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**** HERMIONE ****

I looked in the mirror and smiled. The face that peered back at me was my own, but my eyes were brighter, more vibrant than I had ever noticed them before. My cheeks were flushed with the excitement of the evening to come, and for the first time in a long time, I felt alive, felt like I had finally stepped out of my own shadow, that I had become the person – the woman – I truly believed I was.

It was my chance to hold my head high and take all the expectations the world had of me, and toss them aside. It was my chance to shine.

I took a step back and took in the full image. My dress was much more daring than I would have ever worn previously. It was a deep plum coloured halter neck evening gown with a plunging V neckline, that showed more than enough cleavage to put Draco in a spin, as would the high split in the skirt. It was backless – save for the thin, ribbon-like straps that criss-crossed just below my shoulder blades - and it dipped low along the curve of my hips; so low that I was sure that if I bent over too far, my arse would be on display for the world to see.

I took a deep breath, not allowing any nerves to get the better of me and change into something less revealing. I looked good, I knew I did, and it was time to see if my friends agreed.

I headed for the stairs, my heels clicking on the polished wood as I slowly descended, and the looks on my three friend's faces as I entered the living room let me know that my dress had the desired effect.

"Merlin's fucking balls!" Pansy said.

"I would have to agree," Ginny said with a slow nod and a sly grin, "It's about time you showed off those curves."

Harry stepped up in front of me and took both my hands in his, "I think what they're both trying to say is that you look amazing."

I glanced over his shoulder at the pair of them, and then smiled at Harry, "Thank you, Harry."

After Draco and I agreed to arrive separately, I had decided to make an entrance. I had kept my dress search quiet, telling both Pansy and Ginny that I was still looking even though it had been hanging in my closet for weeks. I had wanted to see the exact reaction that I got, just to make sure that my instincts were right; that Draco's jaw would hit the floor when I walked in.

"I like this new version of you," Ginny said clapping her hands together lightly, "Heads will be turning tonight."

A loud tapping noise sounded on the window and I frowned. I looked at Harry, "Is that here for you?"

He squinted at it and shook his head, "No. I don't recognise it."

I walked to the window and pushed it open. I assumed it was from the Aurors office since I didn't recognise it either. The owl hooted at me and nipped at my hand. Apparently it was here for me. I took the small piece of parchment from the loop on its foot and unrolled it. And I had to bite my lip to stop the smile.

Damn him!

The note was explicit - very explicit - telling me exactly what he planned on doing to me after the ball. And he planned to do it to me in his bed – very loudly. I felt my cheeks heat up and I heard a throat clearing behind me. I turned to face them; Harry was looking at me in puzzlement, Pansy and Ginny were grinning at me.

"Is everything alright?" Harry asked.

"Fine," I squeaked, then cleared my throat and repeated, "Fine."

"I'll bet it is," Ginny said, wiggling her eyebrows.

Harry looked between us and then turned his nose up, "I don't really want to know, do I?"

"No," I said, shaking my head, "Probably best if you don't."

He shuddered comically and shook his head, "Can you three please keep the innuendo amongst yourselves? I don't need any pictures of Draco Malfoy...like that...in my head."

"So he's not your man-crush then?" Pansy asked, her voice a little too innocent for the amused expression on her face.

Harry squeezed his eyes shut, "Parkinson, seriously? No!" He twirled his finger in the air, "Change the conversation please."

"Oh, come on Potter, look how happy she is." Pansy chortled as he put his fingers in his ears and shook his head.

I touched Harry's shoulder and smiled at him. "Sorry, we'll keep the girl talk to a minimum." I looked at my three friends, and a let out a slow breath, "Everyone will know. After tonight, everyone will know."

Ginny hugged my shoulders, "And we'll be right beside you when they do."

I smiled at her, "You couldn't announce your news tomorrow, could you? Take the heat off us a bit?"

"No way sister." She grinned and rubbed her still flat belly, "This news stays secret for as long as possible."

Pansy hugged me from the other side, "You'll be fine. They have no idea where you live, so they can only hound you at work, and there's no way Alexis will let anyone near you. Nor will Draco."

"I know, but this is big."

"And you will handle it. And so will he." Harry smiled at my surprised expression. "You told me he'd changed, and I've seen it. And like Parkinson said, he won't let anyone near you." He shrugged, "What can I say? I don't hate the guy."

I wrapped my arms around him, "Thank you Harry."

