Dedicated to EvangelineLanae. Why? Lets see....She guest wrote a huge chunk of this chapter, is a Potterhead, likes Tom Felton and 1D and purple, is one of my best friends, and if she wasn't here, I'd frankly go crazy from all the Harry Potter and other strange things I wouldn't be able to babble about anymore. That probably made no sense, but I think thats good enough reasoning for a dedication =)
Here I am once again (for the third time in the span of three days), with a brand new chapter.
This chapter is just...gah...I tried to make it not so "gah," but it ended up being quite"gah." It has also made me realize that writing romantic/cute/adorable scenes that are sad is so not my thing. I should most likely start writing horror stories. Except that would give me nightmares...Yeah. I'll just stick with this for now =)
LISTEN TO THE SONG ON THE RIGHT BEFORE YOU READ THE CHAPTER. THEN LISTEN TO IT AGAIN. OTHERWISE THE EFFECT WONT BE THE SAME. Unless you know the song already (like I do!), then it's all right.
Ok, I shall quit babbling now.
Enjoy!
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“Grief, a type of sadness that most often occurs when you have lost someone you love, is a sneaky thing, because it can disappear for a long time, and then pop back up when you least expect it.”
-Lemony Snicket
When Draco and Hermione’s feet touched the earth, Hermione gasped in awe. The building in front of then was beautiful. It was simply grand; it was obvious just from the intricate design on the front door. Before they could knock on the door, a house elf opened the door and let them in.
“Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Granger, come in. Your presence has been awaited.”
They walked inside, following the house elf. After following the house elf through several magnificent hallways, they finally arrived in the grand ballroom that was filled with dancing pairs.
Happiness and enthusiasm filled the room. The mood was so overwhelming, it was contagious. It made Draco and Hermione forget, even if momentarily, that tonight was the last night of their charade.
Everyone, who as anyone, was there. The Potters, Malfoys, Lovegoods, Delacours, Woods. Red headed Weasleys could be spotted throughout the room. Even the Hogwarts professors were there.
Several people came up to them, greeting them happily, or drunkenly in Seamus’s case. They conversed merrily and danced the night away. As the clock marked the passing of each hour, the ball grew merrier. Inversely, with each stroke of the clock, Draco and Hermione’ cheerful moods dimmed.
Even though it was evident, neither Hermione nor Draco admitted their feelings to each other. They refused to admit that they had actually enjoyed their time together, even though both clearly felt the same way. They were too proud to admit they had been wrong about each other.
It seemed that in no time at all, the clock chimed three-quarters of the eleventh hour, indicating the year was coming to an end and it was time for to announce the Witch and Wizard of the year.
As Cho Chang, the editor in chief for Witch’s Weekly, took stage, a hush fell over the ballroom.
“This year has been a great year for the Wizarding World. Specifically, it’s been a great year for Witch’s Weekly and the world of entertainment. This year has seen many ups, such as the long awaited and much celebrated wedding of Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley.”
Hermione wasn’t sure if she was the only one who thought Cho Chang’s smile looked a bit forced.
“It has also seen many lows, such as the retirement of our beloved History of Magic professor, Professor Binns. But most of all, it has been a year of surprises,” Cho Chang continued. As soon as she said it, people began glancing at Hermione and Draco, causing the former to blush furiously.
“I’m mean who would’ve thought Chudley Cannons would actually win the World Cup!? No offense to any of their players or fans,” Cho Chang added with a charming smile. “We’re going to end this wonderful year by announcing what many of you have been waiting for with great anticipation. We’ll be announcing the couple who won the prestigious title of Witch and Wizard of the year.”
“There were many nominees this year, many more than usual. They ranged from what can only be called absurd to what has been anticipated to those that were just simply surprising. After voting and much decision making, we have come to a consensus.”
“It’s been decided that the title of Witch and Wizard of the year goes to…none other than Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger!”
Immediately the whole room burst into cheers. Well, everyone except for four individuals who were sporting quite different expressions.
Astoriawas absolute livid with anger. If looks could kill, Hermione would’ve been dead a hundred times over, in the short span of a few seconds. Draco and Hermione, on the other hand, looked as if they were attending a funeral. Ron, for some strange reason, looked extremely confused.
Hermione and Draco quickly plastered fake, yet convincing, smiles on their faces as cameras flashed at them. As soon as the camera crew had taken their fair share of pictures, it was time for the long awaited final dance of the year (it ends right at 12:01).
As the music started, Draco offered his hand to Hermione, who took it without a second thought, the magnitude of the event finally hit Hermione.
As the lights dimmed, Draco placed his hand on Hermione’s waist and took her hand in his other and Hermione placed her other hand on Draco’s shoulder. (IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY, LISTEN TO THE SONG ON THE SIDE)
Shut the door, turn the light off
I wanna be with you
I wanna feel your love
I wanna lay beside you
I cannot hide this even though I try
As they swayed to the song, Hermione felt as if the song was written for her. It described her situation perfectly. And a little, tiny, miniscule part of her hoped that Draco felt the same way.
