Falling From Grace

Chapter 2: Dizzy ( A New Year's Ball and -More- Flower Bushes )

*-*-*-*-*-*

Hermione, Ginny, Harry, and Ron were walking towards the stairs into the Entrance Hall, coming from a nice snowball fight on the grounds. ( By the way, the girls won. SCORE. ) Since they had decided to get a nice cup of hot chocolate, they were headed to the Great Hall. They were still laughing from the joy of the outcome, although the boys had lost, when they entered the vast Entrance Hall, and stopped. There was a crowd of about forty or so people around the doors to the Great Hall. Hermione looked over at Harry and noticed him looking through the crowd. She guessed he was looking for a familiar face - if he could see their faces. He seemed to have found someone, though, because he walked over to a sandy-haired fellow and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hullo, Seamus. What's happening?" Harry asked when the boy turned around.

"'Lo, Harry!" Seamus saw the other three standing off to the side, and lifted a hand, waving jovially to them. "Dunno, really. I'm guessing that they're not letting anyone into the Great Hall so they can decorate for tonight's festivities. You know, the dance and all," he replied, shrugging. "Maybe we'll just leave. Wanna come with us?" He motioned to the brown-haired girl standing beside him; her back was still turned to them. It was probably Lavender.

"No thanks, Seamus. We'll just hang around here. See you later," Harry replied, and walked back over to his friends. As they had been standing out of earshot, he filled them in on what Seamus had said, and frowned.

Hermione frowned as well, thinking of anywhere that they could go to get some hot chocolate. Hogsmeade was out of the question, as Hermione had to strictly follow the rules and not stray off campus; however, there was the choice of the--

"Kitchens," said Harry aloud, finishing Hermione's thought for her. "Let's go." He turned and led the way to the kitchens, and most likely another argument between Hermione and Ron, considering the well being of house elves. They had been arguing over that a lot lately.

*-*-*-*-*-*

The scarlet dress robes hang from the top of Hermione's four-poster bed. She loved these robes; they were, by far, the nicest piece of clothing she owned. Her parents had given her money to get these specially made for her, for her seventeenth birthday, and they had not let her down. The dress robes themselves were made of a fine scarlet silk, with sleeves that fanned out at her hands. From the hem at her wrist, delicate golden lace had been stitched to it; the outcome was that you could barely see her hands from beneath the lace. Embroidered along the bottom hem of her dress robes in golden thread was an intricate vine. These robes were certainly made for royalty, it seemed. Her parents had insisted, saying 'only the best for our daughter' over and over again.

"'Mione, you have to go! You can't throw out an opportunity to have all eyes on you when you're wearing those beautiful dress robes! All the girls will be envious, even though you're dancing with Malfoy," exclaimed Ginny, running a brush through her sleek auburn tresses. She was eyeing the robes enviously from their reflection in the mirror. "I'd wear them, if I didn't look horrible in red." She had chosen some lovely lavender dress robes, which brought out her complexion marvelously.

"That's the reason I don't want to go, Gin!" Hermione was torn between the decision to go or to not go to the ball. On one hand, she had the most wonderful dress robes. On the other hand, she had to open the ball with Draco Malfoy. "I don't want to dance with Malfoy. He'll probably be making nasty comments to me all throughout the first dance. He might even go so far as to ruin my dress robes." You never knew what to expect when you were dealing with the nastiest Slytherin in the school.

Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown had entered the dormitory from their station in the bathroom; Parvati, wearing the prettiest pale pink robes; Lavender, dark blue robes with silver roses embroidered around her wrists. At the time of their entrance, Hermione had been saying that she didn't want to dance with Malfoy. A slight jaw drop from the black-haired girl was present. "I know you don't exactly like Malfoy, Hermione, but how could you throw away a chance to dance with one of the most handsome boys in our year?!"

"It's simple, Parvati. All I have to do is not dance with him," she replied to the girl, nettled by her interruption. "I don't know if you've realized this or not, but Draco Malfoy is possibly the most evil, sadistic, disgusting, and ruthless person alive. Besides his father, of course." Hermione went over to the dress robes hanging from her bed, sliding the cool silk through her hands. Oh, it would be a shame to miss the ball because of him. She looked at herself in the mirror, admiring the way she had done her hair: with just the slightest amount of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion, her hair fell past her shoulders in soft ringlets. Suddenly, Hermione smiled, turning to the other three girls. "Oh, what the hell. I'll go."

Ginny smiled; Lavender and Parvati squealed with delight.

Hermione turned to Lavender. "So, how's Seamus been treating you these days?" The girls formed a huddle, and talked about their boyfriends.

