Fic; Beneath Your Window; Chapter 22//The Dance
Because Amber asked so nicely (read: desperately). :D
Title: Beneath Your Window
Summary: Hermione's life is turned upside down and she figures that the best solution is to run away from it all. What will happen when she realises that she's not the only one running from life?
Characters/Pairings: Draco/Hermione, Harry/Ginny makes an appearance
Genre: Romance/humour
Rating/Warnings: PG-13. Some swearing and mentions of sex, but not much else.
Word Count: 4023
(......)
Chapter 18//The Change
Chapter 19//The Pain
Chapter 20//The Office
Chapter 21//The Office
Chapter 22 // The Dance
She was home early that evening, finding the flat empty as she stepped out of the Floo. It was the first time she had returned from work before either Ginny or Harry, which was a strange feeling in its own. Finding the flat abandoned and eerily quiet was also rather disconcerting. She heard her own steps against the wooden floors as she moved towards the kitchen, turning the lights on as she went. She flopped exhaustedly down into the nearest chair, resting her head against her hand propped up on the kitchen table.
All week she had wanted nothing but some peace and quiet and now everything seemed much too silent. Her thoughts had free reign in her mind, quickly leaving thoughts of work and added responsibility to a place where she had been happy and content, living a life she could only dream of in her present situation. It was the one time in a week she had actually had quiet time that wasn't sleep, and she couldn't stand it.
Darting from the chair she started rummaging through the fridge, trying to figure out what to make for dinner instead of listening to the echo of Ginny's words. Miserable. Heartbroken. Homeless. The words thudded in her head following the dull rhythm in sync with the knife cutting up vegetables on the chopping block.
"Hermione?"
She turned to find Ginny staring wide-eyed at her from the entrance to the kitchen. A slight smile flickered across her tired features at the sight of the familiar redhead.
"Someone finally had the decency to send you home?" Ginny commented dryly as she put her work-folder down on the kitchen table.
"I wish," Hermione muttered, pushing a curl back with the help of her wrist. "I gave myself the time off to digest everything."
"What happened?"
"The Minister sacked Merewood right in front of my eyes," she revealed and had to smile at Ginny's expression. "It felt disturbingly good. He finally got what he deserved after running our department into the ditch."
"Thank Merlin that beast finally got what was coming to him," Ginny said fiercely, stepping up next to her by the kitchen counter.
They worked side by side in silence for a few minutes, before Hermione suddenly put the knife down and turned towards her friend.
"I got his job."
"What?!"
Ginny turned around in a haste, ginger hair hitting Hermione across the face. She jumped back and cried an indignant 'hey', before her lips pulled up into an amused smile at the look on Ginny's features.
"I got his job. Gin, they gave me his job," she said breathlessly. "I'm the Head of the Potions department."
"Wha...Merlin's frigging baggy y-fronts, are you joking?!"
"No, he gave it to me on the spot," she confessed, rubbing her temple slightly. "I'm happy, I really am, but it's even more responsibility than before. I'm the one who has to get this department back on track now."
"You were already doing that, though, except now you have the power to actually do something about it all," Ginny argued, and then glared sternly at Hermione. "You're not yanking my wand, are you?"
"No, Gin, I'm not yanking your wand," Hermione said with an exasperated chuckle.
"Well, then who's getting your old job?"
"Apparently they already advertised a job at the department, and instead of the original assistant position the applicants will apply for my job."
"Hermione, this is absolutely amazing. You've finally gotten the promotion you've been working for all along," Ginny said with a grin. "Lose the troubled face, this is a good thing. It'll be easier to get everything back on track when you're the head of the department and you have actual power. And if the new person is completely useless, you can just fire his arse."
"I just wasn't prepared for this at all right now. Yes, I've been working for it, but I always imagined it would happen differently. I didn't think it'd happen in a time where I stopped loving my job or when I wished I was anywhere but there. I didn't think the first thing I had to do was bring the department back from the brink of catastrophe."
Ginny grabbed her by the shoulders and shook vigorously.
"Who cares that it came in a bad time? You didn't exactly meet Draco at a good time either, did you?" she asked, and Hermione had to acknowledge that she had a good point. "That good things happen when the timing is bad doesn't make them any less good."
"You're right,"Hermione acknowledged with a sigh.
"Of course I am, you git."
----
Hermione slipped the deep red dress robes over her head with slight difficulty. They were tight fitted and quite the hassle to get on, but once they were in place they looked more flattering than the ordinary work robes. And it was an important occasion after all. She ran her hand down her front to flatten the creases and met her own gaze in the mirror. Her hair was pulled up in a simple bun, only a few curls escaping and her featured were enhanced with a few very light touches of make up. But even she could see that her eyes didn't hold any form of joy or excitement over the event. They were lifeless, just about as emotionally crippled as she felt.
