Bleeding Roses

Chapter 8

The Snowflake

The next morning, when Hermione woke up, she felt like she hadn't slept at all last night. She felt sore all over, like she actually ran, like the girl in the dream. Except, now that she thought about it, in the dream, she was the girl named Katherine. The more she thought about the dream, the clearer every image became. Then she realized that she had dreamt about Katherine Jones and Jean-François Malfoy! It was probably their last moment together, before they both died, but how can she be sure? It had to have something to do with that pendant! Quickly, Hermione reached under her pillow and withdrew the piece of jewelry. She turned it around and around quickly, unable to find ny writing to indicate any kind of meaning to her dream.

She sighed and just when she was about throw it back under her pillow, did she notice something sticking out of the crack between the emerald and the silver backing. She tried to pull it out, but it wouldn't budge. Frowning, she turned it and saw tiny, almost invisible hinges on the other side. Her heart thumping with excitement, she tried to dig her nail in between the crack, but was incapable of opening it, thanks to her bitten nails. She groaned. She would just take it to Draco then.

She set it aside and walked lethargically to the bathroom. After she had washed up, she decided to head down to the Great Hall for some breakfast. Christmas vacation had started already, but hardly any student had decided to go home because of the dance. The first years were particularly ecstatic, since they had never had a chance to go to a Hogwarts dance before. So Hermione wasn't surprised to see the Great Hall crowded, like any other normal school day.

She took a seat at the Gryffindor table, as far from Harry and Ron as possible. In truth, she did miss them, but she wasn't going to admit that out loud. She really missed Ron's quirky jokes and the mere comfort of having Harry beside her. After being best friends for over six years, and getting through so much together, the "breakup" was a stabbing pain to her heart. She didn't know how they felt, but she hoped that they felt the same way she did. They always found a way to make up with each other, but she wasn't sure about this time. She didn't want to lose her best friends forever, but she wasn't going to apologize for being right! She knew that her stubbornness would cost her one-day, but a person just doesn't change overnight.

Sadly, she started to eat some of her food. She caught Dumbledore's eye, and he smiled. He beckoned Hermione over to the staff table and she obeyed.

"Meet me in my office in about twenty minutes," he said. "Tell Mr. Malfoy to come also."

"Yes, sir," she said. "See you later."

She took a deep breath and walked over to the Slytherin table. As she walked down the row, she ignored the other students pointing at her and whispering. She knew what they were saying anyway. They were probably spreading some new rumor about Draco and her. She saw Pansy leaning on Draco, seemingly unable to keep her hands to herself. Just seeing her like that made Hermione's blood boil and her stomach turn over, threatening to let out the breakfast that she just ate. However, Draco offered her comfort by looking very disgusted and shoving Pansy away.

"Draco," she said.

Draco and Pansy looked up, as well as several other Slytherins. Pansy smirked and leaned on Draco even more, which did not help with Hermione's anger at all. Draco shoved her away as far as possible.

"Good morning Hermione," he said, all the while keeping a watchful eye on Pansy. "Is something up?"

"Dumbledore wants us to meet him in his office in about twenty minutes," she said.

"I'll go with you," he said, relieved to have found an excuse to get away from Pansy. He grabbed a slice of bread and rose from his seat. Together, they headed toward the Headmaster's office.

While they were walking, Hermione told Draco about her discovery. He seemed very interested in the parchment stuck in the pendant, and was delighted to help. They had fun guessing what the parchment could contain, while they waited for Professor Dumbledore to arrive. When he did, they plunged right into the matter at hand, but they didn't mention anything about the pendant to Dumbledore.

"I need you to help the staff deliver some of these invitations for the dance." Dumbledore gestured the piles of envelopes on the desks.

"Why not use owls?" Draco asked, always the lazier one.

"Because if students have any questions about the dance," Dumbledore answered, "then you can answer them directly and save a lot of time, since you've planned everything."

The explanation seemed plausible enough.

"Hermione," Dumbledore said, "you can deliver some to the Gryffindors. Just take a stack with you and go to the common room. If they're not there, just bring the rest to me and we'll use the owls to reach them. Same for you Draco, except you deliver these to the Slytherins. If you wish, you can help us decorate the Great Hall. You've done a lot for this Christmas already, so you've earned every right to relax."

