On Halloween, classes were completely cancelled, much to the students' pleasure. Hermione, Draco, and the others had spent the night setting up the dungeons into a spooky, scary, haunted house. Everyone had been banned from the Great Hall...as the House Elves would take food to people who needed it...and the two Heads and all of the Prefects were working their asses off, to say the least, getting the Great Hall decorated.

"Careful, Mya!" Draco called, seeing his pregnant girlfriend trying to lift a rather heavy piece of the décor to go put up. He walked over and, sliding his arms around her, lifted it from her hands and put it up, his chest right up in his back. "You use your wand for stuff like that from now on, darling. I don't want either of my angels getting hurt."

Hermione stuck her tongue out at his back as he left. In truth, she was thankful for his help...but that didn't mean she would show it. "Brat!" She called after him, moving to the next decoration. She was about to start lifting it when she heard Draco clear his throat from behind her. "Oh FINE!" she growled. "Wingardium Leviosa!"

When they'd finished the Great Hall (Around Noon) they went up to their dorms to work on blocking off their private dorms...finally deciding that a simple password-required wall would be enough. When it was set up, they studied until about four, and then the girls all disappeared into Hermione and Draco's Dorm...leaving him to get ready with the Prefects.

As the time for the ball approached, all of Hogwarts' girls disappeared, leaving all of the guys to wonder about their absence. The professors had ordered that nobody could tell each other who they were, nor could they dance with anyone from their own house until they were told to unmask. Gryffindors had to dance with Slytherins and Vise-versa...and Ravenclaws had to dance with Hufflepuffs and vise-versa. Or else.

When the girls came down, they were undistinguishable from each other...whereas if they'd gotten dressed in private dorms it would have easily been discernable which was which. Damn those girls and their brains. Damn them straight to hell! Draco looked around at the others and saw much the same things written on their faces. They growled as they headed in to get dressed. Good part about this? XD The girls didn't know the difference, either.

Draco was rather disappointed, however, because the girls were already down in the Great Hall when they'd gotten dressed. He sighed and walked down to the Great Hall with Blaise. They were chattering quietly about the ball and laughing together. Draco looked up as they entered the Hall and, even though he'd been one of the ones to help decorate it, the outcome was amazing. The teachers had added their little choice decorations, and it looked splendid.

Draco sighed and walked to a Gryffindor Girl. "Would you like to dance?" He kept his voice cool and dispassionate. As he led her out, he recognized something about her. Quietly, he spun her and whispered in her ear. "Ginny? Is that you?" He heard the little gasp of surprise.

"Draco?" She whispered in return and he smiled inwardly. "Imagine that." She laughed softly. "That must mean that Hermione's dancing with Blaise, then...right?"

He nodded slowly as the dance came to an end, and the two separated and went back to their respective groups. Draco asked a Gryffindor fifth-year to dance, and all too soon he was dancing with most of the girls in the Gryffindor House. On the last required dance, he spun Hermione into his arms and they danced slowly...neither talking at all. Dumbledore stood and the couples on the dance-floor looked up at him.

"We thank you for your participation in this Masquerade Ball, Students! And now, you may take off your masks and dance with anyone you like! However! Seventh Years will wait in the Great Hall when the Ball is finished, as your Heads and the Seventh-Year Prefects have a surprise for you. And now! Enjoy the music!" The Wizard D.J left and a band of Witches and Wizards mounted the platform and began to play...

"Woah! Hermione! You told us you knew the Lead Singer for the Bloody Banshees but damn! I didn't think you'd manage to get them to come!" Draco exclaimed. Hermione smirked.

"I wrote to Salem and his group at the beginning of the year to see if they'd play for our dance! I knew that if I waited for the rest of you to get around to planning it, it'd never get done. So here they are!" She smiled and ran up onto the platform between songs to give the Lead singer, Salem Watkins, a hug. They talked for a while, and he seemed to be trying to talk her into something. Finally, she gave in and sighed.

Salem grinned as he stepped to the mic. "And now, one of my dearest friends is going to join us for this next song. Some of you Muggle-Borns might recognize it...Ready, Mione?" At the girls nod, the Band stepped back and began playing. Hermione opened her mouth and sang confidently.
"It's easier to run

Replacing this pain with something numb

It's so much easier to go

Than face all this pain here all alone" She and Salem sang together...then she split off and sang on her own
"Something has been taken from deep inside of me

The secret I've kept locked away no one can ever see

Wounds so deep they never show they never go away

Like moving pictures in my head for years and years they've played"
"(If I could change I would take back the pain I would)

(Retrace every wrong move that I made I would)

(If I could stand up and take the blame I would)

(If I could take all the shame to the grave I would)

(If I could change I would take back the pain I would)

(Retrace every wrong move that I made I would)

(If I could stand up and take the blame I would)

(I would take all my shame to the grave)" The entire band sang, and then Salem and Hermione split off and sang together once more
"It's easier to run

Replacing this pain with something numb

It's so much easier to go

Than face all this pain here all alone" Hermione smiled and sang on her own again.
"Sometimes I remember the darkness of my past

Bringing back these memories I wish I didn't have

Sometimes I think of letting go and never looking back

And never moving forward so there'd never be a past"
"(If I could change I would take back the pain I would)

(Retrace every wrong move that I made I would)

(If I could stand up and take the blame I would)

(If I could take all the shame to the grave I would)

(If I could change I would take back the pain I would)

(Retrace every wrong move that I made I would)

(If I could stand up and take the blame I would)

(I would take all my shame to the grave)"
"Just washing it aside

All of the helplessness inside

Pretending I don't feel misplaced

It's so much simpler to change" She finished off, striking a pose with Salem.
Draco could only stare in jealousy, wishing with all of his heart that it was HE she'd been singing with, not Salem Watkins...