Chapter 23: Dreams and Dumb Dances
(Malfoy's POV)

"Granger?" Her eyes opened. "You alright?"

"You have the nerve to talk to me after what you just did?" She reached up and slapped me.

I was shocked. "Granger! I didn't do anything." I'd have to hit her back later.

"That's bullocks, Malfoy. And you'd better not tell anyone about it, either. Did I pass out? Why am I here?"

"Pass out? No, no. I just came down here from the castle. It's well past curfew. We're supposed to be in bed. You fell asleep."

She sat up slowly, rubbing the back of her head as though checking for bruises. "Hm. Must've been a dream," she murmured. I helped her to her feet and we started towards the castle. The lights had been put out inside, but there were still the torches by the front doors.

After a few minutes of walking in silence, I asked, "What were you dreaming about?"

She looked over at me, "Huh? Oh, nothing. I can't remember." She rubbed the back of her neck thoughtfully.

"Are you lying to me, Granger?" I asked playfully.

"NO!" she yelled. She swallowed hard, "Sorry. Umm. No. Well, yeah. I remember it, but would rather not share it right now."

"Well, how about tomorrow?" I teased, not expecting a response.

"Maybe," she stepped up ahead of me, pulling open the door and holding it open for me.

I nodded in thanks, and we proceeded to the common room without another word.

Sunday morning, or really, it was afternoon when I woke up. I made my way into the common room. There was some toast on my desk. Granger must've brought it up from breakfast. I munched on the toast and headed down to the Slytherin common room. I hadn't had time to change into my nightclothes before falling into bed.

Crabbe, Goyle, and Parkinson were in the common room. I wandered over and took a seat next to Pansy, putting my arm around her shoulder. "Where are Blaise and Diana?" I asked.

"They're snogging in Blaise's room." Pansy replied, shoving my arm off. She suddenly jumped up, "Wait! Oh, Dracee! Wait until you see my dress I'm wearing to the Ball tomorrow night!" Pansy ran off to the girl's dorms.

"She has more mood swings than Granger," I muttered to Crabbe and Goyle. They both grunted stupidly.

A few moments later, Pansy came prancing through the door to the girl's dorms and twirled around in front of me. Her dress was annoyingly pink. I mean, there's a colour pink, then there's the pink of her dress, which assaulted the senses.

"Well, what do you think?" She spun around, causing the dress to lift, showing her knickers to the entire common room.

"It's really short," I commented. The dress was so bloody short you could almost see her bum hanging out. It was a halter dress, and the neck was cut low to show off Pansy's best (only) assets. There were places ripped out around the torso to show off the navel and lower back.

"I know, isn't it gorgeous! I found it in the back of my mother's closet! She let me borrow it! Isn't this wonderful, Drakee-poo!" She plopped herself in my lap, causing the dress to rise up further, and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Um, yeah. It's nice, Pansy," I kissed her lightly on the cheek, trying to make it seem like I meant it.

She stood up and smacked me. "Don't get fresh with me, Draco Malfoy." Then she leaned down to whisper in my ear, "Save that for tomorrow night." She winked and walked back towards the girl's staircase as I tried my best not to cringe. She put a lot of effort in walking away, trying to sway her hips back and forth seductively, but she was so skinny that it just looked all wrong. Granger could teach her how to do it.

I stopped. Granger? No. I was only thinking about her because of the dream. It was probably stupid, but I wanted to know! I stood suddenly, causing Crabbe and Goyle to snap out of their trance-like states of stupidity. "I'm going."

They both stood. "I'm going alone," I said. I swear, if I told them both to go jump off the astronomy tower while singing God Save the Queen, they would ask me whether they should do it now or after dinner.

Blaise stopped me at the door, "You're not going to tell anyone about my parents, are yeh mate? 'Cos even if they're in leagues with Dumbledore, well, that doesn't mean I am as well, you know."

"I know Blaise, and I'm not going to tell anyone. I'm not a prat."

"I wasn't implyin' that yeh are, Malfoy. Anyways, what about the dance tomorrow? Are you going to get Pansy anything? She told Diana that you were taking her. I'm going with Diana of course." Blaise babbled constantly. He went on for a few more minutes like this before stopping, "So, what're you going to get for Pansy?"

