A/N: This chapter is just pure Draco and Hermione love. It's just a break from the nasty secrets they have to keep from each other and a sharp focus on their devotion to each other. Hope you enjoy. Thank you for all your reviews. I'm glad to see that you're happy about my resurrection of this fanfiction.
Chapter Eight:
Midnight
Hermione was almost giddy from the extreme excitement bubbling within her. She smiled and hummed to herself as she dressed hastily for the New Years Eve party at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. She had read about the parties in the Daily Prophet and they were rumored to be the wildest, but still the best, parties in the wizarding and muggle world. Ginny walked into the dormitory and saw Hermione prancing about.
"What is the matter with you? Big New Years plans?" Ginny asked as she headed to the bathroom.
"Colossal New Years plans," Hermione corrected her.
"What are they?" Hermione paused and bit her lip. She would have to think of a cover that was still somewhat truthful. She was getting good at lying, and it actually bothered her. She didn't want to be good at lying. It wasn't something she wanted to be able to brag about.
"Dumbledore gave the Heads permission to attend to New Years Eve party at the Three Broomsticks," Hermione supplied carefully. Ginny stuck her head out of the bathroom. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging open in disbelief.
"No way!"
"I know! Can you believe it?"
"But you're going with Malfoy?" Ginny wrinkled her nose in disgust. Hermione had to restrain herself from defending Draco; she was getting better at that as well.
"Yes, but I don't intend to spend time with him. I want to meet other wizards from different countries. Did you know that people come all the way from America to party at the Three Broomsticks?" Ginny shook her head, still unconvinced that Hermione was able to go to the social event of the year.
"Incredible. You are so lucky."
"Hey, if you're Head Girl next year, maybe you'll get to go." Hermione felt bad about giving Ginny false hope, but it made the red-head's green eyes light up with anticipation.
"Have fun, Hermione. Don't get too drunk, because I want to hear about every detail when you get back," Ginny said, winking at her friend. Hermione grinned and gave Ginny a short wave as the littlest Weasley left the dormitory. Hermione sighed and began concentrating on what she was wearing. She assumed that even though there was snow coming down on the Hogwarts grounds, it would still be rather cozy inside the Three Broomsticks. Hermione decided on a little red dress she had bought in Paris when she had gone with her parents. She had never had the opportunity to wear it, but now was the perfect time. The dress was short, revealing a large portion of her long, slender legs, and spaghetti straps left her neck vulnerable. Using a spell she had read about in a fashion magazine over the summer, Hermione charmed her hair into bouncy curls that sparkled in the candle light. After slipping into black strappy sandals, Hermione was ready to go. She was meeting Draco in the entrance hall at a quarter to seven. The party began at eight, but Dumbledore suspected there would be traffic and they were more likely to even get a seat if they went early. When Hermione came down the main staircase, Draco was rendered speechless. She was absolutely breathtaking. He could not think of a more beautiful sight in his entire life. She gave him a shy smile when she approached him.
"It's not too much, is it?" She asked him, gesturing at her dress. Draco just stared, open-mouthed, unable to execute any form of a response. Hermione sighed and took his arm.
"I'll take that as a no. Come on, let's get out of here." On her way out the door, Hermione pulled on a black sweater. Once they were outside the school, a blast of cold, wintry air met their faces with cruel relentlessness. A carriage was waiting for them, and Hermione was relieved to be returned to warmth. Draco put his arm around her in the carriage and grinned.
"This is going to be the most memorable night of our lives," He stated.
"How do you know?"
"We're going to make it the most memorable night of our lives," He replied. Hermione smiled and kissed his check gently. Dumbledore had been right. Carriages were pouring in from all directions. Crowds of people were pressing towards the tiny pub. Hermione began to wonder if there would be enough room in the Three Broomsticks to fit all of these people. Draco seemed to sense her concern and he grinned.
"They put an enlargement charm on the Three Broomsticks. It can seat over a million people." Hermione's eyes widened as Draco told her this.
"Really?"
"If you don't believe me, see for yourself," He replied, pushing her through the doors of the Three Broomsticks. Hermione gasped as she looked around. There seemed to be a thousand floors stretching up to the night sky. Gold and silver decorations were everywhere, making the pub look like an expensive jewelry store. The bar was crowded with people pushing through to get their drinks. A young woman in her thirties with jet black hair and blue eye shadow up to her eyebrows approached them.
