FANTASY. WRITTEN BY GIRL-WHO-IS-OBSESSED-WITH-FANFICS.
Disclaimer: Nothing is mine. I own nothing. They mean the same thing. Wow.
Chapter Thirteen: The Ice Ball.
It was nearing quarter past five and the Hogwarts' students seemed almost over excited. The Entrance Hall was filled with girls, boys, young adults and Professors, all of which could not could wait for the ball to officially begin so that the fun could start – that was, everyone apart from Hermione Granger, who simply couldn't wait for it to start, so that it could end. She was wearing the dress and dress robe that she had bought from Open, and had curled her hair for the occasion (thankfully, it was a little less bushy). She sighed. This was going to be a very long night and a certain person behind her just couldn't stop pushing her. Hermione wasn't in the mood to get pushed around. She swerved around angrily to face the certain someone and came face-to-face with Draco Malfoy, who merely smirked at her.
"Why, isn't that cute. Hermione Granger's all dolled up for the ball. I didn't recognise you from behind."
"I could say the same for you, Malfoy." Hermione scowled. "I don't see your date anywhere. Hasn't ditched you has she?" Draco's smirk faded, but he had no time to retaliate. Professor Flitwick ordered everyone to be quiet and pay attention. Students that couldn't skate were to enter the Great Hall and organise themselves intolines. Other students were to wait in the Entrance Hall until the great doors were open. Hermione was grateful of her muggle heritage. She had learnt how to skate from an early age. She glanced behind her to find that Draco hadn't moved.
"Madeleine's in the Hall. Not everyone can skate like us, Granger. Speaking of dates, where's your lover boy then?"
Hermione suddenly realised that she had no idea. Luckily, she was saved from answering, for the doors had swung open and she found herself being pushed forward at such a speed it almost made her dizzy. Everyone gasped.
About fifty feet from the snow-covered ground stood ice statues, carved so brilliantly that it had to have been done by magic. There was Salazar Slytherin, Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw, as well as all sorts of magical creatures including house-elves, centaurs, dwarfs, fauns, merpeople, elves and giant dragons too. Nearly the entire Hogwarts' ground had been covered with a thick layer of glistening ice that shone in the misty evening air. Logs had been arranged around the side of the ice – like a barrier, or a bench. Hermione made her way (along with the crowd) to one of the logs to put her skates on. A bell could be heard through the noise of excitement. All eyes gazed at the wondrous icy platform positioned in the middle of the field of ice.
It was Professor Dumbledore, dressed in dark midnight blue robes and a fluorescent yellow hat, with a matching pair of fluorescent yellow skates. All noise vanished as the Professor began to speak. "I would like to welcome you all, to Hogwarts' first ice ball!"
At these words, brilliant sparks of multi-coloured light shot up into the sky like fireworks. The reflection on the ice was almost as beautiful as the true sky. Dumbledore continued. "We apologise for the short notice, but think of it as a pleasant surprise party. Now, I shall not waste any more of your time than I already have. We will start off with a muggle song. Our Head Boy and Head Girl shall start the dance. Now, please, if we would give them both a warm round of applause!"
As Hermione and Draco pushed their way to the front, Hermione could feel dozens of eyes staring at the back of her head. She felt herself redden. As she neared the edge, she began to hesitate – it had been a while since she had last skated and she was frightened that she had forgotten. Draco, however, skated onto the ice with confidence and amazed the crowd with his skill. After all, skating was a muggle sport, and a pure Slytherin was not expected to know anything muggle related. Draco swerved towards Hermione and saw her looking uncertainly at the ice. He stopped beside her and held his hand out. He leaned closer towards her.
"Come now Granger, not scared are we?"
Hermione stared at his hand. He wore a pair of white gloves that seemed almost too inviting for her. She smiled slightly and took his hand, then stepped onto the ice. The moment both her skates were on the ice, the music began, although Hermione had no idea where the music was coming from. The pair made their way to the platform, where Draco placed one of his hands around Hermione's waist and Hermione put her hand on his shoulder.
"Not that hard once you get started, is it?" Draco mumbled as they danced. One by one, couples began to join them on the ice. Some skated around the edge of the ice, while others danced in the middle.
"It's not like I don't know how to skate, Malfoy," said Hermione, "I was just scared that I'd forgotten how to. That's all. Anyway, I thought I'd never see the day when you, a person who so obviously prides himself in being evil and dark, would wear something that was pure white." Indeed, Draco was wearing white. He wore a high-collared white suit, with a matching cape and robe and all in all looked a lot like Prince Charming (from the well known fairy-tale Cinderella).
"Yes, well, I thought it was time for a change. Glad you noticed."
