Chapter 10

The day of the Masquerade ball was finally there. Hermione and Draco had woken up and when they both had gotten dressed they walked down towards the Great Hall. Both kept their mouths shut throughout the journey downstairs, completely lost in their own thoughts. The conversation of the previous night playing in both heads. They entered the Great Hall and went their separate ways to their own house table. Hermione sat down next to Ron, who gave her a kiss on the lips, just as Draco sat down next to Blaise. 'Ready for the ball?' Draco asked. 'As ready as I could be mate, what about you?' Blaise asked. 'I guess so.' Draco nodded. They both started on their breakfast and within a few minutes Goyle made his way over to where they were seated. 'Good morning.' 'Morning.' 'You know what, I'm actually rather excited about tonight.' Goyle said. 'I hope it's going to be great, it's been a lot of work.' Blaise said. 'I can imagine that. I wish I could've helped out though.' 'You can still ask someone for the ball by the way.' Goyle said. 'Yes, I know someone who'd love to go with you.' Blaise smirked. Draco rolled his eyes, knowing where this was heading. 'Well if you say it like that.' Draco said, being granted with a marvellous idea, making a mischievous smirk appear on his face. 'Blaise Zabini, would you give me the honour and be my date for the Masquerade ball this evening?' 'Of course I will, Draco Malfoy! I would to! What took you long!' Blaise squealed, playing along, making a few heads turn in their direction to see what all the fuss was about. 'Okay great, now we both have a date to the ball tonight.' Draco said, lifting a fork full of scrambled eggs to his mouth. 'I have to say mate, great solution.' Blaise laughed. 'I know and it's still early in the morning.' Draco nodded in agreement.

Hermione ate her breakfast while chatting with Harry, Ginny and Ron about the upcoming night. You could feel the excitement in the Great Hall, students around them cheerfully talking about what they were going to wear and who they were going to take to the ball. 'I'm so excited!' Ginny grinned. 'Same for me, we've been working hard for this ball. I hope our work will pay off.' Harry said. 'Of course it will.' Hermione said. 'I've really been looking forward to today.' Ron said with a grin, his mouth filled with scrambled eggs. Hermione and Ginny both scrunched their noses up at the side of his mouthful of food. 'Who is Malfoy taking to the ball?' Ginny asked. 'Nobody.' Hermione answered. 'It honestly doesn't surprise me at all, I mean who would want to go with that ferret.' Ron shrugged. 'He has changed ever since he returned to Hogwarts, he isn't the same guy he was a year ago.' Hermione defended. 'Come on Hermione.' Ron said. 'Whatever.' Hermione muttered, lifting her cup of tea up to her lips. 'You haven't even shown me your dress yet.' Ginny said. Hermione quickly looked up at her best friend, a gasp leaving her lips. 'I knew I forgot something!' Hermione exclaimed. 'You don't have a dress?' Ginny asked, widening her eyes. 'No, I forgot to buy one!' Hermione groaned. 'You forgot to buy a dress, even though the main thing that has been in your head the past week has been the ball?' Harry asked, a small chuckle escaping his lips. 'This is not funny, Harry!' Ginny exclaimed, slapping her boyfriend's shoulder. 'Sorry.' Harry said, trying to keep himself from laughing even more. 'What do I do now? I can't go to the ball in my school uniform.' Hermione groaned. Ginny was just about to say something when Headmistress McGonagall stopped in her track behind Ginny. 'Is there something bothering you, Miss Granger?' McGonagall asked. 'I forgot to buy a dress for tonight, professor.' Hermione explained. 'Oh not to worry, just go and stand in front of the closet in your room and ask for the dress you'd want to wear tonight, open your closet and look what's inside.' McGonagall winked before walking on towards the exit of the Great Hall. Hermione gave her a smile and nodded. 'Thank you.' she called after her. 'Do you have a magical closet?' Ron asked. 'No silly, my dormitory is situated in the Room of Requirement. If you need something you only have to ask and the Room of Requirement will present you with what you asked for, remember?' Hermione explained. 'Stupid I didn't think of it myself.' 'That's awesome actually.' Ginny said. Hermione smiled. 'Alright, when everyone has finished here we'll have to start setting everything up to get it all done for tonight.' Hermione stated. 'What about your dress?' Ginny asked. 'I'll see it when we're done here, now don't I?' 'Ahw come on! I want to see it too!' 'I'm sorry to disappoint.' Hermione chuckled.