She took a deep breath and pulled the corners of her mouth upwards. Her smile felt stiff and abnormal. She tried different techniques; one corner higher than the other, teeth barely showing, wide grin, mischievous smile, seductive pull of the corner. At last she relaxed her muscles and her mouth fell into it's natural position of her corners pointing slightly downwards. When did she forget how to smile? She thought it was like riding a bike; something you didn't just forget. Apparently she had been wrong, because every smile she attempted seemed fake and foreign on her face.
Fuck it. Maybe I can paint it on?
She grabbed a long forgotten lip-liner from the stand and tried to draw the corner of her lips upwards. Then she fell into a hysterical fit of laughter as she met her reflection in the mirror. She looked like a mutated clown. She wheezed for air and clutched her sides just as Ginny popped her head through the opening in the door.
"What the bloody hell are you doing?"
Hermione pulled herself together and turned towards Ginny whose eyebrows shot upwards as her mouth fell open. Her infectious laugh then rang out through the room as she shook her head.
"I tried to paint a smile on my face," Hermione explained, actually pulling a real smile at the absurdity.
"You, my dear, are a character," Ginny concluded and disappeared again.
Well, there really was no arguing that.
She carefully removed the rather creepy clown lines around her mouth and looked in the mirror once more. She didn't need to picture him or say his name to know he was on her mind. Perhaps it was even better if she didn't. Leaving the thoughts of him behind by the mirror, she hid her wand in a practical hemp on the inside of her dress robes and slipped out the door to meet Ginny and Harry downstairs.
"Ready?" Harry inquired softly, leaning casually against the fireplace.
"Suppose so. At least I didn't have to plan the thing," she said with a slight chuckle. "You're getting your dress robes dirty."
He reluctantly straightened up and she walked over to wipe the dust off his shoulder.
"Ron is leading the auction," he told her, watching as she doted on his robes.
"I heard," she said against his chest as she straightened the collar. "Though I don't see how that'd work. I can't imagine he can think fast enough."
"I told him the exact same thing!" Harry exclaimed. "How are you supposed to be able to take all the bids and remember who bid the most? You can hardly remember your own birthday, I told him today. He seemed confident, though."
"It'll be fine," she said and finally looked up and met his gaze.
He knew she wasn't talking about Ron.
"I know."
"Let's party like it's 1996 and we just won the Quidditch Cup," Ginny announced as she came down the stairs.
She Apparated out of the flat without waiting for an answer and the other two followed with a slight roll of their eyes.
The dance wasn't held at the Ministry, but rather at one of the magnificent halls of the British Museum of Magical History. It was a place Hermione always enjoyed, though she had a feeling this particular evening would be her least enjoyed visit. The building was still as beautiful as ever where it towered above them in its magnificent Second Empire style. Its creative design in stone had always taken her breath away, but tonight it couldn't make up for the horror she knew rested inside.
Harry had to literally drag her past the reporters, through the entrance and into the main hall where he took her cloak and handed it to a member of the staff nearby.
"Remember; it'll be fine," he whispered in her ear and smiled.
Suddenly she wished she had kept the clown smile on, because her muscles just wouldn't do what they were told. Oh, great leaping salamanders of flame, how she hated dances in any shape and form!
Harry and Ginny came up on either side of her and linked their arms with hers as they stepped up to the door. She felt overwhelmed with gratitude that they were on either side supporting her, almost like her own private castle with solid walls of protection and loyalty.
The doors swung open and they entered the hall already buzzing with people, decorated marvellously for the occasion. Merlin's Beard, was she happy she had gotten out of that job! Ginny held her arm tighter as they passed several occupied tables and found their own. Hermione took her seat and found herself utterly relieved at not having to rely on her legs to keep her upright any longer. She found Harry sitting on her left, and peeked at the placement card to her right. Ron Weasley. Oh, unicorn turds! Would she ever get away from that man?
Just as she had processed the thought and added a groan, she heard said man's voice resonate through the hall.
"Welcome to the Annual Ministry Charity Dance, dear Ministry staff and...uh... vultures from the media."
Hermione quirked her eyebrow as several people snickered.
"I'm going to keep the talking at a minimum and proceed straight to the auction of the night. All your contribution goes to St.Mungo's and will be very helpful in research and the improvement of conditions for many patients."
