Chapter 6: Praeparatio
"Have you been avoiding me?"
Hermione looked up from the book she was reading in the Gryffindor common room. Although she enjoyed spending time with Draco now that they were much closer, she still missed the banter and fun of the Gryffindors and often sought them out.
"Ginny!" She looked up to see a red-eyed Ginny Weasley standing over her, hands clutching a small bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. "No, of course I haven't been avoiding you!"
"Well, it sure seemed like it. Six years of being best friends then suddenly you hardly speak to me for nearly a month. Our last game of gobstones was five weeks ago!"
"Oh, Ginny!" Hermione felt terrible. How could she have been so wrapped up in her own feelings that she had neglected her best friend?
"Ron and Harry said that you've been pretty cold to them to, but they thought it was because of the NEWTS and being Head Girl and all. Anyway, they've got each other but…but Hermione, I've only got you for a best friend."
"Ginny Weasley, I've been an absolute hag of a friend lately. I'm so sorry- it's nothing to do with you. I've just been a little wrapped up in my stuff. I'm sorry."
Ginny sniffed a bit and smiled. "That's okay. Just thought maybe I somehow turned into Draco Malfoy or something."
"What?!" The statement rattled Hermione.
"I mean, I thought I turned into someone you disliked. Hey, it's okay. Don't look so shocked. Anyway, now that I've finally got you alone, I've been meaning to ask you something for ages!"
"What is it Ginny?" You have my complete and full attention," Hermione smiled at her friend, realizing how much she had missed the company of the pretty, red-haired witch beside her.
"Who are you going to the Yule Ball with? I'm absolutely *dying* to know! So is Lavender. She thought it might be Justin Finch Fletchley, you know that dark guy from Ravenclaw, cause she's absolutely keen on him but then she found out he was taking Hannah Abbot from Hufflepuff. Then we thought it was Ron but he said he'd asked Parvati and no one has the foggiest who you've asked!"
Hermione felt herself turning pale. After Draco had asked her last week, she had been so happy that she had completely forgotten how to account for the fact that she was going with Draco-I'm-A-Slytherin-Bay-Boy-Malfoy to her friends from Gryffindor, or for that matter, the rest of the school! She thought of how she had been secretly preparing her dress-robes for that occasion hoping to surprise Draco, how she had been trying out spells to tame her unruly curly hair…oh my goodness, she had grown so used to Draco that she had forgotten that to the rest of the Gryffindors, he was still "that Malfoy git".
"Hermione? Earth to Hermione, wake up!"
She snapped out of it. Ginny was tugging at her arm. "I can tell someone very special has asked you because you turned pale then you started to smile to yourself. Tell me!!"
I've been smiling? Hermione thought. Well, you've done it now Miss Granger, she thought. You've gone and gotten involved with the Baddest Bad Boy in the whole school and sooner or later people are going to find out so you had better start with telling your best friend. She made up her mind.
"Ginny, yes, someone very special has asked me to the Ball. I'd tell you about it but not here. Let's go back to my room."
"What's the big secret? I'm dying to know! Can't you tell me here?"
"No! Just come along quickly or I might change my mind and not tell you."
"Okay." Ginny's worst weakness was intense curiosity. It had gotten her in a lot of trouble in second-year when she had felt compelled to keep finding out more and more about a Black Diary belonging to Lord Voldemort. By the time they reached the Head Girl's Room, she was ready to burst.
"Tell me now! Tell me now Hermione!"
Hermione smiled at her friend. After six years, Ginny was as predictable as ever.
"Swear you won't tell anyone." It as hardly necessary for Hermione to ask Ginny to do this because she knew that her friend was the most trustworthy witch in the whole school and fiercely loyal to her.
"Oh Hermione. You know I wouldn't, I swear!"
"I'm going with…Draco Malfoy."
"WHAT! Hermione Granger, are you INSANE?"
"Calm down Ginny. It's true. I'm really going with Draco you know. He asked me to and…and…I'm really happy about it."
