Chapter 10 - Dancing and Fighting

A week later McGonnagal silenced the Great Hall at dinner, the students stating at their Headmistress with a mix of annoyment of being interrupted from their food, eagerness to see what was so important that had to interrupt the meal, and fear from the older students who thought this meant rouge former Death Eaters were attacking people.

Finally McGonngal stated firmly, "In two weeks time on Christmas Eve there will be a dance, to raise student moral after the horrors of last year.", excited whispers broke out among the room, but a sweeping glare from their teacher and Headmistress quickly silenced them, "The Head Boy, Draco Malfoy, and Head Girl, Hermione Granger, will be organizing the finer points of this dance. This is not a chance to jump then and tell them what you want at the dance, just to thank them when it is done, because I'm sure they will make this dance amazing. The next two Saturdays will be Hogsmeade weekends so you dresses and Dress robes can be bought.", sitting down,

McGonnagal motioned everyone to go back to eating and many of the guys did, while the girls whispered excitedly. Hermione and Draco's eyes met from across the room and Draco's mouth curled into a small smile and Hermione's a full-out grin.

The next two weeks passed in a flurry of planing, shopping, and cuddles and stolen kisses. Hermione and Draco, of course were going together, Ginny had been allowed to bring Harry and he was taking off work for it, Blaise, to the surprise of everyone, had gotten Luna to be his date, and Lavender, they assumed had gotten McGonngal to grant her to bring Ron. So, as long as they all stayed away from Ron, it was promising to be a fun evening with friends, stolen kisses and dancing.

Finally it was Christmas Eve and Ginny, Luna and Hermione had woken and locked themselves in the Heads' bathroom early in the morning, forcing Draco to have to shower in the Slythrien dorms. Blaise and Draco were relaxing on the couch in the Heads' Common Room when they heard a knock on the door and a shriek of "I'll get it!", as a red blur rand past them, they guessed it was Ginny.

Then they heard a yell of "Harry!", followed by a running brunette that had to be Hermione, to Draco's disappointment, they didn't see her well because she was in the hall to the portrait hole. Draco and Blaise peeked around the corner and saw two people with red and black hair's lips attached to each other's before seeing Hermione tap on Ginny's shoulder. When Ginny and Harry pulled away from each other, red-faced, Hermione threw herself at the black-haired boy, nearly knock his glasses off at the force of her hug.

Draco turned the corner with a pout displayed on his face, "How come you don't hug me like that Hermione?"

Hermione gave an indelicate snort as she untangled herself from Harry, "Because I see you every day and I haven't seen Harry in 3 months, and he's too busy to even write most of the time! He's my best friend!"

Harry gave Hermione a gentle smile and then turned to Malfoy and have a careful nod, "Malfoy. Remember what my letter to you you said all those months ago?"

Draco rolled his eyes, "How could I forget my life being threatened if I did any funny business to Hermione and was just using her?"

Harry nodded, "Well, just leting you know it still applies. She's like a sister to me and if you hurt her I'll kill you myself."

Draco rolled his eyes again, "The muggle way, I remember, I don't plan on hurting her, not from my personal safety, but because I truly do care about her.

Hermione gave an Umbridge-like cough to remind them she was still there. "Well", she stated, "If the threat feast is over, Ginny, Luna, and me need to finish getting ready. We aren't even in our dresses yet." Draco looked down at Hermione's clothes, sure enough she was wearing old sweats by the looks of it.

The girls finally got out of the bathroom, all ready, an hour later, a half an hour before the dance. All of them looked amazing, Hermione wore a simple Gryffindor-red, floor-length dress, Ginny wore a gold dress that fell just below her knees, and Luna had a nice sky blue dress that went down to her ankles. The boys all stared at their respective dates in awe, causing Ginny and Hermione to blush, while Luna seemed not to notice as Blaise's eyes roamed her body.

Harry, to great shock on Draco's part, was the first to recover holding his arm out to Ginny, "You look beautiful, Gin. Shall we go find the remaining Gryffindors, my love?"

Ginny giggled as she accepted Harry's arm and then headed out the portrait hole, shouting promises that they would meet the other two couples in front of the portrait 10 minutes before the dance begun.

Blaise soon followed suit, being the perfect gentleman as he complemented Luna lavishly and headed out the portrait hole to find some of their mutual friends.