Taking a stack of envelopes each, Draco and Hermione parted. Hermione went up to the seventh floor and stopped in front of the Fat Lady. She said the password and crawled through the portrait hole, seeing the common room crowded and noisy. She spotted Harry and Ron immediately; they were playing chess. She looked at the name on the first envelope. Lavender Brown. It was a good thing that Dumbledore had given her only the invitations of seventh years. She knew all of her fellow classmates.

Lavender was chatting with Parvati Patil. She approached her and handed her the invitation.

"Hermione," Lavender said, when she extended a hand to take the parchment. "Who are you going to the dance with?"

"Why?" she asked cautiously.

"We just want to know!" Parvati said.

"Draco," she said.

To her surprise, the two of them squealed and giggled.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"He's quite good-looking now," Lavender said. "He's so charming, and... sexy..."

"You're so lucky Hermione," Parvati said.

"But didn't you think that I shouldn't be meddling with his kind?" she asked.

"We've thought about it and we've decided that you really do have a good reason to like him!" Lavender said.

"I don't like him like that!" she protested. "Dumbledore told us to go to the dance together."

"See? Even Dumbledore knows that there's chemistry between you two!" Parvati said.

Hermione rolled her eyes and handed Parvati her invitation. Then she left, ignoring Lavender and Parvati's persistent giggles. They were so ditzy that they were hopeless. Finally, she was down to the last two envelopes in the stack. To her horror, one was addressed to Harry, and the other was to Ron. She put her guard up and armed herself with several insults before cautiously approaching them.

"Your invitations to the dance," Hermione said monotonously.

She handed them the invitations to them without looking at them. She pursed her lips as Ron's fingers brushed against her hand.

"Thanks," Harry muttered.

She nodded curtly and was about to exit the common room when she was stopped.

"Hermione," a voice next to her said.

She turned around and saw Ginny Weasley.

"Hi Ginny!" Hermione said. "How are you? I haven't spoken to you for a while."

"I'm fine," Ginny said. "I hope you are too. So... have you got a date for the upcoming dance?"

"Is that what everyone is talking about now?" Hermione said half-jokingly, half-desperately. "There is no other topic of conversation! It's always the dance this, the dance that!"

"It's one of the biggest events this year," Ginny said. "Of course everyone talks about it! This is Hogwarts! What did you expect?"

"Never this much talk," Hermione admitted. "And to answer your question... I do have a date to the dance and it's none other than Draco Malfoy. I know you haven't spoken to me after you found out that we were friends, but Dumbledore made us go together, so--"

"Actually, I was never really particular about the idea of you guys being friends," she said. "I just never really got a chance to talk to you about it, especially when Ron's always pulling me away when I try to approach you, in case you didn't notice. In fact, I think that befriending Malfoy is a good thing. We really should exercise inter-House unity. And nobody should really care about whom you want to be friends with. The school is just overeating to the whole thing as usual."

"Thank you so much Ginny. I'm very glad to hear it," Hermione said.

"You're welcome," she said, "but I need to take you shopping for dress robes!"

"I don't need to," Hermione protested. "Maybe I can try on my old robes. They probably still fit..."

"No," she said firmly. "I am taking you to a shopping spree and that's final."

"But I have a lot to do..." Hermione said.

"You can do all that afterwards," Ginny said. "We have a Hogsmeade trip this weekend. Plus," Ginny leaned in closer and whispered, "this is Draco Malfoy we're talking about" in such a way that reminded Hermione of Parvati and Lavender.

Hermione groaned, but finally agreed to the plans, which made Ginny beam up at her.

*****

Hogsmeade weekend came and still not a single flake of snow fell. While walking with Ginny in the crammed streets, Hermione overheard an old witch comment on the lack of snow to her friend. Some newspapers even reported the absence of snow. The sky was gray and the air was exceptionally cold, the distinct signs of winter. The witches and wizards in Hogsmeade actually created fake snow, to get into the Christmas spirit.