Hermione followed the auctions with half a mind, while the other and more enthusiastic part lingered on a life she had loved and left. It seemed to take over her mind more and more, and she knew Draco's parting words had been spot on: She didn't only lie awake in bed wondering what could have been, she spent every waking moment of her life wondering what could have been.
The auction drew to an end, having sold everything from rare items to dinner dates with unfortunate single Ministry employees.
"Now may we all enjoy a delicious meal and some good old fashioned fun," Ron proclaimed to thunderous applause as he stepped off the podium.
"Who knew Ron had the memory to pull that off?" Harry said in slight puzzlement.
"He can do a lot of things if he actually wants to, he's just too lazy most of the time," Ginny replied. "And this occasion gave him an opportunity to wink at the ladies from his spot in the limelight, so he definitely put more in it."
Hermione laughed at this, knowing it was more than likely true, and grabbed her fork just as their meals appeared on the plates in front of them. Ron flopped down beside her with a large grin on his face, finding his meal waiting as well.
"How did I do?" he asked, beaming at them.
"Surprisingly well," Harry admitted with a nod.
"Absolutely not the disaster I expected."
Ron turned to Hermione with a hopeful expression after ignoring Ginny's statement. Oh, he expected her to praise him now? The food felt like it swelled in her mouth.
"Uh... Cyan is checking you out, so it must've gone exceptionally well," she said flippantly, pushing more food into her mouth hoping that'd let her off the hook.
Ginny snickered wildly, trying to hide her face from view. Ron himself turned to their right and did find Cyan staring openly at him. She blushed wildly and averted her gaze immediately. He blushed profusely too, and Hermione looked at him oddly. This was the player of the wizarding world? The man blushed when someone looked at him wrong! Or...right. Either way.
"Something the matter, Ron?" she asked sweetly, seeing Ginny grin madly out of the corner of her eye.
"Oh err. It's nothing... I've just seen Cyan around the hallways at work and..."
"I know you shagged her, you don't have to lie," Hermione said unaffectedly, shovelling more food into her mouth.
Ron looked like he'd been hit across the face.
"You're not going to fling a piece of meat into her wine and blind her, are you?" Ginny asked, making Hermione and Harry fall into a fit of laughter while Ron looked more confused than ever.
"Ron, don't worry. I'm not mad," she assured him, but left him looking pretty unconvinced.
The meal continued without a hitch and she noticed to her surprise that she was getting more and more comfortable around Ron. She couldn't always help throwing him the occasional toxic insult, but all in all the awkwardness was beginning to reside.
"... and then I tripped over Rita Skeeter. As if that woman isn't bothering me enough as it is following me everywhere, now I actually fell over her, cut my lip and bled all over my date."
Hermione joined in on the roaring laughter, marvelling at the light mood around the table. She met Ginny's gaze and smiled. The redhead was about to return the smile when her face suddenly darkened and her eyes widened, making Hermione turn around in panic. Oh Bugger! Ron was standing next to her holding his hand out. What was he playing at? They were finally getting past the awkwardness and he's asking her to dance?!
She turned back towards Ginny in desperation and caught Harry making frantic motions with his hand to make Ron stop, but her ex-boyfriend didn't seem to take the hint. He just stood there with his hand out, looking at her intently.
"Ron, I don't think this is a good idea," she said earnestly, looking down at his hand and then back up.
"Please, Hermione. I just want to clear the air. There's a lot I haven't apologized for."
She looked around at the other two and gave a great sigh. How could she refuse such a request?
To Ginny's great desperation Hermione took the hand he offered her and rose from her seat. He grinned widely at her and lead her to the dance floor where several others were already moving to the music. She noticed to her chagrin that the music was far from upbeat, and knew that of all things to do this evening she was about to slow-dance with Ronald Weasley. If that wasn't a ridiculous thought, she didn't know what was.
He put his hand awkwardly on her waist and started leading her slowly in circles on the floor. At least he had become a better dancer - Merlin only knew how.
"I'm sorry, Hermione. I really am. For everything I've caused you," he said in a hushed voice.
She nodded solemnly, taking in his words. She hadn't known how much she had waited for his apology - his sincere apology.
"I think we both know our relationship wasn't working, but the way I ended things was completely and utterly disgusting. I wish I could re-do it, but I can't."
"I appreciate your apology very much," she admitted after a moment of silence. "And I want you to know that I've moved on and the load of crap that is currently my life is not made this way because of you any more."
He gave a short laugh at the statement.
"Good to know I'm not making your life hell."
"I want to try to be your friend, Ron, but you need to be patient with me."
