Hermione and Draco by passed the paparazzi, answering no questions rather politely smiling at them as they went.
"My cheeks hurt from smiling." Hermione muttered under her breath as they passed the last one.
"Tell me about it, I have to do this practically every day."
"That's because you like to show off." Hermione snorted.
Draco grinned. "You sometimes frighten me about how you know me so well."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Draco a lot of people know that you're pompous they just wouldn't say it to your face."
"True." He shrugged. "But I like to think that I have a special place in your heart." He teased. "And that you know so much about me because you're obsessed. After all I am so good looking."
Hermione punched him in the arm. "I am not obsessed you idiot, but you do have a special place in my heart."
Draco's brows raised as he said "Really?" in a surprised tone.
"Yep, I'll always see you as the amazing bouncing ferret in my heart." Hermione said dramatically as she placed a hand over her heart.
"Ha ha Granger." Draco said dryly. "When are you going to forget that?"
"Never, not as long as I live." She smiled sweetly up at him.
"Now don't you two just look friendly." Blaise said as he walked up to meet them.
Hermione looked up then as he came closer she slugged him in the arm.
"Yeeeeowww woman that hurt." Blaise said as he clutched his arm. "That'll cause a bruise tomorrow."
"Why didn't you warn me that he would be filling out as my date." Hermione pointed at Draco.
"Sorry Luna was without a date and I couldn't let her go alone. He offered to take you so I thought what the heck, it'd work out nicely. I told him to be on his best behavior. He has been hasn't he?"
"Hello, he is standing right here." Draco growled.
"He's okay I guess." Hermione shrugged as the two ignored him.
"Okay? Okay that's all you have to-" Draco was however cut off when Mr and Mrs. Potter came into view.
"Hermione!" Ginny yelled. "Oh my gosh, you look gorgeous!" Ginny said as she passed Blaise and Draco so that she could hug Hermione.
"Hi Gin, you look beautiful too." Hermione hugged her back.
"The color really brings out your hair." Hermione said as she let go and got a good look at her.
"I know right." Ginny joked.
The two girls laughed.
"Hello Mione."
"Harry!" Hermione ran to him and hugged him.
"You look breathtaking Mione." Harry said.
Hermione blushed. "You look spiffy too Harry."
"He does doesn't he. Now where'd you find this gorgeous dress?" Ginny asked.
"Actually…" Hermione trailed off as she looked at Draco.
Ginny followed her gaze. "Malfoy got you that dress?" She said bewildered.
Hermione nodded.
"I do have good taste." Draco said teasingly as he wrapping an arm around Hermione's waist and looked down at her.
Hermione looked up at him rolling her eyes.
"And you wonder why I'm suspicious you're gay."
"But I appreciate the female body too much to be so." He replied cheekily. "You think we're convincing them?" Draco whispered into her ear.
Ginny and Harry shared looks as Hermione and Draco whispered to each other. It looked like they were whispering endearments.
"You do look beautiful Mrs. Potter." Draco said looking up.
Ginny gave a small sound of surprise. "No Weaslette?" She said her eyes twinkling.
"Only if you surprise me or annoy me, I promise." Draco said.
Hermione elbowed him. "Malfoy!"
"No it's okay Hermione, I'll call you Malfoy unless you annoy me, then I'll call you ferret." Ginny smirked.
"Good with me." Draco smirked back.
"Oh dear Merlin." Harry and Hermione said at the same time.
"I guess if my wife can be civil, I should be able to, too." Harry resigned as he brought hjs hand out to shake.
"Only if it's not too hard for you Potter." Draco said dryly as he shook Harry's hand.
"Be good." Hermione whacked his arm.
"Sheesh woman haven't people told you before that violence doesn't solve anything."
Harry had to grin t that. He was one of the few that had told her that before when she would whack him with one of her numerous, dictionary sized books.
"Oh look, Blaise you found everyone." Luna said as she handed Blaise a drink.
"Thanks Luna." Blaise said.
"You let her get you a drink? How gentlemanly is that." Draco elbowed him.
"Oh no, I wanted to see the Pohydrenpites over by the drink table." Luna explained.
Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Draco all looked at each other.
"I'm not going to even ask what they are." Draco said under his breath. Hermione silently agreed with him.
"Oh and I found our seats, Harry Ginny you can sit with us, apparently the other couple that was supposed to sit, are giving birth. I hope they guard against Yeuliries. You know, they like to make…"
"Yes Luna, please lead the way." Blaise said cutting her off as he offered an arm.
"Oh of course." Luna said taking her arm.
"But Hermione, we already have assigned seats as does everybody else." Harry said.
"She's not seating anywhere near Weasley." Draco said. "Wait until I get a seat and some… what is it muggles say, popling?"
"Popcorn." Harry and Hermione both answered.
