Disclaimer: Same crap as before.

Twelve

The Holiday Ball was definitely, though it wasn't said aloud, vastly overrated. Sure, the decorations were amazing, everyone was dressed up, and the music was pretty good, but it wasn't as good as the Yule Ball had been back in our fourth year.

I had found myself a beautiful dress for the ball in Hogsmeade – it was down to my ankles and the colors consisted mostly of shades of blue and silver. At the bottom, it was a dark, midnight blue, with silvery stars glittering. As the dress went up, it faded to a lighter and lighter shade of blue, and the number of stars lessened, as well. I had silver shoes to match the outfit, and I put my hair up. It was in a bun on top of my head, and curls hung down loosely from it, as though they had fallen out. Two small strands of hair hung in the front, which had also been curled.

The second I walked in, Ron at my side (Harry was waiting for his date – Ginny), I felt almost every eye on the pair of us. A sixth year I recognized as Michael Corner, Ginny's ex-boyfriend, turned to one of his friends and said, "How did Ginny's brother, a Weasley, end up with her?"

"That's Hermione Granger," his friend replied. Right on cue, I turned to look at them.

"Hi, Michael!" I said, giving him a small, friendly wave. He just sat there and stared at me.

The door to the Great Hall opened, and Harry and Ginny waltzed into the room.

Ginny was wearing a beautiful, aqua-colored satin dress that reached down to her ankles. The straps weren't really straps at all, but instead rested daintily on her shoulders, leaving them bare. She had diamond stud earrings in her ears, and a silver chain with a matching pendant hung about her neck. A diamond-studded headband separated the glossy red curls in the back from those that fell softly in her face. Harry – who was in a tux, like all the other boys – could barely keep his eyes off her.

"Ginny looks absolutely . . . gorgeous," I said with bated breath.

"Bet Michael wishes they had broken up now," Ron sneered.

Sure enough, when we turned around, he had his fists clamped up in tight balls. You could pretty much see the steam spewing out from his ears in jealousy.

"Oh, hello Michael, Shira," Ginny said, addressing her ex and his date. "Have you two met Harry?"

"Yes," said Michael curtly.

"Michael," Harry said, nodding slightly. "Now, let's go see Ron and Hermione, shall we?" he asked, addressing Ginny. Harry escorted her over to where we stood, laughing at Mr. Corner's reaction to all of this.

"Ginny, you are quite cold," I said.

"Harry, a word to the wise, my friend," Ron said, "don't be a jerk like Michael was, or else you'll certainly be getting the cold shoulder from now on."

Harry and Ginny exchanged glances before saying in unison, "We're not going steady."

"Oh. Okay," Ron said dismissively.

We meandered around for awhile, watching Michael's jealousy grow and grow, and also observing how even though Malfoy's date was Pansy, he couldn't stop staring at me.

"What is it with Malfoy lately?" Ron asked, giving him the evil eye as the Slytherin turned away sharply, realizing we had seen him.

"I dunno. He's been acting strangely all year – at least, so far. He keeps staring at me like I'm a completely different person," I replied.

"That's because you are. You are on the outside, I mean. You still have the same face and everything, but you look . . . different," he said. This time, he was staring at me.

I raised one eyebrow and questioned, "How so?"

"I dunno – you just look different. You're much more . . . curvy, I guess. One could say it's a bit seductive. And your hair isn't bushy anymore. Instead, it's wavy and full of volume and everything . . . ." he said. I smiled.

"Do I really look that good?" I asked.

"Oh, come on, Hermione. Now you're just fishing for a compliment!" he cried. "Don't pretend you haven't noticed all the stares besides Malfoy's. Every guy in the school has their eye on you now."

"Every guy?" I hinted. Ron opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, a slow song came on.

"Wanna dance?" he asked, extending his hand.

"Sure," I said.

I can tell you, I've never danced with Ron before, but it was an experience I would never forget. He wrapped his arms around my waist, I put mine on his shoulders. Just having him next to me was warming my insides. We were closer than I expected – I thought it was going to be one of those things where the couple is arms length away from each other, but it wasn't. We were really close. I could actually feel his knees against my legs. I didn't think it was possible. After he had broken up with me in our third year, I never imagined that we would be anything more than friends. Maybe I was wrong.

I couldn't look at him. I was too afraid I'd blush and get really embarrassed or something. I kept looking at my feet, or looking at the other people who were slow dancing, or even at Ginny and Harry. I was surprised – they were closer than we were. I laughed when Ginny caught me spying on her. She waved at me excitedly, and I waved back.

