Disclaimer: I'm only doing this once. If it looks familiar, it isn't mine
Chapter 1
"Help! Oh my god, help!" Hermione heard the plea from where she was perched on the tall, white chair. She quickly located the source of the cries. A young girl was standing by the edge of the ten-foot section, in tears, pointing at the water. A small head bobbed up and down, little chubby hands splashing the clear water everywhere. Slowly, the small boy began to sink to the bottom.
Hermione rushed down and dove in gracefully, swimming over to the toddler's unmoving body. She grasped him firmly and swam to the surface and dragged him out onto the pool deck.
A fairly large crowd had grown, and everyone was standing around the boy and the gorgeous lifeguard. She knelt down and lowered her ear to his chest. She heard his breathing, slow and strained. She commenced mouth-to- mouth resuscitation. After several moments, he sputtered and coughed.
The boy's mother rushed over. Her long, silvery blonde hair was pulled back, several stray pieces hanging over her worrisome eyes. "Oh, baby! Are you alright?"
The small child reached up and hugged his mother tightly. The woman looked to Hermione gratefully. "Oh, how on earth can I ever thank you?" she asked.
Hermione smiled warmly. "I'm just glad he's OK."
"Jimmy?" A deep voice rang throughout the area. "Jimmy?"
A tall young man came rushing over. "Holy. is he OK, Mom?" he asked, seeing his younger brother.
The woman nodded. "Yes, thanks to her," she said, indicating Hermione.
Hermione looked up and gaped. "Malfoy?"
-=-=-
"Hermione Granger is presented with this award for saving the life of four- year-old James Malfoy, who had fallen into the pool and had been drowning. If it wasn't for her, his life would be lost." Joanne Morgen handed the silver plaque to Hermione. As the manager of the pool, she had issued this award to the young girl at the request of Mrs. Malfoy.
Hermione stood and smiled. "I really don't need this plaque. Just knowing that I was able to help someone was enough, and I know that I'll never forget today. But thank you." Everyone applauded, save for one seventeen- year-old boy in the back.
He sneered angrily. Of all the people to save his little brother, it had to be Granger. The Mudblood. The know-it-all Gryffindor bitch. He knew that his mother, Narcissa, wouldn't let this go. ever. Hermione would be invited to every family get together, and would be at their house all the time. Narcissa was like that.
He groaned inaudibly. It would be a long summer.
-=-=-
Pansy smiled at her friend. "Good job," she congratulated her.
Hermione smiled in return. "Thanks."
If you had attended Hogwarts, you would be shocked to see the two girls together, getting along. They had always despised each other, due to house rivalries. But then Hermione had moved into the manor next door to Pansy, and the girls had gotten to know one another, and were the best of friends.
"I didn't know Malfoy had a brother!" Hermione said. She had been shocked to hear that the little toddler she had saved was a Malfoy.
"Draco? Yeah, and a sister. She." Pansy's face became solemn.
"She what?" Hermione asked, urging her friend to continue.
"Well, her name was Rhiannon. She died a few years ago, when Voldemort was defeated. She was the one that blocked the avada curse. The one that was supposed to hit."
"Harry," Hermione breathed. So Rhiannon had saved Harry's life. She had led to the victory of the light side. She had chosen a path so different from her father.
Pansy nodded sadly. "Rhiannon was a good soul. She knew the effect that Lucius was having over Draco, and would do anything to stop it. Including sacrificing her life." Her beautiful green eyes welled up with tears. "I miss her so much," she whispered, her voice wobbly.
Hermione pulled her friend to her, hugging her tightly. Though she had not known Rhiannon, she too felt the sorrow that Pansy felt. The two girls stood in an embrace, crying softly. "I wish I could have known her," Hermione whispered, and the words were true. Knowing Rhiannon would be like a blessing.
"I wish you could've, too."
-=-=-
"You're kidding." Draco stared at his mother in shock.
