Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ms. Rowling's wonderful creations. Nor do I own any of the various songs that may be presented throughout the length of this fanfiction. The various songs will be named at the end of the fic, as well as in the chapter within which they lie.

A big thanks and a shout out goes to:

Bookworm1214 – Yeah, I'm back. It took me a while, because I was really busy this summer, but I'm back now! I'm glad you enjoyed the new chapters!

Lady11Occult – Yeah, Lucius was still OOC in that last chap, but he's pretty much back in during this chapter...he's kinda brownnosing to Hermione.

Reanne1102 – Naw. You don't want a Hermione/Shry story. Shry's an ass. Trust me on that one. And thank you...I'm glad you enjoyed that last chapter.

Moonlightshadows – Here's your update. I'm not entirely sure it's what you'd call soon, because I've got three other stories that I'm trying to work on at the moment as well.

redrizen2hell – Confusing how?

Secret Thought – Thanks. I'm happy that you enjoy it.

'Mione n Sevvie – Hehe. I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was fun to write.

shmoogybear – I'm glad!

goldenlioness1102 – Thank you! It's a wonderful feeling to have such high praise from so many faithful reviewers!

evillizzy89 – I'm glad you liked the chappy. This one is a bit more comical towards the end...it's a filler until they get back to Hogwarts. Well...and the wedding. There will be quite a bit of humor in those chapters.

jimmythehun – I'm glad you like it.

-Lacus-Serenity- - Well, here you are! The ball chap. It may not be all it's cracked up to be because I'm not that sappy, personally, and so I don't see Hermione as sappy, either.

lovenotknown – It's alright, about the late review. It took me about as long to post this as it did you to review so we'll call it even, alright?

Wow. I was checking all of my stats and stuff last night and found out that this is by far my most popular story. Thank you so much to all of you out there who read it and review to it so often! Anyway…this chapter was thrown out over the course of about twenty-four hours ('Cause I had to get up and go to an early class this morning...otherwise it would have taken less time) and we're finally to the ball scene! Lucius is FINALLY back in character! See for yourself! Enjoy the chapter!

Yours,

Allison

Chapter 12

Hermione sighed and stared out the window. The entire Malfoy Manor was elegant and beautiful, like its inhabitants. Unfortunately, it was cold and empty...again, much like its inhabitants. From her bedroom, she could see the guests apparating into the apparition approved zone and work their way to the mansion. Silence rang throughout the suite of rooms that she and Draco spared, though she could see him in the reflection of the light on the mirror in the bathroom, cleaning his contacts to put back in. That had been one interesting trip to the eye doctor's.

Malfoy Manor was like a home from some muggle fairy tale...with servants and other niceties that the working class couldn't afford. Hermione could not, however, bring herself to forget that Lucius Malfoy had attacked Draco in the Head Bathrooms at the beginning of the year. She deeply regretted using Vanicimo- a spell that she had created herself for the nights when Ron and Harry had too much to drink and had passed out on her couch...to inebriated to get to their own beds. It was similar to apparition, but it wasn't...which was why it had worked on Hogwarts Grounds. The spell simply returned the person upon which the spell was cast to their bed, where they would wake up the next morning.

The problem with the spell was that she hadn't yet figured out a way to keep it from magnifying the hangovers tenfold. The only solution was to keep a hangover potion handy for when the boys stumbled back down the stairs in the mornings, feeling as if their heads were near exploding. She really had almost felt sorry for the Deatheaters that she'd vanished back to their homes that night, though she would have preferred it if she'd kept her wits about her long enough to capture them rather than simply vanishing them. She never would have been petitioned for by Draco that way, however, and would likely have ended up marrying Snape.

Her eyes were drawn to the blonde as he stepped into the room, shirtless. Brown eyes traced the lines of his chest and the scars to be found there before she turned to face him fully. "What do you think?" She asked, a tad nervously. Lucius had assured her that the dress robes that she'd gotten were beautiful, but the insecure side of her demanded that she confirm it with Draco.

Draco stared at her, seriously wondering whether or not she was joking. Narcissa had helped her do up her hair, and it was held up in a twisting bun with two locks of hair strategically hanging around her face. Her dress robes were a rich, expensive fabric that hugged her figure easily. They were a glinting silver-white color, and they accented the glitter strategically placed about her face. Draco was entranced, staring at her.

"Draco?" She asked nervously, and he saw her fidget slightly. Smiling, he moved to her and touched her cheek.

"You're gorgeous." He assured her. She smiled slightly and he leaned down, brushing his lips across hers. It was a soft, sweet kiss...unlike most of their kisses, which were passionate and fierce...much like their entire relationship. It was over in a moment and she found herself wishing for more, but he was offering his arm and she had little choice but to take it. Resting her hand in his, she smiled up at him, and they walked silently out of their rooms and to the head of the stairs, still smiling at each other as they began their descent into the hall.

