the dry cleaners."
Her face grew stern. "Don't even joke about it." She sat up, shaking her head. Slowly, she knelt beside the bureau at the side of the bed and then began to rummage through it for some fresh underclothes.
" I know, I know." Harry's eyes wandered to the bump under the little white doily that was in the center of the table, right beside the clock. " It's our anniversary. A year of happy marriage, Herm!"
Hermione turned to look at him. " Doesn't it feel like our wedding was just yesterday?"
" Maybe it was." Harry teased. "Maybe we slept for a year, like that Rip Van Winkle fellow, and now it feels like yesterday when it was a year."
She rolled her eyes. " Oh, come on." She held up a white silky slip to her flowery pajamas. " Do you think this wouldn't shine through that dress I'm going to wear?"
He growled sexily, like a tiger. " I wouldn't know. Put it on."
She laughed and wagged her finger at him, then stood up, tugging along an armload of cosmetics, lingerie, and other accessories. " Should I curl my hair or have it up in a bun? Maybe straighten it a bit?" Hermione tilted her head as she looked in the mirror.
" Hermione, relax." Harry said. " However you choose, you'll be the greatest girl there."
Hermione pulled a little elastic rubber band around her hair so it would stay in back momentarily in a bushy ponytail. She walked across the room to the built-in bathroom. She swung the door open and dumped her things on the sink. Harry watched her swing the door shut behind her.
He now stood up, yawning in the middle of an extensive stretch. He felt a light crick in the bottom of his spine. 'Getting old', he thought in a bemused tone. Then, he got some clothing ready for himself. With Hermione occupying the bathroom in the bedroom, Harry was forced to go through the hallway of her average suburban home and then use the bathroom downstairs to wash and dress.
His whole body shivered in anticipation. He had invited lots of people he knew over the years in Hogwarts. The party would be like a huge reunion. He had reserved a separate room in a ritzy restaurant, just so that Muggles wouldn't share the room and overhear something they did not need to know. Harry also demanded to have no waiters or waitresses catering the event. He rented out a set of buffet tables to satisfy his guests and at the same time keep the Muggles out of the room.
With a satisfied smile, Harry glanced in the mirror at his reflection. Despite the scratch on the bathroom mirror's glass that seemed to run across Harry's face in a scar in the reflection, Harry deemed himself rather good-looking. As he pulled out the shaving cream to get rid of the stubble on his face, Harry realized he'd have never thought he'd have such a happy life as an adult.
~*~
Harry and Hermione stood waiting in the doorway of the room they had rented in the restaurant. The neon sign above the door flickered: ' Exit'. The first guests would come any second now . . .
A tall red-haired man stepped in a lively manner through the door, his cheeks reddened and droplets of sweat on the tip of his nose. A lively sprinkling of freckles covered his face. The man took one look at Harry and Hermione and exclaimed: " Fred! Get a look at him! Golly, Harry, Hermione, you both look great!"
" Nice to see you, George." Hermione embraced him lightly, and then Harry shook his hand. To Harry's utter shock, George's hand came off and fell to the floor with a clatter.
" Ha! Fake hand! We got him, George." An identical copy of George appeared beside Fred all of a sudden. Hermione looked from Fred to George, mouth falling open in shock. Then, she laughed.
" Good one!" She grinned cheerfully at the twins and then motioned at a table. "Sit down, you guys. There should be a pitcher of water waiting on each table. You look warmed up."
" We sort of had a hell of a time getting Dad's Muggle car started." Fred explained. George tugged on Fred's sleeve and they both maneuvered themselves to a table. Once seated, the two argued over who gets the first glass of water.
Harry grinned and then watched a man and woman walk through the door. The man had his arms around the woman, who was quite plump and looked to be in her late forties. Her hair was streaked with gray and cheerful wrinkles circled her mouth and the corners of her eyes. The man looked unusually cheerful as well.
" Mr. and Mrs. Weasley!" Harry exclaimed, rushing up to give Molly Weasley a kiss on the cheek and a tight hug. Then, while Hermione did the same, Harry shook hands with Arthur Weasley. " Mrs. Weasley, if I must say, you're looking younger every day."
Molly laughed. " Oh, Harry, you old charmer." She winked at Hermione and added: " I always thought he was a nice boy, Hermione, dear. You feed him well, keep him pampered."
Hermione blushed. " Oh, I feed him well alright." She poked Harry in the stomach. Harry was no longer the thin lanky boy of Hogwarts time. At twenty-two, his body had grown to be that of a man's, his shoulders broad and chest wide, finally filling in all the loose space that he used to have in his suits and tuxedos.
Molly and Arthur smiled and then went over to where the twins were sitting. Fred and George immediately let go of their jointed hold on the water pitcher.
Next a girl walked in, her hair red and done up with little Japanese chopstick-like hair accessories. Along with her was Ron. Ron hugged Harry and then Hermione, and then the girl got to hug Harry and Hermione. She blushed lightly as Harry hugged her. Her hand brushed a red strand of hair from her face and she held up a little bag. "Here's something for you two, from the Weasleys."
" Thanks, Ginny!" Harry exclaimed, taking the gift. Hermione slowly pulled the insides of the bag out and then pulled aside the tissue paper. There, hidden in it, was a pure-gold picture frame with the words 'Love is Gold' on the top of it. Inside was a picture of Harry and Hermione holding hands. Harry recognized the picture from their visit to the Weasleys at Christmas a year ago.
" It's beautiful!" Hermione cried out. " I have just the place to put it." She tenderly wrapped it up again and slipped the gift back into the baggy. Then, she put the gift onto a table designated for gifts.
Five minutes passed and nobody seemed to come. Then, Percy and Charlie walked in, both looking flushed. " Whew, talk about bad experiences with Floo Powder." Charlie said to Percy. Percy's face was smudged with ash.
The Potter couple greeted them merrily. Next came the Grangers, both kissing their son-in-law and daughter gaily. Then, they were seated at the huge table with the Weasleys.
A lost-looking young man approached the doorway. He looked around, then suddenly cried out: "Hermione! Harry!" He approached them but tripped on an extension cord that was snaking across the floor.
" Oh, Neville." Hermione laughed and helped him up. Then, they greeted him happily. Behind him was Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil, and Padme Patil. They were all laughing about something. When they caught sight of Harry and Hermione, they all exclaimed about how stylish Hermione's dress was and how handsome Harry looked today. They sat down with a very nervous-looking Neville. Neville looked elated to be sitting with the three ladies.
Oliver Wood and a few other Quidditch team members walked in, and after chatting with Harry and Hermione about the recent Quidditch World Cup match, they were seated. Cho Chang lingered a while beside Harry, asking him how life was and whether he liked his new life or if he missed Hogwarts. She, too, was seated after a while.
People were now piling through the door in throngs. Seamus Finnigan brought along a girl he was dating, a pretty girl that graduated from Beauxbaxton and was now a famous auror.
" How's life treating you?" A girl named Susan Bones asked Harry.
" Great!" Harry replied, with a smile that was definitely not phony or cheesy. A few other people walked in. Harry checked off people on a list of guests as they walked in. Soon, only one name remained on the list and this particular person was ten minutes late. Harry circled the name: Draco Malfoy.
" I wonder what happened to him." Hermione said, softly.
" I don't think he ever liked me much." Harry laughed. " Maybe he doesn't want to come."
" Well, it was only nice to ask him to come. I haven't seen him, personally, since we graduated."
" Neither have I." Harry replied. " Maybe he's grown out of his nasty stage."
" And pigs fly." Hermione murmured.
Just then, a tall man appeared in the doorway. His face was handsome, very handsome in fact, like that of someone who ought to be on magazine covers and in movies. His hair was a very light blonde, feathery and soft and curling lightly around his face. The gray-blue eyes that peered from the face were recognizable to Harry. "Malfoy." Harry said. "Speak of the devil!"