When everyone had disappeared from the Great Hall, except for all the prefects, they closed the massive double doors, so no one could see what they were doing in there or come in. It had to be a surprise for everyone. 'Ready to start?' Hermione asked. The prefects nodded before walking off to do their assigned duty for the day. 'What does your dress look like, Luna?' Ginny asked. 'I like it a lot, it's a purple one.' Luna said with her dreamy and calm voice. Luna had been assigned as one of the prefects of Ravenclaw this year and she had been happy to be assigned such a thing. 'What does yours look like?' Luna asked, looking from Ginny to Hermione and back again. 'She forgot to buy one.' Ginny answered for Hermione, drawing amusement out of this given fact. 'Now she only has to ask for her perfect, dream dress and it'll appear in her bloody closet, lucky girl.' 'Really?' Luna asked, looking up at Hermione. 'Yes, Draco and mine dormitory is situated in the Room of Requirement.' Hermione told her. 'Oh right.' Luna smiled. The girls talked and worked further and within a few hours the whole Great Hall was ready for the ball of that evening. Everyone walked to the centre of the Great Hall and looked around them. 'It's amazing.' Hermione said, slightly breathless as she looked at what the team had pulled off. 'It's wonderful.' Luna spoke up. 'It sure is.' Harry nodded proudly, wrapping his arms around Ginny's waist. 'Great job everyone.' Draco said, starting to clap, the others following soon. 'Marvellous job.' Hermione agreed. 'There's only one thing left to do.' Everyone turned to look at Hermione, confused to what this "thing" was. They had all done what they were assigned to do, so what did they forget? 'What? Did we forget something?' Draco asked. 'We only need to get dressed.' Hermione chuckled at the sight of all the faces with slightly alarmed looks on their faces. 'Hermione!' Ginny laughed. 'See you all at the ball tonight.' Hermione grinned before everyone left the room. Draco closed the doors of the Great Hall behind them after Hermione and himself walked out as well. They walked up to the seventh floor and told Snape the password before stepping into their dormitory. 'Do you have your dress robes?' Hermione asked. 'No, I forgot to ask if someone could get them for me.' Draco realised, a groan rolling over his lips. 'Don't worry, just ask for dress robes and they'll appear in your closet. I have the same problem, I forgot to buy a dress, luckily McGonagall pointed it out that we are staying in the Room of Requirement.' Hermione softly chuckled. 'Smart us.' Draco smiled. 'Indeed.' Hermione nodded. 'Okay, well, I'm going to change.' she said, walking off to her room. Draco made his way into his room and closed the door behind him before going to stand in front of his closet, where he asked for black dress robes and surely, when he opened the door of his wardrobe there hang a black dress robe ready for him to wear.

