Draco, Ophelia, Ronald, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny were waiting in the crowd until they were told who could start dancing first. McGonagall came out and started speaking.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Ball! We hope you have a lovely time with your dates and hope the evening goes as planned for all of you," Professor McGonagall paused as she looked around. She noticed the excited couples, as well as Lavender and Pansy in the corner. Minerva wasn't stupid, as she knew Pansy wanted to be with Draco and Lavender with Ronald. She sighed before she continued her speech.
"Tonight, we will begin with seventh years joining the dancefloor with their dates." Minerva stepped away and the seventh years walked onto the dance floor with their dates. The new group of friends got ready with their dates, along with a few more couples. A slow song started playing and everyone started dancing. Slowly but surely, all of the other years that attended the Ball went onto the dance floor in descending order. First was the Sixth years, then the fifth and then the fourths. The people that didn't have dates sat down at tables and hung out either by themselves or with a few friends. Pansy and Lavender hated seeing "their men" with different people.
"I didn't know you could dance this well, Draco." Ophelia smiled at him and he smiled back. Draco spun her outward, spun her back into him, dipped her, kissed her, and brought her back up. Everyone 'awed' at the move Draco made and some Slytherins patted his back give him a thumbs up. Draco chuckled as Ophelia blushed red. Draco gave his signature smirk and Ophelia swooned right then and there. She couldn't believe that this incredible man was hers.
"Mother insisted that I be taught. Specifically for times like this." Draco once again spun Ophelia outward, then brought her back in. Ophelia's back was against Draco's chest, and his arms were around her, and her arms on top of his. Ophelia's heart was bursting with joy.
"I'm glad she did. I will have to thank her later." Draco smiled but sighed. Draco didn't tell her, but his mother had written to him a while ago, saying everything that was being planned by Voldemort. Narcissa knew that the Ophelia the Dark Lord was looking for was my girlfriend. However, the people around them all believed that she truly was a muggle-born, not a half-blood. Draco replied to his mother, to tell them that the only Ophelia here was Zabini, and she indeed was a muggle-born. Whatever Ophelia they were looking for, he would need a last name to attempt to look for her. He also said in the letter he will not be sending several letters to his family, as he didn't want anything to look suspicious. His mother also told him she was destroying Lucius' letters to him, warning him about everything, and telling her not to reply to this letter and to say that you hadn't gotten any of Lucius' owls. Draco also wrote to his mother about his newfound relationship with the Gryffindors and Ophelia. Narcissa was beyond pleased with her son, just thankful that he was happy. Ophelia noticed Draco was lost in his thoughts and she kissed his cheek softly. The slow song ended and an upbeat song came on. Ophelia and Draco went to sit at a table away from Pansy and Lavender, along with Harry, Ginny, Ronald, and Hermione. The six of them sat down at a table and laughed for a while. Draco smirked at Harry and made a comment.
"See, Potter? Told you you'd be my friend." Draco smirked and Harry rolled his eyes and laughed. He shrugged his shoulders and spoke up.
"I guess you're right Malfoy." Hermione gasped but looked towards Ophelia and smiled.
"What?" Harry looked at Hermione while she was giggling.
"Pansy and Lavender are leaving together. It's happening." Ophelia gasped and grabbed Hermione and acted like they were going to dance together on the dance floor.
"In a minute after they leave, we're going to tell McGonagall about what's going on," Ophelia stated as Hermione was facing the entrance of the Great Hall. Once Lavender and Pansy had left, Ophelia and Hermione made their way to Professor McGonagall. She was conversing with Professor Snape and Sprout when you asked to speak with them.
"Yes, Miss Granger and Miss Zabini?" Minerva was confused as the two students approached her.
"Are you enjoying the ball?" Professor Sprout asked and the girls smiled.
"It's going wonderfully, thank you. We just wanted to report something Moaning Myrtle told us. It's about Pansy Parkinson and Lavender Brown." The three professors were intrigued, as both students were from either Severus' or Minerva's house.
"Well, what is it?" Ophelia sighed and spoke up.
