A/N: I do not own anything involving with Harry Potter.
Chapter Seventeen: A Ball to Never Forget.
It had been three weeks since the morning she had received the dresses from her mum. Hermione was now standing in Draco's bedroom with Ginny and Luna. He had let the three girls use his room to get ready since it would only take him a few minutes before and the girls the entire day to get ready. Hermione and Ginny's dresses were hanging on the door to the room, waiting to be worn. Hermione was now sitting in the chair letting Luna and Ginny do their magic on her.
By the time Hermione's hair was completed, the girls had pinned some of her top layers back and curled her hair. Instead of the messy curls Hermione was so used to having fall down on her face; what now came down were beautiful soft brown curls, with glitter thrown in it. Her makeup followed with some cover-up that made her skin look perfect and completely flawless. With a slight touch of eyeliner on her top and bottom eye lids, and mascara to give her eyelashes the darker and longer fill. She stood up and finally looked into the mirror. For the first time in her life she thought she looked wonderful. The only time she would ever consider herself to look beautiful. She couldn't wait for the night to come. Draco would surely drool over her.
After a moment of looking over herself, it was Ginny's turn to get beautiful. Luna and Hermione curled her hair hair and let it fall down past her shoulders. With a light touch of blue eyeshadow and mascara she was ready. Luna then took her turn by letting the girls turn her curly long hair, to sleekly straight. She looked marvelous with her curly mess straight. She hardly needed makeup to make her flawless skin ready.
Luna changed into her dress first. She had picked a turquoise dress that brought out her bluish grey eyes out.
"Harry-" began Hermione. "Will love you in this dress." she ended. Hermione, Harry and Ron hadn't spoken since that morning outside of Herbology. Once in a while she would catch the boys glance at her direction; but nothing was ever said to her from them. She often skipped lunch and went to breakfast and dinner to keep Ginny company. When she wasn't at the Great Hall to eat or in classes, she stayed in the library or stayed somewhere with Draco. After the fight the three of them had, Harry had asked Luna to be his date since the two of them didn't have a date.
"Yes, I sure hope so." said Luna very happily as she looked into the mirror at herself. As she placed her mask on. It was identical to her dress. the same turquoise color with the same interior design.
Then Ginny changed second. Hermione was so happy when she walked out of the bathroom into the bedroom. Ginny looked wonderful in the blue dress. It fit her perfectly well and brought out her nice curves. Her mask was a white color, with small diamonds that went around the edges of it.
"You look great!" said Hermione happily.
"Thanks to you! Thank you so much Hermione."
"Blaise is going to love you in this too." added Luna after she sat down on the bed, excited.
"You're turn, Hermione. Go put on that dress." said Ginny staring at her through the mirror.
Hermione grabbed her dress and turned on her heel to the bathroom. She took a few moments to put it on. Her hands were shaking from the nerves built up in her system. She already felt the butterflies building in her stomach and she hadn't even seen Draco yet! But no doubt, she knew he looked stunning as he normally did. When she finally exited the bathroom and walked into the room both of the girls jaws dropped.
Luna snapped out of her daydream, staring at Hermione. "Oh my god.." was all that she was able to say.
"Hermione... You're going to have every boy drooling over you." said Ginny, she was still shocked. Hermione let out a heavy sigh. She felt as if she were going to be sick from the nerves.
"They are taking to long.." began Draco as he stood with Blaise out in front of the Great Hall. Draco was wearing a black tuxedo with a white vest. He had a white flower that stuck out the front pocket of the jacket. His mask was in his hand and it was a basic black with a bit of a weird swirl design on the ends of it. Nevertheless, it still was perfect for the boys face. Blaise was wearing the same thing, but instead his vest was the same color blue that Ginny's dress was.
"You know girls. They take hours to get ready." said Blaise, leaning against the wall. "Relax, Draco. I've never seen you like this before." he chuckled. There was half the school walking in and out of the Great Hall, waiting for their dates to arrive and others just walking to look at others dress or going to the Hall to dance and have a good time.
"There is Ginny." said Blaise, standing tall off the wall. He gabbed at her beauty. "I didn't think she would look this wonderful. She walked down the stairs slowly, with Luna at her side.
"I'll see you inside, Ginny." said Luna happily and she departed going into the Hall to find Harry.
"Where's Hermione?" asked Draco when Ginny came to Blaise. Ginny almost rolled her eyes.
