Draco was panicking slightly.
He was hovering in Hermione's living room, and had accidentally bumped into a small table. The consequence was that a small black machine, next to the telephone, was now whirring and had red lights flashing numbers at him. An unfamiliar female voice began to speak quietly from what he knew was the speaker of the strange box. He started pressing a series of random buttons on the machine, accidentally making the voice louder, making the box speak in reverse as well as faster, until finally he managed to make the strange machine stop speaking.
At this point he fell into the closest armchair, vowing not to touch anything else until Hermione emerged. Speaking of his date for the evening, she should have been ready five minutes ago. He cast a mildly impatient look at the clock that hung on the wall and tsked quietly. Just as he did so, he heard the approach of heels on hardwood floors and leapt to his feet, planning to chide Hermione on her tardiness.
However, all thoughts of chiding escaped his mind when he saw Hermione.
She was the image of elegance. She wore a floor length gown in the precise shade of Slytherin green. The material seemed to shimmer with the slightest movement, and was cinched at the waist by a silver ribbon. Upon closer inspection, Draco realized the ribbon was adorned with hundreds of tiny crystals. There was a thin strap which held the dress up and over her shoulder, accentuating her perfectly sculpted collarbones. The dress clung tightly to her figure and Draco sucked in a deep breath at the milky white skin of her breasts which had been pushed up lusciously.
After managing to tear his eyes away from the dress he took in the rest of Hermione. Her hair was beautifully sleek, but he did enjoy her unruly curls. She had just a light coating of makeup on her face and the scent of roses clung to her.
"I think I should take your stunned silence as a compliment," she smiled and he could feel his face redden slightly. On a Malfoy, all blushing does is make them look healthier.
"Most definitely," he managed to get out and suddenly remembered something. "My mother wanted me to give you these."
He reached into his suit pocket and fumbled about until he locked his fingers around a small box. He pulled the little box out and Hermione frowned at the slight rattle until he opened it, revealing a pair of stunning earrings. He smiled when she gasped, pleased at her reaction when she immediately bent forward and removed them from the box, quickly fastening them to her ears.
"Remind me to thank your mother tonight," she said, gesturing to the new jewellery.
"Will do. Now, shall we?" he held out his arm and she rolled her eyes at his gesture, but placed her hand on his arm delicately. "I have a car waiting out front."
"Magical or muggle?" she asked.
"Magical. No driver, similar to the Knight Bus in speed, only a lot less jumpy," he assured her when she paled slightly. He led her from her house and she shivered as the December air touched her exposed skin. "You should have a warming charm on you."
"I'm fine," she said, clenching her teeth together to prevent them from chattering. Draco opened the backseat door of a sleek black limousine that was parked in front of her house and she slid in, closely followed by him.
As soon as they were seated and their seatbelts done up the car seemed to let out a soft sigh before Hermione felt movement. The ride was smooth. It felt as though she was not even moving, and only when she turned to look out the tinted windows and silhouettes of trees did she realize the car was gliding along. The ride was spent in silence as Hermione watched the flickering trees and Draco, who sat on the seat opposite, watched her.
The realization really seemed to hit him when she felt his gaze upon her and she turned to face him, a small, distant smile on her lips. At first he dismissed his thoughts, telling himself that it was the tumbler of firewhiskey he had consumed earlier in the afternoon, mixed with the stunning dress she was wearing. His speculation was all dismissed, however, when she turned to him with that little smile.
He fancied Hermione Granger.
Hermione was truly ecstatic about the fact that she had managed to render Draco Malfoy speechless. He had gaped and gawked when she had revealed her dress for the evening. It was a fantastic feeling to know that she had done that to someone.
Now she sat in the car, looking out the window and occasionally peeking out of the corner of her eye at Draco who hadn't looked away from her since the car had started moving. She had to admit that he looked incredibly handsome in his black tuxedo with a crisp white shirt, black bowtie and silver waistcoat.
She had to admit that Draco was very good looking, even when he wasn't dressed up. He had grown into the pointed features of his youth, giving him aristocratic, chiselled looks. His platinum hair was always loose and slightly tousled, as though he had just rolled out of bed and dashed out the door. Even she had to admit it was sexy.
She shook her head gently to remove the thoughts from her mind, turning away from Draco fully so she could barely see his outline. She focused instead on the world outside the window, wondering where the car was. They seemed to be jumping around sporadically though it felt as though they were simply driving along a long, straight road. She looked out as they passed rolling hills and she could imagine their intense green during daylight hours.