"Patience isn't exactly a quality I'm known for, but I know I can't expect you to just accept everything right away. I want us to be friends and I'm willing to wait and take it slow."
She smiled up at him and for the first time in years she felt the bond they had shared at Hogwarts. As their relationship got complicated their friendship had completely drowned in matters of the heart. And now, for the first time in so long, he felt like the friend she had made while fighting the troll on Halloween during their first year. Tears formed in her eyes and she tried to blink them away rapidly. The thought of them at Hogwarts as the amazing friends they had been made her ache for all the years they wasted trying to make themselves something they weren't.
"Hermione?" he asked tentatively, watching her fight the tears. "Did I say something wrong?"
"No," she said in a heavy voice. "I was just thinking about old times - about you and me and Harry at Hogwarts. And for the first time in ages I feel like we can get that back, you know, I -"
"Hermione!" someone suddenly hissed not too far away.
She turned to find Ginny gesturing madly, but she couldn't figure out why. What was going on? Ginny was looking more and more desperate now, and Hermione turned out of Ron's hold to find an image she never expected in a million years and that she had longed for so strongly it was almost ridiculous.
"Draco," she breathed, removing herself completely from Ron and scurried across the dance floor to where he stood between two tables, obviously having entered only moments earlier.
He stood there in his most formal dress robes with his hair as tamed as she knew he could get it and yet it still looked a bit unruly. Her face lit up in amazement, the smile she had tried so desperately to force by the mirror spread across her lips and reached her eyes until her entire being formerly beamed. It wasn't until she got closer that she noticed how tense his face seemed, how he was gripping the back of a nearby chair until his knuckles whitened.
She realised he hadn't been in a public setting in the Wizarding community for years, and now he was standing there with all eyes on him as excited whispers ran through the crowd. He had to be absolutely mortified. But there was something else in his eyes too, something that unnerved her.
"Draco," she repeated as she stopped in front of him. "Oh my god."
Tears shone in her eyes as she waited for him to reply and she tried to blink them away to not blur the image of his perfect presence.
"I can't believe you."
The tone in his voice hit her like a ton of bricks. Her breathing grew shallow and her eyes widened in horror.
"I can't believe I came here for you," he growled angrily, his face twisting into an angry grimace.
"Draco, what...?"
She was entirely confused. All she had said so far was 'Draco' and 'oh my god', there was no way she could have managed to insult him already.
"I come back here for you, after I finally realised I don't care about anything but being with you. And I come back to find you right in the arms of your old boyfriend. That's just brilliant, Granger, absolutely bloody brilliant. How long did it take you to get back in his bed? A week? A day? An hour?"
His words tore her apart and tears began to fall rapidly down her cheeks.
"We were just dancing, I... you don't understand! He just asked me to dance," she uttered, her voice thick with tears and desperation.
"Oh right, Hermione. Like you weren't waiting to get back to that pimple-faced weasel-turd of yours," he bit through clenched teeth.
"How can you say that?" she whispered, her voice pained and cracked. "You know it was over the moment we broke it off and you've been there every step of the way on my recovery. How can you think that about me?!"
"I just know what I'm seeing, and that's you in the arms of the wanker who cheated on you. I can't believe I threw away my perfect life in hiding for you."
He turned on his heel and strode towards the door, leaving her standing rooted to the spot with tears threatening to drown her. The moment the doors fell shut with a thud, she was awaken from her state and she realised that he was leaving. With a sob escaping her lips, she began running towards the door, pulling her dress robes up to not trip over them. She hurtled at full speed towards the door, threw it open and managed to drop her shoe in the process. Ignoring it, she ran out into the main hall past the shocked looking staff and out to the main gates. She reached the pavement and he was nowhere to be seen. Desperately hoping to catch up she started running down the street until she realised she didn't even know which way he went and besides, he had most likely Apparated right out of there.
Overcome with emotions she flopped down on the steps of nearby stairs and sobbed. She hid her face against her knees as her feet rested on the step below. How could he ever believe that about her? She knew it must've looked bad, but he should respect her enough to at least hear her out and not just accuse her of being a slut.
She looked down to find her foot bare and she threw her head back in frustration.
Was this some sort of sordid Cinderella parody?
Wiping her tears angrily, she got up from the steps and Apparated straight back to the flat where she immediately ran up to her room and hid far below the covers without even undressing.
Back at the Ministry dance people had just managed to calm after the display, and were once again dancing and talking amongst themselves. Harry picked up Hermione's shoe by the door and held it out to his girlfriend who looked at it miserably.
"I don't think this is how the fairytale is supposed to go," he said with a sad grimace.
Ginny grabbed her own red tendrils and growled in frustration.
