When the song ended, Hermione reluctantly looked up from where her face had been buried in Draco's hair. A ring had formed around the two, unabashedly staring. Harry and Ron stand a few feet inside the circle, Harry with one eye on Ron, and Ron… Hermione reluctantly stopped turning and separated from Draco.

Everyone was still staring. Draco chose to stare back defiantly, still holding her hand, but Hermione couldn't even meet the eyes of the fourth years, the youngest at the ball. She understood that they would receive the same reaction from even the first years! The animosity between herself, Harry and Ron, and Draco was legend in the school. She had glimpsed the first years sitting at their tables, wide eyed, staring at Harry's school photo with an older student whispering in their ears and passing three other photographs over their shoulders.

The first photo would be accompanied by a highly exaggerated anecdote. "Here's his best friend, Ron Weasley. Remember back in their second year when Harry saved Ron's little sister Ginny from the Chamber of Secrets?"

The next photo was inevitably Draco's. "That's Harry's enemy, Draco Malfoy. His father works for Voldemort and he's practically a Death Eater already. I swear, the Sorting Hat yelled Slytherin before it hit his head. Couldn't bear to touch something that evil."

The fourth photograph was Hermione's own, and she recalled hearing their voices drop as they saw her, but never stopping their whispering. "That's his other friend, Hermione. She's even prettier this year and damn smart. At least a hundred in each class and as sharp as they come. She's Viktor Krum's girlfriend, you know, the Bulgarian Seeker from the World Cup a few years back? But everyone knows Ron's madly in love with her."

Now what will the first years hear, Hermione wondered helplessly as she faced her uprooted, confused and angry classmates. If they couldn't understand, how would anyone else?

For a merciful few seconds, no one had moved but Ron finally stopped shaking and, brandishing his wand, took a few steps forward and leveled the wand directly at Draco. His hand didn't even twitch and there was murder in his eyes. Hermione started to move to stand between them but Draco held her back easily with their joined hands. Ron saw the movement in Draco's shoulder. "One move Malfoy and I swear—" he began. Lavendar dashed up to his side and tried to pull his wand arm down. Hermione took her chance to step between the wand and Draco. Ron dropped his arm instantly, and stared at her, instead. She began to think she would rather have had the wand pointed at her than his disappointment and pain. Those emotions passed quickly and returned to anger that looked through her.

Dumbledore chose that moment to break through the crowd and raise his hands. Professors McGonagall, Psyche, Snape and Flitwick all close behind and Hagrid towering above all. "What is the problem here?" Dumbeldore asked quietly as McGonagall snatched the wand from Ron's hand as it began to rise again.

"She… Malfoy… He's hexed… I swear, she'd never…" Ron wouldn't stop stuttering.

Harry broke in, his voice harsh. "There's no problem here, Professor."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows characteristically. "Is that so, Mr. Potter? Why, then, is everyone staring at Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy?" The last question was addressed to the group in general. Hermione found herself blushing, wondering how long Dumbledore had known about their going-ons. McGonagall, spinning Ron's wand nervously through her fingers, clearly had had no idea. Snape, although motionless, was even having trouble concealing his surprise. Professor Psyche merely smiled serenely.

Seamus chose to answer Dumbledore's question. "Headmaster, Ron's right! Hermione'd never… dance with Malfoy. He's hexed her somehow."

Hermione's angry retort was drowned out by the clamor of agreement. Draco quickly seized Hermione's elbows and held her back from hitting Seamus. But eventually her yells became audible.

"What is your problem? What, you can't believe that a Gryffindor and a Slytherin could dance together? Or that anyone at all, with the exception of Viktor who obviously has had a Bludger too many, anyone besides him could look at me and think "Gee, maybe she'd be fun to dance with, not because she's my friend, or helps me with my homework, or is in my house, but because she's a girl." No! That's too impossible for your narrow minded, bigoted brains to take in and I can't believe that I—" Draco clapped a hand over her mouth, silencing her effectively.

"You're only making it worse, Hermione." He said. "Look, get Harry to take you back to your dormitory. Let everyone cool off. It was a stupid idea anyway." With that, he pushed her lightly towards Harry and disappeared into the crowd before Hermione could get another word out. Ron started after him but McGonagall stopped him with a hand on his chest. Hermione was left with no other option but to take Harry's arm, which he offered anxiously, glancing back at Ron, and allow him to fend off the rest of the school and lead her back to the dormitory.

Within half an hour Hermione was waiting inside Hagrid's cabin, hoping he would come. Hagrid, she assumed, was still at the ball and she certainly should be in Gryffindor Tower. Summoning Harry's Firebolt wasn't the right thing to do, especially after dragging him away from the ball like that, not to mention completely embarrassing him.

Nevertheless the door creaks open and there stands Draco. "How did I know you'd be here?" He folded his arms in mock anger, leaning against the doorframe and raised a blond eyebrow.

Hermione smiled in relief. "Because I never listen to you."

"Damn right you don't, you little idiot." He took both her hands and kissed her on the nose, before pulling her into his arms with his chin resting on the top of her head. "You stupid, stupid girl. Why did you do that?"

"Dance with you or lecture the entire school?" Hermione asked as he pulled her over to sit on the bed, side by side.

"Both?" He leaned over and kissed her cheek. Hermione smiled and it only encouraged him. He held her neck in his hands and kissed all the way down her throat onto her collarbone. She kissed him back as he removed her gold overrobe and brushed his hands across her shoulders. But a few kisses later when she felt his hand against the fastenings of the back of her dress she pushed him away. He looked into her eyes, startled. "What?"

Hermione tried to smile and scoff but the memory of his hands on her back, waist and knotted in her hair was too close. "Draco, do you… what did… we… this is too fast."

She bit her lip at the cliché phrase. A phrase she had always scoffed at until she found herself unceremoniously dumped in this situation. This was worse than when her brain had seemed to come disconnected after his first kiss. Now her brain worked, her mouth was just not as cooperative.

It took Draco a few minutes to grasp her meaning. "Hermione, what did you think…" He trailed off too. "Hermione, I'd never—"

"I know you'd never!" She snapped and grabbed the gold robe from the floor where he had let it fall. "I know you wouldn't do anything that I didn't want to do and that nothing has happened and that I'm completely overreacting to nothing and all but… aaagh!"

Hermione through her hands in the air and, as he reached out compulsively to comfort her, the flying robe snapped sharply against his face. He reached up to cup his face and through his fingers, Hermione could see a red mark from where the metal thread had hit him. She reached out to help him before remembering and letting out another frustrated cry. She threw her face into her hands, and after running her fingers through her hair a few times, she fled the cabin.

If she had looked back as she was running to Gryffindor Tower she would have seen Draco on his knees on the rough dirty floor in his immaculate silk robes, picking up not only the golden robe, but every little golden butterfly that her frustrated antics had shaken loose.

Short chapter I know, but more will come soon, I promise. Read and Review please!