**A/N: As always, the only thing in this story that is mine is plot and its twists and most, if not all characters and situations are AU.
Hermione and Draco were scheduled to meet that night. She had spent endless amounts of time over the past few days trying to come up with the words that she would use to explain the situation to Draco and possibly calm him down. Hermione opened the door to their room, as they had dubbed it, her heart pounding out of her chest with nerves and walked in. She had a smile on her face but it was a skittish one. "Hey Draco." She didn't walk up to him, but paced by the door, wringing her hands.
"You seem nervous, everything okay?" Draco asked as concern washed over him upon seeing her face as she walked into the classroom and her actions were not normal. She usually came up to him and gave him a kiss.
She stopped in her tracks, having thought many times about how he'd feel about what she was about to tell him. "Uh... Yeah... Kinda..." She said as her face lit on fire with an interesting blush. Hermione started to fidget with the hem of her skirt.
Draco felt worried as he watched his anxious girlfriend, but kept his face even as he asked, "What's wrong?" He watched her becoming increasingly nervous as his slate grey eyes burned holes into her.
"It's nothing, really," she said as she looked up into his eyes with her own chocolate brown ones. "It's just that I know that we can't go to the ball together, and someone else has asked me to go with him," she stated, looking down at the floor, "and, well, I told him I would attend with him,." she finished, her heart now feeling as if it may explode.
Draco stood there for a moment in silence, disappointed. He should have known that she'd be asked by someone, but he'd hoped she would say no. "Oh. Oh I see. Well, that's okay," Draco whispered. He couldn't be mad at her. They both understood the situation, the danger. It wasn't like he could personally take her to the ball.
"You're sure?" she asked as she bit her lip anxiously, "even though it's Viktor Krum? If not I can tell him I changed my mind about going with him. I will go alone if you're not comfortable with me going with him," she inquired. His lack of anger was worrying her.
"No! I mean this is a one-time thing right?" his face flushed in irritation at the idea of her attending with Krum, "And you should do what makes you happy. If going to the ball with that dunderhead makes you happy, then that is what you should do. I'm not angry at you, just this fucking situation." He finished, as as he stood and gently brushed a lock of her hair from her face.
She looked at him and nodded and wrapped her arms around him as a small tear fell. "What would make me the most happy is to go with you and to stop hiding in the shadows all the time. I hate hiding us," she whispered into his chest.
"I know sweetheart." his arms came around her, taking comfort from her closeness, "Unfortunately, for the time being these are the cards we are stuck with," Draco replied as he combed his fingers through her unruly hair, hoping to calm her.
She held him tighter and nodded. She looked up at him, "will we ever not have to hide?"
"I don't know," he replied softly as he rubbed her head, "maybe once we help Harry defeat Voldemort."
"I'm sorry Draco. I don't mean to be so emotional." She said softly after she'd calmed down a bit. She felt guilty for turning what little time they had together into something emotional.
"This is our life. I'm sorry I can't take you to the ball. But I am glad you will be able to attend. You should have fun."
Changing the subject she looked up at him and asked in hopes of at least seeing him there, "will you be there?"
"Probably not. I will probably end up stuck with my father." Draco replied.
She looked up at him with a sad look on her face. "This isn't fair." She said as she pulled away and plopped into the teacher's chair placing her elbows on the desk and her face in her hands.
"It'll be alright," Draco replied as he stepped beside his now distraught girlfriend and rubbed her back softly, "I'm sure we will get through this, we just have to be strong."
She looked up at him and smiled weakly, tears filling her eyes, "Do you really believe that? Or are you just saying it to try to make me feel better?" She asked hoping that he really thought things would get better.
"Both." He responded bluntly as he sat on the desk beside her elbow.
She smiled up at him and placed her chin on his knee,"thank you. I really hope things do get better. I am not sure how much more of this I can take."
"It will, just enjoy yourself." He smirked, glad to see a smile on her face.
Hermione yawned, and felt the exhaustion seep into her body from the emotional roller coaster she had been on the last few days. Standing from the desk, she flicked her wand to transfigure a few desks into a gorgeous four poster bed with satin sheets. "Want to snuggle for a bit?" She asked with a smile.
"That is the most brilliant thing you have suggested all day." He replied as he lay on satin covered bed, which were certainly better than what he had in his dormitory.
Hermione crawled into the bed and joined him, laying her head on his chest. She wrapped her arm around him holding on tight.