' Odd that we were just speaking of him', Harry thought in his mind.
Draco looked Harry and Hermione over. "Well! Mr. and Mrs. Potter." He smiled. Harry was taken aback by how he wasn't frowning as he was so used to seeing Draco. Draco's eyes lingered on Hermione for a while. Finally, he said, just barely audibly: "You look nice." Then, he turned to look at Harry. " Nice tux, Potter."
Harry's eyes wandered to the two very large and frigthening-looking men towering behind Draco. Draco, who was taller then Harry anyhow (Harry was 6 feet and 3 inches), still looked short next to these two behind him.
" They're my bodyguards." Malfoy laughed, motioning at Crabbe and Goyle. He suddenly turned around, pale eyes focusing on what his two pals were doing behind his back. The two were standing by the buffet table. There was Crabbe, pushing something leafy and green into his mouth, chewing noisily. Goyle was loading a small plate with heaps of food.
" Crabbe, really! That green thing was a TABLE DECORATION!" Draco's hand shot up to his face, where he squeezed the sides of his nose, right between his eyes, like stressed-out people do.
Hermione laughed.
Draco turned to look at them, shaking his head. " Can't take them anywhere." He sighed and said: "You guys, let's get a seat, alright?"
" Sure, Draco." Goyle said thickly. Crabbe and Goyle followed Draco to a seat.
" Hey. Something's wrong. Why isn't Malfoy evil?" Hermione asked Harry, in a lowered voice. " I expected to be called Mudblood or something, but . . ."
" I suppose people change." Harry said, thoughtfully. " And some don't." He added, for Neville had just spilled a glass of water all over himself. Harry ran over to Neville and handed the poor fellow a handful of tissues. Neville gave Harry a weak smile of gratitude as he wiped at his suit until the tissues were only thin white shreds in his hands.
Harry waited until everyone was settled down. Then, he went to the front of the room with Hermione and he said, his voice loud to reach the farthest corners of the room: "Thank you, all of you, for being here."
Hermione continued for him: " Some of you I haven't seen for years, some of you I've seen just yesterday. Yet all of you were with me ever since I left Hogwarts."
Draco was shaking his head. "Not me." Draco said, softly. A few people laughed. Hermione smiled, embarrassed, and then let Harry pick up the speech for she suddenly didn't know what else to say.
" Uh, the buffet tables are waiting, so don't hesitate to eat, there's plenty of food. Enjoy the party." Harry gave the guests a lopsided grin and then turned to Hermione.
"Where do we sit?" She asked him.
" There's not much room at any table left for both of us. . ." Suddenly, Hermione noticed that there was a table where only three people sat. She figured it was only polite to sit there, when she felt a stab in her stomach to see who these three people were – Draco Malfoy, Gregory Goyle, and Vincent Crabbe.
" Do we. . .?" Harry asked, softly.
She nodded lightly. " Yes. Who knows, maybe he is different." Hermione gently grasped her dress at the sides and lifted upwards so she could move her legs without slipping on the long gown. It was a lovely red dress with a pink floral pattern lacing around the neck. Little golden buttons went down the back and it was tied with a shiny sash. A fake flower was wound around the bow in back.
Harry approached Draco's table and then hesitated slightly before asking: "Can we sit here, uh. . . Draco?"
He shrugged. " If you so please." His fingers lifted a little wineglass tenderly and he swirled it around, the red liquid inside bobbing up and down as if someone had encased an ocean in the glass. Then, he took a slow drink of it, his eyes not once falling directly on Harry or Hermione.
" So – what have you been up to?" Harry asked, slowly, trying to strike up some sort of conversation. He and Hermione had seated themselves across the table, opposite of the Malfoy.
" Nothing worth speaking of." Draco replied, cutting the conversation short.
" When we graduated, you were dating Pansy Parkinson. Are you. . .?" Hermione asked, slowly.
" No." Draco said, sharply. A bit too sharply.
Harry and Hermione gaped at him, and he pressed his lips together tightly until they were nearly white. He said no more, not even an apology for his sharp tone.
" If I can ask, what happened?" Hermione asked. Harry realized Hermione looked genuinely concerned. This was a reason why Harry liked her so very much – she was always so concerned about the wellbeing of others.
" Pansy died." Goyle said, slowly, his eyes blinking stupidly. " She had, uh . . . what's it called, Crabbe?"
" Don't know." Crabbe replied. He was piling food into his mouth with a fork and a spoon so that his mouth wouldn't be empty in the time the fork was traveling back down to get more food (he'd use the spoon to bring food up again instantly).
" Oh, that's terrible! I'm so sorry." Hermione said.
" How long ago?" Harry inquired.
Draco's tightly pressed lips didn't loosen. He looked down at his plate onto which he had placed a sad, single slice of honeydew cantaloupe. Finally, he budged just a bit: "A year ago today."
" Our sincerest condolences." Harry said. He felt a bit sorry now. No wonder Draco wasn't able to come to their wedding. . .
" You ain't going to cry, now, Draco?" Vincent asked innocently.
Draco's eyes squeezed tight and then opened again, the coldness in them seemingly melted at least for the moment as he turned to Crabbe to say: " No. I won't." Then, he took another sip of wine, still cool and nonchalant.
Harry sighed and leaned back in his seat. The wooden chair creaked noisily as he did so.
" What was the cause of the death?" Hermione asked, again. She was curious, if anything.
Draco didn't look eager to answer. He took in a deep breath and then said: " A Muggle hit her with his car. She and I were supposed to meet not far from the sight of the accident."
" That's horrible." Harry said.
" Well! I won't let my misery spoil your . . ." Draco made his voice rise from the monotone he was using so far. " . . . Fun and games." He fell silent now. Hermione and Harry were silent too.
" Harry. . ." Hermione squeezed Harry's hand tightly beneath the table and then motioned at the doorway of the room with her head.
" Mmm?" Harry inquired with a murmur.
" I think we forgot to ask for an extra set of napkins." Hermione put on a huge smile, so fake that even the often-smiling Hermione couldn't cover it.
Harry's mouth formed a little 'O' and he stood up quickly. " The napkins. I forgot all about them!" He exclaimed, then turned back to Draco. "Excuse us, would you?"
Draco made a motion with his finger, as if he were a King dismissing his subjects. The Potter couple trotted away quickly and then found themselves standing out in the hallway that ran by the room they were renting.
" Poor Draco!" Hermione whispered. " I think he ought to get acquainted with some girl, don't you think, before he gets so depressed he'll go single for the rest of his life."
" Is that why you dragged me here?" Harry leaned back onto the wall. "To say your pities? I mean, sure, I feel horrible for him, and all, but it's our anniversary."
" Hold on, Harry." A devilish look crossed Hermione's face. " Is Ginny dating anyone?"
Harry was taken aback. "What does Ginny have to do with . . ."
" I'll tell you later. Look, is she dating?"
" Not since she dumped that jerk that kept hitting her." A look of anger crossed Harry's face at the memory. " The little. . ." A line of profanities were hanging on Harry's tongue but Hermione cut him off.
" Okay, that's all I need to know." Harry watched Hermione twirl around on her heels and then walk back into the room. Harry nabbed a handful of napkins from the service table out in the hallway, just to keep up their alibi, and then stepped inside.
Harry saw that Hermione was speaking with Ginny beside the buffet table. Harry approached Hermione only to catch a few bits of Ginny and Hermione's conversation:
" Ginny, by the way, did you see Draco Malfoy today?"
Ginny laughed. "That white string bean? I didn't see him since graduation."
' Not a string bean now.' Harry thought, turning his head to where Draco was sitting. He was having a conversation with Padme Patil. Padme was blushing furiously as Draco gave her a winning smile.
