Title: Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young

Author: Hafthand

Rating: R (for steamy smut)

Summary: The war draws near, but Hogwarts is allowed one night of calm before the storm. Two enemies find each other in midst of a dance.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and Co. They belong to J.K. Rowling

A/N: Well hello! This is a little fic that came to me out of the blue. Anyone who is eagerly awaiting the next installment of my other fic, 'A Reason' fear not it will be posted very soon. I have a good excuse, I swear. Anyway, this fic here is smut, short and sweet. It is not OOC really, so Draco and Hermione won't be terribly in love, anyway I don't wanna give it away. I hope you all like, it really is just a short fic I had to write to break the tension of my other one!

Tonight was theirs, theirs and no one else's. The war was coming. No one could stop it. They all knew it was inevitable, but tonight was not about that. Tonight was about them; the children. Her head pounded, the air making her dizzy as Hermione watched from her place in the Great Hall as bodies moved in an ancient, subconscious rhythm. The normally beautiful and almost heavenly hall of Hogwarts had tonight changed. The teachers turned their backs, lost in their own minds. Tonight, Hogwarts was an orgy of sweat, hands, music, and forgetting. Tonight, Hogwarts and her residents lived in their own dreams. Tonight is what it meant to be young. Tonight was theirs, theirs and no one else's.

Hermione's body was covered in a thin layer of sweat, her heart pounded in time to the rhythm of the music, her hips swaying in a primitive, almost savage way. Her clouded chocolate eyes scanned the crowds around her. She watched as her fellow students danced away their worries, their bodies lost in the music. Hermione thought back to two nights previous when Dumbledore had announced another killing, then had announced that the Halloween Ball would still be held. She had led the outrage that had followed. Surely, in respect of the dead, the Ball should be canceled. But tonight, as she allowed her body to betray her feminine side, she understood why Dumbledore had thought it necessary.

The entire school had been permitted to attend and almost everyone was dancing, even most of the Slytherins. The music was fast and loud, allowing mind and body to focus on nothing but the rhythm, perfect. The students danced in couples or alone; this ball was not about having a date. Hermione danced by herself, surrounded by her friends, all lost within themselves. She watched as Harry and Ginny danced against each other in a battle of hormones. Harry's glasses were crooked, his hair even messier, his mouth attached soundly to Ginny's, his hands roughly pushing her ass into his body, his hips rocking against hers.

Hermione smiled slightly. Yesterday Harry would have blushed and stuttered fiercely had Ginny Weasley even attempted to dance with him the way she was now. But tonight was not yesterday. Tonight was something completely different. Hermione slid her gaze away from her two friends until they fell upon Ron, Dean, and Seamus. Their bodies were moving fast and hard each lost in themselves as they danced. Ron's eyes were shut hard, his face dripping with sweat, his arms thrown above his head, his body moving with a rhythm Hermione knew he had never before possessed. Dean and Seamus were the same, their bodies moving, their eyes shut. Just minutes before they had been dancing with Padma and Lavender, but they must have moved on.

Neville was next in line, his arms thrown around Parvati, his cheek pressed against hers. Though they were not dancing as intimately as Harry and Ginny, Hermione smiled at the look of peace on Neville's face. The past month had been especially hard on him, and she understood Parvati's need to show him some compassion.

Hermione allowed her eyes to close and her head to spin as the heat in the room seemed to rise with the tempo and volume of the music. Dumbledore had allowed a wizard equivalent of a DJ to provide the music for the Ball, and Hermione had been pleased to realize that the DJ was providing both Muggle and Wizard music. Along with most other things tonight, the need to wear robes had been thrown out. Most wore muggle clothing, skirts, dresses, slacks, anything. Not a lot of thought had been placed in getting ready for tonight, as long as they were covered.

Hermione herself had opted for a tiny black skirt and a short, deep red, strappy tank top. Tonight was about letting oneself go and she had decided to opt for something she would not normally have worn. As her body continued to move with the music she allowed her eyes to open and again scan her fellow students. She wanted to weep for them, for herself, but she had no more tears left. They were all children, nothing more then children. She was sixteen and already expected death, they all did. Children were not meant to fight battles she had tried telling herself. Children were not meant to die in war. But unfortunately that was not true for her, or for those that surrounded her. It couldn't be true, not when you went to the same school as Harry Potter, not when you sat next to the children of prominent Death Eaters. No, no one was safe. And so death came to Hogwarts and the only thing anyone could do was continue living.

But tonight, they could all forget about it all: forget Harry Potter, forget Voldermort, forget you were evil, forget you were good, forget the war, forget they were children. Tonight, Hermione had vowed she would not feel sadness or pity. Tonight she had promised herself she would dance, and dance she did.

Her body was swaying seductively her eyes half closed when she felt a hand snake its way around her and slide down her exposed stomach. She was pulled backwards until her back roughly hit someone's hard stomach. Her hips continued moving into those behind hers. She didn't care who it was; tonight was about dancing. She threw her head back till it met the shoulder behind her and she allowed her hand to travel down his arm till she pushed his hand at her stomach slightly lower.