Many of the shops' owners came out to decorate their stores with mistletoes, Christmas trees, real and fake elves, bells, Santa Clauses, and the like. Despite the lack of snow, everyone seemed to be in the spirit of Christmas. There was not a single sullen face in sight. Even Hermione was able to momentarily forget her schoolwork and just have fun, which included giggling and gossiping with Ginny. For once in her life, she felt like a normal girl.

"So what kind of dress do you have in mind?" Ginny asked.

"I don't really have any kind in mind," Hermione replied. "I just don't want anything that's too flashy."

Ginny nodded.

"Who are you going to the dance with?" Hermione asked.

Ginny blushed a shade of dark crimson. "Harry," she said in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

Hermione felt her jaw drop. "I thought you didn't like Harry anymore," she said. "You dated so many boys from school."

"Well..." Ginny's face turned into a shade of burgundy. "I was dating all those other guys to convince myself that I don't like him anymore, but... it didn't work."

Hermione smiled. And just when she was about to tease Ginny more, did Ginny point out a store in front of them.

"There!" Ginny said excitedly. "Madam Rosen's! It's the best place for dress robes."

Ginny grabbed Hermione's arm and pulled her toward the little shop. Like all the other shops in Hogsmeade, this one was also decorated by a lot of Christmas things. There was even a charmed Santa Claus outside of the shop that said greetings to passersby. Ginny pushed the door open, never relinquishing Hermione's arm, and a bell sounded above. The store was rather crammed, full of dresses of various styles and colors. Hermione didn't know why, but she had the sudden urge to try on all of the dress robes in the store. Going shopping with a girl during Christmastime must be doing something to her brain, she concluded.

A smiling woman came from the back of the store to greet them warmly.

"Hello," she said in a cheery voice. "How may I help you ladies?"

"We're looking for dress robes, apparently," Ginny said. "My friend doesn't want anything too flashy."

"All right," the woman said. "Is there a specific kind that you would prefer? Like the color or the material?"

"Would you mind if we just look around?" Hermione asked.

"Of course not!" the woman said. "The fitting rooms are in the back and just call me if you need me."

Immediately, Ginny began her hunt, and Hermione walked around, not even knowing where to start.

"Hermione!" Ginny called. "I think this would look great on you."

She held up a blood red, knee-length dress, whose collar dipped quite low. Hermione raised her eyebrow at Ginny and avidly shook her head. Ginny held up several dresses for Hermione, but she refused every one of them. Ginny was getting desperate, until Hermione finally found something that she was looking for. The dress was beautiful, but it was quite simple. It was black with green, wavy ribbons sewn on the front. The collar didn't dip too low, and the back was completely covered. It also had long sleeves that opened at the end. It was long and made out of velvet. Ginny approved of it and Hermione quickly went to the fitting rooms to change. As much as she hated to feel this way, but she thought that she looked pretty good. The dress hugged her curves quite nicely. When Ginny saw her, she couldn't believe it.

"Hermione!" Ginny exclaimed. "I didn't know you looked this good! You should really stop weary those loose garments and actually try to look like a girl! You look great! Imagine how beautiful you'd be with a little makeup and your hair done! Malfoy's going to love it!"

"Thanks Ginny," she said, blushing.

This convinced her to buy the dress. It was on sale, therefore, it wasn't too expensive. She waited for Ginny to put on her own dress robes. Ginny looked stunning in her dress. It was a strapless, red dress with red and black folds at the bottom. It even came with a pair of elbow-length gloves. After they made their purchases, they left the store. Together, they did their Christmas shopping. This was the first time that she actually decided to buy something for Draco, and she found that it was quite a challenge. What do you buy for someone who already had everything? But she still managed. She also bought some things for Harry and Ron.

The air outside was still bitterly cold, so Hermione suggested that they should warm up by getting some butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks. There, they met up with Harry and Ron, although Hermione was hesitant to join their table. Almost immediately, Harry and Ginny started flirting. Hermione had nothing to do, but to drink her butterbeer and twirl her thumbs, not really wanting to talk to Ron. Slowly, however, the two of them started to engage themselves in a civil conversation. They were making small talk, but it was better than nothing.