Draco's smirk grew wider as Hermione's blush increased. She looked down at her skates and listened to the music. She had never danced on ice before. It was a most spectacular feeling – almost as though you were flying. She enjoyed twirling around on the ice and dancing with someone who she hated and – dare she say it - loved at the same time. But before soon, the music ended and all the couples applauded Hermione and Draco as they left the platform.
"Well, farewell Granger, my date is waiting and I expect yours is too." Draco gave Hermione a nod before skating towards the edge of the ice where a girl sat on one of the logs, waiting. This girl – Hermione knew – was Madeleine Chang.
Madeleine wore pale blue dress robes and a matching dress underneath. Her dark black hair was sleek and shiny in the dim light of the evening. Hermione sat on a log and watched them dance together. There was something about it, about them, which made her feel as though Draco wasn't happy, and that he didn't want to be there.
'Wishful thinking.' She thought bitterly to herself. 'This is pathetic. I'm Hermione Granger! I shouldn't be thinking such thoughts about Malfoy. We're meant to hate one another. It wasn't meant to be like this. And what about Ben?' Hermione sighed. That was another problem.
"Ahem." She looked up and gave a guilty smile. Ben was standing in his skates on the clear blue ice, looking almost like a star in his yellow dress robes. He was smiling and holding out a hand to Hermione – offering her a dance that she simply couldn't refuse. Hermione knew that she would probably regret not speaking at the time, but she took his hand and he led her onto the ice. They danced for a while – until the night sky was covered with small shining stars.
All of a sudden, Hermione (along with everyone else) heard a cry. She turned and saw that it was Madeleine.
"What? You can't do that!" Madeleine said furiously. "Especially when I'm still dancing with you!"
Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione could see Ginny and Luna looking worriedly at one another. Madeleine Chang was not the sort of girl to shout so loudly in any situation. But, as they had noticed, she had changed.
"I can if I want to, Chang. This relationship involves the two of us – not just you. And in case you haven't noticed, I wanted to stop dancing quite a while ago." Draco stated calmly. He paused and glanced at Hermione, as if to check that she was watching. She was still holding Ben's hand – almost in mid-dance. Madeleine seemed purely angry, until suddenly, her expressions changed dramatically, and she became tearful.
"But why?" She asked, almost innocently.
Draco smirked and began to skate towards Hermione. He gave her a wink and she could see his eyes twinkling (evilly) in the icy moonlight. He stopped by her side, pushed Ben away from her and took her hand.
"It's simple, Chang," said Draco, his voice as smooth as the ice he was skating on, "You can't help what you feel. I can't control my emotions."
Hermione couldn't speak. She knew it was an act, a desperate attempt – a desperate reason – to break up with Madeleine. She hated it. She hated how Draco could toy with people's emotions like that. She hated how everyone stared at her, as if she was a third-wheel, as if she was some sort of home-wrecker. And most of all, she hated herself for not tugging herself away from Draco, as he began to hold her closer.
"Hermione . . ." She could hear Ben from behind her. But she dare not turn around. Hermione could feel Draco laugh coldly, as though he didn't care – which he probably didn't. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but before any words could form a loud cracking noise could be heard. The music stopped and the students turned away from Hermione to face a young witch who had just appeared, by magic, onto the ice.
Her name was Cho Chang.
"Madeleine!" She cried, sniffing. It was common knowledge that Cho Chang was a model (and a very well-paid one at that). It was not often that you would see her looking anything less than beautiful, but today, her appearance seemed slightly strange. Her eyes were red and stood out more than they were supposed to, her mascara was smudged and her hair looked a little bedraggled. She was on the ice, but wore high-heeled boots that reached her knees. Wobbling as she walked, Cho began to make her way slowly to her little sister, who appeared cool and expressionless.
"Madeleine!" Cho shouted once again. "I have something simply awful to tell you!"
Madeleine's face remained expressionless. Her eyes glazed over, as though she could see nothing, and hear no one. Without a word, she began to make her way towards Hogwarts castle, ignoring the shrill cries from her sister. Cho shouted again, but still she got no reply. Madeleine had almost reached the steps of the castle, when Cho burst into tears as she slipped to the icy ground.
"Don't you even care that your own mother is dead?" Cho screamed, as if in a last attempt to stop her little sister from walking away. Madeleine froze. One foot was lifted from the ground – ready to take yet another step away from the ice. She turned slowly around, her large blue eyes filled with tears. Hermione could see the make-up smearing as Madeleine wept silent tears. She stood for a moment, before finally squeaking in a barely audible voice.
"How did she die?"