Hermione shook her head. " Actually, he looks rather different now, Ginny. You don't think you could. . ."
" Hermione!" A shrill voice shrieked from across the room. Lavender Brown was making her way towards Hermione. " Oh, I simply MUST know the name of whomever did your hair! It's simply darling! Just like something from Witch Fashion Weekly!" Lavender fluttered her eyelashes happily.
" Hold that thought." Hermione said to Ginny. Then, Hermione walked off to speak to Lavender about her hair.
Harry shrugged and went to sit down at the table with Draco. Draco looked up just as Harry plopped himself down in the seat and then placed the stack of napkins down on the table in front of Draco. "Got the napkins." Harry said, as if he needed to remind everyone of where he had just gone, for reassurance. One of the napkins fluttered down to cover Draco's uneaten slice of cantaloupe. It quickly grew transparent as the sweet juice of the melon filled its paper content. "Sorry." Harry added, lamely.
Draco looked down at the food with about as much interest as a child would look at a bowl of spinach soup. He pushed the plate forwards until it clunked against the white vase full of flowers in the center of the table. " I wasn't hungry, anyway."
Harry shifted. That morning, he had retrieved Hermione's gift and put it into the pocket of his pants. He had hidden it under the white doily for the day before.
Suddenly, laughter filled the room as Fred tripped George on the way to the buffet table. Ginny Weasley helped Fred up and then bent over to pick up a dropped dish. Draco looked up and for the first time that night a spark of interest filled his eye. "Who's that?" Draco asked, pointing towards Ginny.
Harry turned and said: "That's Fred and George Weasley, of course!"
Draco shook his head. " Potter, I mean the girl. With the red hair?"
Harry exclaimed: " Why, that's Ginny Weasley! Remember her?"
Draco recalled the thin, lanky girl that followed Harry around on the day of their graduation from Hogwarts. He shook his head once more. " Hell no."
" Yes." Harry nodded in contrast to Draco's movement.
Draco looked bewildered. " You're pulling my leg." Draco said, simply. He didn't say anything else, though.
Harry stood up. "I'll go get myself something to eat. Do you want me to bring you anything?"
" No." Draco replied. Then, he added, a bit unused to the word, most likely: "No, thank you."
Harry shrugged and stood to get in line at the buffet table. Others were already eating happily. Harry felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Cho Chang. She grinned. " Harry, I have a gift just for you, a separate one from Hermione." Cho smiled wider as she placed a little felt box onto Harry's open palm. He looked down at it.
" T – thanks, Cho." Harry slowly opened the felt box and caught sight of a lovely ruby brooch set in gold, made to look like a little Snitch. " Wow! It's really something!" He lifted it from the box and then pinned it down at the breast of his suit. " I'll wear it tonight. Thank you!"
She nodded. " It'll remind you of lots of merry memories of Quidditch."
" It sure will." Harry looked down at it. The ruby reflected dozens of golden speckles of light. He twiddled it a bit and a light shone right into Cho's eye. She blinked and then laughed.
" You were a great Seeker, Harry, and a great Captain, too. When you were Captain of the team, I remember how proud you were when you won the Quidditch House Cup for Gryffindor." She put her hand on his elbow, then slowly drew her hand back. She looked down at the floor. " Too bad Draco beat you out to Head Boy, though. I bet he only studied his butt off so he could beat you out!"
" Maybe he was smarter then me." Harry said.
She grinned again. "Maybe. Well, I'll talk with you later, Susan Bones seems to be incredibly enthralled in having me tell her about how I broke my hand during Quidditch in sixth year." Her smile faded a bit as she walked away. "See ya."
" See ya." Harry echoed, then glanced down at the brooch again. It sparkled cheerily in the luminous chandelier that hung overhead.
~*~
Hermione walked towards the front of the room. " Okay, now that we're all through with eating, I believe, we can begin the dancing." She smiled out at the guests. "Are you ready?"
" Yeah!" A few people shouted out, while others cheered.
Hermione pulled out her wand and then swirled it through the air. A Muggle sound system with huge speakers appeared behind her. She turned around and pressed a few buttons. The machine began to play some slow popular music. Harry led Hermione to the dance floor and they slowly began to dance. But Hermione broke away from Harry just then and said: " Just a sec."
She wandered over to the table that Ginny sat at and then said: "Ginny, why aren't you dancing?"
Ginny shook her head. " I don't feel like dancing much."
Hermione said: " Look around the room. Maybe you'll find yourself a nice-looking guy to dance with."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Alright, Hermione, I'll look. I won't guarantee that I'll see someone worth dancing with, though." Ginny then stood up and began to walk around, scanning the room for an acceptable- looking man to dance with. She was very cautious now after coming out of an abusive relationship.
Hermione returned to Harry and they began to dance. She leaned forwards and kissed him. " Thanks for waiting." She whispered in his ear. Harry felt his face burn hot as he whispered back:
" My pleasure."
~*~
Ginny sighed and leaned back onto a table, half-sitting on an edge of it. Her red hair was slowly spilling out of the chopsticks that held it and she was feeling out of the mood to go to the bathroom and fix it up. She let out a slow, wavering breath instead, letting the exhaled air blow a strand of red hair around and off her face.
Suddenly, her eyes hooked on someone. He was sitting all alone at a table, his head bowed over his plate. He was picking with his fork at a scrumptious-looking cheesecake, but he didn't look hungry. His eyelashes were long and feather-soft, a very light blonde in color, and his forehead was sprinkled lightly with feathery loose strands of hair. He was propping his head up with his hand, looking rather bored.
She felt a tug in her stomach, as if she was going through a Port Key, and then she allowed herself to approach him.
Ginny stopped right in front of his table and then asked:
" Can I, um . . ."
She looked around the table and saw a stack of napkins. " Have a napkin, please?" She finished and then watched as he looked up, startled. He seemed to vaguely recognize her and he nodded, holding the napkins up and then handing them over to her. She took them from his hands and she picked the pink and blue one from the top. Holding it up to her lips, she dabbed lightly. He watched curiously.
Ginny remained standing there, letting her hand drop from her face, the napkin a crumpled mess in her palm now. She stood awkwardly for a moment or two, then said: "Is anyone sitting here?" She motioned at the seat she was standing at.
He shook his head. He still said nothing.
Ginny's eyebrows raised as she wondered why he was so silent. The only life he seemed to show was the vivid sparkle that was now in his pale grayish-blue eyes. He yawned and then brought a piece of cheesecake to his mouth. Ginny watched hungrily as he ate it slowly, like a cat enjoying its meal very, very carefully.
Ginny took a drink from the glass of water that stood prepared by the plate she sat in front of. She wiped away the imprint of her lipstick with the napkin she still had in her hand.
Finally, she got the guts to ask him what she came for.
" You're the best-looking guy here. Do you want to dance?"
He didn't reply. He looked down at the cheesecake as if it meant the world to him. He debated heavily about something.
' Who is he?' Ginny thought feverishly.
" So you won't dance with me? Is it because you don't know me?" Ginny leaned forwards on the table, her lips pursing lightly, like models do in photographs she saw. Supposedly, boys liked that pouty look.
Draco shook his head.
" Well then!" She took his hand, all the valor she had inside of her creeping out in that one action. Ginny pulled him to his feet. She let her eyes sweep over his body, now that it wasn't hidden behind the table. He was tall, and built, and . . .
Ginny blushed.
He looked away from her face, almost as if something was holding him back.
" It's a slow dance. It's easy to dance to. Come on." She dragged him to the dance floor. He followed her, unable to protest, unable to say anything much at all. Finally, out on the dance floor, he spoke:
" Don't you know who I am?"
Ginny shook her head.