"How many in your party, ma'am?" She asked politely.
"Just two," Hermione replied. The woman motioned for them to follow her. A grand spiral staircase in the middle of the pub stretched up to the highest level of tables. Fortunately, there was a table for two on the third floor.
"It's not often that people come here in twos. There's usually just big swarms," The woman commented. "You guys lucked out. Big parties are usually up on the forty-fourth floor or above. Now that's a lot of stairs to climb."
"I'd imagine," Hermione responded, looking up.
"Your waitress will be with you in a moment," The woman said before leaving. Hermione looked around curiously.
"This is incredible," She finally said. Draco grinned and took her hand.
"You're incredible." Hermione blushed and looked down at her silverware. Draco clasped her hand tightly and waited for her to look him in the eyes.
"Hermione, I love you. You are the most amazing person in the entire world. You bring things out of me that no one else can. You make me an entirely different person, and I like the person I'm becoming. I never want to lose you. Ever." When Draco finished his speech, he was blushing like crazy. Hermione was smiling sweetly at him and listening to every word.
"You are so adorable, Draco. And I love you too," She added. She lifted his hand to her lips and kissed it softly. Draco felt his stomach flip-flop happily. He was so content with where he was and who he was with, it was overwhelming.
"Ladies and gentlemen, if you're looking to twist the night away, please apparate to the fiftieth floor. The Weird Sisters will be performing live, with guest appearances by Love Potion and Black Magic." Hermione's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Draco! We have to dance! I love Black Magic!" She exclaimed, rising to her feet. Draco hesitated. He didn't really like dancing in front of so many people. He tended to get nervous and self-conscious.
"I don't know, Hermione," He replied carefully. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"I'll bet half the people up there are so drunk, they won't even care if you look like a complete idiot. And you know I don't care if you can dance or not. Just let loose for this night. It's going to be the most memorable night of our lives, remember?" The mischievous smile on Hermione's face turned Draco on for some reason. He gave in and stood up. They had been studying the principles of apparation in Charms during the week before Christmas Holiday. Both Draco and Hermione had picked up the skill quite rapidly, so they had no trouble apparating to the fiftieth floor of the Three Broomsticks. The fiftieth floor was the midway point of the many levels added to the tiny pub. There were no tables; just a gigantic dance floor that seemed to stretch for miles. A large stage was set in the middle of the dance floor, and as the announcer had promised, the Weird Sisters were up on stage, rocking out. Draco watched the excited gleam in Hermione's eyes with a smile on his face. She seemed to be so happy, and he knew he'd never be able to ruin her mood by backing out of a dance. The dance floor was already mobbed with hundreds of witches and wizards, dancing wildly to the music. Draco could easily identify the ones who had had one too many shots of Fire Whisky. Hermione grabbed his hand, and a zillion volts of electricity shot up his arm.
"Come on! Let's dance!" She called over the raucous. At first, Draco didn't know what to do. He wasn't quite sure how to start dancing. Hermione got right into it and starting moving with the music. Draco timidly followed her lead, looking over his shoulder awkwardly. Hermione noticed and put her arms around his neck.
"Relax, Draco! Just let the music move you," She advised. Draco nodded, but wasn't quite sure what she meant by that. After the first couple of songs, Draco started to get into his groove. He had just started to lose himself in the music and the moment when the lead singer and guitarist of the Weird Sisters grabbed the microphone.
"Thank you, Hogsmeade!" The crowd erupted into cheers. Hermione couldn't resist adding her screams of excitement to the roars. Draco chuckled and put his arm around Hermione's shoulders.
"This is the last song we're going to be playing before we turn it over to Black Magic! Grab that special someone and give them one last weird dance." The Weird Sisters waved as the masses of people cheered rambunctiously. Then they began a slower song. This, Draco could work with. He pulled Hermione close to him and stared deeply into her eyes.
"How's the most memorable night of your life going so far?" He asked with a smile. Hermione grinned and kissed him.
"Amazing, Draco. I'm so glad I could be here with you."
