"Hermione. Ginny did you a good turn, that dress is spot on." Ron said, looking her up and down. Draco looked affronted. Luna giggled.
"Draco, don't look so angry. Ron's only stating the truth." Hermione stood up and hugged her. "Luna, you are too kind. You look quite well yourself. Magenta agrees with you." And oddly enough, it did. Ron interrupted their gabbling effectively by saying "Look, herms, there's a complete wanker on the other side of the room that's been eyeing you since you walked in the door. He wants me to escort you over to him. He's pretty sure that Draco would punch him if he tried to come over here." Hermione looked at Draco uncertainly. Draco waved his hand in a gesture that meant 'go to him'
"Don't worry, Hermione, I'll entertain myself until you return." with that, She took Ron's arm, and they went to the back of the room, where Harry Potter stood in a corner, looking awkward, and nervous.
"Hello, Love. I've got some explaining to do, haven't I?" He asked with a crooked smile. Hermione nodded mutely. Harry held out his elbow.
"Walk with me?" He pleaded. She let go of Ron, and took his arm. Ron left and they strolled out of the ballroom.
"You look amazing Hermione, you really do." At this unexpected compliment, all of Hermione's anger and fury welled up in side her. She wrenched away from him and glared so dangerously that he actually faltered in his steps.
"Harry James Potter! Where in the bloody hell have you been in the last month? I know you're busy , I don't even care if you have a girlfriend" Harry blanched at these words "Wait, how did you know that?" Hermione scoffed, a hand on her hip
"You're the boy who lived, everyone knows who you're snogging. Anyway. Ron has two side deals going besides playing on the Cannons with you. And he's popped over four times since I've moved. It's not exactly like travel time would be a burden for you. I hope to heaven you have a very good reason for ignoring me, because I feel very strongly right now that what you need is a dose of your own medicine. I've half a mind to walk back to Draco and not say another bloody word to you." She finished, breathing heavily. Harry took her hand and rubbed it, a very contrite look on his face.
"Look, I started dating Parvati, and every time I planned to go se you she would tell me you owled while I was at work and you were very busy, and sorry but could I come another time. I was horribly stupid, she confessed tonight when you and Draco showed up that those letters were made up, and I feel bloody awful-"Hermione cut him off as she jumped on him, hugging him as tightly as she could.
"You sodding idiot. You trust everyone, don't you." She said into his chest quietly.
"Don't worry, I broke it off with her an hour ago." He mumbled into her hair. She leaned back and looked into his emerald eyes.
"I'm sorry, Harry. Things never seem to go your way, do they?" He laughed and rubbed her jaw line with his index finger.
"I've grown up that way, I'm used to it." Hermione looked down, and he tilted her chin back towards him.
"Hermione-are you with Draco? Is that why you moved? I miss having you here, Hermione. I want you to come back to London. Why can't you just floo to work?" She sighed and rubbed his back.
"Draco is paying for my office space, he's bought me a car and pays for my apartment. That's why I left. The salary increase alone…a healer makes a lot of money, but head of a department is something else again." Harry laughed.
"Is that all that's keeping you there? You can live at my house, I own four cars, and, and, well, you don't have to work if you don't want to. Ever." It was Hermione's turn to laugh.
"Somehow I don't think your wife would appreciate that very much." She pinched his cheek and moved out of his arms.
"Well, why don't you just take a little time off, and come see me? I promise it'll be loads of fun." Hermione scowled .
"I haven't been at work six months, and you want me to take a vay cay? Are you dotty"
"Please?" Harry moaned as he grabbed her hand to stop her walking back to the ball room.
Hermione looked back to see his infamous puppy dog face.
"You're so pathetic." She laughed in a gentle way.
"I'll talk to Draco." She said curtly, and held out her hand so he could take her back to her date. As they walked through the ball room Harry was talking very fast between his teeth.
"Hermione, are you sure you want to be left alone with this little cad? I can whisk you over to my table you know, not too far from here." Hermione discreetly elbowed him in the ribs and smiled widely as a pained expression crossed his face.
"Draco is a complete gentleman with me, and I need to butter him up if I'll ever get anytime off to see you"
"Alright. Bye for now, love." Hermione murmured her good byes as he kissed her cheek, winked at Draco, and left abruptly. Draco was looking to be in a very nasty mood indeed.
"Tell me that wanker didn't talk his way out of whatever it was he did to you." Draco said indignantly. Hermione laughed and took a seat beside him.
"Actually, he did. And he's not a wanker, don't call him that. I don't let him call you that"
"I'm different. Besides I can call him that if I want, it's his middle name, isn't it? Harry 'wanker' Potter? Even Ron called him that." Hermione laughed even louder. "No, it's James, and I'll thank you to remember he's a good friend of mine." She said as the wizamongot proceeded to stand around the podium, and waited for quiet to begin to hand out awards.
After the pomp and circumstance, Draco led Hermione to the middle of the dance floor. They danced four dances until Hermione requested a break, so Draco went to get her a drink. After she rested a bit, she danced with Neville Longbottom, an old friend from school, Ron, and then Draco…until someone tapped his shoulder. She looked up to see Harry smiling back at her.
"May I cut in?" He asked politely. Draco muttered something under his breath that sounded like 'miserable git' and Harry squeezed in between them "I'll take that as a yes." Hermione grinned at him as he led her to another part of the floor.
"Why do you enjoy that so much?" She laughed. He simply looked down at her and said "Because I can. I'm making up a month I lost with you, while you saw that wanker everyday"
"Don't call him that. I don't let Draco call you that. In fact I scolded him about that an hour ago"
They swept gracefully around the dance floor much to Hermione's surprise.
"When did you learn to dance, Mr. Potter?" she asked, bemused. He chuckled as he dipped her slowly and brought her back up.
'Well, you know Ginny and I were together, and she's such a little social butterfly…she forced me to take lessons. I didn't want to be on the receiving end of one of her bat bogeys." He shuddered. Hermione glanced over at Ginny, who was dancing with Draco.
'Yes, she is quite admirable with hexes. You did good, anyway. It paid off for you, right? Look at us-you haven't stepped on my toes once!" Harry smiled at her in response. Suddenly, he leaned closer to her, and Hermione could tell he was trying to breathe in her scent.
"It seems like it's been forever, Mione. I didn't realize how much I'd miss you until you weren't there." He was way too close. She could see the flecks of silver in his emerald orbs, smell his aftershave. His lips were mere inches from her own. She felt completely overwhelmed by his sheer presence. It was odd, a feeling she's never had before. She also had the strangest feeling that Harry wanted to kiss her. 'rubbish' she thought quickly. 'This is your best friend. There's no way he'd look at you that way. He's the most eligible bachelor in England'
"Hermione?" Draco interrupted what was becoming a very strange situation, indeed. Harry looked ready to kill. Hermione lifted her gaze to Draco.
"Yes?" Draco eyed her oddly, then said quietly "We have to be getting back. I need to go over our annual reports. The American division isn't as well on their feet as England." Hermione let go of Harry, but his grip on her waist never loosened.
"I need to tell Ron and Luna goodbye. I'll meet you at the atrium?" she said innocently. Draco nodded shortly and strode off. Harry hugged her so tightly that he lifted her off the ground. When her feet touched the ground again, he kissed her forehead gently.
"Please come back." he whispered. She stroked his hair and nodded. She turned to look for Ron, and when she turned back to ask Harry if he had seen him, he was gone.