Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot.
Thank you for all my reviewers! Thank you so much! Everyone's been saying that I update really fast. Well, it's because it's my summer vacation and there's nothing else to do. Plus, I know you guys want to read more. So...thanks again for that. :)
Chapter 10
"So are we going to the ball together?" Draco repeated when Hermione didn't answer. He turned to face her.
Hermione looked back at him. "It's not like I have a choice," she said, smiled then stood up and went to her room.
Draco watched her go. *Okay. That wasn't exactly a yes, but...that's good enough for me.* He grinned.
**
Hermione walked down the hall towards the prefect's office. Roger, the head boy, had just told her that she should look for some decorations for the ball this weekend...with Draco. She was about to enter when someone stopped her.
Harry.
"Harry," Hermione said, hiding her surprise from seeing him. She has seen him, but they hadn't talked for quite a long time now. "What are you doing here?"
"I-I just wanted to talk to you," Harry said.
"What about?" she asked quietly.
"Nothing. I just wanted to talk to you considering we haven't really talked in a while," he said.
"Well, I have a meeting right now," she said. "Maybe we talk some other time."
Harry looked disappointed. "Oh, okay." He walked away, his head hung low.
Hermione watched him walk away. She felt sad. Sad because Harry was one of her best friends and now...
"Harry!" she called after him. He turned around. "How about we talk tomorrow, at lunch?"
Harry grinned widely. "Sure!"
Hermione smiled at him and walked in the prefects' office.
"You're early," said a familiar voice from the back.
"Uh, yeah," Hermione replied, taking a seat on one of the chairs.
Draco sat beside her with a book on hand.
"You're reading again?" she asked.
"Yeah. So?" he said, shrugging.
"Are you turning into some bookworm?"
He smirked. "No. I don't want to turn into you."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She stood up and went to the bookcase at the back. "Draco, Roger talked to me yesterday."
"So?"
"He told me to go to Hogsmeade this weekend to look for stuff for the ball."
"And? Does this really have anything to do with me?"
"Yes. In fact, you're coming with me," she said, coming back and sitting beside him.
Draco put his book down and faced her. "I am?"
"Honestly, Draco. Can you be any denser?" Hermione said.
"What if you were just telling me?" he said. "Fine. I'll go with you."
"You will?" she asked, surprised.
"What's so shocking?" he asked, seeing Hermione's expression.
"Well, I expected you to say no or call me names or--."
"Hey, I don't do that anymore," he said, looking down.
Hermione smiled slightly at him and touched his arm. "I know you don't." She stood up. "Where are the others?"
Draco shrugged. "Maybe they forgot about the meeting."
Hermione snickered. "Katie? Forget a meeting? I don't think so."
Draco stood up, too. "You'll never know. Maybe that girl has an imperfect bone in her system."
She laughed. "The imperfect perfectionist."
"So what are you wearing for the ball?" Draco asked.
Hermione looked at him with a weird expression. She felt sure that he used to not care about these things, but she smiled. "I can't tell you."
"Why not?"
"It's a surprise," Hermione said. "Why do you want to know?"
He shrugged. "Figured that I'm supposed to."
Hermione giggled then sighed. "It doesn't matter, anyway. I'm sure that I'll be plain."
"You're kidding, right?" Draco said, taking a step towards her so that, now, they were in front of each other.
"Why would I be kidding? It's not like I'm pretty or anything."
Draco moved closer to her. "I-I think you're pretty."
"You're just saying that. You don't really think I'm pretty," she said, looking down.
"You're right," he said, touching her chin and making her look at him.
"Wh-what?" Hermione asked weakly.
"I think you're beautiful."
Hermione only gazed at him and blushed. No one has ever told her that before...well, maybe except Harry. But this time, if felt different to her. She felt like she was really beautiful.
Draco meant what he said. He really thought Hermione was beautiful. He took a deep breath and moved closer to her. Hermione held her breath as he did so. She could feel her heart pounding so hard, she was afraid he would hear it. He leaned forward, slowly closing the gap between their faces, which were inches away from each other. She closed her eyes as she felt his breath tingling her lips. Their lips were about to touch when suddenly the door banged open. Roger, Katie, Padma and Justin were all at the door, gaping at them.
Hermione and Draco had separated, of course and were now standing about 10 feet away from each other. Hermione had turned pale, while Draco had turned a nice shade of red.
"You both are early," Roger said, breaking the silence and walking in the room.
Hermione only managed to nod. She couldn't bear the fact that her fellow prefects and the heads had seen them almost kissing. She felt so embarrassed. She merely sat down and pretended to be interested with her books.
"Uh, yeah," Draco said. He felt somewhat embarrassed but he was really just okay with them seeing that.
They went on with the meeting and soon it was over. Hermione immediately left. She didn't know what to say to him. She just couldn't find the words.