He found this incredibly amusing. " I'll tell you after we dance, then. I don't know if you'll like me much then." His face broke into a smile and Ginny liked the way it looked there, but she disliked how quickly it disappeared again.
" It can't be that bad. Who you are, I mean." Ginny said.
He only shook his head, still amused.
Slowly, they began to dance. He was a very good dancer, but it seemed he hadn't danced in a while. His movement seemed a bit unsure, as if he was remembering how to dance bit by bit. She had to look up to see his face, for he was tall. " Did you go to Hogwarts?" She asked.
He nodded.
" How is it that Harry knows you?" Ginny inquired.
" I knew him since first year. Even before, really. We met while having our robes measured." A muscle in his jaw tightened as he clenched his teeth at the memory. "He refused my friendship, I believe."
" Oh." Ginny grinned brightly. " Yet you became friends later, since you're here."
He shrugged and then looked down so that his fine eyelashes were covering his eyes again. Ginny felt her heartbeat rising as the dance moves grew faster to the music. The steps changed and the music was now very formal and upbeat. His hand traveled down to her side and the other one rested on her shoulder. She put one hand at his side and the other rested around his shoulder and arm a bit. Her face was warm with embarrassment.
' I don't think he likes me.' She thought, upset. ' Or maybe he's shy.'
Her eyes moved upwards to find him looking at her intensely. He quickly looked down at his feet again, though.
" Do you happen to know Draco Malfoy?" He asked, after a while.
They twirled around a dancing couple beside them, which happened to be Harry and Hermione. Hermione watched as they spun by with great joy. She looked at Harry and winked meaningfully. Harry suddenly realized what Hermione was plotting, or at least some of it.
" I know him a bit." Ginny replied. " He was so mean and nasty to everyone, and he looked like a white string bean." She laughed.
He laughed too, his eyes dancing. " Really?" He asked. " Not a string bean!" He added, horrified. His cheeks were gaining a pink tone.
" Oh, yes, and he'd always be so nasty to Harry!" Ginny continued. " I don't know if he had any friends at all."
" He did."
" Ah. Do you know him?" Ginny asked.
The dance ended abruptly. He pulled away. "Quite well." He said, as they moved back to their table. He stopped as Ginny stopped at the table the Weasleys were sitting at. He looked surprised to see her stop there, and then he said:
" So. . . so you ARE Ginny Weasley, aren't you?"
" Yes." She sat herself down. " Why did you ask so much about Draco, anyway?"
He turned around and said, over his shoulder, as he returned to his seat: " Because he's me."
~*~
Hermione and Harry chatted with Neville nearby.
" What have you been doing, Neville?" Harry asked him. Neville smiled, readying to say what he had been up to, when he squeezed too hard on the banana he was eating. The white fruit spilled over onto his hand. "Ah!" Neville gasped, and Hermione handed him another Kleenex that she had prepared already, knowing this was Neville she was speaking with.
" Sorry." Neville wiped the banana off his hand. " I've been working for the Prophet. I'm 'Dear Nev', the advice columnist." He smiled and then continued after handing Hermione her Kleenex back: " Who'd have thought? I suppose so many people gave me so much advice I'm a walking advice book."
Hermione looked down at the Kleenex in her hand with disgust and then threw it out immediately before it soiled her hands.
" That's great, Neville." She said. " How are you getting paid?"
" Enough to keep a small home." He replied.
" What kind of advice is your favorite?" Harry asked.
" Love advice." Neville's ears burned red. " I've met a lot of girls through my advice column, actually. They always think I'm a sweet guy and things like that."
" Wow! You're doing REAL well, then?" Harry laughed, giving him a wink.
Hermione nudged Harry and then said: "Well, I'll go talk to Ginny, I have something to ask of her." Hermione walked off, and then stopped where Ginny was sitting. Ginny looked genuinely shocked about something.
" Ginny?" Hermione sat down beside her in Ron's seat.
" Oh, Hermione, that's DRACO?" She said through numb lips, her eyes looking towards the man sitting once again alone, sipping at a glass of wine.
" Yes. I told you he isn't a string bean." Hermione said.
" I made such a fool of myself!" Ginny cried out, a tear spilling from her eye.
" No you didn't! He looked perfectly pleased with dancing with you!" Hermione scolded.
" You don't understand! He asked me . . . I didn't know who he was. . . I told him Draco was this string bean that nobody liked. . ." She suddenly stood up. " I can't stay here. I'm so embarrassed!"
" Ginny, he's not even upset! Look at him!" Hermione said.
" Yes he is! Look how depressed he looks!" Ginny replied, motioning at Draco. Draco was now swirling the tip of his finger in the wine, looking so upset that it seemed everyone who'd even stand by him would be sucked into his depressed state.
" That's because Pansy died on this day a year ago. He loved her." Hermione explained.
Ginny burst into tears. "Even worse! I made him feel bad on such a day - - made him dance with me! I'm such an idiot!" She turned and ran from the room and didn't stop running until she was in the side lounge, where there was simply the coat room and a waiting room if someone wanted their party to gather before entering the dining area for some reason.
She collapsed on a leather chair and wept heavily, remembering her previous boyfriend (who's painful bruises still remained on her body). She thought of how she had forced Draco to dance with her on the anniversary of the death of his closest girlfriend, and then to tell him all these nasty things!
' I'm such an idiot! He must hate me!' Ginny whimpered inside her mind.
~*~
Draco looked up just in time to see Ginny flee the room. His first reaction was that perhaps she really needed to use the bathroom. When she didn't return in twenty minutes, he figured she was putting on makeup. Then, when an hour passed and Hermione was pacing around wondering if she should go check on Ginny or leave her to herself, Draco stood and realized something was wrong.
' Maybe I made her mad by not telling her who I am?' Draco though, vaguely. 'Of course she'd be mad! In fact, she practically said I was Harry's worst enemy and all, and I know she was practically in love with him.'
Draco thought about it. He had never liked the Weasleys, and all they stood for. Arthur Weasley was a pathetic Muggle-lover, Molly was an embarrassment, they were all dirt-poor, their kids were pathetic . . . but Ginny was something else. Draco couldn't put his finger on it, but he felt he owed her an apology. He stood to go find her and to apologize to her.
He stopped in front of the waiting room, after walking around peeking into various rooms (but the ladies' room, of course, for Draco was no pervert), and he was shocked to see Ginny crying on the leather couch.
~*~
Ginny's head felt heavy and her eyelashes were dotted with tears. She felt a presence in the room and she slowly lifted her head. A dark shape stood in front of her. Her stomach lurched.
It was Draco.
A/N: I will end here and wait to get quite a few reviews before continuing with the events of the night. Harry and Hermione open their gifts, Draco and Ginny . . . ? . . . he, he. Who knows what I will scheme up next! I will also add more characters and what happened to them. So review or else I won't write anymore!
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*V*
Author: LittleMaggie
Summary: Harry is 22. He holds a party for his 1st anniversary of his wedding to Hermione. Curious of what happened to Draco, Ginny, the other Weasleys, Harry, Hermione? R&R. D/G? H/Hr? R/? . . . ? Look to see. PG so far.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor do I want to for other then making me rich I would most likely ruin its perfection!
Rating:
Date of creation: January 31, 2002 – February 1, 2002
~*~
A thin, piercing wail rattled the crisp morning air. Two big green eyes opened to fix on the fluorescent digits of the alarm clock – 7:00. With a groan, Harry rolled over to face the body lying right next to his. Through the tangle of dark brown hair fuzzily wrapped around a round face Harry could distinguish the features of his wife. He gently traced his finger down her cheek.
" Hey, rise and shine, sleeping beauty." He whispered, making his voice tender, despite the fact he was less then happy to wake up.