The day of the Hogsmeade trip came, and Harry watched as the snow fell from the sky while sitting on the bench, waiting for Daphne. He had sent an owl to her that morning telling her where to meet.
"Hiya, Harry. Are you ready to go?" She asked as she walked up gracefully.
He nodded. He hadn't t wanted to meet her at Honeydukes due to the massive crowd. It would set the school ablaze with rumors, not that it wasn't already but still. He wrapped his Gryffindor scarf around his neck tightly as he walked to Daphne's side.
She held her hand out for him to take,"They're going to talk anyway. We might as well give 'em something to talk about," she said with a daring smirk.
He rolled his eyes and chuckled to himself as he took her soft hand, keeping his free hand in his pocket. It was a rather cold day, like Harry had predicted, the snow was thick on the ground.
She kept her free hand in the pocket of her fur jacket. "Shall we?" She asked as she looked at him sweetly.
Harry nodded as the two began walking, hand in hand towards, a more than likely full, Gladrags Wizardwear. 'This was gonna be a long day.' He thought to himself.
They walked into Gladrags Wizardwear which was filled to the brim with students from all houses who were also looking for dress robes for the Yule Ball. When the bell sounded announcing the arrival of both Harry and Daphne most of the students seemed to stop what they were doing to look to see who was walking in. Noticing who it was, the Gryffindor and Slytherin students looks turned to ones of disgust, and the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students simply turned back to what they were doing. Harry looked at the floor as his face grew hot with an angry blush. Daphne and Harry did not speak as they slowly walked deeper into the store.
"Just ignore them. Their opinions don't matter. Only ours matter. And I'm happy with my choice of partner to go to the ball with," she said breaking the cold silence.
Her statement made him feel like his patience would be tested, as Harry looked up at Daphne. He had a funny feeling that something would happen today. Though he simply couldn't place his finger on it.
"I hate that you have to be a part of the receiving end of their hatred, he whispered to her low enough that no student could hear him unless they were standing close enough to touch him, which at this point, very few students wanted to be near him.
"I haven't a care in the world for what they think Harry. I have told you this before." She said as she took him by the hand and pulled him to the back, knowing that the expensive things were kept there. "Here we are. silence at last." She said with a chuckle.
"Yeah. so Daphne, what are you planning to buy?" Harry asked with a nervous smile as he was now wishing to Merlin that Hagrid was able to take him to Gringotts before this 'date'.
"I was thinking we could coordinate. What do you think?" She asked.
"You seem better than me at shopping, so sure." He replied sheepishly as he really had no idea what he was doing.
She smiled at his bashful face. "What are you so worried for?"
"Daphne, I'm one of the champions. I was informed I open the dance, so I need to look my best. I also don't want to embarrass you, since you are taking a chance with me. Do you think you can make that happen? Maybe a suit that is charmed to give confidence to the wearer?" he asked sighing in defeat.
She smiled at him "I promise you will look your best, and I don't embarrass that easily." She choose a dress and a suit off the rack. "How about these?" She asked. She had picked out a floor length ruby red dress that was satin and lace. The bodice was tight and met the skirt and flared down to the floor. The lacey top layer was designed with leaves. It was truly the perfect Yule dress for a Gryffindor. The suit Daphne picked for him, made him intimidated. It was simple and black with a Slytherin green cumberbund. The tie was grey. He fucking hated the idea of wearing a tie.
"Uhm, Opposites?" Harry said.
"I figured we could switch house colors for the night, to show unity. Plus the colour really sets off the colour of your eyes," she said with a smile as she walked to the fitting room to try on her dress. "You should try yours on as well,"she said pointing to the door next to hers, as she quickly disappeared into the room.
Harry looked at the suit unsure of the colour choice and picked up the pricetag to see the price, 'that's insane!' He thought to himself. He knew that she was a girl of high fashion, but this made him uncomfortable. He went into the fitting room with the incredibly overpriced suit and began to try it on. Harry truly did not want to disappoint Daphne.
She came out of the dressing room wearing her gown. "What do you think?" She asked him with excitement as she did a fancy twirl when he came out of his dressing room.
Harry had walked out of his own dressing room with most of his ensemble on, with the exception of his tie, simply because he didn't know how to tie one. He really didn't want to wear green. It made him remember the Sorting Hat telling him he would do well in Slytherin. But it made her happy, and was a good idea, even if he hated it. He smiled at Daphne,"You look beautiful," excitement in his voice. He was truly glad she wanted to be with him. The only reason he was upset was because he hated that people were talking about her because of him.
