Hermione spent her Saturday with the gals (otherwise known as Ginny, Lavender, and Parvati). They chatted incessantly about their dates, their dresses, and their hair for the Halloween Ball that night. Ginny was going with Harry, Lavender was going with Dean, and Parvati was going with her Ravenclaw boy, whose name was yet to be known. And Hermione…well, she didn't officially have a date.
As evening neared, the girls changed into their costumes
Lavender's devil costume was tame compared to Ginny's outfit. Hermione was sure that Ron would have a fit as soon as he saw it. Ginny was going an angel, ironically. Her defense was that she was being thrifty by using all items from her wardrobe that she already had. She was wearing a short white skirt and a white tube top that you could nearly see through. Her wings had real feathers, and her mask was plain white. Her flaming hair was curled into ringlets by Lavender, and hung in a shiny red mass down to her mid-back. Hermione had to admit that she was pretty, but maybe a little bit more fabric would do her good. Lavender put on her devil costume, along with her knee-high red boots. If she and Ginny were on a street corner at night, they would definitely be mistaken for prostitutes. Parvati's costume was much more modest. She was going as a tree sprite, with a green and brown dress that went down to her knees.
When Hermione stepped out of the bathroom in her silver dress, the three girls gasped in unison. Parvati dropped her wand that she was using to curl her eyelashes with, and Hermione stared back at them. "Geez, I just put on the dress," she said.
Lavender sat Hermione down in a chair expertly and began working on her hair. She smoothed it down into silky curls like Kelly had done so long ago, and assured Hermione that they would stay in place for a week, even through showers. Hermione flipped through a recent issue of the magazine that she had seen Draco in, called Wizarding World. She flipped to the back and saw another picture of Draco at a party, dated August 31st. Hermione smiled to herself, aware of Draco's partying past.
When Lavender finished Hermione's hair and makeup, Hermione chanced a glance in the mirror. When she looked, she didn't even recognize herself. Her hair was sleek and shiny, and her face was flawless, with silver eyeliner and ruby red lipstick. She picked up her mask and shoes, and went down to the Great Hall with Lavender five minutes early to make sure everything was in place.
When they finished with the decorations, the students were allowed into the hall. Hermione stuck her mask magically to her face, and put her silver shoes on. Dinner was served, and as the students finished, the tables flew to the walls, and an orchestra struck a tune.
Hermione looked around, searching for Draco, but to no avail. Each student was wearing a mask, making it extremely difficult to tell who was who. Someone tapped her on the shoulder and held out his hand nervously. "May I have this dance?" he asked. Hermione grinned, looking at the red hair peeking out from beneath his ridiculously large hat. Ron seemed to be dressed as a musketeer or something of the sort.
They twirled around the hall to a traditional waltz, and then the music stopped. A new tune struck up, and people from wizarding families began dancing excitedly. Hermione recognized it as a popular song on the WWN.
Hermione, dateless, went to get a cup of punch. She sipped it through the next song, by the Weird Sisters. A familiar beat came on after that one, and she jumped up, unwilling to miss a chance to dance to this song.
She wandered around, trying to find someone to dance with when she wound up in the Slytherin corner. "Hey, who's this pretty little lady?" a familiar voice said.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Zabini."
"Oh, hey Granger," he said, moving his hips to the beat as two girls attached themselves to him. "Sorry, I don't know where your darling is." With that, he disappeared into the crowd with the girls. To do Merlin-knows-what, Hermione thought to herself.
She continued through the crowd, looking for the shock of slivery-blond hair, but to no avail. Older students packed in around her on all sides as she brought her hand to her neck and stroked the necklace Draco had given her.
The song ended and Hermione gave up her search; she let herself go to the crowd and the music. She felt a guy come up behind her and wrap his arms around her waist. She turned around to find a knight dressed in silver with familiar silver-gray eyes. Hermione grinned to herself and wrapped her arms around his neck, still swaying to the beat.
"Where have you been all night?" asked Draco as he pulled her closer.
"Where have you been all night?" Hermione retorted, smirking slyly.
"I asked first," Draco reasoned. "But I was looking for you."
"And I was looking for you, my knight in shining armor," Hermione jested.
The couple danced nearly all night long, with an interruption by Harry asking for a dance with Hermione.
