9
12.23.94
Surrounded by towering bookshelves and bathed in the calming Scottish sunlight coming through the windows, Hermione found herself sitting next to Justin in one of the quieter corners of the library, both of them were hovering over an Arithmancy text, one wearing a puzzled face and the other looking at the former patiently. The Hufflepuff had been on her tail for weeks about getting her to tutor him and she had finally relented - even though it meant having to spend time in the ever crowded library. They'd been at it for a couple of hours, and he had learned quite a bit already, but Hermione was nothing but thorough.
After a few minutes, Justin leaned back against his chair, rubbing at his eyes. "Jesus Christ, Hermione I don't know how you do this."
Hermione tutted, "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to use His name in vain?"
Justin smiled apologetically, "Sorry, milady. By the way, did you hear back from your parents about the ball? I'd thought your father wanted me to escort you."
"Their letter arrived just this morning. Father's been convinced that nothing untoward will happen to me if I chose my own date." she said, rolling her eyes, "I'm sorry I haven't given you the proper time to find another date, though."
"Now worries," he shrugged, twirling around his quil, "Anything Lord Percy asks, I must do."
Hermione shushed him in alarm, "You know you're not supposed to talk about that in public."
"Oh, calm down, Lady Percy," he teased, "It's not as if anyone's paying attention. Half the people here don't even understand what it means to be heir-apparent to the Duchy of Northumberland."
She slapped her hand over his mouth angrily, "Can you be quiet?" she hissed, "If anyone finds out I'm done for."
Justin rolled his eyes, "Fine." he said, voice muffled by her hand.
"Thank you." she said, going back to her work.
The sound of swishing robes behind one of the bookshelves went unnoticed.
9. 25. 94
Hermione walked out of girls' bathroom wrapped in a deep blue robe. The grandfather clock on one side of the dormitory chimed four o'clock, right on schedule. The other Ravenclaw girls were already twittering about at their dressers and wardrobes, the excitement was almost palpable.
She smiled to herself, even she was a little giddy at the thought of a ball. Because of her heritage, she would have been expected to attend these kinds of things, parties and galas and the like, but being a witch had made that difficult for her, and she never did get to go along with her parents whenever they hosted or attended parties.
Settling herself in front of her vanity, she raised her wand, pointing it at the dresser where she kept her curlers. After a muttered charm, they started arranging themselves into her hair, pulling and twisting on their own. She winced as one grabbed onto a lock of hair a little too tightly.
Before leaving for Hogwarts after the summer, her mother had sat her down and experimented with her face, as mothers normally did - patting on powders and creams and glitter until she deemed her daughter perfect. Hermione followed her mother's step by step instructions then, taking out a face mask she had cast a cooling charm on, then handing two more to Su and Padma.
Lady Percy had been nothing but adamant that Hermione put on a touch more makeup than she was used to for the occasion, and Hermione, knowing full well her mother would pout and tut if she saw her daughter in photos looking sub-par, did what she was told. Foundation, then bronzer, then blush, a bit of gold on her eyelids, eyeliner to top it and mascara to frame her eyes, she shaped her eyebrows to perfection and finished with a neutral red lipstick. It made her look more mature, yes, but maybe that was a good thing, since her date was a few years older than her.
With another wave of her wand, the curlers came twisting out one by one, leaving her hair in large curls down the small of her back. Another spell had her hair magically portion itself into parts, then arrange themselves into a loose twist, with two braids running from the right part of her hair into the bun at the end. A few errant curls were left strategically to frame her face and two gold laurel pins kept the left part of her hair in place.
She finished just after most of the girls did, the majority of them were already busying themselves with their dress robes. A flurry of robes to the far left drew her eye only to find Lisa Turpin twirling around in robes a garish shade of yellow. Her nose crinkled at the sight before she stood to find her own robes.
The brown box it came in was hidden underneath her bed under a Notice-Me-Not Charm, just in case someone sneaky had plans to ruin them. Levitating it onto her bed and lifting the top, she smiled to herself, more than pleased with what met her eye. A square jewelry box the size of both her palms lay on top, the green velvet casing almost hidden in all the fabric. She took it out, set it on the bed and brandished her wand, levitating the dress out of the box carefully.
She, her mother, and Georgina had spent quite a while emailing one another to improve on initial sketches. In the end, they had come up with a sketch for a sheath dress silhouette made of satin that would be cinched at the waist by an intricate gold vine belt and flow down to pool on the floor. They had taken her suggestion for an asymmetrical neckline, which was embellished by a gold-beaded sunburst. The single slit came up to the left mid-thigh, just modest enough not to be considered too daring. Hermione held back her reservations about the color choice - emerald and gold- predominantly Slytherin colors, but only because Georgina had said it would match well with her pale skin and dark hair. Her pale gold gladiator heels that tied up to mid-calf made her taller than she already was. She'd probably come up to just over Cedric's chin now. She was slipping on her jewelry – a thin golden collar necklace and emerald studs – when Padma came up behind her.
