Homecoming Ball - Chapter 1

"Hermione, are you ok?" Ron asked.

"Ya. I'm fine. But I don't think I'm gunna go to the ball." I'm hurting to much. I can't see him there with her. I kept my head in my book but glanced across the Dark Arts classroom at Draco. He was flirting with Millicent Bulstrode, who was facing away from me.

Over the winter break, she had gotten almost snow-blond hair that matched her pale skin. And I suspected a nose job and a few other operations. She now looked like a model.

I looked back to Draco, who had let his hair grow so that it was in modern muggle style. It wasn’t new to me. We had been dating off and on for the last year. The summer had been difficult, but at least his father was in Azkaban and I prayed couldn't hurt my parents. I shook my head. Draco was Malfoy again. It was gunna stay that way. We could never be together again, no matter how much I loved him. Our parents hated each other. It was never gunna happen.

"Well. I don't have a date, so... do you think you could go with me?" I looked up at Ron. His eyes were down at the desk. He actually looked really cute with his red bangs falling over his eyes. I smiled.

"Ya, Ron. I'd like that." Ron looked up at me with a happiness plain on his face. I looked back down at the desk. I could feel myself blushing.

"So, I'll-I'll meet you in the common room at-um-7?"

"Ok, sounds good." I closed my book and began to pack up as the bell rang. I wanted to get out of class before I had to deal with Drac- Malfoy. Millicent was practically drooling over him and I noticed that Pansy Parkinson had apparently become Millicent’s second in command. I was following right behind Harry and Ron and we were almost out of the classroom. We were the last ones besides Millicent, her friends, Draco, Crab and Goyle. Malfoy, Hermione, his name is Malfoy.

Harry and Ron were out the door and walking down the corridor. I was about to follow them when Bulstrode shoved me aside and into the wall. My notes went flying out of my hands and all over the floor. She laughed and her posse pushed past me out the door. I dropped to my hands and knees and began to pick them up when I saw 3 pairs of black shoes. I looked up to find their wearers staring down at me.

“Crab, Goyle, save me a seat in the hall, I’ll meet you there.” Malfoy’s eyes bore into mine, but they weren’t cold as I thought they would be. The two followers didn’t say anything as they left, Goyle kicking a few of the papers as they left. I tore my eyes away from Draco and continued picking up the notes.

“I don’t want you to.” His abrupt words made me jump then look up at him. After a moment I processed what he had said.

“Don’t want me to what.” I said, hoping my voice wouldn’t betray my face of stone.

“I don’t want you to go with him.” He answered and I could tell he was trying not to let his voice sound weak.

“You don’t want me to go to the ball with Ron?” I thought he had gotten over their differences. I continued to shuffle the papers.

“It has nothing to do with Ronald. I just don’t want you to go with anybody. Except me.” I was holding back tears with all of my being and trying to keep the shakiness out of my voice.

“You don’t want me to go to prom with anyone but you?” I sounded angrier than I had meant to, but I was still processing this in my mind. I put the last of my papers in my bag and started to walk down the corridor to the hall. Draco followed me.

“Ya. That’s right.” He said mater-of-fact-ly.

“But I thought you were already going with Millicent-”

“Hermione, for God’s sake, would you look at me?” He almost yelled. He circled around in front of me to cut me off two meters in front of the open hall doors. I looked at my shoes. “Hermione.” He whispered as he put his hand under my chin and tilted my head up to look him in the face, “That’s because you won’t go with me… unless you changed your mind.” The last part he sounded like he was shrinking into a shell, he was scared, but he still loved me. I turned my head and walked around him and through the doors. He grabbed my wrist and turned me around; I looked him in the eyes and again tried not to cry. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Bulstrode and gang watching us and whispering.

“Please don’t do this, Draco.” I could feel other people watching us.

“No, this needs to be said.” Harry and Ron were coming up the isle toward us.

“You’re gunna upset your girlfriend.” I said as I watched the guys get closer. Please, Draco, just go, I don’t want you to get hurt.

“She’s not my girlfriend, ok?! Half the time I don’t even like her!” He gripped my wrist tighter and I winced in pain. He let go with a surprised and scared look on his face and looked down abruptly.

“I’m sorry.” He added quickly, but I knew he meant it.

“It’s ok-”

“But do you know how badly I want to go to the ball with you tonight? I wasn’t the one who wanted to break up-”

“I didn’t either!” I was surprised by the sadness in my voice, but I continued, “Did you forget about our parents? This is the best thing for everybody.” I let the tears that I had been holding in for so long come streaming down my face.

Ron and Harry looked ready to grab Draco when he arrived. Ron opened his mouth to say something but I swallowed my tears and cut him off; “Ron, I will meet you in the common room; I’m going to get ready. See you later, Draco.”

I turned on my heal and walked back the way I had come. Not stopping when I heard Draco huff and storm off to the Slytherin table.

I stormed through the empty hallway, trying to dry my tears with my sleeve. I thought there was one more stair than there was and tripped, sending the contents of my bag sprawled out all over the corridor.

“Why me? I love him.” I said to the emptiness. Looking around, my crying slowed and my old favorite muggle song popped into my head. Care To Much by Starr Manning. No one is going to hear me. I thought, glancing around again. I breathed a few times and started to sing.


Don't act like that, don't shut me out
Like I'm a stranger and she's not
You're all I dream
Violet delight
You wake me in the night

It's rare that I should care this much
It scares me how I need your touch
(It's stupid that I want your touch )
But now I understand that you can't
Live with all I am

Don't wake me up, all we've been through
(Don't wake me up, I'm someone new)
Imperfect girl who's right for you
(The perfect girl who's right for you )
I want it all, I want the pain
When you are gone, it rains

It's rare that I should care this much
It scares me how I need your touch
(It's stupid that I need your touch )
But now I understand that you can't
Live with all I am

My heart is breaking
(Orchestra drown me )
I'm deaf in sound sleep

It's rare that I should care this much
It scares me how I need your touch
(It's stupid how I need your touch )
But now I understand that you can't
Live with all I

My heart is breaking
(Orchestra drown me)
I'm deaf in sound sleep

I hung my head and began to refill my bag with the contents that were all over the floor.

“Would be nice, wouldn’t it?” I gasped and looked up at the picture that was hanging above me. It was a teacher looking lady who was in a classroom. She pushed her glasses further up her nose with a sympathetic look on her face.

“What would be nice?” I said as I looked back down and continued to gather my stuff.

“If life was like a musical, and everything worked out exactly the way it was supposed to.”

“Ya,” I said while I stood up and put my bag over my shoulder, “It’d be nice.”