Heart beats harder
Time escapes me
Trembling hands touch skin
It makes this harder
And the tears stream down my face
Hermione felt out of place; a sad soul in a crowd of happy, dancing pairs, with tears literally threatening to stream down her face.
If we could only have this life for one more day
If we could only turn back time
You know I'll be
Your life, your voice your reason to be
My love, my heart
Is breathing for this
Moment in time
I'll find the words to say
Before you leave me today
From the moment Draco had been reminded of this ball, he had spent hours staring at the fire and debating upon his action. In fact he has lost an entire night’s worth of beauty sleep due to it. Being the cunning Slytherin Draco is, he spent hours debating each possibility and assessing its consequences. After evaluating each and every possibility and coming to a conclusion, he told himself that he would unerringly stick to his decision. But as they danced, Draco could feel his will crumbling with each step.
Close the door
Throw the key
Don't wanna be reminded
Don't wanna be seen
Don't wanna be without you
My judgement is clouded
Like tonight's sky
Unable to keep up her façade anymore, Hermione extracted her hand from Draco’s, placed them around Draco’s neck and placed her head on his shoulder, leaning into him. Draco slipped his hands to her waist an soon both were in each others arms, swaying to the music.
Hands are silent
Voice is numb
Try to scream out my lungs
But it makes this harder
And the tears stream down my face
Draco felt Hermione trying to stifle a sob, and pulled back only to find the most heartbreakingly sad look on her face.
If we could only have this life for one more day
If we could only turn back time
Hermione’s warm chocolaty eyes, glossy with unshed tears, looked into Draco’s stormy grey ones as if silently pleading him to voice the very thing he had decided not to voice.
You know I'll be
Your life, your voice your reason to be
My love, my heart
Is breathing for this
Moment in time
I'll find the words to say
Before you leave me today
As Draco’s hands cupped Hermione’s face and brushed away the tears, the grey eyes met the brown ones and memories began to flash past them.
Flashes left in my mind
Going back to the time
Playing games in the street
Kicking balls with my feet
Dancing on with my toes
Standing close to the edge
There's a pile of my clothes
At the end of your bed
As I feel myself fall
Make a joke of it all
As the song played on, it seemed to Draco and Hermione that time stood still as memories flashed past them. Insulting each other at Hogwarts, getting locked in the broom closet,detentions, the truce, the cauldron of amortenia, Room of Requirements, the deal, the makeover, the wedding, the vacation, the kiss… All these memories flew past them as if they had stepped into a pensive. In fact, they were so caught up in their memories, they didn’t even register a couple, Ron andAstoria to be exact, quarrelling, rather loudly, in an adjacent corridor.
You know I'll be
Your life, your voice your reason to be
My love, my heart
Is breathing for this
Moment in time
I'll find the words to say
Draco slowly lowered his head until his lips met Hermione’s. After a few moments Draco broke off the kiss, shattering the magical moment. Tearing his eyes away from Hermione’s, he softly placed his lips against her forehead and cast one last, long, sad look at her before turning around and walking away. As he walked away, the clock chimed twelve times and the line of the song played.
Before you leave me today
As Hermione watched Draco walk away, tears that she had held back streamed relentlessly down her face. She was quite the sight; a girl with a broken heart trying to hold back each cherished second that had passed, amidst a plethora of people celebrating and welcoming the New Year. Tears blurred her vision until everything around her was a hazy cloud. Through her blurry vision, she saw a tall figure walking towards her.
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Draco knew he should’ve left. He knew he should’ve left the second the song was over. That very second. He also knew that he wasn’t suppose to kiss Hermione and get her hopes up only to meet disappointment. Since he had already broken the first rule, he decided it wouldn’t hurt to break another one. Boy, was he wrong.
As he stood afar and watched Hermione, each tear that slid down her cheeks felt like a punch in his guts. He felt jealousy stab his hear when he saw Ron Weasley making his way towards Hermione.
“You chose this. This is right. It’s the proper thing to do. It’s how it should be. It is how it’s meant to be,” Draco repeated over and over to himself, trying to drown the voice in his head that stubbornly kept on asking, “If this is how it’s meant to be, why does it hurt so much?”
With this internal battle, Draco disapparated with out a glance behind him, determined to leave Hermione at last and for all.
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Hermione felt her hopes rise as her tears ceased and she squinted at the figure heading her way. Her hopes came crashing down when she saw light reflect off of the incomers red hair.
As disappointment flooded through her, she felt a rush of déjà vu. She felt as if she was re-watching a part of her life. She felt as if she was in a pensive and had stepped into a memory of this exact same night, only four years ago…
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What did you guys think about that? Sadly, for rockthesmurf, Cho Chang did not kill Ginny and seduce Harry. But I hope you guys still liked it =)
In case you are wondering, it ends like this because there is a flashback coming up in the next chappie! I LOVE FLASHBACKS!!
Ok, I'm kind of sleep deprived and ate a LOT of chocolate (Not a good combination if you want me to be sane). So, I'm going to quit rambling and post this.
Oh, almost forgot! Vote, Comment & Fan!!