Pride of a Granger & Prejudice of a Malfoy

Chapter 7: New Year's Eve

"Fireworks have direct and magical appeal. The attraction was more complex than any other form of art. Fireworks have pattern and sequence, colour and sound, brilliance and mobility; they had suspense, surprise, and a faint hint of danger; above all, they had the supreme quality of transience, which puts the keenest edge on beauty and makes it touch some spring in the heart which more enduring excellences cannot reach." –Jan Struther

"Honestly, Granger! Is it even humanly possible to walk any slower than that?" Draco asked, as he and Hermione walked to Avenue des Champs Elysees.

"I'm walking at a perfectly well paced rate considering the shoes that I have been forced to wear," Hermione huffed, nearly running, in five inch heels Cho talked her into wearing, trying to keep up with Draco. "And why are you here anyways?

"Chang roped me into waiting for you, once again," Draco elucidated. "She needs to stop before she makes a habit of it. Why did you come back? I thought you walked over with us."

"I went back to get my purse that I accidentally left behind," Hermione replied. "Something that you would've realized if you were a bit more observant."

"I have better things to do with my time, than keep track of your wardrobe, Granger," Draco replied. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not Weasley. Or Potter."

"Oh, and I suppose some other blonde dunce was checking me out when I was coming down the stairs," Hermione countered, raising an eyebrow.

"Your overactive imagination is getting to your head, Granger," Draco replied, his cheeks gaining a slight pink tint. "Maybe if you would shut up, you'd be able to walk faster than a slow turtle."

"Okay, now that was uncalled for," Hermione replied through gritted teeth. "It is not my fault that you happen to be freakishly tall with unnaturally long legs, and thus have abnormally long strides. Sorry, we're not all half-giants!"

"I'm not a half-giant!" Draco replied hotly. "You're walking more slowly than my great aunt Clarisse. And she is dead!"

"Who made you the Admiral Jerk of the British Royal Douchery?" Hermione muttered sarcastically, her voice dripping with venom.

"Oh, that was a good one!" exclaimed Draco. "But don't let your mind wander too far in pursuit of good insults. It's far too small to be let out on its own."

"I'd slap you, but that would be animal abuse," Hermione replied with a sorry face. "Ferret abuse, to be specific."

"You open your mouth, but all I hear is Moaning Myrtle," Draco snapped.

"Keep talking, someday you might say something intelligent or at least a bit original," Hermione replied, pretending to yawn.

"Granger, why don't you just take a long walk into a broken vanishing cabinet?" Draco offered.

"If I remember correctly, a blonde idiot and his two insipid sidekicks burned it down along with the Room of Requirements," Hermione replied. "If it still worked, and we were in there right now, I'd have a machete and you would be making Nearly Headless Nick jealous."

"Is that supposed to make me feel threatened?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because all I'm feeling right now is amusement."

"See this face, Malfoy?" Hermione asked, pointing at her face. "This is me, not caring."

"You're finally here!" exclaimed a voice near them, startling them from their glaring contest.

Hermione and Draco turned to the source of noise to find Pansy looking at them curiously, slightly pissed off.

"Where were you two?" Pansy asked, eyeing them suspiciously.

After Hermione explained the whole story of her purse, and Draco added this comments about her speed, or the lack thereof, she asked, "Where are Blaise and Cho?"

"Probably off somewhere being all lovey-dovey and couple-y," Draco remarked, taking a sip of whiskey that he had somehow mysteriously acquired. "Gah! What is this thing?! This does not deserve to be called whiskey! Firewhiskey tastes so much better than this!"

Ignoring Draco, Pansy replied, "The last time I saw them, they were dancing, completely oblivious to the rest of the world. That was about an hour ago, but I doubt much has changed."

"I'm going to head down to the pub and see if they have any bourbon left," Draco declared. "Want anything?"

"Just get me something that is not repulsive, if such a thing exists in a muggle pub," Pansy replied, scrunching up her nose.

"Granger?" Draco inquired.

"No thanks," Hermione replied, quite shocked that he even bothered to ask.

A few minutes filled with awkward silence later, Draco returned with Blaise and Cho in tow.

"Look what I found!!" Draco exclaimed waving two bottles in his hand. "BOURBON! Oh, and I ran into those two as well," he added with a shrug, indicating the two figures behind him.

"We found you in time!" Cho exclaimed, her arm linked with Blaise's.

"The countdown is about to start!" Blaise noted with excitement in his eyes.

Indeed it was. Just as he finished speaking, the countdown began.

"Ten!" Everyone shouted from the top of their lungs, their faces raised expectantly towards the sky.

"Nine!"

"Eight!"

"Seven!"

Pansy's eyes were trained on Draco.

"Six!"

"Five!"

Draco's eyes were flickering to and fro Hermione.

"Four!"

"Three!"

Hermione was looking at Blaise and Cho with a content look and a smile on her face.

"Two!"

Blaise and Cho were looking at each other in what can only be described as pure love.

"One!"

BOOM!

Colorful streaks of light rained down, illuminating the starry night sky in their wake.

Hermione let out a sigh, as she watched the beautiful fireworks show.

Her peace was short lived, as moments later it was shattered by Pansy's voice.

"I wonder what he sees in her."

Hermione glanced at Pansy to find her looking at Blaise and Cho, who were watching the fireworks show with their hands linked and smiled on their faces, with a slightly disgusted expression.

"What do you mean?" Draco asked distractedly, trying to open his second bottle of bourbon in his drunken state without hitting the old lady next to him.

"I know that she is pretty and all, but Blaise has to realize that he can't marry her!" Pansy exclaimed.

Hermione, who was previously feeling bad for eavesdropping, now listened more intently.

"Huh?" Draco asked, still trying to open the bottle.

"She is a half-blood," Pansy replied in a hushed tone. "You can't marry a half-blood and keep the pureblood bloodline intact," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Uh-huh," Draco replied, finally able to get the bottle open, not having heard a single word Pansy said, a fact that was becoming clear to Pansy, unlike Hermione who was still oblivious to it.

"Did you hea-," she began.

Hermione, however, didn't stay to hear her rebuke Draco. Instead, she fled the scene as fast as her feet could take her in her five inch heels, eager to leave before she ended up doing something rash, like cursing Pansy, and even Draco for that matter. With her face twisted in anger, she stormed off to the hotel, eager to get as far away as she could from the Avenue des Champs Elysees.