(So I decided to put two chapters up at the same time! This chapter is dedicated to Evan, even though I doubt he's going to read this. Read and Review, I think it's really good. Thanks to my BETA: A.N.L, check out her stories!)
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, song lyrics, etc, etc…. you get the point right? Good.
The month of October went by quickly and soon the night of the Halloween dance was upon them. All the students third year and up were invited. The students were allowed to go to Hogsmeade for costumes to wear though some had written home for them or had ordered them in catalogues. Everyone attending had a date, which might have been a result of the threats Draco and Hermione had made, saying that everyone dateless would be paired up by them. The students crowded in the Entrance Hall, craning their heads to see what the holdup was. Draco and Hermione stood guard at the doors that led to the Great Hall, waiting for everyone to come into the hall.
Hermione, whose bruises were now all healed, wore a Muggle costume of Elektra, the assassin from her favorite movie. In all red, she really stood out from the crowd. Especially because she always wore black. Draco stood next to her wearing a black cape. Hermione had chosen a costume for him at his request, and had picked the phantom from Phantom of the Opera. She had even temporarily dyed his black for the occasion. The effect was only slightly ruined by the fact that he kept complaining about how uncomfortable the mask was. Hermione stood up on a chair and tapped her throat with her wand.
"Sonorus." She muttered before addressing the crowd. "Can I have everyone's attention please?" Her voice, magically magnified, boomed out over the crowd. Everyone fell silent and turned to look at her. "Thank you. As a part of tonight's fun, we have created a haunted house for you. The actual dance will be held outside. To get outside you must first pass through the haunted house. Please form a straight line in front of me with your date beside you. If you do not have a date, we will find you one." There was some hushed muttering as everyone moved to form the line as she had requested. "Please do not go in until Draco or I ask you to. Please keep you wands in your pockets; do not attempt to curse the stuff in our house. Nothing inside there will hurt you; it is merely a result of illusions and spells. Thank you and enjoy your visit." She laughed briefly before stepping down and taking the charm off her voice. "You got the viewing spells ready?" She asked Draco, who nodded, looking down at the mirror he had charmed to follow the different couples through the house.
Hermione let the first couple into the haunted house, reminding them not to curse the things in the house. Hermione leaned over Draco's shoulder and looked at the mirror that displayed the young couple. "Remember," she murmured in his ear, "If they aren't scared enough, you can always move the lever up to increase the scare factor." Draco tugged at a lock of her hair that had fallen forward over his shoulder.
"I know what I'm doing, don't worry." Hermione grinned at him and a shrill scream came from inside the house.
"They went down the elevator?" She asked with a smile.
"No, even better." Draco replied quietly. "She went down and he got left behind." Hermione laughed.
"The next couple may enter."
The next hour went on a lot like that. Hermione recognized most of the students going through, although she had never seen some of them ever before. Harry and Luna came through; Harry dressed as a dragon, Luna as a unicorn. Even Hermione had to admit that they looked really funny. Ron came with a giggling Lavender clinging to his arm; Ron was dressed as a knight in a suit of armor, Lavender as a princess. Hermione "accidentally" bumped the lever on the control panel, and mysteriously enough, it went all the way up to high scare for them. She watched over Draco's shoulder, laughing as both Ron and Lavender screamed. Later in the night, she saw Ginny and Blaise together, Ginny dressed as a vampire, complete with fangs, and Blaise was dressed as a pirate (another one of Hermione's ideas. Honestly, boys were completely clueless when it came to choosing costumes.) Finally everyone had made it through and she and Draco sat alone in the Entrance Hall.
"Would you like me to work the haunted house so that you two may go through?" Hermione turned to see Professor Dumbledore standing behind them.
"Sure Professor, but do you know how to work it?" Dumbledore smiled at them, his blue eyes twinkling madly.
"I'm sure that I'll figure something out." Hermione smiled back at him and turned to Draco, who nodded. She pulled open the large door and both of them walked in. "Remember, no wands please." He said cheerfully as the doors shut. Draco took Hermione's hand as they gazed around at their creation.
"Why do I get the idea that he's going to change things around on us?" Hermione muttered to Draco.
"Because he is." Draco replied. They turned and walked up the cobweb and dust covered stairs in the darkened, silent room. Hermione jumped as the railing on the right side fell to the ground with a resounding crash. "Told you." Draco muttered. Hermione held Draco's hand tightly with her own as they reached the top of the stairs.
When they reached the top of the stairs they heard a screeching sound and a black cat stalked in front of them, hissing angrily. Its eyes glowed red before it turned into a bat and flew at them with other bats. As soon as the bats had flown off haunting organ music filled the room. Hermione looked at Draco.
"When he scares someone, he does it right." She said in awe. Draco smiled briefly, looking around for the elevator that should be right in front of them. There was a loud crack and they fell through the floorboards into a well-lit elevator.