"Me too, love." Draco found slow dances to be his favorite. There wasn't much skill involved; just distributing weight from foot to foot at the right time. His mother had insisted on dance lessons when he was younger, since they were often invited to important social occasions. Draco had learned to waltz quite well, but his knowledge of dance had dwindled over the years due to the fact that he had no where to use his skills. It didn't really bother him. Besides, his dance instructor had never taught him how to free style, so it wouldn't have made a difference if he had remembered anything about it. When the song had ended, the entire fiftieth floor burst into deafening cheers as the Weird Sisters disappeared from the stage. They were soon replaced by Black Magic, who started off with a high tempo dance song. Draco lapsed back into his insecurity, but it took him less time to get used to dancing this time. By the time Black Magic had finished their part of the show, Hermione was practically overheated. She turned to Draco, breathing heavily.
"Let's take a break," She finally said. Draco frowned.
"Don't you want to hear Love Potion? They're up next." Hermione smiled.
"See, I told you that you'd loosen up. But no, I'm about to dehydrate."
"Do you want to go for a walk outside?" Draco asked, looking at his watch. It was only ten thirty, so they had plenty of time. Hermione nodded vigorously.
"That sounds perfect," She replied. They both apparated to the ground floor and somehow made it out the door without getting separated. Snow was coming down from the dark night sky in gentle flakes. The accumulation on the ground was only a few inches, but the wizard weather channel had predicted at least ten inches by daybreak on the first day of the new year. Draco held onto Hermione's hand as they walked through the busy streets of Hogsmeade.
"You'd think everyone would be inside," Hermione commented at the mobs of people just hanging around the Hogsmeade village.
"These are all the people who didn't get tables. If they didn't get into the Three Broomsticks, it's almost as good out here. You can still hear the music, and they usually have a bonfire going in the main square," Draco told her. Hermione grinned.
"You know so much about these New Year's Eve parties."
"My parents went every year," He replied, shortly. He didn't want to recall the miserable, lonely nights he had spent at home. He usually celebrated the new year with his pet owl, which was pathetic to say the least. Hermione seemed to sense that Draco didn't want to talk about the particular subject, so she left him alone and tried to think of a new conversation topic.
"So what do you want to do?"
"Follow me. It's a surprise," Draco replied, grinning slyly. Hermione became even more curious as every minute passed. Soon, they were standing at the bottom of the hill upon which the Shrieking Shack rested. But for once, it didn't look like the most haunted building in Britain. Bright lights were cast on the slope that slid down to the city of Hogsmeade. Hundreds of young witches and wizards were laughing and screaming as they sledded down the snowy decline. It seemed to be snowing heavier over this particular hill more than over the rest of the town, but Hermione guessed they had placed a weather charm on the Shrieking Shack.
"Do you want to give it a go?" Draco asked, interrupting Hermione's thoughts. Hermione nodded her head vigorously.
"I love sledding. I had no idea they used this hill for sledding on New Years. Isn't everyone here afraid to go near it?" Draco started climbing the hill, taking Hermione with him.
"Not really. There hasn't been much going on in the Shrieking Shack for quite some time now, so people have become less afraid of it. Besides, the ministry is always informing the people that they put safety charms on the house for New Years so no one gets hurt."
"Do they really put safety charms on it?"
"It's unlikely, but it calms most of the townspeople down." They reached the top of the hill and Draco grabbed a sled from the man who was renting them out. It was outrageously priced, but isn't everything around the holidays? Draco held it steady as Hermione got on the front. He pushed off with his leg and jumped on behind her. Their sled went rocketing down the snowy slope. Draco frowned when he realized that they weren't going to stop when they got to the bottom of the hill.
"I guess I pushed off too hard!" He shouted into Hermione's ear against the screaming wind.
"I think so!" Hermione called back. When they hit level ground, they kept speeding into the crowds of people at the bottom.
"Look out!" Draco bellowed, grabbing Hermione around the waist to keep his balance. Hermione screamed and tried to steer their way out of the crowd. They continued sliding down the streets of Hogsmeade until Hermione's foot hit the steering apparatus and they careened into a large pile of snow. Draco started laughing, and Hermione soon joined in. She rolled over on top of him and brushed the snow flakes out of his hair.