Blaise had to laugh. "Oh yes, I do want to see Hermione's rage in action as long as it's not on me of course. Hermione you think you could turn him into a bludger? I've been meaning to practice my swing again."
"Me too." Ginny said enthusiastically as she raised her hand.
"I would've never thought I'd see the day that I would sit at the gala with the Potters." Draco whispered into Hermione's ear.
"I don't think you're the only one. Harry doesn't believe it either."
Then both looked across the table at Harry. He looked a little off.
"And you do?"
"Draco, you're not as evil and rude as you have people see you as."
"Okay guys now that we claimed seats. Let's mingle and dance, somethting." Blaise said. "And you two. Stop whispering so much. Gives me déjà vu back to our last year in Hogwarts. Which mind you, I hated."
Draco snorted. "That's only because the Slytherin girls figured out you were the only Slytherin male left that had wealth, power, and a good reputation at least for a Slytherin. They all had to chase you, their mothers demanded it."
"But you and Nott were there too." He grumbled.
"Yeah, but we were mean to all of the girls except Daphne and that's because she was engaged to Pucey."
"You weren't mean to Hermione. In fact mphm mph."
Draco covered Blaise's mouth with his napkin.
Blaise threw Draco's napkin covered mouth to the side. "I was just going to say that in fact, you and Hermione became like… the golden couple. Even though you guys weren't a couple. You weren't were you?"
"Of course not." Draco snorted.
"As if." Hermione said at the same time.
Then looked at each other.
"At least we agree on something." Hermione said taking a sip of her champagne.
"So the sexual tension finally exploded and now you guys are together?" Luna asked.
Hermione's champagne went down the wrong tube and she almost choked as did Draco.
Blaise and Ginny couldn't help but laugh at the two.
Harry just looked at Luna thoughtfully. From his own experience he had learned that despite Luna's whimsical ways, she was a unnervingly correct on her assumptions on people.
"Hermione, dance with me?" Harry asked. "If Malfoy doesn't mind."
Hermione blinked but smiled. Her and Draco looked at each other.
Draco shrugged. "It's not like as you'd listen to me anyway."
"You're relearning." Hermione congratulated while laughing as she patted his cheeks. Face cheeks of course.
Draco mockingly scowled at her.
The whole table had to laugh even Harry.
"Of course Harry, like I would ever say no." She smiled.
"You say no to me all the time.' Draco grumbled.
"With good reason." Hermione rolled her eyes.
!
Ron sat at the designated table, himself, Hermione, and Harry were supposed to be sitting at with their perspective dates. Not that he would want to be anywhere near the damned ferret. But he couldn't help but seethe though as they all sat at the traitor table. With the bloody Slytherins. Malfoy and Zabini. He watched with clenched fists as the ferret kissed Hermione's hand before letting her go with Harry.
"Ron Weasley." Sadie said in her melodic voice, but there was a hint of anger in it. "Please stop staring at them. You're making a scene." She said smiling up at him. Then leaned in to give him one sensual kiss with her famously plump pink lips.
Ron looked at his date. She was beautiful, that no one could deny. Her straight beautiful midnight colored hair, with the bright enrapturing oceanic eyes of hers.
Everyone she passed couldn't help but stare. It was inevitable. Looking at her calmed him a bit. Reminded him that he was the envy of all the men there. She was possibly the most beautiful and her dress revealed her delicious body. Not to mention she was the only female known to man that had ever cheated on Draco Malfoy, and of all the people, with him.
Sadie meanwhile looked at the three couples on the dance floor and zeroed in on the brunette. Then looked at her ex, who though was dancing beautifully and talking to his partner,however his eye was fully trained on Hermione Granger.
She sighed then looked down at her Mimosa. She smiled as she thought of something.
!
Draco looked at Ginny and opened his mouth.
She arched her brows at him.
Draco closed his mouth then shuddered. "I'm not a bloody Gryffindor you know or that brave." He muttered.
Ginny hid her laugh behind her smirk.
"Luna, would you do me the honor?" Draco asked offering his hand for her to take.
"Sure Draco." Luna said taking it. "Have you ever realized before how we almost have the same hair color?" She asked as he escorted her onto the dance floor.
"Maybe we're related." Draco said dryly. But they probably were by some ancestor or another afterall Luna was a pureblood. Merlin knows with all the inbreeding that purebloods had done to keep their bloodlines "pure".
!
"You want to join our dates?" Blaise asked Ginny.
"Bloody yes."
!
"As much as it pains me, Mione you seem really happy with him. The happiest I've seen you in weeks actually." Harry sighed.
Hermione smiled softly at him. "I am Harry. He makes me laugh and have fun, something I almost thought I'd forgotten about. I feel beautiful with him, granted when he's not making fun of my clothes especially pajamas when he decides to give me surprise visits." Hermione wrinkled her nose.
