Born The Day You Kissed Me

Lyrics by Rascal Flatts

A Day of Love, A Look of Loathing

It was Valentine's Day, and classes had just ended that Friday afternoon. Hermione had just met Draco in their common room so that she could drop off her books, and change out of her uniform. They headed down the corridor together to meet all the professors and prefects in the Great Hall.

When they arrived, they were pleased to see that some professors were already there transfiguring the long house tables into small round tables. A group of Ravenclaws and Gryffindors were gathering and organizing some decorations.

Hermione spotted Ron and Ginny amongst the Gryffindors and walked towards them to help them sort through the supplies they'd bought at Hogsmeade. Draco caught sight of Blaise and went over to him.

"Glad to see you made it," Draco said as Blaise levitated a large glowing red heart, "and glad to see you're enjoying yourself," he said mockingly.

"What can I say, interior decorating is my calling," Blaise said very sarcastically.

"Zabini, no! Those go over in that corner!" Hannah Abbott said as she made the red heart float back down and into her outstretched hand. "Your corner has the white hearts, they're over there," she said pointing to a table across the hall.

"Okay," Blaise said, imitating the girls shrilly voice.

"So did you ever find Parkinson the other evening?" Draco asked as they made their way over to the supplies table.

Blaise seemed to turn red, and shook his head quickly. "She used me," he blurted.

"And that surprises you?" Draco said incredulously.

"I thought--well, she ran into me that night before the prefects meeting, and told me that she really wanted to see my new invisibility cloak. It was blatant that she just wanted to fool around, and I thought she was just using the cloak as an excuse to get into my room," Blaise explained, a bit embarrassed to admit to Draco that he'd wanted to fool around.

Draco didn't seem to care, "So you had sex," he said offhandedly.

"Yes, but it turns out she wasn't using me for sex, she was using me to get my invisibility cloak because when I woke up, she and my cloak were gone."

Draco looked up when he felt someone staring at him. It was Hermione and he smiled as she looked away quickly when he caught her eye. He turned back to Blaise, "No offense mate, but why is this such a big deal to you? I mean, you can easily steal the cloak back. And you know that she sleeps around," Draco said a bit condescendingly. They grabbed armfuls of the white hearts and headed back to the corner they were decorating.

"She is up to something. Why else would she have gone through the trouble to steal it? She could have just asked me for it. She stole it because she didn't want me knowing she needed it!"

"Slow down Zabini," Draco said, "Lets not jump to conclusions--"

"And," Blaise continued, cutting Draco off, "she has hardly been to our lessons this past week."

Draco thought for a moment, "Now that I think about, I only saw her in Potions," Draco said as they began to levitate the white hearts into the air. He looked over his shoulder to catch Hermione's eye again, and when she looked back she shook her head while laughing silently.

"Yeah, because she's afraid of Snape. Draco, something's up. She hasn't been acting like herself lately," Blaise said in a troubled tone.

"Relax. Whatever she's up to probably doesn't even concern you. Besides, we both know she isn't smart enough to pull anything that scandalous off."

"You're right," Blaise muttered. He looked over at Draco who was staring off over his shoulder. He turned around and saw that Hermione was walking around ordering people about and fixing decorations that were amiss. "You like her, don't you?" he said suddenly, "You've been eyeing her since you walked in together, don't bother denying it."

Draco looked at him and nodded. "Yes, I tend to like the girls that I'm dating," Draco said matter-of-factly.

"Liar," Blaise shot back. "You didn't like Pansy in the least and you dated her for...wait, dating? You're dating Granger?" he asked taken aback.

"Hello boys," Hermione said as she strolled up to them. "Working hard I see?" she asked as there were only three hearts in the air so far. She smiled up at Draco.

Blaise watched the silent exchange and was a little shocked.

"Of course we are," Draco assured her.

"Well then, I'll leave you to it," she said. She grasped his hand and gave it a small but significant squeeze.

Draco watched her intently as she strolled away to a group of Hufflepuffs.

Blaise whistled under his breath, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're in love with that girl," Blaise said in a joking manner. He was mildly horrified when Draco didn't immediately scold him for assuming such a thing.

"Perhaps," Draco said as he returned to the glowing decorations.

* * *

Hermione supervised the Great Hall until the professors took over to allow the prefects to get ready for the evening.

Ginny had already brought her robes over to Hermione's room so that they could get ready together. She had yet to see Hermione's gown, as Hermione's had decided to surprise her as well. Harry, Ron and Lavender were meeting them there at seven, so they had a little less than an hour to dress.

"Hurry!" Ginny chided Hermione, as she was walking at a normal pace through the corridors.

"Ginny, we have plenty of time, would you please slow down?"

"I can't wait to see your gown!"

"Nor can I wait to see your robes Gin, but that doesn't mean we have to run to my dorm," Hermione said.