All of a sudden the car pulled to a halt and she noticed Draco jolt sharply in his seat before shaking his head and looking away from her. She frowned but said nothing, unbuckling her seatbelt and waiting as Draco clambered out of the car. She fought back a giggle as he exited clumsily; he always exuded grace, so this scrambling was a funny change. He quickly collected himself and held his hand out for her to take, and she rose from the car, trying her hardest to be the picture of elegance.
Once her feet were firmly on the ground he began to steer her up the stairs and through Malfoy Manor. They went further into the beautiful estate than Hermione had ever seen until the sound of dulled music and murmurs reached their ears.
"Ready?" he asked quietly, pausing outside a set of grand doors. She took a deep breath and nodded. As she did so, the doors swung open. The chattering ceased and the music was turned down as Narcissa's voice sounded throughout the grand ballroom.
"Introducing my son, Draco Malfoy, and his partner for this evening, Hermione Granger."
There was a moment of applause before the music returned to its full volume and the talking restarted, this time with more fervour as the guests discussed the couple. Hermione was oblivious to the gossip as she stared around the incredible room.
Her first thought was that of the Yule Ball in their fourth year. The ballroom sparkled. Everything was silver apart from various green accents throughout. Hundreds upon hundreds of candles floated above the heads of guests, bathing them in a soft glow. An enormous and lavishly decorated Christmas tree sat in the far corner, reminding all that the holiday was just a day away.
"What do you think?" Draco's murmured voice sounded directly beside her ear. She shuddered slightly as his hot breath blew over her ear and he grasped at her hand.
"It's incredible," she breathed, gesturing to the extravagant room with her free hand. Draco still held the other.
"My mother always likes to outdo every other party of the year," Draco said smugly and Hermione nodded in obvious agreement. "Shall we mingle?"
Before she had time to respond he was leading her to Pansy and Blaise who seemed to be deep in a heated conversation. Hermione began to protest but Draco shushed her, pulling her further.
"Pansy, Blaise," Draco said smoothly, releasing Hermione's hand for a moment whilst he swept forward and kissed Pansy on the cheek and shook Blaise's hand.
"Draco, Hermione," Pansy nodded stiffly to both of them and shot a glare at her husband. Pansy looked beautiful with her hair piled upon her head in an elaborate array of curls and her face tinged with the aftermath of her apparent argument with Blaise. "How are you?" she asked stiffly.
"We're smashing, thank you," Draco said, returning to Hermione's side and placing an arm around her waist. She frowned at the intimate gesture but couldn't escape from his grasp without causing a scene. "How are you two?"
"Fucking peachy," Blaise muttered, turning on his heel and stalking away.
"Which poor Pygmy Puff crawled up his ass and died?" Draco said with a chuckle, but neither of the women laughed with him. Hermione was still admiring the decor and Pansy just scowled in his direction.
"Shut it, Draco," the latter snapped and it was Draco's turn to frown.
"Hermione, would you mind excusing us for a moment? I need to have a word with Pansy," Draco prompted, releasing Hermione who nodded. "I'll only be a moment."
"Of course, Draco. I'll go and get something to drink," Hermione smiled and stepped away. She wandered through the clusters of people until she found a floating tray of champagne. She had decided, after her various alcohol related public humiliations, to only have two things to drink this evening. As she reached for a glass however, a hand reached out and took her own.
"May I have this dance?"
"What's wrong, Pansy?" Draco asked, pulling her aside. She flushed and shook her head.
"Nothing. I'm fine," Pansy said, averting her gaze. He scoffed.
"Liar. If you were fine then you'd be on your third glass of champagne by this point and acting like a complete and utter prat with Blaise," he accused and she slumped her shoulders. "Instead you look like you haven't had a drop to drink and are arguing with your husband. What's wrong?"
"It's none of your business, Draco," Pansy was getting riled up now, her face a brilliant shade of red. She turned to storm away but Draco reached out and wrapped his hand around her wrist.
"Talk to me, Pansy," he demanded and she turned back to face him. Much to his shock her eyes were glassy and there was a tear rolling down her cheek.
"He cheated on me, Draco, and I don't know what to do," she choked out and fell into his arms. He caught her quickly, holding her trembling form against his body. "That's what we were fighting about."