She turned her head towards him, a tumble of hair flowing off her forehead. She tossed a lot in her sleep and her hair would end up wrapping across her face and tangling badly. Usually she'd braid it before going to bed but they came home late yesterday from a party at the Weasleys.
" Hmm." She mumbled, eyes flickering open to take in the face hovering over hers. His glasses were off, lying tenderly beside the digital clock that stood on the little bedside table. Her lips widened in a smile and she grasped the pillow under her head and pulled it out sharply, slowly bashing him with it. " Aw, Harry, it's seven!"
He sat up, sitting back on his heels over her. " Actually, two minutes past. You overslept already." His hands grasped tightly on the pillow and he brought it down over her face. Her muffled laughter filled the room as she wrestled out from beneath the pillow and then revealed a rosy face to him.
" What would I do without my own personal alarm clock." She commented.
Harry knew she meant him, not the digital clock on the table. He reached over and pulled on his glasses. The room came into focus.
" You remember what day it is, don't you?" Hermione asked.
Harry laughed. " Oh, sure, I gotta get my tuxedo back from the dry cleaners."
Her face grew stern. "Don't even joke about it." She sat up, shaking her head. Slowly, she knelt beside the bureau at the side of the bed and then began to rummage through it for some fresh underclothes.
" I know, I know." Harry's eyes wandered to the bump under the little white doily that was in the center of the table, right beside the clock. " It's our anniversary. A year of happy marriage, Herm!"
Hermione turned to look at him. " Doesn't it feel like our wedding was just yesterday?"
" Maybe it was." Harry teased. "Maybe we slept for a year, like that Rip Van Winkle fellow, and now it feels like yesterday when it was a year."
She rolled her eyes. " Oh, come on." She held up a white silky slip to her flowery pajamas. " Do you think this wouldn't shine through that dress I'm going to wear?"
He growled sexily, like a tiger. " I wouldn't know. Put it on."
She laughed and wagged her finger at him, then stood up, tugging along an armload of cosmetics, lingerie, and other accessories. " Should I curl my hair or have it up in a bun? Maybe straighten it a bit?" Hermione tilted her head as she looked in the mirror.
" Hermione, relax." Harry said. " However you choose, you'll be the greatest girl there."
Hermione pulled a little elastic rubber band around her hair so it would stay in back momentarily in a bushy ponytail. She walked across the room to the built-in bathroom. She swung the door open and dumped her things on the sink. Harry watched her swing the door shut behind her.
He now stood up, yawning in the middle of an extensive stretch. He felt a light crick in the bottom of his spine. 'Getting old', he thought in a bemused tone. Then, he got some clothing ready for himself. With Hermione occupying the bathroom in the bedroom, Harry was forced to go through the hallway of her average suburban home and then use the bathroom downstairs to wash and dress.
His whole body shivered in anticipation. He had invited lots of people he knew over the years in Hogwarts. The party would be like a huge reunion. He had reserved a separate room in a ritzy restaurant, just so that Muggles wouldn't share the room and overhear something they did not need to know. Harry also demanded to have no waiters or waitresses catering the event. He rented out a set of buffet tables to satisfy his guests and at the same time keep the Muggles out of the room.
With a satisfied smile, Harry glanced in the mirror at his reflection. Despite the scratch on the bathroom mirror's glass that seemed to run across Harry's face in a scar in the reflection, Harry deemed himself rather good-looking. As he pulled out the shaving cream to get rid of the stubble on his face, Harry realized he'd have never thought he'd have such a happy life as an adult.
~*~
Harry and Hermione stood waiting in the doorway of the room they had rented in the restaurant. The neon sign above the door flickered: ' Exit'. The first guests would come any second now . . .
A tall red-haired man stepped in a lively manner through the door, his cheeks reddened and droplets of sweat on the tip of his nose. A lively sprinkling of freckles covered his face. The man took one look at Harry and Hermione and exclaimed: " Fred! Get a look at him! Golly, Harry, Hermione, you both look great!"
" Nice to see you, George." Hermione embraced him lightly, and then Harry shook his hand. To Harry's utter shock, George's hand came off and fell to the floor with a clatter.
" Ha! Fake hand! We got him, George." An identical copy of George appeared beside Fred all of a sudden. Hermione looked from Fred to George, mouth falling open in shock. Then, she laughed.
" Good one!" She grinned cheerfully at the twins and then motioned at a table. "Sit down, you guys. There should be a pitcher of water waiting on each table. You look warmed up."
" We sort of had a hell of a time getting Dad's Muggle car started." Fred explained. George tugged on Fred's sleeve and they both maneuvered themselves to a table. Once seated, the two argued over who gets the first glass of water.
Harry grinned and then watched a man and woman walk through the door. The man had his arms around the woman, who was quite plump and looked to be in her late forties. Her hair was streaked with gray and cheerful wrinkles circled her mouth and the corners of her eyes. The man looked unusually cheerful as well.
" Mr. and Mrs. Weasley!" Harry exclaimed, rushing up to give Molly Weasley a kiss on the cheek and a tight hug. Then, while Hermione did the same, Harry shook hands with Arthur Weasley. " Mrs. Weasley, if I must say, you're looking younger every day."
Molly laughed. " Oh, Harry, you old charmer." She winked at Hermione and added: " I always thought he was a nice boy, Hermione, dear. You feed him well, keep him pampered."
Hermione blushed. " Oh, I feed him well alright." She poked Harry in the stomach. Harry was no longer the thin lanky boy of Hogwarts time. At twenty-two, his body had grown to be that of a man's, his shoulders broad and chest wide, finally filling in all the loose space that he used to have in his suits and tuxedos.
Molly and Arthur smiled and then went over to where the twins were sitting. Fred and George immediately let go of their jointed hold on the water pitcher.
Next a girl walked in, her hair red and done up with little Japanese chopstick-like hair accessories. Along with her was Ron. Ron hugged Harry and then Hermione, and then the girl got to hug Harry and Hermione. She blushed lightly as Harry hugged her. Her hand brushed a red strand of hair from her face and she held up a little bag. "Here's something for you two, from the Weasleys."
" Thanks, Ginny!" Harry exclaimed, taking the gift. Hermione slowly pulled the insides of the bag out and then pulled aside the tissue paper. There, hidden in it, was a pure-gold picture frame with the words 'Love is Gold' on the top of it. Inside was a picture of Harry and Hermione holding hands. Harry recognized the picture from their visit to the Weasleys at Christmas a year ago.
" It's beautiful!" Hermione cried out. " I have just the place to put it." She tenderly wrapped it up again and slipped the gift back into the baggy. Then, she put the gift onto a table designated for gifts.
Five minutes passed and nobody seemed to come. Then, Percy and Charlie walked in, both looking flushed. " Whew, talk about bad experiences with Floo Powder." Charlie said to Percy. Percy's face was smudged with ash.
The Potter couple greeted them merrily. Next came the Grangers, both kissing their son-in-law and daughter gaily. Then, they were seated at the huge table with the Weasleys.
A lost-looking young man approached the doorway. He looked around, then suddenly cried out: "Hermione! Harry!" He approached them but tripped on an extension cord that was snaking across the floor.
" Oh, Neville." Hermione laughed and helped him up. Then, they greeted him happily. Behind him was Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil, and Padme Patil. They were all laughing about something. When they caught sight of Harry and Hermione, they all exclaimed about how stylish Hermione's dress was and how handsome Harry looked today. They sat down with a very nervous-looking Neville. Neville looked elated to be sitting with the three ladies.
Oliver Wood and a few other Quidditch team members walked in, and after chatting with Harry and Hermione about the recent Quidditch World Cup match, they were seated. Cho Chang lingered a while beside Harry, asking him how life was and whether he liked his new life or if he missed Hogwarts. She, too, was seated after a while.
