Draco glanced around at the milling seventh years, who already looked like a mass of colorful jeweled birds; flitting and talking amongst each other. He adjusted his mask elegantly before eyeing around for Crabbe and Goyle. The great gorillas were not even there yet. Most likely trying to fit into the suits that had been sent for them around Christmas time he thought with a sly grin. Those two ate with a fever that was matched only by the red headed Gryfinndor.
Speaking of said Gryffindork, Draco spied him with a grimace as he took in the boy's costume from across the growing group of people. A griffin in grey, how original and utterly dull he thought dryly as his eyes wandered. He spotted Harry and could not keep the snort that lashed out of him in. Harry was ever Dumbledore's man, the prancing hero was dressed in bright red with yellow trim. Harry the phoenix. How terribly appropriate, he mused, arising from the ashes and all that rot.
The blond one shock his head of any sympathetic thoughts that had been hauled up as he continued to look for his sluggish friends that shared a brain. Trudging along they came down the main staircase, pulling at their shirts that were too short for their abundant waistlines and the gold buttons that weakly held them were straining pathetically. Draco sighed and was about to go and berate the two for their eating habits when he heard the massive oak doors creak open and the violin trembled louder as he turned.
His eyes used to the somber dark of the torch lit hallway were forced shut at the onslaught of bright white light from the Great Hall. Draco, as his eyes adjusted, was reminded of the wonder that he had felt as a small child going into Diagon Alley with his father for the first time. Everything had seemed drenched in magic, mystery and wonder the first time and it was like that here for him again. The ceiling was pitch black with gentle shivers of lightening accompanied by slight quakes of thunder as the stars twinkled above, oblivious to the world. Thousands of tiny glass balls that had been levitated by hand to drift around the ceiling held tiny flickering fire flies.
There was so many of these small creatures that no candles or torches had
been needed at all. A Hogwarts first, Flitwick had proudly said as he
directed the charm work. The light shone majestically on the two long tables
that stood at the farthest wall. They contained no food, yet, but their
centers were dripping with flowers that had been supplied by Sprout and it
had all turned out rather nicely. Draco would never admit it aloud, as the
sound of the room began to filter back into his mind after the slight wonder
the Great Hall had induced upon him, but he was proud of the work that he
had done for this. Hermione and him had worked with very little arguing,
because she respected his taste and he understood the differences they
shared and what would be intriguing for both the students raised with
wizards and without. He was happiest of the memories that he now had of him
and Hermione, merely creating something together.
Crabbe and Goyle finally ambled over to Draco as the students stood in
clusters on the dance floor while others went and sat at their placed seats.
Greggory slowly tugged as his high collar with distaste as his pudgy face
took in the room. Vincent grunted out a, "You do this Draco? Looks
good..."and then continued to glance at the empty table eagerly.
"Mmm yes." Draco said with disinterest before a slight smile tugged at his lips when he saw his friend Blaise stalk over silently. Blaise was wearing a pale yellow suit, and a small glittering mask that had little trails of ribbon hanging off of it.
"What in Merlins name are you supposed to be Blaise?" Draco asked with a sneer.
Blaise blinked and replied, "I could ask you the same thing, but you are obviously a snake, as always. I, for your information, am the sun."
Draco scoffed and snipped, "And the world revolves around you? Hardly."
"Always the comedian, Draco. I think that you should..." Blaise's reply was cut off as his eyes locked somewhere over Draco's left shoulder at the sound of laughter.
Turning, Draco tried to see what had captured Blaise's normally unwavering attention. It took him a few seconds to focus in on the subject amid the laughing students and the swirl of ribbon and cloaks but when he did his throat constricted tightly. Hermione was standing between her two rather flustered looking friends but Draco did not even take that in. All there was in the entire world for him at that moment was Hermione, and the sound of her laughter, and the curve of her toothy smile.
He took in her tamed hair, her happily flushed cheeks, and the slender dip
of her feminine figure. From the tips of her silvery toes to the top of her
luscious twisting hair she was stunning and Draco was stopped for what seemed
like forever in that moment of admiration. He was broken from his revery, by
the simultaneous action of Harry taking her arm and Blaise speaking up,
"Well the book worm certainly cleans up nicely, don't you think?"
"Yeah." Draco agreed, tone muted.
Blaise's lip twitched into a grin as he said, "And who would have thought
that she had such delicious...assets under all that frizz and dust?"