Hermione became aware of the crowd when Blaise- with Pansy on his arm- met them at the bottom of the stairs. He bowed and Pansy curtsied, and they slipped off to one side. "What's going on?" Hermione whispered to Draco.

"Mother didn't tell you?" He didn't look at her, his face frozen in a courteous smile as he nodded to a few of the guests. "You and I are sharing the first dance, opening up the floor."

"What!" She, too, pasted a smile on her face and nodded to the people who greeted her. "No, she didn't tell me." She smiled and nodded to Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, who approached with their dates, their fathers and mothers close behind as they greeted Draco and Hermione.

"Father and Mother put out the word that you're the true hostess of this shinanigans...and I'm the true host..." He nodded to Mrs. Crabbe and Mrs. Goyle, smiling.

"Oh shit." Hermione muttered as Blaise's parents approached them. She nodded, as did Draco.

"My sentiments exactly." He whispered as the Parkinsons stepped forward. "It's a trap...they want you to fail."

"Then...I'll just have to not fail." She smiled and nodded as the MacNairs stepped up to them.

"There's no way...you don't know the protocals of these balls...you've never been to one." He politely thanked the Minister for his compliments about the setup of the ball.

"Stop freaking out, Malfoy." She muttered, smiling and nodding to the Lestranges.

"I'm not freaking out. This isn't freaking out. When I'm freaking out, you'll know." He hissed back, forcing a smile as he nodded deeply to his mother and Hermione curtsied to his father. Leading her out onto the floor, Draco was aware of his father nodding curtly to the orchestra, and he immediately began to move with the music in a complicated dance that he was almost afraid to dance with Hermione...fearing that she didn't know it.

"You're freaking out." She told him, frankly, as she moved with him perfectly. He stared at her, amazed at her skill. "Calm down. It will be okay. Sink or swim, tonight will go smoothly." She paused as he spun her out and then back into him. "Don't worry about it." She smiled at him reassuringly. "That's my job, as the hostess. You just show up and look nice."

Narcissa and Lucius stood to one side, arm in arm, watching the young couple. "Lucius, for being so eager to get her into our family, you are certainly dead set on humiliating the poor child." Narcissa murmured.

"I want that mudblood to learn her place, early." He whispered. "She's far too cocky for her own good. The little wench actually thought to demand protection for her family."

"Did you give it?" Narcissa asked as the music ended and another song began, signalling the allowance of other couples onto the floor. Lucius smiled politely at the guests and ushered Narcissa onto the floor cordially, beginning to dance with her.

"What else was I to do? As you said, I'm very eager to get her into our family." He spun his wife out, and then back in. "The impertinent little chit is lucky that our Master allowed me to grant her parents the protection." He snapped.

"Why did you bow to the little mudblood's wishes?" She asked, arching one eyebrow. She rather liked Annelise Granger, despite her blood and the lack of magic therein.

"Because the little bitch forced my hand. I had to grant her changes...they were slight enough and required little enough effort that should I have refused, she would not have signed. The mudblood isn't stupid, despite her dirty blood." Lucius murmured, his dark gray eyes drilling holes into Hermione's back from across the room.

"She's very powerful as well." Narcissa commented as she, too, looked towards the younger couple.

"Another reason to get the bitch under our thumb." Lucius retorted. "I don't know what spell she used to send us back to our homes after my visit to Hogwarts, but the wench did a damned good job of it." His dark eyes burned with the fury of a held-over grudge as he stared at his soon-to-be daughter-in-law, promising dark things to come. "Yes...this will be a conquest well worth it." He hissed.

SCENEBREAKSCENEBREAKSCENEBREAK

Hermione smiled courteously at Crabbe Senior as he spoke to her. She made a few noncommital replies before excusing herself easily and making her way over to rescue her fiance- who was deep in discussion with Millicent Bulstrode and looking more panicked by the moment. Walking up behind him, she pasted her smile on her face and touched his elbow. He looked at her and- without breaking up the conversation, slipped his arm around her waist possessively and pulled her close. The action told Hermione more than Draco had likely meant it to, and she barely managed to keep her smile in place as she studied Millicent, who was discussing the war.

"I tell you, I'm not sure who I want to vote for anymore." She said, waving a doughnut about. "With the new law forcing us all to marry muggleborns, almost all of us will lose a spouse or an in-law if the muggleborns are all killed." Pansy nodded silently, winking discreetly at Hermione as she spoke up.

"Well, I don't know about you, Milli, but I find that a few of the muggleborns aren't quite as horrid as we've always thought, now that Hogwarts has closed its doors and this law is forcing us to get to know each other. And there are loads of muggleborns out there that are ten times more intelligent than some purebloods...namely Fudge." Draco chuckled at the truth of that particular statement and turned to look down at Hermione, who looked up at him and smiled. He looked past her to his father, who nodded- signifying that it was time.