"I haven't really thought about it." I didn't know it was required to get something for the girl if it was such a minor thing. I mean, the Yule Ball definitely made it clear that the girl should recieve something. This was simply a Halloween dance.

"You should get her flowers, my friend. Cheap and easy. You don't have to choose something specifically that way, you know. Jewellery they might not like, but flowers. Every girl likes flowers mate."

We talked a while longer before Diana came and put on a pouty face because Blaise wasn't paying enough attention to her. Dinner wouldn't start for another hour so I decided to finish my Potions essay.

I stepped into the common room a few minutes later. Granger was standing by the window with Ron. They weren't talking, just staring.

"What are you two looking at?" I asked, striding over to stand beside the two.

"Nothing. We were just talking," Hermione replied, not turning.

"I didn't hear you talking."

"Yeah, well we weren't going to carry on the conversation with you in the room, now were we?" Ron said, turning to look at me challengingly.

I raised my eyebrows. "Fine with me," I turned to Hermione, "Now. Tell me about the dream."

"What dream?" Ron asked looking between the two of us.

Hermione ignored his question and said, "See you later, Ron."

He nodded, still looking suspiciously at us, and left.

"Okay…. Now tell me about the dream." I said, sitting on a couch.

"I can't." She sat in an armchair across from me.

"And why not?"

"I have short term memory loss."

"Ah, I see. That must be very convenient." I laughed, "Why don't you want to tell me? Was it about me?"

She blushed deep scarlet, "No."

"Well how can you remember if it had me in it, if you can't remember the dream?" I leaned forward.

"I'm going to dinner."

I leaned back again and closed my eyes. Women. Can't live with them…. Yeah, that's pretty much it.

I decided to go into Hogsmeade for some shopping. I had to get Pansy some flowers for the Ball.

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"It's getting cold," I commented. I pulled off my cloak and sat down across from Hermione at the Head's table. Setting my shopping down, I grabbed my goblet of pumpkin juice and took a big gulp.

"Where did you go?" She asked. Not angrily, not sulkily. I guess she was back to normal.

"Hogsmeade. I bought something to give Pansy tomorrow night, and something for me."

"What did you buy her?"

"Flowers."

"What kind?"

"The pretty kind. Why does it matter?"

"What happened to the 'I know every name of every muggle flower that's ever been discovered.'?" Hermione said. "And it doesn't matter. I was just asking. What did you buy for yourself?"

"I can't remember," I said. How dare she mock me and expect me to answer her civilly? Then I echoed her response from earlier, "I think I have short term memory loss like you."

"Well, at least you can make new friends every day," she said, smiling. It took me a second to figure it out. I'm not daft, it was just surprising to find something so witty coming out of Granger's mouth. "You probably bought another mirror to add to your collection," she continued, poking at her food and giving me a wry smile.

How did she know? "Actually I did, but this mirror is special. It shows the person as they look to other people. It's not a reversed reflection like all the muggle mirror copies.

"Hm. How much did you pay for it?" she asked as I pulled it out of my bag.

"Only ahemfiftycough galleons," I tried to muffle the fifty galleon price.

"Fifty galleons? For a bloody mirror! You have got to be kidding me!" she laughed and came around the table to look my purchase.

She came around and looked at it from behind my shoulder. I held up my fingers and wiggled them to show her how it worked. "See? Isn't it brilliant?"

She looked with wide eyes in the mirror, "Oh, Malfoy! Look! I think I can see something!"

"Really? What!" I asked, getting excited. Maybe this mirror had more magical qualities than I thought. "What do you see!"

"A sucker." She laughed and I blushed. "Fools are easily parted with their riches, Malfoy."

"Are you calling me a fool?"

"No, I'm calling you an idiot. You spent fifty bloody galleons on a mirror! That's ridiculous, even for you." She chuckled as the plates were cleared away and dessert appeared.

Hermione stood up, getting ready to leave. "You're not staying for dessert?"

"I wasn't planning on it. But if you want me to stay, I will." she replied, hesitating.

"Well, if your temporary memory loss has cleared up, I would love to know what that dream was about."

"It's not really something I'd like to discuss here, Malfoy. But if we go to the dormitory, I'd be happy to tell you."

"Alright, then." I really wanted to know after she said that.