*-*-*-*-*-*

Draco was standing at the bottom of the staircase in the Entrance Hall, looking extremely bored. Where was Granger?! She was supposed to meet him here almost ten minutes ago, and she'd not show up yet! Sliding his hands absentmindedly over the smooth, ebony dress robes he'd donned for this occasion, he watched the top of the stairs. At his right wrist, his initials, DLM, had been sewn onto it in a calligraphic design, and the lining of the dress robes was made of pure silver material. He was about to leave and enter the Great Hall when soft clicking and jingling met his ears; he looked up. He could not help the way his breath caught in his throat at the sight.

There was Granger, descending the staircase as if she were a princess. Her right hand barely grazed the handrail; the jingling noise he heard was probably from bracelets hidden beneath the scarlet robes she wore. Her hair was a mass of soft ringlets, the brown shot through with golden streaks here and there. He supposed she wore high heels, from the clicking noises emitting from around the bottom of her robes - he couldn't see from the length of the robes. There was her silver Head Girl badge, pinned slightly beneath her collarbone on her left shoulder. Realizing he was staring at her, he let out his breath ( he didn't realize he'd been holding it ) and sneered elegantly at her. Raising an eyebrow, he said, "So you can look different than usual. I was expecting you to come to this silly little ball with your school robes on and your bag of books over your shoulder."

"Oh, sod off, Malfoy. I don't want to be here with you as much as you don't want to be here with me," replied Hermione, scowling at him. "A person would think you'd be a bit more charming, considering how.." she blushed, continuing, ".. Nice you look tonight."

"You think too much, Granger. That's your problem," he said, and offered her an arm. Dumbledore was expecting him to be courteous; he would prove to Dumbledore that he could be a gentleman.

She sneered at him and slid her hand through the crook of his elbow, placing it gently on his forearm. No matter how much she didn't like him, she could at least be gentle with him. It was only for one night, anyway.

He felt her hand touch his arm softly, and ignored the way heat flooded from her touch. Putting on an impassive façade, he led her into the Great Hall.

*-*-*-*-*-*

Dumbledore stood after the meal, rapping his spoon gently on his goblet to get the hall's attention. "If I could have your attention, please?" He surveyed the room, acutely noticing the Weird Sisters setting up on the other side of the Hall. Making sure all eyes were on him, he smiled and looked to the table where the seventh year Prefects, Head Boy, and Head Girl were seated. "As soon as our guest, the Weird Sisters, get set up, our Head Boy, Head Girl, and seventh year Prefects will open the dance for us."

A cheer went up as he said the Weird Sisters, and Dumbledore smiled again. Looking over to the band, the group nodded, and in turn, he nodded to the seventh years.

"Don't step on my feet, Malfoy," Hermione hissed at him as they positioned themselveson the dance floor. Her eyes were narrowed slightly; behind them, she was praying that the first song wasn't slow.

"As long as you don't step on mine, I won't step on yours, Granger," he replied, grey eyes glittering malevolently.

The band struck up a slow, mournful tune, and Hermione groaned inwardly. She reluctantly slid her arms around Draco's neck; he put his hands on her waist, and they began slow dancing. The first minute or so was silent, with Hermione staring over his shoulder at other people who were slowly joining the floor. Draco was trying hard not to focus on her creamy-skinned neck, where a lovely fragrance floated up to meet his nostrils. He cursed Granger mentally.

It took a moment for Hermione to realize he had said something to her. She turned her head, looking at him. "What'd you say?"

"I said that I was surprised with your talent at this. I didn't know Muggles could slow dance this well," said Draco.

"Well, seems like someone's ignorant. If you read more, or paid attention more in Muggle Studies, you'd know that the first couple to slow dance were Muggles," she replied, scowling at him. "You don't need to be so nasty all of the time."

"You read too much as it is, Granger." Draco shrugged her last comment off, an apathetic look gracing his handsome features.

She had to fight the urge to stomp on his foot. He was too arrogant for his own good. "The only reason I read is to receive knowledge, Malfoy."

He smirked. "You need it."

Ugh! "And you don't?"

"I didn't ask for a reply, Mudblood," he hissed, glaring at her.

"Looks like you got one." She was glad the dance was over. She pulled her arms away from him, pushing his hands away from her waist, and moved away from him, going over to the table they had inhabited and sitting there, crossing her arms over her chest.

Women, he thought bitterly, exiting the Great Hall. They all have tempers, and that one's is fiery, almost like the girl Weasley's temper. She has too much anger for her own good. He exited the Entrance Hall next, going out to the gardens.

