D is for Dancing

As Hermione prepared herself for the sixth year ball that was fast approaching; magically styling her hair, slipping into her long and sweeping light pink dress, applying her make-up, she thought of what she would do. Harry already had a date, Ginny Weasley, and Hermione didn't think she'd feel right about going with Ron. He believed that they were 'official', but Hermione thought-and knew-otherwise. She loved Ron, but only as a friend, but Ron seemed to love her so deeply and Hermione had to put up with this and pretend she felt the same. See, the man she loved would never be accepted by anyone she knew. And she would never be accepted by his friends either. They would be discriminated against. They would be laughed and jeered at by witches and wizards everywhere. Their unity would be ignored and instead replaced with embarrassment. None of her friends would ever forgive her, and the man she loved would be disowned from his family. There really was no way, in Heaven or on Earth, to make telling the truth work out well for them. Hermione sighed as she buckled her shoes onto her feet, before standing, grabbing her clutch and putting a smile on her face. Another many hours of smile at Ron and tell him that she loved him awaited her.

She walked out of her dormitory and down the spiral staircase, thinking of the man she loved so deeply. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she found Ron waiting for her, his arm outstretched for her to lean on.

"You look beautiful tonight." He whispered seductively. Hermione forced a giggle and clutched his arm.

Harry and Ginny obviously thought the same of Hermione, Ginny squealing in delight as she saw her friend and Harry wolf-whistling, to which Ginny hit him hard.

"Owwww!" He cried, stroking his face where Ginny had left a bright red mark. "What was that for, Gin!"

"Stop looking at her. Look at me." She said, leaning up and touching her forehead to his, smiling slightly. Hermione watched and saw as Harry melted under her gaze.

"Ok." He said, smiling back at her, and as they stared into each other's eyes for a long while, Ron started to get a little impatient, checking his watch, looking around and whistling. After a few minutes of staring, Ron gave a loud cough, and both Harry and Ginny looked at him.

"Yes?" Harry asked.

"Are you guys coming, or going to stand their all night?" Ron said, glaring at them.

"Right. Sorry." Harry took a step back from Ginny. "Shall we go?" He held out his arm to her, but it didn't take long for her to clutch it gleefully.

As the four walked down to the Great Hall, it came apparent to Hermione that even though this was the sixth year Ball, the whole school wanted to attend (Ginny was only able to come as she was Harry's date). There were lines outside the entrance, but instead of backing up the stairs, it started to back way down into the entrance hall. Velvet red ropes separated the party crashers and the party goes, and Hermione giggled as she thought this kind of looked like a Muggle night-club. Harry and Ron led Hermione and Ginny to the hall doors and looked expectantly at Filtch, who was guarding the door.

"Come on, come on. Get in there." He snapped, ushering them in. Hermione looked around widely at the spectacular view; the candles that usually hung in mid-air to lighten the hall were gone, and replaced with mountains of fairy lights. The four house tables had disappeared and a huge stage stood where the teachers' table should have been. Hermione gasped at the sight.

"It's… beautiful!" She exclaimed, and Ron glanced at her. She didn't look at him, though she made it look as though she was taking it in, but instead she was skimming the heads of the people already inside the hall, searching for the platinum blonde head of hair that she loved. When she spotted him by the refreshments table, speaking with someone whom Hermione couldn't recognize, as their back was to her. Although, he didn't seem very interested in the conversation, as his eyes, too, were searching the room for Hermione. As soon as he saw her, he nodded ever so slightly and sent a sly wink in her direction. She nodded back and continued to pretend to looked amazed.

"Let's go sit down. I want to get a drink before the entertainment starts." Ron said, leading her to an empty table, and Harry and Ginny followed. Slowly the night wore on, and Hermione soon became anxious to get back to Gryffindor tower. Occasionally, when a slow song came on, Ron would ask her to dance, Hermione would politely reply with yes, and when they returned Hermione continued to speak with Ron, Luna and Neville, who had arrived a few minutes after them and decided to sit at their table with them, about life; school, letters from home, what was going on in the Wizarding world at the moment (Harry and Ginny hadn't reappeared from the dance floor, but something told Hermione that they weren't there anymore. At about ten o'clock, when they had been there for almost three hours, suddenly Hermione noticed the song change abruptly, from a party song to a slow and romantic song. She wished that the platinum-blonde haired man would dance with her to the song, but she knew it would never happen. Moments later though, she very unexpectedly got her wish.

