Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize in the Harry Potter books.

Chapter VII: Christmas Eve: A Ball for Two

Kilnly brought Hermione's breakfast, as well as her lunch. She didn't know what she did that morning. Think about Draco, maybe. To her surprise, he showed up that afternoon for a cup of tea. They were waiting for Kilnly to bring it up. She noticed Draco. He looked exhausted, no doubt because of trying to look for a way out. Her way out. Hermione suddenly felt a tinge of guilt. She wouldn't admit that the fight that morning was her fault. However, it wasn't his either. Maybe she could have tried to understand him better. That was her mistake.

"Malfoy… I…"

"Apology accepted, Granger," Draco cut in.

'How dare him,' Hermione's mind flared. 'HOW DARE HIM.' Hermione's face distorted with rage. "You know, Malfoy," Hermione spat, "I was actually trying to apologize. It's really rude to cut in, you know?"

"Ok, Granger. I'm sorry. I really am. I shouldn't have…"

""Apology accepted, Malfoy."

Hermione saw Draco's face distort in what must have been what hers looked like a minute ago. "What happened to 'it's really rude to cut in', huh, Granger?" Draco said.

Hermione smiled. "Just returning the favor, Malfoy."

Draco reached for a book and started to read. "Kilnly already told me the story. He even begged me to forgive you. You should thank him."

"Malfoy," Hermione said suddenly, "what was that room?"

Draco seemed surprised by her question. "Well," he said, "you must've remembered you fainted."

"Yeah. And the things before that, actually." They both blushed at this but acted as if that sentence was never said.

"That room," Draco continued, "is a room only for Malfoys. Only a person who's related to a Malfoy through blood could enter without having a fatal effect. Not even my father could stay in that room for an hour without feeling dizzy. I'm surprised you woke up today. It's really dangerous, especially for a mudblood like you. If you stayed in there for a second longer you could have died."

Hermione thought about this for a while. "But what is it for?"

"Nobody really knows. At least, nobody from the present. My ancestors knew, of course, those who built the manor though that knowledge was lost. Nobody knows when. But my father still likes to spend his time there, thinking he might discover it."

"They must have had a good reason they kept it hidden."

"Yeah, maybe."

The door opened and Kilnly entered, bringing a silver tray carrying the tea and two cups. He walked over to the table and… tripped, spilling the tea all over Hermione. She could hear Draco's rude guffaw and Kilnly's stutters of apology.

"It… it's alright, Kilnly. I'll just fix myself up," she said standing up.

"No, please ma'am. Let me call Mibby and Tibby to help you," he said pushing her back to sit on the chair. He ran outside and called the two. As if staged, they came instantly.

"Oh my, what a mess."

"Let us help you, lady."

They pulled Hermione up and pushed her to the bathroom. Hermione could still hear Draco's laughter and was silently cursing him for it. It's a good thing the two elves closed the door of the bathroom before she could pounce on him. The house-elves then started to remove her clothes.

"Hey! What are you doing?" she started to argue but the moment she saw their eyes starting to water, she let them do what they wanted. Then they pushed her in the water. Every time she told them she was ready to leave the king-sized bathtub, they would oppose and push her back down the water.

All of a sudden, they told her she was done and they wrapped a towel around her.

"I don't have any clothes," Hermione quickly realized.

"Don't worry, lady," Mibby told her, pulling her through the door that Tibby opened.

"What… Wait! Mal… Draco…"

But Draco was not outside. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. Then she saw it. Spread on the bed was a beautiful midnight blue dress and a pair of shoes to match was below it. Jewelry was on the dresser table: earrings and bracelets, and a string of pearls for her hair. She let out the breath she noticed she was holding in.

"Come on, lady," Tibby said. "There isn't much time."

"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked but she received no answer. The two elves were starting to wear the dress on her. "I can dress myself, thank you," she said kindly, taking the robe. The two looked downfallen but let her put it on herself, together with the other accessories.