"Fine," Ginny said as she slowed to a mild jog. She looked over at friend, and was a little startled by her face. It looked like she was trying to suppress a smile that wanted to be plastered on her lips. "What is it? Why are you smiling like that?"

"Draco and I are a couple," she said suddenly. Ginny was the first person she'd told.

Ginny gave an excited squeal and began chatting about how she knew it was coming. "I can tell you care about him, just be careful with him," she said wisely as they made their way into Hermione's common room.

About fifteen minutes passed and Hermione stepped out of the loo to reveal her gown to Ginny.

Ginny's mouth dropped and her eyes raked over her in disbelief.

"Well?" Hermione asked as she pulled up on it. That reminded her, she need to put a charm on the dress before she forgot.

Ginny shook her head in admiration. "It's beautiful," Ginny said, "turn!"

Hermione twirled around giving her a full view of the dress. "Oh Ginny, you look marvelous too! Turn!" she added and Ginny twirled just as Hermione had.

"Blimey Hermione, your hair! It's turning blue!"

"Oh yea," she said as she looked into the mirror. "Monsieur Malvice said that it's an enchantment and it'll go away when I take the dress off."

"I guess that means you're wearing your hair down," Ginny said as she looked into the mirror.

Hermione nodded and the girls got to work on doing their hair. Hermione first helped Ginny weave her hair into an elegant twist.

"I have an idea!" Hermione said as she grabbed her wand from her school bag. She transfigured one of her hand-held mirrors into a luxurious red rose.

Ginny looked at her, "What's that for?"

Hermione wrinkled her nose, "Well, I was going to suggest putting it in your hair but you already have a red dress and red hair, what about a white rose?"

Ginny nodded, and Hermione turned the red rose into a pearly white flower. She then stuck the flower in the middle of Ginny's French twist. "Perfect!" Hermione declared. While she had her wand, she quickly muttered a charm to keep her dress from falling down.

"Great, now what about you hair?" Ginny asked while loosening some bangs to hang over her face.

Hermione said a few spells and her hair fell into very bouncy curls. She tied a few strands back with a ribbon, and let a few small curls frame her face. The blue ends were growing on her, and she thought it added a bit of playfulness to her elegant gown.

"You know, that is a pretty revealing dress. I mean, you can see almost all of your skin through the lace," Ginny commented as the girls admired themselves in her full-length mirror.

Hermione's palms began to sweat. "Do you think it's too much?"

"It's sexy, I don't think Malfoy will be able to keep his eyes off of you!" she said as she re-tied the bow on the back of her dress. Hermione blushed furiously, scoffing at her remark. "Actually, I don't think any boy will be able to keep his eyes off of you."

"Nonsense," Hermione said waving her hands. She looked at her clock, "It's almost time," she said. She was getting a little nervous.

The girls applied a little makeup, mainly some mascara to their lashes as the masks would cover up most of their eyes.

"Here," Ginny said, handing Hermione a black band that resembled a leg garter. Ginny knelt down and slipped it up her leg, then fastened her wand to it.

"My dress is see-through," Hermione realized.

"Oh yea," Ginny said. "How are you going to take your wand?"

She hadn't thought about that. She didn't want to go anywhere without her wand, she didn't like the feeling of being unarmed.

Ginny took her wand back out, and took Hermione's wand from her. She said the same spell that had earlier transfigured her mirror into a white rose. "Here," she said as she stuck the flower into her hair, "now you have your wand!"

"Thanks Gin," she said as she handed the garter back. "Where did you get those anyway?"

The girls were interrupted as they heard a knock on the door.

"Are you ready yet?" Draco called out to them. "Potter and the Weasel are here," he said. Ginny huffed at that, and she strode over to the door and opened it forcefully. "Whoops," he said with a shrug when he saw her irritated look, "I meant Weasley."

"Did you?" Ginny asked as she picked up her mask and strode out into the common room.

Harry beamed as she walked over to take his hand. "You look beautiful," he declared aloud.

"Thank you," she said as she raised the mask over her eyes impishly.

Draco was still standing at Hermione's door, staring at her. She slowly walked towards him, her heart beating strangely.

"Milady," he said in a low voice with a bow. He took her hand and kissed it, looking up at her. Her cheeks were tinged with red, and she looked nervous.

Draco stood back up, and offered her a mask. She hadn't seen it yet, but it matched her dress perfectly. It was very simple as not to take away from her gown. It was white lace, and had the same colored blue ribbons dangling down the side where the handle was.

He offered her his arm, and she took it, her heart tugging oddly as his eyes bore into her own. The common room went silent as she emerged from her room. Lavender was the first to speak.

"Hermione, that gown is beautiful! Where did you get it?"

"It was a gift," she said looking up at Draco.

Ron and Harry were admiring her with pleased looks on their faces.

"Shall we?" Harry said as he motioned for the door.

They all walked out of the room in couples, Draco and Hermione in the back.