Draco rounded on his friend quickly with anger but stopped it cold when he
realized how he was acting and the eery way Blaise was smiling at him.
He shock his finger at him mockingly, "Ah ah Draco, don't forget your
place..." As he began to walk towards his seat at the table with Draco in
silent fury following.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Hermione laughed happily when she spied Harry and Ron decked out in their costumes. Harry went all out to resemble Dumbledore's friend Fawkes. He was wearing a bright red suit with a orange tie. His glasses were gone, and were replaced by a highly feathered mask with a bird beak on it. The entire get up the total opposite of what he would normally wear and as she took in Ron's reserved attire she was even more confused.
Her smile widened as she walked quickly up to the two shuffling boys and they saw her. Hermione did not think that she had ever seen either of them so entirely at a lose for words. First they just glanced at her and then did a double take. Harry's mouth beneath his beak hung open limply and Ron's face turned a color that matched Harry's suit quiet nicely.
She went to stand between them and just kept looking at them in their muted silence. Ron cleared his throat groggily and then said, "Hermione...you err look ...nice..." He finished lamely.
Hermione hid her smile and frowned instead. "Is that all you can say Ron?
This hair took me three whole hours!" She stamped her foot angrily and
laughed hugely on the inside at the fumbling that ensued.
"But Hermione...I errr...well you look...I think you are..." He coughed and opened his mouth to try again when Harry cut in with a knowing smile on his face.
"Yes Hermione you look lovely! I think that is what Ron is trying to say"
Ron nodded furiously at this and Hermione laughed lightly.
"Thank you Harry, and Ron." He smiled at her happily.
She reached out and poked the beak of Ron's velvet feathered brown mask.
"Now please explain this unusual flock to me. Birds of a feather right"
Harry laughed and Ron shook his head.
"We ordered these robes before Christmas and we only received them two days ago. It turns out that they had gotten our sizes mixed up, and also...ahhh..." Ron started to peter off in tone and she looked at Harry expectantly.
"The red clashed with Ron's hair." Hermione laughed and looked to see a very morose look on his face. "Well Ron, I think that you, you both looking very dashing! Now who here is going to escort a lady to her seat?"
"What lady?" Ron blurted out before he could stop himself. Hermione neatly elbowed him in the stomach while he tried to apologize. Harry quickly took her arm, and in the pregnant pause that followed with the two of them looking at their red headed friend expectantly, he blinked and then hurried to take her other arm with a large smile.
When seated between her appreciative friends she glanced up to take in the decorations and saw him. Draco was wearing a black robe with a deep green shirt underneath. His hair was as always, slicked straight back and on his face he wore a velvet mask in green and charcoal that greatly resembled a snake. Hermione had to tell herself not to stare at how elegant he appeared in his attire and how sharp and attractive his silhouette looked. She pinked slightly and then returned her attention back to the table where Luna had just arrived.
"Hello, you all look wonderful...especially you Ron." She smiled and
Hermione eyes went wide at the sight of her almost violent appearance.
Bright purple silk clung gracefully to her figure in a strapless dress and
around her neck hung proudly her butter beer cork necklace. Other then the
later she looked very pretty and Hermione could see a similar reaction from
the boys as she had had on them.
"Luna, why don't you sit down with us. Your mermaid costume looks great! That dress is very beautiful!" Hermione gushed. Ron and Harry nodded their heads very quickly and smiled at her.
"I like your dress too Hermione. Did you three all decide to dress as birds?
Because if you did not do that on purpose that would be interesting." She
stared dreamily at Ron who was still in a state of surprised silence.
"We did not plan it but I guess we all ended up that way."
Harry turned back to her and said, "You're a bird?" Hermione grinned and said, "Hence the birds of a feather comment before. I was talking about all of us. I was supposed to be a dove...but I ended up without a beak like you two." She frowned. "I tried to fix the mask but it just would not work. Oh well, at least I have wings..." Hermione stood from her seat and turned around to show Luna the small curved wings that had been attached to her shoulder blades with a charm. They were created to ruffle occasionally and even flap if she wanted them to. She could not see why she may need them to do this but it was a novel idea and she wanted as much practice with the wandless magic as possible. Whispering the incantation, she smiled at the surprised gasp from her friends and some others behind her.
"That is really rather clever, Hermione! Do you think you could teach me the charm sometime? I would love to have bat wings." Luna grinned.
