A/N: Just wanted to give a short shout out to some of my awesome reviewers

Marajade (of course): You're great chica! It's so awesome to have such a wonderful fan, keep the great reviews coming!

Jade (green eyed phantom): yea lol, I tend to type pretty fast once I know where I want to go. I try to update at LEAST once a week (sometimes more depending on how fast my creative juices are flowing at the time).

Toe: luv ya girl! MUAH, thanks for coming to check it out! I'm glad you like it!

Belj: wow that was like the most awesome review I've ever read...i almost cried! It feels so wonderful to hear that i've helped to inspire someone to write their own stories. OH and yes i felt the same way about all the "Ron" being the bad guys fics..it was getting somewhat annoying honestly. Seriously, why does everyone seem to hate Ron so much? I know me personally never liked Ron and Hermione together but I'm not Jo Rowling so I suppose my opinion doesnt count for jack LOL! Please keep coming back and reviewing, it helps keep me inspired!

One last note: to any of my readers who dont like coming to the site and checking every other day to see if there are new updates, if you leave me a review with your email address i will be happy to send you a note everytime i update so that you wont have to continually check back. OR if you arent comfortable with leaving your email where anyone can see it, you can email ME at ... just leave your name and login name for here and i'll make sure to keep you updated!

Oh I almost forgot--The song in this chapter is When Love and Hate Collide by Def Leppard (perfectly fitting for Draco and Hermione dont you think lol?)

MUAH! Love You All! XOXOXO

Kairi-Jade

Chapter 16: The New Years Eve Masquerade

Saturday morning, Hermione awoke in her head girl bed. But for some reason she couldn't exactly remembering getting into bed. She thought back roughly to the night before and remembered: she had been snogging heavily with Harry, then gotten into a fight with Harry, then was being comforted by Draco…that's it. Draco. He must have put me back in bed last night. Hermione sat up in her bed, stretching to wake up. Her lovely stretch didn't last long because not even a moment later she could hear a loud knocking coming on the portrait hole for the heads dormitories. After about another minute, she could still hear the knocking and was gingerly climbing out of bed when she heard Draco's voice answering the door. As soon as she heard that, she heard a loud thumping of footsteps come running through the dormitory and before she realized what was going on, her door burst open to reveal a very awake, very chipper Ginny Weasley.

"Ugh, come on sleepy head! Time to get up! It's a Hogsmeade weekend…we've got to go dress shopping for the new years thing!" Ginny called, rushing over and dragging her friend out of bed.

"Man, Ginny, what time is it?" Hermione asked, sleepily rubbing her eyes and stretching again.

"It's nine already…come on hurry up and get dressed. The carriages leave in 30 minutes!" Ginny said, too cheerfully, as she darted to Hermione's closet looking for something for the sleepy-eyed girl to wear.

Forty-five minutes later, the carriages were clambering into Hogsmeade and the eager students were climbing out. Hermione's feet had barely touched the ground when her red-haired best friend was dragging her down the street to the dress shop. Feeling a sense of deja-vu, Hermione remembered that this was the same shop she had purchased her Halloween gown in. Deciding that it would be wisest to humor her best friend, she sighed and gingerly began combing through the racks, looking for something to catch her eye.

After what seemed like an eternity, Ginny popped her head around the rack that Hermione was looking through holding up a long black gown. It was some-what low cut, held up by thin, shimmery, black straps. The entire gown seemed to shimmer. It fell to the floor in a simple, flowing skirt, that looked like it would hug every curve. Ginny turned the gown around and Hermione saw the back…it was almost completely backless, coming to a rounded seam that looked like it would just barely cover her ass.

"Come on 'Mione, you have so got to try this on!" Ginny threw the gown happily at her friend who was still standing there in awe and shoved her roughly into the back room where the dressing booths were.

"Wow 'Mione, you look gorgeous! You have definitely got to get that one! Harry will die when he sees you!" Ginny commented when Hermione stepped out of the booth. She took a quick glimpse of herself in the full length mirror. Wow, this really does look good. Hermione thought to herself. 'sigh' Hopefully the masquerade wont be such a disappointment after all.

