Music recommendation for this chapter: Romantic Flight by John Powell (from How to Train Your Dragon)

Ginny looked vaguely nauseated as she watched her brother and his best friend scarf down their lunches. "I don't understand how you two manage not to choke," she muttered as she took a bite of her own sandwich.

Looking slightly abashed, Harry paused mid-bite to drink from his water bottle. Ron just continued to devour his second sandwich. Dean Thomas, Ginny's former boyfriend and another varsity soccer player, just shrugged as he shook his head in amusement. "We're not all animals like them, Ginny," he snorted

Rolling her eyes, the redhead reached across the table to hand her older brother a napkin. "Dean, you aren't exactly the neatest high school boy. Did you ever manage to find your chemistry textbook from last year?"

Harry laughed after he finished chewing. "Didn't he tell you? Dean got roped into doing a lab experiment with Seamus for extra credit and they may have set their books on fire, 'by accident' of course," he finished with air quotes.

Ginny giggled and zeroed in on the suddenly quiet Junior. "No, he conveniently forgot to tell me."

Dean leaned back in his chair and groaned. "It was not my fault! Seamus was single-handedly responsible for 5 fire alarms last year and is the reason why we have fire drills every month now."

"Yes, and they always manage to schedule them at annoying times," grumbled Hermione as she continued to dutifully do her math homework while eating lunch. She looked up as she neatly boxed in her last answer. "I feel like they always manage to have them right before I have a test."

Pointing his finger at her ever-present stack of books, Ron managed to swallow before mentioning, "I've never seen you without your books, 'Mione. I've definitely seen you with your nose in a book during those fire drills, so the timing shouldn't be an issue. By the way, what's your excuse for doing homework at lunch today? Did you finally forget to finish the night before?"

Primly shutting her notebook and stacking it on top of her textbooks, Hermione reached for her apple. "For the record, it's homework due next week. I wanted to get it out of the way since we're getting new sheet music at HYSO tonight, and I want to spend this weekend practicing."

Dean groaned as Hermione started to stow away her books in her bag. "I feel like HYSO is all I ever hear about. You guys talk about it all the time, Mr. Weasley won't stop referencing the Fall concert you just had, and Zabini won't shut up about it at practice."

Snorting, Ginny leaned in at that. "The Slytherins talk about their precious Orchestra during soccer practice?"

"Well, they usually try to tone down their nerdiness, but they were talking about it at the dinner we had after our final game of the season." He paused dramatically before grinning, "Which, of course we won."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yes, thank you for telling us for the 48th time this week, Dean."

Still smiling broadly, Dean continued, "They usually don't chat about HYSO, but Blaise and Theo were debating about what the repertoire would be for the Winter Concert."

Ron paused mid-bite and frowned. "Is it a good thing that we've been wondering about the same things as those Slytherins?"

Shaking her head, Hermione snuck a cookie off of Ginny's plate. "It doesn't matter, and we're going to find out tonight anyways." She looked over at Dean. "But, out of curiosity, did you find out anything interesting?"

He rolled his eyes. "You are all insane with this music stuff. I mean, I'm all for it as your resident Gryffindor percussionist, but at least I wasn't insane enough to audition for HYSO."

"Honestly, you would've gotten in Dean. You should audition next year," chirped Ginny. She didn't notice Harry taking an aggressive bite of his sandwich, but Hermione did. That was interesting. She looked over at Ron who was completely oblivious and leaning back in his chair. Very interesting

"One, I'm not insane. Two, I'm not that good. Three, I feel like it's going to take up too much time, and I'd rather not be over-committed. I don't know how some of you do it." The bell rang, and Dean pushed back from the table. "But Blaise said that his mother mentioned a famous international musician was going to be the soloist this year. Theo thinks it's Celestina Warbeck, and Blaise was saying that he thinks Viktor Krum was going to play since he's apparently going to be in town that weekend."

A loud crash sounded as Ron lost his balance and tipped over his chair. They all rose to help him but he just sprang up with a shocked expression. "Viktor Krum? The Viktor Krum? The famous violinist Viktor Krum?"

Dean cautiously picked up Ron's chair for him and nodded. "I'm assuming it's him? Not exactly a common name."

"Honestly, our mum is going to have an even more violent reaction if Celestina Warbeck is going to be singing at the Winter Concert," muttered Ginny as she helped dust off her older brother.