**
"How was your meeting?" Harry asked as they walked across the grounds.
"It was fine," Hermione answered, remembering what happened.
"Yeah?" Harry said quietly. "Um, so, I heard that there's a ball."
"Yeah. There is," Hermione replied somewhat absently.
*Draco almost kissed me. And I...I almost kissed him back. Why is this happening? It's so...so weird. There's no other word for it. Strange, too.* She sighed. *Why is this happening?* she asked herself again. *But maybe what happened wasn't really strange. I mean, I think I also wanted to kiss him. But wait. I thought. Oh whatever! Forget this! It's--.*
"Hermione!" Harry called, waving his hand in front of her face. "Hermione!"
Hermione jerked back to reality and saw that they had stopped walking. She looked at him and smiled sheepishly.
"You were out of it, Hermione," Harry told her.
"Sorry," Hermione said. "I-I was just thinking of something." *This is so unfair to Harry. This is the first time we've talked in a long time and I'm thinking of Draco.*
"What were you thinking about?" he asked.
Hermione turned red. "N-nothing. Just some stuff that I have to do for the ball."
"About the ball." Harry said.
"What about it?" Hermione asked, looking at him.
Harry stopped walking and faced Hermione. His head was bent down a little and he was fidgeting with his hands.
"What is it, Harry?" Hermione asked. "Is something wrong? Didn't Ginny want to go with you?"
"Well...I-I haven't really asked her," Harry said quietly.
"Why not? Oh, I get it. You don't ask anymore because it's official that you're going together," Hermione said, looking at him and seeing that he's still a bit down and fidgety. "Right?"
Harry sighed and looked up at her. "Right," he said, forcing a smile.
Hermione smiled warmly at him. "You know, I'm glad we're okay now. I don't know what I'd do if we still weren't talking with each other."
"Me, too," Harry said with some sort of a sad smile. "You should talk to Ron, too, you know."
Hermione nodded. "I know. Tell him...tell him that I'd like to talk to him."
"Why don't you tell him yourself? Aren't you coming to class?" Harry asked.
"I am. But I still have to get my stuff from the prefects' office. So I'll catch up with you guys," she said.
"Alright," Harry said. "And Hermione?"
Hermione had begun to leave, but turned around and faced Harry. He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. Hermione blushed a little.
"What was that for?" she asked very quietly.
"I missed you."
Thank you for all my reviewers! Thank you so much! Everyone's been saying that I update really fast. Well, it's because it's my summer vacation and there's nothing else to do. Plus, I know you guys want to read more. So...thanks again for that. :)
Chapter 10
"So are we going to the ball together?" Draco repeated when Hermione didn't answer. He turned to face her.
Hermione looked back at him. "It's not like I have a choice," she said, smiled then stood up and went to her room.
Draco watched her go. *Okay. That wasn't exactly a yes, but...that's good enough for me.* He grinned.
**
Hermione walked down the hall towards the prefect's office. Roger, the head boy, had just told her that she should look for some decorations for the ball this weekend...with Draco. She was about to enter when someone stopped her.
Harry.
"Harry," Hermione said, hiding her surprise from seeing him. She has seen him, but they hadn't talked for quite a long time now. "What are you doing here?"
"I-I just wanted to talk to you," Harry said.
"What about?" she asked quietly.
"Nothing. I just wanted to talk to you considering we haven't really talked in a while," he said.
"Well, I have a meeting right now," she said. "Maybe we talk some other time."
Harry looked disappointed. "Oh, okay." He walked away, his head hung low.
Hermione watched him walk away. She felt sad. Sad because Harry was one of her best friends and now...
"Harry!" she called after him. He turned around. "How about we talk tomorrow, at lunch?"
Harry grinned widely. "Sure!"
Hermione smiled at him and walked in the prefects' office.
"You're early," said a familiar voice from the back.
"Uh, yeah," Hermione replied, taking a seat on one of the chairs.
Draco sat beside her with a book on hand.
"You're reading again?" she asked.
"Yeah. So?" he said, shrugging.
"Are you turning into some bookworm?"
He smirked. "No. I don't want to turn into you."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She stood up and went to the bookcase at the back. "Draco, Roger talked to me yesterday."
"So?"
"He told me to go to Hogsmeade this weekend to look for stuff for the ball."
"And? Does this really have anything to do with me?"
"Yes. In fact, you're coming with me," she said, coming back and sitting beside him.
Draco put his book down and faced her. "I am?"
"Honestly, Draco. Can you be any denser?" Hermione said.
"What if you were just telling me?" he said. "Fine. I'll go with you."
"You will?" she asked, surprised.
"What's so shocking?" he asked, seeing Hermione's expression.
"Well, I expected you to say no or call me names or--."
