Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure people who own multi-million dollar grossing books such as Harry Potter don't manage to get themselves sunburn.

A/N: I broke 100 reviews!? HOLY CRIPPOLA! ::does a little happy dance:: I am so excited. Okay well thank you for reviewing and review again! I love hearing from you guys. Honestly. Oh dear, well the last chapter was rather fluffy, and I must say, so is this one. I hope you like it anyway.

The Christmas Masquerade

Hermione slowly walked down the staircase and stopped in front of the person standing there. She looked up into his grey eyes and suddenly felt a rush of emotion. He handed her the last rose and she read the note on it.

…and absolutely perfect in every way.

"Hermione," Draco said softly once she was finished reading. "I know that so much has happened between us in the past, but I'm hoping you can forget that. You are the only person who I have let see the real me, and at the same time the only person who took the time to do so. You have no idea how much that means to someone like me. And now, I would like nothing more than to go out with you."

"Oh, really?" Hermione inquired, her eyes dancing.

"Yes," Draco replied. "Well…maybe there is one thing…" With this promise, he leaned down and captured her lips with his own. The kiss was short and sweet, but it was enough to send an electric shock between them.

"I was hoping it would be you," Hermione whispered when they pulled away. "I don't know when that happened, but it did."

"Huzzah!" Draco said as he saw the smile on her face in the dim lighting, and an easy smile spreading across his own. "I'm glad that it did."

Hermione laughed and then kissed him again. "Let me do something about these," she said, gesturing to the roses. She conjured up a vase full of water and then banished the bouquet to her room, where she knew she would find them later that night. Looking back to Draco, she asked, "I'm guessing the necklace is from you?"

"But of course," Draco said as he ran his finger over the pendant. Then, he held Hermione at arm's length and took in her costume. "So, what are you supposed to be?"

"I am the Night's First Star," the brunette replied imperiously.

"Impressive," Draco commented.

Hermione also looked in this moment. "Swoooon," she thought to herself as she took in his look. For once, his perfectly slicked-back hair was slightly messy and hanging in his silvery-grey eyes. The look was fierce—and enough to make Hermione get butterflies in her stomach.

Draco was wearing a black button-down dress shirt with a white undershirt. He also wore black slacks with impossibly shiny black shoes. The ensemble gave him a "dangerously sexy" look that all guys wish they could pull off, but only few could.

"So," Hermione finally spoke. "What are you supposed to be?"

The Slytherin surveyed himself and then gave a small shrug. "Well," he replied thoughtfully. "If you're the Night's First Star, then I suppose I am the Dark Side of the Moon."

This was enough to make Hermione chortle. "Creative!" she said finally. "It definitely fits you."

He laughed too, and then drew her into an embrace. The pair of them waited outside the Great Hall's doors for awhile, simply enjoying each other's presence. A million thoughts were running through both of their heads, but for the moment, nothing else mattered, and it was just the two of them. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Draco broke the silence.

"So, shall we go in?"

Hermione looked at him apprehensively. "I suppose we should…" she said, trailing off.

Draco seemed to read her thoughts and made her look into his eyes. "Hermione, don't worry about what everyone else thinks. All that matters is you and me, and if people get jealous or upset about that, then who cares?"

Hermione gave him a small smile. He was right, she knew, but she was mostly worried about how Ron and Harry would react. Would they hate her? She bit her lip as she thought. "Well, Harry did say as long as I was happy…" Looking up at Draco, the brunette decided that she most definitely was.

"Okay," the prefect said. "Let's go in."

"Brilliant." Draco clasped Hermione's hand and rested his other on the door handle. "Here we go…" he opened the door and Hermione was overwhelmed by the sight.

First of all, the whole place was glittering—with candles, with fairies and with faces. The house tables were removed, and smaller tables were set up around the dance floor. Even though outside the stars were shining, enchanted snow was falling lazily from the ceiling. The Hall had a warm feeling, and Hermione was reveling in it.

That is, before she caught the reactions of everyone around them.