The moment Hermione had finished dressing herself up the house-elves let her sit on a chair and started making her hair. After the hair, they decided to go for her face. Pat here… pat there. Finally, they decided to let her see herself.

She was gorgeous. Hermione didn't know what they did but her hair was… tame. Still wavy, but tame wavy. Some strands were stylishly loose from the stunning bun they fixed and the pearls peeked out from strategic places. She wore make-up but you could barely notice it. Beauty radiated from her.

"You look magnificent, lady," Mibby said admiringly. Tibby nodded in agreement.

"What's going on here?" Hermione finally asked.

They heard a knock on the door.

"Almost done," the two said in unison. They made sure everything was perfect and opened the door. Kilnly was there, wearing a tuxedo, which looked quite strange on him.

"This way, lady," he said, offering his arm. Hermione, though bending a bit, took it. They walked and finally, Kilnly stopped.

"Master Draco is waiting for you downstairs, lady," he said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Draco was waiting for Hermione. He couldn't believe those house-elves could plan something like this in such a short while. But now that everything was ready, he could do nothing but oblige.

The moment Hermione entered the bathroom Kilnly pulled him outside the door and into one of the guestrooms. There, he saw one of his black dress robes, his favorite one, so to speak. He only managed to get a glimpse at it because Kilnly told him to take a bath. He didn't argue and did as he was told. He really needed a bath at that time and could just ask them what's happening after it. After the shower, he went out and instantly, the house-elf pushed him in the robe. Seeing as he had no other clothes, he wore it. Draco smiled at how perfect their plan had been. Now that his parents were away on a business trip, there could not be that much danger.

Finally, he heard the clicking of heels against marble. Then he saw her. He was awestruck. He watched as Hermione gracefully went down the wide marble staircase to the main hall.

She reached him and Draco managed to wake himself up. He offered her his arm and Hermione gladly took it.

"They look beautiful together," Tibby said.

"Yes they do," Mibby agreed.

They did look beautiful together. Draco's silvery-blonde hair complimented Hermione's elegantly styled brown one. Their clothes seemed to have been made especially for them. Hermione's midnight blue gown, which reflected the light dully and Draco's handsome dress robe, which went with a black cape trimmed with golden rope-like cords and held together by a silver clasp that looked like a dragon.

"Draco… what..."

"Save the questions for later, Hermione," Draco said. "I would like to ask some myself. But for now, let's just go to the garden."

"The garden?" Hermione was excited. They were going to the place she had so wanted to explore.

Draco led her to the side of the house. Hermione could hear the melodious chirp of various kinds of birds and the mystical murmur of different enchanting creatures. Then he opened a large oak door and Hermione saw it. It was more beautiful than she thought. There were all sorts of dazzling plants and twinkles of light came from all over the place. Miniature human-like creatures jumped from one flower to the other, some playing unfamiliar sports and activities, others a simple game of tag, the only difference was that they used their wings—they flew. In an open space, some giggled and talked together in groups and some simply roamed around, taking in the marvelous view around them, smelling the fragrant aromas of the flowers, listened to the happy sounds and felt the soft grass under their feet and the calm breeze upon their faces. Other creatures of the garden played with them. Some looked like normal animals, a dog, cat, rabbit, goat, squirrel or deer, some a mixture of these, and the rest indescribably unique. Hermione was curiously excited.

But, the moment Hermione took the first step on the grass, all the creatures hid behind the trees and shrubs, though their light still shone through the leaves. Hermione didn't make anything out of this. It's natural for them to be shy or scared of newcomers. She still loved the place. Draco saw her enthusiasm.

"You must really like this place. But I must warn you: There's more to this place than meets the eye. It's pretty dangerous so you should stay close."

Hermione only smiled and nodded her head. She had always liked gardens. Add to that her eagerness for discovering. To her, this place was like paradise.