"Why would I be kidding, Draco?" Narcissa asked as she wrote out the last invitation. When her son didn't reply, she sighed and looked up. "She saved Jimmy's life, Draco. You owe her this much."
Draco sighed. He couldn't deny that - Granger had rescued his little brother. "But still, Mother. This is unreasonable!"
"How is at unreasonable to invite the girl to a party? It's the annual Malfoy ball, and it won't be only her! Her parents will be coming, as well! I'm not asking you to be near her at all. I'm simply inviting her!"
Draco sighed again. "Fine, Mother. Fine."
As he shut the oak door behind him, Narcissa shook her head. "I just don't understand him sometimes," she muttered to herself as she put the invitation into its envelope.
-=-=-
Hermione stared at the letter. "Wow! I can't believe this!" She looked up at Pansy, who was on her bed, reading Bewitched, their favorite magazine.
"What?"
"The Malfoys actually invited me to their annual ball!"
"Oh, thank God!" Pansy exclaimed. "I'm going, too, and I won't be completely bored, for a change!"
Hermione smiled. "Narcissa and Jimmy seem so sweet. I wonder how such a kind woman gave birth to a thing like Draco."
"I know, but Draco isn't so bad, if you get to know him."
Hermione scrunched her face up. "You mean, if you're Pureblooded and in Slytherin."
Pansy laughed. "That, too." After a moment, she looked up again. "Hermione," she said seriously.
"What? What's wrong?"
"The ball. It's on Saturday, right?" Hermione nodded, confused.
"It's Thursday." She looked at Hermione expectantly. After another moment, realization dawned on Hermione.
"Jesus Christ! It's Thursday! We don't have dresses!"
Pansy playfully whacked Hermione upside the head. "No shit, Sherlock! Now, let's go!"
The two friends hopped into Hermione's Jaguar convertible and sped off to the local mall.
Hermione wasn't the kind of girl many perceived her to be. Even Ron and Harry didn't know her that well. Pansy was the only one who really knew Hermione. Though her hair had lightened considerably, due to the sun and Beach Blonde, by John Freida, and was now more of a blonde color. Her once- bushy mane now fell past her shoulders in soft curls, and she had died strips of it maroon-pink and orange (A/N: that girl in The Hot Chick).
She mostly wore baggy jeans, plain Tees, and her black low top Converse All Stars. She was gorgeous, but she didn't know it.
Naturally, no one at Hogwarts knew of the girl's beauty. When they had first met her in their first year, she had been a book worm, and that first impression had stuck with her. No one would guess that she was actually an avid soccer and Quidditch player, and that though she did enjoy reading, it was really only fiction novels. Sure, she was smart, but that didn't make her some sort of inhuman thing. She loved punk/rock music, like A.F.I., Brand New, Dashboard Confessional, Three Days Grace, and Saves the Day. She also liked older songs, like Hazy Shade of Winter, by the Go-Go's. She wasn't at all what Hogwarts thought she was.
She had been trying to tell her friends that she wasn't just "Bookworm Granger," but they didn't seem to want to listen. This upset her, but she had made it her goal for her last year at Hogwarts to prove to everyone that she wasn't just "Know It All Hermione." She was a person, not just a walking dictionary.
The girls ran into the mall, where they raced over to their favorite stores, DEB, Hot Topic, Pacific Sunwear, Gadzooks, and Candies. After several hours, they still hadn't found their dresses, but had managed to spend a whopping $350 each. But they had the money, and it was not a problem.
As they were leaving the mall, unhappy with their failure, Hermione stopped. "Hey, look over there - it's a new store!"
Pansy looked to where Hermione was pointing. A small store called "Daisy Pushers" was squeezed in between Rave and H&M, leaving it almost completely unnoticeable. The girls decided to go in, just to see what they had.
When they walked into "Daisy Pushers," they knew they had struck gold. There were dresses galore! And, surprisingly, they weren't all glitzy, prom-queen style dresses. Dresses of darker, "rocker" style were everywhere, and both girls loved everything.
