Hermione puttered around her room nervously. It was the night of the Halloween masquerade ball, something new that Hogwarts was trying out for the older students. She and Ginny had been discussing it for weeks, trying to figure out who to masquerade as, and who they would be going with. Harry has obviously asked Ginny to go with him two weeks ago, but up until that morning Hermione figured she would be going alone. She was sitting with the others in the courtyard near Hagrids when a first year Hufflepuff approached her, the young boy looked uneasy as he handed her a note before scurrying away. Ginny had eyed the note expectantly and nudged Hermione excitedly as she pulled the seal open. In careful print was a note

"Will you go to the masquerade ball with me? If yes you'll find me waiting outside of our room at 7:30." Hermione felt her cheeks flush, he wanted to go to the ball with her? She had never been asked to go to any event with a boy in her life. Ginny squealed next to her, having read the note over her shoulder,

"We have GOT to figure out what you're going to wear!"

Four hours later she had narrowed her options down to two choices. Ginny had changed into a brilliant green colored, knee length dress and had already given herself beautiful translucent dragonfly wings that seemed to change color every time she moved, Hermione had helped her with the glittery face paint and had styled her hair in loose curls that framed her face. Ginny was slipping on her shoes when she caught Hermione's eyes in the mirror.

"You know whatever you pick, you'll look bloody brilliant" she said with a smile "he will be speechless. But you had better decided soon, or you're going to leave him waiting!"

Hermione nodded and turned back to the mirror, wand in her hand, and began to work on her costume.

Draco struggled not to pace. It was 7:20 and he was waiting outside the room of requirement for Hermione. It had been a last minute idea to ask her to go with him, he hadn't even planned on going to the masquerade ball, it had all seemed like a dumb idea to him. Until yesterday when he overheard two girls talking about the costumes and masks they were going to wear. He had realized that it would be the perfect way to go out and do something different with Hermione without anyone knowing who they were. He had sent her a note asking her to meet him and then went about working on his costume. He had made sure to die his hair first and foremost, his short bleach blond hair was now a dark brownish-black color and it fell over his ears. He had wanted to wear something that Hermione would recognize, but at the same time wouldn't make it obvious to everyone else who he was. Looking up in the mirror he noticed a book sticking out from under his bed and instantly he knew who he was going to go as.

Hermione stood in her room inspecting her work, her hair looked perfect, she spun one last time looking at her dress and smiled at the transformation. She slipped on her shoes and carefully pulled her glittering mask over her head, adjusting it so it covered her eyes, she looked back at the mirror and felt satisfied that no one but her closest friends would even know it was her.

Draco glanced at his watch, it still read 7:25, same as it had the last three times he had checked. He shifted nervously, what if she didn't want to go with him? He hadn't thought about the possibility that she might not want to go. He was debating how long after 7:30 he should wait when he heard a small voice behind him.

"Um, hi?" his heart started to race, he took a deep breath and turned to face Hermione. His breath caught in his throat as he looked at her

"Hermione?" he whispered "is that really you?" he noticed how she blushed and he smiled. Her hair, like his, was dyed, hers a strawberry blond that was pulled up carefully, a few stray curls hung near her face. She was wearing a sparkling blue dress that fell all the away to the floor, and a simple blue masquerade mask that had a splash of glitter over one eye.

"You look amazing" he said finally finding his voice.

"Thank you" she said smiling "I love your costume" she said motioning to his outfit

"It's the prince from that children's book of yours isn't it? Prince Liam?" she asked, he beamed at her

"It is, I wanted to make sure you would recognize me" he said tilting his head "but I'm not sure who you are" Hermione giggled

"That's because it's based off one of my favorite fairy tales; Cinderella" she paused "it's a muggle fairy tale though, that's why you don't know it."

"Cinderella huh? Is that some sort of illness or something?" Hermione laughed again and shook her head

"No, Cinderella's a girl, she was a commoner who fell in love with a prince at a ball she wasn't supposed to go to..." she glanced up and saw the confused look on his face "You know what, I have the story at home, I will show it to you over the holiday. It'll make more sense that way." Draco smiled

"I would like that" he said glancing down the hall "so my dear 'Ella' shall we?" he asked offering his arm. Hermione giggled

"Sounds simply lovely Prince Liam!" she said as she slipped her arm through his

"Please just call me Liam" he said grinning as they made their way to the great hall.