He felt his body stiffen and anger eek through his veins. Nobody, and he meant nobody hurt Pansy. She was his best friend and like the sister he never had. Anyone knew that if they hurt her, he would be the one to deal with them and no one wanted an angry Draco Malfoy after them.
"Who?" he ground out when Pansy's tears had subsided.
"I don't know. I don't want to know. I just want to get the fuck out of his house and stay the hell away from him," she admitted, freeing herself from his grip. "He says it was a onetime thing and doesn't want us to break up over it, but I can't even look at him."
"Do you know when?" Draco asked and Pansy nodded.
"Ten months ago. I was away, visiting my parents. Draco, he fucked her in our bed!" her elegant face contorted into a grimace of utter disgust.
"Fucker," he muttered, running a hand through his hair angrily. Pansy had brought out her wand and was using it to fix her makeup which had run when she had cried.
"I'll deal with it, Draco. I'm a big girl now," she gave him a sly smirk and he couldn't help but return it. He was incredibly glad he wasn't in Blaise's position at the moment. Pansy was a revengeful bitch. "Now, you should probably go and steal your date back before Pucey gets his claws even further into her."
Draco spun around and narrowed his eyes. Adrian Pucey was guiding Hermione around the small dance area, his hands creeping further down her back.
"Just go for it, Draco. It's obvious you're smitten by her," Pansy said encouragingly. Draco nodded at her in farewell and stalked towards his date who was beaming at Pucey. Draco pushed down the vicious jealousy boiling in the pit of his stomach when Pucey tugged Hermione even closer to his body. As he neared the dancing couple the music began to slow, their dance becoming more intimate. When Pucey's hands trailed up and down Hermione's back Draco drew the line. He cut in quickly, pushing Pucey out of the way and taking his place in holding Hermione. The now alone Slytherin let out an angry hiss and turned on his heel, not one for confrontation.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Hermione snapped as Draco danced with her.
"You're my date, Hermione," he retorted and she narrowed her eyes.
"You were off with Pansy," she accused.
"She needed me to comfort her, if you must know," Draco said, his anger subsiding now that Pucey was out of his line of sight.
"Well you didn't have to be so rude about interrupting my dance with Adrian," she frowned, her brow creasing.
"He was touching you," insisted Draco and her eyes widened.
"Jealousy isn't a good look on you, Draco," her brown eyes twinkled with realization.
"I'm not jealous," Draco said, a little too quickly and Hermione smiled.
"Yes you are. You're jealous that another man had his hands all over me," Hermione's voice was now low and right by his ear. His pants tightened.
"You have no idea what you're talking about," he growled. "Pucey is vile and lowly scum. He shouldn't be sullying your dress with his dirty hands."
Hermione laughed loudly. "I'm sure that's it, Draco," was her response. The song came to its end and they stepped away from each other, Hermione starting to walk away. Draco wasn't about to let her out of his sights again and grabbed her hand before she could leave.
"Now, now, Hermione. You're my date. We're a couple this evening," he reminded her and she scowled as he interlaced their fingers. "I won't go off and comfort any pretty girls if you promise not to go off and cavort with any less pretty males."
"Adrian is very attractive, I'll have you know," she said and he felt the green monster rear its head once more.
"Shut up," he replied and she laughed.
"Excellent comeback, Draco."
He glared at her and tugged her along towards Narcissa who was smiling at their approach.
"Hermione, you look absolutely stunning," Narcissa beamed genuinely, embracing the younger witch and kissing her son on the cheek. "You two seemed to be enjoying each other's company." Narcissa smiled knowingly and gestured to the dance floor.
"We're having a wonderful time, mother," Draco assured his mother who smiled again.
"Excellent! I'm so glad you two are getting along swimmingly. Now, if you would please excuse me, I have to announce dinner," Narcissa politely excused herself and drifted away towards the head of the room where she stood upon a little pedestal. She raised her wand to her throat and began, "Ladies and gentlemen, if you could please move from the centre of the room, dinner will be served."
Many of the guests were confused at this request and voiced their confusion as they moved away. Draco pulled Hermione back with him. She turned to face him in annoyance at his insistence but instead stumbled on the hem of dress and, in a spectacular display of clumsiness, managed to fall directly into Draco's arms.
