Chapter 23 Aspirations

Hermione's POV

Decorating took forever, even after we recruited a few professors and a slew of sixth and seventh years. Cho had wanted and incredibly elaborate gothic cathedral, and that was what she got. By the time we finished, it was seven, with the ball due to be starting at eight. I hurried upstairs to the common room as quickly as I could, but I still wasted a good ten minutes. That meant I really only had forty to get into my costume. Reaching my room, I locked the door and hobbled for my trunk. I pulled a stiff ankle brace from it and strapped it around my ankle. I knew it wasn't much, but it would help and would go unnoticed under my skirts. I frowned at my heels as I magicked them into flats. It wouldn't do to wear them and risk falling and breaking both ankles. Sitting at my mirror, I pulled the TeenWitch from the bottom drawer of my vanity. Lavender and Parvati had forced it on me a few weeks ago, telling me I 'absolutely must read the article on page 15, it was life changing'. I had promptly stuck the thing in the drawer and forgotten about it until the weekend before when I found it whilst searching for something else. It had an article about hair in it and I found a style I liked and would be easy enough (I hoped!) for me to do on my own.

I managed to get my hair mostly neat with a few tips from the mag, and getting it up on my head actually worked. Holding up the mirror, I felt a sense of accomplishment. I really was a girl if I could do my hair like this. I smiled and put on a bit of makeup. I'd be wearing a mask, so it didn't make much difference. Sliding into my dress, I began to feel like a princess again. The gown was gorgeous, and the tight fitting emerald bodice clung to my curves, accentuating my petite hourglass figure. My mum would be proud. The full skirts brushed the floor, hiding the ankle brace like I hoped they would. My ankle wasn't sore yet, but I knew I couldn't push it too much. Taking a deep breath, I turned to the mirror.

I didn't recognize myself. Still, it felt like my costume was missing something. Shrugging, I smoothed my hair, then turned a quill into a black rose on impulse. I wove it into the top of the mass of dark, gentle curls that fell down to the middle of my back. Smiling, I swept out the door and out of the common room as quickly as I could. I would be late, but, hey, every princess knows how to make a grand entrance, right?

Draco's POV

The afternoon was busy, and I managed to completely avoid Hermione the entire time, even when I helped out in the Great Hall. I wasn't entirely sure why I couldn't face her. Either way, I was getting dressed but still unsure of how I was going to disguise my hair. It was a dead giveaway. Glaring at the mirror, I checked the rest of my costume. The green silk shirt and black linen pants gave me the look of a dashing highway man, especially with the mask and cloak. The sapphire sword at my side completed the ensemble. A fit of genius struck me and I transformed my hair into a light brown and lengthened it to put into a ponytail. I transfigured a white handkerchief into a black leather bandana and tied it onto my head. There. The mask hid the color of my eyes quite well and I had to admit that I looked quite dashing. I was about to leave when I noticed the crescent moon necklace on my dresser top. Reaching over, I picked it up and slipped it into my pocket. I transfigured another handkerchief into a black rose and slipped it between the wings of the dragon that decorated the hilt of my sword. One never knew when they would need a rose. Nodding at myself, I turned and left.

The Great Hall was abuzz with exclamations and overly loud talk. I had to admit that it looked pretty amazing with the fog on the floor and the lights low. I recognized many of my fellow students, some of the costumes were pretty un-original. Others blew me away though. I was on the far side of the room when she entered. It was just after eight and the room was quite full, but the music hadn't started yet. She was small and should have been lost in the crowd of people, but they fell silent and moved aside as she approached them. A buzzing picked up behind her, as people tried to figure out who she was. I was awestruck by the graceful way she moved, the regal way she held herself. She was the epitome of poise and beauty, I shocked myself when I found myself on one knee in front of her.

"For you, my lady." I held out the rose. She accepted it with a gentle smile.

"I thank you, gallant sir. It is beautiful." Her voice was sweet.

"It is merely a flower that pales beside the beauty of its holder." I was surprised to see her blush lightly.

"I thank you again, sir."

"Then I shall ask of you a small favor, if you allow." She nodded at me, and I found myself swallowing hard. "Will you do me the honor of your company at dinner this eve?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. She graced me with another beautiful smile.

"I will grant your favor, sir, if you will grant me one in return."

"Anything, my lady." I said quickly. "Ask and it is yours."

"A dance later, if you will." She asked quietly. I picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. She blushed again.

"Certainly, lady. If that is your wish, I would be more than happy to grant it." I raised myself from the floor, then was startled to find myself so much taller than she was. Her head came to my shoulder, but she held herself with the bearing of a queen and it had given her the appearance of being much taller. I offered her my arm. "May I escort the lady to her seat?" She inclined her head regally and took my arm gracefully. As we moved toward one of the tables, the crowd that had gathered around us dispersed. I was secretly delighted to hear the grumbles of a few males. I chatted with the queen on my arm and was again delighted to find her a witty partner. She was knowledgeable about many things and we were soon in the middle of an interesting conversation about the merits of the current ministries policies on other species. She was passionate about the subject and it made her cheeks glow becomingly in the candlelight. She was in the middle of a point when we were interrupted.

"Excuse me." A tall boy dressed as a prince stood before us. "I was wondering if I could have the honor of dancing with the most beautiful woman in the room." It was then that I realized the music from the DJ had started. His eyes never left my partner and I felt jealousy rearing its ugly green head in my stomach. She smiled at him and stood.

