Slippery Soap Suds

A/N: All right! What a long hibernation period :P Been too busy with life and all that crap. Hehe So anyway, I'm done with Chapters 9-11 except I didn't type them yet. Haha ;; So here it is. The Ball. :)

Just keep on reviewin' and I'll keep on ficcing! wink

Chapter IX: And As Always, The Lovers Meet

Damn it.

Malfoy wouldn't admit it. It was all so terribly, terribly wrong. But the Mudblood looked awfully stunning.

Malfoy stole a few more minutes to look at her. Laughing, talking, glowing. The way the black made her skin seem softer and smoother, as creamy as milk, did things to his stomach he'd never admit to anyone. This didn't seem like the Hermione Granger Hogwarts knew. Not even the Mudblood Draco had met, insulted, hated. And then Hermione looked at his direction and smiled. Those ripe pink lips bursting like bloody strawberries... Fuck fuck fuck these thoughts.

Lips like sugar...sugar kisses...
Lips like sugar...sugar kisses...

Wrapped in a black halter silk cocktail dress, she entered the Great Hall, arm in arm with the Weasel's little sister. Not that it had become his hobby to study her but the moment she stepped in the room, everyone's eyes were fixed on her too. Memories of Winter Ball and Viktor Krum emerged in his head...of how he had stared at her and Krum, embarrassingly green with envy. It seemed like deja vu how she entered the hall - confident and painfully regal.

Why am I thinking this way? Draco thought, struggling not to glance some more. I was supposed to hate her, right? Abhor her. Wish her dead. But no. I had to think these sodding thoughts, feel these sodding feelings. I... I don't know.

Despite the protests of his brain, Draco turned to see her. Granger. The Mudblood. She had her back to him now. Where she - fuck strawberries! - she had a tattoo!

The tattooed lion growled at everybody, suspiciously resembling the MGM lion in those old movies. Draco found himself smiling in disbelief. So this was why the others were looking at her! Gotta hand it to you, Granger...

"How could you have the guts to stare at a mudblood like that?" Malfoy suddenly burst out at Zabini who was making no move to conceal his surprise.

"Could I help it?" He retorted, ignoring Malfoy. "She looks fantastic! The lion is smashing! And you're just jealous 'cause you can't even have her!" He laughed.

"Ugh..." Malfoy groaned. "You make me sick, Zabini..." He threw a disgusted look at the Slytherin but stole a glance at the frizzy-haired Gryffindor (who wasn't even frizzy-haired tonight), who even in the middle of the commotion, didn't fail to meet his eye. In half a second, both turned away.

-.-.-.-.-

"Harry! Harry!" Ron exclaimed. "Look, it's Hermione!"

"Where?" Harry strained his neck to see but he just couldn't spot her. Unbelievable! Of all the most important events to be with her, I couldn't be with her. Stupid masquerade... "I don't see anything, you moron!"

"Over there!" Ron kept on pointing to the right. "The girl in the black dress with Ginny, the orange-haired witch... So that's why she didn't want us to see her..."

"Where? You're making up sto - yes I see her!" Harry's jaw dropped right down to hell. Hermione was pretty - more than pretty! His heart ached with jealousy as he thought of the lucky git who'd be dancing with her. Come to think of it...he had a one in three hundred chance to be her partner. But that would be too random.

"Are you okay, Harry?" Ron asked him, wondering why Harry was spacing out like that. He had a feeling Harry was thinking of Hermione again. Yes, he obviously was.

"Merlin, cut it out!" Ron said disgustingly at him. "Your saliva's all over the floor!"

"Killjoy," Harry muttered, wiping his chin with the back of his hand.

"Hermione freak!"

"So what if I am?"

Ron sighed. Then his eyes bulged in seeing Hermione's bare back. "Harry, look! She's got a bloody tattoo! Whoa!!"

"Holy!" Harry stared and asked himself if tonight would be the perfect time...

-.-.-.-.-

Dumbledore studied the hundreds of young witches and wizards of Hogwarts, and for a moment, thought himself old compared to them... but immediately scratched the thought. He clapped his hands for attention and using his wand, announced the official start of the ball. "Well, let's just get this over with, don't you think?" He waved his wand and grinned.

Everyone looked up at the ceiling (a midnight purple velvet thing) and gasped as thousands of little angels poured from above. Laughing, smiling...each angel oozed bliss.

Small soft hands covered Hermione's eyes, and she drew in her breath as she felt the little angel's lips on her cheek. Trust me...

Momentarily blinded, Hermione could hear nothing but the astounded murmurs of her friends. She felt herself floating away from where she was previously standing, felt herself being led by the cherubim to some certain space.