Cho opened her mouth as if to speak, but stopped suddenly and turned to face Dumbledore. Dumbledore's eyes shone like the stars, as he faced Madeleine and said in an unbelievably calm voice, "I think that it would be better if you discussed this in private." He began skating towards Madeleine. "If you two would follow me, I think my office would be the perfect location." The two Chang sisters did as they were told, both crying without a sound.
Everyone watched the three as they walked away, until they could be seen no more. Hermione looked around. No one seemed to be moving. The dancing had stopped, the music was gone, and the happy atmosphere had also vanished. The ice seemed no longer beautiful. As Hermione looked around, she saw that everyone appeared the same – shocked, surprised and speechless. That was, everyone except one certain Slytherin boy.
Callum Flewington.
Hermione could see that he seemed to be holding his anger in – and not succeeding. It was quite obvious to her that he seemed angry, mad, or even furious, but she could not think of a good reason why he should be. His plaster slowly fell onto the ice, revealing a foul cut.
"Miss Lovegood, Miss Weasley," said Professor McGonagall, breaking the silence. "I'd like you both to join Professor Dumbledore and Miss Chang in his office immediately." Ginny and Luna looked at one another in confusion. "Go, now. Both of you!" The two girls did not need to be told again. They hurried towards the castle, whispering hurriedly as they went. Ginny glanced at Hermione and smiled ever so slightly.
"Now," McGonagall began, once she had watched Luna and Ginny disappear into the castle, "I think it is about time that you all returned to your dormitories. I hope you shall all remember that lessons tomorrow shall continue, as normal. It is getting late. Miss Granger, Mr Malfoy, your night patrol has been cancelled. Now off to your dormitories, hurry now."
There were groans and grumbles as the students began making their way back to their common rooms. Hermione did the same but decided to fall behind, so as not to get caught in the crowd.
"Hello, Granger. Positively spiffing night, don't you agree?"
Hermione knew at once whom the cool, self-important voice belonged to. She grunted at him. The night was beginning to get cold and the wind was stronger now. She shivered. Hermione's skates disappeared as she entered the school building. They were replaced with warm fluffy slippers. She grunted at them too. Although she did not enjoy feeling moody, or stressed, Hermione didn't like being so close to Draco. It made her feel uncomfortable. It made her feel depressed. It made her feel so many emotions, that it was hard to tell the difference.
"What's with the mood, Granger?"
"I'm not in a mood."
"Don't kid me, I'm not thick. Tell me now."
"If you must know, I'm mad at you." Hermione began to quicken her pace, but there were too many people for her to make a quick escape. Draco easily caught up.
"Mad at me? Why? I haven't even deliberately tried to annoy you yet."
"Oh you haven't, have you? Well, I certainly don't agree. Using me as some sort of excuse to break up with your girlfriend counts as annoying, if not more."
"Oh Granger, don't be so childish. You should be flattered that I chose you."
"Flattered? Flattered? Don't be so bigheaded, Malfoy." She spat at him, stopping as she argued. "Bugger it, Malfoy. Bugger it all! I honestly thought that you might have been a decent person, but obviously not. I certainly wouldn't have thought that you would have stopped so low as to use someone."
"Use you? Oh come now Granger, don't be such a drama-queen. You're exaggerating, surely!"
"No, I am not exaggerating!" She screamed. Draco seemed to be taking it as though it were some sort of joke, which Hermione did not find amusing in the slightest. "I don't know what emotions mean to you, Malfoy, but I know that it isn't nice to mess with people's feelings like that!"
"Mess with people's feelings?" Draco laughed. "Whose feelings, exactly, was I messing with? Yours?"
Hermione felt speechless for a second. She couldn't let him know. She simply couldn't. She mustn't. "Madeleine's feelings!" She blurted out. "You lied to the girl – you led her on just to stomp her down! What kind of a person would do that?"
"You, for a start," said Draco. His voice remained calm, but his appearance was a different matter. He was getting more and more frustrated by the minute. "Don't try to kid me, Granger. It's obvious to anyone who knows you – even a little - that you wouldn't, for a second, like that Ben - perhaps as a friend but definitely nothing more. Now here you are, telling me that I shouldn't toy with people's emotions when you're standing right there, doing it yourself! Don't be such a hypocrite, Granger."
The two were silent for a while, doing nothing more than staring at each other with a horrid flame in their eyes. Draco looked away and said (with the utmost sarcasm), "Whatever. I hope you sleep well tonight, Granger." He began descending the stairs towards the dungeons, leaving Hermione to stare after him.
"Oh, young love," giggled some women in a portrait nearby. Hermione glared at the women and, with all her might, threw one of her fluffy slippers at them.
Edited Version: 20th August 2005