People were now piling through the door in throngs. Seamus Finnigan brought along a girl he was dating, a pretty girl that graduated from Beauxbaxton and was now a famous auror.
" How's life treating you?" A girl named Susan Bones asked Harry.
" Great!" Harry replied, with a smile that was definitely not phony or cheesy. A few other people walked in. Harry checked off people on a list of guests as they walked in. Soon, only one name remained on the list and this particular person was ten minutes late. Harry circled the name: Draco Malfoy.
" I wonder what happened to him." Hermione said, softly.
" I don't think he ever liked me much." Harry laughed. " Maybe he doesn't want to come."
" Well, it was only nice to ask him to come. I haven't seen him, personally, since we graduated."
" Neither have I." Harry replied. " Maybe he's grown out of his nasty stage."
" And pigs fly." Hermione murmured.
Just then, a tall man appeared in the doorway. His face was handsome, very handsome in fact, like that of someone who ought to be on magazine covers and in movies. His hair was a very light blonde, feathery and soft and curling lightly around his face. The gray-blue eyes that peered from the face were recognizable to Harry. "Malfoy." Harry said. "Speak of the devil!"
' Odd that we were just speaking of him', Harry thought in his mind.
Draco looked Harry and Hermione over. "Well! Mr. and Mrs. Potter." He smiled. Harry was taken aback by how he wasn't frowning as he was so used to seeing Draco. Draco's eyes lingered on Hermione for a while. Finally, he said, just barely audibly: "You look nice." Then, he turned to look at Harry. " Nice tux, Potter."
Harry's eyes wandered to the two very large and frigthening-looking men towering behind Draco. Draco, who was taller then Harry anyhow (Harry was 6 feet and 3 inches), still looked short next to these two behind him.
" They're my bodyguards." Malfoy laughed, motioning at Crabbe and Goyle. He suddenly turned around, pale eyes focusing on what his two pals were doing behind his back. The two were standing by the buffet table. There was Crabbe, pushing something leafy and green into his mouth, chewing noisily. Goyle was loading a small plate with heaps of food.
" Crabbe, really! That green thing was a TABLE DECORATION!" Draco's hand shot up to his face, where he squeezed the sides of his nose, right between his eyes, like stressed-out people do.
Hermione laughed.
Draco turned to look at them, shaking his head. " Can't take them anywhere." He sighed and said: "You guys, let's get a seat, alright?"
" Sure, Draco." Goyle said thickly. Crabbe and Goyle followed Draco to a seat.
" Hey. Something's wrong. Why isn't Malfoy evil?" Hermione asked Harry, in a lowered voice. " I expected to be called Mudblood or something, but . . ."
" I suppose people change." Harry said, thoughtfully. " And some don't." He added, for Neville had just spilled a glass of water all over himself. Harry ran over to Neville and handed the poor fellow a handful of tissues. Neville gave Harry a weak smile of gratitude as he wiped at his suit until the tissues were only thin white shreds in his hands.
Harry waited until everyone was settled down. Then, he went to the front of the room with Hermione and he said, his voice loud to reach the farthest corners of the room: "Thank you, all of you, for being here."
Hermione continued for him: " Some of you I haven't seen for years, some of you I've seen just yesterday. Yet all of you were with me ever since I left Hogwarts."
Draco was shaking his head. "Not me." Draco said, softly. A few people laughed. Hermione smiled, embarrassed, and then let Harry pick up the speech for she suddenly didn't know what else to say.
" Uh, the buffet tables are waiting, so don't hesitate to eat, there's plenty of food. Enjoy the party." Harry gave the guests a lopsided grin and then turned to Hermione.
"Where do we sit?" She asked him.
" There's not much room at any table left for both of us. . ." Suddenly, Hermione noticed that there was a table where only three people sat. She figured it was only polite to sit there, when she felt a stab in her stomach to see who these three people were – Draco Malfoy, Gregory Goyle, and Vincent Crabbe.
" Do we. . .?" Harry asked, softly.
She nodded lightly. " Yes. Who knows, maybe he is different." Hermione gently grasped her dress at the sides and lifted upwards so she could move her legs without slipping on the long gown. It was a lovely red dress with a pink floral pattern lacing around the neck. Little golden buttons went down the back and it was tied with a shiny sash. A fake flower was wound around the bow in back.
Harry approached Draco's table and then hesitated slightly before asking: "Can we sit here, uh. . . Draco?"
He shrugged. " If you so please." His fingers lifted a little wineglass tenderly and he swirled it around, the red liquid inside bobbing up and down as if someone had encased an ocean in the glass. Then, he took a slow drink of it, his eyes not once falling directly on Harry or Hermione.
" So – what have you been up to?" Harry asked, slowly, trying to strike up some sort of conversation. He and Hermione had seated themselves across the table, opposite of the Malfoy.
" Nothing worth speaking of." Draco replied, cutting the conversation short.
" When we graduated, you were dating Pansy Parkinson. Are you. . .?" Hermione asked, slowly.
" No." Draco said, sharply. A bit too sharply.
Harry and Hermione gaped at him, and he pressed his lips together tightly until they were nearly white. He said no more, not even an apology for his sharp tone.
" If I can ask, what happened?" Hermione asked. Harry realized Hermione looked genuinely concerned. This was a reason why Harry liked her so very much – she was always so concerned about the wellbeing of others.
" Pansy died." Goyle said, slowly, his eyes blinking stupidly. " She had, uh . . . what's it called, Crabbe?"
" Don't know." Crabbe replied. He was piling food into his mouth with a fork and a spoon so that his mouth wouldn't be empty in the time the fork was traveling back down to get more food (he'd use the spoon to bring food up again instantly).
" Oh, that's terrible! I'm so sorry." Hermione said.
" How long ago?" Harry inquired.
Draco's tightly pressed lips didn't loosen. He looked down at his plate onto which he had placed a sad, single slice of honeydew cantaloupe. Finally, he budged just a bit: "A year ago today."
" Our sincerest condolences." Harry said. He felt a bit sorry now. No wonder Draco wasn't able to come to their wedding. . .
" You ain't going to cry, now, Draco?" Vincent asked innocently.
Draco's eyes squeezed tight and then opened again, the coldness in them seemingly melted at least for the moment as he turned to Crabbe to say: " No. I won't." Then, he took another sip of wine, still cool and nonchalant.
Harry sighed and leaned back in his seat. The wooden chair creaked noisily as he did so.
" What was the cause of the death?" Hermione asked, again. She was curious, if anything.
Draco didn't look eager to answer. He took in a deep breath and then said: " A Muggle hit her with his car. She and I were supposed to meet not far from the sight of the accident."
" That's horrible." Harry said.
" Well! I won't let my misery spoil your . . ." Draco made his voice rise from the monotone he was using so far. " . . . Fun and games." He fell silent now. Hermione and Harry were silent too.
" Harry. . ." Hermione squeezed Harry's hand tightly beneath the table and then motioned at the doorway of the room with her head.
" Mmm?" Harry inquired with a murmur.
" I think we forgot to ask for an extra set of napkins." Hermione put on a huge smile, so fake that even the often-smiling Hermione couldn't cover it.
Harry's mouth formed a little 'O' and he stood up quickly. " The napkins. I forgot all about them!" He exclaimed, then turned back to Draco. "Excuse us, would you?"
Draco made a motion with his finger, as if he were a King dismissing his subjects. The Potter couple trotted away quickly and then found themselves standing out in the hallway that ran by the room they were renting.
" Poor Draco!" Hermione whispered. " I think he ought to get acquainted with some girl, don't you think, before he gets so depressed he'll go single for the rest of his life."
" Is that why you dragged me here?" Harry leaned back onto the wall. "To say your pities? I mean, sure, I feel horrible for him, and all, but it's our anniversary."