"Leaving floor 100, doom, going to floor 1, death." A way too cheerful voice announced, as the doors slammed closed. Draco and Hermione glanced at the display as the elevator fell at a fast pace. They felt almost weightless as the elevator hurdled downwards. 100…99…98…97…96…95…all the way down to one. There was a crash and Draco and Hermione hit the floor of the elevator. They picked themselves up and walked out into the lower level.
Boom They turned to see flames and sparks flying from the elevator, as apparently it had exploded. Hermione turned her back to the fiery conflagration and screamed as a skeleton fell on top of her. She quickly pushed it away, one hand to her mouth. Draco put his arm around her and jumped as a spider fell down in front of his face. Hermione smiled weakly at that as they walked forward. Directly in front of them was a gigantic spider web, stretching across the hallway. They separated briefly to get around it and both fell forward into a maze of giant mirrors.
Hermione picked herself up from the floor and stared at her reflection in the mirrors. She quickly tucked her hair behind her ears as she contemplated this new challenge. She could not see Draco anywhere, and as she looked around she saw that she wasn't alone. In the mirror she saw a girl wearing a white shirt standing behind her. The girl's shirt was stained crimson with blood; her eyes were dark and hallow. She had dark stringy hair that fell around her face. Hermione spun around to see nothing. She quickly drew the blades that were a part of her costume, but they were real. With one held in each hand, she began walking forward. She heard a quiet laughing and spun around to come face to face with the girl. The girl smiled at her, raising a blood stained knife over her head. Hermione slashed at her, only to meet thin air. There was amused laughter as she spun around looking for the mysterious girl.
Elsewhere in the maze, Draco was wandering around with his arms outstretched in front of him. He wasn't really getting anywhere, and the flashes of red and back cloth at the corners of his vision and reflected in the mirrors weren't helping. He never could catch a glimpse of the wearer, so he dismissed it as part of the haunted house. He was considering just smashing all the mirrors when he heard a scream. Though he had only heard Hermione scream once before, he instinctively knew it was her. Remembering their link, he closed his eyes and concentrated on her and where she was in the maze. He kept his eyes closed as he walked with his arms in front of him. Finally, he heard breathing and opened his eyes to see Hermione sitting on the floor trembling. The knives from her outfit lay next to her as she rocked back and forth. Draco put his hand on her shoulder. She grabbed for her knife, but relaxed when she saw him. She put her knives away and stood. As she stood, the mirrors shifted and they walked out into the night air.
Soft music filled the air as couples danced on the lawn. Tables laden with food stood next to the band.
"Well, it appears that everything is going well." Draco said, looking around at the calm scene. "So I believe that you owe me a dance, my lovely assassin." Hermione smiled at him, recovering from her fright in the haunted house.
"Of course, my dear phantom." Draco took her hand and led her out to the makeshift dance floor. The band was playing requests, both magic and Muggle. Hermione recognized the song as the band began to play.Sometimes the snow comes down in June
Sometimes the sun goes 'round the moon
I see the passion in your eyes
Sometimes it's all a big surprise
'Cause there was a time when all I did was wish
You'd tell me this was love
It's not the way I hoped, or how I planned,
But somehow it's enough
Draco pulled Hermione close to him as they swayed with the music. Hermione rested her head on his shoulder as his hands held her close to him. She sighed peacefully, closing her eyes and storing away the memory forever. She felt so safe here in his arms, safer then she had ever felt before. She had danced with other boys before, but it had never felt like this. This was different somehow; she never wanted him to let go, she wanted the song to last forever. This was heavenly.
And now we're standing face to face
Isn't this world a crazy place?
Just when I thought our chance had passed
You go and save the best for last
Draco smiled as he held Hermione close to him. He could feel her breathe, feel every breath against his neck, was aware of each time her chest moved against his. They swayed back and forth together, his hands holding her as close to him as he could. He inhaled and could smell strawberry scent in her hair. This dance shouldn't end; he didn't want to let her go, he didn't want to move away from this angel.
All of the nights you came to me
When some silly girl had set you free
You wondered how you'd make it through
I wondered what was wrong with you
'Cause how could you give your love to someone else
And share your dreams with me?
Sometimes the very thing you're looking for
Is the one thing you can't see.
And now we're standing face to face
Isn't this world a crazy place?
Just when I thought our chance had passed
You go and save the best for last
Sometimes the very thing you're looking for
Is the one thing you can't see.
Sometimes the snow comes down in June
Sometimes the sun goes 'round the moon
Just when I thought our chance had passed
You go and save the best for last
You went and saved the best for last.
The song finally ended, but neither of them moved to pull away. They stood there in each others arms, drinking in the security they felt there. Finally, reluctantly, they each took a step back and stared at each other. Hermione stared into Draco's grey eyes and saw something that she had never expected to find in them. They smiled at each other and Draco hugged Hermione as other students bustled around them.
(Okay, so I lied, it wasn't longer, but still, good right? Thoughts, opinions? Review please! Update soon, I promise! Anne)