This was the portion of the evening that Draco had been dreading. He walked to the doors of the hall and rang a small bell, bringing the music, talking, and dancing immediately to a halt. He looked towards Hermione, inwardly begging her not to overreact. "Excuse me ladies, and gentlemen...now is the time that you've all hung around for! Into the parlor, all of you!" He grinned and motioned grandly towards the parlor behind him before stepping to one side to wait for his fiancee.

Frowning as she reached him, Hermione muttered. "What's this about, Malfoy?"

"Voldemort." He muttered, just as quietly. "The Eve ball is merely a cover for a Dark Revel...Ah, good evening Mrs. Parkinson. Yes, I'm sorry that we haven't had time to speak, as well...of course, before the night is through. Go on in, now." He smiled, nodding to the woman that slid past them and walked into the room. He was mildly aware that Hermione's grip on his arm was tight enough to cut off circulation as his parents passed them, nodding cordially, before he turned and escorted his fiancee into the room.

Once their guests were all settled, Hermione and Draco moved together. She wasted no time in hissing at him, "I don't want to meet Voldemort! How is he going to react when he finds out that you're marrying me- Harry Potter's best friend?"

"You don't have much of a choice, now, do you Granger?" Draco hissed back, smiling insincerely at the guests and nodding as they sat down, thanking his lucky stars that they were just out of earshot of everyone else...having to sit at the head of the room, being the impromptu host and hostess.

"Fuck you, Malfoy." She muttered darkly as the doors blew open and a dark shape flew in. She could feel a dark presence at the back of her mind and immediately threw up all kinds of barriers, focusing on one of the many images of Harry unclothed that she had stored up for such an occasion. With a hiss, the presence in her mind withdrew. She didn't even turn her dark brown eyes to look at the man- if you could call him that- at the head of the room. It took all of her willpower to avoid doing so...but she didn't know what was worse, her fear of Voldemort or her hatred of Wormtail...whom she could hear snivelling beside the so-called Dark-Lord.

"My Lord." She heard Lucius' voice, and she was aware of everyone behind her bowing low. Draco nudged her and then bowed. She frowned and glared at him for a long moment, lifting her head.

Brown, cat-like eyes met hazel, snake-like eyes and clashed. Immediately, Hermione felt his presence in her mind once more and she slammed up the shields. For all of her willpower, however, she could feel him getting past her barriers. Pulling on her second line of defense, Hermione presented him once more with a picture of Harry in a pose that would make even Lavender or Parvati blush...had they seen it, of course. With a hiss, she felt the presence recede slightly before pressing past the image, firmly. Finally resorting to her final and strongest barrier- the one that Professor Snape had never managed to penetrate during the Occulmency lessons. She brought up a memory ten years old of herself and her muggle best friends singing karaoke. It was atrocious, of course, but it had never failed to get people out of her mind.

"Don't tell my heart! My achy breaky heart! I just don't think it'd understand!" Seven-year-old Hermione wailed away, off key and completely out of sync with the karaeoke tape.

"For if you tell my heart! My achy breaky heart! It might just blow up and kill this man!" Her inseparable best friend, Aleina, wailed- just as tone-deaf and off-beat.

Immediately following that particular memory was another, equally atrocious memory...again of kareoke. Aleina and Hermione had fancied themselves quite the singers right up until Hermione's departure to Hogwarts.

"I'll buy a one way ticket on a west-bound train!" Hermione roared.

"I'm gonna go out dancin in the pourin rain!" Aleina screeched.

"Gonna have my breakfast with pink champagne!" Hermione's young voice cracked and a squeal could be heard

"Gonna fall in love againnnnn!" Aleina yelled.

"Cause I can!" Both girls shouted.

"ENOUGH!" Voldemort roared as he withdrew. All eyes shot upwards to the Dark Lord and the Mudblood witch, staring as she gave a small smirk and a low curtsey, holding it until Voldemort hissed. "Rise." He rubbed his ears...an unconscious reflex...before he caught himself and crossed his arms, glaring at the young witch. "Someone actually listened to that trash?" He demanded.

"My mother confessed last year to having worn earplugs every time Aleina and I took the stage." Hermione admitted. To the surprise of everyone gathered, even- and perhaps most of all- Voldemort himself, the Dark Lord burst into laughter. Once he'd contained himself enough that he could focus on the young witch- who was fidgeting, unsure how to react- he narrowed his eyes.

"Let us not make a habit of defying me, Mudblood." He said, though the name lacked any true venom...especially after Voldemort had nearly laughed himself to tears. Hermione found it hard to see someone who could laugh themselves stupid over something so simple as evil and sadistic. Then again...Aleina had always said that she had a death-wish.

"Of course not, Lord Voldemort." Hermione curtsied again, deciding that calling him Lord Voldie-Pants would push even her luck.

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The songs in this Chapter were:

Achy Breaky Heart – Billy Ray Syrus (SP)

One Way Ticket (Because I can) – LeAnne Rimes