It seemed like every pair of eyes were on them. Hermione could feel that they were under scrutiny, but Draco was entirely unfazed. She looked over at him and he gave her a small smile, along with a squeeze of her hand. This gave her the courage to look around.

Parvati and Lavender were standing off to the side and pretty much showed everyone else's reaction. That is, they were unblinking with their mouths open. The only three people who had different ones were Harry, Ginny and Ron. Ginny knew this was coming, and looked cool about everything. Harry was shocked, but Hermione knew that he was a good enough of a friend to her to at least act like he was okay with everything. And Ron was…well, Ron. That can only mean one thing.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?!" he shouted, drawing the attention of every living thing in the room. "Have you gone mental? That is MALFOY'S hand that you happen to be holding." The redhead was visibly shaking with rage.

Hermione didn't know what else to do but let this run its course. However, Draco wasn't going to let her supposed friend tear her apart. He had to say something to calm the situation down.

"Come on, Weasley," he said, his voice free of disdain and jest. "Why don't we talk about this, man to man? Just be real with each other…away from everyone else. Agreed?" Draco held out his hand for Ron to shake.

Ron didn't move.

Suddenly, Allison came up from behind Ron and Hermione noticed her for the first time. "Ron…" she said softly as she placed a hand his arm. "You don't want to make an ass out of yourself. Just listen to what he has to say."

This seemed to persuade him because he gave the blonde boy a quick handshake. With this action, everyone started breathing again and figured that it was okay. If Ron and Malfoy could shake hands, then this must not be that big of a deal. Of course, this is exactly what Draco thought would happen, and it made Hermione feel more at ease.

"We'll be back in little while, Hermione," Draco said. "And don't worry." He added in a whisper, so only she could hear.

"Yes," Ron interjected. "That is, if a certain someone manages not to get his ass kicked." With this, the two sixteen-year olds walked outside.

13.13.13

"So," Ron said to Draco once they got outside. "What do you want with Hermione?"

Draco sighed inaudibly and steeled himself for what was looking like a loooong conversation. "Well, I would assume it was obvious, Weasley."

"Hey!" The redhead cut in. "If you don't want me to make this hell for you, then I suggest you lose the sarcasm."

"You're right. Look, I know you probably think that I'm making my feelings for Hermione up just to hurt her or to get back at you and Potter, but that's not how it is."

Ron snorted. "Like I haven't heard that one before." Of course, Ron really haven't heard that one before, but he wasn't about to admit that to someone like Malfoy.

"Weasley, I'm trying to be honest here, so the least you could do is just listen for a minute."

Ron thought about this for a moment and decided that he could do that. "Okay."

Having his attention, Draco considered what he wanted to say. Finally, he took a deep breath and started. "I really do like Hermione, and I'm not looking to hurt her or anyone else. I know that you and Hermione are really close and that you feel protective of her, but so do I. I'm not asking you to be my friend, just that you accept me enough to let me go out with one of your best friends. Other than that, I can't think of anything else I can say that will convince you."

"Well, it seems like you're not lying…" Ron stated. "But that doesn't mean I'm totally okay with all of this, or that I trust you. To me, you will always be a lying, sneaky little ferret."

"Understandable," Draco interjected. "I wouldn't expect you to after everything I've done."

"Exactly," the redhead voiced. "So I guess what I'm saying is that I won't stand in the way of you two going out, but I will be obligated to kick your ass if you do anything to her."

"You could try," Draco muttered.

"What was that?"

"Hmm? Oh, I didn't say anything."

"Yes, you did."

"No, I didn't."

Ron looked at the slightly shorter boy skeptically. "Fine. I guess we're done here then." With this, he stalked off without a backward glance to Draco.

"That went well," Malfoy said before walking in after him.

13.13.13

As Ron and Draco went off to talk, Hermione took the opportunity to take a peek at everyone's costumes, and to mingle, of course. First, she walked up to Allison.

"Thanks," Hermione said appreciatively. "I'm glad you got him to be reasonable…I was never able to do that."

"Oh, it's no problem," Allison replied with a laugh. "As long as it's all okay in the end."