Pansy found her dress quickly. It was a deep green, with silver accents. It was a halter dress, and the entire back was bare. It fell to her mad- thigh, making her body even more beautiful than before, if that was possible.
Hermione, however, was having a much harder time finding a dress. She tried on at least ten, but none of them were "The One." As she scanned the back wall, she sighed. Nothing. As she walked over to the counter to meet Pansy, a woman who worked there stopped her.
"I believe that I have what you're looking for, darling," she said happily. She led Hermione to the storage room, where she rummaged around. After a moment, she came out, a dress folded over her arm. Hermione gasped when she saw it. "This is it!" she raved. "This is my dress!"
Hermione gleefully took the dress after thanking the woman and hurried off to the dressing room. When she was changed, she looked in the mirror, pleased with her reflection.
The ebony dress fit her body well. It had long, bell sleeves with dark crimson accents. The bottom portion of the dress was covered with black lace, and it fell to her feet. The neckline was considerably low, and it showed cleavage, which was not something Hermione would usually go for. But the dress was perfect.
She bought her gown and a pair of black shoes. The heel was about 2 ½ inches high, with diamond-studded straps. They laced up her legs, and tied in the back of her calves.
She and Pansy drove back to Pansy's manor, where they spent the night, talking about boys and school and the ball. "I really can't wait!" Pansy raved. "Do you think Blane will like my dress?" Blane was a fellow Slytherin, who, like Pansy, was very kind. He was friends with Hermione and Pansy, and was oblivious to the fact that Pansy was head over heels in love with him. Pansy hoped that he would see her and realize that he loved her, too.
Hermione smiled and said reassuringly, "I'm sure he'll love it, Pans. Don't worry." She smirked mischievously. "What I'm looking forward to the most is the look on Draco's face when he sees me. I must say, I think that he'll be shocked that 'Mudblood Granger' actually is a girl."
Pansy laughed along with her friend. "Believe me, he'll regret making fun of you for so long. He knows he doesn't have a chance with you. I think that's what gets to him. You're like the ultimate prize."
Hermione made a face. "Yeah, I guess. Thankfully, he doesn't want to 'get with me,' so it all works out just fine."
Pansy smiled. She could imagine the look on Draco's face.
-=-=-
"You'll be surprised," Pansy said into the phone.
"Why the hell would I be surprised to see Granger at my manor?" Draco sneered.
"Just believe me. You won't be expecting what you're going to see tonight."
"OK, Pans.whatever you say," Draco said skeptically before hanging up. Granger looking good. For Christ's sake, the girl was practically a man.
A few hours later, Draco adjusted his tux. "I can't believe Granger is coming. Why did she have to be a God damned lifeguard? She'll look horrible, anyway. She'll probably be in a tux, too!" He laughing cynically, imagining Granger offering Pansy a corsage.
He had no idea just how wrong he was.
-=-=-
Hermione stared at her reflection. It had taken hours, but she had done it. She was ready for the ball.
She had changed the streaks in her hair to dark and crimson, to match her dress. Her well shaped, short nails were black as well.
She had applied her Cover Girl "Kohl" eyeliner, giving her large, hazel- green eyes a smoky look. Along with this, she put some sheer iridescent liquid makeup along her brow and cheek bones to accentuate her beautiful features. Her juicy lips were a kissable, sheer pink. She looked gorgeous.
As she entered the parlor of the Malfoy manor, she quickly found Pansy, and they complimented each other. Pansy really did look beautiful.
Pansy had gasped when she saw Hermione's tattoo. It was tiny, on the small of her back. It was a small pixie (A/N: like in that Anchor Blue magazine ad), and was pretty. Hermione smiled, and the two girls entered the ballroom.
Draco Malfoy, who had been standing in the corner, bored, looked up as he heard the door open. For the first time in his life, he was willing to admit that he was wrong.