"Well then," He said, "Now that all the sappy stuff is out of the way, let's get moving."

We arrived at The Ministry, apparating into the entrance hall that had been transformed into a winter wonderland. Harry and Ginny took the lead, with Pansy and I following closely behind, climbing up the marble staircase that led toward the Grand Ballroom which was already packed.

Trays of drinks floated in the air, and tables laden with food sat to one side of the room. The roof was covered in twinkling stars and snow was falling, melting away before it touched the heads of the guests. Quiet music played in the background, dinner music, filling the air until The Weird Sisters, who had reformed after a nasty band break up, would begin playing later in the evening.

I smiled. It had been so long since I had been to a Ministry Ball; I had forgotten how perfect they were.

The crowd almost parted for us – Harry was still the boy who lived, after all – and everyone glanced in our direction, their faces in awe as we went by. Pansy snorted a laugh and I couldn't help but smirk. She had been friends with us for some time now, but it still amused her to no end that Harry was still able to turn heads wherever he went.

"Funny," Pansy whispered, "It's usually Harry that they all look at."

I looked quizzically at her, "Huh?"

She laughed, "Harry isn't the centre of attention tonight. That dress was an excellent choice."

Ginny looked back and me and nodded, "She's right. A certain blonde is gonna go ape-shit when he sees you, you know?"

I couldn't have stopped the smile that crossed my face if I tried and Pansy chuckled from beside me. But I cared little for the stares that I was getting as we moved deeper into the ballroom, my only care was Draco. I flicked my eyes around the room, trying to spot him but I couldn't see him anywhere. But I expected that he was hiding in the shadows, watching me closely.

"Holy shit, Hermione." Alicia Spinnet said from behind me, "Did someone have to paint that dress on you?"

I laughed, "It certainly feels like it."

"I might have to start a pool as to which one of these losers hits on you first."

Pansy snorted a laugh, "I might have to get in on that."

I shook my head, but laughed.

And then my breath caught.

He was watching me. No. He was gawking at me. His eyes were wide, his drink frozen halfway to his mouth, his jaw almost on the floor. And it took everything I had to not show any emotion, because he was dressed in a way that had me wanting to undress him immediately.

His black tuxedo fitted him perfectly; his robes were draped casually around his shoulders, and I could barely tear my eyes away from his face. His eyes were burning into mine, and the jaw that was almost on the floor had slowly closed and his mouth was turned up into a smirk. And the bastard hadn't shaved. I could see the hint of stubble on his jaw even from my position across the room and my thighs ached to feel the roughness brushing against them. He was everything every woman in the ballroom would want; blonde hair, piercing eyes, the broody, sullen, no-care attitude. He was the total package.

And he was mine.

I reluctantly tore my eyes away from him and grabbed a glass of champagne from a floating tray. I swallowed half of it in one go, which had Alicia lifting her brows at me.

"You alright?"

I nodded, "Yeah. Just nervous about whom I might bump into."

"Oh," She said with a knowing nod, "He'll be sorry when he sees you."

"I didn't do this for him...but I hope so," I said with a smirk, knowing that Alicia was right. Ron would fall over his own tongue when he saw me, but he wouldn't get within ten feet of me. Draco would be watching my every move until he decided it was time to reveal our little secret.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I flinched. A low voice whispered against my ear, "Hello gorgeous."

I looked back over my shoulder and smiled, relieved.

"Calm down Granger," Blaise's smooth voice said close to my ear, "I just wanted to tell you that your arse looks fantastic in that dress."

I turned to face him "I'm glad you approve." His eyes dropped to my chest and I laughed, "So not just my arse then?"

"Shit Granger. If you weren't already-" his eyes darted over my shoulder and I knew that Alicia was watching our exchange with interest, "That is to say, if you weren't on the rebound, I might think you worthy of my attention."

"Oh," I sung in a high pitched girly voice, "Blaise Zabini, don't tease me. My poor heart can't take it."

Blaise laughed and leaned in close to me, "I mean it; you're the most gorgeous woman in the room and that bastard is the luckiest man alive."

"Seriously Weasley. How much of an idiot are you? What the hell were you thinking when you gave up Granger's pussy?"

We were headed for the bathrooms when the voice stopped me short. Pansy yelped, almost crashing into me.

"Granger. What the-"

I hissed at her to be quiet and she frowned at me, before her eyes went wide when she heard the familiar voice. Her head whipped around and followed my line of sight. He was standing just a few feet away with his back to me and hadn't realised I was there.