In the common room, I set my shopping down on a chair and sat down on the couch. I picked up a mug and went to get some water from the bathroom.

Hermione came in behind me and stood next to me at the sink.

"I still can't figure out what problem you have with these mirrors," she commented.

"Tell me about the dream." I said simply and took a sip of water, not bothering to move away. Her presence was warm and inviting, comforting, almost.

"Well, I was in the common room, and then you come out of your room," she began in a soft, sultry voice, "You came over to me and took my hand. Leading me into your room, you wrapped your other hand around my waist." Unaware, I leaned closer to her, as though her voice was getting softer and I desperately needed to hear what she was saying. "When you opened the door, I saw that all the lamps were covered in red shawls, giving the room a diffused glow. There were candles lit all around the room, adding to the dim light, and I could feel something soft under my feet. There were rose petals sprinkled on the floor and all over the bed, the curtains were drawn and you were trailing kisses up my arm." At that point, I nervously took a sip of water from the mug I was still grasping tightly in my fingers. "I turned and looked you in the eyes," she continued, leaning her head on my shoulder, her hair smelled really good. Her voice became a whisper, "Then, I leaned in close to you like this, and whispered, 'Draco…. Drop the cup.'."

There was a shattering of broken china and I seemed to wake out of a reverie. Granger had pulled away, and the pleasant feeling was gone. I turned. She stood there laughing. I blushed heavily. "That was NOT funny, Granger."

"Maybe not to you, but, as you can see, I thought it quite entertaining," she said, her laughter dying down. I couldn't help but notice her face was a little red as well, probably from laughing, but she wouldn't meet my gaze.

"I knew the dream was about me," I told her, trying to save face and change the mood a bit.

She laughed again and met my eyes. "You really think that was my dream?" She seemed more calm now, though a bit fidgety.

"It wasn't?" I played dumb. Granger was acting unsure of herself and I didn't like it. She was a bold, outspoken young woman, and I didn't like the way she was acting. It was different, and made me feel uneasy.

Her mood lightened, and her eyes brightened. She giggled and ran into her room, slamming the door behind her. Okay, then.

After clearing up the broken cup and water, I moved into the common room, grabbing a book from the shelf on my way to my favourite chair.

Suddenly, Granger burst through the door to her room, carrying a small cube-like thing.

"What is that?" I asked.

"My mp3 player. I fixed it so it'll play here. I want you to hear a song," she set the empty 3 thing on the coffee table in front of me, and connected something to the first thing.

"I thought you weren't allowed to have those muggle things," I commented.

"Yeah, well. That's a stupid rule, and should be ignored."

"I could take away points."

"So could I." She smiled up at me. "Ready?" She sat kneeling across the table from me. She pressed a small button on the side of the cube and music filled the room.

Can I take your order, please?
Let's eat to the beat!
A pizza hut, a pizza hut
Kentucky fried chicken and a pizza hut
A pizza hut, a pizza hut
Kentucky fried chicken and a pizza hut
McDonalds! McDonald's!
Kentucky fried chicken and a pizza hut
McDonald's! McDonald's!
Kentucky fried chicken and a pizza hut

At this point she pressed another button and paused the music.

"My goodness, Granger. I do believe that that is the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life!" I said in the silence. "Please don't tell me there's more!"

She smiled evilly. "There is more, and I," she pulled me out of my chair, "am going to teach you the moves to the song."

"The what?"

"The moves, Malfoy. C'mon! The dance moves. Here we go, are you ready? In the chorus, there's Pizza Hut-"

"And what is a bloody Pizza Hut?"

"It's a restaurant. All of them are restaurants," she sighed. "So, we have Pizza Hut, right? So we put our hands over our heads, like they form a roof, like a house or something, alright?" She demonstrated. "Then, we have Kentucky Fried Chicken-"

"How can you fry a chicken with Kentucky? What is a Kentucky, anyways? It sounds like a nasty smelling vegetable-"

"Kentucky is a place. And Kentucky fried chicken is fried in Kentucky-"

"Do they fly it specially from Kentucky to the restaurant?"

"No."

"Well, then it's hardly Kentucky fried chicken, isn't it? More like Manchester fried chicken, or Liverpool fried chicken."

"What I meant was that they fry it like they do in Kentucky. It's a special way they do it or something, now can I please continue?"