Draco was still staring at Hermione, his jaw wide open. Hermione began to tap her foot and snapped her fingers in from of Draco's face, "Oi, you alive in there, Draco?"

Draco quickly regained his composure, "Sorry, it's just that you have managed to look much more beautiful than normal, I wasn't sure it was possible. But you look simply amazing, Hermione. You really do."

Hermione flushed deep red and muttered her thanks before saying, "Should we go find Harry and Ginny? And try no to run into Ron?"

Draco smirked as he stated, "Tonight, your every wish is my command.", holding his arm out for her, still flushed deep red she took it.

They had managed to find Harry and Ginny and avoid Ron at the same time and had met back up with Blaise and Luna in front of Draco and Hermione's portrait hole. They all walked down to dance and were almost immediately separated by the crowd couples from 4th year up.

The first dance begun and it was a slow dance, Hermione and Draco automatically took the proper positions and began to dance. Neither were aware of the spot light that followed them as the danced and the many students watching them, and for sure not the two icy blue eyes almost hidden under bright red hair. They were caught up in each other, matching each other's movements as the danced gracefully.

As the song came to a close Draco's face moved down towards her and Hermione closed her eyes, arching her neck up to Draco's face. But, when their lips were a mere breath away from each other an angry voice cut through the lovely could the two were floating in.

"What the hell is going on here?", shouted Ron, drawing the looks a a few nearby couples.

Hermione and Draco, reluctantly drew away from each other and Hermione leveled a brown-eyed glare at Ron, anger swirling so strongly within her eyes that Ron unconsciously took a step back. "I believe", she started her voice low and dangerous, "That I was dancing with the most incredible man, who happens to be my boyfriend, and was about to kiss him before YOU so RUDELY interrupted us!"

Ron hissed back, "I can't understand how you can call the man who TORMENTED you and let his bloody insane aunt CRUICO you, incredible!"

Hermione's eyes narrowed into two brown slits of rage, "You listen to me Ronald Billius Weasely. Draco is not the man we thought he was, he never WANTED that life! The only reason he did what he did was because Voldemort would have KILLED him, his father, and his mother is he didn't do as he said! He was just protecting his family!", Ron cringed at Voldemort's name, "RON THE MAN IS BLOODY WELL DEAD, DEAL WITH ME USING HIS NAME!", she roared.

Draco pulled lightly at Hermione's arm, leaning down to whisper into her ear, "People are staring and he's just not worth it. Let's go find Po- Harry, Ginny, Blaise, and Luna."

Ron turned his anger to Draco, "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT MY FRIENDS AND SISTER IN SUCH A FRIENDLY TONE?"

Draco straighted to his full height, Ron was tall, but Draco was more so, "They're my friends too now, Weasley. So back off and go back to sharing a nice broom closet with Brown, who you started dating not 2 bloody minutes after you broke Hermione's heart. I was there to patch up the pieces, I was there to hold her as she cried over you most nights for a month, I was THERE for her. Not you, her supposed best friend. Me, her former enemy. Ginny, Harry, and Luna like me and thank me for doing that for her and hate you for breaking such a strong, beautiful, amazing woman. She's mine now so go to Brown while I go talk with MY friends. You don't deserve to be near them, let alone call them your friends and family anymore with what you did."

Ron backed away at the words, rage filling his gaze. "I'll get you Malfoy, and I'll show you who the better man is.", he then turned and stalked away. A few minutes later him and Lavender exited the Great Hall.

Draco led Hermione, gently by a hand on her elbow, to the two couples and as soon as they reached them Hermione broke down into the tears she had been holding back. Harry turned to Draco and demanded, "What happened to her?", as Ginny comforted Hermione.

Draco just spoke one word, "Weasely", and Harry's face darkened.

"I think I'll have a little talk with my 'best friend' about this", Harry said, his tone implying that talking meant yelling and thrown punches.

Draco, Blaise, Luna, and Ginny led Hermione back to the Common Room, tears still streaming down her face. Nothing they said could get Hermione to even crack a smile until Harry entered and said that his 'discussion' with Ron led to him having to be escorted to the Hospital Wing by Lavender, a punch from Harry had broken his nose. Only then did Hermione crack the tiniest of grins.