Chapter 22: Examing and dancing
The weekend ended quickly, and many sixth year students were prepared to take their first exam: Potions. In Sixth year, each exam was a demonstration of your knowledge without help from a text book or a teacher, and instead of the judges for the OWLs, they preformed their knowledge for the professor to see if they were fit to move to Seventh Year, double potions: extended, in the next semester (if they chose to) or would have to repeat this course.
Hermione was about the calmest person standing outside of Snape's dungeon-like classroom. She stood with her final assignment of Dreamless Sleep Potions in her hands and smirked at Harry and Ron who were oblivious as to where Blaise was with their project and also unaware of half of the ingredients that made a Calming Potion.
Hermione was certain she knew everything there was to know about a calming potion and was therefore ready for whatever Snape had to throw at her. She was confident that she would do Outstanding on this demonstration exam. The rest of the students however looked nervous, very nervous but it only fed to Hermione's confidence. Harry and Ron were pacing trying to remember things; quizzing each other on their knowledge.
"No, Harry that's wrong because if the rose pedals aren't alive they have no affect," Ron said.
Hermione couldn't take it any more and stepped between the both of them. "No, both of you; the rose pedals must be dead, withered and calm like the dead and rested. Live rose pedals are what you see in a stimulant potion. Live rose pedals ruin this entire potion. You must remember that," Ron and Harry both began to worry; Hermione sighed, "and for Merlin's sake, testing each other before an exam is the first cause of stress. You will forget everything you have been capable or remembering so you should stop before it gets any worse,"
They nodded and agreed but began testing themselves once again, whispering under their breath what they thought needed to be done. Hermione shook her head and smiled, those were her best friends. They didn't know much about Potions, but than again they were also oblivious about her Friday night excitement. She felt bad for not telling the people who knew her best, but she knew it was for the best right now if they didn't know.
"Hello Hermione," Hermione felt a nervous surge rush through her self as she turned her vision from Harry and Ron to the person who spoke, Draco. Before she could say anything; he said, "Did you bring our project?"
"Oh, yes. Yes, of course," Hermione said lifting up the bundle of parchment in her hands.
"Are you as nervous as I am for the exam?"
Hermione smiled slightly and shook her head, "some how I managed to study this weekend. Didn't you?"
"Oh of course, my whole weekend was strictly…studying," He said flashing a grin at her.
Hermione was turning crimson but then the large dungeon door opened, revealing Snape; Hermione turned her attention to the professor, but not everyone's chatter desisted.
"Am I to understand there are some Sixth Year students that do not wish to pass my class?" Snape asked the few students of both Slytherin and Gryffindor who had not stopped talking, but at these words they fell silent. Snape gave a pleased grin, "You will file into the class room, your seats have been assigned and your name will be labeled on your stool. There will be two to a table, each of different houses and there will be no talking; if you wish to pass, that is. You will not be able to begin until I receive your last project. So I will call you by your group names and then you shall file into the room. Once the door is closed you will write down the ingredients you need on the parchment given on your seat. Once I give them to you, the exam will begin and you will have two hours to complete the assigned Potion." Snape took out a list of what seemed to be the names of the groups, "Malfoy and Granger," he called out first.
Draco and Hermione both stepped forward before Snape. Hermione gave Snape the project. Snape allowed them both entrance into the classroom. Pieces of parchment were set on each stool baring the names of the student assigned there. They each started at opposite ends and tried to find their names. They both arrived at the table in the very middle.
"Think I could look off your sheet?"
Hermione laughed quietly and picked up her slip of parchment and sat on the stool, "you wish,"
Draco shook his head, "the only thing I'm wishing for right now is-," Neville Longbottom and Pansy Parkinson walked in, "good luck Hermione," He said my name again…I hope he doesn't stop. She smiled and let out a deep breathe as she began to write down her ingredients.
Draco POV
"Good luck Draco," he heard her say. He smiled and began to write down his own ingredients. Potter, Weasley and Blaise now entered. Draco wondered why it took so long for each group to enter but sat there and waited, jogging his mind through the experiment. After what seemed like hours later, Snape shut the door and filed around every desk to pick up the pieces of parchment.
The ingredients they needed were distributed in an instant with some spell. Almost every one had different amounts of substances on their desks and many students sighed when they saw Hermione's, sure hers were the right ones. Even so they all made their Potions and after a long period of time they were exiting the Potions room. Hermione had cast him a partial smile, but they never got to talk for the rest of the week, and he really wanted to. She always seemed occupied with studying, tutoring, or any thing. He was always looking at her in each class to see where she left to and it was always her tower or the library and when she went to the library she was always with Potter or Weasley or any one else.
