"I bet Miss Granger knows the answer."
Hermione heard her name called and tore her eyes away from the window, no longer lost in thought.
"Oh! Um… was it the Troll Reformation Movement of 1641?" Hermione answered, unsure if it the correct one.
The entire classroom went silent and turned their heads. Even Ron, who she knew had not been paying attention the last hour, was staring oddly at her from her right.
"No, Miss Granger. That is not the right answer." Professor Binns said, managing an expression of shock rather than his usual boredom.
A loud snicker came from the back of the classroom and Hermione turned in her seat to see Pansy Parkinson openly laughing at her with her few Slytherin girls. Malfoy was writing something down on his parchment, ignoring her existence. Professor Binns quickly recovered and went back to the dull tone of his lecture.
"Everything okay Mione?" Harry nudged her from her left, looking concerned.
"Why is it that no one ever has the right answer but me, and when I get one single answer wrong the Slytherins have to point it out to the whole damn class!" Hermione whispered furiously.
"Probably because you're always paying attention and you always know the answer?" Harry guessed. "Anything wrong today?"
"Yeah. We're leaving Hogwarts tonight without permission, to break into a death eaters impossibly large home, to search for a horcrux and destroy it. Yes Harry, something is wrong today, so I'm having a hard time paying attention to the stupid whatever creature reformation lecture."
Harry smiled and placed a reassuring hand on hers.
"We'll be okay, we've been over the plan a thousand times." He gave her hand a little squeeze and let go turning back to pretend to pay attention to the lecture.
Hermione smiled back, but almost at once went back to staring out of the long window, which was hardly emitting any sunlight inside as a thick cloud cover had stole over the grounds. Perfect weather for her mood, she thought, as small droplets of rain began falling on the castle.
They were actually going to do it. After an entire month of planning they were going to do it. They had been so confident only a week prior sitting in Hermione's room, going over plans.
"Okay, Hermione has to do the first dance of the ball with Malfoy for head duties, but once that's over, we'll sneak out of the great hall. Then we make sure no one is following and we go through the gargoyle statue, making the walk to Hogsmeade through the tunnel. Once we're in Honeydukes we'll apparate." Ron said laying on Hermione's made bed, staring up at the ceiling in concentration.
"Right. Have you got the picture Hermione?" Harry said looking up from the floor where he was sitting.
"Yes, right here." Hermione said, going over to her dresser and pulling out a drawer. After a few seconds of sifting through clothing, she had managed to pull out a wizarding photo. It showed a younger Draco Malfoy standing in front of a large manor with his Quidditch broom over his shoulder. He was not smiling, but this was not uncommon. She tore her eyes away from his face and flipped the photo over.
" Draco Malfoy, Aged 13, Malfoy Manor, The Cotswolds, England," Hermione read the back of the photo she had found in an old Daily Prophet in the library archives. "Ron, you'll be side-along apparating us, correct?" She addressed him politely and directly as she had been doing the past month, in order to rid themselves of the awkward situation he had put them in during the first week back, after the party.
"Yes, Hermione. It's mostly a tourist area now for muggles. But it's basically a vast green countryside. Perfect place to hide a wizarding manor. Like I said, I only remember it vaguely. But if you two concentrate on the image of the picture it should help us get there. I was only eight at the time, but I went with my Dad to collect a bunch of stolen artifacts from the Malfoy Manor. I'm the only one who has been there so I'll do my best."
Harry looked down awkwardly at the formal tone in Ron's voice when addressing Hermione. They had been this way all month and although they both denied anything weird going on, Harry assumed something happened between them after the Gryffindor back to term party, they'd been weird ever since and Ginny agreed.
"Right, then we split up. Ron, you cover the basement area; I'll take the main floor which I assume will be standard wizarding manor layout: kitchen, entryway, and guest rooms. Then Hermione you take the second floor and once Ron and I are done with our areas we'll help you search the third fourth, may be fifth floor if there is one."
"Have we found out if he's going to be there yet?" Ron said, voicing the dreaded question.
"No not yet, we'll have to see when we get there. Lupin says he thinks they're using the manor as Voldemort headquarters, but that isn't confirmed yet. Voldemort has been very mobile lately so Lupin doubts he'd be there. He only ever really uses it for meetings. But Lucius might be there, and Narcissa. It is their house after all. I also wouldn't put it past any of them to have death eaters over and on call at night in guest rooms. We'll just have to be very careful, and very quiet. Disillusionment charms and muffliato are our best bets." Harry had said breathing heavily.
Hermione was thrown back into the present with the scraping of desks around her and the picking up of bags. Harry went off to the Owlery saying he wanted to send Lupin a quick update without giving him too much detail.
"Hermione, let's go. Class is over." Ron said offering her his hand to help her up.
Hermione forced a smile and ignored his hand, standing on her own. She caught Draco Malfoy's gray eyes glaring at Ron intently, as he exited the classroom. They had just started to turn a shade silver.
