A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews! You guys rock! And for the record, those of you that have ideas for me, I am totally not offended when you share! It makes me feel like I'm doing a good job and you're actually paying attention to what you're reading. So, I'm going to try to break my previous record of the longest chapter by making this an amazing chapter. You're welcome.
Disclaimer: I disclaim. Obviously.
Chapter 9: Shut Up
Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger chose not to go to breakfast the next morning. Not because they weren't hungry, but because Professor McGonagall had decided there would be a Halloween Ball, and it was two weeks until Halloween, and no preparations had been made. So that night, Hermione and Draco had stayed up almost all night making fliers for the ball and hanging them around the school. It shouldn't have taken so long, but Filch kept popping up and asking questions so much that Draco threatened to turn Mrs. Norris into a Fanged Frisbee and Filch had finally, reluctantly, relented.
Hermione yawned hugely from her side of the coffee table, where her and Draco were kneeling. He yawned right after her, an obvious effect of the bracelet. He had seen the bracelet gleam in the dim lighting a little more than usual, but had ignored it. Now he looked, and stared. The bracelet was sparkling. The traditional silver had changed to platinum. And when Hermione would flick her wrist, he could see, however faintly, the serpent on her hand, and the M engraved on the bracelet.
Slowly, fearfully, Draco glanced down. His ring started changing, while he watched. He refused the instinctive feeling to whip the ring off, even though he knew he couldn't, and watched it shine on his hand. It was platinum.
"Malfoy? Malfoy? Malfoy!" Hermione snapped in his face, and he glanced up.
"Yes, Granger?" he asked. She sighed, exasperated, and returned to the sheet.
"What kind of food do we want at this thing?" she said thoughtfully, as though mulling it over out loud.
"Tell you what, Granger," Malfoy said, sitting up suddenly. "How about you go down to the kitchens and get us some sustenance, and by the time you get back, I'll have everything we need written on that little sheet of yours. Deal?"
Hermione looked skeptical. "How do I know you won't do something stupid, or make me get you food and really write nothing down?"
Malfoy stood up, and Hermione followed suit. "I, Draco Scorpius Malfoy, swear not to deceive you, Miss Hermione Jean Granger," he said in a deep vibrato. Hermione's insides clenched appreciatively at the low tone.
"How do you know my middle name?" she asked. "And Scorpius? That's oddly medieval, huh? She smirked, and Malfoy felt a little flutter of…self-satisfaction. She even smirked like him now. Even her remarks were a little more scathing than usual.
"My parents are weird, that's all," he said dismissively, dodging the other question. "Seriously, though. I'm hungry, and I can finish this all in no time," he raised his eyebrows. "I'm a whiz at stuff like this."
Hermione moved towards the portrait hole. "Who knew you could be a nerd like me?" she said musingly.
"I'm still cooler than you!" Malfoy yelled back at her as she was leaving.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Scorpius," she replied. He couldn't help but smile a little at her sarcasm. He could feel her amusement as she walked away, slowly taking the feeling of her presence with her. When she was gone, Draco felt oddly…empty. Like there was something missing. He took this opportunity to gaze again at the burn mark on his wrist, the lion. At first, he just chalked it up to that useless Muggle thing called science, but now he could see it was definitely a lion.
Oh, wait, wasn't he supposed to be doing something? Right. He scooped up Hermione's piece of parchment and quill and started scribbling. It was going to be a Halloween Ball, but a different one. It was definitely going to be different.
Dates were required. You absolutely had to bring a date, or the dance would be rendered useless. He wrote that and underlined it a few times for good measure. He really had to thank Hermione for this later. She had definitely inspired him.
Instead of normal pumpkin juice and cookies, it would be mugs of 'ale' but really this pop stuff he had accidentally tried. It was some Muggle substance, and it tickled his throat. 'Sprite', he thought it might be? Maybe it was 'Fairy'. He wasn't so sure. The food would be just like a normal dance, but dinner would be served before.
Draco scribbled the words 'steak, potatoes, bread' on the parchment and smiled to himself. This was going to be amazing. Hermione had written 'Ball Plans" in her neat writing near the top of the paper. Draco scratched it out and wrote "Medieval Madness" in his elegant backwards slanting cursive. Underneath he wrote 'Costumes should be from the Medieval times, like Romeo and Juliet brought to life'.
He sat back, satisfied, when Hermione came bustling through the door, looking harried. She set down a small platter full of waffles, syrup, fruit, and coffee, and took her vacant seat.
"I met Professor McGonagall in the hall. She said we're excused from classes today to finish planning the Ball so we can turn in all the plans tonight at dinner."
"Well, it looks like we're going to have the whole day to ourselves then," Malfoy said, leaning back, interlocking his fingers behind his head and grinning.