The great hall had changed just as much as the students had. The usual long tables had been replaced by a multitude of smaller oval ones that were draped in orange so that they looked more like pumpkins then tables. Glass jars filled with flickering candles floated at varying heights above the tables. Hermione stood with Draco taking in the transformation when she noticed Harry and Ginny sitting at one of the tables.

"Come with me" she whispered slipping her hand into his and leading the way across the room. Even though they were unrecognizable she still felt her heart beat more viciously every time they passed a Slytherin. Clearing her throat as they neared the table she squeezed Draco's hand and asked

"Can we join you?" Ginny half squealed as she saw the two of them, glancing at their joined hands she smiled at Hermione

"Yes, yes of course!" Ginny patted the empty chair next to her.

"So Cinderella huh?" Harry asked smiling as the two settled into their seats "I thought for sure you'd come as Belle, she's your favorite isn't she?" Hermione giggled

"Yes, she is, but wouldn't that be insinuating that my date here is a beast?" Harry glanced at Draco and after considering this for a moment, shrugged.

"Could be" he said smiling

"Why would I be a beast exactly?" Harry and Hermione laughed and tried to tell the story of Beauty and the Beast, but after more than twenty five minutes of explaining the story Ginny and Draco still couldn't get past the talking 'furniture' in the castle.

"So the beast didn't use magic to transform all his servants into furniture?" Draco asked. Hermione sighed

"No, they weren't his servants, they worked in the castle, and I told you, it was a curse that was put on them."

"But there is no magic" Ginny reiterated, Hermione nodded as Ginny continued "and it's her love that saves him?"

"Well to put it simply, yes"

"I swear muggles have the weirdest stories" Ginny mumbled under her breath as the band started to play.

"Oh I love this song!" she gushed to Harry "come on lets dance" she grabbed his hand and pulled him to the dance floor. Hermione giggled

"They're a bit odd at times aren't they?" Draco said with a smile watching as Harry clumsily tried to dance with Ginny

"They might be, but they're my best friends" she said suddenly aware that she and Draco were now alone. She swallowed hard, feeling a stirring of butterflies in the pit of her stomach.

"So I, uh-" she stopped mid sentence as his hand found hers. She watched him as he stood and turned to face her.

"Do you... er rather would you... dance with me?" he blurted out the last part, color rising in his cheeks. Hermione faltered, dance with him, in front of all these people? Before she could figure out an answer he had pulled her to her feet

"You should know I'm not a very good dancer" she mumbled looking down at her feet. Draco laughed

"Don't worry" he said as they stopped in the middle of the dance floor, he turned towards her and cautiously slipped his hand around her waist and smiled "neither am I"

Draco was sure that he would burst from shear joy. He was finally out in the open with Hermione, even if they were in costumes. The fact that he could be with her like this was amazing to him. The two had been swaying back and forth for a while even though the music was fast, but he didn't mind, there was something that felt right about being with her.

"So who's Harry supposed to be?" he asked nodding in the direction where he and Ginny were dancing. Hermione smiled at him

"He's supposed to be Prince Eric"

"Oh, is he a Prince in the muggle world?" Hermione giggled

"No he's a Prince from a muggle story, The Little Mermaid..." he listened carefully as she explained the story, this one made a bit more sense then the beast one from before, a sea witch tricking a mermaid into giving up her fins, that he could understand.

"I'm still not sure why Harry's dressed like him though, Ginny doesn't know the story does she?" he asked perplexed

"No she doesn't, but Prince Eric is from another world, something Ariel has only heard stories about, a place that seems strange but interesting. Sort of like muggles and wizards," Hermione paused glancing over at the two of them and shrugged "plus Prince Eric has shaggy black hair and Ariel has beautiful red hair. Somehow it makes perfect sense" Draco smiled

"I suppose it does." Hermione smiled as the music turned slow for the first time that night. Hermione looked up at him clearly aware of the change in tempo. She blushed slightly and he was sure she was going to pull away, but instead he watched in amazement as she moved towards him so that her arms now wrapped around his neck.

She looked into his eyes for a moment, as if to see if this was alright, and a moment later she smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. He was aware that even through his nerves his hands naturally found the small of her back and his head rested gently on hers. He was sure that she would be able to hear his heartbeat hammering against his chest, the moment was perfect and certainly was something he had never thought he could have. He tried to soak up all he could about that moment, afraid to let anything slip past him. He noticed how her hair still smelled the same, even though she had changed the color, he smiled whenever her feet would bump against his as they spun around themselves and without fail each time she would mumble a tiny "sorry" as they continued to dance, but most of all he and tried to memorize what it was like to have her arms around him, certain that they could stay like this forever, and he would never tire of the feeling.