When Hermione finally arrived at her dorm that evening, she was tired, but she thought the day wasn't a complete waste of time, unlike what she had thought before. She got one of her best friends back, and she was completely prepared for the Winter Dance. She lied down on her bed and prepared to take a nap. When she was semi-conscious, she wondered how Draco would look once he saw her in the dress robes she just bought.

*****

Draco furrowed his eyebrows together. "Hum..." he said, with the pendant in his hand. He could feel Hermione's intense gaze on him. He dug his fingernail in between the cracks and it opened. It turned out to hold a small, folded piece of parchment. Setting down the pendant, he unfolded the note. His frown deepened as he read what was on the paper.

"What is it?" Hermione asked impatiently and eagerly.

He handed the paper to her. In a neat, elegant script, was written:

Notre amour est vrai. Nous detestions chaqu'un d'autre, mais nous sommes maintenant unis. Notre vie était romantique. Notre mort était tragique. C'était à cause de cette tragédie que cette malédiction était créée. Selon la prophétie, la malédiction peut être terminée par seulement deux. JK et JFM

Hermione looked up confused. "I still don't know what it means," she said. "Isn't it French?"

"It means: 'our love is real. We hated each other. But we're united now. Our life was romantic. Our death was tragic. It was because of our tragedy that a curse was created. Only two people can break this curse, according to the prophecy.'" Draco said. "But I don't know what the letters at the end means."

"Katherine Jones and Jean-François Malfoy!" Hermione exclaimed. "For History of Magic, Harry, Ron, and I did a project on Loup Malfoy and they were mentioned."

"That makes sense now..." Draco muttered. "But what curse? What prophecy? Which two people?"

"I don't know..." Hermione said thoughtfully. "I don't know..."

*****

It was Christmas Eve, but Hermione didn't even have time to get into the spirit of Christmas. In fact, Hermione ended up in the library once again because of the curse and the prophecy. Despite the couple days of research, she still did not find any details about the prophecy. Once it was five o'clock already, she quickly left the library, going to her room to get ready for the Winter Dance. She and Draco had to be there earlier than the rest of the school to do some last-minute checks.

She had planned everything well and had checked and double-checked. She even applied this process to the hairstyle that she wanted for the dance. She decided that straightening her hair was too much work, something she learned from the Yule Ball in fourth year. Instead, she decided that she would take advantage of her curls, but will tame them a bit. After she was done with everything, she looked at herself in the mirror and smiled in various ways, just to see which smiles to use and which ones not to. Feeling satisfied she went back to her room to get her planning papers. Draco would be waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs outside the Great Hall, where the dance will be taking place.

As she descended the stairs, she wondered what made Ginny convince her to wear those high heels. Sure, they made her petite form look taller, but still, they were a pain. She could see Draco's blond hair glimmer under the candlelight, and her heart pounded. He was looking the other way, talking to Professor Dumbledore, but Hermione still could not help but to feel extremely nervous. The butterflies in her stomach kept multiplying until she thought that she wouldn't be able to handle them anymore.

It was Professor Dumbledore who first looked up and saw her. His enchanting blue eyes twinkled and he smiled. This caused Draco to look behind him and see Hermione. His eyes widened at the sight before him. Hermione looked stunningly pretty. Her long black dress flowed behind her, slightly brushing the stairs. Her hair was tied into a semi-bun, and her untied brown hair cascaded down her back in soft waves. She was smiling, and her cheeks were tinted pink from blushing. Her posture was straight and confident, and her hand delicately grazed the railing.

Hermione's heart fluttered when she saw Draco's look of approval. She felt her cheeks starting to burn and a smile creeping onto her face. Draco smiled at her too and offered her his arm as she arrived at the foot of the stairs. She gladly took it and they entered the majesty of the Great Hall. Expectedly, it was still empty, but students would be filing in about half an hour.

The Great Hall was lavishly decorated. Red and green were everywhere. There were several small, round tables, each with candles that gave off a faint, red or green light. Christmas trees stood over fifteen feet tall in all of their grandeur and abundance of colorful decorations. Minute fairies flew around in the air, giving off sparks of light. The enchanted ceiling showed a particularly starry night. The candles that floated in midair near the ceiling diminished some of the stars' brilliance. Christmas ribbons were hung everywhere. There were many banners that glittered with holiday greetings. Clusters of balloons were everywhere.