"You look gorgeous, Mione!" she said a little bit breathlessly.
Hermione flushed at the praise, "Thank you. You look amazing as well, Pads."
And she did, her best friend was fully decked out in brilliant turquoise fabric that offset her deep skin tone beautifully. Gold embroidery laced the edges of her dress and wrapped all around her. Su came up then, exchanging compliments from both her friends. The Chinese girl stuck true to her roots in a deep blue and bronze Cheongsan that was an arrangement of light fabrics. Dark hair was pulled into a bun on top of her head, surrounded by a bronze circle that forked upwards.
"If your date doesn't drop down into the dungeons the moment he sees you, leave him." Su said bluntly as she teasingly lifted Hermione's skirt to show off her leg.
"Stop that," she admonished, "Anyways, don't you think we should get going? Did you two say your dates are meeting you at the Entrance Hall?"
"Mhm." Padma nodded, "Isn't he meeting you there as well?"
Hermione rolled her eyes in faux irritation, "That's what I told him, but he does what he likes."
"I swear that boy is head over heels for you." Su chirped as they found their way down to the common room.
"Finally found someone who can actually stand you, Granger?" Turpin's shrill voice came from behind them.
Hermione wondered if anyone could hear her teeth grinding together in annoyance, "Will you stop?" she hissed.
Turpin raised a mocking brow, "It seems like you've finally grown some claws, Granger. Do you know how to use them?"
She glowered angrily at the girl as she dug into her robes for her wand, only to be stopped by Padma's hand. Her friend shook her head no, then led her, along with a fuming, hotheaded Su out of the common room.
Still irritated with the almost altercation, she barely registered the sight of the boy leaning against the wall next to the eagle door knocker, holding a single rose in his hand. At the sound of the door opening, he had bolted upright, and Hermione almost missed the way his eyes widened in surprise when he saw her. Green eyes roamed over her figure, making her face heat up in embarrassment.
"Good evening, Cedric." She said shakily, taking in his appearance as well. His robes appeared to be made of crushed black velvet that made him look even paler, a black bowtie was tied at his collar handsomely, and his hair had been coiffed into place, no longer the usual mess it was with the way he kept running his hands over it. She suspected that it would be back to its normal appearance at the end of the night.
Appearing to have composed himself, Cedric bowed deeply, coming up smirking at her, "You look gorgeous." he said, as he offered her the flower he had been twirling earlier. She took it, smiling.
"Thank you." She said, "You look quite handsome as well."
"By Merlin, I do believe that's the first compliment you've ever paid me, dear Hermione." he said, pretending to swoon.
She giggled, "I don't know if it's the dress robes but you seem more pompous that usual."
He scoffed, as if insulted, "Of course not! I'm this pompous all the time!"
The Tower door opened again and an influx of Ravenclaws came spilling out to witness the sight of Cedric Diggory taking Hermione Granger's arm in his and leading her to the Great Hall.
"I told you he was head over heels for her!" Hermione heard Su whisper loudly to Padma.
"Diggory!" she heard Turpin shriek in the quietest way she could, "She's taking Diggory!"
Hermione, finally feeling triumphant for once, held on to Cedric tighter, returning his smile as he looked down at her. She could feel in her bones that it was going to be a good night.
Hermione held herself proudly, albeit a little stiff. Her governess had drilled into her the rules of behaving in public as best as she could, swatting her with a ruler for even the most minor of infractions, and so, even though she was a stranger to having the attention of an entire room on her, her posture spoke otherwise.
Her mother came to mind as Cedric walked into the Great Hall, and she inwardly channeled Lady Percy's spirit as they took the position to lead the first dance. For many a time, she had snuck into parties to observe all the dignitaries and royals and everyone else deemed worthy of an invitation to Alnwick Castle, and her young gaze had always been drawn to her mother, as had the gazes of most everyone in the room. Like any daughter, she had wished so much to be like her mother, proud and poised, the epitome of grace. She hoped that was how she looked now, and not like the ball of nerves she was on the inside.
She felt Cedric lean in, his breath grazing her ear as he whispered, "Calm down, I can feel you heart racing. I know I'm good looking, but contain yourself, woman."
Unable to control herself, she swatted at his arm for his comment. "Don't make me regret I ever agreed to this." she hissed, though the grin on her lips as she did so betrayed her amusement, making him laugh.
