A/N No one reviewed last time except my best friend. If you are reading this story PLEASE review or I will be forced to stop writing it. It took me forever to write this chapter because I had only one review. Also, last chapter, I don't think anyone picked up on the American at the band auditions. He's from the Wild Animals...Draco's band.

Dedicated to TKF

Chapter 5

Hermione woke the next morning and stretched out. There was a knock on her door.

"Come in," she called.

Draco walked in with a tray with two breakfasts on it. "The house elves brought all the 7th years breakfast so they wouldn't have to change for breakfast then change again for graduation in like half an hour. And as a goodbye present." Draco conjured a table, "Shall we eat?"

Hermione nodded, grabbing a robe as she slipped out from under the satiny covers. "I can't believe we only have one more night here. And we graduate in less than 2 hours! It seems like just yesterday I was walking in here, a fresh first year," Hermione said, as she sat down and took a plate.

The two ate their breakfasts in relative silence, and when Draco left to get ready, he took the trays with them and left them in the common room. He continued into his room.

Draco turned on the tub, looked around nervously, and poured in bubble bath from a Mr. Bubbles container. He couldn't let anyone know that the manly Malfoy used bubble bath and especially since no one had seen the soft side of him barring Ginny and Hermione. 'No one will ever see it.' he thought vehemently as he stripped and stepped into the tub.

Hermione hopped into the shower, still wearing her socks. "Oh damn it!" she cursed, reaching down to take them off. Then, for a minute, she stood there, still wearing her socks. 'This is kind of weird, and funny feeling.' she thought, leaving the socks on until she washed her feet. After she washed her feet, she put them back on.

Draco got out of the tub, drained it, and wrapped himself up in a towel. He dressed in his school uniform one last time. He grabbed his white graduation robe and his white hat and proceeded to the common room.

At the same time, Hermione entered the common room, dressed in her uniform, carrying her robe, hat, knee socks and shoes. She was still wearing her wet socks.

"Erm...Hermione?" Draco ventured.

"Yeah?"

"Why are you wearing wet socks?"

"Oh! I forgot to take those off! Well, see, I got in the shower with my socks still on because I forgot to take them off, and it felt funny so I just kept them on," Hermione shrugged.

Draco cracked up. Smirking, he drawled, "Let me get this straight, you wore your socks in the shower? And now you are planning to wear them to graduation? With your high heels? That'll be a nice look."

Hermione chucked a pillow at his smirking face. "Don't be a bloody prat," she took off her wet socks, rubbed his face in them, then plopped down on the bench in the entry way to put on her high heels.

Draco came in front of Hermione and knelt before her, cupping her face in his hands. "Don't be that way. You know I didn't mean it. Come on, Hermione. You look beautiful."

Hermione did look beautiful too, with green glittery eye shadow, long lashes, a light pink blush and red lipstick. "Every time I begin to think you've really changed, you go and do something so...Malfoy," she ran out of the room, trailing her robe and hat behind her.

Draco stood, shocked at her outburst. "Shit Malfoy, you did it again." He banged his head on the wall by the cloak hooks. "You bloody moron," he swept out of the room and headed towards the grounds where the graduation was being held.

The long walk to the grounds calmed his nerves, as the long talk with Ginny Hermione sought calmed her nerves. Ginny had her hands full trying to calm Hermione down and reassure her that Draco was a good person now, even if he said stupid mean things sometimes. Ginny was silently cursing Malfoy the whole time, hoping he hadn't screwed up his chance at the ball that night.

The Hogwarts graduating class sat in alphabetical order on the Quidditch pitch. The teachers were standing in a line on a platform in front of the students, all wearing purple robes. If you listened carefully, you could hear Snape cursing Dumbledore for picking the color purple. Behind the students were the parents with cameras and tissue boxes.

"Welcome everyone! It pains me to let my students go, but I must do it every year. You will always be able to find help here at Hogwarts if you need it. I hope some of you will return, seeking jobs. Please keep in touch. Now, without further ado, the head girl and boy of the graduating class!" exclaimed Dumbledore.