Draco Malfoy strode over to her table, coughed meaningfully, and Hermione, Ron, Luna and Neville looked up at him.

"What?" Spat Ron, glaring up at Malfoy. "Come to ruin our perfect night?"

Hermione sent Malfoy an apologetic look. "No. In fact, Weasel, you're ruining my perfect night." Malfoy spat back.

"How? That doesn't even make sense! You came to us!" Ron exclaimed. By this time, Harry and Ginny had returned to the table, both extremely flushed.

"Oh, Weasley, you have no idea." Malfoy said, turning to Hermione. Ron looked back and forth between Hermione and Malfoy. Hermione was trying her best to place a glare onto her face, but was faltering slightly. "Hermione." He said, looking her in the eye. Ron exchanged a glance with Harry, wondering why he was using her first name as though he cared. "Hermione, will you dance with me?" Hermione looked so shocked that she could fall off her chair, and sent him a look that ask him what the hell he was doing, but Malfoy just brushed it away.

"What!" Ron, Harry and Ginny spluttered in unison.

Hermione flushed deep red and nodded. "Yes, Draco, I'll dance with you." She stood up and took his hand, but before she could leave with him, Ron rose from his chair and looked as though he would pounce on someone. And if looks could kill, Draco would have been dead on the floor a long time ago.

"WHAT?" Ron stood from his chair screaming. Hermione suddenly felt a pang of guilt; she had pretended to love Ron for over a year, and all of those lies were taken away in just a second.

"I have a right to dance with my own girlfriend, Weasley." Draco sneered.

"Are you serious?" Harry stood up. "You're dating this ferret? Since bloody when?"

"Harry it's-" Hermione started, but Ron cut her off.

"You've been cheating on me!" He shouted, getting closer to Hermione. "For how long? All those times, you said you loved me, but all of it's a lie? For this fucking dick?"

"Ron, when I said I loved you-"

"Shut up." He demanded, turning to Malfoy. "And you want to dance with her? How do I know that you're not just saying that?"

"Because I love her!" Draco hissed, and Ginny, Luna, Neville and Harry gasped, but Ron just glared at the two of them.

"Want to say that a little louder?" He sneered. "Hey, everybody! Listen to what this ferret has to say about my girlfriend!" He called out, beckoning people to come and listen.

"My girlfriend, I think you mean, Weasel."

"Drake, stop being so mean." She grabbed Draco's hand and placed a hand on his chest. "He's just getting used to it."

Hermione heard Harry gag from the table.

"No." Draco told Hermione.

"Drake? You have pet names for each other?" Ron looked as though he was about to puke.

Before Hermione could answer him, Draco was calling out to the rest of the hall. "You heard him! Gather round, gather round, everybody! I, Draco Malfoy, have some big news!" Hermione gasped, and people did start to turn and look. Draco grasped Hermione's hand tightly and walked with her up to an empty table, first stepping onto the chair and then standing on the table. Hermione stood next to him, hands intertwined, and could see almost the whole hall staring at the two of them. And finally, out of the corner of her eye, she could see many, many people peering around the doors of the Great Hall, still hoping to get in, but wanting to see what was going on.

"I," Draco shouted, "Draco Mafloy, Slytherin house at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, pureblood and parents as Death Eaters'," The whole school seemed to be staring at them now. "Love Hermione Granger, Gryffindor house at Hogwarts, muggleborn, with all my heart. We have been secretly been seeing each other for a year, and we plan to get married as soon as we leave Hogwarts. I, Draco Malfoy, am in love with my one and only first love, Hermione Granger." He said, and Hermione looked out at the crowd, blushing and gripping Draco's hand so tightly it would probably fall off if she squeezed any tighter. Suddenly the crowd burst into a sudden fit of screams, gasps and mouths hanging open in shock. Hermione looked around awkwardly, and suddenly, out of nowhere, Draco's soft lips were on her own and his tongue was roaming his mouth. Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and his own slithered around her waist. Wolf whistles could be heard throughout the hall and when Hermione drew back, she was blushing and staring into Draco's eyes, just as Ginny had been doing with Harry hours before.

This was the life.

A/N: SOOOOO sorry, that wasn't funny! It was supposed to be, but I never really got around to it. I apologize so much that you will probably die hearing the word sorry coming from my mouth. But anyways. I feel like it was cute, though. So whatever. And I don't usually write author's notes in this but whatever… R&R!