"Good job, Draco."
"'Good job, Draco?' That was all your fault!"
"My fault? You were the one who practically made us break the sound barrier with that initial push off!" Hermione exclaimed.
"I noticed you didn't do anything to stop us from barreling into that crowd of people. Nice steering, babe." Hermione glared at him in mock frustration. Draco caressed her cheek softly and kissed her. Warmth returned to his body and he smiled at her.
"Do you want to get inside?"
"Why? Are you cold?"
"No, you are," He replied, gesturing at her lips which were blue and vibrating from the winter air. Hermione stood up and Draco grabbed her hand. He led her into the building behind them, which was the Hogsmeade Hotel. Hermione gasped when she saw the lobby. It was extravagant and lavishly furnished. A massive, crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling which was like the Great Hall in Hogwarts. It had been charmed to reflect the night sky. Fascinating ice sculptures with intricate detail were displayed throughout, and they were amazingly not melting. Christmas decorations were still everywhere, giving both Hermione and Draco that cozy, holiday feeling. A fire crackled softly in an enormous stone fireplace. A man in a fancy suit came up to them with a silver tray.
"Hot cocoa, miss?" He asked politely. Hermione took one of the mugs and nodded in thanks. "Sir?" He then asked Draco, who also took a mug. When the man had walked away, Draco nudged Hermione and grinned.
"Isn't this place surreal?"
"It's incredible! I'm going to make reservations to stay here over the summer," Hermione vowed, getting closer to one of the ice sculptures. Draco chuckled.
"It's incredibly expensive, you know." Hermione sighed.
"I know. I'll figure it out some how."
"Come on, let's sit down." Draco led her over to the fireplace and sat down in front of it. Hermione sat down beside him and stared into the flames.
"This whole night seems so surreal, doesn't it?" Hermione murmured, leaning against Draco.
"Yeah. I feel like I could wake up at any moment and it would all be gone." Hermione grinned.
"It would take more than that to get rid of me, Draco." Draco kissed her forehead gently and sighed with contentment.
"Do almost feel like this night has no consequences, and we could do anything we wanted?" He asked carefully.
"I know exactly what you mean, Draco. Nothing that happens tonight will matter tomorrow."
"I love you, Hermione," Draco said suddenly.
"I love you too, Draco."
"I want to show you...if you'd let me," Draco replied softly. Hermione didn't fully understand what he was asking of her right away. When it occurred to her that he wanted to have sex, she didn't know what to say. The logical side of her brain was screaming for her to say no, but the rest of her being wanted it to happen. The silence remained as Hermione considered the possible outcomes, but Draco soon interrupted.
"I completely understand if you think you're not ready for it, Hermione. But if you really believe that tonight has no consequences, then let your hair down. Have some fun. Break some rules. I just want you to know, that I respect your decision either way," Draco stated, firmly. And he would respect her decision. He didn't want to push her into something she didn't want, but he needed her so badly. His guy instincts were winning the battle over his normally chivalrous self. Hermione chewed her bottom lip as she thought. His intentions are true. I have no reason to believe they aren't. He's good to me, and he'd never use me for sex. Besides, Dumbledore gave me this night to let loose and have some well-deserved fun. After all the stress the secrets have been putting me under, it couldn't hurt to take a mini-vacation.
"Thank you for being so understanding, Draco...but I think I'm ready."
It was eleven forty-five when Draco suggested that they should get back to the Three Broomsticks. Draco had bought them a room for the night, even though they weren't staying there after the New Years Eve party. Hermione had been reluctant to let him spend so much money just for a couple of hours, but he had insisted. Music from the Three Broomsticks could still be heard from their room. Hermione lay in the bed, enjoying the feel of the silk sheets against her bare skin. Draco was getting dressed, but his eyes were on Hermione, who looked so innocently sexy lying in the bed. He crawled on top of her and kissed her softly.
"We're going to miss the count down, love," He reminded her of the reason why they were there. Hermione groaned and eventually rolled out of the bed. She pulled on her dress and wrapped her sweater around her tightly. She stopped Draco with his hand on the doorknob.
"Thank you," She whispered, kissing his cheek.
