Saturday morning dawned bright and cheerful, though very cold. The chatter in the dorm room was happy. Millie and Pansy were going to go with Daphne on a fancy girls' date to Hogsmeade, they'd decided, and they were going all out for absolutely no reason, fully curling their hair and doing dark, dramatic eyes. There was a fun, playful ambience to the room as everyone got ready, a sense of happy comradery that hadn't been around for a while permiating the room.
Hermione found herself reaching for a set of fancy robes that she'd worn once to Hogsmeade before, when she had gone with Draco. It'd been cold that day, too – in February, if she remembered correctly – before she paused, frowning.
Draco… what had happened with Draco?
Hadn't he fancied her…?
It was odd to consider, but now that she'd thought of it, she couldn't not think about it. Sure, Draco had asked her to the Yule Ball, but before that… his behavior had changed, hadn't it? Was she imagining things?
Hermione thought back. They'd had their Valentine's Day date, Hermione had introduced Sirius to Draco, and she'd helped him reintroduce Sirius to his family over the Easter break. After that was a bit of a blur – there'd been trials, and Hermione had been being blackmailed – but Draco had seemed distinctly less keen on her since then. He'd been no less loyal – he'd still taken the oath and joined the Shadows, after all – but he'd been less fawning and more... more 'professional' almost.
Had she hurt his feelings by having ulterior motives going into their date? He had asked her, but Hermione had accepted his invitation with the full intention of introducing Draco to Sirius. He'd seemed okay, but he would have hardly told her if he'd been otherwise, wouldn't he? Guys tended not to share their feelings so openly unless they were going to yell.
Blaise was in the common room. Hermione intended on lingering around to wait for the other girls to be ready before them all heading up together, so she went over to where Blaise had been lurking in the meantime.
"Do you think I've hurt Draco's feelings?" Hermione blurted.
An incredulous expression crossed Blaise's face. "I'm sorry…?"
"I... I think maybe I hurt his feelings and I didn't even notice," Hermione admitted, wincing. "Ever since before the summer…"
Hermione explained her reasoning, recounting her memories of the timeline and when Draco's behavior had changed. Blaise looked thoughtful, exhaling hard as he carefully considered his response.
"I think," he said, choosing his words with deliberation, "that Draco has backed off because he's realized he has some growing up to do."
Hermione blinked. "Wait, what? Growing up?"
"Exactly," Blaise said.
"Why would Draco have more 'growing up' to do?" Hermione asked, puzzled. "We're all within the same age range."
"From what I recall happening back then," Blaise said, careful, "you laid into Draco about his father, after reintroducing Sirius to Narcissa."
"Oh yeah." Hermione remembered now, and how she'd left the argument by flying away in a very melodramatic fashion. "I did, didn't I?"
"I think that conversation caused a crisis in Draco," Blaise said. "You made him face a truth he'd long been ignoring, and you made him consider what he wanted to do for his future." Blaise met Hermione's eyes, serious. "He clearly chose not to become a Death Eater – he's a Shadow now – but that conversation probably made him think, really think, about who he was as a person and who he wanted to be."
"And he didn't want to be someone who fancied me?"
"That's not what I mean, and you know it," Blaise said, rolling his eyes. "Draco probably looked at you, accurately summing up and solving his family issues, leading crusades against Dark creatures and injustice, and then looked at himself. And who was he? Some useless pureblood boy who'd been groomed to help reign over a society that you seem intent on rewriting." Blaise's lips twitched. "I think he's trying to become someone worthy of your affections before pressing his case again."
Hermione blinked. "Really?"
"If he asked you out now, would you say yes?" Blaise asked pointedly.
"Err—probably not," Hermione admitted.
"See?"
"But that's mostly because I'm dating other people!" Hermione said hastily. "I—I'm going with Viktor today, and Fleur—"
"Yes, with people you like better," Blaise said, patient. "If you liked Draco more, you'd want to go with him, right?"
It was a valid point, one that Hermione dwelled on over breakfast, watching Draco interact with the Durmstrang students. Draco had been trying to make himself useful – taking on the werewolf protection rituals, working with the hedges, dealing with the income stream from Twilfit and Tattings – was that because he was trying to find a new path? Was he really trying to figure out where he fit?
It made sense, in a weird way. Hermione had started with her coven, and then with her friends in Slytherin. The two groups fit together easily, almost effortlessly, their already existing dynamics naturally meshing together. Draco and Theo, though – they were outsiders, coming to the Shadows from a greater distance. Theo seemed satisfied to help with projects when directed, but Draco was trying to take initiative, Hermione thought. He seemed to be interacting with Harry more often, and Hermione thought she'd even seen him talking to Susan Bones in the corridor once. Maybe he was just trying to find his place, to figure out where his puzzle piece fit into the picture.
If he was, she was glad for him, she decided. Self-reflection was hard, and it seemed like Draco had come out on the other side of it with a decent path forward and a plan. Only time would tell if it worked, but at least he was moving in a new, better direction.
"So we are on date," Viktor said with satisfaction. "That means I walk with you, yes? Like this?"
Viktor wound his arm through Hermione's in an absurdly formal and antiquated way of accompanying a woman into a ball, and Hermione's face flamed.
"Viktor!" she protested, and Viktor laughed.
"No?" he teased, eyes bright. "English walk different way?"
"I can just take your arm, you silly broom," Hermione said, blushing. "Or we can just hold hands. You don't need to overcomplicate things."
Viktor nodded, appearing to seriously consider both choices.
"I like to hold your hand, but weather is cold," he said. "Cannot feel your hand in glove. I can to keep your hand in my pocket, though."
"Or I could just take your arm, and we could be done with this conversation and actually go on the date," Hermione said, rolling her eyes, and Viktor laughed.
"As lady commands," he said, offering his arm, and Hermione took it with a smirk, rolling her eyes once more for good measure.
Hogsmeade was bright and cheerful, despite the cold. The sun made Hermione feel almost too warm, but then the wind would rise ever so slightly, and she'd abruptly remember just how cold it was despite the sun's lies. She nestled into Viktor a little closer, stealing his body heat, which Viktor seemed happy to share.
They first went to Honeydukes, where Viktor bought her Sugar Quills and Hermione bought him Ice Mice. There was a clamor of students at the back of the shop that they both avoided, but Viktor craned his head to look over the crowd.
"Oh no," he said abruptly. "Is Chocolate Frog display."
Hermione's eyes went wide. "With the new winter collection?"
Viktor nodded grimly, and they both paid and hurriedly left the store, wordlessly on the same wavelength about dealing with people potentially asking for autographs on their Chocolate Frog cards during their date. They walked up and down the street, just talking idly, and they went by Dominic Maestro's Music Shop at the end of the street. Hermione drew Viktor's attention to the violin in the window, enchanted to play itself.
"Magical music seems taboo here, though I'm not entirely sure why," Hermione admitted. "Is it the same where you're from?"
Viktor considered.
"Is not taught, but is not forbidden," he said. "Karkaroff thinks low of such magics, I think. Not aggressive enough, not effective enough. Beauxbatons teaches this, I know – their champion used this in First Task."
"Fleur?" Hermione said, smiling slightly. "She did, didn't she? Enchanting the dragon to sleep with a song spell."
"She did," Viktor said. He smirked. "Though hard to remember, after Potter walked through fire."
Hermione grinned. "Maybe a bit."
Their next stop, to Hermione's surprise, was Gladrags Wizardwear. She looked at Viktor in surprise, and Viktor grinned as he held open the door.
"Need robes for Ball, yes?" he said, as Hermione went in. "Dates need matching robes."
"I don't know about matching, but complimentary, maybe," Hermione said, looking around the shop. There was a display with bright Christmas hats that sang songs when you pulled the pompom on the end, and she glanced back at Viktor. "Do you think they have anything formal enough here?"
Viktor shrugged. "We find out."
The back of the shop did, in fact, have more formal attire. Viktor wandered around the men's robes, an expression of panic slowly creeping onto his face.
"What are you to wear, Hermione?" he asked her, trying for casual. "I need to find robes to match."
"Oh, I haven't decided what I'm wearing yet," Hermione said, amused. "Don't worry about me – pick something you like, and I'll figure out a way to match you."
"Much easier for man to match woman than other way around," Viktor protested. "Here: you must to pick first."
Hermione laughed.
"I honestly haven't decided what I want to wear yet," she admitted. "I had some ideas early on that I dismissed as too excessive, but now…"
"But now…?" Viktor prompted.
"Well. Now that I'm going with you," Hermione said, haltingly, flushing a bit, "they don't all seem quite so excessive as before."
Viktor blinked.
"Because I dress more fancy than other people?" he asked, astonished. "I think not—"
"Because of the attention you'll get," Hermione corrected, biting her lip. "I wouldn't be surprised if a photo of you and your date ends up in the paper, dressed up for the Yule Ball."
Viktor scowled and sighed.
"This is true," he conceded. He looked at Hermione with concern. "If is problem, I can—"
"No, no!" Hermione said quickly. "I just—I need to figure out what I'm wearing. And I've been distracted with other things recently, you understand—things I've thought more important than what to wear to a dance—"
Viktor laughed.
"Is okay to take a break," he told her kindly. "You not need to think of dark thoughts all the times."
"I know, I know," Hermione said, smiling a bit. She stood up a bit straighter and clapped her hands. "Well! If neither of us knows what we want to wear, we can come up with a concept and color scheme together then, right?"
Viktor smiled back at her.
"Is okay by me," he said. "What ideas you have?"
Hermione guided them over to the women's section, running her hands through the assortment of dress robes on display, the different materials tickling her palm.
"I originally wanted something ostentatious, just because," she admitted. "But now I'm more thinking I should embrace the Yule theme – something wintery, delicate, and beautiful."
"Yule," Viktor observed. "Not Christmas,"
"Not Christmas," Hermione agreed. "No reds or greens. I had the idea of trying to do something with white and crystals, to look like the snow falling or snowflakes, but I couldn't figure out how to do it without it looking bridal." She paused on a floaty blue periwinkle robe, her fingers lingering. She glanced back at Viktor, pulling out the robe. "I'm thinking maybe this color? For ice and winter?"
"Feels icy," Viktor shrugged. "Close to Beauxbatons robe color though."
"Maybe, but this is darker than their powder blue," Hermione said. "Besides… I would change it. This is just a dress, really. I would want something… more." She looked up at Viktor. "What would you normally wear to an event like this?"
Viktor considered.
"We wear more pieces than wizards here," he said. "So tunic, slacks, maybe vest. Maybe cape."
"So you're not limited to just robes either," Hermione said, pleased. "We could get something custom, something to suit us both."
"Only week until Ball," Viktor cautioned her. "No time for custom clothing."
Hermione pouted. "Are you sure?"
"Unless you have way to sew with magic," he said, amused. "High demand for wizard tailors. Sewing spells not easy."
Hermione knew he had a point, but now that she had an idea, she didn't want to let it go.
"Wish I could make robes of silver and just free-transfigure it," she said, sighing. "But we can't wear metal to a dance."
"Shame dragon-hide is inappropriate, too," Viktor added.
Hermione glanced at him. "…dragon-hide?"
"Is magical natural material," he pointed out. "Cannot free transfigure, maybe, but there are magic pathways left behind. Make transfiguring dragon hide easier."
Hermione's eyes widened.
"You don't say," she said faintly. "Is… is this true for all magical natural materials?"
Viktor looked puzzled.
"I think is true?" he said. "I not hear differently."
"Fantastic," Hermione said, her mind whirring a million miles an hour. "Viktor, would you mind if we took a brief detour to Diagon Alley?"