"That suit looks hot on you! Do you need help with that tie?" She asked with a giggle.
"Yes, please. I never learned how to tie one." He said softly with a shy look on his face
She stepped up to him and gently tied the tie properly. Giving him a small kiss on the cheek when she was finished.
His face heated up softly as he muttered out "Thank you, but I am not going to be able to pay for this, I haven't been to my Gringotts vault in a while.."
"Oh Harry, sweetheart, I have an account here. My parents will take care of it." She smiled waving away his concerns.
"Are you sure about that?" He asked sheepishly.
"Yes, you've had enough to deal with this year,with the tournament and your awful housemates. Just let me do this, okay?" She dictated, as she turned to walk away and get her dress fixed to fit her perfectly.
Harry nodded once more as he went back into the dressing room and changed back into his own clothes.
When she was finished getting fitted, she changed back to her clothes. She went to the counter and asked the witch at the register to charge the clothing to her parent's account. The dress and suit were packaged and promised to be mailed that evening to the castle so they didn't have to carry their purchases. Daphne took Harry's hand and walked proudly out of the store. Daphne's head held high and a bold and beautiful look upon her face.
"So Harry," she said getting his attention from the white snow on the ground, "would you like to go to Honeydukes? I'm kind of craving something sweet."
"Sure, sounds good." He replied although he felt like this was a terrible idea. But he would go with her. He had a horrible feeling about going to Honeydukes.
They arrived at Honeydukes and half of Gryffindor were there, just walking out of the candy shop. Harry's grip tightened on hers as he noticed this. She looked at him. "We don't have to go in if you don't want to Harry. I can wait on my sweets. It's okay." She said with an arrogant look towards the other boys.
"It's alright. I can handle this." Harry replied as he kept walking, and once at the door, he held the door for her. He could feel a confrontation coming whether he wanted it or not.
As she went to step through the door, Ron stepped right in her way. "Watch it, Weasel!" She sneered.
"So Potter, you get kicked out, and the first thing you do is go and date a vicious little viper, huh?" Ronald asked with a sneer.
Harry's face burned. "How dare you talk about her like that! You can say whatever the fuck you please about me, but I refuse to let you speak ill of Daphne!" He shouted back at Ron. Harry stepped in front of her to ensure her safety. "Now move so we can go inside!" He finished with all of the authority he could muster from his soul.
"I don't have to move. You should not even be allowed in Honeydukes. You probably don't even have any money to buy anything anyway. Really, I'm saving you from being embarrassed in front of your little viper whore. You should be thanking me," Ron sneered.
Daphne looked at Harry, who seemed like he might hit Ron if he did not move, and furrowed her brow at the situation. "Harry, he's just being childish. Ignore him." She commanded, pulling his arm to get him out of the doorway so the other boys could leave the shop.
Harry yanked his arm from her grip, flashing her a look of warning as he did so. "You have no right to talk about her like that! Say what you will about me, but you leave her out of this! And saying I don't have money is rich. You probably had to save for weeks to be able to go in there and buy something, cuz we all know you're poor as dirt," Harry shouted at Ron, as he turned his angry look from her back to his former friend, his fist clenched tight, not caring to use his wand.
Ron stepped closer to him, so close in fact that his nose almost touched Harry's, his face red with anger, "And what do you think you're going to do about it?" He growled.
Daphne looked behind Ron and the other boys, to see Professor McGonagall headed towards the door with a disapproving look on her face. "Uhm, Harry. McGonagall is coming this way." Daphne whispered to him once again taking hold of his arm. The professor may not care about the students in the castle, but she wouldn't allow such a scene in the village.
"This isn't over," Harry hissed at Ron through gritted teeth. Daphne gently tugged him from the doorway. Harry exhaled sharply in frustration as he was pulled out of the doorway. He watched Ron rant and shout obscenities away from the shop. Daphne and Harry went through the door once the boys were clear of it and made their way through the crowd in the sweet shop. He watched as Professor McGonagall continued to walk through the snow outside, monitoring the students.
She walked calmly to the Sugar Quills and grabbed a dozen or so, then sweetly looked at Harry, "May I buy you anything Harry?"
"Uhm, I'll pay for my own sweets, thanks," Harry replied sheepishly, as he began picking up some cockroach clusters, sugar flies, and chocolate frogs for himself.