" Hold on, Harry." A devilish look crossed Hermione's face. " Is Ginny dating anyone?"
Harry was taken aback. "What does Ginny have to do with . . ."
" I'll tell you later. Look, is she dating?"
" Not since she dumped that jerk that kept hitting her." A look of anger crossed Harry's face at the memory. " The little. . ." A line of profanities were hanging on Harry's tongue but Hermione cut him off.
" Okay, that's all I need to know." Harry watched Hermione twirl around on her heels and then walk back into the room. Harry nabbed a handful of napkins from the service table out in the hallway, just to keep up their alibi, and then stepped inside.
Harry saw that Hermione was speaking with Ginny beside the buffet table. Harry approached Hermione only to catch a few bits of Ginny and Hermione's conversation:
" Ginny, by the way, did you see Draco Malfoy today?"
Ginny laughed. "That white string bean? I didn't see him since graduation."
' Not a string bean now.' Harry thought, turning his head to where Draco was sitting. He was having a conversation with Padme Patil. Padme was blushing furiously as Draco gave her a winning smile.
Hermione shook her head. " Actually, he looks rather different now, Ginny. You don't think you could. . ."
" Hermione!" A shrill voice shrieked from across the room. Lavender Brown was making her way towards Hermione. " Oh, I simply MUST know the name of whomever did your hair! It's simply darling! Just like something from Witch Fashion Weekly!" Lavender fluttered her eyelashes happily.
" Hold that thought." Hermione said to Ginny. Then, Hermione walked off to speak to Lavender about her hair.
Harry shrugged and went to sit down at the table with Draco. Draco looked up just as Harry plopped himself down in the seat and then placed the stack of napkins down on the table in front of Draco. "Got the napkins." Harry said, as if he needed to remind everyone of where he had just gone, for reassurance. One of the napkins fluttered down to cover Draco's uneaten slice of cantaloupe. It quickly grew transparent as the sweet juice of the melon filled its paper content. "Sorry." Harry added, lamely.
Draco looked down at the food with about as much interest as a child would look at a bowl of spinach soup. He pushed the plate forwards until it clunked against the white vase full of flowers in the center of the table. " I wasn't hungry, anyway."
Harry shifted. That morning, he had retrieved Hermione's gift and put it into the pocket of his pants. He had hidden it under the white doily for the day before.
Suddenly, laughter filled the room as Fred tripped George on the way to the buffet table. Ginny Weasley helped Fred up and then bent over to pick up a dropped dish. Draco looked up and for the first time that night a spark of interest filled his eye. "Who's that?" Draco asked, pointing towards Ginny.
Harry turned and said: "That's Fred and George Weasley, of course!"
Draco shook his head. " Potter, I mean the girl. With the red hair?"
Harry exclaimed: " Why, that's Ginny Weasley! Remember her?"
Draco recalled the thin, lanky girl that followed Harry around on the day of their graduation from Hogwarts. He shook his head once more. " Hell no."
" Yes." Harry nodded in contrast to Draco's movement.
Draco looked bewildered. " You're pulling my leg." Draco said, simply. He didn't say anything else, though.
Harry stood up. "I'll go get myself something to eat. Do you want me to bring you anything?"
" No." Draco replied. Then, he added, a bit unused to the word, most likely: "No, thank you."
Harry shrugged and stood to get in line at the buffet table. Others were already eating happily. Harry felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Cho Chang. She grinned. " Harry, I have a gift just for you, a separate one from Hermione." Cho smiled wider as she placed a little felt box onto Harry's open palm. He looked down at it.
" T – thanks, Cho." Harry slowly opened the felt box and caught sight of a lovely ruby brooch set in gold, made to look like a little Snitch. " Wow! It's really something!" He lifted it from the box and then pinned it down at the breast of his suit. " I'll wear it tonight. Thank you!"
She nodded. " It'll remind you of lots of merry memories of Quidditch."
" It sure will." Harry looked down at it. The ruby reflected dozens of golden speckles of light. He twiddled it a bit and a light shone right into Cho's eye. She blinked and then laughed.
" You were a great Seeker, Harry, and a great Captain, too. When you were Captain of the team, I remember how proud you were when you won the Quidditch House Cup for Gryffindor." She put her hand on his elbow, then slowly drew her hand back. She looked down at the floor. " Too bad Draco beat you out to Head Boy, though. I bet he only studied his butt off so he could beat you out!"
" Maybe he was smarter then me." Harry said.
She grinned again. "Maybe. Well, I'll talk with you later, Susan Bones seems to be incredibly enthralled in having me tell her about how I broke my hand during Quidditch in sixth year." Her smile faded a bit as she walked away. "See ya."
" See ya." Harry echoed, then glanced down at the brooch again. It sparkled cheerily in the luminous chandelier that hung overhead.
~*~
Hermione walked towards the front of the room. " Okay, now that we're all through with eating, I believe, we can begin the dancing." She smiled out at the guests. "Are you ready?"
" Yeah!" A few people shouted out, while others cheered.
Hermione pulled out her wand and then swirled it through the air. A Muggle sound system with huge speakers appeared behind her. She turned around and pressed a few buttons. The machine began to play some slow popular music. Harry led Hermione to the dance floor and they slowly began to dance. But Hermione broke away from Harry just then and said: " Just a sec."
She wandered over to the table that Ginny sat at and then said: "Ginny, why aren't you dancing?"
Ginny shook her head. " I don't feel like dancing much."
Hermione said: " Look around the room. Maybe you'll find yourself a nice-looking guy to dance with."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Alright, Hermione, I'll look. I won't guarantee that I'll see someone worth dancing with, though." Ginny then stood up and began to walk around, scanning the room for an acceptable- looking man to dance with. She was very cautious now after coming out of an abusive relationship.
Hermione returned to Harry and they began to dance. She leaned forwards and kissed him. " Thanks for waiting." She whispered in his ear. Harry felt his face burn hot as he whispered back:
" My pleasure."
~*~
Ginny sighed and leaned back onto a table, half-sitting on an edge of it. Her red hair was slowly spilling out of the chopsticks that held it and she was feeling out of the mood to go to the bathroom and fix it up. She let out a slow, wavering breath instead, letting the exhaled air blow a strand of red hair around and off her face.
Suddenly, her eyes hooked on someone. He was sitting all alone at a table, his head bowed over his plate. He was picking with his fork at a scrumptious-looking cheesecake, but he didn't look hungry. His eyelashes were long and feather-soft, a very light blonde in color, and his forehead was sprinkled lightly with feathery loose strands of hair. He was propping his head up with his hand, looking rather bored.
She felt a tug in her stomach, as if she was going through a Port Key, and then she allowed herself to approach him.
Ginny stopped right in front of his table and then asked:
" Can I, um . . ."
She looked around the table and saw a stack of napkins. " Have a napkin, please?" She finished and then watched as he looked up, startled. He seemed to vaguely recognize her and he nodded, holding the napkins up and then handing them over to her. She took them from his hands and she picked the pink and blue one from the top. Holding it up to her lips, she dabbed lightly. He watched curiously.
Ginny remained standing there, letting her hand drop from her face, the napkin a crumpled mess in her palm now. She stood awkwardly for a moment or two, then said: "Is anyone sitting here?" She motioned at the seat she was standing at.
He shook his head. He still said nothing.
Ginny's eyebrows raised as she wondered why he was so silent. The only life he seemed to show was the vivid sparkle that was now in his pale grayish-blue eyes. He yawned and then brought a piece of cheesecake to his mouth. Ginny watched hungrily as he ate it slowly, like a cat enjoying its meal very, very carefully.
Ginny took a drink from the glass of water that stood prepared by the plate she sat in front of. She wiped away the imprint of her lipstick with the napkin she still had in her hand.
Finally, she got the guts to ask him what she came for.