*-*-*-*-*-*

Hermione looked up at the clock positioned in the Great Hall, noticing it read 11:45 P.M. She smiled, realizing it would be 1998 in fifteen minutes, and looked to Harry and Ginny. It seemed as if they had gotten a head start on their celebrating, and were kissing each other on the dance floor. She giggled as McGonagall showed up almost immediately, shooing them apart to make them stop snogging on the dance floor. Ginny and Harry walked over to the table Hermione sat at, hand-in-hand. They were so cute together, like a fairy tale couple. The gallant hero sweeps the less-than-fortunate beauty off her feet; they fall in love with each other, and live happily ever after. She wished she had a knight in shining armor to call her own, but her first priority at the moment was to pass the N.E.W.T.s at the end of the year with full marks. She smiled at the couple, gesturing for them to sit. "So McGonagall caught you, did she?" She giggled when they both blushed.

"Why haven't you been dancing, 'Mione? You shouldn't waste those dress robes just because Malfoy put you in a foul mood," Ginny said, frowning at her best friend.

"I danced with Neville earlier," she protested, wincing at the memory. "My feet weren't happy with me after that, though. That'll teach me to wear open-toed shoes when I go to a ball, won't it?" All three of them laughed, and Hermione stood up, looking around the Great Hall. "It's a bit stuffy in here," she said. "I think I'll go for a walk. No, Ginny, you don't need to come with me. I'll be fine." She gave them a reassuring smile and walked out of the Great Hall, then out of the Entrance Hall, and onto the grounds of Hogwarts.

It was a beautiful night, with no clouds in the sky to be seen. The crescent moon shone brightly in the sky; she smiled up at the majestic moon and stars, walking along with her head turned up to the sky. Of course, this caused her to not notice that she had wandered into the gardens, and that she was headed straight towards a person walking with his head down. The collision brought her to her senses, and she began a descent downwards, her hands flying out to catch her from her fall. It wasn't necessary; the boy caught her arms. Of course, the momentum the two possessed caused them to fall anyway, into a flower bush. Thankfully, there were no thorns to rip at her lovely dress robes. She winced at the fall, though, and looked at the person who she had knocked over. "I'm terribly sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going--"

"It's fine, are you alright?" The shadow the bush was throwing over the two made it not possible for her to see the boy's face, but the voice was recognizable.

"Malfoy?"

Her eyes widened, and she blushed darkly, almost enough to match her robes. She was acutely aware of his hold on her hands. He didn't seem to be, though; he was more focused on trying to make sure it was Hermione he'd ran into. His hands brushed the lace at her wrists, causing the lace to brush across her hand. This caused a chain reaction, sending a wave of adrenaline throughout her veins, making her cheeks flush again at the soft touch. He stood up, and the moonlight glinted off his blond tresses. Yes, it was Malfoy; the hair gave him away. Hermione was wondering if he realized it was she when he held out his hand to help her up. She took it anyway, finding his actions strange but.. almost enticing, really. He pulled her up, and she heard his breath catch in his throat when the moonlight graced her features. They were entirely too close, it seemed, too close for her to be comfortable. She could feel his chest against hers, his hand clasped around hers; his breath against her cheek as brown and grey locked to each other.

Off in the distance, she vaguely heard the clock in the Great Hall strike twelve. People in Hogsmeade set off firecrackers and still, the two stared each other in the eye. Her heart quickened, causing her breath to increase rapidly, and she was caught completely off-guard when his lips met hers.

*-*-*-*-*-*

He felt her stiffen under his grasp, and for a second he wondered what she was going to do - slap him, kiss back, or run off. After another few seconds, however, she relaxed into his grasp and he felt her kissing him back. This was so bizarre, the way they had ended up this way. Earlier in the evening, he had been positively sure he hated her. Now, he wasn't so sure about that. Her lips were so soft, softer than he had imagined them to be. And she smelled so incredible! Whatever kind of perfume she was wearing surely put the spell over him, to make him want to kiss her. He pulled back, ignoring an aching from below his belt, and looked at her, trying to make out her emotions from her face. Draco looked over her face. Her cheeks were flushed; her eyes were closed; her lips were swollen from kissing and slightly parted. She opened her eyes, and he felt her take a quick breath, before swallowing and reaching up, bringing his lips back to hers.

His arms enclosed around her waist; hers went to entwine themselves around his neck. He felt her lips part against his, and he fought against the urge to smirk at her antics. This was a side of Granger he had not known about; well, of course he wouldn't have known that she was such a nice kisser - he'd never kissed her before, with good cause. Draco's tongue slid through his lips, trailing along hers for a moment before penetrating her lips. He heard a soft sound slip past her lips at this, and felt her smile against his lips. She responded, with enough passion to surprise even him. His lips parted from hers, only to start kissing down her jaw line. He kissed her earlobe, sucking on it for a brief moment before trailing soft kisses down her neck. Draco inhaled her scent, intoxicated by it. He felt as if he were the more experienced one of the two - of course, who was he to tell? He had seen her holding hands with Weasley last year. They had broken their relationship off, however, but remained friends. Draco kissed back up her neck, to meet her lips once more - and froze at a growling voice that reached their ears.

