A/N hey.. we keep getting less and less reviews... - Nanja

REVIEW -puppy eyes- pretty please? - Nikki

Chapter 23 The second ball

The second ball was held in the Great Hall, as always. This time, the hall was entirely decorated with flowers. Hermione really looked foward to it. She was so glad Draco was going with her. Though somewhere, she felt a bit guilty. Not really knowing why, Hermione sighed and walked through a corridor to the Slytherin common room.

But before she could enter, someone pulled her arm. She looked round. It was Ginny.

"You are such a traitor!" Ginny said briskly, fire shooting in her eyes.

Hermione raised her eyebrows in surprise. "What do you mean?" she asked, crossing her arms.

Ginny gritted her teeth. "What do I mean? Are you insane? I think it's soooo unfair of you to go to Slytherin,.. while you know everything about us! What if you go and tell secrets we told you?"

Hermione smiled. "Whatever. I wouldn't tell any secret Harry or Ron told me... but if you keep on suggesting... maybe I'll tell some of yours."

Ginny's mouth opened in surprise, but before she could react, Hermione entered the common room.

Harry and Ron were playing chess. Ron was thinking about wheter to make his move or not and Harry was staring very vaguely in front of him. His mind was somewhere else. Hermione had changed so much. He couldn't regonize her anymore. The way she talked with Draco,... it was almost scary.

"Checkmate,... mate!" Ron grinned.

"Who are you going to the ball with? Nobody? Go with me then. Pick me up at 7." Luna said vaguely, while passing Ron in the corridors.

Ron wanted to reply, but he just smiled instead. Harry chuckled. "She's made for you." Ron grinned.

Their last class was Potions, with the Slytherins. Harry's eyes immediatly followed Draco and Hermione. He felt a sudden urge to go and strangle Draco, but that wouldn't be a good idea to do, because the room was filled with people. "I don't like him" Ron said, following Harry's gaze. Harry sniffed. "I hate him."

Hermione shivered at the thought of Snape, she really wanted to grab her wand and use Cruciatus or another painful spell on him. But she could keep herself from that sudden urge.

Snape entered, in his usual boring mood. "Okay, everybody pair up. You're going to make the Wine of Wonders. It will make you float. Instructions..." he flicked his wand "...are on the blackboard" (they appeared there).

Hermione and Draco made the Wine of Wonders within a few minutes. Draco grinned while taking a sip. Suddenly, his feet came off the ground and he floated above it.

"Okay,... I want down again..." he said, looking on the edge of puking. Hermione grinned and waved her wand. He came down again.

Harry and Ron's potion didn't go that well. Harry was now floating,... well,.. actually more stuck against the ceiling. Ron was trying to get him down, but each time Harry was coming down, a second later he fell back to the ceiling again.

Luckily, after Potions, they had an hour off. This was because they actually had Defense against the Dark Arts, but Lucius Malfoy didn't bother to show up at any of their classes, so the subject dropped for this year.

"She's so not-Hermione" Ron said, sitting down in one of the chairs in the common room.

Harry nodded. "She's like... a Pansy Parkinson..." he shivered.

Ron grinned. "If you said that a few months ago, I would've send you to St. Mungo's."

Harry tried to smile a bit, but the joke wasn't really funny. His mind was racing, his whole body was screaming 'Go to Hermione! Save her!' but he didn't get up, he didn't walk over to the Slytherins common room. He somehow knew he couldn't do anything to change it.

Ron seemed to notice he was thinking over again. "You shouldn't think about it that much. It's maybe hard, but I think it isn't good to think of it 24/7... it will break you." Harry shrugged, sinking deeper into his chair.

That evening was one of the worst evenings ever. Harry was standing in front of the mirror, his hair was spiking every direction he didn't want it to. And his robe was dirty, but he couldn't find a spell to make it stainless again. And worst of all, Ginny came bursting into his room, while he was standing in his boxers. She giggled and handed him one of his robes. Harry's head was as red as her hair and quickly he dressed.

Hermione looked into the mirror. She was wearing a dark green robe and her hair was tied in a high ponytail. She quickly finished her make-up and entered the Slytherin common room, where Draco was waiting for her. He smiled and Hermione felt her heart skip a beat. This was very confusing. She wanted to go with Draco, but when she saw Ginny and Harry together, she wanted to pull Ginny's hair and smack her in the face. And that was one of the nicest things she was thinking of that moment.

