Disclaimer: Don't own it. don't sue me. i'm poor. :(

A/N: I never really thought i'd write this, and it isn't as great as i'd thought it would be with the thought in my head. but it's 1:30 AM, so oh well. i also thought hermione and draco's convo should have been longer, but i didn't know how exactly to continue it anymore.

Hermione glided down the steps in her elegant dress. She could feel many eyes on her, probably speculating about her date for the evening, but she couldn't care less. She was happy. Tonight was going to be fun.

She had loved the idea of the Yule Ball being repeated – especially since she'd had someone in mind to go with. She grimaced slightly at the thought, but headed to the Great Hall, to see her friends.

The decorations were spectacular. Similar to the Yule ball of her fourth year, the entire hall looked magnificent. She was sad that they hadn't repeated the occasion earlier – she was now in her seventh year. She was happy, too. She was Head Girl, after all. And although everyone was talking about her date she couldn't care less. She had asked him, and they could just deal with it.

She strode into the Great Hall to see Harry and Ginny –matching. Ginny wore a light green dress that came to above her knees, and Harry's deep bottle green robes seemed to fit perfectly. With his arm around her waist, and their happy, carefree smiles, they looked like the perfect couple.

"Harry! Ginny!"

"Hermione!" Ginny flew at her, enveloping her into a tight hug. "You look fabulous!"

She blushed, secretly pleased. She'd went to a lot of work to get her hair this straight, and her pale lavender dress was rather flattering – or so she hoped. She wanted tonight to go off without a hitch.

"Thanks, Ginny. Though I've got nothing on you. Where's Ron?"

Ginny laughed and Harry shook his head. "Out there," she explained, giggling. "With LUNA."

"Luna?" Hermione was surprised, but indeed, she noticed, there he was dancing with her. He wore the familiar maroon dress robes that brought back many memories, while Luna wore midnight blue.

"Wow," she muttered.

They had easy conversation for a few minutes before Hermione sighed. "I should probably go see my date now, guys. But it was good to talk to you."

Harry frowned. "If he hurts you he's dead. I don't care if you think he's changed. He's still a Slytherin."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I can make my own judgements Harry. He's perfectly nice. We're friends."

She sighed, walking over to him. He sipped punch elegantly, before smiling at her and setting his drink down. "Hi, Hermione."

She smiled slightly. "Hi, Blaise."

He grinned. "Would you like to dance?"

"Sure."

The song was slower, so Hermione wrapped her arms awkwardly around his neck. "Umm… this is just as friends, okay?"

He laughed. "I know. You mentioned it about fifty times when you asked me to come."

"I never expected you to say yes."

"Ah well… we are sort of friends. I can't say I wasn't surprised, though. But I like being here with you."

She swallowed. Uh oh. She didn't want to give him the wrong impression. She wasn't here for him at all. There was some one else however…

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

She turned, startled. Blaise did as well, and there was relief in his voice when he spoke. "Hey Draco."

Draco Malfoy very nearly snarled at his best friend. He held back his growls and turned to Hermione. "You figured he'd annoy me the most, didn't you?"

She sniffed. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"My own best friend? What the hell is wrong with you."

Her glare was as gold as ice, while her voice was acid. "There is nothing wrong with me, Malfoy."

He sneered. "Back to last names are we?"

She glared. "Get lost. We were having a perfectly nice time before you ruined it."

Blaise looked on, confused, "Uh… yeah Draco. Do you mind?"

Draco sent him a death glare. "Do you mind?" he imitated. "Bloody hell, of course I mind!"

Hermione sent him a sugary fake smile. "Surely you're not jealous Malfoy?"

He snorted at that. "Never Granger."

They glared at each other. And then, with a sigh, he spoke. "Okay, I give up."

"Too late."

"No. I'm sorry okay? You were right."

She wore a Slytherin worthy smirk, but shook her head. "Yeah, I was right. I always am. But you're still too late."

He stared at her. "I don't care anymore. You want everyone to know, I'll tell them. I'll do anything for you."

She looked at him critically. "Prove it."

Almost the entire Great Hall was watching by this point. He smirked at his opening. "Alright," he said easily, and bent down to kiss her.

She was surprised, but not nearly as much as everyone else. They were floored. Malfoy and Granger? What the hell?

But they could care less. They had each other.

He grinned – no smirk, a genuine smile he only wore around her. "Would you like to dance?"

She was grinning, too. "Definitely."

They spent the rest of the night in each other's arms, leaving Blaise standing on the edge of the dance floor, bewildered.