"What was that about?" Ron asked.

"Oh, Ginny, that's all."

He grinned and said, "I always knew they would get together."

"Well, they said they weren't."

"How can you deny that? I mean, look at them. They're so close – it's a good thing neither of them are claustrophobic. If they were any closer, they'd be . . ."

He trailed off, because in that second, what he had just been thinking of came true.

"I can't believe it! He kissed her! He really kissed her!" I said in an excited whisper. Ron said nothing. He just watched them with his mouth wide open.

When they drew back out of the kiss, Ginny closed her eyes and laid her head on his shoulder. I couldn't help but smile. That was exactly what I had been hoping would happen to me.

"Look at her! She is soaking this up while she can!" I exclaimed.

After the song was over, I was still marveling at Harry and Ginny. When she opened her eyes, however, she saw me. Apparently, she saw Ron, as well, whose mouth was still hanging open. She looked back to Harry and nervously tapped him on the shoulder. He looked at us and saw the expression on Ron's face, then gently put a hand on Ginny's back to guide her away.

"What was that about?" Ron asked, repeating the question he had stated earlier.

"I have no clue. It looked like they were mad because you were spying," I answered.

"I was not spying!" he cried. I gave him a skeptical look, and he added, "Well, I wasn't spying any more than you were!"

"True . . ." I said.

The whole rest of the ball we spent looking for Harry and Ginny, who were nowhere to be found. We searched the Great Hall in its entirety, but they were not there. It seemed like only minutes had gone by before it was time for the next slow song.

"Ron, are we going to dance again?" I asked timidly.

"I can't, I have to look for my sister. You can find someone if you want to. I mean, you have your options, Hermione." With that, he began looking around for Ginny again.

Just then, I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned around to see Malfoy.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Dance with me," he commanded. It wasn't even a question, it was a command. That's Malfoy for you, though. He simply took my hand and brought me on to the dance floor, wrapped his arms around my waist, and began dancing with me. That was alright, though – it was time to put Operation Jealousy into action.

"You don't bother to ask anymore, do you?" I blurted quite rudely.

"No. I'm just so used to getting the right answer that I figure it's not worth it," he answered, just as rudely as I had asked. Typical Malfoy. This was exactly what Dumbledore was trying to prevent in not punishing me for slapping him.

"Why are you dancing with me?"

"Because."

"Well, last year, you wouldn't have gotten caught dead within two feet of me."

"Well, times change, and so do people. I'm a new person, Hermione. I've changed for the better," Malfoy said.

"Wait a second – did you just call me by my name? My first name, at that?" I inquired in surprise.

"Yes. I've told you, Hermione, I've changed."

"I suppose you have."

We danced for a little while before he spoke again. I had noticed that with each step we took, he moved a small step forward, closer to me. This thrilled me – my plan was working.

"Hey, Hermione? I was wondering . . ."

"Yes?"

"You know how there's that Hogsmeade visit coming up in January . . . d'you want to go there with me?" he asked.

My eyes widened – this was way too easy to be true. "You're asking me to go to Hogsmeade with you. Me. Hermione Granger. The know-it-all. The Mudblood. Don't you remember?"

"Of course I remember. I couldn't forget. I was horrible to you, and I want to change that," he replied.

I raised my eyebrows. Was this just a Malfoy prank, or was he for real?

"This is all just a stunt to embarrass me in front of the school, isn't it?" I asked.

"Of course not! How many times do I have to tell you, I'm different! Better! New-and-improved!"

"This is Draco Malfoy I'm talking to. How can I be so sure?" I asked. I was completely honest – even though I was thrilled that it was working, I couldn't completely trust him. But what he did next was the most surprising thing that I think ever happened to me in my life.

He kissed me.

As we gently pulled away from each other, I looked at him with wide eyes.

"Does that prove anything?" he asked quietly.

I opened my mouth and closed it again before saying, "Yes, it does. And yes, I'd love to go to Hogsmeade with you."

"That's what I thought," Malfoy murmured. I laid my head on his shoulder and looked around.

There, in the entrance to the Great Hall, I saw Ron with Ginny and Harry. Harry and Ginny were staring at me as though I had grown an extra head. Ron just looked absolutely horrified. Without saying another word to his companions, he turned and left.

Operation Jealousy was put into affect, and was proving to work quite well. I could only hope I hadn't taken it too far.