"You're sure?" She asked, seeing his uncomfortable look. "Is this because of what the Weasel said? Because I love spending money on you."
"Yeah, I don't wanna spend your money, Daphne." He replied simply as he took out the sickles and knuts to pay for his candy.
She smiled softly, "Okay. No problem."
Harry took his bag of sweets to the counter and he kept his hand holding Daphne's.
They each paid for their sweets separately, despite Daphne's protests. And they walked out. The silence was heavy between them.
"What's on your mind, Harry?" She queried, as they walked down the road through the village.
"Do you really want to know? Because there is a lot on my mind," at her nod to continue, he spoke shrugging his shoulders, "the next trial, the egg in Hagrid's hut, which I still haven't figured out, and the ball mostly."
"Oh, well, you are right, it is a lot" She commented calmly as they walked hand in hand. "I'm a bit hungry, want to go grab a bite?" She asked.
"I'm not-" Harry was cut off by the growling of his stomach, answered the question for him.
"Come on, why are you pushing me away?" She asked, "I want to have lunch with you, and clearly your stomach wants you to as well." Her voice never raising above a whispered tone and her face never faltering. "Please, have lunch with me." Her smile was sweet and he blushed, but nodded in acquiescence.
"Thank you." She beamed. She took him to a small seafood restaurant that was quite high-end. Transforming their attire to be appropriate for the restaurant with just a flick of her wrist.
Harry was shocked at Daphne's skill at transformation, but didn't question it. He followed Daphne and the hostess, who looked irritated to be serving teens.
Daphne sat in the seat opposite Harry and perused her menu. They both ordered a water from the waiter who had appeared, and continued to look at their menus.t.
Harry tapped his fingers awkwardly on the wooden table, unsure of Daphne's motivations. No one had ever really cared if he ate when he was hungry. He was just glad to be at a school where all meals were available to him. His aunt and uncle were never fussed about him eating and would often take meals away as punishment.
She looked up at him, blushing slightly. The waiter came back to the table with their waters and to take their order. Daphne smiled at the waiter, "I'll take the shrimp and lobster lunch with a crab bisque and salad." She said as she patiently waited for Harry to make his choice with a smile on her face.
"I just want water," He replied. He refused to spend any of her money, if he could help it. And he could wait until dinner at the castle.
She looked at him slightly affronted. "Please Harry, get something to eat." She said softly. "It really is not a big deal."
"I don't want too. I can eat when we get back to the castle. I don't want to spend your money, okay? Just leave it alone." He snapped. The waiter sneered at his display of anger and walked away.
She frowned at Harry, unsure of what was going through his head. "Why are you waiting to eat at the castle. It isn't a big deal for me to buy you lunch. And that waiter was rude. I will speak with Daddy about his attitude. The owner needs to know how the staff acts."
"It may not seem like a lot to you, to go to a fancy restaurant and order lobster and shrimp. But I have never had that luxury. I was punished by having food taken from me. For the first time in my life, I am able to eat meals regularly. You buying my meal makes me feel like I'm not enough. It's fucking embarrassing. I mean, why would you ever date a guy who couldn't buy a simple meal? Hell, I can't even take you on a date right now. I need to go to Gringotts first. You don't know what that feels like because you come from money. Do you understand a little of how I feel?" He demanded.
""Harry, I'm sorry that I have embarrassed you. I did not mean for you to feel that way about me spending money on you. I like you. The talks we have had the last few weeks have meant a lot to me. I love getting to know you. I hate that you were punished by having meals taken from you. Will you at least get something small to tide you over until we get back to the castle? I don't want to eat alone," she asked, tears filling her eyes, but she didn't allow them to fall.
"I will eat something with you. I don't want to be an embarrassment to you. And I like you too. The talks we have had have helped me feel human again. With everything looming over my head, I only have you and Hermione, who is more like a sister," Harry explained. Daphne waved the waiter back over.
"I'll have the Caesar salad and crab bisque," Harry told the waiter who nodded and walked away angrily.
Daphne smiled at his order and spoke, "I'm glad the talks have meant so much to you too. And that you like me. I will be here for you through it all. I'm not leaving you now that I know you."
A few minutes later their food arrived, and they began eating. Harry hummed in delight when he took his first taste of the bisque. "Thank you, Daphne, for everything," he smiled shyly at her.
She nodded and continued to enjoy her meal, looking up at him from time to time, smiling.