Ing//Hufflepuff
Title: Beneath Your Window
Summary: Hermione's life is turned upside down and she figures that the best solution is to run away from it all. What will happen when she realises that she's not the only one running from life?
Characters/Pairings: Draco/Hermione, Harry/Ginny makes an appearance
Genre: Romance/humour
Rating/Warnings: PG-13. Some swearing and mentions of sex, but not much else.
Word Count: 4023
(......)
Chapter 18//The Change
Chapter 19//The Pain
Chapter 20//The Office
Chapter 21//The Office
Chapter 22 // The Dance
She was home early that evening, finding the flat empty as she stepped out of the Floo. It was the first time she had returned from work before either Ginny or Harry, which was a strange feeling in its own. Finding the flat abandoned and eerily quiet was also rather disconcerting. She heard her own steps against the wooden floors as she moved towards the kitchen, turning the lights on as she went. She flopped exhaustedly down into the nearest chair, resting her head against her hand propped up on the kitchen table.
All week she had wanted nothing but some peace and quiet and now everything seemed much too silent. Her thoughts had free reign in her mind, quickly leaving thoughts of work and added responsibility to a place where she had been happy and content, living a life she could only dream of in her present situation. It was the one time in a week she had actually had quiet time that wasn't sleep, and she couldn't stand it.
Darting from the chair she started rummaging through the fridge, trying to figure out what to make for dinner instead of listening to the echo of Ginny's words. Miserable. Heartbroken. Homeless. The words thudded in her head following the dull rhythm in sync with the knife cutting up vegetables on the chopping block.
"Hermione?"
She turned to find Ginny staring wide-eyed at her from the entrance to the kitchen. A slight smile flickered across her tired features at the sight of the familiar redhead.
"Someone finally had the decency to send you home?" Ginny commented dryly as she put her work-folder down on the kitchen table.
"I wish," Hermione muttered, pushing a curl back with the help of her wrist. "I gave myself the time off to digest everything."
"What happened?"
"The Minister sacked Merewood right in front of my eyes," she revealed and had to smile at Ginny's expression. "It felt disturbingly good. He finally got what he deserved after running our department into the ditch."
"Thank Merlin that beast finally got what was coming to him," Ginny said fiercely, stepping up next to her by the kitchen counter.
They worked side by side in silence for a few minutes, before Hermione suddenly put the knife down and turned towards her friend.
"I got his job."
"What?!"
Ginny turned around in a haste, ginger hair hitting Hermione across the face. She jumped back and cried an indignant 'hey', before her lips pulled up into an amused smile at the look on Ginny's features.
"I got his job. Gin, they gave me his job," she said breathlessly. "I'm the Head of the Potions department."
"Wha...Merlin's frigging baggy y-fronts, are you joking?!"
"No, he gave it to me on the spot," she confessed, rubbing her temple slightly. "I'm happy, I really am, but it's even more responsibility than before. I'm the one who has to get this department back on track now."
"You were already doing that, though, except now you have the power to actually do something about it all," Ginny argued, and then glared sternly at Hermione. "You're not yanking my wand, are you?"
"No, Gin, I'm not yanking your wand," Hermione said with an exasperated chuckle.
"Well, then who's getting your old job?"
"Apparently they already advertised a job at the department, and instead of the original assistant position the applicants will apply for my job."
"Hermione, this is absolutely amazing. You've finally gotten the promotion you've been working for all along," Ginny said with a grin. "Lose the troubled face, this is a good thing. It'll be easier to get everything back on track when you're the head of the department and you have actual power. And if the new person is completely useless, you can just fire his arse."
"I just wasn't prepared for this at all right now. Yes, I've been working for it, but I always imagined it would happen differently. I didn't think it'd happen in a time where I stopped loving my job or when I wished I was anywhere but there. I didn't think the first thing I had to do was bring the department back from the brink of catastrophe."
Ginny grabbed her by the shoulders and shook vigorously.
"Who cares that it came in a bad time? You didn't exactly meet Draco at a good time either, did you?" she asked, and Hermione had to acknowledge that she had a good point. "That good things happen when the timing is bad doesn't make them any less good."
"You're right,"Hermione acknowledged with a sigh.
"Of course I am, you git."
----
Hermione slipped the deep red dress robes over her head with slight difficulty. They were tight fitted and quite the hassle to get on, but once they were in place they looked more flattering than the ordinary work robes. And it was an important occasion after all. She ran her hand down her front to flatten the creases and met her own gaze in the mirror. Her hair was pulled up in a simple bun, only a few curls escaping and her featured were enhanced with a few very light touches of make up. But even she could see that her eyes didn't hold any form of joy or excitement over the event. They were lifeless, just about as emotionally crippled as she felt.
