Hermione closed her eyes as the pink shockwave passed trough her.
She opened her eyes to see the last remnants of pink strike the walls and disappear. As it evaporated, it left a weird pulling sensation in her stomach.
Tremulously, sound rose in the Great Hall. The musicians woke up and found their instruments.
Ginny looked past Seamus at Harry. Harry smiled at her and stretched out his hand.
Ginny returned a smile that might have told a thousand words. They stood up and took to the dance floor.
Slowly by slowly more couples trickled on to the floor.
Dean and his date were already twirling happily in each others' arms. Neville was laughing at something Luna had said.
Even the Slytherin's were having a good time. Goyle held Parkinson tightly as her big purple dress flowed with their motions.
Hermione felt the pulling sensation grow rapidly, but she decided he would have to come to her.
He would have to bow to her for once. He would have to leave his pretty date and ask Hermione to dance. Yes without a doubt. Hermione looked around for her dark dance partner.
Snape was nowhere to be seen. She was beginning to feel slightly nauseated.
Ron stood up and made his way to a table at the far back. Tara seemed relived when he asked her to dance. The poor girl had only felt the sickening feeling and not known whom to go to. Now she smiled happily holding the hero Ron Weasley by the hand, he led her up the room.
Hermione looked at the only other occupant from her table. Seamus. The boy took a deep breath and stood up. He straightened his robe and walked steadily across the room.
Hermione craned her neck to see were he was heading. Her stomach flipped and her eyes bulged, Seamus strides were leading him directly towards the Slytherin table.
As the Irish boy approached Malfoy stood up and too straightened his robes.
Hermione's eyes nearly popped out. Malfoy and... Malfoy and Seamus?!
She was getting really nauseous now, not because of the boys looking at one another, Malfoy smirking and Seamus glaring. No Snape was defiantly taking his time.
Malfoy was the first to speak, "Thought you said you wouldn't come."
"Things happened."
Seamus took a stepped closer and averted his eyes from the smirking Malfoy.
"So shall we dance?" he asked.
"It's either that or throwing up, it was a tough choice," Daphne Greengrass said and took his reluctant hand.
"I saw you tell Draco you wouldn't come," she told him sourly as he took her unenthusiastically in his arms.
"I know. I saw you staring at my humiliation," Seamus replied curtly.
They took a few steps before Seamus opened his mouth again. "Why did you trip my date?" he asked her.
Daphne glared past his shoulder. "It had nothing to do with you. Now shut up so we can get through this." And they danced.
Hermione looked away from the couple and tried to find Snape. She was felling really ill now.
Blow her pride! She didn't want to throw up. That might be worse than asking Snape to dance.
Might.
She stood up to look for him.
As she walked around she felt the feeling in her stomach pulling at her.
Interesting...When she went where it pulled the sensation subsided slightly.
She headed towards the feeling and saw the silver colour of Winter's dress. She was getting closer. She stepped up her pace heading for the girl.
Yet when she reached the woman Snape was not there.
"Excuse me Miss Winter..." Hermione began.
"Not now Grover." The rude girl didn't even glace in her direction. She was looking fixedly over Hermione's shoulder.
Hermione turned.
Someone stood behind her.
Malfoy. He was standing with his hand outstretched and looking intently at Winter.
Hermione looked between them.
Winter took his hand.
Draco pulled the blond towards him. Not a word passed between the two.
Winter detached herself from his closeness, but didn't let go of his hand. Nether of them had shown a single emotion. Purebloods...
Hermione didn't have time to ponder Malfoy's none-gayness for long.
An arm grabbed her from behind and pulled her away.
Before Hermione could blink, or for that mater scream in indignation, she found herself on the terrace outside the Great Hall.
Snape was looking down at her.
She looked down herself. He was holding her waist and one of her hands.
The bad feeling was gone. A new and much more interesting feeling had replaced it. Hermione looked up once more.
"The terrace. Smart, sir."
"I am head of the house of wit, am I not?" he smirked back.
And they started to slowly dancing to the muffled music from the hall.
Snape look striking in the soft light from the windows. The shadows flickering around his features whilst they turned to the music, made him look dark and mysterious.
Hermione felt her brain go numb as his eyes sparkled in the scarcely lit night.
The silence between them seemed to carry with it that unidentified tension.
To break the enchanted hush Hermione said the first thing that came to mind. "Your date, she is dancing with Draco Malfoy."
Snape looked in trough the windows at the dancing crowed.
"I figured as much."