The last two weeks before the masquerade seemed to fly by like a blur. Harry apologize furiously to Hermione for his actions and his words that night in her room. After a couple attempts, Hermione finally gave in and accepted his apology, but anyone, even Harry could tell that something was different with Hermione. Her heart just didn't seem to be in anything anymore. Draco and Hermione were on speaking terms again and they quickly finished up their plans and turned them into McGonagall right on time, a full week before the gala. They had decided that they would have muggle music, something that Hermione had to fight for a little, but she finally got her way…with the only stipulation being that Draco had to get at least three dances with her. They were also having muggle formal attire, which wasn't much of a problem because most of the boys owned regular suits as well as their dress robes and those who didn't could usually borrow something from a half-blood or muggle-born friend. The atmosphere would be very enchanting. Night sky with stars twinkling overhead of course, but they also wanted enchanted fairy lights surrounding the Great Hall to give it that "enchanted" feel. The small round tables would be decorated with soft black tablecloths and silvery overlays to give off a sparkly look. Each table would also house a single silver candle, entranced to stay permanently lit for the night and not drip wax. After they finished all of their plans, Hermione was more relaxed and happy with her choice of dress since it was black and would match the décor brilliantly. Harry had asked her to the ball, of course, and she could tell he was mildly crushed when she informed him that McGonagall had told her that she and Draco must accompany each other. His mood lightened however when she reminded him that it didn't mean they had to be together the whole time.

Harry had been watching his girlfriend carefully over the weeks leading up to New Years Eve. He could tell that she was still hurt over the fight they had had in her dormitory but she was trying her best not to show it. She seemed usually solemn and half-there, as if her mind was really off somewhere else but whenever he or Ron mentioned it to her, she would simply shrug it off, saying that she was just worried about how everything would turn out at the gala. What Harry didn't mention to anyone else, however, was that he saw her and Draco exchanging subtle looks and smiles more often than not, whether they were in the Great Hall or in classes. Harry also noticed that it appeared that Hermione was happier whenever Draco seemed to be around. Harry loved her, that much was true, but he also knew deep down that as much as Hermione played the happy girlfriend, she was miserable. He couldn't stand to see his best friend miserable, so the night before New Years Eve, he went in search of Draco to talk to him. He finally spotted him down near the kitchens about an hour before curfew.

"Malfoy! Hey, Malfoy!" Harry called to the blonde Slytherin who was walking away from the kitchens. Draco stopped and turned around to see who was calling him.

"Potter. What do you want?" Draco asked warily, still angry with Harry not only for taking Hermione away from him but also because of the "incident" that happened with Hermione a couple weeks prior. Harry rushed down the corridor to where Draco was standing.

"Listen, Malfoy, I have a favor to ask of you." Harry started. "It has to do with Hermione." Draco's ears perked up slightly at Hermione's name.

"I am not doing you any favors, Potter. Haven't you done enough to me already?" Draco said, even though he was slightly curious as to what 'favor' Harry would be asking him concerning Hermione.

"Look, I've been watching 'Mione for the past couple weeks and I've noticed the way she looks at you. Trust me this is not easy for me to admit but it's fairly obvious that she loves you, Malfoy." Harry said, looking rather uneasy. Draco laughed uneasily at Harry's reaction.

"Good one, Potter. As much as I would like that to be true, it's obvious to me that she doesn't. Or at least not as much as she loves you because otherwise A) she would not have chosen you over me and B) she wouldn't have gone back to you after that little stunt you pulled a couple weeks ago." Draco said, the evidence of his heartache appearing in his words.

"Hey it's not like I like it but it's obvious. The way she looks at you, the way she seems to become somewhat elated every time you're around. I'm not a genius Malfoy, but I'm not stupid either. And as much as I love her, I have to let her go. She deserves to be happy and even if…gods forbid…that means her being with you then I have to let her. So just do me this favor alright?" Harry said hurriedly, trying to get it all out before he lost his nerve.

"Fine, Potter. Whatever." Draco answered casually.

"Take care of her. Because so help me, Malfoy, if I ever find out you hurt her, I'll make the rest of your life a living hell. Got it?" Harry said seriously, eying Draco for a response.

"Loud and clear, Potter. Now, is there anything else I can do for you or can I leave?" Draco said, still slightly unsure of exactly what was going on. Harry eyed him cautiously for a moment and then nodded his head and turned to walk off in the other direction.