Pansy was right.he was totally and utterly shocked.
Chapter 1
"Help! Oh my god, help!" Hermione heard the plea from where she was perched on the tall, white chair. She quickly located the source of the cries. A young girl was standing by the edge of the ten-foot section, in tears, pointing at the water. A small head bobbed up and down, little chubby hands splashing the clear water everywhere. Slowly, the small boy began to sink to the bottom.
Hermione rushed down and dove in gracefully, swimming over to the toddler's unmoving body. She grasped him firmly and swam to the surface and dragged him out onto the pool deck.
A fairly large crowd had grown, and everyone was standing around the boy and the gorgeous lifeguard. She knelt down and lowered her ear to his chest. She heard his breathing, slow and strained. She commenced mouth-to- mouth resuscitation. After several moments, he sputtered and coughed.
The boy's mother rushed over. Her long, silvery blonde hair was pulled back, several stray pieces hanging over her worrisome eyes. "Oh, baby! Are you alright?"
The small child reached up and hugged his mother tightly. The woman looked to Hermione gratefully. "Oh, how on earth can I ever thank you?" she asked.
Hermione smiled warmly. "I'm just glad he's OK."
"Jimmy?" A deep voice rang throughout the area. "Jimmy?"
A tall young man came rushing over. "Holy. is he OK, Mom?" he asked, seeing his younger brother.
The woman nodded. "Yes, thanks to her," she said, indicating Hermione.
Hermione looked up and gaped. "Malfoy?"
-=-=-
"Hermione Granger is presented with this award for saving the life of four- year-old James Malfoy, who had fallen into the pool and had been drowning. If it wasn't for her, his life would be lost." Joanne Morgen handed the silver plaque to Hermione. As the manager of the pool, she had issued this award to the young girl at the request of Mrs. Malfoy.
Hermione stood and smiled. "I really don't need this plaque. Just knowing that I was able to help someone was enough, and I know that I'll never forget today. But thank you." Everyone applauded, save for one seventeen- year-old boy in the back.
He sneered angrily. Of all the people to save his little brother, it had to be Granger. The Mudblood. The know-it-all Gryffindor bitch. He knew that his mother, Narcissa, wouldn't let this go. ever. Hermione would be invited to every family get together, and would be at their house all the time. Narcissa was like that.
He groaned inaudibly. It would be a long summer.
-=-=-
Pansy smiled at her friend. "Good job," she congratulated her.
Hermione smiled in return. "Thanks."
If you had attended Hogwarts, you would be shocked to see the two girls together, getting along. They had always despised each other, due to house rivalries. But then Hermione had moved into the manor next door to Pansy, and the girls had gotten to know one another, and were the best of friends.
"I didn't know Malfoy had a brother!" Hermione said. She had been shocked to hear that the little toddler she had saved was a Malfoy.
"Draco? Yeah, and a sister. She." Pansy's face became solemn.
"She what?" Hermione asked, urging her friend to continue.
"Well, her name was Rhiannon. She died a few years ago, when Voldemort was defeated. She was the one that blocked the avada curse. The one that was supposed to hit."
"Harry," Hermione breathed. So Rhiannon had saved Harry's life. She had led to the victory of the light side. She had chosen a path so different from her father.
Pansy nodded sadly. "Rhiannon was a good soul. She knew the effect that Lucius was having over Draco, and would do anything to stop it. Including sacrificing her life." Her beautiful green eyes welled up with tears. "I miss her so much," she whispered, her voice wobbly.
Hermione pulled her friend to her, hugging her tightly. Though she had not known Rhiannon, she too felt the sorrow that Pansy felt. The two girls stood in an embrace, crying softly. "I wish I could have known her," Hermione whispered, and the words were true. Knowing Rhiannon would be like a blessing.
"I wish you could've, too."
-=-=-
"You're kidding." Draco stared at his mother in shock.