"You ready for tonight?" Ron said quietly, double checking to make sure they weren't being overheard as they walked.
"As ready as I can be." She said honestly. They stood in silence for a few seconds, unsure of where to go from there.
"Ro-"
"Herm-"
They both tired to speak at the same time. Hermione laughed and motioned for Ron to go ahead.
"I'm sorry." He said sincerely, not having to specify what he was talking about in particular, it was obvious enough. "I don't know what came over me. I know I apologized that night, but the alcohol made it insincere and I've been too scared to do it until now."
"So you made Harry give us a second alone." She noted her other friends' abrupt departure after class.
"Something like that." He admitted sheepishly. "Look I was an ass. I hate this awkward thing we've got going on now. I want to be your friend again."
"Me too, Ron." She said honestly. True he had acted a bit scary that night, but they had been friends for so long that their friendship had the ability to get over one incident after a month of time to ponder on it.
"Good. I won't ask you to…you know…go with me, again. But just so you know I'm still willing, so if you ever change your mind…I'm here." He said looking up intently.
Hermione smiled. "I'll keep that in mind. For now, let's just try to survive tonight."
Ron laughed. "Sounds fair."
…..
…..
….
"You're going to look fine." Ginny said, trying to be reassuring. They had just come up to her room after dinner to change for the ball.
Hermione had been sitting in the chair in front of the mirror in her head bathroom for a half hour, afraid to look into it. She had no care for what she was wearing to the Halloween Ball, or what her hair looked like. She was too preoccupied with going over the plan in her head. Unlike most girls, who had sought to buy a costume that matched their eyes, Hermione had made sure her costume was easily transferable as a burglar outfit.
"But seriously a cat, Hermione? I mean I know it's a Halloween ball and all, but if we're going to have to go to this thing, you might as well go all out, right?" Ginny said, and Hermione glanced up to look at Ginny's skimpy healer outfit.
"I was looking for simple." She said shrugging. Ginny seemed to be doing a magical crimp on her hair.
"Want sparkles?"
"I guess." Hermione said, suddenly remembering the night of the Gryffindor party again.
She had been covered in sparkles when she last sat on the common room couch with Malfoy. They hadn't talked much since that night, if at all. Hermione kept his secret that he had saved her life, and he hadn't tried to erase her memory or harm her. She wasn't sure what was worse. It killed her that she had finally found her silver eyed savior, and he was in such close proximity, but she could not do anything about it. She had to pretend like he was just typical annoying, prejudiced, smirk faced Malfoy, and that there was nothing more to him. Draco still pretended that she was the know-it-all mudblood. Hadn't he said she looked good in glitter that night in the common room during their talk?
"Wait, Gin. Maybe skip the sparkles tonight."
"Too late, sorry." She said simply, and Hermione looked up to see herself covered in them once more. This would be hard to scourngify before they left for Malfoy's Manor but she was sure she'd manage.
A little under an hour later, Hermione admired her costume in the long mirror in her room. She had black spandex on and a tight black jeweled sequenced tank top. She pinned some stupid cat ears on her head and blatantly ignored the fact that cats were supposed to have tails. She wasn't subjecting herself that humiliation. She wouldn't go to this stupid ball at all if she hadn't been required to dance at it with Malfoy of all people.
"I can't believe we're actually going to this thing. I mean, I know you have to go and dance with Malfoy and all, but Harry hates balls, and so do I! I can't believe he actually wants to go."
"I know." Hermione said sympathetically. Truthfully, Harry did hate balls. But going to the ball was best for trio, it gave them an alibi in case anything happened. Ginny hadn't been informed of this of course, so it made sense that she was completely clueless about Harry's sudden desire to dress up like an idiot and go dancing.
"You look good, for having a cat costume." Ginny said approvingly at having spent awhile on Hermione's hair.
She agreed privately that her hair did indeed look beautiful. Soft crimped curls were flowing down her back. The glitter once again covered her hair and shone in the light. True, the cat costume was a little out dated in the wizarding world, but Hermione could care less at this point, and truthfully she did manage to pull it off quite well.
With a last look at the mirror, Hermione and Ginny both exited the common room with their wands in hand. They were laughing until they both caught site of Draco Malfoy full on making out with Pansy Parkinson on the common room couch.
"Get a ROOM." Ginny said loudly and continued walking to grab her cloak on the cloak hanger by the main portrait door.
"Last time I checked this was a room, Weaslette." Draco said pushing Pansy off him and moving to take a sip out of his stupid diamond encrusted cup that he had been drinking out of the night Hermione left for the party. Pansy ignored his push and moved to kiss his neck since she could not be kissing his lips as he drank.
"Get a PRIVATE room then, at least. You're making me want to puke." Ginny said exasperated. "Come ON, Hermione."
Draco and Hermione were staring at each other lost in their own world, both flashing to the night in the common room, and the night he saved her. In that moment it was obvious that as much as they tried to ignore it, too much had happened between them to enable them to act normal with each other all the time.