She took a deep breath and pulled the corners of her mouth upwards. Her smile felt stiff and abnormal. She tried different techniques; one corner higher than the other, teeth barely showing, wide grin, mischievous smile, seductive pull of the corner. At last she relaxed her muscles and her mouth fell into it's natural position of her corners pointing slightly downwards. When did she forget how to smile? She thought it was like riding a bike; something you didn't just forget. Apparently she had been wrong, because every smile she attempted seemed fake and foreign on her face.
Fuck it. Maybe I can paint it on?
She grabbed a long forgotten lip-liner from the stand and tried to draw the corner of her lips upwards. Then she fell into a hysterical fit of laughter as she met her reflection in the mirror. She looked like a mutated clown. She wheezed for air and clutched her sides just as Ginny popped her head through the opening in the door.
"What the bloody hell are you doing?"
Hermione pulled herself together and turned towards Ginny whose eyebrows shot upwards as her mouth fell open. Her infectious laugh then rang out through the room as she shook her head.
"I tried to paint a smile on my face," Hermione explained, actually pulling a real smile at the absurdity.
"You, my dear, are a character," Ginny concluded and disappeared again.
Well, there really was no arguing that.
She carefully removed the rather creepy clown lines around her mouth and looked in the mirror once more. She didn't need to picture him or say his name to know he was on her mind. Perhaps it was even better if she didn't. Leaving the thoughts of him behind by the mirror, she hid her wand in a practical hemp on the inside of her dress robes and slipped out the door to meet Ginny and Harry downstairs.
"Ready?" Harry inquired softly, leaning casually against the fireplace.
"Suppose so. At least I didn't have to plan the thing," she said with a slight chuckle. "You're getting your dress robes dirty."
He reluctantly straightened up and she walked over to wipe the dust off his shoulder.
"Ron is leading the auction," he told her, watching as she doted on his robes.
"I heard," she said against his chest as she straightened the collar. "Though I don't see how that'd work. I can't imagine he can think fast enough."
"I told him the exact same thing!" Harry exclaimed. "How are you supposed to be able to take all the bids and remember who bid the most? You can hardly remember your own birthday, I told him today. He seemed confident, though."
"It'll be fine," she said and finally looked up and met his gaze.
He knew she wasn't talking about Ron.
"I know."
"Let's party like it's 1996 and we just won the Quidditch Cup," Ginny announced as she came down the stairs.
She Apparated out of the flat without waiting for an answer and the other two followed with a slight roll of their eyes.
The dance wasn't held at the Ministry, but rather at one of the magnificent halls of the British Museum of Magical History. It was a place Hermione always enjoyed, though she had a feeling this particular evening would be her least enjoyed visit. The building was still as beautiful as ever where it towered above them in its magnificent Second Empire style. Its creative design in stone had always taken her breath away, but tonight it couldn't make up for the horror she knew rested inside.
Harry had to literally drag her past the reporters, through the entrance and into the main hall where he took her cloak and handed it to a member of the staff nearby.
"Remember; it'll be fine," he whispered in her ear and smiled.
Suddenly she wished she had kept the clown smile on, because her muscles just wouldn't do what they were told. Oh, great leaping salamanders of flame, how she hated dances in any shape and form!
Harry and Ginny came up on either side of her and linked their arms with hers as they stepped up to the door. She felt overwhelmed with gratitude that they were on either side supporting her, almost like her own private castle with solid walls of protection and loyalty.
The doors swung open and they entered the hall already buzzing with people, decorated marvellously for the occasion. Merlin's Beard, was she happy she had gotten out of that job! Ginny held her arm tighter as they passed several occupied tables and found their own. Hermione took her seat and found herself utterly relieved at not having to rely on her legs to keep her upright any longer. She found Harry sitting on her left, and peeked at the placement card to her right. Ron Weasley. Oh, unicorn turds! Would she ever get away from that man?
Just as she had processed the thought and added a groan, she heard said man's voice resonate through the hall.
"Welcome to the Annual Ministry Charity Dance, dear Ministry staff and...uh... vultures from the media."
Hermione quirked her eyebrow as several people snickered.
"I'm going to keep the talking at a minimum and proceed straight to the auction of the night. All your contribution goes to St.Mungo's and will be very helpful in research and the improvement of conditions for many patients."
