Hermione stood in her bedroom, admiring her reflection in the floor length mirror. Even without her mask she was barely recognisable as the person everyone thought she was, and by the time the mask was added Hermione was confident even Harry and Ron would fail to recognise her if they saw her. Hermione was also quite happy that when she was all dressed up she looked more like a witch in her early twenties than a sixteen year old.
Hermione had spent most of the afternoon with her mother and Narcissa as they got her ready for the ball. First of all the two older witches had straightened Hermione's hair before enchanting it a darker shade of brown and adding subtle red streaks. Her hair had then been pinned up in an elaborate style, leaving a few tendrils hanging to frame her face. Narcissa had then sprinkled her hair with some sort of gems and it now looked as though she had thousands of blood red stones woven through her hair.
Hermione's make-up was then applied in a dark and dramatic style. Despite the fact she was going to be wearing a mask, her eyes were made up with dark make-up. Her lips were brushed with a deep red gloss and her mother cast a charm so the sheen didn't fade or rub off. Hermione's nails were then painted blood red and little black snake designs were carefully cast onto them.
With her hair and make-up sorted Narcissa and Kathleen left, leaving Hermione to slip into her long, blood red dress. Blood red was fast becoming her signature look and Hermione liked the fact it hinted at her Gryffindor side, but also embraced her dark side. Just before Christmas Hermione and her mother had gone shopping in Milan for the perfect dress and they had ordered her mask to match the dress from a shop in America.
Hermione's dress was floor length, with a dramatic slit up one side. The tight corset style top of the dress, hugged Hermione's figure and enhanced her already impressive cleavage. Hermione then added a pair of matching red heels and some jewellery. Hermione wore her ring that bore the dark mark, a pair of dark red drop earrings and a black choker with a red teardrop crystal that hung in the hollow of her throat.
Once she'd finished looking at her reflection, Hermione added her mask which stayed on her face with magic. Hermione's mask was the exact same shade of red and had delicate black lace patterns all over it. Once on the mask changed Hermione's eye colour every fifteen minutes, making it impossible to tell what her real eye colour was.
One final glance in the mirror confirmed she wouldn't be recognised by anyone she might know. Not only was Draco going to be at the ball but her father had informed her that Snape would also be present. Looking at herself Hermione knew that neither her Potions Professor nor the boy she fancied would associate her with the dowdy little muggleborn Hermione Granger.
"Hermione!" Voldemort's voice called up the stairs, jolting Hermione out of her thoughts. "Come on, we need to get going."
"I'm coming." Hermione called back as she picked up a small red bag that matched the rest of the outfit and checked she had everything.
Spritzing on an extra spray of her favourite perfume, Hermione dropped a small vial of it into her bag before exiting the room and making her way down to her parents. Both Voldemort and Kathleen were waiting at the bottom of the stairs and both of them told Hermione how lovely she was when she arrived at their side.
Voldemort was wearing a black set of robes, but wasn't wearing a mask. Hermione wasn't sure if he had a mask in one of his pockets or just wasn't wearing one, it was hard to tell with her father what he would be doing. Sometimes he liked to stand out and other times he liked to blend in with his followers.
Kathleen was wearing a deep emerald dress with an emerald and silver matching mask. The mask had come from the same place as Hermione's, only hers didn't have the colour changing charm for her eyes. Kathleen's long, brunette curls were pinned back from her face but hung down her back and her jewellery was all emeralds.
"Are we ready?" Voldemort asked his wife and daughter. "I've made sure everyone knows that you're existence is not to be mentioned to anyone not at the party tonight."
"What happens if someone doesn't obey?" Hermione questioned.
"They're gone." Voldemort replied coldly. "I've made it clear this is a final warning. Anyone who goes against us this time will get no mercy."
Hermione smiled at her father's ruthless words as the family made their way to the fireplace. They then flooed to the Manor, where Lucius and Narcissa were waiting to greet them. After the greetings had taken place they all headed for the ballroom, where the party was in full swing.
[][][][][]
Draco stood at the side of the ballroom, his eyes following the most beautiful women he'd ever seen. Ever since Voldemort had arrived at the party with his wife and daughter, Draco had been watching his daughter. The only other time he'd met her was when she was wearing a cloak and he hadn't seen anything of her other than her hand. Now however he could see so much more and he was entranced.
The mask she was wearing hid most of her face quite skilfully, but it didn't hide her inviting red lips and it definitely didn't hide her amazing figure. Every time she moved Draco kept getting tantalising flashes of her right leg and he'd noticed the way her dress had accented her cleavage very nicely.
Unfortunately Draco had yet to speak to Voldemort's daughter. Since entering the party she'd remained at her father's side as they mingled with the Death Eaters. A couple of times Draco had got close enough to hear her laugh, the light musical sound not quite what he expected to hear coming from the fierce witch he had no doubt she was. A few times he'd even overheard part of conversations she was having and again her softly spoke voice wasn't quite what he expected from The Dark Lord's daughter.
Draco suspected that underneath her tough exterior, she was quite a gentle person and for some reason he found himself wanting to see that side of her. He also wanted to witness the fire he was sure she had, which in his opinion would be very sexy.
A couple of hours after arriving Draco finally got his chance to talk with Voldemort's daughter. He was standing with his father when Voldemort and his daughter made their way over to them.
"Draco, it's nice to see you." Voldemort said, greeting the young wizard with a genuine smile.
"It's nice to see you too, My Lord." Draco replied. "And you as well, My Lady." He added, turning to the witch he'd been watching all evening.
"It's very nice to see you, Draco." Hermione purred, flashing the blond a wide smile. She'd been aware of him watching her all evening and she was keen to see if he would act on his obvious attraction to her.