Draco sighed, and then smiled too. "Welcome, my lady, to Ortensia, Mademoiselle Elmira's Utopia," he said, bowing and waving his hand in welcome.

"Elmira? I know that name." Hermione tried to recall where.

Draco escorted her down a stone footpath to large space and in the middle of it was a table for two. One by one, the creatures came out from their hiding places. Draco thought this strange for they never come out, especially in front of strangers. The closest he'd ever been to one of them was when a young fairy came up to him and gave him a rose. Obviously, the youth fancied him and maybe a friend dared her to come up to him. The result of this was her elders scolding her and giving Draco a dark look. The table had a centerpiece of assorted flowers in the motif of red and white and the tableware were already set. There was no need for candles for the fairies dancing around the table gave it. Trees enclosed the southern part of the space, while a tall wall covered by vines that almost seemed like the wall itself surrounded the northern part.

"Yeah, Elmira Malfoy," he said, "one of the first inhabitants of this manor. She lived here with her brother, Ciar Thaddeus Malfoy. Their father, Lord Galen, was the one who built this place but he didn't live to see it finished. Therefore, when he died, the two inherited everything he owned. They loved each other dearly so their father didn't have any trouble in distributing his possessions but they had different opinions about some things. One day, Lady Elmira just disappeared. The weird thing was that the night before she vanished, she was crying in this garden and it seemed that all the creatures here were weeping with her. Even Lord Thaddeus heard them from the room in the west wing, but nobody was allowed here without Lady Elmira's permission so he just let them be. The next day he learned that she was gone together with her most precious and beloved possessions. The rest she left in her room."

They finally reached the table. Draco seated Hermione on one side and sat himself in front of her.

"That's so sad. What did Lord Thaddeus do?"

"Well, he tried to look for her but all his efforts have gone to waste. Eventually he married and had an heir. But with his last breath, the only word he uttered was Lady Elmira's name. He kept blaming himself for her leaving. The story doesn't end there. Lord Thaddeus' wife, Lady Adelinde, blamed Lady Elmira for her husband's death saying that if he didn't waste all his time looking for her he would've taken care of his health more. Her son saw her sorrow and promised his mother he would take revenge. Nobody knows how but records say he did avenge her mother." Draco then looked at Hermione and saw her sadness. "Don't worry about it," he said, "that happened centuries ago."

"Yeah," Hermione said, "but still—"

"Hey," Draco cut her, "it's Christmas Eve. Let's just try to enjoy the evening, alright?"

"Christmas Eve?" Hermione asked thunderstruck.

"Yeah," Draco said smiling, "don't tell me you forgot. You can send your friends a letter later."

"But, where… where are your parents?"

"Oh, they're out on a business trip," Draco said casually. He looked over to Hermione. "Don't look at me like that. It's not really that unusual for me not to have them here for Christmas."

Hermione still looked at him in a sad way. He really hated being pitied. Hermione noticed this and tried to look as happy as possible.

Kilnly then came and brought them the trolley of food. He served the dishes one by one. After eating, they took time to rest and talk for a while. Suddenly, mysterious music came from the trees and from the look on Kilnly's face, even the planner of the dinner had nothing to do with this. Draco then noticed the fairies dancing around them and realized that it was they, who were playing their unearthly instruments for them. From time to time, a melodious voice could be heard. Being in the spirit, he stood up and reached out his hand to Hermione.

"May I have this dance?" he said. Draco smiled at the look of surprise on Hermione's face. "It would be a bad reputation to the Malfoy name if I didn't make the most of our guest's evening."

Hermione smiled, took Draco's hand, and said, "It would be my pleasure."

They danced to the slow tunes flowing in the air. The thought of dancing with Draco had never entered Hermione's mind before. But now, what were these sensations overwhelming her? She was actually having fun with him. What would her friends say, especially Ron, who is known for his short-temper? Hermione sighed. She really didn't care for now. All she cared about was that Draco was trying to make her fell at ease in a place where she never would have imaged she would be welcome. It really was a different Draco.