"Know how to waltz, Granger?" he asked, wagging his eyebrows.
She held back her scoff, "I'm fairly good."
An eyebrow twitched up in interest, "Shouldn't be surprised, you're 'fairly good' at everything. Which means I'm going to get my arse handed to me am I?"
"Language." she admonished, but then added, "But yes, probably."
He let out another one of his playful laughs, "Come on then, put my dancing to shame, Princess."
Only when the three champions and their dates were ready on the dancefloor did the soft music stop, only to give way to a slow four step tune. Cedric offered his hand, grinning roguishly as he did so, and she took it, settling her other hand on her shoulder.
As the dance began she could feel the eyes on her, and her cheeks heated in embarrassment. How did her mother ever do this without feeling like an awkward goose? Cedric passed her on to the next champion, Viktor Krum, who had brought a Beauxbatons girl with bright red hair. The Bulgarian held her a little looser than Cedric had and she had to contain a sigh of relief. She had been told that men could take advantage of their hands and let them wander during dances.
Krum smiled at her, the grin looking a bit odd in the middle of his serious features. "I do not think we have met. My name is Viktor."
She smiled politely, "I'm Hermione."
He nodded, as if he already knew this information, "Diggory is lucky man."
She blushed at the veiled compliment, "Your date is a lucky woman."
He shrugged, "Is not first choice."
Hermione pursed her lips at his bluntness, but before she could inquire on who his first choice was, she ended up being passed on again, to end up in Roger Davies' arms, Fleur, the Beauxbatons champion's date.
He was more tight lipped, as well as a bit dazed. His eyes kept returning to Fleur, who was now being twirled about by Krum. Hermione supposed the rumors that the French girl was part Veela may be true. She hadn't seen a reaction to a woman quite like Davies' before.
As the song drew to an end, partners switched again, and she returned to Cedric, who resumed holding her with a smirk, "Miss me?"
She laughed, the sound floating over the music, "You're incorrigible."
Hermione smiled at Cedric, encouraging him to dance with one of his Quidditch team mates who he had promised a dance.
"I'll be back before you know it." he promised.
"Take your time," she said, "I can only take so much of you."
He stuck his tongue out, "We both know that's not true."
She shook her head at him and made a shooing motion with her hands, watching him run off to find his friend. Admittedly, she was a little out of breath - one should be after several minutes of dancing and being under the constant attention of a handsome boy. Seeking a bit of reprieve, Hermione snuck away to one of the courtyards, admiring the Christmas decorations as she caught her breath. Sprigs of enchanted mistletoe hung here and there, which she carefully avoided. It wouldn't do to be stuck outside until some stranger came to help her.
She was admiring the stars when footsteps sounded from behind her. Thinking it was a couple looking for a bit of fun, she hastily tried to make her presence scarce. An ever so familiar, high pitched voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Don't leave on my account, Granger." Turpin said, making her whirl around. Her hand hovered over her robe pockets, ready to grab her wand if the need arose.
"What do you want, Lisa?" she asked in a voice that was half-annoyed and half-tired.
"You know everyone still thinks you're perfect?" the girl said, avoiding Hermione's question, "After four years, you've never slipped up. No detentions, no rule-breaking, not a bloody hair out of place. Everyone thinks you're so perfect."
Hermione rolled her eyes, opening her mouth to reply, but she was stopped as the girl continued her monologue.
"I wonder what everyone will say when they find out you've been lying about everything."
The words stole the breath she had just regained out of her lungs. Her wand was in her hand almost immediately. "What are you talking about?" she asked, eyes narrowed.
"Don't pretend. I heard you and Finch-Fletchley talking. No need to lie to me, Granger." a cruel glint appeared in the girl's eye, "Or should I say, Lady Percy?"
Hermione scowled, "So what?" she sniped, "You can't tell anyone."
Lisa raised her eyebrow, smirking as she did so, "Is that a challenge?" she drawled, "Do you want to find out what'll happen when everyone knows, when word gets out to the media that Ralph Percy's daughter is a wtich? Maybe the Ministry will strip your wand off you for breaking the Statute, hmm?"
"They won't. I'll tell them it was you." she warned.
"But gossip is so unreliable." Lisa tutted, "How could you ever prove that? It would be easier to assume that a little girl's tongue slipped wouldn't it? Maybe then you'd be out of my hair."
Panic settled in and Hermione's brain searched quickly for a way to fix this. Finally, a wave of calm washed over her and she returned her wand to her pocket. Father always told her never to forget who she was. She almost did, for a moment.
A puzzled look came across Lisa's face at the sight of Hermione drawing herself to stand taller. A second ago she could barely catch her breath.