"Seriously, they're waiting for us!" Ginny walked back over and grabbed Hermione's arm to practically dragged her out he portrait, just giving her enough time to grab her black velvet cloak from the rack.
"Jeez, Ginny. No need to throw me around." Hermione said, straightening up and tucking her wand into her cloak.
"What WAS that?" Ginny asked, slamming the portrait behind her.
"What was what?"
"That LOOK he gave you! Seriously intense. I've only seen him look like an arrogant jerk before, but that was something different, something very weird."
"Are you sure you didn't image it?" Hermione asked, perfectly aware of what she was talking about.
"Maybe...I don't know it was…weird, like he just wa-Oh! Harry! Over here!"
"Hey lovely ladies, we were just coming to pick you up." Harry said smartly, dressed as a handsome vampire. He kissed Hermione's hand and locked a quick kiss with Ginny.
"Hey Hermione." Ron said grinning.
They agreed to go together for the convenience of it all, and in agreement that the ball itself was completely unimportant in the events that would take place that night. It was the least important thing they'd do tonight, walking down to the ball together, but Hermione still felt a sense of awkwardness at being led by Ron who was dressed even more awkwardly as a ninja with bright red hair which clashed completely with her costume. At least they were all in dark outfits that were easily transferable into comfortable breaking and entering clothes.
They waited patiently with everyone else in front of the entrance hall letting Ginny do most of the conversation as the other three were lost deep in thought of their mission that night.
"Miss Granger, there you are. It is time for the ball to begin. Are you and Mr. Malfoy prepared?" McGonagall came up behind the group and startled her.
"I'm not sure where he-"
"Right here Headmistress." Malfoy came up beside Hermione, and in her peripherals she could see he was dressed smartly as some kind of Roman God, which suited his perfect blond hair. She was so engaged in his eyes in the common room before; she hadn't even notice what he was wearing.
"Then let's begin." She said, as she opened the doors with her wand and a band began to play from inside. The long four house tables were gone, replaced with smaller round ones like at the Yule Ball, but the room was much darker and more foreboding than before in honor of Halloween. The music wasn't fast, but not too slow either. Hermione, not being a very experienced dancer was unsure as to how to proceed. Draco swiftly grabbed her hand and Hermione felt a jolt go though her body. He led her though the doors, as the rest of the students followed.
Draco guided her to the floor and the students gathered around to watch. Hermione caught site of Pansy Parkinson, looking utterly pissed in her Medusa costume, which suited her perfectly. At least Hermione felt some sort satisfaction out of tonight's events so far, in reveling in Pansy's hatred for her.
"Enjoying Parkinson's attitude?" Draco noticed her satisfied smirk in the pug faced girl's direction.
"Very much so." Hermione said. As if suddenly realizing this might make Malfoy even more big headed, she added, "I mean, if I have to stand this close to you I might as well find the bright side in making her look like the real medusa in all her fury."
"I agree." He said, giving her a twirl. When she came back she looked confused. The prefects now joined them on the floor, Ron dancing with Pavarti who took her place when she became head girl.
"You like to see her upset like that?"
"No not her, Weasley." Draco said in a growl.
Hermione caught a quick glimpse of Ron's face as he danced near them. He didn't look very happy at all with the situation.
"Oh." Was all Hermione could think to say.
"I see you're friends with him again."
"Of course, Ron will always be my friend."
"Behavior like that isn't usually a one time thing, Granger, no matter how many times he apologizes."
"Stay out of my business Malfoy. Need I remind you of your previous behavior? I could say the same thing about you." She said darkly and her face seemed to sting at the memory.
Draco's eyes flashed with a slight hurt, and they flashed quickly from grey to silver then back to grey again. His arm moved up as if to touch her check.
"I think that's enough." Pansy Parkinson came out of nowhere and Draco's hand quickly came down to his side. The rest of the school had joined in the dancing now so there wasn't a big scene with her bolting right over to them.
"I agree." Said Ron, appearing next to Hermione.
"What is this? Some kind of crazy conspiracy? We have to dance together, in case you both didn't notice." Hermione said annoyed.
Pansy Parkinson was about to retaliate when another voice stopped her.
"We need to go. Now. Before Ginny realizes I've left her." Harry came up behind Hermione, and whispered urgently.
Hermione's heart leaped up in her throat remembering their mission for the first time since the dancing began. She was going to break into Draco Malfoy's manor tonight. As if she had said it out loud, Draco's face became puzzled and his eyes shone curiously before her. Quickly his face became composed once more, and Hermione assumed she imagined it.
"Let's go Pansy, I can't stand to be in this company of filth any longer." Draco said haughtily and grabbed the girls arm to disappear into the crowd. Yes, she definitely imagined it.
"C'mon Mione. Let's make our exit." Ron whispered in her ear.
Looking around the hall one last time, the trio quietly slipped out of the great hall in the middle of all the chaos.
A/N: Thank you so much for all the feedback and reviews!