Hermione stood in front of her closet. She had no idea what kind of dress she would want to wear. All kinds of dresses went through her head, but she couldn't think of the right one. 'Just a perfect dress for a ball.' she sighed and opened her closet, maybe she had a nice dress hanging in there that she already owned that would do for a ball. She frowned as she stopped mid-search when she saw one that didn't belong to her, nor had she ever seen it before. She took it out of her closet and placed it on her neatly made bed. She quickly undressed herself before pulling the dress on. She looked down at the red fabric before walking over to her mirror on the wall. It fit perfectly, as if it was made for her and her alone. She turned around to see the back of the dress. It was a long red dress, beautiful and flowy. It was absolutely perfect. She turned back to her closet and saw shoes standing there. Shoes that would go perfectly together with the dress. She pulled the gold-coloured heels on before doing her hair and make-up. When she was ready she walked out of her room with the gold and red decorated mask covering part of her face. Draco was standing near the fire place, waiting for her as he tied his own mask at the back of his head. Draco has a silver mask with green lining on it. When she came out of her room Draco widened her eyes, finding it difficult to keep his lips pressed together, but he was determined to not look like a drooling idiot in front of her. He had never seen someone as beautiful as Hermione looked now, she looked perfect. Draco looked her up and down before his eyes landed on her face and she smiled. 'You're looking rather dashing with that dress robe of yours, Malfoy.' Hermione smiled, looking at Draco. 'Thank you and you look beautiful, Granger.' Draco said, offering her a smile. Hermione smiled and walked up to him, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. 'Time to go.' she said. Draco smiled and held his arm out, which Hermione gratefully took before they walked out of the common room and back down to the Great Hall. 'Did you manage to ask someone last minute? Or are you still going alone?' Hermione asked, slightly blushing. 'Oh no, I asked someone, I think we're perfect for each other.' Draco grinned from ear to ear. Hermione frowned, feeling an odd sensation in her stomach, making her look down at the ground as she tried to recover herself. She looked back up and sideways at Draco, who still had a big smile plastered on his face. 'Who?' Hermione asked, not sure whether she really wanted to know the answer, but she had no idea why. 'The name has an "a" in it.' Draco said. 'Pansy Parkinson?' Hermione asked. 'No.' Draco shook his head. 'I don't know?' Hermione said, silently hoping he was joking for a reason she didn't know, how could he have asked someone just a few hours before the ball? Was it someone he liked? The only one Hermione could come up with was Pansy. Draco looked at Hermione, a big smile still on his face. 'Well, tell me then.' Hermione said. 'The lucky one is none other than; Blaise Zabini!' Draco smiled. Hermione laughed, partly because she was rather relieved by this news. 'You're going with Zabini to the ball?' Hermione laughed. 'Yes.' 'Well I'm sure you're right, you are perfect for each other.' Hermione chuckles. 'Great minds think alike.' Draco winked. 'And who was the one to ask?' 'I asked him, he was too scared to ask it himself.' Hermione shook her head laughing. 'You're so weird.' 'Why thank you Miss.' Before they passed the last corner Hermione pulled her arm back, so that Ron wouldn't see them like that. Draco knew why she did it, but still felt the desire to have her closer to him. He knew whatever it was his heart was trying to get, wasn't going to happen. They were totally different people. He was a pure blood, she was a muggleborn. They had always hated each other, throughout those seven years previous from this one. Plus she was together with Weasley, even though he treated her horrible, but what could Draco do? It was her decision to stay with him. They passed the corner and at the end of the stairs saw Ron, and a little further away Blaise, waiting. 'I see your date is waiting for you.' Hermione smiled. 'Yours too.' Draco said, a little too coldly for his own liking. Hermione ignored the tone he just used and walked alongside him down the stairs, both Ron and Blaise's eyes fixed on her. 'Hey mate! Your date is over here!' Draco stated, narrowing his eyes at Blaise. Blaise laughed, his eyes lingering on Hermione for a moment longer before turning to Draco, only to be in time to see Draco running down the stairs and jumping into his arms. 'You look stunning.' Blaise said. 'Naturally, same for you.' Draco said, letting go of his friend and landing back on the ground on his own two feet. 'Great entrance, couldn't have wished for a better one.' Blaise laughed. Draco saw a few students, who were waiting in the corridor, staring at them with odd expressions on their faces. 'Nothing to see.' Draco laughed.

'Nice dress.' Ron said. Hermione mentally rolled her eyes, couldn't he come up with something other than just "nice dress"? Even Draco had told her she looked beautiful and her own boyfriend could only come up with nice dress? Goodness. Ron gave her a hug and kiss, but Hermione quickly pulled away from this, making Ron furrow his eyebrows. 'Something wrong?' he asked. Hermione looked over his shoulder and saw that Draco hadn't seen it, he was busy hugging, or strangling, his date, only to let go of him short after. 'Nothing to see.' she heard Draco laugh. A small smile appeared on Hermione's face, one she couldn't hide any longer. 'Something wrong?' Ron asked again. 'Oh nothing.' Hermione answered looking back at Ron. He nodded and they walked into the Great Hall together. When they passed Draco and Blaise Hermione smiled at them but Ron gave them a glare and quickly pulled her with him into the Great Hall. Draco smiled back at Hermione and didn't even notice Ron's glare, but Blaise did and he rolled his eyes at Ron as a response. 'Shall we go inside as well?' Draco asked Blaise. Blaise nodded and offered Draco his arm with a grin on his face. Draco formally bowed his head in thanks and took his arm before they walked into the Great Hall. They walked to the right side of the room and stopped there to talk with some of the Slytherin students and look at the few students who were dancing. McGonagall got up from her seat as the music stopped, making all the students turn to look at her. 'Good evening students.' she started. 'I hope you all will have a wonderful evening and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the prefects who have worked so hard to make this all happen.' McGonagall said before joining the applause of the students. 'And before we start this ball, I'd like to take a moment to remember those who have fallen and can't be with us to celebrate the beginning of the new school year.' Everyone was silent for the upcoming minute to give their respect to the fallen and remember the horrible Battle of Hogwarts where so many had been ripped away from their loved ones. McGonagall thanked everyone and opened the evening. Hermione looked over at Draco and gave him a small smile, receiving a smile back and a quick nod. 'Great job.' Draco mouthed to her from across the room. 'You too.' Hermione mouthed back with a smile.