We're here...

"Wh - Where?"Hermione sputtered as she felt the warm embrace of furlined cufflinks around her right wrist.

Now!

Everything was a blur... the images changing from black to a watercolor mixture of colors. But she could make out a blonde...blue eyes...

"Oh no!" Hermione gasped. "No no no no nonononoooooo!!"

In surprise, Malfoy narrowed his eyes; and could only stare in recognition at the girl backing away from him.

"Don't tell me you're my partner!" Draco exclaimed. He turned to their angels. "There must be some mistake or something!"

Both angels faced each other. Dragonsbane? Malfoy's angel nodded. September Nymph? Hermione's angel nodded too. Both hugged each other, squealing in delight.

"But I don't want to be his partner!" Hermione cried, struggling to break free from the velvet prison. "Take these away from me!"

Tut! Tut! Hermione, this is the importance of the whole "masquerade" ball or something... So all the houses would forget grievances, even for a night...

"Our misunderstanding does not include whichever house we're in!" Hermione snapped.

That's too bad... but we can't do anything about it! Giggle. So long!

"Wait!" Hermione said. "What if I want to go to the washroom? Don't tell me I have to bring him along?"

"Ew!" Draco retorted. "Like I'd want to!"

You've been magicked until the ball ends... Bye!

Hermione glared at the angels who've flown away, at the other pairs who seem to be happy at the results, and lastly, at her PARTNER. What, is he going to be her partner in everything forever?! Well, technically speaking, he would be. But couldn't Fate leave even her last day of maidenhood?!

Draco frowned back at her. "I don't like the look on your face, Mudblood..." He looked her over from head to foot and grinned. "But I do like the package."

Hermione blushed. The idiot! "Don't even think about it..."

"I don't have to! I've seen, no, tasted it all!" Malfoy laughed. "You know, Granger... I like how your lips purse out and swell like it just came from a lip-sucking session...Cute." He whispered, mouth so close to Hermione's lips. "But I especially like the tattoo on your back...Nice touch!"

The girl jerked in shock. Tattoo? Did she hear him right? "Huh? What tattoo? I got no tattoo!"

"Oh? Then what is that growling lion doing there?"

Hermione was speechless. So that was the stinging sensation! Ooh Ginny is going to get it! "I have a tattoo!" Then, she faced the forever-smirking Malfoy and said, "So I have a tattoo. Eat your heart out!"

"Hoho!" Draco started. "Rule No. 1 in countering your enemies: fight love with love."

"How could you talk about something you aren't even capable of giving?"

"How do you know I'm not capable of that?" Draco retorted. "You always say I don't know you, Mudblood.. But get this: you don't know me either..." He turned away from her. "So stop acting like you do."

Hermione sighed in surrender. "Fine, fine! We both don't know each other. Period. Hey, look at me when I'm talking. Good." She stared into Draco's eyes. "I just wanna have fun tonight, okay? Can we forget about every single thing, just for this night? Then we'll continue our bickering in the marital scene."

"Fine," Draco replied, and sat down. Finally...some peace and quiet.

Hermione snatched a glass of water from a passing waiter, smiled to herself and finished the drink before you could say Hermione Granger. She sat next to Malfoy, and for the next thirty minutes, all they did was sit side by side while staring everywhere but each other.

-.-.-.-.-

"I see Destiny has lent a hand in your plans..."

Dumbledore looked up to see Snape looking at the same view he was observing earlier. Malfoy and Granger. "If you think I had something to do - "

"Oh no no no..." Snape interrupted. "I didn't say anything like that." He paused. "It just seems so bloody coincidental."

The headmaster smiled. "Yes, if you think about it, yes... You know, I've decided to cancel their 'marriage'."

Snape stared at the older man in shock. "You are?"

"Yes... it looks like I wouldn't have to be doing the dirty work after all. The pure thought of it tortures them out of their wits. I'll just have to send them both to detention when classes resume. Whatever I do anyway, they just seem to... be together, for no particular reason."

"Hmm... I don't know, Dumbledore," Snape replied. "They do seem drawn to each other... Could it be that they staged the whole We-hate-each-other scenario to get themselves out of the mess?"

"Ah you're thinking too much, Snape!" Dumbledore said. "Besides, I don't think Miss Granger's conscience could carry that."

"But - but why? Why did...?"

"Speak no more, Snape!" Dumbledore inserted. "My decision is final. There will be no marriage." He looked back at the young pair and studied them intently. We'll just see what happens...

-.-.-.-.-

A/N: I know it's a bit short but weh. Lol Like it? Love it? Hate it? Review please. :P Wait for Chapter X Until Midnight coming up!