Author's Note: Hi everyone! I just want to thank all of you for still following my story despite the slow updates. As I've said before, inspiration to write just comes to me randomly and it's the only way the story can progress. I have a general idea of where I want to take this story, but please leave any suggestions in reviews. Over the next few weeks I'll also be going back and editing some of my chapters, as I've noticed quite a few grammatical mistakes when I go back and re-read some parts. Anyway, that's it for now. Any reviews, favorites, and follows are much appreciated!
"So," Hermione began as she cookie crumbs around on her plate. "Have you seen Blaise since class today?"
"No. Why?" Draco asked, looking up from his textbook.
"Oh no reason. It's just unusual for him to be gone this long without telling us where he went."
"Well if he told you he'd be back later tonight I'm sure he will be," he said dismissively.
She frowned at his flippant attitude but didn't say anything. It wasn't like Blaise to miss meals or be gone at night. She and Draco had waited until near the end of dinner for him to show up. There were only a few students left in the Great Hall now, but Draco didn't seem worried at all. This was one of the few times she actually wished for muggle technology in the wizarding world. If only Blaise had a cell phone so she could just call him. Sending a patronus would probably be a little over the top.
Instead, she turned her attention to the Christmas decorations around the room. There was a huge Christmas tree decorated with all the house colors in the far corner of the room. The regular golden candles had been replaced with silver and large bow ties and ribbons hung near the torches on the walls. The house elves had also hung up similar decorations around the head dorm room. She had added her own scented candles around her room, the scent of pinewood trees. Hogwarts was truly a beautiful sight in the winter.
Glancing at Draco, he seemed much more relaxed now than all semester. Having his mother back safely relieved pretty much all of his stress and tension. He looked up from his book as the last student other than the two of them in the Great Hall cleared out.
Hermione sighed and pushed her plate away as the house elves started appearing to clean the tables. "Well, I suppose it's time to go to bed. I hope Blaise comes back soon."
"I'm sure he's fine," Draco replied, standing up and beginning to walk out of the hall. Hermione followed him and they walked together until they parted ways as she went back to the head dorm.
As she walked into the common room, she was surprised to find Blaise standing there looking out the window.
"Blaise! Where have you been? I've was getting worried-" She began to question him but stopped as he turned around, holding a bouquet of roses and white lilies. "Are those for me?" She asked, pointing at the beautiful flowers.
"Who else?" He teased, as she came over to him and took them from him. "Sorry I was gone all evening. I'm not very good at these kinds of things so it took me longer than I thought it would," he explained, nervously running his hand through his hair.
"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked, inhaling the scent of the roses.
Without warning, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in for a hug, careful not to crush the flowers in the process.
Hermione was frozen in shock and could feel her face burning from a deep blush. He leaned down close to her ear, his breath tickling her neck.
"Blaise, what-"
"Will you go to the ball with me, Hermione?" Blaise whispered.
It was a simple question, one which he already knew the most probably answer to, but it still made him nervous. He had been deciding which flowers to get her all day at Hogsmeade and working up the courage to actually ask her. He wanted it to feel special.
Hermione couldn't contain her smile at the question and turned her head to give him a light kiss on the cheek. "Yes!"
Draco sat on one of the window seats next to his bed. It was about midnight and most of the other Slytherins had gone to sleep. If everything had gone according to plan, Blaise should have asked Hermione to the ball three hours ago and she probably said yes. After their conversation at the lake, Blaise told him about his plan to get flowers and asked him to keep Hermione busy until he returned.
He was happy for Blaise and Hermione. Despite his own crush on her, he knew it probably wouldn't have worked out. They were just too different, even though they had gotten over the past. He still felt guilty about the scar on her arm, and she still probably hadn't been able to put the traumatic experience at his house behind her.
He thought back to his past experiences with Blaise and Hermione before the war. He never thought very highly of Blaise. Blaise had just been someone in Slytherin that he could use to help him through his mission. Being the most influential person in Slythern at the time had made it almost impossible for Blaise to refuse doing whatever he said. At the time, he thought most people in Slytherin respected him, either out of fear or envy. Never in a million years did he think he would ever have a genuine friend.
That was one of the many reasons he despised Potter and his friends so much, Hermione included. It didn't help that he thought Potter was arrogant, but to make it worse he could tell that Potter wouldn't have gotten anywhere without Hermione over the years. She was the only one of the Golden Trio that had any brains and common sense. She was the exact opposite of everything he had been taught about muggles from his father. He was jealous and lost, so his way of dealing with those feelings was being more of a jerk than necessary to her.
The sound of arguing in the common room downstairs brought him out of his thoughts, so he decided to quietly sneak down the stars to see what was going on.
"I already told you, I'm not going to do that!" He heard a girl's voice hiss.
"Aw, come on. Just tonight! If I lose this dare I'll look like an idiot."
"Get away from me," the girl said a little more loudly this time. This time, Draco could tell that it was Astoria downstairs. At the sound of a brief scuffle he entered the common room to see a 6th year Slytherin boy he had seen a few times grabbing onto her arm. Astoria clearly looked like she wanted nothing to do with him.
"I suggest you let her go," Draco said with a pointed look at the boy. Astoria looked up at him with a relieved expression.
The boy quickly let go of Astoria. "Come on, Malfoy," he whined. "I just need her for tonight. It was a dare and if I don't follow through I'll look like a fool. You know how that stuff is."
Draco glared at his idiotic housemate. "Leave now, before I let Slughorn know what you just tried to do."
Mumbling angrily to himself, the younger boy brushed past Draco and went upstairs. Astoria let out a shaky breath and sat down on the couch.
"Are you okay?" He asked her.
"I'll be fine. Thanks, Malfoy," she said, fidgeting her hands in her lap.
"What happened?"
"Apparently his friends dared him to get me to spend the night with him. You know how boys are at that age, all hormonal and jackasses."
"I definitely do. That doesn't make it right to act that way though."
There was a long silence between them, neither quite knowing what to say. Finally, Draco gathered up some courage to say what he had been meaning to since the trial.
"About what happened with Nott…I'm sorry. If it hadn't been for me, you wouldn't have been attacked."
She looked up at him, surprised at his apology. "It wasn't your fault. You have nothing to be sorry for."
"You wouldn't have been there if you hadn't been helping me pick up my stuff."
"Malfoy don't be ridiculous. I was in that hallway on my own accord. Besides, it was probably a good thing I was there. I was a helpful witness at your trial, right?"
"Yes but I still feel bad…"
"Really, I'm fine. Thank you for your apology nonetheless," she said as she stood up. "Well, it's late, I'm going to go to bed now. Thanks again for helping me just now."
As she made it up three steps to the girls' dorm, Draco spoke.
"Wait!" He called out. She stopped looked down at him questioningly. "Do you…do you have a date for the ball?"
"No," she said shyly, a small blush forming on her cheeks.
He gulped, summoning all the courage he had. "Then…would you like to go with me?"
Astoria's small smile turned into a full smile as she nodded. "Yes. I'd love to."
He couldn't help but notice the butterflies in his stomach as she smiled at him fully for the first time. Maybe he should have listened to Blaise earlier.
"Great! Goodnight, Astoria." She gave him one more smile before turning back and going up the steps.