"Pfft. She's like that because of me." Ron said with a chuckle. A chuckle I knew all too well – he was embarrassed and trying to hide the fact that he was a total fool. "She used to be a prudish book worm. Never wanted to do anything adventurous, if you know what I mean. But once I showed her a thing or two, she couldn't get enough of me. She practically begged me constantly for it. I brought her out of her shell. What you're seeing is all my doing."

"Yeah, but you still gave her up." One of the men standing beside him laughed, "You really are an idiot."

He coughed and spluttered, "Well, um, yeah. She was too much work. I shouldn't have to try so hard to get a decent fuck. And there was always that one thing she refused to do."

The two men guffawed and slapped his back and told him he must have really dodged a bullet.

I had expected him to be here, had prepared myself for it, but preparing my mind and seeing him in the flesh were two completely opposite things. The last time I'd seen him, he was grovelling for me to forgive him, begging me not to leave. And now, here he was, bragging about how I was the frigid one, how I was the prude, how I was the one who didn't want to try that one thing, when it was all him. The only begging I had ever done was to beg him to fuck me somewhere other than our bed.

I swallowed and took a deep breath. Pansy took a step forward and I grabbed her wrist, looking at her. Her jaw was clenched and she looked ready to start swinging

"Don't," I said quietly, "He's not worth it."

And then I almost changed my mind.

A blonde woman, who was more out of her dress than in it, crossed over to them – a fake smile plastered on her fake face, but at least it matched her fake boobs – and I felt my blood boil. It was her. The one I would forever remember. The one whose head was dangling over the edge of his desk. I wanted to walk over there and slap the fake smile off her stupid fake face.

I pressed my fingernails into my palms as she slipped an arm across his shoulders and whispered something in his ear. He laughed and pinched her arse, and I felt my stomach churn. That was yet another thing he wouldn't do to me in public...or, for that matter, in private.

"Is that her?" Pansy whispered and I nodded, "Well, she's very...fake. Perfect for him really."

I smiled at her attempt to make light of the situation. But suddenly the room felt tiny and I couldn't breathe.

"I need air." I said and let Pansy lead me away.

After several twists and turns around corners and down hallways, we finally stopped in a vacant alcove and I leaned heavily against the wall. Pansy stood in front of me, her arms crossed over her chest, seething.

"I could kill him, you know." She said through clenched teeth, "I could kill him and no one would even know."

I closed my eyes. The room had begun to spin and I could feel tears threatening to fall. I gulped in air, trying to calm myself. I didn't want to cry, not over him. But hearing him talk like that...I was in his office all over again, seeing him and her.

But this time the tears that were brimming were not the same tears I had cried all those months ago. No. These weren't tears of distress; these were tears of anger.

How dare he.

How dare he say those things. How dare he paint me in that light. He was the arse, not me. He was the lying, cheating bastard, not me. He was the prude. He was the one who was lousy in bed. He was the one who grovelled at my feet, telling me that the very woman whose arse he was pinching was nothing more than an easy fuck.

And the urge to go back and confront him had me hugging my arms across my chest in an attempt to halt myself from storming back to the ballroom and beating the truth out of him.

I felt Pansy's hand rubbing up and down my arm, and as much as I loved Ginny, I was glad it was Pansy who witnessed it. Ginny would have made a scene, would have drawn attention with her temper and I didn't need that. Not where Ron was concerned in any case.

"Hermione?"

I opened my eyes and there he was.

Draco was staring at me with a look in his eyes unlike anything I'd seen. He looked both terrified and furious at seeing me in the state I was in. His robes were gone and standing at the end of the hall, his eyes on fire, and in the elegance of his perfectly tailored black tuxedo he looked as sexy as sin.

He strode towards me, his eyes never leaving mine, and Pansy stepped aside. His hand touched my shoulder, "Hermione, what's happened?"

The words stuck in my throat and a single tear ran down my cheek. I looked at Pansy.

"That fucker," She growled, "Apparently he was the sex god, not our girl here, and the uncouth git is in there spreading lies."

Draco's nostrils flared and his eyes turned to ice. He looked at Pansy, "Stay with her."

He stepped away but I stopped him, "Draco. No. Please don't."

"Hermione," He said attempting to keep his voice calm, "He won't say those things, not about you. I won't allow it."

