Hermione sat in the Great Hall during dinner, looking over her list of songs to play at the Halloween party while taking small bites of a roll. She was attempting to focus on the set list but her mind kept wandering. Trying to concentrate became difficult after everything that had happened. From the Death Eater sighting to seeing Blaise and Pansy snogging, it was hard to pay attention to one thing at a time. Hermione got frustrated because the party was that night, and she hardly had any songs down. She figured she'd have someone DJ for her since she didn't really have a taste in music. Would Justin let her, though?
Justin was still a pain in the arse, and he seemed to become more of a pain every time she saw him. Not to mention he was still upset by the way Hermione snapped at him the other night.
And of course, the culprit that was keeping her from concentrating was Draco bloody Malfoy. He somehow always found a way to slither into her thoughts.
"Hey, hey! What did that bread roll ever do to you?" Ginny asked. Hermione snapped up at the question and then looked down to see her fist clenching the roll. It was just crumbs now.
Hermione sighed in embarrassment, letting the remains of the roll drop onto her plate. "Sorry. I'm just nervous for tonight."
"The party?" Neville asked from across the table.
Hermione nodded. Seamus then chimed in. "I don't think it's just that."
Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. "What makes you say that?"
"You just seem more tense than usual," he responded while taking a bite out of a chicken leg, "Don't tell me it's that time of the month."
Ginny's mouth dropped open as Hermione balled up her fist. She already had enough crap going on, so she did not need this from Seamus! Hermione leaned over and swatted him in the head.
Seamus yelped at the impact. "Oi! Be gentle! I'm fragile!" Seamus whined, rubbing the side of his head.
"Yeah, we know," Hermione replied. Ginny and Neville burst into laughter.
Seamus rolled his eyes. "Ha. Ha. Yeah, I meant I was fragile... in a manly, muscular, chainsaw way."
"We both know I could take you in a fight," challenged Ginny with a smug grin.
Seamus just laughed. "You're not so tough without your brother and your boyfriend."
Ginny stood up. "You wanna bet, Finnegan?" She spoke with such terrifying ferocity.
Seamus was taken aback and he put his hands up."Calm down, Weasley. I was only playing around." Ginny unclenched her fist, and her face softened as she sat down again.
It was silent for one second until Seamus foolishly spoke again. "I was just saying that when girls are without their boyfriend for a long time-"
"Finish that sentence, I break your nose," Ginny growled.
Seamus ignored her, certain that she wouldn't keep her word,"-they tend to- OW!"
Ginny clocked Seamus on the side of the head, the side Hermione didn't swat at. Seamus now was rubbing both sides of his face in pain.
"You missed, Weasley. " Seamus pushed further.
"Want me to try again, Finnegan?" Ginny retorted, clenching her fist. Neville and Hermione were laughing so hard, their stomachs hurt. They only laughed harder when Seamus squealed and shook his head after Ginny threatened him again. Seamus didn't mean to, but he was relieving Hermione of all her stress.
Hermione almost forgot what this felt like. This, being friendship. She missed Harry and Ron terribly. Even though they left her, she knew that they cared for her and they did what they did to protect her. She would later wish that she had taken a mental snapshot of this moment with Seamus, Neville, and Ginny so she could keep the memory forever. Little did she know that this would be last time she would feel this in a long time.
Draco got increasingly anxious as he watched the sun dip below the horizon from his window. The closer the sky turned from orange to black, the closer the time for the infiltration got. Luckily, the recent Death Eater sighting a few days before hadn't caused the Death Eaters in the forest to attack early. However, the possible threat gave Draco an excuse to watch Granger. Every night he'd apparate to Hogwarts and sit in the courtyard. He could see the Head Girl's bedroom window from where he sat and he kept watch to see the light go out. That either meant that she went to bed or was planning to leave the grounds that night.
Draco always waited and was always relieved to see the golden haired girl sneak out into the courtyard every night. He knew that she was in danger every time she stepped out, but Draco was obsessed with just watching her be herself when she was alone. Or at least when she thought she was alone. He'd hide behind a pillar as she cast Lumos on her wand. Her chocolate eyes lit up as she ran out of the courtyard, resembling a bird taking flight the moment its cage is opened. She was free and unrestrained.
He followed to see the girl dancing around, her soft giggles taking on the role of her music. Her feet were almost always airborne, and every once in awhile her toes kissed the ground beneath her. She always ended the night with stargazing on the Quidditch Field, and he'd secretly join her from a distance.