"Why would I be kidding, Draco?" Narcissa asked as she wrote out the last invitation. When her son didn't reply, she sighed and looked up. "She saved Jimmy's life, Draco. You owe her this much."
Draco sighed. He couldn't deny that - Granger had rescued his little brother. "But still, Mother. This is unreasonable!"
"How is at unreasonable to invite the girl to a party? It's the annual Malfoy ball, and it won't be only her! Her parents will be coming, as well! I'm not asking you to be near her at all. I'm simply inviting her!"
Draco sighed again. "Fine, Mother. Fine."
As he shut the oak door behind him, Narcissa shook her head. "I just don't understand him sometimes," she muttered to herself as she put the invitation into its envelope.
-=-=-
Hermione stared at the letter. "Wow! I can't believe this!" She looked up at Pansy, who was on her bed, reading Bewitched, their favorite magazine.
"What?"
"The Malfoys actually invited me to their annual ball!"
"Oh, thank God!" Pansy exclaimed. "I'm going, too, and I won't be completely bored, for a change!"
Hermione smiled. "Narcissa and Jimmy seem so sweet. I wonder how such a kind woman gave birth to a thing like Draco."
"I know, but Draco isn't so bad, if you get to know him."
Hermione scrunched her face up. "You mean, if you're Pureblooded and in Slytherin."
Pansy laughed. "That, too." After a moment, she looked up again. "Hermione," she said seriously.
"What? What's wrong?"
"The ball. It's on Saturday, right?" Hermione nodded, confused.
"It's Thursday." She looked at Hermione expectantly. After another moment, realization dawned on Hermione.
"Jesus Christ! It's Thursday! We don't have dresses!"
Pansy playfully whacked Hermione upside the head. "No shit, Sherlock! Now, let's go!"
The two friends hopped into Hermione's Jaguar convertible and sped off to the local mall.
Hermione wasn't the kind of girl many perceived her to be. Even Ron and Harry didn't know her that well. Pansy was the only one who really knew Hermione. Though her hair had lightened considerably, due to the sun and Beach Blonde, by John Freida, and was now more of a blonde color. Her once- bushy mane now fell past her shoulders in soft curls, and she had died strips of it maroon-pink and orange (A/N: that girl in The Hot Chick).
She mostly wore baggy jeans, plain Tees, and her black low top Converse All Stars. She was gorgeous, but she didn't know it.
Naturally, no one at Hogwarts knew of the girl's beauty. When they had first met her in their first year, she had been a book worm, and that first impression had stuck with her. No one would guess that she was actually an avid soccer and Quidditch player, and that though she did enjoy reading, it was really only fiction novels. Sure, she was smart, but that didn't make her some sort of inhuman thing. She loved punk/rock music, like A.F.I., Brand New, Dashboard Confessional, Three Days Grace, and Saves the Day. She also liked older songs, like Hazy Shade of Winter, by the Go-Go's. She wasn't at all what Hogwarts thought she was.
She had been trying to tell her friends that she wasn't just "Bookworm Granger," but they didn't seem to want to listen. This upset her, but she had made it her goal for her last year at Hogwarts to prove to everyone that she wasn't just "Know It All Hermione." She was a person, not just a walking dictionary.
The girls ran into the mall, where they raced over to their favorite stores, DEB, Hot Topic, Pacific Sunwear, Gadzooks, and Candies. After several hours, they still hadn't found their dresses, but had managed to spend a whopping $350 each. But they had the money, and it was not a problem.
As they were leaving the mall, unhappy with their failure, Hermione stopped. "Hey, look over there - it's a new store!"
Pansy looked to where Hermione was pointing. A small store called "Daisy Pushers" was squeezed in between Rave and H&M, leaving it almost completely unnoticeable. The girls decided to go in, just to see what they had.
When they walked into "Daisy Pushers," they knew they had struck gold. There were dresses galore! And, surprisingly, they weren't all glitzy, prom-queen style dresses. Dresses of darker, "rocker" style were everywhere, and both girls loved everything.