"Calm down. She's nervous. She's trying to find herself!" Ginny laughed a bit. "She'll be down in a moment."
But by the time she had finished her sentence. Most of the students around the Ginny, Draco and Blaise their heads were turned looking at the one that was standing at the top of the stairs. Her white dress fell down onto the ground and when she walked it flowed around her letting her skin sparkle. She was as perfect as any angel anyone could imagine. Draco looked up to see what everyone was staring at. In her hand she carried a small mask that only covered her house and upper nose. It was an older fashion mask with the outline of it with pearls. Then a silver shimmering outline near the nose.
He was shocked. For the first time because of a girl, Draco's jaw dropped. Hermione was the one who had everyone looking at her. She was more perfect then an angel to him and she was his. She walked nervously down the steps and smiled as she saw Draco stand there looking at her.
"Hermione.. Goodness. You are better then perfect!" gossip immediately started as soon as she went to Draco and took his hand. This night was too good to be true already. Hermione knew she wouldn't be the talk of the night because of the way she looked but because Draco was her date. Both of them looked perfect together.
"Shall we go in?" asked Blaise as glances were still being thrown in their direction. The students around them were confused, boggled that Blaise Zabini and Ginny were together along with Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger together. The three of them nodded, as they placed their masks on.
"Shall we?"asked Draco putting his arm out for her to take. She let out a big smile, with a small laugh and took his muscular arm.
The Great Hall had been decorated with white and black lights and in the back, there was a display of different meals for the selected students and silver plates that followed through the long table. There were several of the teachers milling about through out the all, but none of them seemed to care about their surroundings as they were trying to enjoy their time also. The long four house tables had been taken away and replacing them were round tables that were spread randomly about. Some of the tables were empty as others had students sitting there gossiping with one another.
As the couple walked into the room, it was as if she were coming down the stairs again. Heads turned from all sorts of directions to get a good look at Hermione. She turned red in embarrassment. She didn't believe she looked that good.
"Care to dance?" asked Draco letting her arm drop as he took her hand. Hermione nodded and Draco led the way into the dance crowd. Hermione took notice of the jealously that filled the girls eyes when they noticed her with Draco with the guys looking at Draco in jealously as he had Hermione's arm. They came closer together when Draco took them into the middle of the crowd and they swayed together in the music.
Hermione's body moved in the same rhythm with Draco, their body's perfectly in tune with each other. Draco did everything in his power to be as close to her as he possibly could. She could feel his warm breath on her neck. To Hermione being with Draco on the dance floor made it feel like time had stopped. She felt like the Hall full of the students around her, was an empty hall with her and Draco just in the middle dancing alone. Just for a moment, she closed her eyes and felt the perfection built around her. She had never been more happy as she was now with someone else. In just the short matter of months of being with Draco, she felt the need for him. How there was something about him that drew her in, always wanting more.
She opened her eyes, still following in his rhythm and they didn't take their gaze from one another. He only smiled to her. The night had just begun and it was perfect already. They had heard three different songs but Hermione couldn't stop clinging onto Draco. Their foreheads touched and neither one of them moved to pull away. Hermione just wanted to kiss him but couldn't pull herself to do so for not knowing if he wanted the same too. But finally, the moment she had been hoping so, Draco began to lean in closer to her. Their lips only mere inches apart from each other.
"HERMIONE." she heard behind her, the person shouting over the music. She quickly turned around to see Harry standing there behind her with Ron at his side. Luna and Carmen were behind the boys.
"Harry. Leave-" began Luna, but Harry silenced her. Ginny came walking up, holding Blaise's hand. Harry then stared at Ginny in astonishment.
"Oh! You two?!" he said. He looked back to Hermione. "A word with you, if you don't mind?"
"Potter, go somewhere will you? Hermione and I are having a wonderful time. We don't need Weasley and you to ruin it." spat Draco, pulling himself from Hermione's grip, from holding him back.
"You! Stay out of it!" said Ron yelling in Draco's face.
Draco began to pull out of wand. "STOP IT, ALL OF YOU. What do you want Harry?! I'm trying to have a good night for once! I don't need you to ruin it!" yelled Hermione at all of them.
"We just want to talk to you!" he said still yelling over he music. Hermione began to walk out of the hall, going through the door across to enter the courtyard. Harry and Ron quickly followed behind her leaving Luna and Carmen standing there.
"What do we do now?" asked Draco, watching after the door Hermione just exited out of.