"Smooth," he chuckled. He righted her and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close to his side. "We don't want you falling and ruining that pretty little dress, now do we?"
"I can stand perfectly fine on my own," she insisted but he shook his head.
"Clearly you cannot," he corrected her. He was lavishing in the warmth of her body beside his.
"You're bloody evil," she accused and he smirked.
Hermione knew she should want to pull away from Draco's tight grasp, but part of her wanted to move even closer to him. He was warm and gentle with even the roughest of movements. Instead of fighting to move away from him now that he was leading her to the extravagantly long dining table that had appeared when the middle of the room had been cleared, she leaned into his body.
Draco walked them towards the head of the table. A very sour Lucius Malfoy sat at the head, glaring at the other guests with disdain. Narcissa sat on his left and Draco took the seat to his right after helping Hermione into her seat.
As the first course was served, Hermione noticed that Pansy was seated opposite her, but Blaise was nowhere to be seen. Pansy's eyes were red-rimmed but she was smiling and laughing at something Draco had said. Hermione frowned at this but decided it would not be polite to bring it up in the middle of dinner. Instead she picked at her food slowly, not paying much attention to the conversation.
Her attention had been directed elsewhere, namely to the man she was seated beside. She could feel a strange surge of energy between herself and Draco. It seemed to crackle with movement from either of them, pulling them back together when either moved away. The energy was strange, and yet at the same time she was comforted by it.
She had danced with Adrian Pucey purely because she was by herself and he had asked her. He was handsome, as dumb as a doorknob and held absolutely no interest in women, but he had entertained her. Draco's reaction had surprised her but she had felt a flutter of something in the pit of her stomach when he had pushed Adrian away and claimed her as his own. No matter how hard he tried to deny it, he had been jealous.
She let the rest of dinner (which was full of sumptuous delicacies and the best food she had ever tasted) pass by her without much notice, too wrapped in her thoughts of Draco. It wasn't until the object of her thoughts took her hand beneath the table did she begin to pay attention. She took one last bite of her crème brulee and stood with Draco.
"Where are we going?" she asked quietly as he led her away from the table which promptly vanished once it had been vacated by all the guests.
"For a walk. Mother wanted me to show you the gardens. They're absolutely incredible in winter, and she's placed a Heating Charm on the entire place so guests can go outside and wander," Draco said, giving her a lazy smile. He had released her hand and was guiding her now with his hand on her lower back. They exited through some side doors and into a stunning courtyard.
A large fountain sounded from the middle of the area, the trickling soothing. The rest of the courtyard was filled with an abundance of rose bushes in various shades of white and red. There was a lovely glow coming from the windows of the ballroom as well as many lanterns scattered about to give the courtyard a soft light.
"It's wonderful," Hermione smiled. "It's like a fairytale."
"What's a fairytale?" Draco asked, leading her through the courtyard.
"It's something that muggles tell their children. Like the Tales of Beedle the Bard," she explained. He nodded to show his understanding and they continued out and through the courtyard. "Is that a greenhouse?" Hermione asked, pointing towards a large structure about a hundred metres to their right.
"Yes, that's where my mother cultivates and experiments with her magical plants before putting them in the garden to make sure they don't overrun the place," Draco said. "Would you like to see?"
Hermione nodded in excitement and they changed their course. The glass house was far larger upon closer inspection. Draco unlocked it with a wave of his wand and they stepped inside. It was far cooler in here then it had been outside. When Hermione voiced this Draco said they couldn't adjust the temperature his mother had set or the plants might die. With another flick of his wand the room was illuminated and Hermione looked around in fascination.
She stepped away from Draco's guiding hand and walked along, examining each pot with varying degrees of interest.
Draco watched Hermione with great fascination as she perused his mother's greenhouse. This was her element. She could learn new things in here, come across plants she had never seen before in her life. He liked the fact that even though she was wearing an awfully expensive dress and high heels, she was not opposed to getting her hands dirty by examining his mother's plants. It was a refreshing change from the women he normally dated. Not that he was dating Hermione. Yet.
She turned to face him with a bright smile. "Draco, come here," she summoned him and he was at her side in two strides, examining what she was currently fascinated by. "Isn't this a yew tree?"
"A miniature one, yeah," he nodded. "My mother is perfecting growing miniature versions of all wand trees so aspiring wand makers can test temperaments and properties of the trees. She's already managed a variety of miniature magical plants for people who live in apartments or don't have room for gardens."