The evening of the New Years Eve gala had finally arrived and Hermione had invited Ginny to get ready with her in her Head Girl dorm. Immediately following dinner, while the prefects set up for the underclassmen party, Ginny ran with Hermione back to the Heads dormitories. It was only going on 7pm and the gala didn't start until 9 but given they were both excited teenage girls, they figured they'd need all two hours to get completely ready. After they each took their individual showers they returned to Hermione's room and slipped into their gowns. Hermione looked herself over in the full length mirror and found that, at least in her opinion, the dress was still as exquisite as it was in the store when she had first tried it on. She laughed to herself for a moment thinking about what was going through her mind when she bought the dress…Damn, Draco is going to go absolutely crazy when he sees me in this. Wait a minute! Why am I thinking about Draco? I'm with Harry now! She had scolded herself. Ginny came around the conjured divider at that moment looking rather beautiful herself in a pale yellow spaghetti-strapped dress. It was very simple with delicately embroidered pink flowers etched into the skirt but on Ginny it looked lovely.

"Wow, Gin, you look beautiful!" Hermione beamed at her friend.

"Me? Damn 'Mione, you're gonna knock Harry's eyes right of his head in that!" Ginny giggled girlishly.

The girls noticed that there was only about an hour left before the gala started, and being Heads, Hermione and Draco were required to be there fifteen minutes early. The quickly sat down and got to work doing their hair and makeup. Hermione, who wasn't all that good in the makeup department asked Ginny to help her out and by the time she was done, Hermione looked like a beautiful goddess instead of just an innocent bookworm. Ginny had pinned her brilliant red hair back with a delicate yellow rose pin, curling the ends that fell around her shoulders. Hermione on the other hand had decided to go all out and straightened her luscious golden-brown locks, pulling them into an elegant half-French twist, allowing the rest of hair to cascade dramatically to her shoulders from the top of the twist. She added a few sparkling diamond pins to her hair to add to the elegant look and curled the ends of her long hair in intricate spirals. She then pulled on sparkly black gloves that went up slightly past her elbows and matched her gown perfectly since the gown itself had a trail of silver glitter that spiraled around her skirt from her right hip to the floor.

Taking another quick glance at the clock she saw that it was about 20 minutes until nine which gave her five short minutes to make her way downstairs to the Great Hall. Hastily shoving her feet (to which she had magically given herself a French pedicure---French tips on her toes) into her strappy, black, open-toed heels, she grabbed her shimmery black clutch bag, shoved her wand into it and she and Ginny made their way out into the common room. As soon as they walked through her door, they heard knocking on the portrait. Opening the door, they found Harry standing there in a stunning black tuxedo suit (minus the bow-tie). He was holding a beautifully delicate yellow and pink rose corsage for Ginny and a single red rose for Hermione. He stood there for a moment gaping at the two beautiful woman before stepping through the door. Harry and Ginny were going to the gala 'together' since Hermione was 'forced' to accompany Draco thanks to McGonagall's idea to promote house unity. Slipping the corsage on Ginny's wrist, he gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek and told her how lovely she looked. Ginny thanked him and, realizing they had left their masks in the bedroom rushed out of the common room, leaving Hermione and Harry alone for a moment.

"You look absolutely stunning tonight 'Mione." Harry said, leaning in to give her a soft kiss.

Harry knew that tonight would be the end of their relationship. He had decided before talking to Draco the night before that it would be for the best if he and Hermione broke things off because Harry knew deep down that Hermione and Draco loved each other and, being her best friend, Harry couldn't stand to be in the way of her happiness. He had it all worked out….he would tell her during the last song before midnight. He even had arranged for a special song to be played for their 'last dance' together and then he would hand her over to Draco. Hermione looked into his bright green eyes and saw that they were filled with sadness, even though he was smiling at her.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Hermione asked concernedly.

"Nothing," he answered, shaking his head and giving her a small smile. "Just thinking about tonight and what a special night it's going to be." Hermione looked him curiously for a moment but before she could say anything else, Ginny returned with their masks, hers pale yellow and Hermione's a shimmery black of course. They all donned their masks and charmed them to stay in place before heading out the portrait hole and down to the Great Hall, both girls linking arms with Harry. They reached the top of the staircase leading to the Great Hall when Hermione suddenly stopped. Right there, waiting at the bottom was Draco.

He had gotten ready for the gala in the Slytherin dorms, mostly because he didn't want it to seem like Hermione was actually his "date", even though he wished more than anything that she was. He was wearing a very sleek looking black suit with a collar-less silver shirt underneath. His platinum blonde locks were hanging dramatically around his eyes which were concealed by a deep black mask. He was holding a red rose and silver ribbon corsage. He looked up when he heard them at the top of the stairs and as he did, he locked eyes with Hermione. They gazed at each other for what felt like forever, their eyes locked together in a trance until Harry's voice shook Hermione from it.

