A/N : Know what? I really don't like this chapter that much. Myeh. It's kind of the obligatory filler chapter. I hope that you guys don't mind. :D

As it turned out, Hermione had a better time on her date than she ever would have imagined.

Ernie had mellowed out quite a bit since graduation; he was no longer the pompous, pretentious Ernie of yesteryear. He had turned into a really nice guy, and Hermione actually found herself laughing and talking easily with him.

When he asked her out for another date, she readily agreed.

Now two weeks had passed, and the dark cloud that had seemed to cover her entire existence had begun to lift at last. She could actually go through an entire day, barely noticing the pain she felt every time she drew breath.

"Hermione?"

Hermione looked up from the paper on her desk with a bright smile.

"Oh, hi, Ernie, come in; I was just finishing up here…"

She stacked the pile of parchment neatly and then gestured to the chair in front of her desk. Ernie sat, his dark hair short and neat, his robes carefully brushed and shoes perfectly polished. Here was the kind of guy that everyone expected her to be with.

She tried not to think about why that was ironic.

Ernie smiled back at her and folded his hands on the edge of her desk, leaning forward.

"I have something for you."

Hermione froze. "I'm sorry?"

He chuckled. "What day is it, Hermione?"

"Wednesday?"

Ernie rolled his eyes. "Really?" He laughed again, then reached into his robes and pulled out a small, heart-shaped box. "Happy Valentine's Day."

Hermione took the box, feeling momentarily horrified. "I'm so sorry, Ernie! I can't believe I forgot! Th-thank you," she added, opening the box of chocolates and taking a piece. She held the box over her desk and offered him a piece as well. He took one, still chuckling.

"You'll just have to make it up to me."

"How?" she asked warily, one eyebrow raised.

Ernie's dark eyes became serious as he rested his forearms on her desk and leaned forward. This really should have made her heart skip a beat, if she knew what was good for her. But the way he was staring intently at her merely piqued her curiosity, nothing more.

"Come with me to the Valentine's ball they're having at the Enchanted tonight."

Hermione's mouth fell open. She hadn't been expecting this. A date here and there was one thing; she could justify that. But this was different. The last ball she'd been to…had been for his birthday. The last time she'd been to the Enchanted, it had been because he had taken her there to apologize.

"I-I don't have anything to wear," she invented quickly. This was actually quite true. She only owned two fancy dresses: the one she had saved from the fourth year Yule Ball (sentimental value, of course), and the one other, the one she could barely think about.

The one his mother had picked out for her.

The dress she'd worn to his birthday party was carefully packed away in a box full of tissue paper and tucked into the highest corner of her closet, where she tried not to remember it existed.

Meanwhile, Ernie was waving his hand dismissively.

"So Ginny gets to take you shopping. And if you refuse, you know I'll only drop by and see her this afternoon and let it slip…" he trailed off with a grin. Hermione glowered at him.

"You should have been in Slytherin," she mumbled without thinking.

It had been a fairly innocent comment, of course. Ernie barely even seemed to notice it, but she did, and the effect of her thoughtless words was immediate. The pain in her chest was back full force, after having been dulled for days, and it almost tore her in two with its intensity.

But Ernie was smiling and rising from his chair now; Hermione waved him goodbye. He obviously took her silence for annoyance and was chuckling as he disappeared through the door.

Hermione fought back the tears that were threatening to fall traitorously down over her cheeks; she hadn't cried yet, and she wouldn't cry now. She was stronger than that.

It didn't look like she was going to be able to escape this – ball – Ernie was insistent on dragging her to, so she decided she'd better be the one to tell Ginny.

She packed up her things and left the office thirty minutes early.

"Draco, are you even listening?"

"What? Oh, yes of course," he mumbled, shaking his head slightly to clear it. Astoria was glaring at him. What had she been talking about? "You were saying…"

"My dress for the ball? I was reminding you to get me red roses in my bouquet to match it."

"Right." The ball. Of course that was what she was going on about. It was all she had been talking about for the past week and a half. "I'll remember."

He wasn't really sure how he'd gotten to this point. The past few months were a bit of a blur. He remembered his mother's unbearable sympathy, his father's grim triumph, and his own despair as he attempted to kill himself with alcohol. Unfortunately, that hadn't worked. Yet.

His grandmother had gone right to work trying to find a replacement for her, and he had gone along with it, simply for lack of energy to fight against the inevitable. There simply wasn't any reason to try anymore.

In the end, he had given in completely and gone out with Astoria, hoping she would be as nice as her sister had been. Daphne would have probably been his first choice, if he were forced to make one; at least they'd gotten along. But she had left the country, moving to a warmer climate for her health.

He couldn't remember, really, what that first date had been like. Thankfully, Astoria didn't need much prompting to talk for hours on end, so Draco really didn't have to pay more than minimal attention to what she was saying.

The only thing he remembered clearly was something so insignificant that even Astoria probably didn't remember it.

They had been sitting at the table eating dinner, and she was prattling on about something or other, when she accidentally tipped her water over with one of her elbows. Instead of blowing up and getting angry, as Draco had expected her to do, she blushed crimson and glanced up for his reaction.