After a couple of dances or more, Draco led her to the northern part of the garden and felt the vines as if looking for something.

"Draco, what—" Hermione tried to say.

"Hush. I'm trying to concentrate."

After some time, with Hermione almost running out of patience, Draco apparently found what he was looking for. He tapped the vines three times and to her astonishment, the leaves and branches started to rearrange themselves to reveal a hidden door. Then he pushed the third brick to the right of the door and took a stone rose out of a secret compartment. Hermione watched as Draco inserted the stem of the rose in a small hole in the door, turned the rose, pushed the rose further… turn… push… turn… push until the only part you can see is the flower itself and with the final turn an unlocking sound could be heard and the door opened. They entered and the vines replaced itself, blocking their way out.

Draco took her hand and pulled her toward the statue of a beautiful woman carrying a basket of roses. Covering her simple but noble dress was a cloak with the hood down. Beneath her feet were petals of roses. Surrounding the foot of the statue are bushes of roses, then a space where only grass grew, and finally, at the outermost part, is again a circles of rosebush, the only part not completing the circle is the entrance.

"This is Lady Elmira," Draco said. "Usually, the creatures wouldn't let me near her but for some reason they don't bother us now."

Hermione laughed. "Maybe you just don't look trustworthy enough."

"Well, you couldn't really call me trustworthy. But what would I do to a statue of my ancestor's sister? They're just being overprotective, if you ask me."

"They must have really loved her."

"Yeah. I just wonder why they trust you more than me."

"Are you jealous?"

"Stop it, Granger," Draco growled. "Why would I be jealous of a mudblood?"

Hermione was taken aback and an ache of sadness overwhelmed her. Draco saw her tears threatening to come out. He wanted to apologize but his pride wouldn't let him. Then they heard the grandfather clock strike twelve. Draco took a small black box out of his pocket and smiled an indistinct apology.

"This is for you. Open it."

"For me? But I didn't get you anything."

"Don't worry. I didn't buy it. I found it, together with the book written by Lady Elmira, the one about the founding of the Malfoy Manor."

Draco gave the box to Hermione and she opened it. Inside was a golden circular pendant. Its design was of a dragon engraved in it and its only stone was a gem the color of fire, which was the dragon's eye.

"Draco, I cannot I accept this. It could be an important family heirloom."

"Well, it's not. I found it and I could give it to anyone I like."

"Wouldn't it be better if you gave it to your wife? That way it would still stay in your family."

"Hermione, why don't you just tell me you don't like it?"

"I do, but—"

"Then keep it. I really hate being embarrassed. I don't want anyone turn down what I give."

"Well then, thank you, really. It's beautiful."

"I want you to wear it and keep it with you at all times, alright?"

"Ok."

They could still hear the music from the other side of the wall.

"I think it's time for a last dance," Draco said, again offering his hand to Hermione. They finished the song then Draco took her hand and led her through the door after the vines opened their way for them. Draco closed the door, took the rose, and returned it to its secret compartment. The door seemed as if it has never been there.

"Master Draco, Master Draco," a nervous high-pitched voice called out, "Master Lucius is back. He wants to see you."

"Shit! He's early. Kilnly, stall him for a while, ok? I'll just accompany Hermione to the room."

Kilnly nodded.

a/n: What did you think? Was it an All-my-waiting-paid-off chapter or a Darn-I-waited-so-long-for-such-a-boring-piece-of-work chapter? Please tell me. For me, this is probably the best chapter of this fic. To those who liked it just consider it an advanced Christmas present. And sorry if I dug in too deep with the Malfoy history, with Elmira and Thaddeus and stuff. Draco… even fairies fancy him. Hee hee, I really think that part was cute. Thank you, gaiamoore13 for the house-elf names. I wouldn't have finished this chapter without them.