"We can't follow them. Let's go take a seat. I need a breather." answered Ginny. With her following, Blaise, Draco and Luna found an empty table in the corner of the hall and left Carmen standing in the middle of the hall. Until she decided to find a few of her friends that had been invited to the Ball.
"Harry, what could you possibly want?" asked Hermione as she pulled her mask off, so angry that her face was turning red. "I can't believe you two would do this again. You're ruining a night that was going amazing! What is your problem?!" she sat down on a bench and Harry and Ron stood in front of her.
"You know we only mean well for you, 'Mione." said Ron quietly. She rolled her eyes. Oh sure.
"Oh, I'm quiet sure that you do. Get to the point, please. I would rather be inside with Draco."
"See! That's the thing! How could you possibly pick him over us?! We've been with you since the beginning. He has been there since the beginning insulting you. People don't just change over night, Hermione. How do you know he isn't going to do something wrong to you in the end? What will happen then? You haven't talked to us in three weeks and you haven't even so much of took notice to us." said Harry, trying to contain his temper.
"Well, Harry. You are right, people don't just change over night. But I've been spending time with Draco since the beginning of term. Once you get past the sly remarks he comes up with, you take notice to him actually being a decent guy. At least he isn't the one that has been hurting me the entire term! He actually stays up with me and lets me talk to him about everything!"
"Like we haven't in the past?!"
"ALL you two want to do is copy my homework! You never once have cared for my feelings! You don't mind what goes on with my life as long as I'm there to help you with whatever you're having complications with!"
"I'm sorry, Hermione!" said Harry, finally getting upset with her. "If that's what you want to hear. I'm sorry! I'm sorry that I hurt you and for the way I reacted." she narrowed her eyes at Ron, waiting for him to speak.
He took a deep breath before he spoke. Almost having to force the words out of him. "I'm sorry too.. I know I hurt you. This whole thing wouldn't be going on if it weren't for me."
"Yeah, you're probably right." she snapped, she stood up from the bench. "But that didn't stop you from before, Ronald. I hope you are truly happy with that ridiculous girl."
"I hope you're happy with that little ferret!" he said, finally snapping back.
"Please tell me you are not dating him." said Harry, his voice finally lowered into a normal tone.
"No, Harry. I'm not dating him. He is just my date for the night."
"I bet you want to date him." mumbled Ron, under his breath.
"I heard that and if that is true, it is none of your business to begin with." she tighten her hands into fists, getting angry with the boys again.
"It is too our business!" she grabbed the bridge of her nose taking in deep breaths.
"Hermione, you know well enough that we can't just approve of you ever dating him.. Or even just being friends with him. After everything he has done!" said Harry trying to come to understanding.
"I know that well enough. Which is why you should at least give him a shot with friendship. I did at least and I am perfectly fine now. Nothing is going to come bad with this. I don't know why you think that. The war is over with and his father is in Azkaban. What bad can come out of this?"
"The fact that Bellatrix is still out there!"
"Honestly, Harry? Do you honestly believe that Draco would be talking to her? He came to the light before you even defeated Voldemort! Dumbledore trusts him. So why can't you? You don't know the truth about him. He hates his father. He never wanted to be on the dark side. So please just believe me when I say that about him. I want to have fun tonight." she was now begging to them.
Ron sighed, he didn't like it when he saw Hermione like this either. Neither one of the boys were easily convinced about Draco.
"Fine, I'm only going to be accepting of this because I know this will make you happy. But that doesn't mean I'm going to in any attempts try to be his friend." said Harry.
"Yeah, and when you want to talk about him, go to Ginny. I don't want to hear it." said Ron.
Hermione sighed at his arrogance. "Fine, that's better then nothing."
"I miss you." both Harry and Ron said together.
She chuckled lightly. "I've missed you both too."
she pulled them into a tight hug, happy that she had both of her best friends back again.
"Now, Ron. You really need to do something about that girl.. She is all over you way too much! It makes me sick!" said Hermione.
"Hermione!" yelled Ron. but she only shrugged, and sent a smile toward Harry.
I'm stopping this chapter because it is WAY WAY to long. More of the ball is in the next chapter that I'm writing. I hope this keeps you occupied long enough! Took me forever to write it and get it half way to where I wanted it to be. I wish I was better with writing and expressing things. Blah.
OBVIOUSLY THERE IS A PART TWO to this chapter. Which is the next chapter. lol.