Hermione made a face that reminded Draco so much of his sneer that he dropped his hands. "And if I don't approve?"
"Then I'm going to sleep and you can make up the plans by yourself," Draco shot back jokingly.
Hermione whipped the paper out of his hands and started reading, narrowing her eyes more and more as she went. When she finished, she set the paper down delicately and stood.
"You crossed out my title!" she protested. Draco, who had been waiting for the tirade about his terrible idea, started laughing. She smiled down at him, and he jumped a little. Her normally chocolate eyes were ringed with gray. Just like his. He blinked a few times and looked again. Now they were their normal soft, warm color.
"Well, Missy, I would appreciate it if you focused on the actual event at hand. Did you like the idea, or not?" Hermione threw her head back and laughed, and her mirth spilled over onto Draco, causing him to chuckle softly.
"Well," she stopped for a breath. "I think your ideas are quite fantastic actually."
Malfoy raised his eyebrows. "What was that, Granger?"
Hermione narrowed her eyes at him and stepped closer. "I said. Your. Ideas. Are. DECENT!" she said loudly.
Malfoy laughed. "I'm sorry. I had to make you repeat it. I don't think you've ever complimented something about me ever."
Hermione raised an eyebrow, and the mischievous feeling she was radiating made Malfoy feel slightly nervous. Then she raised her hand to her forehead like the drama queens do, and spoke in a high pitched voice. "Oh, Draco," she simpered. "You're so handsome, and witty, and smart, and talented. You're hair is so perfect, your eyes are so intense, your kisses are so breathtaking. Oh Draco, you're perfection in a man's form." She dropped her hand and smiled.
"How's that?" she asked. Instead of a sarcastic remark, all she got was a low growl in response and he pulled her to him and kissed her mouth hungrily. She pulled away for a second, and saw nothing but seriousness in his deep gray eyes. When he growled at her again, low, deep in his chest, she finally responded in kind.
He had basically pulled her to him over the coffee table, and now the piece of furniture was getting in the way. He apparently could read her mind, because he lifted her right over the coffee table and tossed her gently onto the couch before climbing on top of her and connecting their lips again. She wrapped her small arms around his neck and lowered her teeth onto his lower lip gently, and he let out a little moan.
He removed himself from her mouth and went to her neck and started sucking on the pulse point roughly. She tangled her fingers in his platinum hair, and wiggled her hips a little against his. He pulled away to look at her for a moment, as if unsure this was still Hermione. After a few seconds, he took a hold of her neck once more.
He had just returned to kissing her mouth when a knock came at the portrait hole. The two sprang apart and positioned themselves at opposite ends of the couch when the door opened and Professor McGonagall entered in a flourish of her robes.
"Well," she said expectantly. "Let's see how you've done."
Hermione cleared her throat loudly and handed the professor the piece of parchment. She ran her eyes over it and nodded in approval at a few points. She handed it back, a beaming smile on her face.
"Great job, Heads," she said. "We'll make the formal announcement at dinner and tell students to come and ask you two questions, so it would be beneficial for you two to attend dinner. And Mr. Malfoy," she said, turning to Draco. "Since you decided dates were required, I assume you and Miss Granger will be going with each other?" she looked from Hermione to Draco, as though daring them to protest.
Malfoy stammered. "I hadn't really thought about it like that, Professor," he said.
"Well, since you two are opening the ball," she replied matter-of-factly, "It seems only right that you two would attend the ball together."
Hermione blinked, then nodded. Draco, after a few seconds of thinking, nodded as well.
"Good," Professor McGonagall said, and gave the room one final, sweeping stare as she left. The second the door closed, Hermione and Draco slumped back on the couch.
"You have to stop kissing me, Draco," Hermione said sternly. Draco raised his eyebrows at her and smiled.
"Or what?" he asked. "Are you going to accidentally give up your virginity to me if I don't stop?" he teased lightly, lightly enough for Hermione to know he was joking. "I won't complain."
Hermione flushed a bright pink. "You're such a prat, Malfoy, " she replied.
"And yet you want to have wild, crazy, sweaty sex with me, Granger," he said, smirking. Hermione stood up and held out her hand. Draco stared at it, thinking she was actually about to start taking her clothes off.
"Teach me some more dance moves," she said. He laughed and stood, spinning her a few times for good measure.
"Time to learn how to dance sexy, Granger," he said, pulling her close. "Put those hips to good use," he instructed. Obediently, Hermione shook her hips against him. "Not like that, Merlin!"
She smiled, revealing a smile Draco could only say truthfully he had seen on his face. "Are you getting uncomfortable, Malfoy?" she asked, faux-sweetly.
"Just shut up and dance," he said roughly.
A/N: I think this is the longest chapter!! Whee! Review! And this was a little more playful than the other ones, but I figured they need to have a little fun too, you know?