Draco and Hermoine walked up to the center of the platform. "It is with great honor that I stand here today. Many of you know my story, and the story of Draco here. We have overcome so many obstacles to graduate today. Granted, we are a year late, but we are just happy to be here."

"Hermione is right, we are lucky to be standing here today. We've lost loved ones, but we've made new friends. I was finally able to become the person I wanted to be after my mother and I broke away from my father. That was the happiest day of my life. And now, being able to look out into the crowd and see her out there, clutching onto her tissues for dear life, I know that I am the happiest I've ever been."

Hermione took over again, "We're all going in different directions. I'm going to Mugwud's teaching university, Harry Potter is signed on with the Cannons, Ron Weasley is training to be an auror, Draco is...I'm not quite sure where he's going...Draco?"

"Well, I've just found out that I will be joining you at Mugwud's, Hermione." Draco answered, with a look of surprise and concealed delight on his face. Hermione stared at him.

Professor Snape jumped in to save his godson embarrassment. "Now, I present to you, the graduating class!"

Professor McGonagall stepped up to the center of the platform. "Jeffery Addy."

The students filed up, one by one to receive their diplomas from McGonagall and shake all the teachers' hands. Afterwards, the students posed for a class photo and threw their hats in the air. Ginny and Harry both tossed theirs up and then leaned in for a quick kiss. Ron scowled at the two before cracking up.

They joined with their parents and went over to the large tent for refreshments. Molly Weasley hurried over to Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Ron, trailing George, Fred, Bill, Charlie, Percy, and Mr. Weasley behind her. "Oh congratulations you four!! This is such a happy day!" she cried, embracing each one in turn."

"BILL!" screamed Ginny, running to embrace her favorite older brother. "I didn't know you were coming!"

"Well of course I was! All of us decided to take time off from work to come see our baby sister graduate."

"Hey!" Ron protested, "What about me?!" The Weasley brothers laughed and headed off with Ron and Ginny to go get punch.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley led Hermione and Harry off to a quiet spot. "Now, you two, we have something to tell you," began Mrs. Weasley.

"Harry, we have officially moved you in with Ron. You still have to see your aunt and uncle for 3 days a year and stay there for 3 nights, but for the rest of the time, you will stay with us. Until you decide to move out and get a flat, that is," Mr. Weasley continued.

"Hermione, you are moved in with Ginny. No buts, dear, it's final. Now, I know that you will be staying at school, but if you want to leave for holidays to come home, you'll be coming home to the Burrow."

Hermione and Harry stood there, speechless. Finally Hermione found her voice. "Thank you. I speak for myself and Harry when I say that this means more to us than you could ever know." Harry nodded his agreement.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley hugged and shook hands with Hermione and Harry before milling around and talking with old family friends. Hermione and Harry found the Weasley clan and told them the news.

"Ah, man, that's great!" exclaimed Ron. "No sleeping with my sister, ok?"

"We get to be roomies on holiday!" squealed Ginny.

The rest of the Weasleys pitched in with their happiness at the two new members of their family.

Across the way, Draco stood with his mother. Her eyes were brimming with proud tears as she told him how happy she was that he didn't follow in his father's footsteps. She had faith that he would not turn out to be the evil, abusing demon his father was.

Draco sighed as he watched Hermione rejoicing with her friends/family. He wished he hadn't been such a prick earlier and wondered what made her so happy. He mentally kicked himself again for being so stupid. He was unwavering from his decision to change the Malfoy name for the better, and show the world the man he could be, the man his father never was.

Eventually the celebration ended. Students returned to their dorms to prepare for the upcoming ball and families flooed home.

Draco entered the common room to find Hermione sitting on the couch with her arms crossed. "I'm sorry..." he started.

"Good. I forgive you. But you are going to have to prove to me that you aren't your father. I'm going to get ready with Ginny. I probably won't see you before the ball, so I'll see you there, probably after the un-masking. Have fun with your date," Hermione walked in to her room to find a bowl of lilies sitting on her dresser. Floating on one of the lilies was a note.

I can't wait to see you tonight.