"For?"
"This. Everything. You are amazing, Draco Malfoy," She replied, kissing him passionately. Draco was about to throw her back onto the bed and make love to her all over again, but the noise from the Three Broomsticks reminded him of the party.
"You're welcome, Hermione. You are so welcome. Now, let's get back to the party." Hermione grasped his hand tightly as they fought their way through the crowds to get back into the pub. It was even more rowdy than it had been before, if that was at all possible. They returned to their table, which had become the surface for an arm wrestling tournament.
"Let's just go to the dance floor. I think that's where the real party is going on anyway," Draco told Hermione. They both apparated back to the fiftieth floor. Draco appeared to be right. There was a huge mass of people dancing to Love Potion, who had been called back for an encore. When the clock showed five minutes to twelve, the lead singer of Love Potion magically amplified his voice.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the hour you have all been waiting for is just five minutes away! Bring it on down to the fiftieth floor for dancing and the celebration of a lifetime!" It seemed like every single person in the entire pub erupted into cheers. The roars were deafening. Hermione laughed and put her arms around Draco.
"This is so exciting!" She shouted into his ear over the noise. Draco grinned. He didn't know if he was so insanely happy because of the holiday or because he had just had sex with Hermione a mere fifteen minutes ago. It didn't really matter, of course. When it got down to 11:59, the lead singer of Love Potion whipped out his wand and pointed it at the sky. Gold ribbons shot into the air and formed a floating digital clock. Hermione was about to jump out of her skin. New Years Eve had never really been that big of a holiday to her, but the entire evening was just so magical. Everything was overwhelming her. Suddenly, every single witch and wizard present united their voices to begin the ten second count down.
"Ten...nine...eight...seven...six...five...four...three...two...one! Happy New Year!" The applause and cheers were tumultuous and it seemed to shake the entire pub. Gold and silver sparkles cascaded from the ceiling and covered the crowds. Hermione started laughed and brushing the sparkles away from her eyes. Following the sparkles was a deluge of balloons in every color imaginable. And they were huge. Hermione had never seen anything like them. They were the size of hula hoops, and when they popped, they spurted champagne everywhere. Draco picked up two glasses of champagne from a floating tray and handed one to Hermione.
"Happy New Year," He toasted. Hermione grinned and clinked glasses before taking a sip. Love Potion had disappeared from the stage, only to be replaced by the Weird Sisters. They started playing an intense dance song, and Hermione squealed with excitement.
"I love this song! Draco, you have to dance with me!" She exclaimed, finishing her champagne in two gulps and putting it on a floating tray. Draco grinned and obliged. Soon there were people doing stage dives and all sorts of crazy dance moves. The party didn't show any signs of slowing down until four in the morning. The tired and drunken crowds were beginning to disperse, and finally Hermione and Draco joined the swarms of people trying to get to their carriages. They found the one that Dumbledore had sent for them and got inside. Hermione was slightly tipsy, but it was the exhaustion of dancing for practically four hours straight that caused her to fall asleep on the ride back to Hogwarts. Not wanting to disturb her, Draco carefully gathered her in his arms and carried her back into the familiar castle. The corridors were ominously quiet, and his footsteps reverberated off the stone walls. He brought her to the portrait of the Fat Lady and paused. He didn't want to wake Hermione to get the password, but he had no idea what it might be. Sighing, Draco cleared his throat quietly. The snoring Fat Lady woke up and glared at him with somnolent eyes.
"What do you want? You're not in Gryffindor."
"I know, but Hermione is. She's asleep and I just want to make sure she gets back into her dormitory all right-"
"No person of another house is permitted to enter this common room, Mr. Malfoy, no matter what your intentions might be," The Fat Lady responded, still miffed that Draco had disturbed her sleep. Draco glared at the portrait and turned around. He did the only thing he could think of. He brought her to their study room and laid her down on the couch. He found a blanket and covered her with it. He was about to return to the Slytherin dormitories when he paused. She was so beautiful when the firelight played off her hair and illuminated her radiant skin. Draco carefully arranged himself so that he'd be able to lie down with Hermione on the couch. He inhaled the sweet scent of her hair and was lulled into a peaceful sleep.