Hermione looked at the dress she was wearing. It was floor-length and seemed to flow about when she walked. The whole thing was done in shades of pink—it had a dark pink underlay with a sheer pale pink fabric done over it. Her hair was pulled up into soft curls, with a few loose tendrils accenting her face. Allison's make up was done simply—but her face was accented with a circlet of pink gems. Hermione could only guess what the costume was, but she knew that Allison looked fabulous in it.

"You look great," the brunette voiced. "I love your costume—it's all very…pink."

"Yeah, well, I'm here to provide color contrast," Allison replied. "And, I am representing the great and all-powerful element of Love…in case you were wondering."

"I was, indeed. And, you look it!" Hermione stayed and talked with Allison for awhile, and was relieved to find that there were no negative feelings floating between the two of them. Finally, Hermione left with the promise that she would talk to her later and went off to where Harry and Ginny were sitting.

"Hey," Harry said, rather tightly when he saw Hermione.

"Hi…" Hermione replied in a timid voice. "So…what do you think about…all of this?"

"Well," Harry started. "I'm not totally okay with this…but I think I can manage to at least be civil towards Malfoy. I meant what I said last night…as long as you're happy, I don't care who you're with."

The prefect was waiting tensely, but let out a sigh of relief once she heard what he had to say. She smiled and gave him a huge hug. "I am happy. Thank you so much for understanding, Harry."

"No problem," he said, green eyes dancing. "Now all you have to deal with is Ron."

Hermione's smile slipped a few notches, and shrugged. "I can only hope he forgets his old grudges."

"Maybe," Ginny piped up. "But if I know Ron…" She trailed off with a weak shrug.

"Okay, well I think I'm going to go mingle some more," Hermione stated, wanting to get away from the uncomfortable situation. "I'll see you guys later."

The next person that she ran into was Sam Lovegood. She decided to be friendly and started to walk up to them, but was interrupted by Dumbledore.

"Hello, all!" He said jovially. "Welcome to the Christmas Masquerade. As a special treat, Elixir has come to play for you!" With this statement, the crowd erupted in cheers. Elixir was the newest band among the wizarding community and played all types of music—from jazz to rock. "Now, without further ado, I officially start this ball!" Alas, laughter and general merriment then ensued.

Hermione clapped and cheered with everyone else and then walked up to Sam. "Hello, Sam," she said.

"Greetings, Earthling!" Sam replied. He was wearing a black muscle shirt, black cargo pants and what looked like a bulletproof vest. Next to him was a girl that Hermione didn't quite recognize. The girl had on a red dress that had a black beaded overlay, and wore an infectious smile on her face. She had dark brown hair that was done up in an elegant bun.

"Hi," Hermione said to her. "I don't believe I know you, I'm Hermione Granger."

The girl held her hand out and replied, "Rose Dewitt Bukater."

"Oh, uh okay…" Hermione said as she shook her hand, swearing she heard the name from some movie. Just then, Kristin came up from behind her and spoke to her.

"Her real name is Jennifer Foster, but she only speaks in lines from the movie Titanic. So, I guess that makes them kind of perfect for each other."

Hermione turned around and took a good look at Kristin. She was wearing deep green dress robes that brought out her eyes. Hermione was jealous, deciding that Kristin was one of those people who didn't have to try very hard to look great. Kristin saw her looking at her robes, and shrugged.

"I'm not really the kind of person who gets too dressed up," she explained, laughing. "But I figured that this was good enough."

"Well, you look great either way," Hermione replied. "Who are you here with?"

"Thanks. I'm here with Michael Corner, actually, but we're just friends."

Suddenly, Hermione remembered that she was originally talking to Sam. Turning to him, he asked, "And who are you supposed to be?"

"Officer Jack Traven."

"It's from Speed," Kristin clarified.

"Oh," Hermione said. "Well then."

Just then, music something similar to the Tango started. Sam grabbed Jennifer so they were cheek to cheek and started to cut across the room. The last thing Hermione heard from them was Jennifer exclaiming, "I'll never let go, Jack! I'll never let go!"