I smiled at his possessiveness, "Thank you. But I mean it, don't bother with him. He's just a pathetic coward and not worth any of your time."

"Do you want to leave?" He asked caressing my cheek, brushing away the tears.

I did. I wanted to be as far away from this place as possible. "Yes," I said, "But no."

Confusion crossed his face, "Yes, but no?"

I took his hand in mine, "I want to leave. I don't want to look at him, I don't want to see him. But I want him to see me. I want him to see us."

"Are you sure?"

"Definitely." I said and an instant wave of calmness washed over me. I was sure. And I didn't just want Ron to see us. I wanted everyone to.

"So what's the plan?" Pansy asked and then looked surprised when I said Draco was going to invite me to dance with him.

"Draco doesn't dance," She said turning to face him.

"For the right woman I do." He told her.

"Perfect," Pansy said and grabbed my hand and started dragging me down the hall towards the bathroom. "We just need to tidy you up a bit."

I hadn't been a total disaster; waterproof make-up had saved me from a complete re-do. But my cheeks had been pink and flushed, and my hair had shifted sideways when I leaned back on the wall in the alcove. Pansy quickly re-pinned my hair while I managed to get my breathing back under control, and then squeezed my shoulders.

"You look pretty good, Granger."

I straightened my shoulders and puffed out my chest, "Hmm. I think you're right."

She snorted a laugh, "And modest too."

Draco was waiting right outside the bathroom door, leaning casually against the opposite wall. He smiled at me when we finally emerged, and I smiled in return.

"Alright?" He asked me quietly and I nodded. "We don't have to do this. We can just leave."

"No, I want to." I told him, "I just don't want you to feel like I'm using you to get back at him."

He smiled at me, "There's nothing to worry about. And, as I have said previously, it is my greatest pleasure to be used by you."

I laughed and he kissed me quickly, holding his arm out to me. I looped mine through it and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

"No," Pansy said with a smirk taking my other arm, "Go ahead Draco, stick with your original plan. It'll be more of a shock that way."

He frowned at Pansy, and gripped my arm tighter, not wanting to let me go. Pansy rolled her eyes at him. "Go in there and stand by the bar. We'll follow and then you can ask her to dance. If you walk through that door with her, it'll ruin the surprise."

He grinned at Pansy and then kissed me again, lingering for a few seconds, "Are you sure about this?"

I smiled, "I am. Are you?" This was as big of a deal for him as it was for me. He was just better at hiding his nerves.

"I get to show everyone that I'm yours? I'm more than ready." He traced one finger down my arm, making me shiver, "You look stunning, by the way."

I looked down and then back up at him, "So do you."

Pansy shoved at his arm, "Go, before I vomit."

I laughed, knowing that she loved that we were together. She had expressed it often enough, telling me how much I had changed him, how happy I had made him.

He kissed me once more and then headed back down towards the ball room.

Pansy chuckled from beside me, "You ready?"

"Yeah," I said and huffed out a nervous breath.

"Hey," Pansy said softly, "Hold your head up. Prove that arsehole wrong. Every male in that room has given you the once over tonight, and they're all laughing at the fact that he's the one who threw you away. So let him, and everyone else know, that there's only one man good enough to satisfy Hermione Granger."

We walked back to the ballroom, my heart beating rapidly. This was it. Everyone would know. I saw Ginny and Harry standing with Blaise. He was whispering something to them, and going by the look on Ginny's face, he had just explained what had happened. Draco had clearly told him, and he was now telling them.

"That's it?" Blaise asked, and shook his head, "You just walk back in? With Pansy?"

"What did you expect?" I asked and tilted my head to the side, "Did you think I'd come back in here straddling him?"

Harry choked out a surprised sound, and Blaise chuckled, "That would have been much more interesting."

"You're okay?" Ginny asked and I told her that I was perfectly fine, "My brother's an arsehole. He might actually realise what he's lost tonight."

Pansy steeled her with a glare, "He's lucky our girl stopped Draco from beating the snot out of him."

"Granger."

Regardless of the fact that I was waiting for him, a shiver ran down my spine at the sound of his voice. It was low and deep, and I let it settle over me, let it calm me. I turned slowly to find him staring straight at me, his face blank.

"Malfoy." I said and watched as his lips twitched.

He held his hand out to me, "Care to dance?"

"Um..." I looked at him through narrowed eyes, "With you?"

"Yes, with me," His voice was laced with amusement. I looked down at his outstretched hand and he laughed, "Come on Granger, I promise I won't bite."

