Chapter 23-

AN- here it is…enjoy….

The next two month were wonderful. Hermione and Draco couldn't be happier together and everything seemed to be going great.

At lunch one day in April Dumbledore had stood up and told the students that there was to be one final ball at the end of the year. This was met with excitement, nervousness, and jealously from the first, second and third years who weren't allowed to go. Draco immediately asked Hermione, Harry asked Ginny, and Luna asked Ron.

A week after the announcement there was a Hogsmeade trip. Hermione, Ginny and Luna went to go buy dresses while the boys stayed behind and played exploding snap and wizards chess all day. Hermione picked out a dress that went just past her knees, but was conservative enough to cover everything, and still make her look extravagant. Luna's dress was canary yellow with a very low cut back. Finally, Ginny's dress was dark green which accented her auburn hair wonderfully and fit her curves in all the right places.

When the date finally came for the ball, Hermione, Ginny, Lavender (who was going with Dean), Parvati (who was going with Seamus) and Luna got together to get ready at about 1 o'clock. The boys were scheduled to pick them up at five for dinner. They were going to go to Hogsmeade, with permission of course. The girls spent four long hours doing hair, makeup and accessories (Hermione spending three of the four hours reading) before they were finally ready. They knew that the boys would be in the common room waiting so one by one, they put on a show

Lavender went first in her light pink sleeveless dress. Her hair was in an intricate knot on top of her head with curls framing her face. Her makeup was done in light pinks and reds with black eyeliner to bring out her lavender eyes. (Where else do you think that she got her name?)

She walked down the steps and took Dean's offered arm at the bottom. She smiled at him as they stood by the wall to watch the others join their dates.

Parvati was next in her royal blue spaghetti-strap dress. Parvati's hair was down allowing in to cascade down her back like a ebony waterfall. Her fingernails and toenails watched her dress perfectly as did her makeup. She woke a gorgeous two karat diamond necklace and matching one karat diamond earrings. She unconsciously flipped her hair back from her face as she began to walk down the steps smiling at Seamus' spellbound face. She soon joined him at the end of the steps and they took their places next to Lavender and Dean.

Luna appeared at the top of the stairs next in her yellow backless dress with a huge smile. Her dress hit the floor with a short train flowing behind. Luna's makeup was done expertly accenting her smile and her loving eyes. Her hair was done in an upside down french braid with the top in tight, spiral curls. She did a quick turn at the top of the stairs loving the stunned reaction she was getting from her date, Ron. She began walking down the steps only to reach the second to last one and trip. She began to fall forward, but Ron caught her and effortlessly carried her over to where ther other couples were standing.

After a few more seconds, Ginny appeared at the top of the stairs in her dark green, very form-fitting dress. She had her hair done in tiny french braids all the way around her head coming together in a beautiful bun in the middle. She had an emerald, heart choker and a bracelets that matched. Her makeup was done slightly more extravagant that Luna's but not quite as pronounced as Lavender's of Parvati's. She glided down the stairs towards Harry with a shy smile on her face and a gleam in her eyes. When she reached him he offered her his hand and a smile. She quickly took the hand and returned a smile of her own.

"You look…amazing." he whispered as he led her to where his best friend and Luna stood.

Once they were settled into line everyone turned their eyes to the top of the stairs for one last time. Draco looking as if he was going to be sick from having to wait for so long began bouncing on the balls of his feet in anticipation. After about a minute of waiting Draco turned to Ginny. She met his eyes and shrugged. She then glanced away and smiled. Draco quickly turned his attention back to the stairs and saw Hermione appearing out of the shadows of the room. She stared intently at the floor as she began walking towards the top of the stairs.

Hermione's dress was the light blue color of ice with gleaming diamond straps that crisscrossed all the way down her back. The dress went just past her knees and belled out at the bottom with it's many other layers. Her shoes were silver with more diamond straps that went around her ankle. She was wearing a silver necklace with a single small diamond hanging from it and she had match earrings that dangled down three inches from her ear. She had very light makeup on to extenuate her features. Her hair was done in a simple bun with a couple loose curls left down to frame her face.

Hermione continued to stare at her feet as she slowly walked down the steps, not noticing that every boy in the room was staring at her with mouths hanging open. When she reached the bottom of the steps she finally looked up to see Draco standing there with a dumbfounded look on his face. She gulped and asked, "Do I look okay?" She blushed but refused to look away.

Draco opened his mouth and closed it several times before he finally just had to nod.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

He nodded again and snapped out of his trance. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat. "You look stunning…" he said before taking a bow and offering her his arm. "May I have the EXTREME privilege of escorting a lady as beautiful as you to the dance?" he asked in a suave voice.

Hermione smiled and took his arm. They then followed the others to the carriages that awaited them outside the Entrance Hall. Each couple got into their own carriage and they were off to Hogsmeade.

Dinner went great. The boys were perfect gentlemen and everyone was laughing and having a great time. Pretty soon, they were all finished and piling back into the carriages for the dance.

Hermione and Draco danced the night away. Slow songs, fast songs, any song. Soon, Hermione was exhausted. She loved dancing with Draco but boy was it tiring. Draco, noticing this, had just walked off to get them some punch leaving her standing and watching Harry and Ron dance with their dates. She got lost in her thoughts and soon Draco was standing in front of her smiling.

"Here, I got you this rose." Draco said holding out a deep red rose. She smiled and reached for the beautiful flower. As soon as she touched it she felt that familiar pull behind her naval and knew that it was a portkey. But why would Draco use a portkey. She thought as she traveled to her unknown destination.

Next thing she knew, her feet hit the ground and she immediately realized that she was in the forbidden forest. "Draco, what are we doing here?" she asked as she looked around. When he didn't answer she turned to look at him. Only it wasn't him, it was…

"Dad! How did you get here? You're a muggle. Muggles can't…"

"Do you honestly think that you were raised by MUGGLES? Your mum and I aren't muggles. We were cast out of the wizarding community and forced to live as muggles for the rest of our lives just because we massacred a few hundred muggles. If it hadn't been for your precious Dumbledore we would have been able to serve a few years in Azkaban and then continue our lives, but HE thought that we should have to live as the people we despised so much. HE also thought that we should have to raise a muggle daughter and if we so much as slipped up with you once, the dementors could have us. We did what we were told. We pretended to be people that we were not, and now I am finally free of my sentence and I am going to KILL YOU!" he yelled as he charged at her.

Hermione screamed and began running for her life. "DRACO!"

AN-Sorry that so many things go wrong to Hermione, but I love all of the drama and excitement…you know how it is…Oh and sorry that it is such a short chapter…I just love cliffies… MUAHAHAHA! I will update as soon as my schedule will allow. Maybe as early as this weekend…