"Don't you mind?" she asked him softly. Her words had not shaken the enchanted air around them the slightest.
Snape looked down at her with one eyebrow raised.
"No."
They danced on in silence
She put her head on his shoulder, and he didn't object.
Snape looked in once in a while to see if the blasted dance would end.
Hermione didn't mind. It was nice being this close to him without getting shouted at.
She hadn't even realised when they'd stopped.
She opened her eyes and lifted her head slightly to look up at him.
His dark unreadable eyes looked back down at her.
The moon shone over the trees of the Forbidden Forest, the stars passed in and out from under clouds. Hermione felt the warmth of his body so close to hers, his hand a burning beacon on her waist. His sent filling the air around her. Those black abysses looking into her soul.
Hermione closed her eyes and lifted her body to tip toe.
Snape's thin lips parted, as if he was to say something.
He didn't, because Hermione kissed him, softly and sweetly on the terrace.
Severus eyes flew open.
He pushed the demented girl of him and wiped his lips in disgust.
"Miss Granger what in the world...!"
She didn't say anything.
"Great Merlin, what got in to you Granger?!"
Granger turned her brown eyes towards him. Severus saw that they were shining ominously.
He made a strangled sound. "This is nothing to cry about Granger...!"
That set the flair off. Her eyes burned with righteous anger. "No Sir, you are absolutely right! And I have no intention of crying over you! I was foolish to think that I stood a chance next to Winter. You can take her, a girl half your age, but kissing me is out of the question! You are right, sir! Doing whatever you're doing with Winter in you're dungeon is okay but out here, with me, it would be wrong! Maybe I should make an appointment in the dungeon!"
Severus closed the distance between them and shot daggers in to the little girls glistening eyes.
"I am no paedophile Granger...," he hissed menacingly.
"I'm of age!"
"That doesn't make me more attracted to you!" He was keeping the threat in his voice.
"But you're attracted to skinny-bitts in there?!" Granger shouted "What is she, four years older than me?"
"Two."
"Oh yeah! That makes her so much more eligible!"
"Granger, you are being disgusting! She is the daughter of my mentor, Thomas Winter. I have known Miss Winter since she was born!"
The anger portrayed all over her face seemed to cool slightly. Severus sighed inwardly; he was not going to let the stupid girl get some foolish hopes up.
"And for You miss Granger, I have had you in my class since you were eleven! You are just an irritating busy-haired pest to me. Good day."
He swept off in to the great hall filled with its lovey-dovey pairs.
Hermione stood alone on the terrace looking after him. In a small voice she said, "I might keep irritating you, but you keep breaking my heart."
She bit her cheek so not to cry. Then she dragged herself into the hall.
Ginny and Harry were still dancing. Neville and Luna stood with Dean and his date laughing and holding drinks. Ron and Miss Glennen sat by a table talking. McGonagall was giggling hysterically at something some grey haired, moustached wizard as whispering to her.
Even Hagrid had his Maxime by the arm.
She sneaked past the happiness and headed out towards her head-girl room.
She opened the doors she was met by Miss Winter.
"Move it sidekick!" the girl spat at her and shoved Hermione out of the way.
Hermione glared after the woman then turned to head home.
Malfoy stood in the middle of the corridor looking out the doors through which Miss Winter had rushed. He turned to look at Hermione.
"Your mascara is running," he greeted her. He looked completely detached.
"You have a big red hand over your left cheek," she nodded back wiping at her tears.
They fell in beside one another as they headed for their room.
"I thought you were gay," Hermione told him
"That's insulting. I'm every woman's dream."
"Yeah well, you kept referring to your mirror date as an it. Refusing to give her a distinctive pronoun. I just assumed you were shy about it being a guy."
"I was trying to stop thinking about her. She left me when I told her I was becoming a Death eater back in the summer between fifth and six year."
"Really? One would have thought she was in to that. She, being a snotty pureblood like yourself. "
"One would assume that...but she had parental issues. How did your evening workout?"
"I kissed my date, who then crushed my heart with a steel mallet and took off. Oh and before he let me down gently by demolishing my affections, he insulted me and slighted me to tears. All in all not a bad night."
Malfoy turned to look at her. "You turned cynic in one night.. I like your guy already"
She punched his arm, slightly harder than the norm fun and games allowed.
He was still rubbing it when they entered their common room.
"Hey since you know my lady and thought I was gay, I think you owe me to tell who your mystery man is."
Hermione walked up her stairs.
"Good night Malfoy."
Then she closed the door behind her. She was going to sleep till the end of time.