Dumbledore smiled serenely at the chaos in his office as he finished making a few notes on the score he had opened a half hour earlier. Hagrid was opening boxes of sheet music that had been express shipped the night before while Madame Pince was meticulously counting packets of sheet music.

"Thank you again, Madame Pince, for helping Hagrid and me last minute. I do appreciate it greatly." The conductor stood up, closing his score and reaching for his baton case.

The strict woman nodded as she set aside the sheet music for the second violins. "Of course, Albus. It's terrible that both Celestina Warbeck and Viktor Krum cancelled last minute. It would have been quite a performance to have two world-class stars in one program."

Hagrid began to start repacking the organized sheet music back into the boxes and grinned as he caught sight of the title neatly printed on the sheet music. "This is a great last-minute decision, Dumbledore."

The older man took a stack of sheet music and helped load the last couple boxes. "Thank you, Hagrid. I do think at least a few members of the community will enjoy the repertoire, especially after I saw how many young Slytherins signed up for their Elementary School Orchestra this fall. Maybe we'll inspire a few more young boys and girls to pick up an instrument."

It was only an hour later that Dumbledore walked up to the podium after Miss Granger had tuned the Orchestra. "Welcome back, and I hope you all had a restful week after such a successful concert. Now, I do know that some of you are anxious to receive the music for the next concert. It is typically HYSO tradition to have a guest performer for the Winter Concert, and this year we'll be having something special. So, without further ado, drumroll please," he requested of a young Mr. Finch-Fletchly who obliged with a smile.

The conductor was amused as everyone else in the Orchestra began to shuffle their feet, adding to the lovely drumroll being performed in the back. He raised his hands and announced, "There will be no guest performer this year."


Hermione blinked at the announcement. She heard a few gasps and looked around. Ron seemed to be muttering about a certain Bulgarian musician and more than a few heads were bent whispering to their stand partners, but the Slytherins had the most interesting reactions.

There was a low chuckle from next to her, and she looked up to see Malfoy neatly folding what looked to be several hundred dollars and slipping it into his pocket. "Well, this was unexpected."

Blaise was looking at Dumbledore in shock before turning to his friend. "Did your parents tell you something?"

The assistant Concertmaster simply shook his head with a smirk. "You and Theo were the ones claiming to have inside information and deciding to bet. I think you were the one who insisted I facilitate the bet, and you're well aware of the Slytherin rules, Blaise."

Hermione looked across the Orchestra to find an annoyed-looking Theo Nott slumped in his seat and a confused Harry staring back at her with a shrug. She focused her attention back on the conductor who was reaching down into a large cardboard box he had carried to the podium earlier.

"I know that you may be disappointed, but we do have a couple exciting things planned. First, I have a few conferences to attend in the New Year, so we are planning to hold the concert in December right before the holidays and not hold rehearsals in January." He paused as a fresh wave of exclamations took over the Orchestra. "In keeping with the holiday spirit, I thought it would be good to do something for the lovely Hogsmeade community. We will be playing a series of excerpts from famous films and have accompanying clips play on a screen above the Orchestra. We'll have a mix of holiday movies, famous films, and a few for younger children." More than a few people looked excited at playing film music, but a couple members groaned.

Zabini cleared his throat. "Please, sir. The Slytherins have played the Pirates of the Caribbean and the Lord of the Rings Suite for the past four years. We aren't playing those for this concert, right?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Zabini. The decision was made a little last minute, so Professor Snape helped us by letting us borrow sheet music from Slytherin. We'll be playing music from Pirates and the Lord of the Rings, but I managed to get a couple other pieces as well."

Dumbledore handed out the sheet music to the first stands, and Hermione dutifully handed Malfoy two packets before passing the rest of the stack back to the next stand. She turned around to look at the sheet music and noticed that three were already on the stand while Malfoy was holding onto the fourth still. Looking over the packets on the stand, she grinned at the titles. Along with the Pirates and Lord of the Rings Suite, Dumbledore had also included the suite for The Polar Express.

"Dragons," muttered Malfoy as he casually dropped the last of the sheet music onto the stand. He had a slight frown on his face, but Hermione noticed the corner of his lip twitching upwards and something shift in his eyes. She realized he was starting to look her way and abruptly shifted her focus to the music he had just placed on the stand.

"How to Train Your Dragon," she read out. "Well I could've used this a few months ago with Draco Malfoy," Hermione muttered before she could stop the words from coming out. She froze and hoped her stand partner didn't hear her.

"It's quite hard to train dragons, Granger. I don't know if you could have managed it," a low murmur came from her left.