"I never thought I'd be heading to a ball with Potter and company," he joked as Hermione reveled in the feel of the dress swooshing around her legs.

They eventually made it to the Great Hall and were admired as they walked through the students. Almost every eye was on Hermione, and Draco wrapped his arm around her feeling a bit possessive.

Instantly there were whispers...and Draco smiled at Hermione reassuringly.

Hermione was, for some reason, a nervous wreck. She felt very self-confident in this dress, and though it was gorgeous, she was wondering if it was too revealing.

"You look great, stop worrying," Draco said to her as he felt her shaking slightly.

Hermione nodded, and whished that people would stop staring at her. She wasn't accustomed to such attention. "Then again," she thought, "this is just like fourth year when half the school realized I was, in fact, a girl." She smiled at people as she passed, hoping they were fooled into thinking she was calm and collected. She was anything but calm.

"I'm being silly," Hermione thought. Why should she care so much what everyone thought? Then it occurred to her that perhaps they were not only staring at her dress, but at the fact that Draco had his arm snugly wrapped around her waist. Her heart began to beat faster again as she realized that this was their first public appearance as a couple. "A couple," she said to herself. She smiled as she liked the way it sounded.

Hermione and Draco stepped into the Great Hall to let the teachers know that everyone was outside waiting.

McGonagall seemed to blush when she caught sight of her dress, and Hermione panicked for a moment.

The old witch saw her distress, and walked up to the Head students. "Good evening Miss Granger, Mister Malfoy, you are both looking lovely," she smiled warmly.

Hermione's heart slowed a little at her approving smile, but not for long as Snape was striding over in their direction. She could feel him looking at her, and she refused to make eye contact. Draco seemed to sense her uneasiness and stepped in front of her to shake Snape's hand.

"Evening Professor," he said confidently.

"Good evening, I think it's time the two of you let everyone in," he said smoothly.

Hermione was thankful when the Potions Master walked away briskly and left her alone with Draco.

"Stop fretting, you look amazing," he whispered to her.

She nodded and sighed, "Ready?"

They glided over to the doors and slowly opened them. Everyone in the hallway cheered and made their way into the hall, ooohing and aaahing at all the decorations.

Hermione and Draco stood at the doors to greet everyone. Hermione admired all the girls' beautiful gowns, but was uneasy when she felt someone staring at her. She looked up; it wasn't Draco. He was busy talking to a Ravenclaw prefect. She smiled at students as they continued to walk in, but searched the crowd that was already there for the source of the stare.

She was all together a little frightened to see Pansy Parkinson glaring at her with a cruel and ruthless look in her eyes. Her head was hanging down, and she was looking over her black lashes directly at Hermione. She wasn't grinning idiotically as she usually was, and the glare sent an unnatural shiver down her spine. Hermione's stomach turned, with an intense feeling of anxiety.

Just as soon as the girls had made eye contact, Pansy put a mask to her face and stalked away.

Hermione was no longer smiling, only staring at the Pansy's back. She was in all black robes, and in Hermione's opinion, resembled that of a bat.

Draco closed the doors after everyone was inside, and looked up to see Hermione staring off into the crowd with a puzzled look on her face.

He placed a hand on her lower back and led her to the front of the room. "You alright? You look like you just saw Potter snog Weasley," he joked.

She shook her head, and tried to smile. That look...it unsettled her more than she wanted to admit. Hermione was overcome with a very bad feeling that something was going to go wrong....

She shoved the thought away as Draco took her hand in his to lead her to the dance floor as the music had already started.

Soon, she was laughing and dancing and having a wonderful time. She was elated to see everyone having a fantastic time as well. The music seemed to go on forever. Hermione danced with Harry and Ron, even Ginny a few times. Draco was currently chatting with Blaise, and Hermione and Ginny left the dance floor for the first time that evening.

"I'm going to and use the loo," Ginny said to Hermione.

"I'll come with you," Hermione offered. She followed the girl into the lavatory where they each used the toilet.

"Malfoy has been surprisingly pleasant tonight," Ginny commented as they washed their hands.

Hermione grinned widely. "He has hasn't he," she said as she smoothed out her hair.

"News traveled pretty quickly about you two," Ginny said. "You should've seen the look on Parkinson's face when she found out that you two are a couple, it was priceless!"

At the mention of the Slytherin, Hermione remembered the look she'd given her at the start of the evening. "Ginny," Hermione said softly, "Parkinson, at the beginning of the Ball, she gave me this horrible look, like she was trying to set me on fire with her eyes or something."

"Well, it was probably just after she found out, I mean the news traveled in the halls as you two walked up in each others arms," Ginny teased.

"No Gin, I'm serious, this look was awfully alarming," Hermione said as they began to walk out of the loo.

Just when they got to the door however, someone stepped out in front of them. Hermione shrank back towards Ginny, dropping her mask on the floor as the two haunted eyes of Pansy Parkinson stared back at her coldly.