Draco and Hermione looked around admiringly and satisfactorily. Their hard work certainly paid off. They closed the Great Hall doors, as they made sure everything was in place and according to plan. The last thing they needed was for students to barge in when they weren't ready for them yet. Finally, everything was set and they opened the Great Hall doors, first letting in the loud chatter outside. Every person that had stepped in stopped for a moment to admire the Great Hall's splendor.

Hermione immediately spotted Ginny on Harry's arm. They quickly engaged themselves in animated talk. The two couples found a table and sat down together, much to Harry and Draco's displeasure. Ron and Lavender soon joined them, although Ron seemed reluctant. Much to Hermione's annoyance, Lavender quickly grabbed a seat by Draco.

Soon, Pansy Parkinson passed by their table, her head held high and steering Blaise Zabini, her date, away. Draco didn't even bother to look at her. When everyone was settled at a table, menus appeared out of thin air. They each ordered something, and instantaneously, plates of food materialized. During the meal, the girls were chatting happily, while the boys muttered a word here and there. Hermione knew that there was still tension between them. Also, she couldn't help but feel irritated when Lavender kept throwing glances at Draco. Luckily for Lavender, Ron didn't notice.

In the middle of dinner, Hermione was distracted from her conversation with Ginny, when a loud burst of applause and cheers sounded. She turned around in her seat and saw the Weird Sisters enter the Great Hall. The staff greeted the band members. After they were settled, they started playing a mid-tempo song. The lights dimmed, and a disco ball appeared from the ceiling. Some first years squealed. Many students got up from their table and already started dancing. Lavender quickly dragged Ron away onto the dance floor, despite his protests.

"This dance is wonderful Hermione!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Thank you!" Hermione said. "But don't forget to credit Draco too!"

Dinner was over. Ginny and Harry also went to the dance floor.

"I never thought the Great Hall could look this good," Hermione remarked, looking around.

"You designed most of this," Draco said.

"Without you, it wouldn't look half as good," Hermione said.

Once again, they found themselves smiling at each other. Draco was the first one to snap out of the trance. He stood up and held out his hand, "Would you like to dance, my fair lady?" he asked. This made Hermione's smile broaden. She stood up and curtsied a little mockingly, "That would be my pleasure," she said and placed her hand on Draco's.

Strangely, she only just noticed how perfect her hand fit in his.

He led her onto the dance floor. Hermione was not a really good dancer, but Draco's every step and every move were graceful. All she had to do was follow, and it made her seem graceful too, when she really was rather clumsy. The whole time, their eyes never left each other's. It was a fast song, so when it finally ended, Hermione needed a few seconds to catch her breath.

The next song came on and Hermione felt more nervous than she already was. It was a slow song, and she knew that something was going to happen. Something always did in movies and novels. Hermione wrapped her hands around Draco's neck and he lightly rested his hands on her waist. Hermione almost felt like a sponge, absorbing every note in the song. Everything came so naturally. She rested her head on Draco's shoulder, and this surprised him a little, but she didn't move her head. Gradually, they moved closer to each other, mostly unconsciously. Hermione had never felt this good when she was in Ron's arms.

Though they were unaware, Pansy Parkinson was watching them intently from over Blaise's shoulder. A mixture of hatred and jealousy was burning in her eyes as she watched the couple dance across the Great Hall. How she wished that it were her who was in Draco's arms...

When the song ended, Hermione almost felt disappointed. They parted and Draco said that he was going to get some drinks for themselves. She walked away from the dance floor to wait for Draco. Harry and Ron cornered her there.

"Was it just me or were you really close to Malfoy?" Ron asked.

"Why does it matter?" Hermione asked.

"He's the enemy!" Ron protested. "He was and always will be!"

"He's changed!" Hermione said. "Why don't you give him a chance? Will you ever stop with those childish grudges? He's not bad!"

"Stop being so stubborn!" Ron said. "He's a player! He'll hurt you!"

"If you keep saying that, the only person who's going to get hurt is you," a voice said from behind Ron.

