"McGonagall said that she is to decide when the dance is to be." He told her through the door.
"WHAT?!" Hermione shrieked as she dried her hair with the towel.
"I said..."
"I heard you, Malfoy. I just...you know.."
"Yeah, right, well she told me yesterday that she was to announce the dance." Draco sat on the stairs leading to the Head-girl's room with his back resting on Granger's door. She was getting ready for the ball and he wasn't allowed in, naturally. But since they needed to go over the details anyway, and girls took twice the time to get ready, he had parked himself by her door.
Hermione seated herself by her mirror and made a loud noise of disgruntlement.
"Tell me about it," Malfoy's voice said through her door.
"You said your partner wouldn't show up," she told the door.
"True. Must suck to be the rest of you then." Hermione could hear his gleeful smile. "Is your guy showing?"
"Sadly," she replied. What was she to do with her hair? She knew from experience that if she wanted a good hairdo, she shouldn't shower the same day. She sighed and looked at the hated tangles. It wouldn't turn into someone else's hair by just staring at it. She charmed her blow-dryer silent so she could keep speaking with Malfoy.
"Doesn't the poor guy have any redeeming features?"
"No!" Maybe some, but very few and definitely not while she was angry with him.
He was Severus Snape and that was a flaw all by itself.
"Harsh."
She sighed again. She hated Snape, but she hated Miss Winter more for being able to dance with him. Hermione hated her for being someone Snape wouldn't be ashamed of. And vice-versa.
She should have fallen for a man who her friends wouldn't detest the mere notion of.
"One more sigh from you and I'll go camp out by my door."
"You do that, I think we have covered the basics. Our duties, the décor, our arrival, the guests, the food, and McGonagall's sudden need to hold us all in suspense as to when our public humiliation is to occur."
Malfoy stood up, not that Hermione could see that. "Splendid. Then I'll see you half past, yes?"
"Yep."
She heard him go downstairs and start his own preparations.
She stood up and walked over to her red bed, the aquamarine dress laid out over it. It had been fortuitous that she had Madam Malkin do it for her and that she hadn't tried fixing it by herself. It was beautiful. She had found a similar colour in transparent and had Madam Malkin make the dress in two fabrics instead of one, making it look more sophisticated. If she was to make an older man like her, it would be a good thing not to point out her own youth.
She descended the stairs in her fantastic dress. Hair up with tasteful makeup and fitting jewels, she was a princess. And possibly looking five years older.
Mature, yes she looked mature.
The Winter Skank didn't stand a chance!
"Hey, you don't look bad," Malfoy greeted her from where he'd been waiting on their couch.
"Same back at ya," she said with a twirl.
Malfoy stood up, wearing his black dress robes with silver embroidery. He smirked at her and offered his arm. "Shall we?"
She took his arm and they walked down to the great hall.
They were the first to arrive just as they had anticipated. They were half an hour early so that they could barrage the prefects with last minute changes.
The décor wasn't tacky and it could be seen as romantic without being too obviously so. As a mutual agreement between them, pink had been banned.
It didn't take long for the prefects to show, with or without dates.
Hermione saved no breath putting them to work.
At seven precisely, the doors officially opened and people started to pour in.
"We did well," Malfoy smiled at her.
She nodded.
They had a large dancing area in front of the raised platform for the band, and behind that they had put different-sized round tables. Some tables held as many ten seats, and then some had just two chairs. Yes, they had done well.
"So since you are my reluctant date," Malfoy said with a wink, "how about I get us a drink?"
"Sure. But I believe I forced you to come with me."
He laughed but went to fetch the drinks.
Hermione stood looking at the masses of people. It was interesting to see who came with whom.
In the crowd she could see Ron and Harry walking in with Neville who had Luna on his arm. Hermione saw Dean following them with a beautiful girl she didn't recognise and behind them came Seamus and Ginny.
She smiled. Seamus was looking nervously around as if he waited for some kind of assault.
There where Parkinson, tugging at Goyle's arm, and Zabini with some foreign woman.
People were also coming through from the main doors. The unknowing public who thought they had only been invited for a ball, and not for matchmaking. She could see the red hair of that Tara girl Ron had invited, giggling with a friend. Ron would be glad to know She was there.
It was then that Hermione found herself alone as Snape ascended the room with Miss Winter on his arm.
She had known the sight would sting, but she had not anticipated it to grab her heart and tear it savagely into shreds.
Severus steered the younger girl to a table at the far back. She followed him obediently whilst clinging to him like some weird appendage.
He looked down at his young friend. She was trying to hide it, but she was nervous.
"Second thoughts, Artemis?" he asked her. She almost used him as a shield as they walked.
Artemis sat down and tried to discreetly scope the room.