Ginnygot over her initial shock. Hermione's eyes shone with a kind of golden light as they were wont to do when she was very, very happy and her cheeks were gently touched with a flush of pink. Ginny realized she had never EVER seen her friend look this radiant, this happy, in all her years at Hogwart. She realized what it meant!
"Oh Hermione, you're in *love* with him aren't you?"
"What? Yes…no…maybe….Oh Ginny, I don't know! I've only just met him…I mean, it's funny to say that because I've known him for six years but something happened last month that let me really, really know him. And I'm just getting to know the real Draco Malfoy."
"You know, you've never looked so beautiful, so happy in all your six years here? Hermione, what's he done to you? What's to love about Draco Malfoy? He's been the bane of our life for six years. He's really rude and really snobbish and and…augh, he just makes me so MAD."
Hermione took a deep breath.
"It's hard to explain. I promised not to tell exactly what happened, but trust me Ginny, something did happen that let me know him a lot better. He's very unhappy. I know he was horrible to us and he's still got a lot of figuring out to do…but now I'm convinced he'll get there. We've talked a lot. He's not all bad, he just needs a chance. He's never had a chance to do right or to make himself happy. He needs someone to give him a real *chance* to prove what he can be."
"Oh, Hermione…"
"And you know what, in all my life, I've looked for somebody to look at me not as a bookworm or friend, but someone who puts his complete trust and faith in me. Draco's done that, and I can't push him away. It's like what I was meant to do with myself, my life- give myself to someone to love and fill his life with it. You will know the moment Ginny, I think all of us who are capable of love will feel this wonderful moment at least once in our lives, and this is mine and I am going to hold on to it, and never let him go."
Hermione went very quiet, exhausted from the intensity of her speech. It had even surprised herself. Having had no one to speak to for the last month about her feelings, she hadn't realized how she felt about Draco. So this was it. And it was wonderful.
Ginny looked at her best friend- no longer the buck-toothed, frizzy haired girl of six years ago- but a beautiful, determined young woman with gentle eyes and a kind smile. She could hardly recognize the Hermione next to her. She realized that Hermione had changed so much in the last month, that after seven years at school, Hermione was ready to go into the world at last, carrying with her the best of everything Hogwarts had to offer- intelligence, bravery, maturity and love. She could only hope that when it came to her turn to leave, she would follow in her friend's footsteps.
The two friends sat for a long time in silence, enjoying each other's company. Ginny of course thought about her love for Harry Potter. She had been seeing him for a year and still didn't feel as Hermione did about that Malfoy. Maybe Hermione was right, Ginny's turn would come and she would know it.
"'Mione?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm really happy for you. Really. I think you are doing the right thing."
"Thanks, Ginny."
"Are you going to tell my brother and Harry?"
"No, not yet. I will in time but I want to spend a little more time with Draco first."
Ginny nodded. She had felt the same way before wanting to let people know about her and Harry.
"I won't tell."
"Thanks."
"How are you going to hide it from them at the Yule Ball?"
"Oh… that shouldn't be a problem. There are many charms to use to change the appearance, you know."
"Polyjuice?"
"No, takes too long to prepare. Anyway, Polyjuice only makes you look like someone else so I would have to resemble a witch already here at Hogwarts. That would make it really awkward for Draco…people would think he came with someone else and he would have a lot of explaining to do when the real person found out. Anyway, I don't really fancy the idea of looking like someone else to Draco when I dance with him that night!"
Ginny grinned. "I know what you mean. What're you going to do then?"
"I was thinking more of a Deception spell to fool the eye. I read about them in the library. It's pretty easy, only the person who casts the spell on me can see me for who I truly am, to everyone else, I will be a stranger, they won't recognize me."
"Will I?
"Well, yeah, since I've told you about it! But just act like you don't know me, will you?"
"Sure, anyway…on to the more important topic…show me your dress robes!"