"Hey, I don't do that anymore," he said, looking down.
Hermione smiled slightly at him and touched his arm. "I know you don't." She stood up. "Where are the others?"
Draco shrugged. "Maybe they forgot about the meeting."
Hermione snickered. "Katie? Forget a meeting? I don't think so."
Draco stood up, too. "You'll never know. Maybe that girl has an imperfect bone in her system."
She laughed. "The imperfect perfectionist."
"So what are you wearing for the ball?" Draco asked.
Hermione looked at him with a weird expression. She felt sure that he used to not care about these things, but she smiled. "I can't tell you."
"Why not?"
"It's a surprise," Hermione said. "Why do you want to know?"
He shrugged. "Figured that I'm supposed to."
Hermione giggled then sighed. "It doesn't matter, anyway. I'm sure that I'll be plain."
"You're kidding, right?" Draco said, taking a step towards her so that, now, they were in front of each other.
"Why would I be kidding? It's not like I'm pretty or anything."
Draco moved closer to her. "I-I think you're pretty."
"You're just saying that. You don't really think I'm pretty," she said, looking down.
"You're right," he said, touching her chin and making her look at him.
"Wh-what?" Hermione asked weakly.
"I think you're beautiful."
Hermione only gazed at him and blushed. No one has ever told her that before...well, maybe except Harry. But this time, if felt different to her. She felt like she was really beautiful.
Draco meant what he said. He really thought Hermione was beautiful. He took a deep breath and moved closer to her. Hermione held her breath as he did so. She could feel her heart pounding so hard, she was afraid he would hear it. He leaned forward, slowly closing the gap between their faces, which were inches away from each other. She closed her eyes as she felt his breath tingling her lips. Their lips were about to touch when suddenly the door banged open. Roger, Katie, Padma and Justin were all at the door, gaping at them.
Hermione and Draco had separated, of course and were now standing about 10 feet away from each other. Hermione had turned pale, while Draco had turned a nice shade of red.
"You both are early," Roger said, breaking the silence and walking in the room.
Hermione only managed to nod. She couldn't bear the fact that her fellow prefects and the heads had seen them almost kissing. She felt so embarrassed. She merely sat down and pretended to be interested with her books.
"Uh, yeah," Draco said. He felt somewhat embarrassed but he was really just okay with them seeing that.
They went on with the meeting and soon it was over. Hermione immediately left. She didn't know what to say to him. She just couldn't find the words.
**
"How was your meeting?" Harry asked as they walked across the grounds.
"It was fine," Hermione answered, remembering what happened.
"Yeah?" Harry said quietly. "Um, so, I heard that there's a ball."
"Yeah. There is," Hermione replied somewhat absently.
*Draco almost kissed me. And I...I almost kissed him back. Why is this happening? It's so...so weird. There's no other word for it. Strange, too.* She sighed. *Why is this happening?* she asked herself again. *But maybe what happened wasn't really strange. I mean, I think I also wanted to kiss him. But wait. I thought. Oh whatever! Forget this! It's--.*
"Hermione!" Harry called, waving his hand in front of her face. "Hermione!"
Hermione jerked back to reality and saw that they had stopped walking. She looked at him and smiled sheepishly.
"You were out of it, Hermione," Harry told her.
"Sorry," Hermione said. "I-I was just thinking of something." *This is so unfair to Harry. This is the first time we've talked in a long time and I'm thinking of Draco.*
"What were you thinking about?" he asked.
Hermione turned red. "N-nothing. Just some stuff that I have to do for the ball."
"About the ball." Harry said.
"What about it?" Hermione asked, looking at him.
Harry stopped walking and faced Hermione. His head was bent down a little and he was fidgeting with his hands.
"What is it, Harry?" Hermione asked. "Is something wrong? Didn't Ginny want to go with you?"
"Well...I-I haven't really asked her," Harry said quietly.
"Why not? Oh, I get it. You don't ask anymore because it's official that you're going together," Hermione said, looking at him and seeing that he's still a bit down and fidgety. "Right?"
Harry sighed and looked up at her. "Right," he said, forcing a smile.
Hermione smiled warmly at him. "You know, I'm glad we're okay now. I don't know what I'd do if we still weren't talking with each other."
"Me, too," Harry said with some sort of a sad smile. "You should talk to Ron, too, you know."
Hermione nodded. "I know. Tell him...tell him that I'd like to talk to him."
"Why don't you tell him yourself? Aren't you coming to class?" Harry asked.
"I am. But I still have to get my stuff from the prefects' office. So I'll catch up with you guys," she said.
"Alright," Harry said. "And Hermione?"
Hermione had begun to leave, but turned around and faced Harry. He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. Hermione blushed a little.
"What was that for?" she asked very quietly.
"I missed you."