"That's amazing," Hermione murmured, reaching out and touching the leaves of the yew tree. It appeared to be at a state of being fully mature though it reached no more than a foot in height. "Your mother is an incredible witch."
"I know. She's created an entire range of appearance related charms and spells for minor alterations as well," he told her. "The dress that the one you're wearing tonight is one of her original creations. She's never been employed so she spent her free time pursuing a variety of things which interested her. She's utterly remarkable."
They continued to walk along through the greenhouse, Draco guiding her along until she stumbled in a little ditch. From then he insisted he hold her hand so she didn't fall over again. He pointed out various plants such as aconite, Devil's Snare, Mallowsweet, Gillyweed, and a Snarfalump plant which took a liking to Hermione and wrapped a tentacle around her upper arm. After a small amount of struggling she escaped, slightly more dishevelled.
By the time they left the greenhouse they were both thoroughly ruffled. Draco had removed his suit jacket and put it around Hermione's shoulders as well as having undone his bowtie. Her hair had fallen out of its up-do so it hung in waves just below her shoulder blades. Her face was pink and eyes twinkling with mirth. Their hands were still intertwined though she had long since regained her balance and neither was willing to let go. They walked for a while longer until they came to a little pond where Hermione stopped. Draco turned to face her and smiled.
She was looking up at the moon. It was due to be a full moon the night after Christmas, but the silvery orb which hung in the sky looked complete. Hermione was bathed in its glow and upon sensing Draco's stare she turned to face him.
"What?" she asked. He took a step closer until he stood directly in front of her, looking down at her flushed face. Without thinking, he lifted a hand and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, trailing his fingertips along her shoulder and down her arm. She shuddered slightly at the touch.
"You are beautiful," he murmured and her cheeks coloured once more. Her front teeth came out and bit down on her lower lip and she pulled her gaze from his, instead looking down.
"It's the dress," she said and he shook his head.
"Hermione, you're stunning even when you're just in a pair of knickers. Actually, especially when you're just in a pair of knickers," he smirked, tilting her head up to face him with a hooked finger beneath her chin. She smiled slightly at him. "And the dress you're wearing tonight may be beautiful, but damn it, no one else could look as good as you do in it. You're incredible."
"Thank you," she said meekly.
"You're bloody welcome," he winked at her and she smiled up at him.
"You aren't bad either," she smiled and his smirk returned. The mood lightened considerably.
"Oh, I know."
"Your head could do with a bit of deflating, however," she commented, reaching up and tapping his temple. His head tingled where her finger had been.
"I happen to like my head exactly the way it is," he sniffed and Hermione laughed. "Do you want to go back inside?"
"I was thinking about sitting here for a while. It's lovely out here by the water," she suggested and before he could disagree she sat down, pulling him with her. He landed beside her with a dull thud and shot a glare in her direction. "Sorry," she grinned.
An hour passed with them sitting beside the lake, following any random strand of conversation that appeared before them. Before long they were reminiscing about their Hogwarts days and Draco was rubbing his nose in memory of the break she had caused in it in their third year.
"You deserved it," she said confidently.
"Probably, but it still hurt like hell," he retorted. "And I couldn't exactly tell Pomfrey that I had been punched in the nose by a girl, now could I?"
"What did you do?" Hermione asked, turning to face him. She had her legs tucked to the side whilst he lay facing her, propped on one elbow.
"I told her I went to go for a fly on my broom and when I opened the storage shed they all fell out on me," he admitted. "I don't think she believed me."
Hermione tossed her head back and laughed loudly. Draco watched the curve of her neck when she moved and how pronounced her glorious collarbones were. He wondered what the soft skin there would taste like and caught himself licking his lips.
"Looking back on it, maybe I should have told her that you punched me in the nose," he pondered aloud. "Maybe then you would have gotten punished for once."
She frowned. "You wanted me to get in trouble?"
"Of course," he said. "You and your little bodyguards were always getting away with things nobody else could in their wildest dreams. You were always favoured by the teachers and you could probably be given a bloody medal for being caught sneaking about the school at midnight."
"It wasn't like we did that for fun," she countered. "We only ever did it if we were trying to do something good."
"You only ever did it if it was for something good," Draco corrected her. "Your friends were all too willing to go on their midnight escapades for no good reason other than to brag about it the next morning."