"Oh, that's disappointing," I whispered and took his hand.

And in what was a perfect gesture, Harry grabbed his arm knowing full well that people all around had begun to notice that Draco asked me to dance and were listening in.

Draco dropped my hand and turned to look down to where Harry's hand was on his arm. His eyes flared in mock anger, "Potter?"

Trying to keep his face straight while making a show of stopping Draco, Harry glared at him, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Asking Granger to dance," he looked at me and then back to Harry, "I wasn't aware I needed your permission."

They stared at each other for several seconds, before Harry nodded his head and Draco turned to me.

I rolled my eyes, "Pissing contest over then?"

Ginny snorted and turned away, her shoulders shaking. I looked at Pansy, who was doing her best to not burst out laughing, and I rolled my eyes, "Let's go before this lot give us away,"

Draco held out his hand and I gladly took it, biting my lip as he led me to the dance floor.

People began pointing and bursts of whispers were exploding all around us. I grinned up at him "I guess they've all noticed."

"I've only proved that I'm a gentleman, simply a case of your boss asking you to dance. They know nothing yet." He smirked at me, and in typical Malfoy form, he took complete control. He placed one hand at the low curve of my back, his thumb deliberately brushing over my bare skin. His other hand gripped mine and he pressed against me tightly, his eyes were locked on mine, and in the moment just before he stepped sideways with me, I knew that this was right. So incredibly right.

And then I discovered he was a liar.

He could dance.

My hand that was resting on his shoulder slipped to his chest, "You're a liar."

He arched an eyebrow at me, "How's that?"

"You can dance, Malfoy. You told me you couldn't."

He laughed, "No. I never said I couldn't dance, Granger. I simply said I didn't dance."

"Well, everyone knows the truth now."

He leaned close and my already racing heart sped up. I hadn't been this close to him all night, and the fresh, clean smell of him filled my senses and the warmth of his breath against my ear surrounded me. "Do you want them to know the whole truth?"

I nodded against his cheek and he pulled back to glance down at me. His eyes held mine, a flicker of something flashed quickly across his face, and for a moment I thought he had changed his mind.

And then he gave me a wicked smile, leaned in and his mouth was on mine kissing me. Kissing me in front of a room full of people, whose eyes hadn't left us since we walked onto the dance floor just minutes ago.

I thought my nerves would take over and I would push away from him a panic. Instead, a calming warmth spread through me. He felt like home. He had shown me how love should be. He doted on me. He treated me like a princess and made me feel desired. Ron had only ever made me feel like we were together because we were expected to be.

I pulled back to look at him, sliding my hand from his chest to the back of his neck. His eyes had the same fire they held when he saw me in the alcove, and his focus didn't shift. He didn't look around to see who was watching, didn't look smug, nor self-satisfied that we'd made a scene that was sure to be front page news the following day. He just stared at me with complete adoration.

And a wave of dizziness washed over me and the realisation hit me hard.

I was in love with him.

I was completely, one hundred percent in love with him.

I pulled him back to my mouth, and he chuckled at my boldness, his hand dropping from mine and his arms wrapped around me, his fingers linking at the base of my spine. His lips slid over mine and were warm and soft, and tasted like expensive scotch. We had stopped dancing, completely lost in each other, completely oblivious to the rapt attention we had garnered from the entire room.

I broke the kiss and I leaned up to whisper in his ear, "I love you."

He stiffened against me, "You what?" he whispered.

I tilted my head back to look at him, "I love you Draco. I'm in love with you. I'm so in love with you."

He closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them again, his shoulders relaxed, his face completely at peace, as if he'd been waiting his entire life to hear me say the words. He lifted his hands to my face and kissed me, deep and full.

"We should leave," He said breathlessly.

"But why?" I said coyly.

He stared at me, "That owl I sent? I need you naked. Now."

"I needed you naked an hour ago," I told him, not caring in the slightest that he hadn't said the words back to me. The look in his eyes told me everything I needed to know.

He took my hand and all but dragged me off the dance floor and I finally saw the stunned looks on the faces of everyone else in the room. I almost laughed as we headed for the staircase, leaving the entire room to stare open-mouthed at our departure.

A/N:

Please don't hate me...Ron's reaction is coming, I promise. A total blow up in the middle of the ball just didn't write well, so I changed tack, and a bigger and better blow up is on it's way.

As always...thank you xx