Hermione turned away from them, noting that Kristin had wandered off somewhere. As she was walking back to where Harry and Ginny were seated, she saw Ron and Draco reenter then Hall from the corner of her eye. She turned to them apprehensively and evaluated their expressions. "Well, at least Ron looks calmer," she thought to herself. "And Draco doesn't seem to have any open wounds…so I guess that's a good sign."

The brunette walked up to Ron, hoping that he wouldn't start yelling again. When he didn't fly of the handle, she approached him cautiously. "Hey."

"Hey," he replied, sounding better. "Can we talk…in private?" Hermione turned to Draco to tell him she would be back in a little bit, and then walked outside with Ron.

"So," she said. "How did things go?"

"They went…okay," Ron replied. "It seemed like Malfoy was being honest, but you can never be sure with a ferret like himself."

"Oh…"

"But," the redhead went on. "I told him that if he ever tried anything funny, that I would most definitely kick his ass."

Hermione smiled. "Of course."

Ron smiled back at her. "So I guess I'm like twenty percent okay with this, and eighty percent wanting to gauge his eyes out…well, maybe more like fourteen, eighty-six."

"That works for me." The two of them exchanged hugs and then walked back to the Great Hall. Before they went in, however, Hermione asked him what his costume was, considering he was wearing the deep blue dress robes that Fred and George bought for him.

"Oh, isn't it obvious?" He replied. When Hermione shook her head, he went on. "I am Peace. Get it? Peace and Love?"

Hermione chortled, which indicated that she did, in fact, get it. They walked into the hall, and then parted ways—Ron off to find Allison and Hermione to find Draco. Soon, she spotted him standing in a corner. Hermione admired they way the candlelight played off his features, and then walked up to him.

"Hey," he said once she was in earshot. "Is everything okay?"

Hermione looked back to Ron and Harry, and then replied, "Yea…I think it is." She smiled at him and pulled him into a quick kiss.

"You look breathtaking," Draco whispered. "You really, truly, honestly do."

Hermione promptly blushed. "Since when does the big bad Draco Malfoy have such a sensitive side?"

This roused a deep chuckle from Draco. "I've always had it, of course," he said. "I just needed the right person to bring it out." He then pulled her closer and placed a kiss on her forehead. "How about we dance, eh?"

The prefect raised one of her eyebrows. "You dance? Why, you are just full of surprises tonight."

"Yes, I know. It is simply ruining my mysterious aura."

Now it was Hermione's time to laugh. "Sorry to disappoint you, Draco dear, but you never had a mysterious aura."

"Not even a little one?" he asked, pouting.

"Okay…maybe a teeny one."

The blonde boy shrugged, seemingly satisfied with that one. "That works. So, dancing or no?"

"Yes," the brunette replied, laughing a little as Draco pulled her out onto the dance floor.

A swing song started up, so they had to weave their way through the dancers. They walked past Sam and Jennifer, who were dancing in such a way that involved much flailing of the arms and legs. "I'm flying, Jack!" Jennifer yelled as they walked past.

"Interesting," Draco commented.

"Don't ask," Hermione replied, laughing.

Finally, they found a spot where they could dance about free from injury. Draco quickly caught the beat and led Hermione in a few fast-paced dance steps. Involved was much twirling, kicking and spin-outs. The pair of them continued in this fashion for the better part of thirty minutes. "I guess he really can dance," Hermione thought to herself, during one of the many twirls. "I really can't believe him…"

As the latest song came to an end, Draco pulled Hermione into a small kiss, and they clapped with the rest of the crowd. "How about we get something to drink?" Hermione suggested.

"Sure," he replied. "I'll go get some and you can find a seat."

"Alright," Hermione voiced. She walked over to where Allison and Ginny were sitting. Ever since Hermione became okay with Allison being Ron's girlfriend, Ginny warmed up to her considerably. "Hey. Where are the guys?"

"Getting us drinks," Ginny replied. "But that's not important. Sit down, and tell us about this thing with Draco!"