Bracing herself as she looked up, Hermione was a bit surprised when she met his eyes. There was a light smirk on his face but there wasn't any malice in his eyes. It seemed like Malfoy was faintly amused by her small quip. Were they actually having a friendly conversation?

Thankfully Dumbledore started rehearsal and, for a first rehearsal, it was quite good. It may have helped that the sheet music was relatively simpler than older symphonies, most people had heard the music before, and the Slytherins had played half of the music before, but it was still quite good.

Hermione realized she had a solo in the How to Train Your Dragon piece and managed to sight-read it relatively decently. The suite in particular had some trickier parts, and more than a few sections got lost. This was definitely something everyone was going to have to practice before the next rehearsal.

Dumbledore clapped his hands with a smile. "That was marvelous for a first run, everyone. Please practice before next week. Oh, and could the inner first stands please remain behind. I have a small announcement for you."

Confused, Hermione glanced over at Ginny who just raised an eyebrow back at her before turning around in her seat and threatening drastic measures if the violists didn't learn the music before next rehearsal. The rest of the Orchestra quickly left the stage, which just left the first stands of the both violin sections, the Weasleys, Theo, and Harry.

"Now, I do realize that the repertoire is a bit unconventional for HYSO. Would the eight of you be alright performing quartet pieces before we begin the concert? I think it would appease anyone who wanted a bit more of a traditional HYSO Winter Concert," explained Dumbledore as he looked at the eight musicians.

Hermione glanced at the others, but everyone seemed to just nod. Malfoy spoke up for the group. "We would be happy to open for the concert. Do you have sheet music for us, sir?"

"Wonderful! I should have sheet music ready for you by next rehearsal. Please plan to stay an hour after HYSO rehearsal ends, and we'll hold quartet rehearsals for the eight of you. I am thinking of having Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy, Miss Weasley, and Mr. Nott play in one quartet and Mr. Zabini, Miss Bones, Mr. Weasley, and Mr. Potter in the other. You are all free to go, thank you for agreeing to do this."


Biting her lip as she scribbled in a couple fingering and bowing changes into her music, Hermione wondered how film music could be so complicated. She tested a few other options with the bowings and finally settled on one that felt natural. Maybe she could ask McGonagall for a little help at her next lesson.

It had already been an hour since she had started practicing at the Hogsmeade Center for the Arts, and Hermione realized she was delaying the inevitable. She flipped to the one page free of any pencil markings and took a deep breath. The solo for How to Train Your Dragon was titled Romantic Flight. While it was pretty and short, it was also very high. Hermione was confused at the odd titles scattered throughout the piece, but didn't focus too much on them. She raised her violin and set her bow on the strings. Might as well get it over with.

She played it through a couple times before finding a shifting pattern that worked for her, marking in new fingerings as her left hand grew used to dancing on the fingerboard a certain way. Hermione smiled as she played through it without any mistakes and was just about to run through it one more time when someone cleared their throat behind her. She whirled around with a jump.

"Not bad, Granger," Malfoy drawled as he leaned against the door.

Hermione blinked at the unexpected intruder. "Malfoy? Why are you here?" she asked in confusion. As she continued to stare at him, she was suddenly aware that Draco Malfoy was in slacks, loafers, and an expensive looking coat on a Saturday, while she was in an oversized grey sweater, worn jeans, and a particularly scuffed pair of Converse. Not again, but she really hadn't expected to see anyone today.

He just raised an eyebrow. "I had to drop off something for my mother. Why are you practicing in here?"

"They're cleaning the main stage, and the other HSO members are giving lessons in the actual practice rooms." Hermione was confused. Even if he was no longer willing to kill her for the Concertmaster position and was more inclined to share a joke in rehearsal, there was no reason for Draco Malfoy to be talking to her right now.

The Slytherin looked bemused and straightened up a bit. "Why can't you practice at home?"

Hermione shrugged. "The neighbors complain about the noise, and Gryffindor is closed this weekend for some reason. I've been trying to find different places to practice, and this was the only free rehearsal space I could think of. The music seemed a bit difficult last rehearsal, so I wanted to get a head start on practicing," she patiently explained, waiting for him to leave so she could continue to play in peace.

"Do you want to come to the manor?" he asked, with just the slightest pause at the beginning. His already deep and posh voice seemed to sound even richer as he said the word 'manor.'

"I'm sorry?" Hermione wasn't sure she had heard correctly. The manor?