"Everything alright 'Mione?" Harry asked. He knew very well what was wrong with her however. He wasn't stupid after all. This was the whole reason behind his conversation with Draco the night before and his decision to end their relationship. Hermione snapped out of her minuet trance and nodded to Harry, giving him an innocent smile. The three of them headed down the stairs to where Draco was waiting.

"You're late." Draco said to Hermione, a small smile playing on his lips.

Wow, she's absolutely breathtaking. God I miss her so much. Draco thought to himself, giving Hermione a quick once over with his eyes.

He snapped himself back to reality and shoved the corsage into her hands much rougher than he had intended to. Draco watched as Harry gave Hermione a soft kiss on her cheek, whispering that he'd see her later. He held out his arm to Hermione who took it cautiously and the two Heads made their way through the crowd of students that were waiting outside the double doors. The doors opened magically, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful Great Hall which already contained a large number of underclassmen who were still enjoying the last hour of their party. Professor McGonagall, who was standing up on the professor's dais (the raised part of the room that normally held the professor's table), quieted the hall as the double doors opened and announced the Head Boy and Girl. Hermione stole a look up at Draco who met her eyes for a moment before the two made their way into the hall. As soon as they entered, the rest of the upperclassmen who were waiting behind them filed their way into the hall as well, some giving off excited gasps at the decorations which were slightly milder than those that Hermione and Draco had planned. At ten o'clock, when the underclassmen were told to return to their common rooms, the hall would magically take on the deeper enchanted décor that Hermione had fought for.

Hermione and Draco made their way to the center of the room and the other students cleared a large space for them. McGonagall had decided that when the upperclassmen arrived, the Head Boy and Girl would give the 'first dance' signifying the start of the older student's gala. A soft spotlight lit up on the pair as a soft ballad began playing. Hermione felt Draco's arm slink around her waist tightly as his other hand slid into hers. She looked up at him and their eyes locked as the began moving rhythmically to the music, even though neither of them could really hear it since they were so lost in each other for the moment. Neither spoke, they just moved together, staring into each others eyes as the gentle rock ballad played on in the back ground.

I don't wanna fight no more , I don't know what we're fighting for
The way we treat each other, baby , like an act of war
I could tell a million lies, and it would come as no surprise
When the truth is like a stranger hits you right between the eyes

There's a time and a place and a reason
And I know I got a love to believe in
All I know got to win this time

Hermione got lost in the music and, like second-nature, leaned her head on Draco's shoulder as he leaned softly on her head, his arm pulling her closer instinctively. She missed the feeling of his arms around her, the scent of his cologne filling her nostrils was like heaven to her. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to get lost in the feeling again.

"I miss you." Draco whispered in her ear. Hermione lifted her head and looked into those crystal silvery-blue eyes again, feeling her own honey-brown ones filling with tears. They got lost in each other's eyes again as the song continued to play to the end.

Without you
One night alone, its like a year without you, baby
Do you have a heart of stone

Without you
One night alone, its like a year without you, baby
If you have a heart at all

Without you
Can't stop the hurt inside
When love and hate collide

The song finished softly, unknown to the two of them. After a moment, they realized that the song had changed and that the people around them had started to file onto the dance floor as well. They stopped moving and stared into each others eyes, oblivious to what was going on all around them. Finally, their connection was broken when Harry tapped on Hermione's shoulder.

"Okay, 'Mione, song's over." Harry said smiling. "Can I have you back now?" He took her hand from Draco's and pulled her away. Hermione glanced behind her at Draco again, who was still watching her, and then turned and followed Harry to a near-by table. Hermione sat down while Harry went to get them a couple butterbeers. He returned a moment later with their drinks and sat down beside her.

"Everything alright 'Mione?" Harry asked as they were drinking. "You seem a little distracted."

Harry knew very well what was wrong with his girlfriend. She was in love with someone else, even though she didn't want to admit it, and she was just 'forced' to dance very closely with said person. Harry had watched them closely during the opening dance. He saw the fire that danced between them and the passion as they locked eyes. As much as Harry still hated to admit it, there was no way she would ever feel that way about him.