Hermione Granger and the Time of her Life

Hermione Granger and the Time of her Life

Chapter 9: Dance Mania

Hermione couldn't stop fixing herself. She wanted to look perfect. More than perfect. With Fleur's help, she had created a hell of a dress that would surely leave Harry with his mouth hanging open.

Oliver and Harry were growing more impatient by the minute. As the girls wanted to surprise them and wouldn't let them escort them, they had been waiting for over a half an hour already.

Finally, they appeared, and the wait, it seemed, had been worth it. They looked absolutely breathtaking.

As it was a Muggle dress code, Fleur was wearing a short, tight red dress three inches above her knee. Her garment had gold straps and on her feet were a pair of gold sandals with crystal heels, while she wore her silver blonde hair loosely to her waist.

Hermione wasn't far away. She had put on a short lilac colored dress accompanied with silver crystal-heeled sandals while her hair was combed straight to her shoulders.

* * * *

The dancing lasted almost all night, until they couldn't move their feet in exhaustion.

To catch their breath, Oliver and Harry offered to bring the girls a drink, which of course, they welcomed.

While their handsome dates acquired their beverages, Fleur took the opportunity to chat with Katie Bell about some new moves in the wizarding world. Hermione tagged along and ended up talking about some new Herbology books with Neville.

The conversation was pretty interesting until Hermione noticed that Harry and Oliver were taking an awful lot of time to get some silly drinks. She left Fleur and went towards the bar, not finding either Harry or Oliver.

It was then that her eyes fell upon Harry. And a certain red -haired girl with him. With him? No, that didn't cover it. She was almost on top of him!

"Harry? " she fought to keep her voice steady.

"Hermione! I was just about to look for you!" exclaimed a sweaty Harry. With the look Hermione was giving him, it was quite enough to make him more than nervous.

"Were you really?" Hermione asked in a slightly sarcastic tone while Harry put some distance between Ginny and him.

"Here's your drink." Harry smiled at her, but she took it without returning the gesture.

"It took you an awful long time to find me, " she said, in a toned of forced calmness, "I'm surprised you thought I would be with Ginny." Hermione was getting angrier by the minute, but the situation was understandably upsetting.

"No, no, no Hermione. It isn't what you're thinking," Harry clarified. Hermione narrowed her eyes.

"Well then, enlighten me," she crossed her arms.

"Oliver has just informed me that Ginny is our new acquisition for the Gryffindor Quidditch team," answered Harry.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, isn't it great?" exclaimed an excited Ginny.

"Sod off Ginny. This is between Harry and me." Hermione's anger increased.

"Ouch. Lighten up Hermione. It's not a crime against the Hogwart's constitution," Ginny replayed Hermione's sarcasm.

"I said sod off!" Hermione shouted, reaching her hand into the pocket where her wand was.

"Hermione, calm down. You're overreacting." Harry took her arm out of her pocket, only to provoke more fury.

"I'll show you overreacting Potter!" Hermione shrieked. Harry gulped. He had never seen her like this. 'Potter'? She sounded just like Snape. It couldn't be a good sign.

"Hermione, I was just talking to her," Harry explained, but Hermione just scoffed. Ginny just stood there, quite enjoying the spectacle.

"Really? It didn't look that way to me. Maybe you should have invited her to the dance instead, because my, my, if the new acquisitions of the Quidditch team always get treated this way, I want to sign up too!"

"Hermione..."

"Harry, it just doesn't work this way. You can't just kiss me and say you love me and then go 'talk' with a girl who was almost on top of you!"

"Hermione..."

"Because if that's the way things work for you, you can damn well go to hell!" Having said that, Hermione just stormed out.

Harry tried to go after her, to clear up the misunderstanding, but Hermione spilled the untouched drink over him and continued her way without even saying goodnight to her friends.

Meanwhile, Fleur was going berserk. She hadn't seen Harry, Oliver or Hermione for quite some time now. Without hesitation, she stood up and began searching the Great hall.

To her displeasure, she tripped over the last person imaginable.

"Delacour!" she heard her unpleasant squeaky voice.

"You? Didn't I choke you last year?" Fleur tried to maintain her posture.

"'Ze feeling's mutual," the girl responded.

"What are you doing 'ere?"