But instead, she threw Ginny a filthy look and ignored Harry like he was just air. The music was slow, Hermione's mind was drifting along. She didn't care about anything anymore. As long as she didn't see Harry. She knew for sure, if she saw him, if she saw him smiling, she would break. Draco was talking to her. She didn't really get what he was saying. Her eyes were focused on the head table. No sign of Lucius Malfoy. Good. She didn't need another surmon from that guy.

Suddenly, the lights went out and the music stopped. The whole Great Hall was dark and silent. Hermione could hear some students whisper that it was probably a joke or something. But when the lights and music didn't return after a minute or so, everyone was getting a bit panicked. Hermione almost tripped over someone. Draco held her hand, or that was what she believed. She just hoped the lights would return.

"What is going on!?" she heared a voice shout. She recognized the voice; it belonged to professor Mcgonagall. She heared a few 'Lumos!' but no wand lightened.

At that moment, the floor began to shake. Hermione felt how Draco's hand slipped off hers and she fell to the floor. She could hear some people scream and others cry. She felt how someone next to her tried to get up, but fell back to the floor again.

Then a hard wind raged through the hall. Hermione suddenly saw two red eyes, in the middle of the hall. In the light the two eyes gave, she could regonize Harry's face, right next to her, and Luna's eyes, on the other side of Harry. Before she could ask anything to either one of them, the person began to speak. The voice was so cold and dark that it sent shivers down her spine.

"The time has come... for those of you who still don't believe that I am ressurrected,... I'll introduce myself." He paused. Hermione could hear a few students hold their breath. "I am... Lord Voldemort"

The whole hall seemed to scream of fear. Hermione felt how people were trying to move away, but none of them seemed to succeed.

"....You still fear my name. That's good. That's just how I expected it...."

Before Voldemort could say anything, someone succeeded a light spell. It was Dumbledore, the tip of his wand shone light in front of him. It was a bit dim now and Hermione could see everyone very clear. Harry was also on the ground, kneeling, and Luna was beside him, staring with her misty eyes narrowed. Ron was a row behind her, knocked of his feet. Draco was nowhere to see. She looked at the head table. She could see Professor Snape, stroking his arm while muttering. Proffessor Mcgonagall was pointing her wand at Voldemort, just like all the other teachers. Professor Hamasaki was even pointing two wands, because Professor Sprout seemed to be asleep. Hermione focused her gaze on Dumbledore again, who was bravely standing in front of Voldemort.

"Voldemort,... how dare you to enter Hogwarts,... you will not leave alive. I swear." He said.

Hermione was amazed how determind and strong Dumbledore sounded. Harry regonized this kind of voice. He had seen Dumbledore this angry before. Last year. But this time, it seemed as if his eyes shot fire. Voldemort backed a bit, but he grinned.

"Did you really think I was still afraid of you,... old man?" he pointed his wand at Dumbledore.

Hermione stood up, followed by a several other students. Dumbledore's face was emotionless, almost calm. He still pointed his wand without saying a word. Hermione saw Harry grab his wand from his pocket. Hermione did the same. She was not going to watch Dumbledore fight Voldemort alone.

She looked round. A lot of students were standing against the walls. She, Harry, Luna, Ron and Ginny were the only ones surrounding Dumbledore and Voldemort.

Voldemort curled his lips. "Crucio..." he whispered. He missed. Dumbledore returned it. "Crucio!" He missed too.

Hermione raised her wand and screamed "CRUCIO!" she hit Voldemort, but not for long. Dumbledore pushed her aside. "This is none of your bussiness Miss Granger. This is something between Voldemort and me. There's no need to interfear. I don't want anyone to get hurt."

At those words, Voldemort made a sudden movement towards Ginny and grabbed her. "You don't want anyone to get hurt?" he said very amused.

Dumbledore's eyes switched towards him, with great warning. Voldemort smiled wickedly. Ron clapped his hand in front of his mouth, Harry shouted something that sounded like 'Leave her alone!' and Hermione pointed her wand at Voldemort, but all of their actions were blinded by a flash of green light.

A second later they realised Voldemort had shouted 'Avada Kedavra!'