Dragons, Hermione! What am I going to do?" Harry gripped her shoulders and shook as if he could rattle the answer out of her brain.
"Oi! Potter, keep your hands to yourself." Draco chastised as he came upon them, moving Hermione away and putting Blaise in her place, "Here. Shake this one."
Hermione laughed as Harry proceeded to do just that. Blaise just let himself be wobbled with a bland expression on his face.
"What's wrong with it? Is Potter broken?" Pansy asked poking Harry in the side of his head.
"He's having a crisis. Just let me think Harry." Hermione pondered over Moody's hint for a bit before she sighed. Harry was awful at summoning charms.
"Alright, luckily classes are cancelled because we are probably going to be at this for a while." She grumbled, grabbing the panicking Harry to drag him along to an empty classroom.
She realized the Slytherins had followed, but she didn't mind as she shrugged off her robe and tossed it to Draco so she could roll up her sleeves.
She pulled Harry's wand out of his pocket and put it in his hand.
"The charm is pronounced accio." She announced, "Here is the wand movement. It's very precise."
"Good luck, Harry." Malfoy told him with a painfully uncomfortable smile.
Harry wondered vaguely if he was having a stroke, but decided it was nothing too serious as the Slytherins and Neville laughed so hard they were practically wheezing. Hermione was looking very much like the cat that ate the canary.
"Uh, thanks…Draco?" Harry responded slowly, noting Malfoy's eye twitch. The shrieks of laughter from the peanut gallery renewed with vigor.
At this point, Pansy was only standing because Blaise was barely holding her up, tears streaming down her face.
"I'll see you guys after the match." Harry told them, waving and still trying to figure out what exactly was going on.
Pansy went with Hermione and Neville to find Harry after the first task.
She insisted she just didn't want to be left with the boys, but Hermione had smirked at her knowingly.
When they got to the tent and found Potter holding his golden egg, Pansy thought he looked rather dashing all roughed up. Though she could do without the blood splatter across his shoulder.
Pansy would never admit such a thing though. Even to Hermione.
She let the Gryffindors carry the conversation, eyeing the Bulgarian beefcake in the corner with a speculative eye. Too bulky for her tastes, plus he was eyeing Hermione a little too closely for Pansy's liking.
She'd have to mention it to Draco just to rile him up. He was so precious when he ranted about things that weren't important.
"Well are you going to congratulate me Pansy?" Harry teased, batting his green eyes at her like an idiot and jolting her from her thoughts.
"Congratulations for not getting torched to a burning crisp, Potter." Pansy told him in a sugary sweet voice.
He just laughed at her and Hermione gave her one of those looks again. Pansy discreetly flipped her the v sign and the girl just grinned at her.
What a cow, Pansy thought with a surge of affection.
"Harry! I reckon someone's trying to do you in!" Ron Weasley declared from the entrance of the tent. Pansy frowned. The specky git was interrupting a perfectly decent chat.
She noted Potter's hands were fisted and his jaw was ticking he had it clenched so hard. He had said he was angry with the Weasel. Pansy figured that meant she was free to say whatever she wanted.
"Oh look everyone, he does have the ability to string together a coherent sentence!" She cried, wiping away a false tear, "Mummy must be so proud."
Ron glared at her, but she all she saw was Harry's lips twitch as he fought a smile. At least someone appreciated her humor properly.
"Why are you here? It's supposed to be for friends and family only." Ron snapped at her.
"Oh? You didn't hear?" Pansy wrapped herself around Harry's head, leaning her cheek against the unruly mop of black hair, "These vomit green eyes really get a girl's attention."
Harry was shaking with laughter and Ron was gaping as Pansy unwound herself from the boy, "I'll let you two catch up though. See you later, Hare-Bear."
She blew him a kiss and his eyes were glistening with unshed tears as he barely held himself together.
Hermione and Neville followed after her as she sauntered out of the tent, managing to keep calm until they were far enough away for the three of them to double over with laughter.
"Where in the world did you come up with Hare-Bear?" Neville guffawed.
"It was either that or Potty-Wotty. That sounds like something Peeves would say so I went with option B." Pansy managed to say around her belly-aching laughs.