Hermione followed the auctions with half a mind, while the other and more enthusiastic part lingered on a life she had loved and left. It seemed to take over her mind more and more, and she knew Draco's parting words had been spot on: She didn't only lie awake in bed wondering what could have been, she spent every waking moment of her life wondering what could have been.
The auction drew to an end, having sold everything from rare items to dinner dates with unfortunate single Ministry employees.
"Now may we all enjoy a delicious meal and some good old fashioned fun," Ron proclaimed to thunderous applause as he stepped off the podium.
"Who knew Ron had the memory to pull that off?" Harry said in slight puzzlement.
"He can do a lot of things if he actually wants to, he's just too lazy most of the time," Ginny replied. "And this occasion gave him an opportunity to wink at the ladies from his spot in the limelight, so he definitely put more in it."
Hermione laughed at this, knowing it was more than likely true, and grabbed her fork just as their meals appeared on the plates in front of them. Ron flopped down beside her with a large grin on his face, finding his meal waiting as well.
"How did I do?" he asked, beaming at them.
"Surprisingly well," Harry admitted with a nod.
"Absolutely not the disaster I expected."
Ron turned to Hermione with a hopeful expression after ignoring Ginny's statement. Oh, he expected her to praise him now? The food felt like it swelled in her mouth.
"Uh... Cyan is checking you out, so it must've gone exceptionally well," she said flippantly, pushing more food into her mouth hoping that'd let her off the hook.
Ginny snickered wildly, trying to hide her face from view. Ron himself turned to their right and did find Cyan staring openly at him. She blushed wildly and averted her gaze immediately. He blushed profusely too, and Hermione looked at him oddly. This was the player of the wizarding world? The man blushed when someone looked at him wrong! Or...right. Either way.
"Something the matter, Ron?" she asked sweetly, seeing Ginny grin madly out of the corner of her eye.
"Oh err. It's nothing... I've just seen Cyan around the hallways at work and..."
"I know you shagged her, you don't have to lie," Hermione said unaffectedly, shovelling more food into her mouth.
Ron looked like he'd been hit across the face.
"You're not going to fling a piece of meat into her wine and blind her, are you?" Ginny asked, making Hermione and Harry fall into a fit of laughter while Ron looked more confused than ever.
"Ron, don't worry. I'm not mad," she assured him, but left him looking pretty unconvinced.
The meal continued without a hitch and she noticed to her surprise that she was getting more and more comfortable around Ron. She couldn't always help throwing him the occasional toxic insult, but all in all the awkwardness was beginning to reside.
"... and then I tripped over Rita Skeeter. As if that woman isn't bothering me enough as it is following me everywhere, now I actually fell over her, cut my lip and bled all over my date."
Hermione joined in on the roaring laughter, marvelling at the light mood around the table. She met Ginny's gaze and smiled. The redhead was about to return the smile when her face suddenly darkened and her eyes widened, making Hermione turn around in panic. Oh Bugger! Ron was standing next to her holding his hand out. What was he playing at? They were finally getting past the awkwardness and he's asking her to dance?!
She turned back towards Ginny in desperation and caught Harry making frantic motions with his hand to make Ron stop, but her ex-boyfriend didn't seem to take the hint. He just stood there with his hand out, looking at her intently.
"Ron, I don't think this is a good idea," she said earnestly, looking down at his hand and then back up.
"Please, Hermione. I just want to clear the air. There's a lot I haven't apologized for."
She looked around at the other two and gave a great sigh. How could she refuse such a request?
To Ginny's great desperation Hermione took the hand he offered her and rose from her seat. He grinned widely at her and lead her to the dance floor where several others were already moving to the music. She noticed to her chagrin that the music was far from upbeat, and knew that of all things to do this evening she was about to slow-dance with Ronald Weasley. If that wasn't a ridiculous thought, she didn't know what was.
He put his hand awkwardly on her waist and started leading her slowly in circles on the floor. At least he had become a better dancer - Merlin only knew how.
"I'm sorry, Hermione. I really am. For everything I've caused you," he said in a hushed voice.
She nodded solemnly, taking in his words. She hadn't known how much she had waited for his apology - his sincere apology.
"I think we both know our relationship wasn't working, but the way I ended things was completely and utterly disgusting. I wish I could re-do it, but I can't."
"I appreciate your apology very much," she admitted after a moment of silence. "And I want you to know that I've moved on and the load of crap that is currently my life is not made this way because of you any more."
He gave a short laugh at the statement.
"Good to know I'm not making your life hell."
"I want to try to be your friend, Ron, but you need to be patient with me."
"Patience isn't exactly a quality I'm known for, but I know I can't expect you to just accept everything right away. I want us to be friends and I'm willing to wait and take it slow."