"Has he seen your penguin one yet?" Harry snickered.
"No, he would probably run out of the room screaming." Hermione sighed. "Wait that would be great." Hermione brightened up.
Harry laughed.
"Yes, but it's strange Harry. I feel utterly comfortable with him. I hadn't realized how much I missed him until we started hanging out again. He's not as bad as he wants people to see him as."
"I trust you Mione, but it will take a while for me to… I'll tolerate him for your sake. But I won't hesitate to hex him if he does something wrong or inappropriate."
"Don't worry about it, I'd be joining you."
"But you know, I do recall Ginny writing to me about you and Malfoy getting really close in her seventh year."
"She did?"
"Yeah, in fact I remember this one story she wrote to us about you and Malfoy getting stuck in a broom closet together for hours."
Hermione gave a merry laugh. "Oh my goodness, I forgot about that incident. But believe me Draco and I hadn't planned to end up there, Peeves tricked us…"
"What kind of book is that Granger?" Draco asked wrinkling his nose in disgust at the cover.
"Lucky Break." Hermione answered simply not bothering to even look up at him.
"Why the hell does it have a bloke's bloody chest on it, clad in only a pair of pants?" Draco said in disgust.
"Because he's gorgeous and any female can appreciate a good body even if it's on a novel." Hermione said dreamily.
"You're kidding me. I didn't think you females were that superficial, Granger especially you. Thought it was just me."
"No, females like to view a good male specimen. We just don't vocalize it like you bloke's do."
"Touché."
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"You two, there's a second year that got hexed to be stuck to one of the pillars." Peeves said yelling as he floated towards them.
"What? Who?" Hermione yelled.
"Why should we believe you?" Draco looked at him skeptical.
Hemione calmed down at that. He was right, you never knew when Peeves was joking or not.
"I would know, because I put him there." Theghost explained like as if they were idiots as he rolled his eyes at them.
Hermione's jaw dropped. "You, you, you idiotic poltergeist." Hermione yelled. "Where is he?"
"Fifth level, third corridor, the pillar closest to the broom closet."
Hermione glared at Peeves one last time before running off.
"Oh god, her stupid Gryffindor morals." Draco muttered before running after her.
They both missed Peeves snickering as he watched them run.
Hermione ran to where Peeves said, she didn't see a student but yelled hello just in case.
"Over here." A boy's voice replied back. It came from the backside of the pillar.
Hermione clenched her teeth. Peeves had glued the boy behind the pillar where no one could see him.
She walked to the pillar, just inches away from the broom closet when Draco ran right into her not expecting her to stop suddenly, slamming them both into the broom closet.
"Umph." Hermione groaned. "Draco Malfoy!" She yelled before hearing the slamming of the door behind them.
Draco looked up and back at the door. It was closed. "Shit." He said.
"Now look at what your Gryffindor tendencies got us into."
"Me? Hello you're the one that slammed into me."
"We'll you're too trusting. I can't believe you believed Peeves of all ghosts."
"And you don't trust enough. What if there was a student?"
"Then bully for him. But there is none."
"I know that. Now would you get off me you big blonde oaf."
"Excuse me?"
"You don't have any hearing problems Malfoy."
"But it stills hurts when you call me names." Malfoy stifled a tear.
"Oh my god, you're not fooling anyone Malfoy."
After Draco got off of Hermione. They proceeded to the door, wands in hand.
Hermione tried the sell to unlocking door. Nothing happened.
Draco just gave a spell that would blast the door off the hinges. It caused a spark then nothing.
"Oh hell, Peeves locked us into the only magic proof closet in the whole castle." Hermione yelled.
"What?" Draco looked at her.
"Haven't you read Hogwarts a History?"
"Just the section on Slytherin."
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Well according to it, there is only one closet that is magic proof because some male student had wanted to get stuck in there with some girl and so he made the room magicless and got the both of them stuck in it."
"That's pretty ingenious. Let me guess it was a Slytherin."
"Unfortunately." Hermione muttered.
Draco smirked.
Hermione hit his arm. "What are smirking for, now we're stuck here and can't use magic to get us out."
Draco's face fell. "Oh yeah. Did you have to hit me?"
"Yes, very much so. I feel better now."
Then he turned to the door. He put his fists to the door and began to pound. "Help get me out of her. I'm stuck in here with a Virago!"
"What'd you call me?" Hermione yelled.
"Someone hurry, she's unleashing her horns!"
"Draco Abraxas Malfoy!"
As it was, they then turned to make fun of each other the whole two hours they were there. They barely had even noticed when Professor Sprout had come to check in when she heard yelling coming from the room.
Neither would admit it, but they had, had fun.
______
A Virago is a an offensive term that deliberately insults a woman by implying that her temperament or behavior is violent
A mimosa is also a drink with champagne and orange juice just so you all know.