He couldn't wait to tell her about him joining her in the summer. It was just going to be him, her, Professor Gibbs and two other students. During that whole time they could talk and get to know each other better then they already knew each other.
But he never got a chance to speak with her. After Potions she went to help Potter and Weasley study for Astronomy. After the Astronomy exam she was tutoring in the library with Ginny and other 5th year students while studying for Arithmancy herself. The whole week it had impossible for them to see each other.
Now it was Friday night, a week since he had kissed her. All of the sixth year students were having a dance celebration in the Main Hall for finishing exams. Fifth years did have a celebration, but not with the sixth years. Seventh years were already done exams and had a week off before they would come back for their graduation from Hogwarts.
But this dance wasn't like normal ones. There was fast, techno-like music and the lights were shut off but there were light effects going on all around there. It was all controlled by Pierce Underhill, playing the records with his hands and every odd few minutes he would set the lights under a different spell. Draco recognized him as a past student here; he played for Hufflepuff's Quidditch team in Draco's second year which was Pierce's seventh. He was muggle born and his occupation seemed to be bringing muggle music to magic places.
Draco noticed Pierce was laughing and having so much fun with what he was doing, laughing and talking to the bemused McGonagall and spinning records and moving to the beat like all of the students. It probably wasn't much of a profitable job, but he seemed to enjoy it. Draco didn't even know what he was going to do. He always assumed he would do as his father said: a simple but profitable job while serving the Dark Lord. But all Draco wanted was to play Quidditch, he wondered if he could ever make that happen.
"Draco lets dance!" Pansy said over the loud music, jumping in front of him.
"Not now Pansy," Draco said, not ready to move from his seat. Other then noticing Pierce in the back of his mind he was wondering where in Merlin's name Hermione was.
"Oh Drakkie! Come on," And without his consent she dragged him up off the chair and into the middle of the dance floor. Draco seemed to catch on to what Pansy called "grinding" and "going low" but little did he want to do it with her. Why am I doing this? Draco wondered.
Pansy slowed down, "Kiss me Draco,"
"Uh-," Suddenly the volume of the music went down and everyone turned to Pierce. Draco practically jumped out of Pansy's arms.
"Good evening current pupils of the magnificent school of Hogwarts!" He said cheerfully, "You may not recognize me but I used to be a Hufflepuff student on the Quidditch team, and I hope you're enjoying your time here! I'm told you are all sixth year students, so make sure you are prepared for next year because it is the best year of them all! You get to do every and any thing, and after that...you're done! And the possibilities are endless with the education you have gained here!" Pierce laughed, "but enough about school, you're at a dance! The reason why I have stopped the music temporarily is, I'd like to interest you students in a Snowball"
The students began to question each other as to what this meant but he got their attention, "A snowball is very simple. I chose one girl and one boy to begin dancing the middle of the circle you will make in the middle of the dance floor. Once I say snowball, you chose different partners! Once the circle has filled; every one can then dance. But the selection of the students will be very different to what you might expect. You see, since I was schooled here there has always been a big rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor, not so much Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff so I would like to chose on Slytherin and one Gryffindor to begin.
"I have asked the dear Professor McGonagall," who he grinned to at the moment, "for some names to select, so here I go," Pierce reached into a bag beside his record player and pulled out a small piece of parchment, "from Slytherin House, do we have a Blaise Zabini?" The students all began to clear back and make a circle in the middle of the dance floor which Blaise stepped out into. Pierce picked another name and read, "And from Gryffindor House, a Hermione Granger?" The students all began to cheer as Hermione walked onto the middle of the dance floor, meeting Blaise. What irony…my best friend and my best girl.
"Now you two students, I will put the lights down a bit lower, start the music and after a few seconds I will say Snowball. Remember; try your best not to choose some one from the same house,"
Draco watched longingly as Hermione wrapped her arms around Blaise's neck. The lights went down and they began to slow dance. It was a bad excuse for proper dancing which Draco knew very well, but he was also sure that not many students in the school even knew what a proper dance was regardless of how some danced two years ago at the Yule Ball, this was no Yule Ball.
Hermione POV
Hermione met Blaise in the middle of the dance floor and he bowed to her. She laughed and curtsied and walked closer to him. Suddenly the lights fell again and a song she recognized began to play, it was "Feels Like Home" by a North American singer named Chantal Kreviazuk. She only knew this because she got her record as one of her presents last Christmas.
"Are you having a fun night Hermione?" Blaise asked.