"I got transferred, like you," the stranger smiled.

"No kidding? For what? So you can sleep wiz 'ze professors to pass 'ze classes?"

"Funny. I 'zought 'zat was your job."

"Look, you little...!" Fleur would have sent her to you know where, if it wasn't for an interruption that she definitely wasn't expecting.

"Honey!"

Fleur couldn't believe her eyes. The last thing she wanted right now was Oliver by her side.

"Oliver! Back so soon?"

"I went to the table, but couldn't find you," he smiled.

"Well, what do you know? I forgot to tell you 'zat I wanted ice wiz my pumpkin juice. Could you get it for me?" Fleur pleaded.

"Covered." Oliver gave her the pumpkin juice cup and she could see it was full of ice. "I have gotten to know you well," her boyfriend grinned.

"I see 'zat," Fleur whispered, cursing all the artifacts around her. It was then that she noticed that her companion didn't stop staring at the Gryffindor Quidditch captain.

"And who's 'zis piece of caramel?" she asked in a seductive tone that was similar to Fleur's.

"Watch it!" the part-Veela warned her, glancing at Oliver, his face covered in a puzzled expression. " 'Zis is MY BOYFRIEND, Oliver Wood," Fleur introduced, with an emphasis on 'boyfriend'.

"Charmed. I'm Darcelle de Heinz," the girl completed the introduction, "Fleur and I are...old friends."

"You said it...old," Fleur growled.

"So, how do you know each other?" Oliver asked with curiosity.

"We attended Beauxbatons togezer. And what a coincidence, we boz got transferred," Darcelle used her previous seductive tone; while Fleur's sapphire eyes were sending off fire sparks.

" Oliver, I'm cold," the part-Veela interrupted on purpose.

Oliver took off his blazer and put it around Fleur's chilly shoulders, along with his arm.

"You want me to escort you back to your room?" he asked, a voice full of tenderness.

"I would like 'zat very much," Fleur answered with a smile.

Fleur took Oliver's arm and led him out before he had a change to say good night to his new acquaintance. Soon, they reached the Ravenclaw portrait.

"Blue," Fleur summoned as the portrait swung open. " 'Zank you Oliver."

"My pleasure. Good night then." He leaned to kiss her.

"You're going to bed, aren't you?" Fleur asked, before Oliver's lips had a chance to brush hers.

"Yes. Why? You want me to do something else for you?'

"No. I just wanted to make sure 'zat you weren't going back to 'ze Great 'All."

"Why is that?"

"Nozing. It's just pretty late." Fleur swung her arms around his neck and claimed his lips passionately.

They would have kept on kissing, but a sob interrupted them.

" 'Ermione?" Fleur saw that her best friend was already in the common room. She supposed it was because she told her every single password each week, just in case.

"Oh, I'm sorry Fleur. I didn't mean to interrupt you," Hermione sniffled.

"No worries." Fleur went towards her gently.

"I'll leave you alone. She's better off talking with a girl," Oliver smiled. Fleur gave him another kiss and he took his leave.

"Come on 'Erm, talk to me," Fleur hugged her.

"It's Harry. I saw him and Ginny was almost on top of him. I just went berserk, he told me I was overreacting. We got into a huge fight and..." Hermione's voice was cut by tears.

" I'm sorry 'Erms," Fleur hugged her even tighter.

"Please Fleur, can I sleep in your room tonight? I don't want to go to Gryffindor. Harry will be there and Ginny too."

"Sure. I'll go get your 'zings."

Fleur went to the Gryffindor common room. She knew the passwords like the back of her hand, for both Oliver and Hermione told her repeatedly of the new code.

She grabbed Hermione's pajamas and black robes for the next day.

"Fleur! How's Hermione?" Harry came running towards her.

"She's sleeping in my dormitory tonight, so whazever problem you two may 'ave, it'll 'ave to wait until tomorrow," Fleur answered, exiting the Gryffindor tower.

Hermione was already asleep the minute she arrived back. She apparently had borrowed one of Fleur's nightgowns and had cried herself to sleep. Clear evidence of that was her tear stained face.

Fleur settled on her bed, next to her best friend. But she couldn't sleep. Something unpleasant occupied her thoughts.

Her thoughts turned to one person; Darcelle de Heinz.