Malfoy held up a hand. "Let me rephrase. This room is quite terrible for acoustics, and the manor has a music room and ballroom that I use to help practice solos. It helps me figure out how the sound will travel in a large space like in the actual concert hall. Your solo in rehearsal wasn't bad, but you aren't used to trying to project your sound in large places so it might help to practice before the next HYSO rehearsal."

"Assuming you aren't trying to kill me at your fancy house, why are you offering to help me?" Hermione asked, excited at the idea of practicing in a ballroom but also very confused as to why Malfoy would be offering.

The tall Slytherin looked a bit embarrassed but tipped up his chin as he entered the room. "Granger, that solo is one of the best parts of the movie and I can't let you ruin it."

Caught off guard by his answer, Hermione let out a laugh before she could stop it from escaping. "You've seen the movie?"

The slight flush that had appeared was already disappearing as he stopped a few feet away from her. "Of course I have," he exclaimed a bit indignantly.

"Oh, I haven't seen it," muttered Hermione. She shrugged when he stared at her in disbelief. It was almost like he was a different person, and it was only the light scent of his cologne also entering the room as he walked closer that erased her suspicious of a potential imposter. "It's a kids movie that came out pretty recently."

"Granger, we're both still technically children. How were you going to play it properly if you haven't even seen the movie?"

Crossing her arms defensively while still holding onto her violin, Hermione replied logically, "I'll just follow Dumbledore, and it's not like the music is special just because it appeared in a movie. It's the same notes as in any other Symphony. Besides, the solo is a small part, and I'm sure the audience will be too busy watching the clips to pay attention to me."

"No, you need to feel the music and match it to the story because that's the beauty of film music!" Malfoy must have seen the confusion in her face because he just dragged a hand down over his face. "Okay, change of plans. Granger, I need to save this concert and the integrity of this music. Let me help you a little bit so you can have your lovely solo and wow the audience just a bit more. We can also call it a thank you for waking me up in time for my Regionals audition."

Hermione paused at that. "Why were you asleep right before the audition? I was too nervous to even eat that morning."

Malfoy shrugged. "I had early morning workouts for soccer, and I knew I was going to be busy with dinner and family stuff for most of the day. I had to find time to study for an AP Euro exam and a biology test, which ended up being a small nightmare. I took what was meant to be a five minute nap, but I must have messed up setting my alarm."

"Oh, okay." Hermione was still a bit dubious about going over to Malfoy's house, especially since she didn't know him very well. Also, was he insulting her by implying she needed to practice at his big fancy house in order to be better?

Sighing, Malfoy took a step backwards. "It was just an offer, Granger. I also wanted to apologize for my atrocious behavior earlier this year. You are quite talented, and I know why Dumbledore made you Concertmaster. I hope you forgive me for my actions, and the offer for a free rehearsal space will always be there."

Snorting a bit, Hermione uncrossed her arms. "You were pretty terrible."

The Slytherin winced a bit at that, and Hermione made a quick decision. She walked up to him, and he looked like he was bracing himself for a slap. Smiling at his reaction, she transferred her violin and bow to her left hand before holding out her right. "Hello, my name is Hermione and I'll be your stand partner for the year. It's lovely to meet you."

Smirking a bit, her stand partner shook her hand firmly. "Hello, Hermione. My name is Draco, and I'm HYSO's Assistant Concertmaster. I look forward to playing with you." He loosened his grip and his smirk grew. "Now, will you please let me do my duty and assist, Hermione?"

Hermione shrugged, ignoring the fact that she liked how he said her name. "Sure, why not. Let's go see this fancy ballroom."


There were a lot of apartments, condos, and houses in Hogsmeade. And then there was Malfoy Manor. The conversation during the short car ride to Malfoy's home had mainly been some small talk about HYSO gossip and schoolwork, but Hermione could barely continue the conversation after they pulled up to a gate and Draco punched in a code.

She watched as they passed a large hedge maze, an enormous fountain, a couple greenhouses, what looked like a stable in the distance, and a lake that sat at the base of a vast lawn. Then she saw the house and realized what exactly a manor was. It was grand with countless windows and architecture that Hermione typically associated with old European palaces from history books.

Draco swiftly parked the car in a large garage and smiled a bit sheepishly. "Welcome to Malfoy Manor."

Hermione giggled a bit. "I understand why you called it 'the Manor' now. It looks like there would be a lot of free rehearsal space in there." She quickly hopped out of the car with her violin case and bag as Draco grabbed a gym bag from his trunk.

