Thank you for all your great reviews, and for not being (too) angry that it took me so long to get a new chapter up. My mind's been non-creative the last year cause of my demand of credits for college, but this semester I took it easy so I'm hoping to try and get as much up as I can before anymore craziness sets in. Thank you again, and enjoy the next chapter!
~Kandimoon
Chapter Eleven
Classes ended early on the 31st in anticipation and preparation of the Halloween Feast and Costume Ball that was to take place that night. Girls giggled gleefully to each other in excitement for dressing up, the boys were just excited about classes ending an hour early for the day. Nerves were high as the guys shyly asked the girls to be their dates for the Ball. Hearts fluttered and hearts sank as yes's and no's were thrown back left and right.
"So who are you two taking to the Ball tonight?" Hermione asked her two best male friends as they sat in the Common Room waiting to get ready for the night.
"I'm taking Narnya Elvenwood." Harry replied with a slight blush to his pale cheeks.
"She's a fifth year Hufflepuff right? Long black hair, gray eyes, slight overbite?" Hermione asked. Harry nodded yes, but the blush still didn't leave his cheeks. Hermione could tell he had a small crush on her for the last few weeks, she was happy that the feeling was mutual for both parties.
"I'm taking Lavender." Ron announced somewhat melancholy, he didn't sound too overly thrilled at his choice in date tonight.
"Who are you and Ginny going with tonight?" He asked back to his friend.
"We're going stag. Ginny wants to dance with everyone, so we figured we would walk each other down and remain officially dateless for the night, more fun that way." Hermione replied with a wink. She bid her friends goodbye as she left the tower to go to her private room to get ready.
"You still care about her." Harry mentioned to his best friend as he watched him follow Hermione's exit.
"Yes, but she's not who she used to be anymore, Harry. She's different, secretive, hiding something from us. I tried so long to get her to notice, but maybe it just wasn't meant to be anymore, once I thought it was, but now I'm not so sure."
Harry nodded and looked over at the exit that Hermione stepped out of not five minutes before. 'Ron is right,' he thought to himself, 'Hermione is not the same girl they knew long ago, there was something more to her now…' He would get his answers soon enough, she was too important to him to lose now.
"Hermione, where's my white sandals?" Ginny asked as she searched around Hermione's room desperately.
"Left side of the bed, did you see my tiara?"
"Vanity table."
"Thanks."
"So who are you secretly hoping to dance with tonight?" Ginny questioned as she sat down on Hermione's big comfortable queen bed to put her white lace up sandals on.
"There's that new 6th year Ravenclaw, Todd Brackley, he's really smart and pretty cute, maybe I'll ask him for a dance."
"Pretty cute? With those dimples? He's downright adorable. But you'll have to get in line, rumor is there's a couple of girls out for his heart recently."
"All you asked was who I wanted to dance with, not date." Hermione sighed dramatically.
"And what about you, Virginia Weasley, who have you had your eye on for tonight?" She asked slyly.
"I am going to dance with every available guy in the room until my feet fall off." Ginny shouted and flung her small arms in the air wildly. Hermione looked over and laughed at the ridiculous site her best friend made.
"I can't wait to see that."
Hermione and Ginny promised to meet the guys and their dates at the dining hall because they knew they would be a bit longer and didn't want to keep them waiting. As the two girls walked in they glanced around at the many different costumes each student portrayed. There were ghosts and goblins, princesses and knights, historical and fictional characters alike, some they recognized, others were hidden behind masks and charms. At the head table they could see the Headmaster dressed as the famous age-old Merlin, with McGonagall as Nimue. Professor Sprout was dressed as a giant pumpkin, while Professor Sinistra was decorated as a gypsy dancer. Professor Snape, who rarely likes to make appearances dressed in anything but black billowing robes, was elegantly styled as a vampire with a crisp black suit and a cape made of black trimmed a crimson red.
Harry and Ron caught the attention of the two girls and bid them to join them at the table they've reserved. Ron, who could barely breathe when he saw Hermione enter the great doors to the hall, glanced over at his date Lavender who was scowling at the girls. He couldn't blame her, for his sister and Hermione made a very stunning pair, he narrowed his eyes as male glances passed their way from every area of the Great Hall.
Hermione, who led the pair, was dressed as Shakespeare's famed Titania from A Midsummer Night's Dream. With robes made of many different shades of green, clung tightly in some areas but billowed its sheer cloths in others. Her hair was a riot of curls half piled on top of her head with a tiara wreath of leaves around as a crown. Her make-up was light but shimmering, to give her an ethereal glow, and her feet adorned simple white slippers with her pentagram necklace hanging above her breasts, half concealed.
From across the room a figure hid half in shadow. He sneered as the two girls made their entrance. He couldn't deny that Granger looked good, not that he'd ever admit it to anyone, but what he really was taken away with was the one beside her. Weasley took his breath away from the moment he noticed the red hair. She was dressed in a medieval gown of pure white trimmed with a gold belt and designs around the sleeves and neck. Her red was charmed to grow longer so it now reached her lower back and was curled just a bit to give it texture. Her face was mostly bare of make up except around her eyes and some color to her normally pale cheeks. He kept sneering to get the vision of her out of his head, he had a mission to accomplish, it would do no help to get emotional now.
Small tables littered the Great Hall as the students chattered and ate all their delicious Halloween treats. After dinner was over the tables were cleared magically by Dumbledore and a small band came out and started to play music. Dumbledore and McGonagall led of the dance as students filed in around and joined in the fun.