Draco had arrived with pumpkin juice. He handed a goblet to Hermione, and she gladly took it, feeling thirsty all of a sudden. All the while, Draco ignored Ron's glares. Hermione brought the goblet to her lips.

"Don't drink that Hermione!" Ron said. She lowered her goblet and looked at him in disbelief.

"I have no use in poisoning her, you know," Draco said.

"Will you stop with the suspicion?" Hermione said. "Why don't you just trust Draco for once?"

"How can anyone trust that git?" Ron asked. "You are so stupid and ignorant!"

Ron then realized that he had just crossed the line. He stared at Hermione, wondering what she would do. Hermione was seething and her hand was shaking.

"We'll see who's the stupid and ignorant one," she said in a dangerously low voice.

Abruptly, she splashed her pumpkin juice on Ron's face and chucked the empty goblet at his forehead. Both Harry and Draco were trying to conceal smiles. Ron was disbelieving. He was literally speechless.

"I need some fresh air," Hermione said, and headed to the exit, walking very fast.

When she was already going down the stairs did a voice shout behind her, "Wait!" Draco came hurrying after her.

She stopped in her tracks, waiting for Draco to catch up. They took a seat on the steps, looking up at the stars. They were like jewels on a black veil... Hermione sighed. The night was so beautiful, and so quiet... There was no Ron to yell at how stupid she was for befriending Draco.

"You should just ignore the idiot," Draco said softly, breaking the peaceful silence.

"I really can't," Hermione said. "And he's my friend..."

At these words, Hermione envisioned all the happy times they spent together, fighting side by side with Harry. She also saw the many memorable moments they spent when they were dating. She remembered the happiness and fun they had felt for being best friends for over six years. How could anyone give away such good memories?

"But is he really your friend for doing all that to you?" Draco asked, breaking her chain of thought.

Then, Hermione recalled all the times that they bickered incessantly. She remembered the events in third year, when Ron wrongfully accused her cat of eating Scabbers. She saw those times when Ron ignored her, always tagging along Harry. And the sharpest memory yet: when Ron broke off the relationship that they had for a year and a half. And now, Ron was treating her like some kind of a criminal, just because she befriended Draco.

Her blood boiled. Draco was probably right. But the hurt was terrible to bear. Was Ron really never her true friend? Was she wasting her time on a fake friendship? She still believed that Ron was a real friend to her, but... what about all those times when he was so mean to her? She was confused, angry, and hurt. What was she supposed to do? Who was she supposed to believe? Tears uncontrollably welled up in her eyes.

Draco put one around her shoulders and held her close, putting his chin on the top of her head. "Don't cry," he whispered to her. "He's nothing to cry about."

Hermione forcibly blinked back her tears. She really shouldn't cry. There was nothing to be crying about. She smiled up at Draco, who smiled back. Her heart fluttered inside her chest. He was truly the only one who could make her heart pound so hard with merely a smile. It felt so good to be in his arms. It was so warm and cozy... It never felt so right to be in his arms. It was wonderful how perfectly they fit together.

Draco was not unaffected either. She looked so beautiful. Her chestnut eyes glittered brilliantly from the fairy lights around them. Her elegant lips were stretched into a gorgeous smile. She was almost looked unreal. He wouldn't have been surprised if she suddenly sprouted large, white, feathery wings. She had radiance about her, even when she was sad. He really did like her a lot. He held her closer.

Hermione felt like she was in heaven, basking in his body's warmth. She snuggled against him, but was soon stopped, when his index finger and thumb tilted her chin up. She looked into his silver eyes, mystified by them, almost hypnotized. Their faces moved closer, and Draco's lips lightly brushed on hers. She could feel a pleasant tingling in her body. She longed for a kiss, and Draco knew it, because he felt the same thing.

He kissed her softly, and tenderly, quite unlike what she had expected. She kissed him back, putting all of her fears and insecurities into that kiss. They could almost hear the fireworks above their heads. Draco deepened the kiss, bringing them even closer together. Hermione's hand reached above, playing with his silky hair. They were oblivious when the very first snowflake of the year danced down from the heavens and fell onto the ground next to them.

They were blocked out from everything, which turned out to be a mistake later. They never noticed the dark figure in the shadows taking so many incriminating pictures.