"Well the spell is not permanent but yeah, I would be happy to teach you.They seem so real and I am very pleased with the outcome." Sitting again,
Hermione looked up in time to see Draco sit down a little ways away with his
goons and Blaise. Her head quickly snapped up to the teachers table which
had been pushed to meet theirs head on, where Dumbledore now stood clearing
his throat for attention.
"Welcome Graduates to the 574th Hogwarts ball held." Clapping and cheering
rang out as the still standing students began to take their seats. "Thank
you all for your hard work over these past seven years." Dumbledore's eyes
resembled the stars in the sky above with all their present shining. He
smoothed down his bright teal robes and then continued, glancing at every
student proudly in turn. "The times have been hard but they are matched only
by the good. We have survived these past years with hope, and I dearly hope,
love. You were taught together, lived together, ate together, cried together
and laughed together. I know that you will all remember this when the final
fight comes to pass. Now on to some lighter things..." His eyes narrowed
beneath his flaming specticals as he searched the faces along the long
table.
"Ah, may I ask Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy to come up here to give their respective speeches?"
Hermione stood happily with Ron pulling out her chair for her and walked quickly to stand on Dumbledore's right while Draco stood on his left.
"Now, Miss Granger if you would like to start?" He gestured softly to the podium and sat with finger tips touching.
Hermione took a deep breath, a step towards the podium and smiled proudly.
She could see some similar looks of surprise on peoples faces at her
appearance and she changed a glance to her direct left. Draco returned her
smile softly and Hermione turned quickly back to the other students. The
look in his eyes was one that she had never seen there before and she pushed
all of her present peculiar thoughts from her mind as she began.
"Class of 2007, I greet you. We have come so far over these years and I am very proud to have known and learned with you all." She stressed the last word greatly as she looked at a sneering Pansy. "I know that we will all do great things and that our time here will not be forgotten. Dr...Draco and I and many of you have helped put together this lovely Ball and I just wish to take a moment for everyone." She began to clap and everyone followed loudly.
"I would also like to take a moment to thank our teachers here, for giving
us what we sometimes did not want but will hopefully use forever. Guidance.
In the end its not about how much you know about Goblin Rebellions, or
Beazor that will last you through your life, but it is the strength and love
and hope they pass onto us that we will carry forever. Thank you all"
Hermione was pleasantly surprised when students began to stand and clap and
cheer. She happily saw the great tears in Hagrid's eyes and laughed along
with the rest of them when he blew his nose and the clapping and cheering
got louder. Even Snape looked a tad less sour then usual and he nodded his
head slightly in her direction as she smiled at him.
After a solid ten minutes of clapping that died out respectfully Hermione
cleared her throat and began the final part of her speech. "I would also
like to take a moment to thank someone who without, I would not be nearly as
proud of my accomplishments as I am. For they would be sorely lacking
without his continued competition and perseverance. Draco, thank you..." The
clapping that followed was mainly from the teachers, the Slytherins who eyed
her suspiciously and her closer friends who were giving her looks of shock.
She glanced swiftly at Draco's lightly opened mouth of surprise before
saying,"Thank you," and returning to her seat.
Draco resisted the urge to sneer at his entire graduating class. It was an automatic response to any feeling of intimidation that he felt and, this was not time for disrespect. He stood with good posture like his father had taught him and began with a great presence. "I am not going to stand here and tell you of some funny memories that I have of my time here nor am I going to talk about what we should all do in the future. The future is such a vastness of complete unknown and we are all far too complex creatures to follow what another tells them to do or even understand the complete nuances of such a request so what I will say is this..." He smiled at all the now eager and rapt faces that looked up to him, awaiting his powerful words or knowledge and then...
"Good luck with your lives, you will need it." He sneered with perfect joy at the varying looks of dismay, defeat, and some that caught themselves before laughing. He moved to walk away and stopped, playing with their minds. They waited for more and he said, "Oh, and never use unicorn tail in any potions that contain pepper lames. Thank you!"
A splattering of clapping broke out and before Ron could stop himself he said, "That was bloody awful!" Draco, who was on his way back to his seat a few down from the line of griffindor, glared with a fury before he glanced at Hermione's puzzled expression. Then he did something that no one in the room would have expected. Draco tossed his head back and laughed. After the initial shook of this, before unheard in its pure and innocent sound, the laughter from everyone else began.
Tears were rolling down the normally collected head boys face as he steadied himself on the back of Crabbe's chair. It was all so perfectly and profoundly ridiculous. For the first time in a long time, Draco felt perfect with the world at this dismal realization. The war was ridiculous, Voldemort was ridiculous and he was ridiculous for not knowing this all sooner. He finally flopped ungracefully into his chair as the laugher died down, except for a Ravenclaw dressed in a very purple mermaid costume, who had taken a fit of the giggles and had to put her head on the table.
Albus stood with a merry chuckle and whipped a tear from his eye. "Thank you very much Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Weasly. Snape here thanks you too..." The unconscious smile that had developed on the Potions Professors face was whipped clean into a glare but not before the entire room had seen the transformation it had placed on his person. A dry silence followed this and Snape looked bored as he said, "Can we get back to supper? I would like to get some sleep tonight...if that is alright with you Head master?"
"Certainly, Certainly." He nodded, his white beard quivering with held
laugher. "Now I believe that the meal is ready so now commences the meal!
Enjoy!" He sat down in a swirl of blue fiery cloak that had been charmed to
spurt harmless flame upon movement along with his spectacles.
He clapped his hands once and the table erupted in mountains of everyone's
favorite fancy foods. Hermione smiled slyly at Neville who dug happily into
a large pile of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, his leaves fluttering.
Hermione turned back to her own plate and began to fill it up with the
various treats. Roast chicken, snow peas, scalloped potatoes were some of
her favorites, so she with these as Ron tried very hard not to be the vacuum
that he normally was.
She gave Harry a pointed look and he laughed in return while cutting his pork. Before dessert Dumbledore stood again, much to the two heads who glanced questioningly at each other and then regarding the white bearded Head master.
"Every year, this is kept very much secret. In all our 574 years, we have yet to have someone tell the younger years about this even though you are all more the able to talk to your elders about it." People tried not to whisper as they waited with apprehension and excitement.
"Every Graduation Ball, you the students will receive one of these papers..." One appeared in his hand and he waved it vaguely, before continuing. "On it are different headings, such as Class Friend, Class Clown, Class Clutz, and Class Athlete. Now I want this not to be a popularity contest, think long and hard during your dessert about who you feel most deserves these titles and do not discuss your answers with your classmates. We want this to be perfectly fair. Okay?" He snapped his fingers and beside each plate popped a rolled up scroll and a quill. Then he snapped his fingers again and the dessert appeared, with him adding, "In honor of the excellent Ball theme, we have added a Best costume for male and females...Good luck and have fun!"
Ron quickly delved into the desert tray in front of him while Hermione and Harry smiled at each other while reading over their lists. There were a few that Hermione had not trouble on at all such as Most Unique, Class Clutz and Biggest eater...but when it came to ones like Class friend, and Class Athlete, it became much harder to decide. Finally the meal was finished and their filled out scrolls all popped away into a large box, Dumbledore was holding.
"Well Now that is finished, we will have your results in an hour. Will the head boy and head girl please take their dancing partners and begin the first dance in a snow ball? Have fun!"
Hermione attention snapped directly to her left where a very red Ron sat
staring at his plate listlessly. He thought for sure that Head Girl,
Hermione Granger would choose, The boy who lived as her first dance choice
but was pleasantly surprised when he felt a timid tap on his shoulder and
looked up to see Hermione smiling at him broadly.
"May I have this dance, Sir?" She giggled at Ron's huge grin as he could not find words and merely nodded and stood to take her hand. Ron tried very hard to hide his shaking from Hermione as they danced on the slowly filling dance floor but Hermione caught it in a second.
"Ron are you all right? Are you cold again? Ron..." Hermione frowned and he shook his head and avoided her eyes.
"No, no I am fine...I just err...Well Hermione the truth is..ouch!" Neville bumped into the dancing couple rather hard and after seeing the glare that Ron gave him he had scampered off and the red head had lost his nerve completely. "Yes I am a little cold..."
She smiled kindly and said, "Lets get you to something warm then shall we"
He nodded sadly and followed her over to the table where she asked
Dumbledore to send up some warm butter beer. Harry soon followed suit and
they chatted about their up coming summer.
"I cant believe that I have to go back with the Dursley's again..." Harry grumbled.
"At least its only for two weeks and then you are staying at the Burrow.
This summer will be great! And going to Hermione's cottage for a few weeks."
Hermione choked on her last sip of butter beer and he looked at her inquisitively. "Ron and Harry I meant to tell you guys...I errr...Bloody Hell I feel so bad!" Hearing a sharp clearing of a throat Hermione looked at the Head table to see Snape looking at her sternly. "Sorry Professor..."
"Indeed..."Was his stilted reply and she turned back to her now wildly curious friends. "I agreed to take a apprenticeship with Professor Flitwick over the summer...I will only be home for a week so we cant spend as much time together..."
Harry replied with happiness, "Hermione that's great! I know that you have always loved charms."
But Ron looked so crestfallen that it took Hermione's breathe away.
"I knew that this would happen, Once school is over we wont see each other anymore." He said bitterly, his eyes blazing.
"Oh Ron, its not that bad! I thought that you would be happy for me! I will be here all the time and you can visit me whenever...or..."
"No!" He stood up abruptly making everyone look at him. "Its inevitable."
The tone of his voice was so cold that Hermione felt herself begin to tear.
"Ron..." she whispered but he had run off through the dancing laughing
students and Harry looked confusedly at her before following.
Dumbledore chose that moment to stand and announce the winners. "The people
are in this order, Most Unique, Luna Lovegood and John Charity, Class Clutz,
Neville Longbottom and Neville Longbottom..." Dumbledore looked confused and
said, "Well if you all insist...the total seems to be unanimous for both
male and female so I will let this slide...Oh no, my boy, stay there I will
give it to you..." The entire class had noticed how precarious Neville's
plant costume was...It trailed long strings and leaves. Prefect for his
disposition.
"Class athlete goes to Ron Weasley and Jackie Small." Dumbledore looked around to hand Ron his award but not finding him put it on the table beside him. Hermione almost jumped when Harry sat back down beside her. "Ron..."
"Yeah I cant find him. I don't know what's bloody wrong with the git..." Harry said sadly glaring at his clean plate.
"There is that and he also just won Class Athlete..." Harry's eyes shone with pride and then they became sad again. "He was not even here to see it..."
"goes to Harry Potter and Hermione Granger!" Clapping blasted around them and they both stood slowly with confusion and walked to shake Dumbledore's hand. Sitting again they glanced at their plaques, "Class Friend" shown mockingly at both of them in glimmering gold.
Harry began to laugh and said, "Well I guess this is a fairly obvious sign that I should go talk to my friend..." He winked before collecting his and Ron's awards and heading off to a farmiliar girls washroom.
Hermione grinned and looked at her name in shining letters fondly. This meant a lot to her...More so then the Class Brain award and the Most likely to go far Awards that she won a little later on.
Draco, received the Class Brat award much to Hermione's momentary giddiness at his sour face as he walked to the podium to take it from a also very amused Albus. He did not even shake his hand and sat back down in a huff. In true brat style. "Best Costumes go to Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom." Hermione was pleasantly shocked at this and before standing whispered her wing flapping charm again much to the delight of those present. Neville managed to take exactly three and a half steps before he fell onto his smiling face. Most people had the mind not to laugh and Hermione helped him up while he blushed.
"And the last Award of the night. Most likely to stay the same...Pansy Parkenson and Draco Malfoy..." A squawk of laughter was heard and Hermione trained herself on Draco's face which was blank.
Dumbledore handed them their awards, both looking at them oddly before sitting down and he said, "Well tonight is almost over." Dumbledore got a strange look on his face before saying, "I just wanted to add that I look forward to tomorrow when all of your families will be here to see you receive your diplomas and that I wish you all the best in life."
Draco felt that he had swallowed his shoe at the mention of family. There would be no escaping his father now. There were bound to be words of some type and the thought of his first real test of will power against Luscious left him feeling miserable and terrified.
" Now if the heads would again start the snowball...I bid you all good night." Dumbledore stood and walked out of the great hall but only Hermione and Snape took note of this action.
Hermione looked around for the very absent Ron before spying Neville looking at his awards with a mixture of shock, sadness and laughter. She gamely taped him on the shoulder while he looked scared before seeing that it was her.
"Oh hello Hermione. Funny no?" He gestured to the Class Clutz award.
"Neville would you start the snow ball with me?" Hermione thought that it was now the best time possible to give her friend her gift that she had been looking for in the library all year. The book itself had ended up hidden behind some old Griffon books, and had not been moved for decades if Hermione was to have taken the amount of dust on top as an indication of anything.
He looked at first gleeful and then shook his head sadly, "I cant dance...very well..."
Hermione pulled him up by his hands, smiled and said, "I have something that will help with that." He looked confused but followed her carefully to the center of the floor. Hermione whispered into his ear, placed a pinky to his life shoulder then his right and while he looked on in wonder gave him a hug. Using her wandless magic she finished the charm. "I give you grace..."
Neville looked a little queasy and then his expression and entire demeanor brightened. "What?"
Hermione laughed and took his hand into hers and placed his other on her waist. "Now move!"
He silently obeyed and as the song played on the look of shock on his face grew. "Hermione! I CAN DANCE!" He was so flustered that he hugged her rather tightly and she laughed.
"Its just a simple, very old etiquette charm that I found. I have already sent you a copy of the spell. Cast it every Monday morning and you will not be clumsy for the whole week."
"Hermione, You are Wonderful!" He shouted before blushing madly. The sound to change rang out and Hermione gently pushed him in the direction of Luna who looked at him oddly. "Now go show someone else that you can dance."
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Harry found Ron in the girls washroom having a moping session with a very pleased looking Myrtle.
"I have known all along..."She said dramatically.
"But you cant tell a soul! You have to swear!" Harry heard Ron say harshly.
"Oh who am I going to tell? I don't have any friends..." She burst into tears and Harry heard the angry low splash that followed.
"Ron?" He asked timidly, moving his mask off of his face as he rounded the corner. Ron was sitting sadly on the edge of a sink looking blankly at the spot where Myrtle used to be above her toilet.
"Huh? Oh its you..." He said blankly, pulling feathers off of his mask and dropping them into the water on the floor.
Harry had had enough. "Ron, if you don't tell me what's wrong right now I will get Hermione in here to talk some sense into you and we both know that wont be pretty. So out with it!"
What Ron said next shocked Harry. He had been expecting a fight and he was not prepared for a honest and straight answer.
"I am in love with Hermione..." Harry was utterly and completely dumbfounded. He stood there in silence with only the sound of dripping water from a leaky faucet to occupy his ears. Harry had known. It had always been buried deep in the back of his turbulent mind but he knew and now that it had been said and acknowledged, he had no clue what to say so he merely listened.
"I have since fourth year...or maybe third but I would just not let myself know it. I even asked her to the Ball but she wanted to go with the two of us...I guess that is my answer. The trio till the end..." He looked very bitter and Harry ventured to speak.
"Ron, have you ever talked to Hermione about this? Asked her her feelings"
Harry suspected the answer but asked anyway.
"No...but she seems more interested in the golden boy then the sixth hand-me-down Weasley. Who am I compared to the Savior of our world?" Harry was slightly angered at his words but he did not let it get to him. Ron needed a friend not someone to be jealous of.
"Well you are for one, a very loyal friend, and also this years Class Athlete..." Ron's head shot up as Harry held out his award.
"You cant be bloody serious!" He leapt from his seat, slipped in the water and lunged at the plaque. "You are!" His joy was almost overwhelming to Harry as he patted him on the back.
"Now, get over it. You are a great guy and I know that Hermione will always be your friend no matter what happens, as I will also." He held up his plaque. "We both won. Funny huh?"
"You both deserved it..." Ron looked teary eyed and wiped at his unmasked face ashamedly.
"Now you will never know how Hermione feels if you don't get out there and ask her yourself!"
Harry laughed at the slipping eagerness with which he ran out the door.
Following he shook his head. All Ron had ever needed was a pep talk he
though snickering.
The washroom was silent for a few minutes then a moaning voice said, "And I was so close to having permanent company. Drat." All that was heard was a faint gurgle and then silence.
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Hermione laughed in the soft light and shadows as her and Lee watched Neville do an endearing John Travolta dancing impression. He had yet to trip this entire time and every once in a while Hermione's heart swelled at the joyful look on his face. The sound to switch partners rang out again for the last time that night and after Lee had graciously kissed the back of her hand and went off to find Padma, Hermione was caught up in the rush and swirl of the surrounding dancers.
She was pushed harshly into someone's arms. Hermione began to look around for the clumsy person, her eye no longer trained to look for Neville as she began to dance.
"Sorry, but I guess you are stuck with me for the last dance..." She looked up into surprised silver flashing eyes and her breath caught in her chest painfully. Draco stared down at her in opened mouth shock and then he smiled as he began to lead.
"I could say the same for you, but you are so very lucky to have this honor..." He said mockingly, an eyebrow raised with arrogant poise.
She also raised an eyebrow and then laughed. "Still stuck on that last award are you? Never going to change?" She asked softly, noticing the hurt on his face before he went cold.
"It seems that the student body thinks so, so why bother attempting to change their minds?"
She glanced at him fearfully. "You are not thinking of changing your mind are you?" She felt an icy stab of hurt at the thought and the confused look he regarded her with.
He glared and said, "What does it matter what I want? I am just another pawn. I have no choice! I have no freedom..."
Hermione felt the laugh come up unbidden and he growled in anger as she stifled it down.
"You already made your choice! You have freedom, you are just scared to use to or acknowledge it at all..." She smiled as his face went dark.
"But I..."
"No buts! I don't want to hear a thing about buts or ifs. You have the power and ability to do whatever you want now...and I truly hope that you are on our side, I don't know what I would do if you went against us...or me...I don't think that I could ever hurt you after this." I care too much she added in her mind. She looked up to him with bright shining eyes and waited for his reply.
His face held that mysterious look again that made her heart beat faster and her chest clench, and he said slowly and softly, "I can do what I want? Whatever I want?"
"Yes, Draco Aidan Malfoy, I give you permission to do whatever you want. Right now. Whatever you want..."
She had noticed the subtle change in his face but not really registered it while she spoke and her mind went blank as his soft lips came crashing down on hers.
Ron, elated, dashed through the dancing couples searching for a singular white dress. The sight meeting his eager eyes blinded momentarily and then the world turned grey. Ron couldn't move, think or even breath while the blood pumped slower and slower through his veins.
No caress, no touch, no simple smell, spoken words or sound had ever been as pure and intense as this one she now felt. He tasted of things that she had never even dreamed of and the sensation made her knees so weak and trembling that she almost slipped out of his arms, except that he took that moment to draw her flush with his form.
Unthinkingly she responded by pushing her mouth tighter to his and he unconsciously gasped and held her even closer. The seconds it lasted felt like hours. Just as normal thought began to filter into Hermione's system was when the first scream was heard and the room went pitch black with a metallic thud like a sword hitting bone.
Time now seemed speed up and disjointed as Hermione was wrenched from Draco's embrace with a sharp animal like cry and heard him call out her name frantically. Hermione tried to focus her thoughts but all she could think of was Why was there screaming, and people bumping into her in the dark when she should be dancing. It was as her final urge to grab her now absent wand and the thought that she could do what she needed without it that she saw the flash of green light and felt a bone shaking pain before losing consciousness.
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I was so excited to write this chapter...I call it my Labyrinth ball scene chapter or whatnot...Anyway Carla if you can add anything to the prose I would be immensely pleased and I will try this time to be less picky about you changing things because I love this chapter so very much...I want to start the next right now but I will wait till tomorrow or whenever I have time.
I want as always to dedicate this to Tara, Jaru, Justin and Carla...also my niece Koko KiKi, Eye Choo Ka Choo! We are dressing up as Ginny and Luna for the next movie release...yes we are the Harry Potter version of trekkies but oh well...Most of all I would like to dedicate this to special people...My dad whom I missed very much this past week...It hurts just thinking about him or it...I miss him to my very core...
I would also like to take this time to thank anyone who continues to read my story and comment however small and short, these little bits here and there mean the world to this crazy Canadian...I would also like to send out gracious nods to Four369, whom likes my comments and is a real sweetie poop, and to Amanda for running this through her spell checker because Carla and everyone else I dont have one on my computer! My beta got a little upset with me having too many spelling mistakes so I have to send it to someone else before I send it to her...TEAR! I hope you all liked this chappy!
I want to thank FAN FICKER...err that's your name right? You know who you are, because she likes this story even though she is a Ron/Hermione shipper...well I am a Draco anyone shipper and I recently read a Ron Draco one that I liked a lot...so its cool when you can see a different character in another light...I don't know if you like slash or not but I merely am pointing out that before that story I was not a Ron fan really AT ALL...he is more comic relief and I hope his innocence and purity in this chapter made you like him...I dedicate the jipped waited too long Ron to you Fan ficker...he is yours to scoop up from this blow...give him lots of hugs and he will be yours forever...If only that was all it ever took to get over things...lots and lots of hugs...I miss him...