"I expected you to dress as Athena, but the Queen of the Fairies will suffice I suppose." A voice said from behind Hermione as she watched the happy couples dancing around the room.
"You look troubled." The voice continued. She didn't have to turn around to know who it was, for in truth she knew his voice by heart now.
"This dance was created to keep the students thinking on other things besides the war out there. They laugh and they dance, they're so innocent. I wish I could be like that sometimes."
"You were meant for more important things."
"I could end it all right now."
"I know." The voice whispered in reply.
"I could do it, if I wanted."
"But you won't." The voice replied softly, she could feel his breath near her neck and shoulder. She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate.
"It's not the way, They wouldn't have wanted it that way, not if there's still hope."
"Do you think there's still hope," he was closing in behind her, she could feel the heat of his body on her skin.
"I have to."
"Why?"
"Because it's the only thing keeping me alive right now, I have to believe there's hope or everything I've ever strived to be will wither and die, I can't let that happen. Why do you care?" She turned to face him, barely inches apart they stared each other down, amber versus cinnamon.
"What decisions you make affect us all, I'm curious." His face was turned slightly, Hermione's insides leapt back and forth, unsure what to do and what to say.
"If you'd only help, Gavin."
"NO! I will not help you, why can't you understand that foolish girl." Gavin sneered and turned away. Hermione watched the anger fill his face and slapped him across the cheek. After the shock of hitting him wore off, she covered her mouth with her one hand as tears threatened to fall down her sparkled cheeks.
"Fine, be selfish, if you won't help than I'll do it alone, no matter the consequence." She finished then ran out the back door and outside to get some air.
"May I have this dance fair maiden?"
"What exactly are you dressed as Malfoy?" Ginny asked the elegant, but plainly, dressed boy in front of her.
"Prince Charming, now a dance?" Ginny shrugged and took his offered hand. 'What could a simple dance hurt anyway?' She thought.
"I must give you some credit, Malfoy, you're a good dancer."
"A compliment from a Weasley? Well I guess all those lessons paid off then."
"Get away from my sister you creep!" Ron shouted as he stalked over to the couple, Harry in tow with an equally pissed face.
"She accepted the dance willingly Weasel. Tell me, how did you ever afford such a tasteful costume." Draco remarked sarcastically. Ron looked down as his somewhat rusted Knights outfit then glared back at the boy before him.
"Better worn but believable then expensive and dull, Malfoy." Ron retorted at the lack of creativity of Draco's plain costume.
"Take a good look while you can Weasel, you'll never wear such clothes if you sold your soul for them."
Ron, beyond pissed, grabbed his wand and pointed it right at Draco's neck. Draco, however, was not afraid for in truth he could do much more damage by not lifting a finger if he wanted.
"Stop it both of you!" Ginny shouted, now fed up with the threats and arguments forming. Others were beginning to stop and watch the small group.
"Ron, I accepted the dance offer, let it go. It's only a dance after all, go back and enjoy the dance. Malfoy, be quiet for once in your life." Ginny shouted and grabbed Draco's arm and dragged him outside to the patio.
"I don't like you causing a scene, Malfoy."
"Such a vibrant temper, Fire."
"Don't start, not tonight, please just don't start." She could already feel the headache forming at her temples.
"You could be a Queen, in everything but title, I could give you anything you want."
His voice was intoxicating and his blue-gray eyes sparkled in the moonlight, he looked magical, ethereal, and deadly as sin. She wanted to believe him, she wanted to give up the fighting and just run away, she was being torn in half and it was hurting her every minute.
"I cannot accept that. I believe in a better, more peaceful world, I will fight to protect it with my friends."
"Potter stands no chance, and neither do the two of you, for Air will not surrender to your cause."
"And will he to yours?"
"It is in his blood."
"I don't understand." Ginny asked confused.
"One day you will." He replied and looked up from the girl before him and saw a dark shadow move back from the balcony above them. He sensed they were being watched, and he knew who it was too.
"Follow me, join us, Fire. You want the power, it seduces you every minute." She couldn't deny that, he was right, it did seduce her, in every fiber of her being too. She looked up into Draco's pale eyes and pictured herself in elegant robes sitting upon a throne of power, with him by her side and the Dark Lord in a dead pile before their feet.
"We could have it all." He closed in towards her and whispered into her cheek. She closed her eyes and pictured it all…it was all too easy…
"Ginny! Leave her alone Malfoy." Hermione shouted as she ran up to grab her friend's arm.
"We're going back to my room, there's something I have to tell you." She finished in a hurry and started running back towards the front doors. After pushing the dazzled Ginny through the door first she looked back and glared threateningly at Draco, still standing under the balcony in the moonlight.
"Stay away from her."
"I can't, she's so close."
"You'll never have her!" And with that Hermione slammed the door behind her.
"Such a tempting creature." Draco thought aloud.
"Which one?" A dark voice said from behind him.
"Granger's more tempting than I gave her credit for." He smiled sardonically.
"Stay away from her or I'll kill you myself." The voice growled back.
"Getting attached are we?"
"Stay away from her Water, or die." The voice threatened again and turned away into the night, golden cape billowing out around him, dark hair glistening in the pale light.
"We have his weakness." Draco commented as he looked up to the balcony. The dark figure above looked down and grinned.
"You know what to do." The eerily soft voice replied before he too left, crimson and black cloak covering his tall frame, equally black hair whipping around his pale thin face.