Pansy found her dress quickly. It was a deep green, with silver accents. It was a halter dress, and the entire back was bare. It fell to her mad- thigh, making her body even more beautiful than before, if that was possible.
Hermione, however, was having a much harder time finding a dress. She tried on at least ten, but none of them were "The One." As she scanned the back wall, she sighed. Nothing. As she walked over to the counter to meet Pansy, a woman who worked there stopped her.
"I believe that I have what you're looking for, darling," she said happily. She led Hermione to the storage room, where she rummaged around. After a moment, she came out, a dress folded over her arm. Hermione gasped when she saw it. "This is it!" she raved. "This is my dress!"
Hermione gleefully took the dress after thanking the woman and hurried off to the dressing room. When she was changed, she looked in the mirror, pleased with her reflection.
The ebony dress fit her body well. It had long, bell sleeves with dark crimson accents. The bottom portion of the dress was covered with black lace, and it fell to her feet. The neckline was considerably low, and it showed cleavage, which was not something Hermione would usually go for. But the dress was perfect.
She bought her gown and a pair of black shoes. The heel was about 2 ½ inches high, with diamond-studded straps. They laced up her legs, and tied in the back of her calves.
She and Pansy drove back to Pansy's manor, where they spent the night, talking about boys and school and the ball. "I really can't wait!" Pansy raved. "Do you think Blane will like my dress?" Blane was a fellow Slytherin, who, like Pansy, was very kind. He was friends with Hermione and Pansy, and was oblivious to the fact that Pansy was head over heels in love with him. Pansy hoped that he would see her and realize that he loved her, too.
Hermione smiled and said reassuringly, "I'm sure he'll love it, Pans. Don't worry." She smirked mischievously. "What I'm looking forward to the most is the look on Draco's face when he sees me. I must say, I think that he'll be shocked that 'Mudblood Granger' actually is a girl."
Pansy laughed along with her friend. "Believe me, he'll regret making fun of you for so long. He knows he doesn't have a chance with you. I think that's what gets to him. You're like the ultimate prize."
Hermione made a face. "Yeah, I guess. Thankfully, he doesn't want to 'get with me,' so it all works out just fine."
Pansy smiled. She could imagine the look on Draco's face.
-=-=-
"You'll be surprised," Pansy said into the phone.
"Why the hell would I be surprised to see Granger at my manor?" Draco sneered.
"Just believe me. You won't be expecting what you're going to see tonight."
"OK, Pans.whatever you say," Draco said skeptically before hanging up. Granger looking good. For Christ's sake, the girl was practically a man.
A few hours later, Draco adjusted his tux. "I can't believe Granger is coming. Why did she have to be a God damned lifeguard? She'll look horrible, anyway. She'll probably be in a tux, too!" He laughing cynically, imagining Granger offering Pansy a corsage.
He had no idea just how wrong he was.
-=-=-
Hermione stared at her reflection. It had taken hours, but she had done it. She was ready for the ball.
She had changed the streaks in her hair to dark and crimson, to match her dress. Her well shaped, short nails were black as well.
She had applied her Cover Girl "Kohl" eyeliner, giving her large, hazel- green eyes a smoky look. Along with this, she put some sheer iridescent liquid makeup along her brow and cheek bones to accentuate her beautiful features. Her juicy lips were a kissable, sheer pink. She looked gorgeous.
As she entered the parlor of the Malfoy manor, she quickly found Pansy, and they complimented each other. Pansy really did look beautiful.
Pansy had gasped when she saw Hermione's tattoo. It was tiny, on the small of her back. It was a small pixie (A/N: like in that Anchor Blue magazine ad), and was pretty. Hermione smiled, and the two girls entered the ballroom.
Draco Malfoy, who had been standing in the corner, bored, looked up as he heard the door open. For the first time in his life, he was willing to admit that he was wrong.
Pansy was right.he was totally and utterly shocked.