"Of course, please, go on. I am so excited to be learning your ridiculous muggle dance."

"Thank you. Now, for the Kentucky Fried Chicken part, you flap your arms like a chicken. Like the chicken dance." She imitated a bird, putting her hands under her arms and moving her elbows up and down.

"Do I have to learn the chicken dance as well?"

"Only if I decide to prolong the torture, Malfoy. Now, the last one is McDonald's. At this point, you-"

"What does McDonald's serve?"

"What?"

"Well, Pizza Hut serves pizza, Kentucky Fried Chicken sells chicken…. What does McDonald's have?"

"Burgers and chips mainly. Here's how you do the McDonald's part. You put your hands up like you're making an 'm', like in the YMCA song. Then you move your head side to side like you're trying to touch your ear to your shoulder. But move your arms side to side as well. You ready?"

"Sure, why not." I said. She pressed a button and the music came back on. We had to wait for the verse to finish before the "fun" part came.

You like it, you love it
You know you really want it
The voices I hear whenever your around
I want it, I need it
Nothin' else can beat it
Hot and spicy, whenever I'm in town
Enticing, exciting
Aroma so inviting
And when it hits me, I want to take you home
Trust me, you must see
Just what you're doin' to me
Drivin' me crazy, hungry to the bone
I think of you and lick my lips
You've got the taste I can't resist
Can't resist, can't resist
Let's eat to the beat!

A pizza hut, a pizza hut
Kentucky fried chicken and a pizza hut
A pizza hut, a pizza hut
Kentucky fried chicken and a pizza hut
McDonalds! McDonald's!
Kentucky fried chicken and a pizza hut
McDonald's! McDonald's!
Kentucky fried chicken and a pizza hut

Would you like that to go?
Any sauces?
You're so sweet, and you're neat
You knock me off my two feet
You're chunky and hunky
I'm coming back for more (hot dog!)
Your taste, it embraces
I gotta sing your praises
Savour the flavours,
I'm waiting at your door
I think of you and lick my lips
You've got the taste I can't resist
Can't resist, can't resist
Let's eat to the beat!

A pizza hut, a pizza hut
Kentucky fried chicken and a pizza hut
A pizza hut, a pizza hut
Kentucky fried chicken and a pizza hut
McDonalds! McDonald's!
Kentucky fried chicken and a pizza hut
McDonald's! McDonald's!
Kentucky fried chicken and a pizza hut

Granger paused the song again and said, "Okay. For this part, when they say 'shake it to the left', you do this," she shook her hips and stepped to the left, towards me. It wasn't a shake like Pansy would do, trying to entice me or any other poor soul, but more like a fun little waggle that was sexy in its innocence. "Then when they say 'shake it to the right', you-"

"Shake to the right?" I asked.

She smiled and patted me on the head, "You're catching on! Good, now let's try it."

Does anyone fancy a shake?
Shake!
Shake it to the left!
Shake it to the right!
Let's shake!
I think of you and lick my lips
You've got the taste I can't resist
Can't resist, can't resist
Let's eat to the beat!

A pizza hut, a pizza hut
Kentucky fried chicken and a pizza hut
A pizza hut, a pizza hut
Kentucky fried chicken and a pizza hut
McDonalds! McDonald's!
Kentucky fried chicken and a pizza hut
McDonald's! McDonald's!
Kentucky fried chicken and a pizza hut (2x)

(-The Fast Food song by the Fast Food Rockers-)

When the song had ended and Granger had turned off the empty 3 player, I said, "You know, that song is filled with all sorts of innuendo. I don't think it's appropriate for such innocent ears. Not to mention, should be considered for the dumbest song of the year award."

"For your information, Malfoy, I'm not that innocent, and it's just a song. Do you have to criticize everything?"

"Yes," I replied simply.

She stood glaring at me for a while then muttered, "I'm tired," to no one in particular.

"Me too." I leaned back and stretched, looking over at the clock. 9:02, and we had classes the next day. 'Great,' I thought.

"Night," she got up and went to her room.

"Goodnight," I answered, going into my own room.

I lay in bed a while. That song wasn't really so bad. But if I ever heard it again, I think I'd pull my hair out. I sure wouldn't forget that night. And I had to admit. It was sort of…. Fun.