"Would you care for a dance, My Lady?" Draco asked Hermione, before turning to Voldemort. "If that's alright with you, My Lord."
"I'm sure my daughter can make her own decisions." Voldemort chuckled. "But I do appreciate you checking with me."
Turning back to Hermione, Draco held out his hand and waited for an answer.
"I'd love to dance." Hermione declared, placing her hand in Draco's.
As the pair headed onto the dance floor Voldemort and Lucius shared a fatherly chuckle at their offspring, before disappearing into the crowds. On the dance floor Draco and Hermione had easily settled into the perfect hold and were traversing the floor with ease.
"You're a very good dancer." Draco commented.
"I have a very good partner." Hermione responded, chuckling when Draco visibly preened at the compliment.
For a while silence fell between the couple as they continued to move across the floor. Both Hermione and Draco felt completely at ease with each other and they both noticed how right it felt for Hermione to be in Draco's arms.
"You know, I don't even know your name." Draco said quietly, breaking the comfortable silence.
"Does it matter?" Hermione asked. She wanted to tell Draco who she was, but her father's words of caution from the beginning of Christmas break kept swimming around in her head.
"I don't know what to call you." Draco pointed out, stopping in his tracks and looking down at the witch in his arms.
Hermione looked up at Draco and smiled. "How about you just stick to calling me what you have been."
"My Lady?" Draco frowned. "You want me to just call you, My Lady?"
Hermione nodded. "For now." Reaching up she brushed her lips against Draco's cheek as she made her way towards his ear. "If you're a good boy, I might tell you my name at a later date." She whispered.
Draco shivered as her warm breath tickled his skin. When she pulled back she had a mischievous smile on her lips and Draco couldn't help but grin at her.
"I can be a good boy." He said, pulling her close and starting to move to the music again. "I can be very good."
"Hmm, I hope so." Hermione muttered, letting her head rest on Draco's shoulder.
As the couple continued to dance they were unaware of the attention they were receiving. Almost every person in the room had spotted how close they were getting and there were four people especially interested in what was happening. Over the other side of the room to Draco and Hermione, Voldemort and Lucius were standing with their wives as they watched their children. None of them objected to the potential blossoming romance, but they did all find it amusing that Draco seemed so taken with a witch he didn't know the identity of.
[][][][][]
After spending a couple of hours dancing with Draco, Hermione agreed to a walk in the Manor's gardens. Draco was the perfect host as he led her outside and showed her around the vast gardens. The gardens were all lit up for the party and Hermione though they were lovely. Her favourite part was a maze made from rose bushes and when you got to the centre there was a small lake and a bench to sit on. That was where Hermione and Draco currently were after Draco had shown Hermione the quickest way through the maze.
"You have the most beautiful gardens." Hermione commented, wondering if she should sit down on the bench. She didn't want to ruin her dress, but the thought of getting off her feet for a few minutes was appealing.
Draco seemed to sense Hermione's internal dilemma and before she could react he had whipped off his long cloak and draped it over the bench. His plain black mask had been discarded when they left the ballroom and the removal of his cloak left him in a grey shirt and black trousers.
"Thank you." Hermione smiled at the kind gesture and sat down.
"My mother will be pleased to know you like the gardens." Draco said as he sat down next to Hermione. "She spends a lot of time and effort in making them look good."
"It's certainly worth it." Hermione replied. "These are without doubt the nicest gardens I've ever set foot in."
"Are your gardens at home not nice?" Draco asked.
Hermione chuckled at his attempt to get her to open up. After the discussion on her name, she'd told him that personal questions were off the table. Instead they had talked about trivial things like books and magic, but every so often Draco would try and sneak a sly question in that would have her revealing personal information. Hermione hadn't gotten mad at the odd little questions he snuck into the conversation, instead she found it endearing that he wasn't too intimated by her to try and find out more about her.
"It was worth a try." Draco shrugged, guessing he wasn't going to get a response.
"Since you've been such good company, I'll answer this one for you." Hermione said. "Yes, the gardens at home are nice, but they're nothing like the splendour here. My mother isn't the biggest fan of gardening, so we've got a basic lawn with a few nice plants."
Draco smiled at the response, she may not have revealed anything about herself but at least she hadn't hexed him for his perseverance. He half wished he'd asked a different question, one that would have given him some more insight into the witch sitting beside him. Draco had spent the majority of the night with Voldemort's daughter and he still knew practically nothing about her. All he did know was that she was a great dancer, had a killer body and smelt absolutely gorgeous.
"I suppose we should be getting back." Hermione sighed after a while. "It'll be midnight soon, and we'll be expected to be back inside."
Draco nodded and stood up. Holding out his hand to Hermione, he pulled her to her feet. As she stood up Hermione found herself standing right in front of Draco and she couldn't resist running her thumb over his cheek. Draco responded by pulling her closer and before she realised what was happening he was lowering his lips to hers.
The kiss was nothing like the harsh, almost brutal way she'd imagined Draco would kiss. It was soft and gentle, with their lips moving perfectly together. Draco's arms had gently wrapped around her body as they kissed and Hermione felt safe and secure in his embrace.
All too soon Draco pulled back, a soft smile on his face. Hermione smiled back at the blond as she felt her stomach doing somersaults. Even though she'd imagined kissing Draco dozens of times, never did she imagine it would be so breath-taking and romantic.
"We really should be going." Draco whispered reluctantly.
Hermione nodded as she tried to compose herself. Once Draco had grabbed his cloak the couple silently made their way back to the party. As they arrived back at the Manor and went their separate ways, Hermione couldn't help but wonder how Draco would react when he found out who she really was.