Partners. ~A Harry Potter, Dramione FF~

Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Halloween was on the way and Hermione couldn’t wait! She had convinced Professor McGonagall to have a Halloween ball. All the girls, of course, loved the idea but the boys weren’t so enthusiastic.

By now everyone had a date, except for Hermione. She was actually thinking of asking Ron. She was nervous, though, worried that he would say no. She was afraid she would embarrass herself.

She walked, quickly, to Potions, happy she had Draco to take her mind off things. People had started noticing their newfound friendship, but neither of them seemed to care about the weird looks, or the rumors.

She took her seat in the back next to Draco. She smiled at him and to her delight he smiled back. Draco still didn’t look well, but she was happy she could help. Even though they had hated each other for years, she didn’t mind him. Harry and Ron still hated him, but she would deal with that later.

“I heard you were the one who convinced McGonagall to hold a dance.” He said.

“I thought it would be a good idea.” She replied.

“Well, who’s your date?” He asked.

“I don’t have one.” She said.

Draco looked surprised. “Weasel hasn’t asked you?”

“Nope…” She replied.

“But you want him to?” Draco asked.

“Maybe…”

Draco chuckled.

Hermione slapped him in the arm playfully. “Don’t laugh at me.”

“I don’t know what you see in the little git, but whatever.” He said.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Who’s your date for the dance?”

“I don’t have a date either.”

“No Pansy?”

“Why would I have asked Pansy?” He asked.

“Well, you had been talking about it on the carriage.” Hermione said.

He rolled his eyes. “She is so annoying…”

Hermione laughed.

“Mhm.” He smiled.

Class started and Hermione turned her head to the front to pay attention. Halfway through, though, her train of thought was interrupted by a tapping on her shoulder.

“Yes, Malfoy?” Hermione asked.

“Well…” He started. “Seeing as neither of us have dates-“ Hermione perked up a bit, listening carefully, “-how about we go together, just as friends?”

“Sure.” She said simply, happy on the inside.

“Okay.” He said, Hermione could hear the smile in his voice.

“Okay then.” She said, going back to the potion project.

When Potions was over, they smiled at each other and went their separate ways. Hermione went back to her dorm, knowing she had some shopping to do. She smiled to herself, thinking of how this would have never happened if their teachers didn’t pair them together.

Hermione didn’t know what Draco was dressing up as for the Halloween ball, but she knew exactly whom she was going as. She wondered if they should coordinate their costumes. Right then, as if answering her question, in flew an owl carrying a letter from Draco. She opened it and saw that he had the same idea as her. She was definitely ready to shop.

Luckily, the next day McGonagall let all of the students go to Hogsmeade to get costumes for the ball. Hermione went by herself to a formal dress shop and picked out the perfect dress and shoes for her character.

She ran back to Hogwarts to try it on and it looked perfect. She couldn’t wait for Halloween! She couldn’t wait to go to the ball with Draco! She smiled brightly at herself in the mirror and then took off the dress.

It was Saturday, so Hermione and Draco had a study session for Charms. She pulled on a sweater, the one that Mrs. Weasley gave her last Christmas, and headed to the Library. The sweater was pink with a red ‘H’ on it. Mrs. Weasley gave sweaters to everyone on Christmas and it always put a smile on Hermione’s face.

She walked into the Library, not surprised to see Draco there early, and sat down in the seat across from him. He smiled at her as she pulled out her books and she smiled back, once she noticed him looking at her.

Ever since the beginning of the year, Draco never seemed himself. Hermione thought that he seemed like he just needed a friend. She was happy she could be there for him, even if he had bullied her for years.

She stared at him for a while, not really noticing it. She memorized his face, the bags under his eyes, and the emptiness in his expression. He looked sad. She saw a small scar on his nose and smirked, knowing it was from third year when she punched him.

“What?” Draco asked, noticing Hermione staring at him.

“You have a scar on your nose from when I punched you.” She said.

He rolled his eyes. “I certainly do. That really hurt, by the way.” He said.

Hermione smirked again. Neither of them brought up the dance, or their agreement on their costumes. Somehow, they just knew that they had come to an agreement. For the first time in their lives, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy agreed on something.

Hermione was happy that her and Draco were friends, though she hadn’t told Harry or Ginny yet. She decided she should probably tell them soon or else they would find out the hard way: at the ball.

After her study session with Draco, she headed up to her Common room where she found Harry and Ginny, cuddling on the couch. She was happy that they were together now.

“Guys, I have a date for the ball.” She said, taking a seat in the armchair across from them.

Ginny perked up immediately. “Who is it?” She exclaimed.

“Well…” Hermione started. “We’ve been friends for a while and we are just going as friends.”

“Would you tell us who it is already!” Ginny said.

“It’s…” She scratched the back of her neck, nervous. “Kind of… Draco Malfoy…” She said, nervously.

“Draco Malfoy?” Harry and Ginny exclaimed in union.

“What about him?” Ron asked, walking over.

Hermione immediately got up and walked away. Ron is not the person she wanted to talk to about this, or anything for that matter. Hermione always thought that her and Ron would end up together, in the end. She always thought that he was her true love. She used hope he would wake up one day and realize that his soul mate was staring him straight in the face. But he never even took notice of her, so she gave up on him. Sadly, that also meant giving up on their friendship. Being friend zoned was one thing she never wanted to be.

She knew that Ginny and Harry would probably tell Ron about Draco, but Hermione didn’t really care. She didn’t like him anymore, and maybe she found someone else. She wasn’t sure she liked Draco, she thought maybe it was just an illusion. But she also had a thought, nagging in the back of her head, that maybe her thinking it was illusion was really just her denying her feelings.