"Indeed, indeed!" Allison piped up. "When did this happen?"

"Well…I really have no idea. It just kind of…did."

"Okay, then," Allison said.

"AND!" Ginny voiced dramatically. "He is oh-so-hot."

"Yeah, he is, isn't he?" She stated, sending all three girls into a giggling fit.

"What's going on here?" said a male voice from behind them. The trio turned to see Ron standing by Harry with Draco standing a few paces behind. All of them had two drinks in their hands.

"Oh, nothing," Ginny replied innocently. "Just talking. You know…girl stuff."

Ron accepted this, though Draco and Harry still seemed a bit skeptical. They guys sat down next to their dates and then lapsed into somewhat of an awkward silence. Harry and Ron seemed to not know what to talk about, now that one of their enemies had joined the group.

Finally, Draco attempted bravely at making conversation. "So…how 'bout them Wasps?"

"They played the best game this past weekend. Did you read the overview in the Daily Prophet?" Harry said, following his lead. Soon, all three of the boys fell into a Quidditch conversation, and the tension seemed to ease a little.

Suddenly, Ginny squealed, which effectively broke up the conversation. "I love this song!" She pulled Harry onto the dance floor, much to his chagrin, and started twirling about to the beat of the music. Harry just kind of stood there and tried to be cool.

"Looks like fun. Come on, Ron," Allison said next, pulling Ron out next to Harry and Ginny. Ron was doing much of the same thing as Harry.

"Well," Hermione stated. "Shall we go too?"

"Sure," Draco said, smiling. "After all, I could never pass up the chance to show people how I am better than Potter and Weasley at something."

"Draco," Hermione said in a warning tone as they reached the other two couples.

"Kidding!" He replied, falling into step. Next to him, Ron coughed in such a way that it sounded oddly like "whipped."

The six of them danced, in the girls' and Draco's case, and kind of swayed, in Ron's and Harry's case, for most of the night. Every now and then, Ron and Harry would escape from the dance floor to get a drink, leaving Ginny and Allison to dance and talk amongst themselves.

Hermione and Draco would mill about the Hall, talking to people and simply enjoying each other's company. On most of these rounds, they would catch bits and pieces of what seemed like very, erm, interesting conversations.

"So then," Dean said to Lavender. "She said, 'Keep your horned toads away from my hydrangeas!'" Hearty chuckles then followed.

"I woke up, only to find that my owl had left 'presents' on my bedspread, and I'm not talking about the cookies my mum sent!"

"I'm afraid of milk…"

This last one came from a Hufflepuff Hermione didn't recognize, but she felt sorry for him all the same. However, her favorite tidbit came from when they walked past Sam and Colin Creevey on their way back to Allison and Ginny.

Sam was speaking in a dramatic way (go figure), and Colin seemed to be listening raptly. "If this bus goes under fifty miles per hour, it will EXPLODE!"

"HO-LY CRAP!" Colin exclaimed, and then promptly began taking pictures around the room.

Hermione and Draco both had a good chortle over this. Of course, Draco had no idea what a "bus" was, but he decided to just go with it.

Just as they reached the other two girls, Elixir started up a slow song. Seeing as they missed the first few slow songs, Draco turned to Hermione and held out his hand. "May I have this dance, milady?"

"Why, yes, good sir," Hermione replied, laughing a bit.

The two of them joined the other couples on the dance floor. Draco pulled her closer to him, and they started to sway to the beat. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione saw Allison and Ginny have a bit of trouble with getting Ron and Harry to dance with them, but in the end they reluctantly followed. She laughed a bit at this, knowing that secretly, they were enjoying themselves.

Hermione laid her head on Draco's shoulder and breathed in his spicy cologne. Being with him in that moment, the brunette knew that everything was going to turn out alright. She didn't know how to explain it, but she liked the feeling nonetheless.

Finally, the song came to an end and Draco pulled Hermione into a dip, making her cry out in surprise. "Don't worry," he whispered in her ear. "I'll never let you fall."

Just then, a blood-curdling scream tore through the night.