These Dark And Hollow Nights

Chapter Twenty-One: Mistletoe

Chapter Twenty-One: Mistletoe

Hermione’s POV

‘No, no, no. You’re supposed to follow my lead, not step around it,’ Blaise said in an exasperated tone.

Hermione sighed. It was early afternoon on Christmas Eve, and they were in the formal room. Blaise was trying to teach her how to Waltz, but she couldn’t concentrate on the steps, so she kept doing the opposite of what he was telling her. He was obviously trying not to show how frustrated he was getting.

‘Can we just not do the Waltz?’ She asked.

Blaise looked at her as though she were crazy for suggesting such a thing. ‘No,’ he said. ‘I mean, it would certainly be easier, but my Mum won’t let me sit out. Even when I was little, I wasn’t allowed.’

She laughed, picturing a little Blaise waltzing. The image was adorable to her, and she wished she could have seen it in person. ‘Alight,’ she said. ‘But we’re going to be absolutely terrible.’

‘Probably,’ he sighed. ‘I thought you could Waltz, though. I remember you were dancing with that Bulgarian idiot, Vincent, at the Yule Ball.’

‘Viktor,’ she corrected. ‘And I wasn’t really that good at it. He did all the dancing. I was just… following his lead, I suppose.’

Blaise sighed again. ‘You’re distracted today, though,’ he noted. ‘Hmm. Maybe you could close your eyes? Let your feet do the moving?’

‘That might work,’ she said.

He put his hands on her waist again, and she closed her eyes as the music began. She couldn’t concentrate on dancing when she was so close to Blaise. It wasn’t comfortable; so, unbeknownst to him, she imagined that she was dancing with Draco instead, under the stars on the school grounds. It worked, because soon they were waltzing in time to the music, and she felt as if she were flying.

‘There you go,’ said Blaise approvingly. ‘You’ve got it now.’

She opened her eyes, and the illusion shattered. There was no starlit Black Lake, no Draco. Just Blaise, and an empty room.

‘Can we go eat now?’ She asked. ‘I’m starving.’

Her stomach growled as she said it, and Blaise laughed. ‘Alright,’ he said. ‘I’ll get Penny to make us some lunch.’

They left the formal room, and headed to the kitchen. She still felt as if she was spinning, and her heart was racing. She didn’t understand why she had felt so… disappointed when she realised that her Draco-illusion was just that: an illusion. It was confusing, so she shoved the thoughts away, and tried to focus on something else.

But she couldn’t stop thinking about Draco, no matter how much she tried, and she refused to admit—even to herself—what she already knew in her heart. But she was not ready to make her decision yet, so she forced herself to forget about it, even though she knew she wouldn’t.