Pansy's shrieks of laughter echoed across the Great Hall while Harry Potter put all of his willpower into making the table absorb him as part of the woodgrain.
The front page headline read in bold print: GRYFFINDOR CHAMPION SNAGGED BY SLYTHERIN HEIRESS: A FORBIDDEN FLAME
Direct quotes included the phrases "Hare-Bear" and "vomit green eyes" much to Harry's horror.
He decided that it had to be one of the other champions. Unfortunately, he also figured that it was probably against the rules and considered unsporting to hex them before the next task.
Hermione was absolutely failing at concealing her laughter when Harry looked towards the Slytherin table to see Pansy and company blowing him kisses across the room.
He thunked his head down, knowing he was probably beet red.
"Hermione…" Ginny Weasley sat down on the common room couch with her, "Can I ask you a question?"
"Of course Ginny. Although if it's homework related I charge in sugar quills, but I'll make an exception this time." She joked, trying to figure out why the girl was so nervous.
Ginny grinned then went back to fidgeting, "Is it true? About Harry and Pansy Parkinson?"
Hermione forced herself to not react defensively. She didn't think Ginny was being malicious towards Pansy, she was just a girl with a crush.
"I think that particular headline was in reference to Pansy messing with your brother's head."
"Oh." She watched as Ginny pondered that for a moment, "Does she like my brother?"
"Not one bit." Hermione snorted. If there was one person that Pansy would never warm up to or accept into their expanding group it was probably Ron. The Slytherin girl tolerated him occasionally if she was in a decent mood, but she absolutely despised the Weasley boy.
"I was just wondering." Ginny kicked at the rug, "I know Harry doesn't see me that way."
"You want my advice? You're a great girl and Harry won't ever notice if you're too shy to be yourself around him. Let him go. If he notices? Great. If not? Someone else will and might just sweep you off your feet." Hermione told her gently.
Hermione personally thought that the Harry Potter ship had set sail for Ginny Weasley. So she didn't want to give the girl false hope, but she didn't want to hurt her feelings either.
"That's some good advice." Ginny smiled, then a mischievous glint appeared in her eye, "Not that you have ever really needed to put in effort with a boy."
Hermione just have a cheeky grin back, "Nope. Draco is quite smitten with me."
Ginny laughed, "If you're that confident about it, he must be doing something right."
Ginny hesitated for another moment and pulling out a Honeydukes chocolate bar, "I don't have sugar quills, but will half of this work for a quick look at my transfiguration homework?"
"Hermioneeeee!" Pansy screeched through the corridor, plowing into Hermione.
"Oof! Pansy?" Hermione grunted as the witch nearly knocked her over. The girl was practically vibrating with excitement.
"Did you hear? Did you?" Pansy rocked back and forth on her feet, unable to hold still.
"I did. I suppose we won't be going home for the holidays this year."
"I'm so excited! We do the galas and everything, but this is at school so it's not filled with stuffy old people." Pansy yammered on, "Well. The professors, but that's it."
"I can't tell that you're excited at all." Hermione deadpanned, making Pansy push at her before she linked their arms together.
"Mock me all you want Hermione Granger, but you should be excited too! This will be your first event with Draco as your official arm candy."
"I don't know that he would appreciate such a title." Hermione laughed, letting the girl drag her along towards the potions classroom.
The boys seemed to have mentally prepared for Pansy's squealing, barely batting an eye as she babbled away about the ball.
They didn't get any relief from the chatter until the potions master arrived, at which point they were instructed to prepare the ingredients for a calming draught.
"So, Granger." Draco drawled as they chopping lizard tails. "You'll be attending with me, yes?"
She glanced at him then made a face, "I had thought so, but perhaps I should go with someone that calls me by my actual name."
Draco huffed a laugh then leaned closer to whisper in her ear, "Hermione, come with me to the ball?"
Hermione felt her face go blisteringly hot. She realized that she'd stopped cutting and Snape was starting to eyeball them with a snarled lip.
"You know I'm going to go with you, you prat." She hissed, starting her slicing once more.
