"So…Hermione. Have you given any thought to whom you're going to the ball with? It's tonight you know…" Ginny looked up at her friend hopefully.
"No Ginny, I have not given any thought whatsoever towards that ball. I have far too much to do to worry about something as adolescent as a ball. I mean honestly! Can you really see me dancing at a masked ball?" Hermione sighed and looked up at the younger girl. She was sure she'd had this conversation with her at least a dozen times before.
"But that's the point, Hermione!" Ginny rolled her eyes in pretend exasperation. "At the ball you can pretend to be someone your not, and no-one will know that your Hermione Granger, smartest girl at Hogwarts and book-worm extraordinaire! Don't you just want to loose yourself for just a little while? Plus, "Ginny's eyes sparkled with impending slyness, "you might just meet someone there who is looking for an intelligent, single girl who needs to let loose." Ginny stared at Hermione with pleading eyes. She smiled inwardly when Hermione sighed in defeat.
"If I say I'll go, will you get off my back about getting a boyfriend?" At this, Ginny squealed with excitement.
"Oh, Hermione, thank you, thank you, thank you! You won't regret this, I promise. I'm going to make you look so beautiful." Hermione groaned and allowed herself to be dragged up to the girls dorm room, wondering what she had gotten herself into. She had no idea that her fate would be decided that night.
That night, the Great Hall was alive with Hogwarts students, all fourth year and above, and all of them eager to spark a relationship, or make a current one that much more special.
Well, all but one irritated Gryfindor and a few hesitantly excited Slytherins.
Draco looked around the Great Hall-turned-ball-room with apparent distaste. To all around him he was the picture of cool nerves and elegance. He was proud of himself for not letting his nerves get to him, like Blaise so obviously done. The idiot boy was standing by the punch bowl drinking cup after cup of punch, even though no trace of alcohol had ever been anywhere near the thing.
One look at Pansy and her simpering friends however, almost brought Draco's pride crashing down.
Almost.
Draco sighed and looked around impatiently. He just wanted to get tonight over with. He adjusted his mask and silently thanked the gods that no one could recognize him. That way no one could prove that he was involved in these attacks, and his acceptance into the Death Eaters would be complete.
But the attack would not take place for another hour or two. So, in a fit of insanity, Draco decided to follow his Potion Master's advice, and went off to dance with the first girl he saw. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a girl standing near the door looking bored, and decided to go over and make her night just a little more interesting. If only for the sake of proving to everyone that he couldn't care less about that stupid, wonderful, precious little bint, Pansy Parkinson. As he approached the girl, he wondered who she might be. Her mask covered most of her face, but he had a clear view of her long brown hair and slender build. And she held her self with such poise and dignity that he assumed that she was a Slytherin that he had just never noticed before.
Hermione was on the verge of leaving when she heard a cool, self-assured, and slightly familiar voice whisper into her ear. Startled, she spun around, and saw a masked stranger standing at her side, seemingly appearing out of thin air. His mask covered his face and hair completely, but she was drawn to him instantly, for he seemed so calm and reposed. Without saying a word, she allowed herself to be taken into the strangers arms. As soon as she felt his embrace, she felt something change inside of her. Some deep, hidden emotion, undisturbed until now, came to life. Her logical mind tried to abandon this feeling, who could she possibly love someone who she didn't know? How could love be sparked from a simple touch? But, as they danced on, she began to realize that she was indeed in love with this man, as ridiculous as it seemed. And she had a sinking feeling that when the song ended she would not be able to let go.
Draco, usually so determined and confident, had no idea what was happening to him. He had simply taken the girl into his arms, and then…what? What was this longing he felt that took a hold of him just as he had taken a hold of the girl? This longing accompanied by a contented kind of peace, the knowledge that he was where he wanted to be, and that he would never let this girl, his true love, leave his side. He tightened his embrace and felt his love press closer to him. He looked down at her and opened his mouth, for he needed to know this girls name.
However, he was rudely cut of by the screams of the surrounding students. Realizing with a start that the attack had begun, Draco snatched his wand from his pocket and looked wildly around for his fellow Slytherins. He knew he was to participate in the attack, and root out all the Mud-bloods and Muggle lovers, but now that the fight had actually began, he was surrounded by confusion and terror; he was utterly lost. A thought flashed through his mind that maybe it wasn't such a good idea to attack at a masked ball, when he couldn't actually recognize any of the people he was supposed to attack. Spells were ricocheting of the walls, many missing their targets. The once peaceful room was filled with screamed curses and cries of fear. Hogwarts, once a safe haven to escape from war, had become a battlescene.