"Oops," she had muttered, and Draco had laughed, his first real laugh in he couldn't remember when. She hadn't meant to – she was probably just nervous and seeking his approval – but she reminded him so much of Hermione in that moment that he had been shocked into laughter. His thoughts rushed back to an entirely different dinner, many months ago…

Hermione laughed as she pushed him slightly, causing him to slosh his drink all over her sofa. He expected her to be angry because he'd probably ruined the upholstery, but instead, color rushed to her cheeks and she quickly pulled out her wand to remedy the damage.

"Oops," she said sheepishly. "Sorry, Draco, I didn't mean…"

Draco laughed. "Leave it to you to apologize for my lack of dexterity," he had said teasingly.

But Draco immediately shut the memory off in his head. He wasn't allowed to think of her, not now, not ever. That way leads to madness, he told himself firmly.

So he settled back in and tried a little harder to pay attention to what the girl beside him was saying. At least Astoria was a solid, flesh-and-blood witch, not an impossible dream that he would never have again. That was healthy.

Healthier than dwelling on a hopeless past and thwarted future that was never, ever coming back.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Draco dutifully picked up the red roses. He dressed in his best dress robes. He went to pick Astoria up, barely noticing the too-tight and too- revealing red dress she was wearing. A Muggle limousine had been arranged to pick them up. Astoria chattered away the whole ride; Draco barely heard her.

When they entered the Enchanted, he was vaguely aware of the vulgar Valentine's Day décor; he didn't pay it much attention as Astoria practically dragged him through the crowd and into the middle of the dance floor.

Of course, he thought, resisting the urge to yawn. She picks the most conspicuous place in the room, the better to be seen by the most people at once.

He plastered a smile on his face and they began to dance. She did dance well, he had to give her that, but he wasn't surprised. Proper upbringing and all of that. He admitted to himself that they probably did make a very pretty pair to anyone watching them now.

He concentrated on the steps of the dance, more so now than he ever had before; he usually never gave his feet a second thought when he was dancing. But lately, he found it unwise to allow his mind to wander freely. Better to keep his thoughts busy, and since Astoria was unbearably boring most of the time and especially just now, he thought about his feet and recited the twelve uses for dragon's blood inside his head.

But just then, something happened that broke his concentration completely.

The song ended. Amidst the applause that followed, he noticed a movement by the large double entrance doors; someone was arriving, and causing a slight stir in the process. Astoria scowled beside him. Draco smirked. She didn't like attention being drawn away from her.

He saw one of the witches near them turn to her date and smack him on the shoulder. Interesting. He glanced at Astoria, who was fuming. Draco could almost see smoke coming out of her ears. Must be a pretty girl, he mused.

Just then, the crowds around him parted slightly, and he could see the cause for the disturbance.

"Everyone is staring."

"Yes. Yes, they are."

"Is there something wrong with my face? I knew I shouldn't have let Ginny loose with the makeup," she hissed as they made their way through the parting crowd, her arm tucked in the crook of Ernie's elbow. She desperately wanted to bury her face in his shoulder like a shy two-year-old, but she forced her chin up instead and kept walking. Ernie patted her hand comfortingly.

"They're staring because you're the most beautiful woman in this room," he whispered. Hermione felt her cheeks color, and she smiled slightly at that. "That's it, we're almost through them now," he murmured. He was positively glowing, though, and Hermione knew he was extremely proud to have her on his arm. She didn't really know how she felt about that. Somehow, it put a sour taste in her mouth.

She tried to fix her eyes on a spot just above the heads of the people who were staring shamelessly at them, but her eyes wandered anyway without her permission. She didn't know anyone here.

Harry and Ginny had stayed in tonight. He was cooking dinner for her, and Hermione tried not to shudder as she thought of Harry's cooking skills. But really, it was very sweet.

Ron was out of town. He had a pen-friend in France that wanted to meet him for Valentine's Day; a pretty blonde witch who was completely enamored with him solely based on his exploits with Harry during the last war. Hermione rolled her eyes at the mere thought of that.

Her eyes landed on a random spot in the crowd, and someone moved just slightly in that moment, leaving a small gap in the group of people.

Brown eyes met grey ones and locked there for the tiniest of seconds.

Then a forced smile – though she couldn't be sure it was forced – and a second later he was twirling his partner back onto the dance floor.

He was here. With her.

Hermione couldn't breathe. Her heart didn't seem to want to function properly. She grasped onto Ernie's arm with her other hand as well, now, and he turned his dark gaze to her quickly, concern written all over his face.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes," she gasped, trying to force herself to breathe. She wasn't about to have a panic attack right here and embarrass herself further. She wondered if anyone had seen. Her rational brain told her probably not; the exchange had taken less than a minute.

"Do you want to sit down?" Ernie was asking her.

Hermione thought about that for a moment. No, she didn't. What she really wanted was to leave here and run as fast and as far away from here as she could. But her pride wouldn't let her do that.

So she allowed Ernie to lead her out onto the dance floor and pull her into his arms as the music began to play again.

A/N 2: Yay! A chapter that didn't end on a horrible cliffie! I'm proud. I hope you all liked this chappie better than I did. :P

Also, thanks for all the reviews! I'm sorry I didn't respond to them individually, but I've had finals and blah blah blah you don't care about that, but I'm finished with school until the fall, so hopefully I will use that time to finish some unfinished stories and start on some new ones! That sounds so wonderful you can't even begin to imagine. I've missed ficcing.