"Hmmm. I'll have to file that reaction away for later use." Draco drawled, laughing when she flung her hand over to mess up his neatly organized ingredients.
Draco watched Potter and Weasley with amusement as they stumbled around the packs of girls who were giggling like idiots whenever any boy looked their way.
"Are you going to put Potter out of his misery soon?" He asked the dark-haired girl beside him. Her blue eyes were merry as she too watched the spectacle.
"No. I'll let him suffer and figure it out." She replied, turning back to her magazine. "What do you think about this one?"
He glanced at the deep blue dress robes, "I vote red."
"Your vote doesn't matter."
"Then why did you ask me?" He shot back, his eye catching on his favorite swot with her nose buried in her book and a mass of brown curls approaching them.
"To keep the conversation going. You're dreadfully dull." Pansy retorted.
She glanced at her wrist and looked up to say, "Hermione, thank Merlin you're here. Draco is terribly tedious today."
"I thought it was dreadfully dull."
"That too." Pansy quipped, showing Hermione the magazine as she sat down. "What do you think about this one?"
"It would be lovely with your eyes." Hermione approved, making Pansy shoot him a triumphant glance. "Has he asked yet?"
"No. She said she's going to make him suffer." Draco laughed as he watched Potter practically run away from the Patil twins.
"Poor Harry." Hermione giggled, before she leaned over to kiss Draco on the cheek. He smiled at her and ignored Pansy's gagging noises.
"Uncle Hector said Narcissa picked my dress out, I'm a little nervous, but I trust her more than my uncle." Hermione told them, "Can you do my hair, Pans?"
"Well I'm certainly not going to let you attempt it, darling." Pansy cooed as she patted Hermione's hand absently.
"You're in a good mood today." Hermione mused before she repeated, "Poor Harry."
"Harry, you're not really considering asking her?" Ron asked him.
"Why not?" Harry shrugged, "She will at least make fun of people with me in the corner. Plus I'm pretty sure she knows how to dance better than I can."
"No offense mate, but I think Uncle Billius had better coordination and he was missing both legs there at the end." George called from his spot on the couch.
"Ah, but he could really cut a rug before he lost that second one." Fred chimed from his game of gobstones with Lee Jordan.
Harry grimaced, "You're all quite hilarious."
"Harry the Prophet will go wild if you take her." Ron tried to reason.
Harry shrugged again, "They already do that. There are worse things they could write. Actually they already have."
Ron winced, "True. I just don't understand everyone chasing after Slytherins. They're the bad guys, remember?"
"They're a little sarcastic, but I wouldn't call that the epitome of evil, Ron."
He was saved from whatever Ron was going to say next by Hermione arriving through the porthole.
"Ginny!" Hermione called, "Do you want to go to the ball?"
"I didn't know Malfoy was so open to sharing." Fred drawled before Ginny could answer.
"Didn't think Gin-bug was your type, she's a little young for you Mione." George tutted and Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Anyways, Ginny would you like to go with Neville? He was offering to take you so you can attend, but I'm afraid it's just as friends."
"Sure, does Theo need a date as well? I can ask one of my friends?" Ginny offered.
"No, Theo is doing what Theo does best. Chaos." Hermione laughed, "He told Draco he is bringing the last person anyone would expect."
"Oh? Who?" Harry asked, pulling Hermione's attention his way to escape Ron's interrogation about Pansy. She began walking over and he breathed a sigh of relief.
"He said it's a surprise."
Harry was about to pull his hair out. As soon as he decided to ask Pansy Parkinson to the ball, it was like trying to catch the snitch.
She was almost impossible to find lately and when she could be found, she was never alone.
He almost thought it was on purpose because her eyes seemed to always be laughing at him while he grew more and more frustrated.
Finally after almost two weeks of attempting to corner her, watching her bat her eyes at him across the Great Hall and during classes only to disappear when he tried to find her afterwards, he discovered her in the library browsing the astronomy section.
Alone for once.
"Do you know that you are almost impossible to track down?" Harry huffed at her, forgetting momentarily that he was supposed to be charming.