"Myrtle told us that the two of them were brewing a Polyjuice Potion inside the girl's bathroom. And that they were going to use it to pretend to be me and Hermione, in order to ruin our relationships; Mine with Draco and Hermione's with Ronald's. We don't know if it's true, but we put out fake hair in case they took them." Ophelia said and Professor Snape groaned. He knew his ingredients were being taken again.
"Well, did they take the hair?" Hermione rubbed the back of her head.
"Sadly, yes. Pansy took rat hair pretending to be Ophelia's cut off dead ends, and Lavender took some of Crookshank's hair. We apologize for not bringing this up sooner, but we didn't really quite know what to do professors." Hermione hung her head low as Professor McGonagall sighed. She turned to Professor Sprout and spoke.
"Pomona, would you mind gathering Madame Pomfrey, please? Girls, when should the two students be coming back?" All of a sudden, there were several screams heard at the entrance of the Great Hall. Lavender and Pansy walked in, Pansy looking like a human rat, and Lavender looking like a human cat. The two girls stifled their laughs as they spoke.
"Right about now." Ophelia grabbed Hermione and they ran back to their friends laughing.
"Are you sure this will work, Pansy?" Lavender and Pansy had put the hairs they gathered into their cups and sighed.
"Yes. It has to. As soon as you drink and you feel okay, walk into the Great Hall toward Ronald and I'll do the same for Draco. Now, drink up." They clinked glasses and Lavender sighed.
"Cheers." They both drank some and then dropped the glasses. They both felt sick and after they felt okay, they both walked into the Great Hall, still changing into things they never wanted to be. Everyone started screaming and laughing at them, but they didn't care. It was probably because they looked great.
"Guys, we're gonna hide over there near the punch." Ophelia kissed Draco's cheek and Hermione did the same for Ronald. Draco smirked and Ronald blushed. Draco, Ronald, Harry, and Ginny all proceeded to laugh like nothing was going on.
Professor Sprout and Madame Pomfrey proceeded to walk towards the two girls but Snape and Minerva stopped them.
"Let's wait this out. I would like to see this happen, don't you agree, Minerva?" Snape smiled a small smile and the four of them laughed as the scene unfolded.
Pansy walked up to Draco and Lavender walked up to Ronald. Ginny nearly spit out her drink but started coughing anyways.
"Something wrong, Weasley?" Ginny waved her off then stopped. It took everything in Ginny to not laugh.
"Weasley? Since when did you call me that, Ophelia?" Ginny feigned hurt and Pansy's eyes went wide as she realized her mistake.
"Sorry, Ginny. Anyways, Draco we need to talk." Draco sniggered quietly before clearing his throat. Hermione brought out a muggle device and started recording.
"What is it, O?" Pansy groaned and sighed.
"We can't be together anymore. I don't love you and it isn't going to work out." Hermione and Ophelia were close enough so that they heard everything and caught it on video. It also helped that the whole Great Hall realized what the two girls had done, and went quiet, watching the scene unfold.
"Ronald, I have the same thing to say. I don't want to be with you and I don't like you. I only said yes to going with you just to not hurt you, but I've been bored out of my mind this entire time." Hermione and Ophelia silently raged as this went on. They still couldn't believe that the two of them would stoop so low.
"What? I thought everything was going well?" Draco covered his mouth to cough but it was really to hide his smile. Pansy looked horrifying up close, but it was also hysterical.
"Yeah, I agree! I mean, we aren't dating, but after tonight I was going to ask you out." Ronald made a fake frown but Hermione's heart leaped. Did he just say that, or is he being serious?
"Well, we don't wanna be with you guys anymore. You guys should find other girls from your houses, like Pansy and Lavender. They actually like your guys." Pansy said and Harry and Ginny were just snickering to one another.
"Oh really? Well then, go get them I wanna talk to them." Both of the girls froze and Lavender noticed Hermione and Ophelia in the background. She glared at them and they burst out laughing. The six of them looked over and Lavender gasped and covered her mouth.
"Oh, there you guys are! Pansy and Lavender, you two can leave now." Draco shooed them away and Pansy scoffed.
"I am Ophelia, I don't know who that bitch is," Pansy smirked and Ophelia died laughing.