"It's alright, and you?"
"Same, but I think Draco needs rescuing. I know it's probably still weird for you two, but when the guy says snowball, would you mind...? I know Draco wouldn't mind,"
Hermione laughed. She peered over Blaise's shoulder to see Pansy hanging over Draco she was a bit jealous but when he noticed her looking at him he smiled and so did she, "don't worry I can't wait to dance with him,"
Blaise laughed, "I can't believe you two, I am happy for you, but it's still hard to believe,"
"So are you Draco's Ginny?" Hermione smiled.
"Who else?" Blaise laughed.
Hermione laughed and Pierce called out: "snowball!"
"Thanks for the dance," Blaise said and headed towards where most Gryffindor girls awaited nervously. Blaise may have been a Slytherin, but mostly every girl appreciated his manners compared to other Slytherin guys.
Draco POV
Draco set his attention back to Hermione. Pierce said, "snowball," Draco watched Hermione as she began to walk towards him. He could hear Pansy begin to laugh loudly but when Hermione nervously held her hand out, he took it and followed her back out onto the dance floor. She put her arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"You know, this means I might have to dance with Pansy after this," Draco said, but not dreading it because right now he got to dance with Hermione.
"I thought I'd rescue you as long as I could," Hermione said.
"Thanks," Draco laughed.
"You're welcome," Hermione said, "want to talk later?"
"Definitely," He said.
Draco held her close as they danced and he really didn't want to let go. He would probably begin to kiss her if there just weren't so many shocked eyes on them, but he was still happiest he'd been all week just being close to her. He felt he could do that all night and not get tired or even drowsy, but then it ended with one word.
"Snowball,"
Hermione pulled away with a small smile, "See you later,"
"Yeah," Draco said, he couldn't wait. Then as she walked over to a shocked Harry Potter and they began to dance as Pansy appeared in front of Draco.
"Let's dance Draco!"
"Fine," Draco said, placing his hands on the middle of her back as she tightly locked her arms around his neck. Draco was happy when the Snowball was over, because the only girl he enjoyed dancing with was Hermione. It was pretty annoying when Pansy asked, 'so who cares if she wanted you to dance with her, why would you do it in the first place?'
Later in the night once Draco had escaped Pansy, he was over at the punch table with Blaise. Blaise handed him a cup of punch and they sat down at a table.
"Did you like dancing with her?" Blaise inquired over the music.
"I didn't want to let her go," Draco said loudly.
"Neither does Costin Watters," Blaise said pointing to Hermione and her dance partner.
"What are they doing?" Draco demanded.
"Dancing," Blaise answered.
"Oh," Draco said. He noticed Hermione pulling away from him and heading towards the punch table, "I need some punch," he said walking over to the table with a full cup of punch.
"Have fun," Blaise said watching a very determined Draco walk towards the table trying not to look obvious.
Hermione POV
"Costin," Hermione said, "Costin!"
"What is it My-ione?" Costin asked, pulling away.
"Um, I'm going to get some punch,"
"Oh, I'm thirsty too, I'll co-,"
"NO! I mean...you stay here and keep dancing," Hermione said with a big smile, "darling, I'll get it for you,"
"Ok," Costin said smiling.
Hermione sighed and practically ran to the punch table. She couldn't stand him! Costin Watters was her date for the dance. It was a surprise date arranged by Ron and Hannah and even Harry. They felt it was time for her, to experience at least one date before Seventh Year. So without her consent, Hannah asked Costin (another Hufflepuff who had apparently mentioned Hermione was cute).
But he was horrible and annoying. He was horrible at dancing, holding and even talking. He called her "My-ione". He explained that everyone calls her "Mione" and since he planned on dating her he could call her: My-ione. It was dreadfully annoying. Hermione sighed, she had had fun before the Snowball and even during but after they had been introduced it was hell. Harry had said she was being too picky about it, but the truth was she was interested in Draco! Not leaping into some thing she would find horrendous with Costin.
Hermione shrugged and picked up a glass cup at the punch table and began to pour punch. Unlike herself she almost wished it was spiked so she could get through tonight, even if it was she wouldn't be able to tell though, even at home with her muggle friends she hadn't done much 'partying'. She took a sip of her punch and noticed Draco walking to the other side of the table. She looked at the charmer in front of her and back at the crazy man who awaited her.
She waited till Costin looked away from her and walked to the other side of the table right in front of him and placed her cup on the table holding her hand up to him, "wanna rescue me again?" Draco smiled and put his glass down, he took her hand and together they walked passed all of the preoccupied students and teachers.