She felt his body moving against hers in perfect harmony with the music. His hips ground roughly into hers as his free hand came to rest lightly on her hip. Her breathing remained normal and her heart steady. She was focused more on the music then on the body behind her. She felt him shift slightly and suddenly felt his breath on her ear.

"Didn't know you knew how to move like this Granger," he purred into her ear. Hermione's eyes shot open and her body stiffened. She was dizzy from the heat in the room and her eyes were slightly unfocused. She felt, more then heard him, laugh against her neck, his hot breath burning her exposed skin. His hand on her stomach moved softly across her skin and his hand on her hip traveled slowly down the short length of her skirt till it rested just above the hemline. "Dance with me Granger," he growled softly in her ear.

Hermione took a deep breath, trying to steady herself but soon became lost in the movements of Malfoy's body behind her. He had both hands on her hips now and was guiding their movements with the music. Hermione felt her breathing quicken and her heart threatened to break free from her body. "Dance with me," he again whispered into her ear causing shivers to shoot through her body. She felt his lips brush from her ear to her neck. She suddenly felt the warm, wet touch of his tongue as he licked his way from the base of her neck up to her earlobe. Hermione let out a soft moan as she felt a sudden warmness shoot to her stomach and travel to the spot between her thighs.

Before she knew what she was doing, her body began to move with him. She ground her ass fiercely into his body and pressed her back roughly against his chest. She tilted her head slightly, giving him better access to her neck, and her mouth fell open slightly as he continued to nibble at her. Hermione didn't care that Draco Malfoy was dancing with her, nor did she care that dancing with him was bringing forth a warmness that hadn't appeared when she had danced with Ron or Seamus. She had seen him standing against the wall in the corner all night, surrounded by several of his Slytherin cronies. She had thought he felt he was to good to dance. She had been wrong. Tonight, they were all equal. Tonight only, she was not a filthy mudblood, and he wasn't Lucius Malfoy's son.

The beat of the music was reaching its climax and she moved her hips faster to keep up. She moved her hands down to his and forced them to explore her exposed stomach. She could feel him smirk against her neck. She watched the others around her, but they were all lost in their own worlds. Ron was dancing with Luna, Neville with Cho, Dean with Parvati, and Seamus by himself. Harry and Ginny were nowhere to be seen.

The song ended but not before another one started. The bass from this one pulsed through the room as the music swept over the students. Hermione suddenly moaned deeply as she felt Malfoy suck her earlobe into his mouth as he pushed his hard erection against her ass. Before she could take another breath, she felt Malfoy spin her body around and slam it back into his. She brought her brown eyes up to his cold gray ones. His hands now found her ass and shoved her body against hers in time with the music. Her hands roamed unconsciously up and down his hard chest.

Hermione's eyes never left his as she ground herself against his erection. She allowed herself a small smile of satisfaction as his eyes fluttered closed momentarily from the feeling. When they opened again, she was pleased to see them filled with hate and loathing. He brought one of hands up to her hair and roughly pulled her head back a bit. He brought his lips to her ear once more and whispered harshly, "Think its funny do you? What you do to my body?"

Ignoring the pain he was causing and focusing on the pleasure, she met his hate-filled stare and continued to smile and move against him. "Shut up Malfoy," she said just as harshly. She just wanted to dance; she didn't want to talk. She wanted to lose herself in the feeling his body was causing in hers.

He yanked her hair again at the same time as he pushed against her causing her to moan again. Her eyes stayed fastened onto his. "I don't take orders from you," he spat at her, but his body continued its forbidden movements. "I still hate you," he stated as he let go of her hair and grabbed her ass again. This time one of his hands traveled down her smooth thigh till he found her knee. In one swift movement he had her leg bent at the knee and wrapped around his body allowing his erection to press firmly against her throbbing middle. She gasped and pushed against him, her hands crawling up and into his messy blonde hair.

"You still hate me," she whispered to him as a statement, "then why dance with me?"

She watched him smile dangerously as his other hand traveled below her skirt then up to grasp her bare, firm ass. "Even the devil wept at the loss of Paradise," he replied cryptically. She smiled slightly but kept quiet as he continued. "Just because a thing is evil Miss Granger, does not mean it cannot recognize beauty. And you are quite simply the most beautiful thing I have ever laid my haunted eyes upon," he whispered in the same harsh tone he had used all night.

The hand that had been holding her knee up crept slowly towards her face. She had not felt surprise at his revelation and her face showed none. He allowed his fingers to caress her face in a way a lover would caress their partner. His fingers traveled over her eyes, down her nose, across her lips, down her neck, and further down till he met the curve of her breasts. Hermione lost herself in the feeling and closed her eyes. "You are the thing I hate most in this world, and no matter how filthy your blood is, you are so beautiful Hermione," he whispered.

Hermione's eyes shot open in shock and she pulled her body back slightly. He had never used her first name in six long, tortuous years, and hearing it fall from his hateful lips shocked her more then if Voldermort himself were to suddenly turn up. His eyes were still hard and his face locked in spiteful smirk, but his voice, for one moment, had gone soft.