"Ophelia isn't that rude." Draco glared at Pansy and she gulped.
"Pan- I mean Ophelia, you need to look in a mirror..." Lavender muttered and Pansy growled and looked at Lavender and gasped while also covering her mouth.
"Lav- I mean Hermione, you need to as well." The girls looked at their hands and knew. They had been given animal hair.
"I also know neither of you who you say you are, because Granger isn't a cat, and Ophelia isn't a rat." Pansy and Lavender screamed as they ran out of the room, bumping into Professor Snape, holding their cauldron and Professor McGonagall holding their broken glasses.
"I knew my ingredients were being stolen. Madame Pomfrey will escort both of you to the hospital wing to be treated. It will take a week or two for the effects to wear off, maybe more. But after this, you both will spend every moment after dinner in detention for two months. Madame Pomfrey, if you will," Snape moved aside as the two girls were escorted from the ball crying. Hermione and Ophelia joined the group again and they were all laughing, and soon everyone joined in. Soon the music turned back on and people went back to whatever they were doing, but still laughing about the event that just occurred. After several more hours, everyone slowly left the Ball except for Ophelia and Draco. All of the professors had left and Draco smiled at Ophelia as he held out his hand. Draco and Ophelia slowly danced. There wasn't any music, but the area around them was too beautiful.
"It's not weird dancing to nothing?" Ophelia laughed as she questioned him.
"Not to me. Especially when I have the most wonderful person in the world with me." Draco said and he dipped Ophelia and just held her there. Ophelia smiled at him and put her hand on his cheek. The couple smiled at another before kissing each other softly. Draco stood and brought Ophelia with him. They stood there under the light of the candles and just kissed slowly and softly. When they pulled apart for air, they leaned their foreheads together and sighed happily.
"I love you, Ophelia Zabini."
"I love you too, Draco Malfoy." Their confession was heard by a certain Animagous professor. She smiled and made her way to her quarters, as it will be a long weekend.
The Gryffindor Common room laughed loudly while watching the video Hermione had taken, on which everyone was informed was a phone. They projected the video, and everyone saw it from their point of view when Lavender realized everything, when Pansy realized everything, and when they started screaming. People left and went to bed, and the only people awake were Ronald and Hermione. The couple sat on the love seat enjoying the other's company. They stole glances at the other every once in a while, always looking at each other exactly when the other does, causing them both to blush. Hermione sighs and lays her head on Ronald's shoulder. Ronald smiles and kisses her head softly while putting his arm around her. Hermione couldn't stop thinking about what Ronald said earlier.
'After tonight I was going to ask you out.'
Hermione had hoped that was real, but Ronald hadn't done anything yet. She became disappointed and started to question a lot of things. Ronald was also upset, as he truly did want to ask out Hermione, he just didn't know how to. Ronald sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He knew he had to do it at some point. Ronald sighs and clears his throat, Hermione looking expectingly towards the red-haired boy.
"'Mione, can I ask you something?" Hermione's heart leaped and she smiled at him. Hermione hoped it was what he was going to ask her, and played along.
"What is it, Ron?" Ron sighed and became flustered. He didn't know just how to exactly ask her this question.
"Well - I wanted to know - you see, I didn't know if - erm, did you maybe - bloody hell this is hard!" Ronald rubbed his face with his hands and hunched over on the couch to where his elbows were on his knees. Hermione smiled wide and pulled him up.
"Ronald, are you asking me to be your girlfriend or something?" Ronald blushed and became a stuttering mess. He finally cleared his throat and spoke slowly.
"I mean, if I were - hypothetically speaking - would you like to be my girlfriend?" Hermione smiled wide and hugged Ronald. He fell onto the couch with Hermione on top of him. Ronald smiled and hugged her back tightly. Hermione sat up for a moment to hold his face in her hands. Ron was surprised by all of this, but he was still very happy. The couple smiled at one another before Hermione gently kissed Ronald's lips. From the staircase, there was a raven-haired boy and a red-haired girl, watching the scene unfold. The couple on the stairs smiled at one another before returning to their beds.
As for Ronald, on the other hand, he got his answer.