After an hour or two, he'd follow her back to the castle and waited until the light in her bedroom went out. Draco always hated that moment when he'd have to leave her. The moment when reckless, and free Hermione Granger turned back into restrained, and timid Hermione Granger; when the bird was put back in its cage.
Draco snapped back into reality, remembering that he was staring at his own window and not Granger's. He groaned, realizing that he practically personified a love sonnet whenever he thought of her. He put his head in his hands. Draco was almost used to how Granger made him feel- almost. The fact that she could control his emotions from miles away frightened him, and he wondered if he could ever affect her like that.
But could she ever love someone like him- a beast not only on the outside but the inside too? Watching her in Hogsmeade a few nights ago gave him hope; her ability to see the rather normal looking village as a magical wonderland made Draco wonder if she could see ever see him differently from how he appeared. But how could that ever be possible? After the infiltration, what would happen? He couldn't just go back to Hogwarts and she couldn't just leave school to stay with him.
Draco sat up and shook his head out. That night he needed to be focused. He had to protect Granger at all costs. Even if he could never see the girl again, he had to make sure that there was a girl still alive to miss.
Draco stood up, pocketed his wand, and left his bedroom. As he was stepping down the stairs, the doorbell rang. Draco froze in fear and confusion. Who on Earth would be at the door? To his horror, he saw Isabella open the door with Draco in clear eyeshot of the doorway! He tried to protest but it was too late.
Draco ran to the door to shut it but stopped when he saw a group of children in various costumes staring in awe at him. He heard a collective "Woaaah" from each of them. Suddenly, Isabella pushed Draco aside.
"Do you like his costume, kids?" she asked the children sweetly, clutching a large bowl full of candy. The children enthusiastically nodded, and then all held out empty pillowcases to Isabella.
She shook her head and asked, "What are the magic words?"
The children then exclaimed in unison, "Trick or treat!" Draco then remembered that it was bloody Halloween. He scoffed as Isabella dumped handfuls of candy into each of the children's pillowcases. Draco never really liked Halloween, specifically Muggles' version of Halloween. They made a mockery of the Wizarding World by dressing up like witches and wizards, and they were ignorant to the fact that the people they dressed up as actually existed.
"Why did you answer? They could've seen me!" Draco asked as Isabella closed the door.
Isabella laughed at him. "They did see you! And they didn't scream and run away. In fact, they were admiring you!"
Draco rolled his eyes. "That's because it's Halloween!"
"Exactly! I want to take advantage of this and actually talk to people! Besides, you'll be gone anyway."
Draco then realized that not only was he caged in this place but Isabella and William were as well. He could afford to let them be open to the outside world just this one time. Draco sighed and said, "Fine. Give random children cavities disguised as sugar all you like. I don't care."
Isabella smiled, and then another knock came at the door. Draco walked away as he heard the chorus "Trick or treat!" ring from the entrance way. He walked through the back door, and into the night. He trudged his way on the sidewalk while groups of costumed children ran from door to door, holding a bucket or a bag of candy. Draco was then grateful that it was Halloween, for he didn't have to hide his face anymore. For once, he blended in with the crowd. Draco walked to an alleyway and apparated to Hogwarts.
Everything was set perfectly. Hermione thanked Merlin that Justin let her decorate the Great Hall to how she liked it. Fairy lights were strung throughout, and the tables were pushed to the side to create a dance floor. Sheer curtains were draped throughout the room, and they surrounded the tables. Hermione cast a charm that created a fog that went up to your ankles. And despite Justin's protesting, Hermione used floating jack-o-lanterns as lighting. As for music, she let Dean Thomas be DJ, glad to be relinquished of the burden.
Hermione was putting final touches on the decorations for the food table as Justin walked into the Great Hall. She turned to look at him as he walked toward her, and her eyes widened on seeing his get up.
"Guess who I am!" he said, twirling to let Hermione soak in his costume from every angle. He was wearing a blue silk robe and a hat to go with it. He wore crescent-moon glasses and had a long, white, artificial beard.
He then answered his own question. "I'm Professor Dumbledore!"
Hermione mouthed the "wow" as Justin kept twirling. If Justin was anything, he was certainly a brown-noser.
"What are you supposed to be?" he asked her after he stopped spinning.