"Certainly, good sir." She turned to me and touched my arm. "I will wait for you this eve. Do not forsake my request." She said it with a smile, and was gone. I sat for a moment, then turned to one of the other girls at the table. I asked her for a dance and she blushed and stammered a yes before I swept her onto the floor.

Hermione's POV

The Great Hall looked incredible, but it was soon a blur. My costume had garnered a lot of attention as I entered, but I ignored it and was surprised by the man who asked me to be his dinner companion. He was polite and intelligent, something I hadn't expected from any of the boys in school. I wondered if he was putting on an act like I was, completely donning the personality my costume portrayed. He was witty and made me laugh, which he seemed to enjoy doing. His eyes were shadowed behind a mask that complemented my own, and I was sorry when we were interrupted by someone else. I accepted his invitation and was quickly whirled out onto the floor. My dancing partner was dressed as a prince, and I supposed his costume was a fitting complement to mine, but he was still slightly awkward, but attempting to cover it up. His movements were precise, but lacked the grace needed to make them beautiful. I kept up the façade and thanked him for the dance when the song ended. I looked for my previous partner, but was quickly asked for a dance by someone else. I finally managed to sit down a solid hour and a half later, but he was nowhere to be seen. I slipped out to the balconies that had been affixed to the room for the evening. The one I was on was quiet and lit by the bright, waning moon above. Lupin would be curled up, almost ready to go back to work wherever he was.

"The moonlight becomes thee." A silky voice pierced my thoughts, startling me. I turned to its source and was pleased to find my earlier companion. He handed me a glass of punch and I smiled at him, feeling my cheeks warm. "And your blush becomes you even more."

"You are too kind, good sir." I dipped my head, but was surprised by strong, warm fingers under my chin tilting my head back up.

"A beautiful lady should never hide her beauty, and a queen should never hide her face in shame." I gasped at his nearness and he smiled at me. "And you, lady are both." He kissed my free hand and took a step back. I began to breathe again. The clock inside the hall struck eleven. I was surprised at the time, but my ankle was not quite ready to risk being trod upon again.

"Good sir, I must rest a bit, so I pray thee go dance with the fine ladies. I will await thee here." He shook his head at my words.

"I have danced with all the ladies I wish but one. I will stay until you are ready for me to fulfill your request." He smiled at me again and my heart skipped a beat.

"I thank you, sir." He nodded and we both turned to look off the balcony out onto the silver washed lawns and gardens. I sighed happily.

"Is the lady distressed?" I shook my head.

"No, good sir, I am happy. This is my favorite place in the whole world. I will be sad to leave it next year."

"And I as well. It has been home." We both fell into silence. I stared out at the lawns, and was startled when I heard the bell toll eleven-thirty. I turned and found my partner already staring at me, an odd look upon his face. When he saw me, it disappeared into a smile. "Well, my lady, I do believe it is time for me to grant your request, if that is what you still wish." He bowed before me and held out his hand. I took it gracefully.

"It certainly is, sir." He nodded and led me into the ballroom.

His movements around the dance floor were effortless and I found them easy to follow. He moved with a grace most men the age I guessed to be would be incapable of. I doubted many older men could dance half so well either. He smiled down at me the entire time, and held me a bit closer than was strictly necessary. I was breathless and flushed, but more happy and content than I had been in a long time. I forgot my worries, as only dancing allowed me to do. I hadn't felt this free since I spent the summer with my cousin in America and we were in a different nightclub almost every night. The feeling of his arm around my waist, his warm hand in mine and the sight of his face where the only things that existed in my world. When the clock struck twelve, I was astonished and startled from my reverie.

"My lady, you are so beautiful when you dance." His voice was husky, his breath warm across my lips. His face was so close, moving closer. He stopped, a hairsbreadth from my lips. "May I, my lady?" I could feel the slight movement of his lips against mine.

"Yes." I whispered. His lips touched mine so gently, I felt like I was kissing a butterfly. Then it grew more intense and he held me gently as he kissed me as if I would break. Then he stepped back and found we were both breathing a bit heavily. Around us were the sounds of shock at the unmasking. I reached for my mask, but he stopped my hand.

"I want to forever remember you like this." He whispered quietly, as if his heart would break. He pulled something from his pocket and pressed it into my hand. "The wish cannot be broken if the dream never ends." He kissed me again, gently, and was gone. I stood there, the chaos around me rising and falling in pitch, but completely unheeded by me. He had known me like I knew him. I knew him like I knew my own heart.

A heart that was strangely empty now that he was gone.

Hearing my name, I snapped out of my reverie. Harry and Ron were looking for me, but I didn't want anyone to see me in my costume. Like him, I didn't want the dream to end. I slipped from the room, mask in still in place. I got a few looks, and one boy called after me, begging his princess to stop and reveal herself. I didn't stop until I was safely in my room. I slipped out of the dress and into a silk nightgown my mother had bought for me and I had never worn. I wasn't quite ready to stop being a princess yet. I slipped into bed and slept.

When I woke the next morning, I was surprised to find my pillow damp from my tears.

Well, that was pretty easy to write. Going to keep going until I run out. I think time is about to skip forward, I want the summer to come.

K