Chapter Two

On a cold, gray Saturday morning three weeks before the ball, Hermione was—as usual—in the library. She was already done with her schoolwork and was now reading up on various forms of the Incendio spell that she thought could be useful for winter. Vaguely she wondered if Viktor Krum would show up… she was surprised and rather pleased that he had started talking to her in the library, but sometimes she was trying to get important work done and he would distract her—

"Vill you come to de ball vit me?" said a low voice from behind Hermione, and she jumped. Lost in thought, she hadn't heard Krum approach, and turned to find him standing over her with one hand on the back of her chair.

"Ohmygosh! Viktor!" she exclaimed. This is so unreal, she thought. I'm being asked out by Viktor Krum! Me! Her pulse quickened as she realized that around a dozen of Krum's fangirls were probably watching them in secret from behind the bookshelves. It would be nice to go to the Yule Ball. Imagine what everyone will say when I show up with Viktor! I'll never have this opportunity again… but even as she thought this, she also thought of Ron. She'd been kind of hoping that Ron would ask her. Then another boy's image flickered in her mind, a boy with a pale face, blond hair… and ice blue eyes.

"I—I—I'm sorry Viktor, I need to think about it!" Hermione sputtered, getting up from her chair. She picked up her book and started to make a break for the door when Krum whispered as loudly as he dared do in the library,

"Herm-own-ninny, vait!"

She turned back to look at him.

"I vill give you some time," he said with a solemn look on his face, "but I vood veally like to go vit you."

"Tomorrow I'll tell you, I promise," said Hermione with a reassuring smile. She meant to keep her word but needed some time to think. So she put her book in her bag and decided to take a long detour back to the common room, figuring she would have plenty of time to sort out her thoughts while wandering the corridors.

She went across the corridors and up stairways, thinking all the while of the Yule Ball. She knew that if she went with Krum, she would probably have a good time. She would definitely cause an uproar among the female students. In her heart she knew that she really did want to attend the ball, but she also knew that Krum was not her first choice; she would rather go with Ron… or Draco.

Hermione began to pace along the corridor. What to do, what to do… Suddenly she heard a rustling noise from the wall beside her. Parts of the wall were becoming raised; ornate loop-like designs bubbled up and became solid. They darkened and the stone bricks turned to a shiny metal that seemed a weird cross between iron and silver. A handle formed, and then, finally, so did the outline of a door. Hermione gave a shuddering, surprised gasp as she realized that this was the Room of Requirement she had read so much about before in Hogwarts, a History. Eagerly she pulled on the handle, wondering what would await her inside. The door was very heavy, and she had to use both hands to open it.

She stepped into the room, which was about as big as a classroom, and the door closed behind her with a solid thunk. The walls of the room were the same light-colored stone as the rest of the castle, but the floor had an elaborate tile design of the sun and moon that Hermione had never seen before. Standing in the middle of this design was a lone, scared figure:

Draco Malfoy.

"Granger!" he cried. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Malfoy," she replied coolly, trying to hide the shock and excitement she felt at seeing him here.

"What is this place? Is this the Roo—"

"Room of Requirement, yes. At least I think so… I've never been in here before," she added hastily. "And I've never read any descriptions of it looking like this." The room was poorly lit, with only two small windows letting the grayish light inside.

"It's so… empty."

"I know." Hermione moved closer to Draco, who said,

"I thought the room only opened for one person at a time, based on what they wanted. And— and no one else could get in."

"I thought so too." Hermione thought for a second. "Maybe… maybe we both want the same thing. Before I came here, I was trying to decide who I should go with to the Yule Ball. What were you thinking about, Draco?"

He swallowed. "You."

Hermione's heart swelled. "I knew it! The room must have known I'd show up here. It arranged for us to meet." Slowly she reached out and took Draco's hand. "We both want to be with each other."

Draco relaxed. He squeezed her hand and grabbed her other hand too. "Ever since we danced together, I couldn't stop thinking about you. You're beautiful, Hermione. I never looked at you long enough to realize it." He looked her up and down as he said this.

"I was thinking the same thing about you," Hermione admitted, and blushed. "You're very attractive, you know."

And then the heat of the moment caught up to them and they kissed openly, without holding back, a whirlwind of motion and hands and spit—"

"I'm—taking—Pansy Parkinson to the ball," Draco gasped.

"What?" shrieked Hermione, flinging him off of her. "But—but we—"

"I already asked her. Well, actually, she kind of made me do it. I didn't want you to get the wrong idea."

"Oh, so I'm just your—your Mudblood toy, am I?" cried Hermione hysterically, backing away from him.

"No! No, I want you." Draco moved forward and tried to grab Hermione's wrist, but she moved her arm away. "I only want you, but we can't go to the ball together. I'm supposed to hate Muggle-borns, remember? If my father knew—"

"Oh, stupefy your father! Fine then, I'm going to the ball with Viktor Krum!"

Draco began to laugh but quickly stopped when he saw that Hermione was serious.

"…MUCH better dancer… Bulgarian dance moves…" she mumbled as she stormed out of the room, leaving Draco all alone again.