A scream from behind him brought him back to his senses. He spun around, and with horror he saw his love cowering in the corner, cowering under a large attacker, her wand tossed aside. He lurched forward with a cry and grabbed the young Death-Eaters arm.
"No! You mustn't! She's one of ours, leave her be." The child Death-Eater backed off, looking warily at Draco.
Once Draco was sure the danger was gone, he focused back to the girl, who was looking at him with a mixture of confusion and fear.
"You… you….you're…" She muttered incoherently, pointing at his head. With a start he noticed that in his frenetic state he had let his mask slip, revealing a lock of white-blond hair. Draco did not know why his hair was so significant to the girl, so he turned around to try and play his part of the attack, only to realize that the attackers were retreating. Towards the center of the crowd stood the Dark Lord himself, calling his adult followers to him.
"Our work here is through. Maybe now you will realize the serious of my campaign, and show me due respect and fear. Let us leave." And with that, Voldemort and his minions disappeared, leaving the survivors to deal with the carnage. After such a short battle, it was hard to believe the number of people lying on the ground wounded. From the far end of the Great Hall, Draco heard Ron Weasley screaming.
"Dad? Dad! DAD! Wake up! Stop lying there, get up, damn it, DAD! Dad, please, don't go…you can't go…Dad…."
Draco vaguely remembered overhearing Weasley telling Potter that his Dad was going to be chaperoning the dance, for safeties sake. As Ron was being dragged away from the body of his lifeless father, Draco turned his attention back to the girl whose life he had just saved. She was watching the scene with Ron as if she was in a state of confusion; like she really should be over there with him, but she did not want to leave the situation. Finally, with an air of resolution, she stepped towards Draco, removing her mask in the process.
Draco's mind flew out of his skull at the sight of Hermione Granger standing in front of him, mask clutched limply in her hand.
"No one else in Hogwarts has hair like yours, or has such an air of confidence around them." She smiled sadly, and looked at him with a mixture of sadness, determination, and love, and muttered, "Am I still one of yours, now that you know who I am?" before looking away, as if she were afraid of the answer.
Draco bowed his head and quietly slipped his mask of, trying to find the right words to answer such a simple, yet devastating question. After raising his head and looking into her eyes, Draco knew how he would answer Hermione.
"If you had asked me that same question a night ago, I would have laughed in your face. But now, now that I have held you in my arms, I know the truth. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. I have never seen anyone more beautiful that you. It matters not who your parents are. I love you, Hermione Granger." She was so beautiful. If he could make a girl like that his bride…
Hermione was staring at Draco with adoration in her eyes.
"I love you too, Draco. And I am sure that your intent is pure."
"Hermione? I wish to marry you. Life would not be worth living without you by my side." Draco knew the enormous impact his words would have but his mind was filled with nothing but his sudden and irrational love for Hermione; there was no room for him to contemplate anything else.
Hermione was having a civil war in her mind. While she felt that they were taking things too fast, and that this could have deadly consequences, she wanted nothing more than to agree to marry Draco, even if it was to be doomed. This marriage could unite the houses forever, and her yearning for peace amongst houses along with her blinding love for Draco determined Hermione's decision.
"Yes Draco. I will be your bride."
She took Draco's hand in hers, and they left the scene of destruction behind.
A/N: Hallo, so this is it! Terribly sorry it took so long to update, but I've been running low on inspiration. If Zvezdana hadn't been gently prodding me to get this chapter written, I'm not sure when I would have gotten it done. Although I am VERY upset at her insult to my grammatical skills. There, is, absolutely nothing. WrOnG with my; grammer? I, just cant: believe, she, would, say something, like that. Well, I'd like to point out that the reason they are moving so fast is because this is kind of a foolish love, and also the original Romeo and Juliet takes place over the course of like, four days. And I'd like to thank my English teacher for the civil war in the mind comment. And the rose by any other name comment is, of course, Shakespeare. That's all I have to say, except REVIEW! And now that I've got your attention, we really do need a Beta!
Buh bye --- Pointed Tooth Fairy