Their shoes crunched on the gravel and Draco held open a side door for her. "A lot of the Slytherins have older houses that we've called manors for a while." He led her down a maze of corridors lined with paintings and various sculptures before stopping in front of a particularly ornate set of doors.

Hermione watched as he stepped into the room. She could tell it was large from the way the heels of his loafers echoed in the room, but it was also pitch black. "Draco?"

"Sorry, give me a second. Mr. Dobbs still hasn't gotten around to fixing the wiring after the last party my parents threw in here. Ah, here we go," his voice came from somewhere on the other side of the room, and Hermione closed her eyes as light suddenly flooded the room.

Carefully opening her eyes after a few seconds, Hermione's jaw dropped at the sight. The ballroom was huge, with large glass doors leading to a vast backyard with another enormous lawn, gardens, and fountains. The ceiling arched above her, and several chandeliers glittered in the vast space. There were other doors on the sides of the room and two staircases that led up to a balcony area. She continued to look around the room and realized that the light had come from Draco drawing back the curtains from large windows at the other end of the ballroom.

Draco looked amused as he walked back towards her. "Well, here is some free rehearsal space."

"It's certainly space. Do you actually hold balls in here?" Hermione crossed over to a table she spotted in the corner and gently set her violin case down to unpack.

"Sometimes. Mother has some charity galas in here and we have an annual New Year's Eve party in here," replied Draco as he pulled open a side panel and took out a music stand and a couple chairs. "The acoustics here are similar to the Hogsmeade hall, so you can test it out." He searched the floor as he carried the music stand and set it down carefully on a particular spot before turning towards her. "Alright Madame Concertmaster. Let's see what you've got," he gestured towards the stand with a playful smirk.

Hermione laughed and walked over before stopping in front of him with a curtsey. She started to tune and smiled at how the sound carried in the vast ballroom. "This is amazing! No wonder you sound good. You get to practice in here whenever you want."

Draco's smirk grew. "You think I sound good?"

Rolling her eyes, Hermione just shook her head. "I don't want to inflate your ego any farther, especially since I just got an apology. Let me grab the sheet music."

"Wait, you need to understand the context first. Do you have anything planned for today?"

"I was planning to practice until around lunch time, and then go to the library to study for a bit. Why?" Hermione frowned as Draco went to go get her case.

"You don't need to practice that much, but if you have time, I'm going to enlighten you a bit. Pack up," he lightly ordered as he handed her her case.

Bemused, Hermione just followed directions and trailed the Slytherin as he led her out another set of doors on the side of the room. They were in a large hall, and Hermione surmised that this was the main foyer that led to the front doors. A short man in a crisp suit stepped into view. "Draco, I didn't realize you had arrived already. Do you need anything?"

"No thank you, Mr. Dobbs. We're just watching a movie for research before practicing for HYSO," replied Draco in his usual formal voice as he began to walk in a different direction.

"A movie?" Hermione asked as she hurried after him, his long legs quickly outpacing her.

"Very good, Draco. Your parents are out this morning, but they'll expect you at lunch," called out Mr. Dobbs as they turned the corner.

Draco slowed down outside a door and checked his watch. "We have lots of time." He opened the door to reveal a hidden staircase and turned on a light.

"Wait, Draco. We're watching a movie? I need to practice for rehearsal," admonished Hermione as she followed him down the stairs.

He waved a hand. "I told you, you don't need that much practice. What you need is context. Besides, Granger. Hermione. You seem like a bit of a swot, so think of this as a lesson."

She bristled as they came to the bottom of the staircase and he opened one of the doors to reveal a massive home theater. "There's nothing wrong with liking to learn." She was slightly annoyed, but took a moment to appreciate the nice couches, shelves filled with movies, and the large screen across one wall.

Draco let out a small laugh as he picked out a movie with dragons on the cover. "I never said there was anything wrong with being a swot. Besides, this is a fun lesson."

He gestured for her to take a seat, and Hermione picked a cozy-looking armchair and watched as Draco pressed a few buttons and the screen came to life. He tossed her a water bottle and a bag of popcorn from a cabinet before grabbing his own. "A generous host," observed Hermione as she opened her bag. She had skipped breakfast that morning and was glad to have something to munch on.

"Of course, I'm an absolute gentleman. And my family tends to take films a bit seriously," remarked Draco, ignoring Hermione's snort at his gentleman comment, as he sat in an arm chair next to hers.