She smiled up at him and for the first time in years she felt the bond they had shared at Hogwarts. As their relationship got complicated their friendship had completely drowned in matters of the heart. And now, for the first time in so long, he felt like the friend she had made while fighting the troll on Halloween during their first year. Tears formed in her eyes and she tried to blink them away rapidly. The thought of them at Hogwarts as the amazing friends they had been made her ache for all the years they wasted trying to make themselves something they weren't.
"Hermione?" he asked tentatively, watching her fight the tears. "Did I say something wrong?"
"No," she said in a heavy voice. "I was just thinking about old times - about you and me and Harry at Hogwarts. And for the first time in ages I feel like we can get that back, you know, I -"
"Hermione!" someone suddenly hissed not too far away.
She turned to find Ginny gesturing madly, but she couldn't figure out why. What was going on? Ginny was looking more and more desperate now, and Hermione turned out of Ron's hold to find an image she never expected in a million years and that she had longed for so strongly it was almost ridiculous.
"Draco," she breathed, removing herself completely from Ron and scurried across the dance floor to where he stood between two tables, obviously having entered only moments earlier.
He stood there in his most formal dress robes with his hair as tamed as she knew he could get it and yet it still looked a bit unruly. Her face lit up in amazement, the smile she had tried so desperately to force by the mirror spread across her lips and reached her eyes until her entire being formerly beamed. It wasn't until she got closer that she noticed how tense his face seemed, how he was gripping the back of a nearby chair until his knuckles whitened.
She realised he hadn't been in a public setting in the Wizarding community for years, and now he was standing there with all eyes on him as excited whispers ran through the crowd. He had to be absolutely mortified. But there was something else in his eyes too, something that unnerved her.
"Draco," she repeated as she stopped in front of him. "Oh my god."
Tears shone in her eyes as she waited for him to reply and she tried to blink them away to not blur the image of his perfect presence.
"I can't believe you."
The tone in his voice hit her like a ton of bricks. Her breathing grew shallow and her eyes widened in horror.
"I can't believe I came here for you," he growled angrily, his face twisting into an angry grimace.
"Draco, what...?"
She was entirely confused. All she had said so far was 'Draco' and 'oh my god', there was no way she could have managed to insult him already.
"I come back here for you, after I finally realised I don't care about anything but being with you. And I come back to find you right in the arms of your old boyfriend. That's just brilliant, Granger, absolutely bloody brilliant. How long did it take you to get back in his bed? A week? A day? An hour?"
His words tore her apart and tears began to fall rapidly down her cheeks.
"We were just dancing, I... you don't understand! He just asked me to dance," she uttered, her voice thick with tears and desperation.
"Oh right, Hermione. Like you weren't waiting to get back to that pimple-faced weasel-turd of yours," he bit through clenched teeth.
"How can you say that?" she whispered, her voice pained and cracked. "You know it was over the moment we broke it off and you've been there every step of the way on my recovery. How can you think that about me?!"
"I just know what I'm seeing, and that's you in the arms of the wanker who cheated on you. I can't believe I threw away my perfect life in hiding for you."
He turned on his heel and strode towards the door, leaving her standing rooted to the spot with tears threatening to drown her. The moment the doors fell shut with a thud, she was awaken from her state and she realised that he was leaving. With a sob escaping her lips, she began running towards the door, pulling her dress robes up to not trip over them. She hurtled at full speed towards the door, threw it open and managed to drop her shoe in the process. Ignoring it, she ran out into the main hall past the shocked looking staff and out to the main gates. She reached the pavement and he was nowhere to be seen. Desperately hoping to catch up she started running down the street until she realised she didn't even know which way he went and besides, he had most likely Apparated right out of there.
Overcome with emotions she flopped down on the steps of nearby stairs and sobbed. She hid her face against her knees as her feet rested on the step below. How could he ever believe that about her? She knew it must've looked bad, but he should respect her enough to at least hear her out and not just accuse her of being a slut.
She looked down to find her foot bare and she threw her head back in frustration.
Was this some sort of sordid Cinderella parody?
Wiping her tears angrily, she got up from the steps and Apparated straight back to the flat where she immediately ran up to her room and hid far below the covers without even undressing.
Back at the Ministry dance people had just managed to calm after the display, and were once again dancing and talking amongst themselves. Harry picked up Hermione's shoe by the door and held it out to his girlfriend who looked at it miserably.
"I don't think this is how the fairytale is supposed to go," he said with a sad grimace.
Ginny grabbed her own red tendrils and growled in frustration.
Ing//Hufflepuff