"It's usually customary to greet someone before you start growling at them, Potter." Pansy replied coolly, not looking at him as she pulled down a book and flipped to the table of contents.
"Hello Pansy." He said flatly.
"Hello Hare-Bear." She smirked, her blue eyes laughing at him again.
"Are my vomit green eyes making you swoon yet?" He grinned, feeling like he was back in familiar territory. Bantering with Pansy was something that came surprisingly natural to him.
"Oh certainly, I'm hardly able to stand with my knees all aquiver." She threw back, making a show of standing still as possible.
"I can see that." He chuckled and then just took the plunge, "Say, do you want to come to the ball with me?"
She cocked her head at him and narrowed her eyes as she studied him for a long moment. A slow smile spread across her face.
"It'll probably be terrible since I'm a champion and I'm absolutely going to tread on your toes, but if all else fails, I figured we could mock people by the punchbowl." He joked, just to see her eyes do the laughing thing again.
"I suppose." She agreed in a deceptively disinterested tone, "I thought I was going to have to resort to asking the Bloody Baron. At least he can't step on my feet."
"I can go get him if you'd like? You'd make a lovely pair." Harry teased.
"Hmmmm, no. I think you'll do just fine." She said easily, then started walking towards the doors, "Took you long enough, Potter."
Harry was very happy to report to Hermione that he had finally found a date and that it was Pansy Parkinson.
He was not very happy to report he also had apparently developed a massive crush on someone, which was also Pansy Parkinson.
"Ron." Hermione poked the sullen boy's arm. "Lavender doesn't have a date yet. I know she's been holding out for someone specific."
He glanced over to the giggling girl as she braided Pavarti's hair and looked at Witch Weekly.
"Yeah alright." He mumbled, ears turning red before smiling slightly, "Thanks Mione."
Notes:
I included them asking their dates in this, but I promise the entire next chapter is dedicated purely to Yule Ball shenanigans.
After the ball, it's time to start making some of these babies suffer :)
Chapter 9: The Yule Ball
Summary:
The Yule Ball
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Dear Hermione,
Narcissa wouldn't stop pounding on the door until I agreed to let her get your dress robes.
I hope they're satisfactory my darling. We want pictures.
Love,
Hector
Hermione pulled open the lid of the larger box slowly to find the most exquisite gown. She hurriedly got into it so she could show Pansy, who waited just outside the door.
It was a soft pale blue, with floral appliqués that looked and felt like actual flowers decorating the bodice and down the folds of the skirt. It surprisingly exposed her shoulders, something that wasn't the norm in wizarding society, but it made her feel pretty.
Hermione's mother often called them prudes and she wondered if Jean Granger had any input in this selection.
Pansy was delighted, insisting the pale color made Hermione's complexion glow as she dragged her to a stool to begin work on her hair.
"Now. Draco loves your curls, so we are going to keep them, but let's do less cloud and more delicious tumble yes?"
"Uh…yes?" Hermione agreed, not really knowing what a 'delicious tumble' meant until over an hour later. After much yanking, tugging, and some wandwork, Pansy announced she was finished.
Pansy had piled her curls atop head in an elegant heap with large coils tumbling down haphazardly. Deliciously tumbled she supposed as she turned her head side to side.
The smaller box that Narcissa had sent separately held hair pins that looked just like the florals on the gown, Pansy having nestled them here and there within the curls.
"Tres magnifique." Pansy clapped, then she brandished her wand one more time to cast some basic glamour charms on Hermione's face, "Now shoo. I have to get ready and you have to compliment me."
Hermione did just that when Pansy strutted out in an deep jewel blue number that made her eyes pop. It was detailed with dark silvery embroidery and what looked to be actual gemstones.
"I'm surprised you didn't opt for vomit green." Hermione teased.
"The joke was right there, wasn't it?" Pansy held her wand up, "Should I do a bit of charm work? It might make me look peaked."
"Absolutely not." Hermione told her, watching fascinated as the girl spelled her dark hair to fall in soft waves down her back and with a few whispered words, her eyes were smoked out with a dark shimmer. "You look absolutely stunning Pansy."
The girl preened and waved her away as if she wasn't delighting in the flattery. Hermione hoped Harry would tell her how lovely she looked.
"I do hope the boys are putting in at least half the effort we are." Pansy mused as she added a small necklace in the same tarnished silver. It too glinted with dark blue gems.
"Probably not Harry, but I suspect Draco is still working on his hair." Hermione grinned, "Any idea who Theo is bringing?"
"No. He wouldn't tell me either. Blaise is going stag since he's apparently a gift to all women." Pansy rolled her eyes. "His words. Not mine."
"Maybe he will fall for Ron and we can complete the quadrant." Hermione joked, while Pansy shuddered.
"No respectable Slytherin would fall for a Weasley, especially not a prat like Ronald." Pansy told her primly.
"Harry is Weasley adjacent." Hermione reminded her, grinning when Pansy stiffened.
"That hardly counts."
Draco appreciated his etiquette lessons more and more as he watched Potter twitching and moving around restlessly by McGonagall.
Madame Flora's cane ensured that Draco remained still as a statue even when he was nervous. He'd never been so grateful for it.
Pansy came down first and he watched Potter blatantly stare. Merlin, the wanker had it bad.
She said something to him that made the boy smile widely before they were ushered out of sight by McGonagall. The woman returned to glare at the remaining crowd of students shortly after.
When Draco's own girl appeared, he forgot all about Pansy and Potter, especially when he noted Hermione hadn't removed her necklace, simply having moved it to wrap around her wrist so the star rested beside Pansy's moon.
"You look stunning, Granger." He murmured when she reached his side, bending to kiss her for a long moment only pulling away when he heard McGonagall's noise of disapproval.
"You look rather pretty yourself." Hermione grinned, her dimples flashing. She then looked around, tendrils of hair bouncing against her exposed collarbones, "Have you seen anyone else?"
"Potter is looking unkempt as usual. Pansy I'm sure you've seen. Blaise is waiting inside. I haven't seen Theo or Neville." He ticked off each friend, leading them into the transformed Great Hall.
They found Blaise eyeballing a Beauxbatons girl who already had a date, and chatted for a bit before a cough sounded behind them.
Theo Nott was standing there with a blonde who's large pale blue eyes were gazing around with a polite expression.
Looney Luna Lovegood, the odd Ravenclaw a year below them was not who Draco expected to be on Theo's arm. Draco looked at his friend who was grinning, quite pleased with himself. A surprise date indeed.
Draco blinked again trying to adjust his eyes to the almost painfully bright orange robes the girl was wearing. Along with what looked like an orange crown, but upon a second look, seemed to be carefully arranged fwooper feathers.
"Hello Luna, you look lovely!" Hermione recovered faster than Draco, as he had moved on to staring at the chandelier earrings that were made of butterbeer corks. Of all the things to wear to a ball.
"Thank you Hermione, you look beautiful. Your dress color reminds me of moon frog skin." Luna smiled brightly and Draco had to look away when Hermione scrunched her nose. Blaise had come to join the conversation by this point and was looking highly amused.
"Oh…thank you?" Hermione said slowly, making it sound more of a question. Draco gave her credit when she tried valiantly to continue the conversation. "Did you know Ginny is coming?"
"Yes I did. She is Neville's date so his grandmother doesn't find out about Theo. I'm Theo's so his father doesn't find out about Neville. It's all quite romantic." Luna chattered, as Theo closed his eyes as if asking for patience while Hermione pasted an uncomfortable smile on her face. Blaise just seemed even more delighted.
Draco decided he liked Looney after all. Anyone who could out-blunt Theodore Nott deserved the utmost respect.
"You are a true hero for the people Lovegood." Blaise chortled, making the girl smile at him and raised his glass of butterbeer. "Down with grandmothers and arsehole fathers!"
"Here, here!" Luna declared, clinking her own glass to his as they downed it. Theo looked torn between hilarity and mortification at the open discussion of his father.
"Oh look there's Neville!" Hermione announced rather loudly, gesturing for the blonde boy and the female Weasel to join them.
Harry couldn't stop fidgeting and finally he heard Pansy sigh. She grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the other champions.
"Potter. Why are you so bloody jumpy?" She demanded, gesturing at his general state of twitchiness.
"It's not you Pansy, it's just dancing in front of everybody makes me nervous. I'd rather fight the dragon again." He mumbled miserably.
She looked at him with a skeptical eye as she asked, "How much of the stomping on my toes bit was a joke?"
"Not a joke at all I'm afraid." He winced as she sighed again.
"Well that won't do. Hold on." She bent over and started lifting her skirts up, exposing her leg all the way past her knees. Harry felt a blush creeping up his face.
"Pansy!" Harry yelped and started shoving her dress back down. She slapped his hands away while laughing.
"Honestly Potter, you're such a prude." She said as she whipped out her wand from what looked to be a holster around her thigh, "Give me your shoes."
Harry was confused, but did as he was told, handing her his shoes and leaving him to stand in his socks.
"Are those golden snitches?" She inquired as she glanced down at his red stockinged feet. "Cute."
"I thought so." Harry grinned and watched as she tapped each shoe and handed them back.
"I like to dance Potter, so it'll need recast in an hour. This will get us through the first part of the night though." She told him as he put them back on.
"Champions! In line please!" McGonagall's stern voice commanded front the doorway.
Harry offered her his arm and she took it, letting him lead her over to the line up behind Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang, who were both looking at them curiously.
Harry felt a lot calmer now. Pansy Parkinson wouldn't let him embarrass her, so by default he wouldn't humiliate himself. Win-win in his book.
They walked out onto the floor and he caught sight of Hermione smiling so widely at them he thought her face had to hurt.
"Granger." Draco said, offering his hand once others started joining the champions. She took it and let him whisk her onto the floor, his posture impeccable as always.
Hermione really needed to thank her mum for all the etiquette and dance lessons or she'd have looked absolutely silly beside him.
"I say we keep it tame for the first dance and then the second one we show these plebeians how to do a real waltz." Draco grinned down at her as they turned about.
Hermione laughed and agreed, knowing she would only just barely manage to keep up, but that was half the fun of it.
"You truly look gorgeous tonight." Draco told her and she felt her face getting warm.
"Thank you Draco. Your mother really outdid herself on the gown." She glanced down since her hands were still in his and then blushed again when his eyes slowly trailed down as well.
"Quit checking me out you prat!" She sassed and his eyes were warm when he looked at her again.
"Why? You can look at my chest if you'd like. I won't mind." He insisted, "Make it even."
She giggled and made a show of ogling his flat chest. She was rewarded with a laugh and another kiss.
Pansy was relieved the charmed shoes were working as they spun around the room for the second dance of the evening.
"Your bracelet is glowing. I keep noticing it, but haven't figured out why." Harry remarked, looking at the little golden sun.
"Hermione." She smiled, glancing around to see her best friend twirling elegantly nearby. Draco was obviously intent on showing off both his dancing skills and his date.
"Hermione?" Harry asked as they did a spin. His green eyes were really very pretty up close. More jewel green than vomit.
"It glows when Hermione is nearby. She has one that does the same thing." Pansy explained, twirling once more and maneuvering them closer to Hermione so it glowed brighter.
"She really loves you, you know?" Harry replied, "She threatened to hex me bald if I ruined your night in any way."
Pansy grinned, "I know. I threatened Draco with the same thing."
Harry laughed and when they finally stopped she decided to be kind for once.
"I can relinquish you to the Weasel and take Blaise for a spin if you'd like to take a breather." Pansy offered, feeling delighted when Harry frowned and shook his head.
"I can keep dancing, I don't mind since my feet are doing what they're supposed to." Harry insisted.
"That's great news since I'm claiming a dance." Hermione's voice chimed from behind them. Draco just smirked and held his hand out to Pansy.
"Come on Harry, you can stomp on my feet and I won't even mention it." Hermione teased the boy.
"I charmed his shoes so your toes are safe darling." Pansy assured her as Draco spun her away, hearing Hermione's laughter as she went the opposite direction with Harry.
"You like him." Draco stated, his gray eyes teasing. "Don't deny it."
"I'm not confirming either." She snapped, keeping her eyes trained on Draco's face instead of looking around for Harry.
"I'll make sure the Prophet clarifies that there's no comment from the Parkinson family." Draco jested, spinning her out and back in.
"Good boy. I'm insisting on punch after this dance. Be a dear and fetch it for me?"
"That's what your date is for. I've already delivered punch to my date." Draco sniffed primly.
"I'll just have Blaise do it. He's a free agent tonight." Pansy shrugged. She supposed she could demand for Harry to do it, if she really wanted to.
"Is he?" Draco lips twisted into a smirk as he maneuvered them around so Pansy could look the other way to where Blaise was dancing.
"Is that Looney Lovegood?" Pansy gaped, watching Blaise attempting to dance with the girl while she did some kind of waving claw swipes in the air. He looked like he was having the time of his life.
"He stole Theo's date. He seems to find her entertaining."
"That's one way of describing her, I suppose." Pansy shook her head as the Lovegood girl smiled brightly and began doing what could only be described as flapping. Blaise just laughed and swayed along with her.
Hermione found Ron sitting sullenly at a corner table, Lavender Brown nowhere to be found.
"Ron, you should get Lavender and come join us! There is room at our dinner table for both of you." Hermione told him brightly, perching on the chair beside him.
"No, thanks." Ron grumbled, making Hermione's smile falter.
"Ginny and Neville are there too. It's not just a sea of green you know." She tried to tease him. "Harry would probably like us all together."
"I said no, Hermione." Ron snapped. "Just because you like to slum it with the snakes, doesn't mean I want to."
Hermione jumped to her feet, feeling her temper flare even as tears filled her eyes, "This entire tournament is about intermingling outside of our groups. Making friends, Ronald. Maybe you should take the opportunity to learn how to do that."
"Oh sure, Malfoy is real interested in friendship. He got you that nice little collar to make sure everyone knows your his latest pet." Ron spat as he stood up, poison dripping from every word.
Hermione felt her hands clench into a fist, but she didn't have a chance to punch him in his stupid face because Ginny Weasley decided to descend upon them like an avenging angel.
The redhead shoved Ron hard, standing over him as he fell back into the chair. Her face was red with rage and she pulled back a first ready to strike. Neville and Theo were standing behind the girl. Neville wearing a deep frown while Theo's dark eyes were staring coldly at Ron.
"You bloody arsehole! Just because she didn't want to date you doesn't mean you can talk to her like that!" Ginny hissed viciously, "If you say one more nasty thing to her, I'm telling mum and dad!"
Hermione felt a bubble of hysterical laughter coming up at the threat of telling Ron's mummy on him and pressed her lips together tightly to keep it at bay.
She felt Theo slip a hand into hers and pull her away, allowing Ginny and Neville handle Ron. He stopped after they were far enough away to pull her into a hug.
"You need to stop trying with him, Hermione. At least until he sorts out his issues." Theo told her, his voice gentle, but serious. "If Draco heard him speaking to you that way, he'd end up expelled. Or worse."
Hermione hugged him back tightly, "You're probably right. I just don't understand, Theo. Ron is supposed to be my friend."
"Oh, Hermione, when will you realize that not everyone is sweet and pure like you." Theo teased, kissing her cheek as he pulled away.
"I'm not sweet and pure, I'm just a decent person." Hermione sniffed, making Theo laugh.
"Come along before your beau decided I'm competition." He said, looping his arm through hers.
They found Draco chatting with Pansy and Blaise, all three of them watching Harry staring at Luna Lovegood as if he was attempting to solve a complicated arithmancy sequence.
Hermione found herself admiring Draco from this distance. He had gotten quite a bit taller than her and struck a handsome figure in his black dress robes.
One of the flowers from her hair was pinned to his lapel and his hair had become somewhat mussed from a vigorous amount of twirling during the last Viennese waltz.
"Instead of sighing about how pretty he is, there's a nice shadowy corner you could take him to." Theo whispered from the corner of his mouth just as they came upon the group.
She stomped Theo's foot when Draco tilted his head with a smirk, clearly having overhead part of what the silly boy had said.
Blaise was having the time of his life. Luna Lovegood was a hoot, saying the most off the wall things with not a care in the world on whether it was proper or not.
At the moment they were dancing, somewhat tamely this time, when Luna scrunched her nose up.
"What is that smell? It's very overpowering. Perhaps it would be nice if it wasn't quite so forceful."
Blaise had the great fortune of watching Terry Boot flush brightly. The boy had clearly decided to take a bath in his cologne instead of wafting it.
The girl he was dancing with pressed her lips together and Terry moved away from Blaise and Luna.
"You know something Lovegood, I quite like hanging out with you." Blaise grinned at her. She gave him a brilliant smile in return, crinkling her eyes and stretching her cheeks.
"I like spending time with you too, Blaise."
Draco was practically dragging Hermione out of the Great Hall by the time the ball was coming to a close. His witch having thrown herself into dancing wildly with the other girls when Dumbledore had announced the Weird Sisters taking over the orchestra.
She was leaning fully against him, barely shuffling her feet along as her eyes drooped. Her heels had long been handed over to his safekeeping.
Draco looked ahead to see Potter not faring much better with Pansy, the boy's arm around her waist while her arm was slung over his shoulders. The Slytherin girl let out a massive yawn, showing exactly how tired she was.
Blaise was further ahead, walking hand in hand with Luna, who somehow was finding the energy to sway and do a twirl every few steps, Blaise simply lifting their joined hands to let her spin.
When they got to the steps to head to Gryffindor tower, Draco sighed at how miserable this was going to be.
Making a quick decision, he cast a featherlight charm on Hermione. He handed her shoes back to her, then crouched down, "Hop on, Granger."
She blinked a few times in confusion and then stared at his back. She'd made him carry her before at the Manor a few times, but never when people were around. Draco thought she was too exhausted to protest as her arms slid around his neck and she gave a little hop.
He caught her just barely, having to fix each hand under her massive skirts to grip her bare thighs. For some reason it felt more intimate this way, even though the last time he'd carried her she'd been wearing muggle shorts.
He stood up and was thankful the charm was working, since he figured her skirts were at least twenty pounds extra and it was seven flights of stairs.
Hermione nuzzled her face into the side of his neck and sighed happily, her breath warm and making a chill run up his spine.
Draco took a calming breath, trying to keep his mind from inappropriate places and started the long trek to Gryffindor tower.
Once he made it to the portrait, he eased her down, turning to make sure her skirts didn't ride up.
She was staring up at him, brown eyes soft and warm with exhaustion, as she wrapped her arms around his waist loosely.
"Hey." She whispered.
"Hello." He smiled, brushing an errant curl out of her face and stroking her cheek.
"I'm tired."
"I'm aware, love." He teased softly, making her smile, one dimple peeping out.
"I'm going to kiss you now. Then I'm going to bed." She told him, not letting him respond when she pressed her mouth to his.
He cradled her face and kissed her softly, brushing his lips over hers, back and forth.
When they pulled back she still had her eyes closed. She slowly opened them and smiled before walking towards the portrait, "Goodnight Draco."
"Goodnight Hermione."
Narcissa flipped through the photos over her tea, cooing over her babies and how beautiful they were.
The last two photos were her favorites.
The first was a picture of Draco, Hermione, Pansy, and Theo. The girls were holding hands, their little bracelets glowing, while the boys pressed in on either side of them as they all laughed at something.
Draco was looking down at Hermione fondly before it seemed the camera operator called out to them. They all turned their faces towards the viewer to smile brightly before the loop reset.
The second one was of Hermione and Draco dancing a waltz. Their hands were gripped together and they were grinning widely at each other, looking like they were just on the cusp of laughter as they whirled about.
There were other very nice photos, even a group picture with Harry Potter and several other Gryffindors she'd only heard about. Narcissa put those aside for the children to sort though.
She just pulled out her two favorites to frame for her personal sitting room, thinking how nice it would be to see her babies smiling brightly at her every morning.