"The Devil may have wept at the loss of Paradise Draco, but he was still the Devil," Hermione said to him a small, sad smile on her face. She watched as his eyes grew small as he looked at her for a moment then widen in laughter. He roughly pulled her body back to his and continued dancing with her.

His face moved forward, his cheek sliding against hers as his mouth found her ear. "I will kill you, when all is said and done, you are mine and I will have your death or else you will have mine," he whispered softly pushing himself against her and allowing a moan to escape his lips.

"I know," she whispered back into his ear before her tongue shot out to lick his earlobe. She heard him moan again and felt a shiver run through his body. Suddenly his body tore away from her and he grabbed her hand pulling her away from the mass of sweat, bodies, and heat. She went willingly and allowed him to drag her through the dancing mob. They were all oblivious to everything around them; no one noticed their passage.

Suddenly she felt him stop and her body being dragged forward. He turned her and slammed her back into the wall before pressing his body into hers, his breath fast and ragged in her ear. She felt as his hands roughly pushed her skirt up and her thong down, his fingers leaving burning trails against her skin. He brought his head back and his gray cold eyes met hers. He had both hands against the wall on either side of her head now as he searched her eyes before proceeding.

Not caring about tomorrow or the day after, Hermione brought her hands forward and quickly undid his belt and pulled down his zipper, her eyes never leaving his. He smiled slightly and brought his hands down from beside her and moved his trousers down slightly. "I'm gonna make you scream," he said hotly before picking her up by her ass and bringing her down roughly on him.

Hermione couldn't hold back the moan that ripped from her throat at the feeling of him inside her. She smiled and said, "You first" before slamming her lips down onto his awaiting ones and losing herself in the feeling that was Draco Malfoy.

Tomorrow would be time enough to think about the war. Tomorrow they would all have to act twice their age if they planned on surviving. But tonight they all allowed their hormones, their tears, their laughter, and their emotions to overcome them. Tonight, they would focus on what it meant to be young. They danced for their lives and for the deaths to come. They cried for their lost youth and their broken bodies. They laughed because they had one night of peace with their friends before they would take their positions on the front lines of a battle they were forced into. They smiled because maybe tomorrow they wouldn't be able to. Tonight they all allowed themselves to feel.

I've got a dream 'bout an angel on the beach
And the perfect waves are starting to come
His hair is flying out in ribbons of gold
And his touch has got the power to stun

I've got a dream 'bout an angel in the forest
Enchanted by the edge of a lake
His body's flowing in the jewels alive
And the earth below is starting to shake

But I don't see any angels in the city
I don't hear any holy choirs sing
And if I can't get an angel
I can still get a boy
And a boy'd be the next best thing
The next best thing to an angel
A boy'd be the next best thing

I've got a dream 'bout a boy in a castle
And he's dancing like a cat on the stairs
He's got the fire of a prince in his eyes
And the thunder of a drum in his ears

I've got a dream 'bout a boy on a star
Lookin' down upon the rim of the world
He's there all alone and dreamin' of someone like me
I'm not an angel but at least I'm a girl

I've got a dream when the darkness is over
We'll be lyin' in the rays of the sun
But it's only a dream and tonight is for real
You'll never know what it means
But you'll know how it feels
It's gonna be over (over)
Before you know it's begun
(Before you know it's begun)

It's all we really got tonight
Stop your cryin' hold on (tonight)
Before you know it it's gone (tonight)
Tonight is what it means to be young
Tonight is what it means to be young

Let the rebels begin
Let the fire be started
We're dancing for the restless and the broken-hearted
Let the rebels begin
Let the fire be started
We're dancing for the desperate and the broken-hearted
Let the rebels begin ...(Tonight is what it means to be young...)
Let the fire be started ...(Before you know it it's gone...)
We're dancing for the restless and the broken-hearted
Let the rebels begin
Let the fire be started
We're dancing for the desperate and the broken-hearted

Say a prayer in the darkness for the magic to come
No matter what it seems
Tonight is what it means to be young
Before you know it it's gone
Tonight is what it means to be young
Before you know it it's gone

Ah...

I've got a dream when the darkness is over
We'll be lyin' in the rays of the sun
But it's only a dream and tonight is for real
You'll never know what it means
But you'll know how it feels
It's gonna be over (over)
Before you know it's begun

It's all we really got tonight
Stop your cryin' hold on (tonight)
Before you know it it's gone (tonight)
Tonight is what it means to be young
Tonight is what it means to be young...

The things they say
And then the things they do
Nothin's gonna stop us if our aim is true...

The things they say
And then the things they do
Nothin's gonna stop us if our aim is true...

The things they say
And then the things they do
Nothin's gonna stop us if our aim is true...

(Tonight is what it means to be young...)

Love, Ally

"Let the rebels begin, let the fire be started, we're dancing for the restless and the broken hearted. No matter what it seems, tonight is what it means to be young." –'Tonight is what it means to be young' from the movie 'Streets of Fire'