"Never," she lied, rather convincingly actually.
"Good, because you dragged me here, remember?"
He sat down beside her. They had arrived with most of the public so no one had made a big deal out of him with a date. If one could call Artemis a date.
She was jumpy but it was understandable.
"What made you want to go to this ball anyway, Ari?" Severus asked politely. Miss Granger was dancing, with the Weasley boy apparently.
Ari narrowed her eyes.
"When that Granker girl...," she coughed and tried again, "I couldn't let her think she could just barge in and steal my...," Ari flushed and looked away "Not, you know that...well you know, I don't own...um...I didn't mean it like that."
Severus looked down at her with an eyebrow raised. She blushed redder.
Why did she even try to hide it? They both knew how she felt. If she could only let go of her pride and admit to her feelings... it would save her a lot of pain.
He sighed. She was a relentlessly stupid girl.
Well, he couldn't help her. Her mess, not his.
Severus stood up and presented his hand to Artemis. But maybe he could take her mind of it for a bit.
"You dragged me here, so shall we dance?"
"Won't your students talk?"
He took her hand and started for the dance floor. "Probably, but they'll have more interesting things to speak about before this night is over."
"That sounds ominous..."
Severus didn't have to come up with a smart reply to his date's comment as Minerva materialised in front of them.
"Severus." She had a huge fake smile plastered across her face "You came and with... who is your lovely young...," she had a definite emphasis on young, "friend here?"
Severus pushed Artemis in front of him, and she curtsied. Severus rolled his eyes.
"This is Artemis Winter, Artemis this is Min..."
"WINTER! Oh, why yes, of course!" the relief in the headmistress voice was positively painful. "Winter. Yes, charmed, I'm sure." Minerva shook the girls hand vigorously... had she already nipped into the sherry?
"How delightful...?" Ari said, looking questioningly at Severus.
Severus nodded to Minerva and tugged the younger woman out of the older woman's clutches.
They managed to push their way to a clear spot on the crowded dance floor.
Minerva had seen to it that the band would mostly play slow songs. Luckily, Severus could waltz.
Hermione strained her facial muscles to not let the smile melt into a grimace when she saw the pair take up the waltz.
Harry steered her around the floor in defiance to Ginny's insistent dance with Seamus.
Harry had replaced Ron at some point, Hermione didn't really mind, as it was fun to dance.
Well that had been until Barbie decided she wanted to waltz with Snape. Now Harry's unblinking stares at Ginny and Seamus was getting annoying as well.
Harry stopped. Hermione was just about to snap at his lack of attentiveness when Draco took his place.
"Hope you don't mind, Hero," he smirked at Harry. Harry glared but left them to it.
"Where have you been? And where is my drink?" Hermione asked with a pout.
"Well, things changed," he said and looked pointedly over her shoulder at someone. "I had been assured my reflection would stay away. Well they said.. .never mind. I forgot your drink anyways, and I'm sorry."
Hermione shook her head, but smiled
"So mine showed, did yours?" he asked with a hollow and clearly worried smile. He had really not been expecting his mirror date.
Hermione equalled his smile, "Yes. And with a girl."
"Ouch!"
"Tell me about it."
They twirled around the floor both avoiding looking at or hitting the pairs dancing nearby.
"Attention, attention!"
Hermione and Malfoy slowed to a halt and looked up at the podium. McGonagall had shushed the orchestra and taken a microphone hostage.
"Welcome to a little special dance here in mid-autumn. Would everyone please clear the dance floor. Everyone! Yes Jefferson, even you. Thank you. Yes as I was saying..."
Hermione went to sit by her Gryffindor friends who had occupied a table near the stage.
She saw that their Slytherin equals had done something similar a little ways away, and Malfoy went there.
"Due to an old family heirloom, rediscovered at the beginning of this semester, I have decided we should all have a nice ball. Now, here we are!" Applause erupted; McGonagall waved them down with a smile. "Yes, yes. Because of the specific nature of my heirloom, this little get together is going to have a special dance."
Half the room applauded, a quarter didn't get it and the remainder dreaded the next words.
"This special dance is going to pair us up with the person we would see if we looked in to my mirror, the object we're celebrating. In my mirror we would see our soul's heart's match."
The room went dead silent.
"Just as complex as that, yes. Well it sounds more complicated than it is. I will lay a spell on the room. And if your match is in it... NO! Miss Greengrass, I see you, everyone will stay in here! Excuse me, yes... If your match is in here, you will feel a pull towards him or her. So with no further ado... Let the Soul's Love Dance commence!"
She waved her wand and Hermione saw the headmistress's mouth move. An eruption like a soundless bomb of pink exploded out of McGonagall's wand and struck the room's hushed occupants.