Hermione smiled, shrunk the bowl and placed it in a bag with her shrunken cosmetics case and ball clothes. She made her way down to the Room of Requirement where she was meeting Ginny to get ready.

Ginny was waiting in the hall and together they walked past the spot three times thinking, We need a place to get ready for the ball. The door appeared and they entered.

Inside were two vanities that looked suspiciously like the ones in movie star dressing rooms. There were two changing screens and two bathrooms with huge luxurious bathtubs. The girls squealed and immediately set down their stuff. They each headed to a bathroom, and when they entered, they found the bathroom stocked with the things they loved and needed.

Ginny's bathroom was purple tile with big fluffy white towels. There was lavender shampoo, conditioner, shaving gel, and body wash. A purple bathrobe hung on a hook by the bathtub over a pair of fluffy purple slippers. Big lavender bubbles poured out of one faucet while hot water poured out of another.

Hermione's bathroom was a mixture of blues and greens with green towels. Her bathrobe and slippers were blue. The shampoo, conditioner, shaving gel, and body wash she found all smelled like lilies. Her faucets dispensed bubbles of lily scent and hot water. She was in heaven as she brought her bowl of lilies back to normal size and put them on the edge of the bathtub.

Both girls lounged in the bathtubs, washing and shaving and relaxing. Once good and pruned, they got out and wrapped up in their bathrobes, slipping their toes into the warm slippers. They drained the bathtubs.

Hermione clipped her hair up so it would be out of the way, and returned to the main room to find Ginny contemplating eye shadows.

"Hmm...I'm going to have to go with gray on the on the lid and plum on the outer edge," Hermione put in her advice.

"That's just what I was thinking!" Ginny grinned

"Great minds think alike!"

"Great minds think different," Ginny put in slyly.

"Gin, have you been watching my TV?"

Ginny put on an innocent smile. "Of course not!" This innocent remark started an all out pillow fight. If anyone had walked in, they would have figured they were in the middle of a primary school girl's sleepover.

Eventually Hermione looked at her watch. "Oh my gosh! We have to get ready!"

Both girls ran to their vanities. Hermione plopped down and smoothly applied foundation. She lined her eyes in dark green and applied beige eye shadow. She smiled and dusted blush onto the apples of her cheeks. Her lips were saved until the end.

She swept the top half of her hair back into a long braid. Snapping an inconspicuous hair tie onto the end of it, she tucked one of her lilies into the end of the braid. Grabbing her dress robes, she stepped behind the changing screen next to her vanity. She undressed carefully so she didn't smudge her makeup or muss her hair. She stepped into the dress and zipped it up as far as she could reach. Stepping out from behind her screen, Hermione laughed to see Ginny in the same predicament.

"I scratch your back, you scratch mine?" Ginny laughed.

"Only it's more of zipping up dresses than scratching backs," said Hermione.

Once both girls were zipped into their dresses, they lined their lips and applied lipstick. Hermione put a shiny gloss on her lips and blew a kiss at the mirror. She rubbed on lily scented lotion and spray, delayed, and go-ed. She fastened her emerald necklace, dragon bracelet, and slipped in her earrings. She put her feet on the vanity one at a time to fasten her shoes. Slipping her mask over her eyes, she grabbed her cloak and fastened it securely. She arranged the hood and looked expectantly at Ginny. Ginny finished strapping her feet into her shoes and straightened up. Both girls performed the voice changing spell.

The two hugged and left the room hand in hand. Ginny was meeting Harry in the common room, so the two parted after wishing each other luck. Hermione made her way to the staircase. At the bottom stood a figure in a tuxedo (as per the custom for the graduation ball) and a silver cloak with green trim. Hermione started descending.

Draco stood in wonder. She was beautiful, even more so than usual. He hadn't thought that would be possible. The masquerade look suited her. The very sight of her made him want to take her away with him and ravish her, but that would not be acceptable from the Prince of Slytherin.

Hermione reached the bottom of the stairs and Draco offered his arm. "Shall we? You look lovely, even more so that usual, if that's possible."

Hermione smiled and the two left for the ball.

A/N Did you like it? Please please please review or I won't update next time.