"So you know who I am." Hermione said calmly, though her heart told a different story, "You forget, Lisa, I know who you are, as well. Maybe they'll take away my magic if word gets out, but without magic, I'm still Lady of Northumberland, I still have my birthright. My father is one of the most powerful men in England. What do you think will happen when I tell him his daughter is being threatened?"
"I heard your father's a government worker." Hermione said, with the ease of someone discussing the weather, "Would you care to bet how long it would take Daddy's connections to remove him from his position? Where would you be then? Would your family still be able to pay for Hogwarts? For your sister's schooling?"
Lisa had took on the look of someone who had smelled something very unappetizing, "You wouldn't, that - that's not fair."
Hermione laughed, an angry, cruel laugh, ""And how fair have you been towards me? You're lucky I haven't mentioned your bullying to my parents or you would've been out of here since first year. Don't think for a moment that because I've been kind enough to let your cruelty off thus far that I'll allow you to ruin my life. I can ruin yours even quicker."
Lisa, who had now begun to tear up, spun suddenly, making her sprinting her way out of the courtyard as quick as she could.
Hermione heaved a shuddering sigh of both relief and frustration, sinking down onto one of the stone benches to once again catch the breath that had escaped her.
Draco Malfoy stood hiding behind a stone pillar, watching as the pinch-faced Ravenclaw girl stormed back into the castle. He adjusted his pants - the awkward discomfort had appeared in the middle of Granger's rant and he had been unable to get rid of it since then. The sight of her, her cold smile and the still chill of her voice had been positively entrancing- even more entrancing compare to when he had first seen her enter the Great Hall in her Slytherin green robes. The sight of her draped in his colors had sent a thrill through him that he hadn't expected, it almost made him forget about the thrice blasted git on her arm. Merlin, he needed to get a hold of himself.
Taking a deep breath, he approached her as soon as he calmed down, taking out his kerchief when he heard the faint sobs coming from her. Why was he doing this? Blast it all. Not knowing how to draw her attention when he finally stood in front of her, he coughed.
It worked, he had half wished it wouldn't, but it did - and she looked up, a look of horror appearing on her face when she saw him, she hastily moved to wipe her tears away. His hand shot out before she could, grabbing her wrists to halt her motion. They stayed there for a moment, staring at their hands before he dropped hers and held out his handkerchief.
"Use this." he said softly.
She nodded in thanks and dabbed at her eyes slowly. The confused and wary look did not fade from her face.
"Did you hear all of that?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
He gave a small nod, which was succeeded by a wince when she huffed under her breath.
Pleading eyes came to look up at him, warm, and brown and a little red-rimmed, "Is there any chance you'll keep it a secret?"
Before he could respond, a hysterical laugh bubbled up from her, "Who am I kidding? Of course you won't, you hate me! Goodness, could this get any worse?"
Draco frowned, but said, "I'll keep your secret."
She halted her ranting almost immediately, "What?" she sputtered.
"I'll keep your secret." he said, as earnestly as he could.
Hermione's eyes narrowed in suspicion, a look comparable to any Slytherin's when wary of receiving help, "Why?" she asked pointedly.
Draco refrained from nodding his approval at her caution, instead, he gave her a shrug, "I want to."
"What if you decide you don't want to, then?" she said warily.
"I won't."
"I have no reason at all to trust you, Malfoy." she said, the unease in her voice obvious.
He held his wand out to her, "I, Draco Abraxas Malfoy, promise to keep the secret of Hermione Granger's true identity to myself until she decides otherwise."
The glow from his wand dimmed slowly, casting a faint glow across the girl's surprised features, "That was a Wizard's Oath." she said, shell-shocked.
Draco nodded simply, "Unless you give me permission, I'll guard your secret."
"Why are you doing this?" she asked, more confused than ever before.
He smiled at her for the first time, "Consider it an apology, Granger."
With that, he offered his hand to her, watching as she weighed her choices while staring at his outstretched palm. A terse moment later, her lithe hand rested on his, allowing him to pull her up.
"Thank you." she said, dusting off her dress.
He nodded politely, "I think it would be best if we weren't seen reentering the Great Hall together."
She curled her lips at the thought, "Yes, I agree."
"Very well, good night, Granger." he said, moving away.
"Draco," the sound of her voice calling out his name sent shivers along his spine.
"Yes?" he turned to face her.
"Thank you." Hermione said quietly.
"Any time, Hermione." he said simply, then, as an afterthought, "You look beautiful tonight, by the way."
a/n: Ooooof, now we're getting somewhere. A little head's up for people who like Cedric. I'll be twisting his character a little bit in this story, I'm so sorry, don't kill me.