"That's true," she admitted. "Then again, you were hardly innocent."
"Agreed," he nodded his head. "I was an arse back in school."
"What do you mean you were an ass? You still are, when you want to be," she said with a smile.
"You aren't always a perfect little angel, either," he teased, reaching out and tugging a lock of her hair. "This is strange."
"What's strange?" she tilted her head in question.
"This. You and I acting like this. I never thought we'd be able to just talk like we're talking now," he said.
"It's nice, though, isn't it?" he noticed concern coloured his voice.
"It's really nice," he reassured her. "It's just surprising. I like it."
"So do I," she gave him a relieved smile.
Draco tucked the lock of hair he had been fiddling with behind her ear, and for the second time that night he trailed his fingertips down her shoulder. She let out a slightly ragged breath and began to lean closer to him. He mirrored her movements until he could feel her hot breath on his lips and moved to close the final distance.
"Hermione! Draco! There you are. I was about to send a search party out for you," Narcissa's relieved voice interrupted them, and they jumped away from each other quickly, their lips having only been less than a centimetre apart. Narcissa's step faltered for a moment. "I'm sorry. Am I interrupting anything?"
"No, not at all," Draco said hurriedly, clambering to his feet. He held his hand out to Hermione and tugged her to her feet quickly.
"Yes, well, everyone is leaving now. You two have been wandering for a while," the blonde witch's tone was amused and Draco's cheeks burned as his mother took in their messy hair and ruffled clothing. He would have to tell her later that he and Hermione had not been participating in shenanigans of any kind. Much to his irritation.
"Shall we?" he suggested, gesturing for Narcissa to lead the way. His mother turned with a hidden smile and guided the way back through the darkness to the warmth of the ballroom. The Heating Charms were wearing off and he noticed Hermione draw his suit jacket around herself with her free hand as they walked back. It wasn't until she shook so violently with cold that he noticed the jolt of her hand in his did he release her hand and opt instead for pulling her body close to his own. She looked up at him, grateful for what warmth his body could give her, and when they returned to the ballroom they had their arms around each other's waists.
When they stepped into the sparkling room many eyes were upon their closeness, not to mention their less than pristine appearance. Draco felt his cheeks colour once more and guided Hermione past the staring and whispering guests. Hermione's head was down, her hair disguising her face, though if he could see it he knew it would be red.
"I'll apparate you home," he offered when they were alone and walking through the halls of Malfoy Manor.
"Thanks, Draco," she said quietly, shrugging off his jacket. She handed it back to him and placed a Heating Charm on herself before they walked to an apparition safe-zone.
"Hold on tight," he grinned and she wrapped her arms around him to give him a hug as he turned on the spot. A moment later they appeared on Hermione's darkened front porch and he realized it must be past midnight. He looked down at the witch who was looking up, past his face.
"Mistletoe," she said with an impish smile and he smirked.
"Clever, Granger," he said. "Shall we?"
She nodded and bit down on her lip once more before looking directly into his eyes. For the second time that night they leaned into each other, their eyelids fluttering closed when they could feel a crackled of energy passing between their lips. She was the one who closed the final distance and they pulled each other closer at warmth that trickled down their spine at the contact. Her lips were soft and she tasted of rose and vanilla. He wanted more.
A sense of urgency overcame them at that moment, and they clung to each other desperately. Hermione's hands tangled their way into Draco's hair, tugging lightly. He pulled her as close as possible, biting and sucking and licking at her lips like a starved man. She let out a breathy moan into his mouth as his hands trailed down her sides, pulling their hips together. Their lips separated and he nipped at her neck once before regretfully disentangling himself fully from her grasp.
Her lips were still parted and she was panting lightly. Her hair was messy, regaining some of its usual curl and frizz, and her face was beautifully pink. He smirked and brushed his hand down the length of her cheek.
"'Night, Granger," he said, disappearing with a crack.
A/N: Wow! First up, this is my longest chapter in this story: 5,466 without author's notes. I didn't want to break it up into two chapters, and I don't really know where I would have broken it up anyway.
Secondly, we're finally getting some action!
Thirdly, I have pictures for this chapter up in the link on my profile. Hermione's dress isn't the exact one linked, but it's the same shape and idea. Hermione's actual dress is one that I've sort of sketched out and designed a bit myself.
Anywho, please review! Also, if you would be so kind, please check out the other links in my profile (: