The image of Draco gently pulling out the delicate rose and courteously holding it out in front of her continued to play in Hermione’s head. The music playing in the distance seemed to heighten the effect of the scene playing behind her eyelids, because a reluctant smile had crept its way onto her features. She had not expected the arrogant fool to pull off such a charming act “ hell, she hadn’t even expected him to ask her to the ball, but he had! In the most romantic fashion Hermione could only ever dream of. She had watched such scenes play before her in old Muggle movies and what not, but she had never guessed that it really did happen to some people. People like her, for instance. The smile resting on Hermione’s lips became more prominent at that thought.
What seemed to trouble her though was the undeniable fact that she had taken a sudden liking to him. It was impossible to shrug the idea off anymore, and her body, mind, and heart were now ready to accept her feelings towards Draco. How he could suddenly capture her heart (a feat which would have been impossible a few years ago) in a mere week was beyond her. Was it even possible to fall for someone after hating them for almost all their life?
Hermione opened her eyes and furrowed her eyebrows as if in deep thought. She grabbed the pillow lying next to her own and hugged it against her chest; resting her chin on top of it. What if Draco felt the same way about her? What if she had captured his heart? Hermione giggled to herself as she thought about it. Imagine she, Hermione Granger, being able to get someone such as Draco Malfoy interested in her! She shook her head as if she had thought up the most ridiculous thing in the world. The very idea of it seemed preposterous! Draco, she imagined, had gone out with plenty of girls who were nice, had a good figure or were just drop-dead gorgeous. Why should he single her out from all the others he had previously dated?
Ignoring the slight disappointment that had settled within her, Hermione turned her head sideways and glanced at the bracelet Draco had bought for her. It seemed to wink at her as she outstretched her arm and took it between her fingers; bringing it up to her face as if it would tell her what was really going on in Draco’s head. What did the bracelet and the rose really mean? Was it an act of kindness (Hermione snorted at the idea), or was there a motive behind it?
Hermione slipped the jewelry on and inspected it from a distance, nibbling unconsciously on her lower lip. Perhaps it really wasn’t anything at all. Her friends were right; she did analyze situations too much. Turning so that she now lay on her side, she pressed her wrist against her chest and closed her eyes. It really mightn’t be anything at all…
“Draco!” Knock. Knock. Knock. “Draco, it’s me! Open the door!”
Draco, who had just got out of a shower, hastily wrapped a towel around his waist and walked towards the door; the voice had sounded somewhat urgent. “Who’s ‘me’ anyway?” he asked as he unlocked the door and peeped his head outside. But before he could get a clear glimpse of who it was, Draco was flung against the wall as the door burst open and Violet, practically singing, waltzed into Draco’s room with her arms wide open as if to hug the living daylights out of him.
“Draco?” Violet said suddenly when she realized that he wasn’t around. “Where are you?”
“Violet!” Draco yelped in surprise, massaging his neck from the wall’s impact. “Do you know nothing of privacy?” Violet, who had turned towards the sound of Draco’s voice, squeaked in embarrassment “ her eyes growing wide as tennis balls as she realized his current state.
“Oh my god!” she shrieked, covering her eyes and turning her back towards him. “Merlin, I didn’t know “ I’m so sorry!”
“Sure you are,” Draco said sarcastically, closing the door and making his way past Violet, who still had her hands pressed against her eyelids. “For Merlin’s sake, woman; it’s not like I’m completely nude.”
“Don’t!” moaned Violet in despair. “I’m already embarrassed as it is!” Turning around, her eyes tightly shut, Violet quickly made her way back towards the door; nearly banging herself against the hard wood. Fumbling with the handle, she swung the door open and slammed it behind her, causing Draco to laugh out loud at her antics.
“Let me know, once you’ve put some clothes on,” came Violet’s muffled voice. “I’ll be waiting outside.
Rolling his eyes with a smirk lingering on his lips, Draco pulled up his shorts and buttoned up his shirt “ mumbling a small spell in the process to dry off his hair. He wondered what on earth Violet had to say that made her practically bounce into his room without any invitation.
She was an odd girl, Violet. Friendly, easy-going, and glad to be one of the boys, she always made Draco feel that he was part of their little group. He already felt he shared something close with her and was glad to have met her during the trip. It was almost as if she were his little sister, and the mere thought of it sent tingles through his body. He had never had a younger sibling “ someone he could care for or vice versa.
Striding towards the door with a silly grin on his face, Draco opened the door for the flustered girl, who smiled weakly as she followed him back inside. Silently, with an embarrassed look upon her face, Violet walked over to the couch and sat down, to finally look up at Draco, who gave her a small wink.
Sighing at how comfortable he seemed with the whole situation, Violet asked incredulously, “Do you really not care if a girl just waltzes into your room like that?”
“Do tell me, Vy… which guy wouldn’t actually mind that?” Draco replied, smirking as he leaned back.
“Oh, let me think,” Violet said sarcastically, “Jake, Roger, Alex, and not to mention this other guy who lived close by… and oh, this other boy that I had met last -”
“Violet! I’m only joking!” Draco laughed out loud, shaking his head in amusement. “You didn’t seriously think that I didn’t, did you? Okay, maybe just a little, but…”
“Oh, alright! You can stop playing around now,” she said, rolling her eyes. “You’re just like Alex sometimes…”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he said, smiling over at her. “Alright then…what is it that you have to tell me that literally made you bang the door on me?”
“I didn’t really bang the door on you,” Violet said defensively.
“Oh, right… you slammed the door on me,” Draco corrected.
“Did not!”
“Did too.”
“Did not!”
“Did too.”
“Oh, for Merlin’s pants! What in the name is wrong with you today?” Violet said exasperatedly, throwing up her hands in frustration. “No wonder Hermione can’t stand you at times… You’re completely insane!”
“Merlin’s p-pants?” Draco spluttered out, ignoring the rest of the words that came out of the witch’s mouth. “Merlin’s pants?!” After a moment’s pause, Draco threw his head back and howled with laughter, doubling over when he saw that Violet was trying not to laugh herself.
“Oh, honestly…”
“I’m sorry, Vy,” Draco said somewhat apologetically, trying his very best to control his laughter. “I’ll calm down now…I won’t joke about anymore.”
“Well, I do hope so! I didn’t get a chance to say what I wanted to.”
“Alright then, fire away! I won’t interrupt you anymore.”
“Well, it’s actually about Hermione.”
“What about her?”
“Oh, Draco,” Violet said happily, “I’m so glad you asked her to the ball tomorrow night. I can tell she’s really excited about it. She won’t say anything of course, but I can make it out. I know all about it, obviously. About the rose, the way you did it, the -”
“Why am I not surprised you know already? I mean, I only asked her an hour ago,” Draco cut in, his tone laced with sarcasm. “You girls talk too much. I mean it’s really amazing how it all spreads so quickly.”
“How can we not talk about such things? You guys do these marvellous acts sometimes! How can we not gossip about it?” Violet asked incredulously. “And yours was the most dashing one, I must say! My stomach was fluttering just hearing it from Hermione. The poor girl’s knees must have given away after you handed her that rose.”
Draco’s cheeks flushed and his eyes twinkled as Violet relayed the conversation that had taken place between the two girls. He hadn’t really thought about the effect his actions would cause, but it seemed that his doings had had a massive impact. According to Violet, Hermione seemed to be happy as cricket and was practically skipping around the room. She reckoned he must have done something absolutely wonderful after all the trouble he had caused earlier that day “ Hermione seemed to have forgotten it all.
“And you asking her to the ball like that! It must have come as a surprise to Hermione!”
“Yes well, I have a tendency to shock people,” Draco chuckled.
“Anyway, the reason I came here was to congratulate you for finally getting a move on! I mean it was about time,” Violet said happily, shaking his hand enthusiastically. “I knew you had a thing for her and it was really about time for that to get through your thick head,” she laughed.
“Woah! N-now hold on a second,” Draco stammered. “I didn’t -”
“You both were too stupid to realize that you guys were practically falling for each other,” Violet went on; apparently too caught up with her speech. “I just knew you’d fall in love eventually…”
“Now, wait a second!” Draco exclaimed in horror. “I didn’t mean anything like that! I just asked her because there was no one else!” he lied. “I don’t love her or anything! That can’t happen between her and me, trust me. It’s impossible and will never happen so… so don’t even think about it!”
“Oh you shy, shy boy,” Violet said coyly, pinching his cheeks much to Draco’s embarrassment. “Don’t worry,” she whispered, “your secret’s safe with me.” And before Draco could say anything, she walked towards the door, gave him a small wink and closed the door slowly after her; leaving Draco completely baffled at the center of his room.
“Crazy little witch,” Draco muttered, shaking his head as if trying to forget what Violet had said. “I mean how could I possibly love Hermione? There’s no way…”
But Draco was unsure of himself now. Love was such a strong word. It was impossible that he’d grown strong feelings for Hermione… impossible! Seven years of pure hatred couldn’t change that drastically over a period of one week. Then, what did he feel? It couldn’t be love; there was no question about that, but then what else? Draco pressed his forehead against the cool surface of the balcony door and closed his eyes; his warm breath causing mists to form on the clear surface.
“Impossible…”
“Happy? Excited? Nervous? Scared?” Violet asked Hermione eagerly over their breakfast the next day. They had gone back to sitting at the Breakfast Lounge out of a daily habit and as usual, Violet bombarded Hermione with questions about Draco and how stupid she thought they were for not realizing what was going on between them.
“Do you have butterflies just thinking about tonight? Do you know what you’re going to wear? Merlin, what are you going to wear?!” Violet had her elbows on the table and was practically leaning over the table, trying to get a response out of the shy witch.
“Oh, I really don’t know,” Hermione said unconcernedly, her eyes glued to the Daily Prophet which was cleverly disguised as to not grab the Muggles’ attention. “I brought along a couple of ballroom dresses, so I’ll try those on later.”
“Later on? Are you crazy?” Violet asked, scandalized. “The ball is a few hours away and you still don’t know what to wear?”
“It’ll take a couple of minutes to choose,” Hermione replied calmly, taking a bite out of her toast. “And the ball is nine hours away, Vy! There’s no need to worry about all that now.”
“What kind of a girl are you?” Violet asked in amazement. “I’d understand if you didn’t have a date, but you do! And your date’s Draco, of all people. Doesn’t that affect you a teensy bit?”
“Well,” Hermione said slowly, folding the newspaper and setting it aside, “I guess the fact that he’s taking me hasn’t really settled. And don’t use the word ‘date,’ Vy… it’s not really a date.”
“Oh, please! What else would you call it then, hmm?”
“I don’t know!” Hermione said, a little nonplussed. “But definitely not a date! Draco and I are not the kind of people who would date each other “ no, there’s no way.”
“Oh, for Merlin’s sake! You guys drive me up the wall! First Draco, and now you! I mean why are you both so shy to admit your bloody feelings?” Violet said in frustration, banging her fists on the table.
“What do you mean, first Draco and now me?” Hermione asked tentatively as she sipped her orange juice.
“Well, I talked about this whole thing with Draco yesterday night, of course,” Violet said without hesitation. “He seemed pretty happy that you were happy,” she laughed, “I mean he -”
“You WHAT?” Hermione exploded, spraying Violet with flecks of orange juice and causing several people to mutter in disapproval. “You talked about what happened yesterday with Draco?” she squeaked, hoping what she had heard was wrong.
“Well, yeah,” Violet said, wondering whether what she had said was wrong. “What’s the problem?” She raised her eyebrows as she wiped her face, looking over at Hermione as if she had suddenly lost her mind.
“Oh no!” Hermione moaned, slumping onto her chair. “Once again, Draco must have thought that this whole thing’s ‘gone to my head’ or something. Two girls, talking about him… Hermione granger talking about him… brilliant! He must have laughed over it.”
“Why do you care about what he thinks?” Violet asked cheekily.
“I do not!” Hermione snapped. “I just don’t want him to get the wrong idea!”
“Oh, don’t worry. It’s not like I told him everything we said. I’m not stupid, you know.”
“I’m not saying that you are,” Hermione said quickly, having not intention in hurting Violet’s feelings. “It’s just that I don’t want him to think we’re gossiping about him. I don’t want him to think that I’m overly excited “ which I’m not, by the way! Oh, you know how Draco thinks!”
“All I know is that he’s pretty anxious about tonight,” Violet said, smiling as Hermione’s expressions softened slightly.
“Oh, how would you know?” Hermione said, dismissing the idea and trying not to seem very interested. “Did he say he was?”
“Draco? Saying that he’s anxious? No way,” Violet chuckled lightly. “But I can tell these things. One mention of you and his whole face changes.”
Hermione laughed, her cheeks flushing. “No way,” she grinned despite herself. “Draco couldn’t possibly…”
“Aw, come on please, Hermione!” Violet wheedled. “Can’t you just admit that you lov “ okay, not that,” she said quickly, seeing Hermione’s mouth open in indignation, “but can’t you at least admit that you like him a… a bit?”
Hermione was torn between just saying what she felt, and keeping it to herself. Admitting her feelings to someone else would almost be letting out some sort of forbidden dark secret. She would never live it down if Draco found out. Hermione’s heart nearly stopped just thinking about how he would react if he actually did find out…
“I really don’t kno -”
“Hermione, I won’t tell! Trust me,” Violet said earnestly. “There’s no way Draco will find out,” she continued solemnly as if she had read Hermione’s mind. “I promise.”
Hermione looked at her friend with distress. If she said what she actually felt, it would change everything! She would never be able to look at Draco the way she used to. All those years of hatred and loathing wouldn’t matter at all after she admitted this stupid feeling that had built up over the past few days. Oh how she hated him right now…
“Alright, fine,” Hermione sighed in resignation, “I do.”
“You do what exactly?” Violet said happily, looking as if she were ready to burst with excitement.
“Oh, for Merlin’s sake!”
“Just say it!”
Hermione rolled her eyes and laughed at her friend. She would have to go St. Mungo’s for saying this, but… “Alright! I do like him,” Hermione whispered clearly, so that only Violet would be able to hear. “I like, not love, him,” she emphasized. “But only a teensy bit and that’s all!”
That was all Violet needed to hear before she yelled in excitement and bounded over to Hermione to give her a big congratulatory hug; nearly knocking the plate of sausages off the table. “I knew it! I knew it!” she said triumphantly, shaking the life out of Hermione. “Now, how hard was that?”
Hermione wasn’t sure how she felt. She couldn’t really believe that she had revealed her feelings to Violet and to herself. “I must be crazy, that’s what,” Hermione mumbled. “How am I ever going to look at Draco the way I used to now?”
“It’s not like you’ve told him or something,” Violet said cheerfully. “Besides, you’ve got nothing to worry about. He’ll never know and I’m never going to tell, relax!”
Hermione sighed, “It just feels… wrong. Anyway, let’s not talk about it; makes me feel uncomfortable. Who are you going to the ball with then?”
“Roger,” Violet said simply. “Didn’t really get the chance to meet any cute guys.”
“I wish Harry and Ron were here!” Hermione said yearningly. “Things would have been so different then.”
“I’d like to meet them one day,” Violet admitted shyly. “Have they got girlfriends?”
Hermione laughed at Violet’s innocent question. “Unfortunately for you,” she chortled, seeing Violet’s shoulder’s sag slightly, “they do. But Ron’s got older brothers.” Hermione wiggled her eyebrows and playfully gave her friend a small punch.
Violet giggled, “Oh, you know I was joking around! It would be great if our group and your group became real good friends, though, wouldn’t it?”
“Absolutely,” Hermione agreed, her eyes twinkling at the very thought. “Me, you, Harry, Ron, Jake, Alex, Roger…”
“And Draco…”
“Why do you keep getting back to him?” Hermione exclaimed disbelievingly. “Seeing as you like to talk about him so much, why don’t you both hook up and go about.”
“Are you crazy? He’s like my brother now,” Violet laughed.
“And it’s my pleasure to have you as my little sister,” said a voice, causing both Hermione and Violet to jolt in surprise. Draco, looking as fresh and alive as ever, plopped himself next to Violet and winked over at Hermione, causing her stomach to churn.
“Don’t wink at me like that,” Hermione said, folding her arms across her chest and leaning back on her chair, “it’s really weird.”
“And a lovely morning to you too,” Draco scoffed, giving her a short nod. “Is that how you normally greet people, Miss Little Stuck-Up?”
“So, had a good sleep, I see?” Violet said cheerily, trying to change the subject seeing that another argument was ready to burst. “Did you check if the rest of the guys were up? Breakfast will get over soon.”
“Yeah, they said they’ll be here soon,” he replied, ruffling his hair, which was unusually out of place (in an attractive sort of manner, Hermione had to admit “ Oh, what was the matter with her?). “So, you girls are talking about me again, are we? I can see that I’m a popular topic for you girls, aren’t I right?”
“Oh, please,” Hermione groaned, massaging her forehead, “you’re giving me a headache.”
“What? Now suddenly everything I say is frustrating to you,” he snarled. “You’d think my ‘charming act’ would warm you up, but apparently it didn’t.”
“You guys -”
“I’m not getting frustrated! And what do you mean by ‘warm me up’?”
Draco flushed. He hadn’t intended on saying that, but it had just tumbled out of his mouth. His motive behind the whole ‘giving the rose to Hermione’ thing was not really to romance her, but to get her to see the ‘other’ side of him. Perhaps also to get her to… to like him, but he was unsure! Call it his grand gesture. He wasn’t really the type to do such things; he usually found them pathetic, but the girls! They seemed to just fall for it “ like a fly drawn to light “ they were all for these dashing acts. Hermione seemed ready to hug him on the spot yesterday night, but she was back to being the same annoying little stuck up. She was rather a hard one to please… Why did he have to fall for her?
“Forget it,” Draco grunted. “It’s complicated.”
“Yes, let’s,” Violet piped in, sighing in relief. “I hate it when you two argue.”
“Well, I’m leaving,” Hermione said swiftly, taking a last sip from her juice and standing up. “I’ve got lots to do “ oh, hello, boys!”
“Morning,” Alex replied sleepily, grabbing a chair next to Draco and flopping himself onto it. “How you guys wake up so early is really beyond me. I mean you’ve already finished breakfast!”
“I know,” Jake agreed, groggily rubbing his eyes and taking his place between Roger and Alex. “They’re mental.”
“Oh, wake up!” Violet scolded, shaking her head in disapproval. “Did you all not freshen up before you came?”
“For heaven’s sake… it took all our energies to just put on some clothes and come down!” Roger yawned, stretching his arms behind his back. “I would have fallen asleep brushing my teeth.”
“You haven’t brushed?” Violet exclaimed in disgust. “Ugh! You guys are revolting!”
Hermione laughed and shook her head. The scene before her reminded her of Harry, Ron and herself. She remembered how many times she had told Harry and Ron off “ oh, she missed them so much! After years of going everywhere together, it was just weird not having them around. “Hey, I’ve got to go and do some stuff,” Hermione said a little loudly, trying to get herself heard over their bickering. “I’ll see you guys later.”
“What do you have to do?” Roger asked curiously. “Can’t it wait?”
“Oh… well, I thought I’d go to the pool and relax for a while and then start to get ready for the ball,” Hermione explained, giving Violet a small wink. “You’re coming, right, Vy?”
Violet smiled cheerfully and nodded her head. “'Of course I am!”
“You guys are already getting prepared for the ball?” Jake asked in disbelief. “Are you both crazy?”
“Don’t you talk, Mr. Bad-Breath,” Violet snapped. “Girls, unlike guys, want to look and smell pretty and that takes time. You’ll appreciate it later.”
“You don’t need so much time,” Draco snorted, causing the boys to nod their head in agreement. “It can’t possibly take that long to beautify yourselves.”
“Oh, for Merlin’s sake! We’re going to relax and then start getting ready. And anyway, we do other stuff while getting ready. Like talking and watching TV and -”
“Reading,” Draco added, smirking over at Hermione, who shot him a fierce glare.
“You crack me up,” Hermione said sarcastically, narrowing her eyes down at him.
“Okay, time to go!” Violet said quickly, taking a hold of Hermione’s arm and pulling her towards the exit. “We’ll meet you guys later.” And before Hermione could shoot back another quick witty remark at Draco, Violet dragged her outside and gave her friend an annoyed glance.
“What?” Hermione asked, shrugging her shoulders casually.
“Why must you pick a fight with him?” Violet said in an irritated tone. “He was rather nice until you had to go, ‘oh, you’re giving me a headache’.”
“Well, it just sort of… comes out!” Hermione tried to explain. “Arguing with him has become a habit for me; his every word just gets under my skin! You can tell from his face, his smirk and that stupid little wink of his “ he mocks me every time he talks to me.”
“Well, you’ll just have to get used to it then. Once again, you’re stuck with him for the whole night, so deal with it. Why’d you accept to go with him if you can’t stand him, anyway?”
“Because he’s not a stupid git all the time,” Hermione sighed. “If only he was an annoying little prat all the time…”
“Something about him captured your heart, eh?” Violet said dramatically, laughing as Hermione’s face twisted into a small grimace. “Oh, alright. Let’s change and then hit the pool. Then we can help each other on deciding what to wear!”
Time went by so quickly for both Hermione and Violet that by the time they decided to get ready, the ball was only two hours away. They had gone for a swim with the boys, talked, had a late lunch and had even watched a movie until they had realized what time it was.
“I really think you should wear your purple gown,” Hermione told her friend, her eyes glinting enviously at the beautiful dress. “It’ll look gorgeous on you.”
“You think so?” Violet beamed. “It was my mother’s, you see? Thought I’d bring it along...”
“It’s brilliant!”
“And you,” Violet said, holding up a breath-taking crimson evening gown. “You just have to wear this. Have to!”
“Alright, alright,” Hermione chuckled, taking the dress from Violet and holding it up in front of her. “The only problem is the cut. The v-cut at the front is too deep, don’t you think? And it doesn’t really cover all of my back.”
“But that’s the point! It’s supposed to accentuate your body features.”
“My body features?” Hermione laughed, giving her friend a small grin. “I don’t know… I feel really uncomfortable wearing dresses like these. I’m not at all used to wearing clothes that bare my skin,” Hermione blushed.
“It’s just for one day,” Violet reassured. “And besides, it’s not like it’s vulgar or anything. It’ll look absolutely ravishing on you.”
“I guess one day won’t hurt,” Hermione smiled. She was actually pretty excited for the ball. Dressing up and wearing dresses she wouldn’t normally wear gave her some sort of thrill. And some small part of her couldn’t wait to see Draco’s reaction. Her stomach did a couple of somersaults just thinking about it.
“Anyway, I better be off,” Violet said quickly, taking up all the dresses she had brought along to Hermione’s room. “I have to take a shower, do my hair, do some last minute touches…”
“You’re right. I’ll see you later then.”
“You sure will! Bye, ‘Mione! Good luck!” Violet gave a small wave and closed the door after her; leaving Hermione to get ready for the night.
By the time she had taken a shower, tried on her clothes and several different hairstyles, it was already ten past nine (Draco and Hermione had decided to leave their rooms by nine), and unfortunately for her, Draco had decided to show up on time as if to make it up to her. She had her dress on and everything; it was just her hair that was still left to do.
“How could you possibly not be ready by now?” Draco asked incredulously, trying to make himself heard through the door. “And I even came on time today!”
“I am so sorry!” came Hermione’s muffled voice. “Why don’t you go ahead and wait down for me. I’ll be there in a few minutes! Promise!”
“What other choice do I have?” Draco grumbled as he headed towards the ballroom. “Women… typical…”
After ten full minutes, Hermione was finally ready to go. She looked at herself through the mirror and blushed; smiling in spite of how uncomfortable she felt. The red-wine dress looked absolutely stunning on her, and the slight make-up she had put on went perfectly with her dress. She usually hated putting on make-up, but had decided to wear some tonight, just enough to go with the outfit. The deep cuts and the half-bare back made her feel exposed, but as Violet had said, it actually made her look more sophisticated.
Her hair was tied up with little ringlets beautifully hanging down here and there, and after some thought, she had decided to put the rose that Draco had given her (which was still magnificently in full bloom) in her hair. The flower seemed to give the whole outfit a different effect. She had decided on tying up her hair because of what Draco had said a few days back at the Night Safari. She was unsure why she was taking up his advice, but it seemed to do the trick “ she really felt like she looked different… prettier… It was as if she had finally burst out from her little cocoon as she stood there in front of the mirror.
With one last glance of herself, Hermione slipped on the bracelet Draco had given her and walked out of her room; a wave of emotions and thoughts overwhelming her as she made her way towards the ball. In all honesty, she was nervous, scared and excited all at the same time. She was nervous to face Draco, scared about what he’d say when he would see her and excited to see his reaction. She knew she was absolutely crazy, but deep down inside she really wanted him to be surprised or even pleased…
“Oh well, here goes,” she mumbled, taking in a deep breath as she entered the hall. “Let’s hope everything goes just fine…”
Draco was waiting impatiently down the flight of steps, restlessly tapping his foot and twiddling his thumbs. Ten full minutes had passed up and yet she refused to show up! Everyone was having a glorious time; coming down the steps with their partners, dancing and talking, laughing and flirting, while there he was… all alone! What could she possibly be doing?! What could she “
Draco froze as a figure standing at the top of the stairs caught his attention. All thoughts fled from his head as he watched her slowly come down, looking anxious and lost. She nibbled her lower lip as she made her way down, looking for that someone who, at the moment, stood completely at a loss for words. When he finally caught her eye, he watched as her cheeks coloured up and her lips twisted into a shy smile that made his pulse beat faster. He couldn’t help but stare; she looked even more gorgeous than she had at the Yule Ball, and that was saying something. She looked elegant, sensual and beautiful… Draco couldn’t take his eyes off her as she walked towards him.
Hermione’s heart was beating so fast that she was sure it would just burst out of her chest. She could feel herself heat up out of embarrassment and nervousness as she walked down the steps towards him. She was surprised that her knees didn’t give away half-way down, but something in the way Draco looked at her gave her some confidence. He stood there, patiently waiting for her to come down to him, looking as handsome as ever; his eyes never leaving hers.
Once Hermione was one step above him, she cocked her head slightly towards the side and gave him a heart-warming smile, making Draco’s insides melt. He couldn’t believe that it was Hermione Granger standing in front of him, looking absolutely stunning. He didn’t know what to say as she stood before him, waiting expectantly. He knew she was anxious about what he’d say and for once, he wanted to tell her straight out.
After a moment of just staring into each other’s eyes, Draco, giving her his all-time trademark smirk, ever so slowly took one of her hands and brought it up to his lips, giving it a small peck before looking up into her chocolate brown eyes and saying, “You look…beautiful.”
A/N:
It's been long - far too long, since I last updated! I know most of you are absolutely furious with me, but school has been real tough on me this year. I had a week off, so I had decided to finally give the chapter you've been waiting for, and voila! Hope you enjoyed it *smiles* Reviews are most welcome - I absolutely love reading what you think of the chapter! I want to thank you for your unwavering support. You guys have been absolutely awesome and I couldn't appreciate it more - you guys rock!
I know that last scene was very cliche, but I just couldn't help myself!! The fact that this whole story was taking place on a boat made the scene in Titanic float into my mind, and I just couldn't get rid of the idea *Laughs* Really hope you enjoyed!