"You know, Hermione," Harry began as they moved across the dance floor, "I never get to see you anymore."
"But you have Ginny," she said as Harry lost the beat. She took pity on him and guided him over to the refreshment table.
"Thanks, I can't dance for beans," Harry said as he poured them some punch. "But no, I don't have Ginny anymore."
"Why not?" Hermione exclaimed. "You did at the beginning of the night!"
Harry handed her a cup of punch. "Someone spiked the punch, and…well…she hooked up with Seamus," he said, downing his drink in one swift gulp. Hermione followed suit. The punch was definitely spiked.
"But that was just Ginny in a drunken stupor!" Hermione said. "You can patch things up!"
Harry poured another cup of punch for both of them. "Not after she told me I was an uptight butthead that she never wants to see ever again. And she only had three cups of punch."
Hermione didn't know what to say. Hopefully Harry and Ginny would patch things up. "I'm sorry, hun," she said, hugging him. Just then Draco walked over and shot a death glare at Harry.
"Hey Draco, wanna get me another cup of punch?" Hermione said, handing him her cup. She knew how much it drove him crazy to be treated like a servant, and gave him her cutest smile. Draco sighed and complied, pouring himself a cup as well.
Draco sat on Hermione's other side and took a sip of his punch as Blaise ran by and smacked him in the back of the head. The punch spilled all over his costume, but he swiftly pulled his wand out from under his robes and cleaned himself off before sending a curse in Blaise's direction. The handsome Slytherin tripped over himself and fell face first onto the floor in a group of fifth years.
"Anyways, it's nearly midnight. McGonagall is gonna send us up to bed soon," Draco said, raising an eyebrow suggestively at Hermione.
Harry opened his mouth to protest this blatant sexual suggestion when Ron plopped down next to him. Draco glared openly and Ron tried to match the Slytherin's expression.
"Hey, you guys can chill out any time now," Hermione said, trying to stop a fight from breaking out between Ron and Draco.
Professor McGonagall's magically magnified voice sounded through the hall, telling the students to head off to bed. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hey, I'll see you guys tomorrow morning," Hermione said to her friends. She pulled Harry aside. "Don't worry about this thing with Ginny. You're too good for her anyways." This caused Harry's face to split into a wide grin as he hugged Hermione goodbye.
"M'lady," Draco said as he held out his arm for Hermione to take. Hermione looped her arm through his and they headed for the door. They exited the Great Hall amidst a stampede of students, all heading back to their common rooms. Hermione turned to walk to their common room, but Draco snaked his arm around her waist and led her out the doors to the grounds.
"Draco, where are you going?" she asked him, thoroughly confused.
"You'll see," he said mischievously as he led her down a stone path towards the Quidditch pitch. When they stepped off the path, Hermione's heel sunk into the soft ground, and she stopped to remove her shoes. They resumed, and Hermione swung her shoes by her side as Draco's firm grip around her waist kept her close to him.
Draco led Hermione through the locker room out to the pitch, and she gasped in amazement. Thousands and thousands of tiny lights were glittering like diamonds all around the pitch. They floated in the air and settled on the ground before taking off again.
"Draco, it's beautiful!" Hermione exclaimed as she dropped her shoes and walked out onto the pitch. The small lights fluttered around her and Draco followed her to the center of the field.
"I found out about it in my third year here. It'll be gone soon, it only lasts for a minute or two as soon as midnight hits," he said as he caught a few of the lights in his hand. He opened it to allow them to fly away, and as soon as they left his palm, the lights began to fall to the ground, and dusted Draco and Hermione gently, giving them a heavenly glow. Draco cupped Hermione's chin in his hand and lifted her face up to his, locking her lips into a passionate kiss. One by one, the glittering lights disappeared until the Quidditch pitch was completely dark again.
A/N: ok, I'm a lazy, lazy, lazy bum. And I definitely should've updated sooner. But my homework load is way too crazy for me to get two chappies a weekend. Believe me, I'm trying. Anyways, I promise anyone who reviews this chapter will get a shoutout (that's right, I'm starting shoutouts) next post. Happy Thanksgiving to you guys, and YAY for Prisoner of Azkaban being out on DVD. Tom Feltongorgeous.