" You're the best-looking guy here. Do you want to dance?"
He didn't reply. He looked down at the cheesecake as if it meant the world to him. He debated heavily about something.
' Who is he?' Ginny thought feverishly.
" So you won't dance with me? Is it because you don't know me?" Ginny leaned forwards on the table, her lips pursing lightly, like models do in photographs she saw. Supposedly, boys liked that pouty look.
Draco shook his head.
" Well then!" She took his hand, all the valor she had inside of her creeping out in that one action. Ginny pulled him to his feet. She let her eyes sweep over his body, now that it wasn't hidden behind the table. He was tall, and built, and . . .
Ginny blushed.
He looked away from her face, almost as if something was holding him back.
" It's a slow dance. It's easy to dance to. Come on." She dragged him to the dance floor. He followed her, unable to protest, unable to say anything much at all. Finally, out on the dance floor, he spoke:
" Don't you know who I am?"
Ginny shook her head.
He found this incredibly amusing. " I'll tell you after we dance, then. I don't know if you'll like me much then." His face broke into a smile and Ginny liked the way it looked there, but she disliked how quickly it disappeared again.
" It can't be that bad. Who you are, I mean." Ginny said.
He only shook his head, still amused.
Slowly, they began to dance. He was a very good dancer, but it seemed he hadn't danced in a while. His movement seemed a bit unsure, as if he was remembering how to dance bit by bit. She had to look up to see his face, for he was tall. " Did you go to Hogwarts?" She asked.
He nodded.
" How is it that Harry knows you?" Ginny inquired.
" I knew him since first year. Even before, really. We met while having our robes measured." A muscle in his jaw tightened as he clenched his teeth at the memory. "He refused my friendship, I believe."
" Oh." Ginny grinned brightly. " Yet you became friends later, since you're here."
He shrugged and then looked down so that his fine eyelashes were covering his eyes again. Ginny felt her heartbeat rising as the dance moves grew faster to the music. The steps changed and the music was now very formal and upbeat. His hand traveled down to her side and the other one rested on her shoulder. She put one hand at his side and the other rested around his shoulder and arm a bit. Her face was warm with embarrassment.
' I don't think he likes me.' She thought, upset. ' Or maybe he's shy.'
Her eyes moved upwards to find him looking at her intensely. He quickly looked down at his feet again, though.
" Do you happen to know Draco Malfoy?" He asked, after a while.
They twirled around a dancing couple beside them, which happened to be Harry and Hermione. Hermione watched as they spun by with great joy. She looked at Harry and winked meaningfully. Harry suddenly realized what Hermione was plotting, or at least some of it.
" I know him a bit." Ginny replied. " He was so mean and nasty to everyone, and he looked like a white string bean." She laughed.
He laughed too, his eyes dancing. " Really?" He asked. " Not a string bean!" He added, horrified. His cheeks were gaining a pink tone.
" Oh, yes, and he'd always be so nasty to Harry!" Ginny continued. " I don't know if he had any friends at all."
" He did."
" Ah. Do you know him?" Ginny asked.
The dance ended abruptly. He pulled away. "Quite well." He said, as they moved back to their table. He stopped as Ginny stopped at the table the Weasleys were sitting at. He looked surprised to see her stop there, and then he said:
" So. . . so you ARE Ginny Weasley, aren't you?"
" Yes." She sat herself down. " Why did you ask so much about Draco, anyway?"
He turned around and said, over his shoulder, as he returned to his seat: " Because he's me."
~*~
Hermione and Harry chatted with Neville nearby.
" What have you been doing, Neville?" Harry asked him. Neville smiled, readying to say what he had been up to, when he squeezed too hard on the banana he was eating. The white fruit spilled over onto his hand. "Ah!" Neville gasped, and Hermione handed him another Kleenex that she had prepared already, knowing this was Neville she was speaking with.
" Sorry." Neville wiped the banana off his hand. " I've been working for the Prophet. I'm 'Dear Nev', the advice columnist." He smiled and then continued after handing Hermione her Kleenex back: " Who'd have thought? I suppose so many people gave me so much advice I'm a walking advice book."
Hermione looked down at the Kleenex in her hand with disgust and then threw it out immediately before it soiled her hands.
" That's great, Neville." She said. " How are you getting paid?"
" Enough to keep a small home." He replied.
" What kind of advice is your favorite?" Harry asked.
" Love advice." Neville's ears burned red. " I've met a lot of girls through my advice column, actually. They always think I'm a sweet guy and things like that."
" Wow! You're doing REAL well, then?" Harry laughed, giving him a wink.
Hermione nudged Harry and then said: "Well, I'll go talk to Ginny, I have something to ask of her." Hermione walked off, and then stopped where Ginny was sitting. Ginny looked genuinely shocked about something.
" Ginny?" Hermione sat down beside her in Ron's seat.
" Oh, Hermione, that's DRACO?" She said through numb lips, her eyes looking towards the man sitting once again alone, sipping at a glass of wine.
" Yes. I told you he isn't a string bean." Hermione said.
" I made such a fool of myself!" Ginny cried out, a tear spilling from her eye.
" No you didn't! He looked perfectly pleased with dancing with you!" Hermione scolded.
" You don't understand! He asked me . . . I didn't know who he was. . . I told him Draco was this string bean that nobody liked. . ." She suddenly stood up. " I can't stay here. I'm so embarrassed!"
" Ginny, he's not even upset! Look at him!" Hermione said.
" Yes he is! Look how depressed he looks!" Ginny replied, motioning at Draco. Draco was now swirling the tip of his finger in the wine, looking so upset that it seemed everyone who'd even stand by him would be sucked into his depressed state.
" That's because Pansy died on this day a year ago. He loved her." Hermione explained.
Ginny burst into tears. "Even worse! I made him feel bad on such a day - - made him dance with me! I'm such an idiot!" She turned and ran from the room and didn't stop running until she was in the side lounge, where there was simply the coat room and a waiting room if someone wanted their party to gather before entering the dining area for some reason.
She collapsed on a leather chair and wept heavily, remembering her previous boyfriend (who's painful bruises still remained on her body). She thought of how she had forced Draco to dance with her on the anniversary of the death of his closest girlfriend, and then to tell him all these nasty things!
' I'm such an idiot! He must hate me!' Ginny whimpered inside her mind.
~*~
Draco looked up just in time to see Ginny flee the room. His first reaction was that perhaps she really needed to use the bathroom. When she didn't return in twenty minutes, he figured she was putting on makeup. Then, when an hour passed and Hermione was pacing around wondering if she should go check on Ginny or leave her to herself, Draco stood and realized something was wrong.
' Maybe I made her mad by not telling her who I am?' Draco though, vaguely. 'Of course she'd be mad! In fact, she practically said I was Harry's worst enemy and all, and I know she was practically in love with him.'
Draco thought about it. He had never liked the Weasleys, and all they stood for. Arthur Weasley was a pathetic Muggle-lover, Molly was an embarrassment, they were all dirt-poor, their kids were pathetic . . . but Ginny was something else. Draco couldn't put his finger on it, but he felt he owed her an apology. He stood to go find her and to apologize to her.
He stopped in front of the waiting room, after walking around peeking into various rooms (but the ladies' room, of course, for Draco was no pervert), and he was shocked to see Ginny crying on the leather couch.
~*~
Ginny's head felt heavy and her eyelashes were dotted with tears. She felt a presence in the room and she slowly lifted her head. A dark shape stood in front of her. Her stomach lurched.
It was Draco.
A/N: I will end here and wait to get quite a few reviews before continuing with the events of the night. Harry and Hermione open their gifts, Draco and Ginny . . . ? . . . he, he. Who knows what I will scheme up next! I will also add more characters and what happened to them. So review or else I won't write anymore!
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