*-*-*-*-*-*

Harry had decided to follow Hermione around five minutes past midnight, leaving a sleeping Ginny in the Great Hall. What he found when he came across Hermione, however, wasn't a pleasing sight.

"Get the fuck away from her, Malfoy," he growled, staring at the sickening sight of Draco and Hermione, snogging, and halfway in a rose bush.

Hermione pulled away from Draco quickly, looking at Harry as if he had just cancelled Christmas. Her eyes were wide, like a deer caught in the headlights, and Draco was glaring daggers at Harry. She drew a steadying breath, cheeks as red as her robes, and looked at Harry, a pleading look to her eyes. "Harry, it's not what you think," she whispered, eyes looking pained.

"The HELL it's not! I came along to check on you, because you've been gone for nearly a half-hour, and I see you and Malfoy snogging in the rose bushes! Hermione, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Ron's phrase that he had used in their fourth year popped into Harry's mind. Fraternizing with the enemy, he thought, clenching his fists.

"Harry, it's New Year's! We were just caught up in the moment, because people in Hogsmeade set off firecrackers. It just.. happened, I swear! We didn't plan this!" She looked at Draco, whose fists were clenched at his sides.

Harry watched her, seeing what he thought was a look of lust in her eyes. "Caught up in the moment, my ass," he hissed, glaring at the two.

"Oh, Harry," she whispered, and started crying. "Please don't tell Ron." She brought a fist up to her mouth, biting on the knuckles softly as her shoulders shook with suppressed sobs.

"Why are you asking him not to tell Weasley? Is he having an affair with you while he's dating Patil?" Draco hissed, the first words he had said since Harry showed up. "No, don't answer that. I don't want to hear your voice." He took off, shrugging past Harry.

Hermione's knees buckled, and Harry rushed to catch her before she fell. "I won't tell Ron, Hermione," he whispered, frowning. "Just.. don't tell me why, okay? I don't want to know."

"Okay," she replied, and cried some more as he helped her to the castle.

*-*-*-*-*-*

Dear Journal,

A strange thing happened a week ago. I suppose I should write in you more, shouldn't I? Well, on New Year's Eve, we had the ball, and it went well, for the most part. This is while I'm ignoring what happened in the first few minutes of the Ball - Draco and I were arguing as we opened it with the first dance. Then, things went pretty smoothly - I'm also ignoring the part where Neville nearly murdered my toes when I danced with him. At around 11:45, however, I went outside and ran into Draco. Literally, ran into him. Anyway, he helped me up, which confused me, and then when I got up, we were too close to each other. And.. He kissed me. It was wonderful, Journal, which confuses me. I had a feeling he wanted to do more than just kiss, but Harry came along and stopped him. I wouldn't have minded, really, if Harry hadn't come along, but I'm glad he did. He stopped me from doing something I would have regretted later. And then, today, when classes started back up again, I ran into Draco in the hallway. We just stared into each other's eyes for a minute, and then we went to our separate classes. But after Potions, I found a note in my bag. It said, 'H, meet me in the Charms classroom tonight after your rounds. D'.. What should I do, Journal?

*-*-*-*-*-*

She is.. intoxicating. I left a note in her bag today in Potions. She looked at me after supper and nodded at me. I wonder if that means she's going to meet me.

... Why does she unsettle me so? Used to be, when I had a relationship with a girl, they didn't do this to me. But she's different. She could be useful. Then again, she could be harmful. But how could such an innocent-looking girl be harmful?

*-*-*-*-*-*

You're cynical and beautiful

You always make a scene

You're monochrome delirious

You're nothin' that you seem

I'm drowning in your vanity

Your laugh is a disease

You're dirty and you're sweet

You know you're everything to me

Everything you are

Falls from the sky like a star

Everything you are

Whatever ever you are

I wanna tear at the machine

That made you piss away your dreams

And tear down your defenses

Till there's nothin' left but me

You're angry when you're beautiful

Your love is such a tease

I'm drowning in your dizzy noise

I wanna feel you scream

Everything you are

Falls from the sky like a star

Everything you are

Whatever ever you are

Everything you are

Falls from the sky like a star

Everything you are

Whatever ever you are

Everything you are

Whatever ever you are

Whatever ever you are

Whatever ever you are...

Dizzy, The Goo Goo Dolls