Hermione wasn't the biggest fan of animated movies, but the plot caught her interest pretty quickly. It was a good thing that it was marketed towards children, as she had a hard time keeping track of names and specifics because Draco kept poking her whenever the film music came into play.

At first, it was helpful to take note of when the music came in and out and how it added to the scene, but it quickly grew annoying. She leveled him with a death stare after the fifth poke, and was happy that he kept his hands to himself from then on.

He poked her one last time when the girl, Astrid, got on the dragon and Hermione had had enough. She swatted back at his arm and glared at him. Draco looked surprised and was holding the spot where she had hit him with wide eyes. He raised his hands in surrender and gestured towards the screen.

Hermione huffed and turned her attention back to the movie as Astrid apologized and the music suddenly shifted. The already familiar soundtrack turned even more familiar as she realized that this was where her solo was and why it was titled Romantic Flight. Watching the characters soar through the sky and through clouds, Hermione was amazed at how well the music tied into the film. The animation was already beautiful, but the melody added so much more to the scene.

When Astrid said that she admitted it was pretty cool and amazing, Hermione looked over at Draco who was avidly watching her reactions with a small smirk. Sighing, she held up her hands. "Alright, I admit it as well."

His smirk grew and he leaned back in his arm chair, seemingly at peace for the first time since the movie started. Hermione was glad that he had stopped bothering her, but ended up picking up on the music more keenly for the rest of the film. When the movie ended, she realized that while she had enjoyed the plot, she had actually enjoyed the score even more. Maybe she would add the soundtrack to her playlist to do math homework to.

The credits began to roll and Draco rolled his neck besides her. "Well? Do you understand now?"

Hermione giggled. "I think I understood after that last poke of yours."

Rubbing his arm, Draco nodded solemnly. "Didn't realize you had a temper, Granger. It's well noted for the future."

She winced. "Sorry about that, I didn't realize you were actually that close."

"I'll live, and I'm sorry as well. I probably should have also actually asked if you noticed the music instead of poking you."

Leaning back in her chair, Hermione looked back at the credits still rolling. "I never thought about the music in films, which is odd considering I spend so much time playing music."

Draco paused the film and grabbed a laptop that was next to him. "That's because you think of music solely by itself. You're like Theo in that sense with all that classical stuff and being a purist. You have to listen to the fun stuff as well." He pulled up a clip from Pirates that introduced Jack Sparrow standing tall on a sail of what was actually a tiny boat.

"For instance, the theme for Pirates of the Caribbean is one of the more famous pieces of film music right now. And that's because it plays a key role in the film," said Draco as he muted the video. Hermione watched the scene without any sound and just looked back at the Slytherin after a few seconds. He nodded. "See, boring. Even the promise of future battles and pirates and sea monsters wouldn't keep anyone interested enough to wait for it. But with music," he said as he started the clip over and unmuted the video to allow the original sound to play, "it becomes interesting and you're able to keep watching long enough to get to the exciting stuff."

Hermione nodded, agreeing with him, as he continued to pull up different clips of movies and talk through the mechanics of film music. It was all fascinating, but Hermione realized that there was something else she was learning beyond what Draco was teaching her.

This was a Draco Malfoy she had never seen before. He was going off on tangents of diegetic vs non-diegetic music, leitmotifs, mickey-mousing, the use of specific instruments and chords to emphasize time periods and different countries, and the necessity of silence. Hermione realized his usual lofty way of speaking and his formal tone had disappeared.

His voice had reverted to something else. It was like the time she heard him talking to his mother on the phone and the time he had helped her down from the ladder after the Fall Concert. His voice was warm. And she preferred this tone to the one he usually used.

"Hermione?"

She blinked at the question and realized he was asking her if she understood. "It makes much more sense to me. Thank you, Draco."

His grey eyes were dancing as he smiled at her and she found herself smiling back. "I didn't realize you were so into film music or animated movies."

Draco laughed and closed his laptop. "Well, I do try not to draw too much attention to my little hobby." He turned to her and tilted his head a bit. "You'll keep my secret, won't you Granger? Blaise would be even more insufferable if he found out."

Giggling, Hermione nodded. "Who knew the great Draco Malfoy was a nerd, but sure. I'll keep your secret if I get to actually play in that ballroom of yours."

Draco got up and held out his hand to help her up. "Of course, let's go."


Apologies for the slight delay in posting, but I hope the longer chapter and its contents make up for it! Thanks for reading and reviews are welcome to know I'm not writing into the void :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter!