Author's Note: Hi everyone! Thanks for all the reviews! I am thrilled that you like it. So her eis the next chapter. There are a few spelling errors i think but besides that... R&R Enjoy! =]
Ginny twirled around watching as the emerald green moved with her. Ginny looked fabulous with her blazing red hair up in a intricate bun. A few tendrils hung down framing her face. Thanks went out to Lady Zambini who loved dressing the two girls up. She had spent the last two days with Hermione at her new home. It had been heaven for her. She got to spend time with her best friend instead of watching her idiot brothers do something stupid. It helped that Hermione know lived in a humongous mansion. Ginny looked at the clock and sighed.
"Hermione, you need to get out of the bathroom. Its almost 8." Ginny hissed. Ginny could hear a sharp bang against the door and a whimper. She slowly walked over to the door and leaned against it.
"I can't believe you made me buy this dress. I feel so exposed." Hermione whimpered through the door. Ginny sighed and tried to open the door.
"You-are-not-exposed. That dress looked fabulous on you when you tried it on. I can't believe you are acting like a prude, Hermione. Now let me in." she growled when the door wouldn't budge.
"Is everything okay in here?" a male voice asked. Ginny turned around to find Blaise watching her. Ginny had to admit that Blaise looked good. He was dressed in all black with his dark hair slicked back slightly. A strand or two kept falling out of place. She shook her head ignoring the look Blaise was giving her.
"She won't come out." Ginny hissed. Blaise walked over to the door and leaned up against it with his forehead resting against the door.
"Maria, please let me in. I bet you look fine." he muttered softly. Ginny watched as the lock clicked signalling for them to come in.
Standing opposite of them was Hermione. She looked...amazing. Her hair was down and straight with braids linking together to form a headpiece. Her green eyes came out with the help of dark eye shadow. The dress was breathtaking. It was green with black lace atop of the neckline was low, but not low enough to show anything. Black lace gloves covered her hands giving her the appearance of a dark princess. A choker was on her neck with an emerald in the middle. She was beautiful, but why couldn't she see it?
"You look...amazing." Blaise stammered walking towards his sister. Ginny followed smiling at her Innocent friend. Hermione s miled at their sincerity.
"So do you." she stated looking over her brother. He did look good.
"All right, let's go. We can't keep your mother waiting." Ginny stated grabbing Hermione's arm. Tonight was going to be long.
Everything was so beautiful. Hermione observed her surroundings as they walked into Malfoy Manor. Everything was decorated to the highest degree. You would suspect it to look tacky with so much decorations, but it wasn't. An air of mystery was given off sending shivers through her body. All those memories here; part of her wanted to run away. She could feel Ginny grab her hand and squeeze. She met Ginny's eyes and felt her sadness radiating off of them.
"You are Maria Zambini now. Not Hermione Granger...remember that." Ginny muttered. Hermione nodded. They would get through this. As they walked in, they handed their cloaks to the house elves. Hermione glanced at her mom and smiled. Claudia Zambini looked good for her age. She was dressed in midnight blue dress robes. Her hair was up in a similar fashion to Hermione's hair-do. Her cane was in hand; Claudia wasn't ashamed that she had to use her cane to walk around sometimes. It was part of her. Hermione could see where she got her courage from. Hermione and Ginny followed Claudia and Blaise as they walked to the doors that lead to the ballroom.
"Take a deep breath." Blaise muttered watching as his sister gazed around. "You will be fine." Hermione nodded as the doors swung open to reveal them. To say it was awkward would be fair off. Everything seemd to grow quiet as they were announced.
"Presenting Lady Zambini and her childern; Blaise Zambini and Maria Zambini. Also presenting Ginny Weasely." Hermione could hear whispering as they walked into the ballroom. She didn't let it effect her as they walked through the crowds. She was a Zambini now. Nothing could get in her way. Many people were probabaly wondering who she was and where she had been all their life. They wouldn't get their answers. Music began to play as their presence became obscure by bodies of dancers. She let Ginny lead her to a table in the corner.
"You did fantastic!" Ginny stated smiling at her friend. Hermione smiled back as she sat down in a chair. Everything felt like it was spinning. The bodies on the dance floor swirled around in tempo. She could spot Blaise walking up to them and smiled. Blaise looked happy.
"Well done, Maria. You should have seen everybodies' faces as you walked in. This is going to be fantastic." Blaise pulled Hermione up to her feet making Hermione giggle.
"Why are you so happy?" Hermione asked watching her brother skeptically.
"Everything is going well. Can't I be happy?" he asked raising his eyebrow up. Hermione nodded giving in. Blaise smiled and suddenly bowed real low. "May I have this dance?" Hermione curtsied low.
"Of course."
"Look how she has grown." Lucius muttered watching as Maria began to dance with her brother. Draco looked up and frowned. They were in the hidden room that watched over the ballroom. His mother was off talking ot the other hags that made up the gossip circle of pureblood society. The room was a secret to all except the Malfoys. It was furnished to meet every need they could have. EVERY NEED...
"Who, Father?" he asked putting down his novel and getting up. Lucius gestured to the dance floor with his snake cane. The look on his father's face was different; more cold and resolved. Draco walked over to the railing and leaned against it. Dancing to the waltz was Blaise and his sister, Maria. His eyes were glued on her as she swirled to the music. She was beautiful. Everything about her screamed it. The dress...her hair...the way she moved. Draco could feel his heartbeat quicken at the thought of him dancing with her. Damn what is he thinking?
"Maria Zambini," Lucius mutter tapping his cane against the floor in a unique rhythm. He looked up at his son who was watching the girl intently. A smirk appeared on his face making Draco shiver slightly. He didn't show it though. The last time he shivered in front of his father resulted in numerous castings of the Cruciatius curse and a lecture on how he was supposed to be a man. Damn lunatic. "Go dance with her." Draco looked at his father with a confused look.
"Father..."Draco stated before being cut off by his father.
"Are you questioning me?" he asked his voice growing colder by the second. Draco shook his head. it was best not to piss his father off right now. Do what he wants or live to regret it; that was becoming Draco's motto rather quickly.
"That was fun." Hermione stated as the music stopped. People around her clapped for the musician who appeared to be in his sixty's at least. Blaise smiled at his sister.
"You're a great dancer." he stated looking over at their table where Ginny was seated. Hermione glanced at the two and smiled.
"Go dance with her." she hissed pushing him in that direction. Blaise looked at Maria with a wild look. "I know you want to dance with her. I will be fine. Go have fun." Blaise nodded giving in like Maria did before. Hermione watched as Blaise walked over and asked for Ginny to dance with him. The blush that appeared on her face made Hermione smile. She wanted them to have fun even thogh she was scared out of her mind here.
"Isn't that lovely?" a familiar drawl stated making Hermione turn around. Standing before her was the ferret himself. Hermione had to admit that he looked good. He was dressed in all black like Blaise. His hair. however, wasn't slick back. It was natural; falling into his eyes slightly. "The weaselette finally has someone to dance with. How cute..."
"Why do you have to make fun of everything that's good?" Hermione hissed as she began to walk off. She wasn't in the mood to fight with him right now. Too late at night for arguing.
"It's what I do best." Draco answered following her. The next thing he stated stumped her. "Do you want to dance?" Hermione stopped and turned around to face him. He had to be kidding. Draco hated her. Why did he want to dance with her anyway?
"What's the catch?" she asked closing distance between them. Draco's eyes slanted with a twinge of anger.
"Its a bloody dance. I'm not going to rape you on the floor. Come on!" he hissed. His hand took her's and led her onto the dance floor. For some reason she couldn't fight back. He twirled her around to where she was facing him. She automatically placed her other han in his's.
"Let's dance," she thought to herself as the music began to play. This was going to be interesting.
"Oh god, no." Ginny muttered as she watched Hermione being led onto the dance floor by Draco Malfoy. The look they each had on their face was scary. Determination and resolution radiated from them.
"What?" Blaise asked. Ginny turned him so he could see what was going on. What where they doing? Something big was going to happen; Blaise knew that. He could feel Maria's confusion and anguish as Draco twirled her around to face him. He just hoped that she could keep up with Draco. They had been given lessons when they were young. Their mothers had thought that young pure-blooded men should know how to dance. Draco excelled, of course. Ginny looked at Hermione who was holding her own. She knew that Hermione could dance. She had been the one that taught Ginny how to dance for the Yule Ball. Yet the way she held herself was superb. Ginny could vaguely remember Hermione telling her that she had been enrolled at a dance studio before she was excepted at Hogwarts. Few knew that.
Blaise began to dance with Ginny as the music started; yet both kept their gaze on the new couple. Draco lead of course. The way they moved was different though. More dark and demanding; Ginny couldn't help but get shivers. Just imagine if they were both dating; it would be the ultimate power couple. Both had traits that were demanding. Both could out-do others without even trying. A combination of good and evil residing between two people. It would be phenomenal. Ginny looked at Blaise. The look on his face reflected what she was thinking.
Everything around her swirled as she continued to dance with Draco. Her eyes connected with his steel gray eyes making her shiver. Hemrione ignored the looks they were given as they danced. Why should it matter to her what they are thinking? Draco's hold on her grew tighter for some reason. Hermione winced slightly as she was twirled around. There was something about the way he held her that felt possessive. She coudln't shake the feeling off as the music began to die down. Her heart began to beat again as Draco released her so he could clap. She instinctively looked for Blaise. She found him at the edge looking at her with brooding eyes. Ginny was behind him resisiting the urge to wave her forward. Hermione looked around for her mother. Where could she be? At last she spotted her at the back wall. She was talking to someone. As Hermione spotted the infamous blond hair, she could swear that she felt her heart stop. Lucius Malfoy....the dream Hermione had a few nights ago flashed through her mind like wildfire. He had tried to take her away from her father. Hermione began to walk towards them. She watched as Lucius began to lead her mother to a staircase. She was going somewhere with him ALONE!?!
"Hey, where you going?" Blaise asked running up to his sister. Blaise could feel her anxiety increase ten-fold. Hermione turned to find Draco looking for her through the crowd.
"Come on, we have to follow them." she hissed Ginny's hand. The three walked towards the staircase; Hermione ignored their questions with a skill unknown to them as they climbed up the steps. Why where they doing this?" Where were they? Hermione summouned her wand causing both of them to shut up.
"Who are we following? Blaise hissed pulling out his wand. If something was going on, he was going to be prepared.
"Mother." Hermione answered listening for any sound. "Lucius was leading her off somewhere." Blaise stopped and grabbed her hand.
"It's probably nothing, Maria. Let's go back down." he stated watching Hermione grow angry. She snatched her hand away and pointed her wand at him. The magic around her pulsed with raw energy.
"He wanted to take me away from you, Blaise. He was ordered to kidnap me. Do you want Mum around him? Especially since he knows I'm alive. He could be doing something to her as we speak. I won't let that happen." The look on Blaise's face was hard and cold.
"How do you know this?" Blaise asked before growling. That night Blaise found her screaming in her sleep. His green eyes glared at her angerly. "That dream...it was a memory." Hermione nodded.
"Dad's memory." Hermione muttered spotting light at the end of the hallway. Blaise and Ginny followed her as she glided through the hallway ignoring the paintings that were watching them. Voices were low but Hermione could hear them. She pulled Ginny closer ot her on the floor as Blase stood over them looking for anybody that migth come up.
"You know that it devastated Narcissa when Maria was taken. She was and still is her favorite god-chld. Just how did you find her?" Lucius's voice asked making Hermione cringe. They hadn't spoken about what they would say to anybody.
"I don't see how it is any of your business, Lucius. We have came to the agreement that we wouldn't speak about her past and fore that I am glad." her mother stated. Her voice was stern and Hermione couldn't help but smile. They were messing with the wrong woman. "She is still my daughter and nobody can take that away from me."
"You will be surprised what can be taken from you." Lucius stated. Hermione pointed her wand at the door to blast it off but was cut off by Ginny who pushed the wand down.
No," she mouthed. Ginny was right of course. We couldn't interupt unless something deathly was going to happen. If we were seen, that could be troublesome.
"I know that, Lucius. I have lost my husband. Don't lecture me on what you can lose." Cladiua hissed making Blaise cringe. She was getting angry. Thier mother rarely got angry. She was a fun-loving woman; yet not many knew of her dark side. "Now if this is all..."
"I wanted to speak to you about the contract you placed on Maria. It has been reinstated with her appearance here." Lucius stated. "Her marriage contract is as valid as it was 17 years ago." Hermione's heart stopped beating. She was going to be married to Draco!!! Of all people, it had to be him!
"You can't do that." Claudia stated. Her voice however was sad. It had lost the air of dominance that was there before. Hermione wanted to cry as she ealized she was going to be married off to the ferret.
"It's a blood oath. They have no choice. Does Maria know of this?" Lucius asked. Ginny helped Hermione get up to her feet as she answered.
"No." Blaise looked at his sister. Her eyes were teary but they held strong; not dropping a tear. Her courage was something that Blaise was coming to admire greatly.
"Did you know about this?" she asked not caring whether or not they were found. Blaise shook his head. Of course he didn;t know. He just gained a sister a few days ago. how could he know about this?
"I never knew. The contract was probably made after we were born." Hermione nodded aimlessly. One thing came across her mind.
She wanted to go home and forget.