Hey Y'all!! Miss me much? Sorry I haven't updated in awhile, I've been really busy with moving and settling into my new school. Anyway, I'm not gonna ramble, except to thank my lovely reviewers! I love you guys!

RuByMoOn, tomzgurl77, shadowwolf2371, bottle*of*sunshine (luv ur name!) Alie, Raspberry Paradise, KrystyWroth, Belle, Sweet Sorrow, and Kweenlolli09.

You guys are the best. I'm going to shut up now, so enjoy!!!

Disclaimer: Me? Own these characters? *snort* You have got to be kidding. *snort laugh**falls on floor laughing*ouch….

Chapter 9

Playing the Masquerade Game

Hermione got a bunch of strange looks walking down the hall. Everyone whispered, wondering who she was. Did she really go to this school? Hermione smiled, she was liking this already, and it sure beat sitting in her room all evening. She reached the top of the Grand Staircase and stopped, looking around. She suddenly realized she had no clue who to look for. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Suddenly, she felt someone press slightly into her back. She froze. An arm moved around her. The hand was empty. Then, with a quick flick of the wrist, a single black rose appeared. She relaxed a little, and the hand moved to tuck the rose behind her ear. It stood out against her pale hair. Someone stepped in front of her and spoke.

"Good evening, Milady. May I have the honor of escorting thee to this ball?" His voice was low and had a bit of a Spanish twinge to it. He was dressed in all black with an elegant silver chain-mail shirt over it. A sword hung from his belt.

"Certainly, Milord. May I have a name with which to address thee with this eve?" The Shakespearian English was no problem, she had read almost all of his plays. Then she realized her voice had changed also, it was a little higher and more musical sounding. And she thought she could hear the Spanish twinge, but she wasn't sure.

"Ahh, Milady. Thee may call me Antonio." He bowed low, then kissed her hand gently. She blushed and smiled. "And how may I address thee, Milady?"

"Thee may call me Linwe." It was her friends name, and there was no reason she couldn't borrow it for the evening. Antonio smiled and offered her his arm. She accepted it and the walked down the stairs and into the Great Hall.(A/N from here on, Hermione is known as Linwe, sorry for any confusion : )

The room was beautiful. The candles were dim and carved pumpkins floated around the ceiling laughing at people and dive bombing first years. The tables were all pushed against the walls and covered with food. Multiple little tables were scattered throughout the room. The dance floor was full, and everyone was laughing and having a good time. Antonio immediately pulled her out on to the dance floor.

"Come, Lady Linwe, the eve is young. Let us be merry." Antonio placed one hand on her hip, and took her hand. Then, he led her in the fast-paced waltz that was playing. Linwe as a little surprised, she didn't think anyone at this school knew how to ballroom dance. She smiled and allowed him to lead. They danced and laughed. Finally, after almost 2 straight hours, she managed to pull him off the dance floor to the drink table.

"Come on, you must be as thirsty as I am." He smiled at her and offered her a cup. She accepted gratefully and drank it down. He did the same. Five minutes later, there were seven or eight girls crowded around who wanted to dance with him.

"Would Milady Linwe mind if I were to dance with the others?" He asked her with his charming smile.

"Certainly not Milord Antonio. I'll await thee here." He kissed her hand, then offered one of the girls his arm and led her away. She watched him dance with two or three of the girls until her vision was blocked. She looked up and gasped. A very familiar figure stood before her.

"May I have a dance with the most beautiful girl here tonight?" Hermione came crashing back into herself. Even though he was wearing a mask, she knew it was Harry. His emerald green eyes were looking at her and she shivered. Her mind was reeling. How could she say no without casting suspicion on who she was? She was battling herself in her head, and finally, she nodded once and was rendered helpless as Harry led her onto the dance floor. She looked up, searching for Antonio. Their eyes met for a brief second, then Harry put his arms around her waist and she unwillingly put her own around his neck. Suddenly, Antonio appeared at her side.

"Ahhh, Milady Linwe! I have found thee." He looked over at Harry. "Good sir, may I cut in?" He was polite, but insistent.

"No, you may not. You can wait. You left her sitting there for the past 20 minutes. Now its my turn." He pulled Hermione closer and she tried to pull away, but couldn't. He was too strong.

"Sir, she obviously doesn't wish to dance anymore. Now kindly release her." Antonio's voice was low and insistent.

"No" was the flat answer.

"Let me go." Hermione knew she had to get away.

"Why, so you can dance with the scum who left you alone?" Harry was glaring down at her, obviously getting angry.

"Yes, now let me go." She pulled away, but he still didn't release her. "Let me go." She was getting frantic now. "Let go! Harry! Let me go!" She yelled the last part and pulled away hard. Harry had a shocked look on his face. The mystery girl had known who he was. The shock caused his grip to loosen and she pulled away and ran out of the hall. The guy glared at him and chased after her.

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There! Chapter 9! Sorry it took so long, I've been really busy. Anyway, as always, leave a review and if you leave an email address, I'll mail you when I update. Reviewers get virtual candy! Lol. Sorry about the format, I'm trying to get it to work. Too frustrated to figure it out now….

~W+L~