Hermione looked down at her costume. She was supposed to be a hippie. She wore faded bell-bottomed jeans with sandals. On top, she wore layers of flowy, colorful blouses. She also had layers of long, beaded, wooden necklaces. Other accessories included a scarf wrapped around her head and round, rose-colored glasses.
She was about to tell Justin what she was, but then costumed students came pouring into the Great Hall. Justin exclaimed, "Show time!" and then walked away.
Dean started to play music, and all of the students instantly got excited. A large group went to go dance while others went to go get punch. She observed the girls and saw that they were mostly scantily dressed. Apparently, you can take anything and make it "sexy", for there were sexy versions of nurses, French maids, superheroes, and even animals. And as for the animal costumes, they were pretty much just lingerie with animal ears on top. She was the odd one out in this sense, for she managed to keep her breasts and her butt covered.
Hermione sighed and went to go get some punch, but her attention was diverted when she saw Pansy and Blaise, again, snogging each other's face off behind the curtain by the punch table.
They acted like no one saw them, though they didn't seem to care if people did. Hermione glared at Pansy, seeing her clad in a tight black dress that barely covered her behind, all topped off with cat ears. She was gorgeous and had an amazing hourglass figure, and she wasn't afraid to show it. And Hermione couldn't help it, but she thought of Malfoy. So this was his type; hot, sexy, and apparently prone to snogging with your best mate. It made her sick, and the current scene in front of her went completely against her idea of love. Did she have to strip naked to become interesting to a guy, specifically Malfoy?
Hermione shook her head at the thought. She believed that there was still some potential for good in him, despite knowing she could never reach him. But she just couldn't let anyone know that she cared about him, and keeping it internal was Hell. She stood there, watching Pansy and Blaise and wondering how Draco would react if he saw this.
Draco walked into the dimly lit Great Hall. Music was blaring and a mosh pit had formed in the center of the room. Students were going crazy, and it was extremely crowded. Luckily, Draco seemed to blend in as before and no one seemed to notice him. They just assumed he was some student in costume. This made it easier to weave through the students, not worrying about his appearance and focusing on finding Granger.
For ten minutes Draco roamed through the room, squeezing himself through groups of students and looking for Granger. He got exponentially panicked as each minute passed. He worried that she had already been killed or taken and no one had noticed yet. He was about to shout her name until the music changed to a slow song. All of the students calmed down and either found a partner to dance with or sat down. It got quiet enough so that he could actually hear himself think, and the dispersing students made it easier to walk around.
He walked through some curtains, and then stopped in his tracks as he saw Pansy and Blaise snogging! In shock, he said, "Pansy?!"
Suddenly, the black-haired girl looked up at the sound of her name. The voice sounded all too familiar to her. "Draco?" she asked.
Draco quickly ran back through the curtains and toward the punch table, pretending to refill his cup while turning his face away from them. He was still in earshot of them, and he eavesdropped as they began to speak.
"Sounded like Draco, didn't it?" Blaise said, looking around suspiciously.
"Weird," Pansy exhaled. "I suck for not writing him."
"I suck more," Blaise responded.
"But honestly, with him gone, it's kind of a relief," Pansy began. Draco balled up his fist and rage started to spread through his body as she kept talking. "Like I always felt like I had to be on and mean, like really mean! Just to keep him entertained."
"I know what you mean. But we should just forget about him. He's decided where he wants to go, and honestly who cares?" Blaise said. Almost immediately he and Pansy were snogging again.
Draco was enraged. Was there no loyalty at all, even from his best friends?! He shouted as he kicked the bench beside the table.
"Hey!" a girl next to him exclaimed in response to the burst of anger. Draco then realized that the girl was Hermione Granger! He didn't recognize her with her glasses on. He panicked and turned away, apologizing. "Sorry."
"Well, I'm sorry to spy on you," she said, blushing. She took off her glasses and flipped her head toward the sheer curtain Pansy and Blaise were snogging behind. She scoffed in disgust at the sight. "Unbelievable. But it does sort of feel like the death of romance unfolding before your very eyes, doesn't it?"
Draco huffed. "Doesn't she have a boyfriend?" he asked.
"Yes! This is what I'm saying," Granger replied. She then leaned against the table and cooed, "What happened to romance; sappy, soppy, longhand love letters?"
Draco smiled. Who knew Granger was a romantic? His stomach fluttered as she spoke. It was the same way she spoke when she saw his tattoos, with such passion and fire.
Granger realized she was rambling. "And you really, really don't have to keep listening to me, by the way!" But he kept listening to her, and she kept rambling. "The thing is, you know that guy they're talking about? They're way off. I mean, I know he was a bully when he was here, and now he's a bloody Death Eater. But-" She stopped and then said, "Sorry I've never told anyone this. I've been keeping it in for awhile now so it feels good to actually talk about it and instead of just thinking about it."
"Well, I'm listening," Draco responded.
Hermione smiled and then continued," Well, I've seen good in him. I mean something stopped him from killing Headmaster Dumbledore. That's why I refuse to believe that he's suddenly evil now. And despite everything that he has done to me, I-" she stopped.
Draco got anxious as she stopped. "What?" he asked.
"I- I allow myself to afford hope for him."
It felt like a fire had started in his stomach. Despite everything, despite what she said about him in Dumbledore's office the day before, she somehow managed to believe in him. What Granger said in the Head Boy and Girl office a month ago came flooding back into his memory. He remembered what she said everyone being able to afford love and hope. If Granger could afford to hope for Draco, could she ever afford to love him?
Draco slowly turned around and noticed that she was gone. In her place were her rose colored glasses. He noticed that Granger was a stark contrast to every other girl at the party. She didn't need revealing clothes to show her beauty, and she was the most beautiful girl in the room to him. Draco was shocked at this thought because knew that the old Draco Malfoy would be falling over himself for these other girls. Now, the new once was falling over himself for a girl who was completely different.
He picked the glasses up and put them in his jacket as he looked around for her. She was nowhere in sight. Draco swore under his breath as he frantically scanned the room. He sprinted out of the Great Hall and into the courtyard. He then glanced at Granger's window and saw that the lights were off.
Knowing Granger, there was one place she could be.
Hermione laid down on the dewy grass of the Quidditch field. Over the past few days, it became a routine to take a walk around the castle and then lay on the Quidditch field, stargazing. If she knew she'd be doing this not a month ago, breaking rules and breaking curfew, she'd be appalled at the thought. But Hermione found that this was one of the only times she could be herself. She'd go to the library, but she'd have to be careful to not wake anybody up, especially Justin. She wished she could have some sort of library or some space just to herself. At the moment, the outdoors at night was her space. And it didn't matter if she had to break the rules; feeling this kind of freedom and abandon for once was worth it.
However, she always got the oddest feeling that something was watching over her when she went out. She didn't feel threatened nor embarrassed. Strangely, she oddly felt protected. She felt that whatever, or whoever, was watching wasn't judging her... just watching.
She looked around as she muttered "Nox" and her light went out. She couldn't see anything, but she still felt like something was there with her, keeping her company. As her eyes flitted across the star-studded sky, she imagined that there was a warm body next to her. She closed her eyes as she thought of what it would be like to use someone's chest as a pillow, falling asleep to the rising and falling off their breathing while listening to the rhythm of their heartbeat. She folded her arms as she pictured herself being cocooned in that person's embrace, sheltered and safe. She subconsciously fell deeper into her fantasy, and she felt like she could practically touch that person next to her. As her daydream continued, the person continued to grow more vivid. Soon, she could see the person clearly in her mind's eye. Hermione opened her eyes, for the person she was picturing was a certain blond and gray-eyed boy.
She sighed. She had decided that there was simply no way to escape Draco Malfoy. She knew that she would eventually forget him, but at the time, he was the only thing occupying her mind. When she voiced about how she still believed in him at the party, it felt like a huge weight was lifted off of her chest. She was tired of keeping her feelings in, even though no one would understand them. Hermione still thought it was odd at how freely she expressed her feelings to that strange man. It was odd at how comfortable she was talking with him. It was like that one time outside of Headmaster Dumbledore's office when she saw that man with the tattoos. She rambled on and on and she did the same thing at the Halloween party. In fact, the two strangers seemed so similar; they both turned their backs to her, and they refused to look at her. Of course, the man outside of the Headmaster's office was a Death Eater. He couldn't have been the same man at the party... or...
Hermione suddenly got a sick feeling and she got her wand out. She jolted up, outstretching her arm, wand in hand, to the darkness. Her breath quickened, and the silence was deafening.
"Granger!"
She turned to the source of her name but before she could react, she felt a body collide with hers as a flash of green flew past her.