When the song ended he tensed fearing that she would pull away, but instead she held him a little tighter and remained where she was and the two continued to turn slowly in place while the world rushed on around them.

Hermione and Draco had sat down for dinner, while Harry and Ginny were still dancing. It wasn't until about halfway through the meal that Hermione finally spoke up.

"You know that still always amazes me" Hermione said with a smile

"What's that?"

"That the food just appears, I mean I know how it works, but still, we don't have things like this in the muggle world" she said grabbing a fork full of sweet potatoes. Draco looked at his own plate, he had never thought about all the things he took for granted as a wizard.

"What's it like?"

"What's what like?" Hermione asked, another forkful hovering in mid air

"You know, growing up without magic?" he watched as Hermione considered the question before she turned to him

"Well I suppose it's quite similar, we live with our parents, and some of us have brothers and sisters, though I don't have any, we have other relatives we see on holidays. We make friends and go to school. I guess we do the same things you do, but all on our own, no wands to wave when we want something, no house elf to bring us food. The funny thing is that we like doing things with our hands, it's like- well I learned to knit when I was little, and when I visited the Weasley's last Christmas they had enchanted a pair to knit on their own. It was amazing, but it seemed a little strange." Hermione paused, "But I guess you'll get to see muggle life first hand in a few weeks" She smiled at him, he glanced down nervously

"What?" she asked putting her fork down and resting her hand on his "what is it?"

"I don't know that I'll fit in" he mumbled, glancing at their hands "I mean, I grew up so different, what if I can't be like you?"

"You'll be alright, remember this is Ginny's first muggle holiday as well" she said, she paused as if catching the meaning in his last sentence. "What is it that's really troubling you?" she asked a moment later

"I don't know where I belong Hermione" he whispered "If I don't belong at my home here, and I don't fit in the muggle world, well where do I go?" Hermione smiled

"I know exactly what your feeling" she said "remember that memory you saw of me getting my letter? I was so excited, I didn't have many friends, people thought I was odd because things sometimes happened around me. Just because I didn't have a wand didn't mean I couldn't do magic. Sometimes something would make me so mad, and suddenly I would do something strange, like setting my cousins pants on fire, but I got that letter and I thought, 'maybe I can belong in this world'" Hermione shrugged "I didn't fit in right away, but I found my way over time. I know you can do the same"

"But how can you be so sure?"

"Come with me" she said suddenly pulling his hand as she dropped her napkin on the table.

"Where are we going?" he asked stumbling along side of her

"Trust me ok" she said with a smile as they left the great hall. The two walked through the corridors hand in hand, narrowly avoiding a couple in a secluded hallway and after a few more turns he found himself standing in front of the library

"Are we even allowed in here this late?" he asked as she opened the heavy door

"If anyone finds us they'll just tell Dumbledore, and he won't mind, he never has minded when I've been in here late before. In fact he tends to encourages me to stop by whenever I feel like it" Shrugging he followed her into the library, she walked with purpose towards the back right corner of the library.

"What's back here?" he asked realizing that in all his time at the school very few hours were spent in this room.

"Muggle stories" she said with a smile "they don't have a lot, but there are some for the muggle studies class."

"Oh?" he asked as she crouched down as best she could in her poofy dress

"Of course they don't have Cinderella" she said a moment later clearly exasperated "But they do have Beauty and the Beast" she said pulling an old worn book from the shelves

"So why exactly are we reading this?" Draco asked confused

"I just thought that maybe if you read something most muggle children read, if you knew at least one muggle story, well maybe you'll see that we aren't so different after all" Hermione said shrugging. He smiled at her

"Where should we sit?" he asked offering her his arm. She smiled at him as she took it

"Let's go to our spot"

Sitting together on the couch in the room of requirement Hermione and Draco shed their masks and opened the book. She smiled as Draco moved closer to her to look at the pictures as she read.

"I think you should have come as Belle" Draco interrupted at one point during the story

"Really why's that?"

"Well you love books first of all, just like her" Hermione giggled and nodded as he continued "and I was a bit of a beast before wasn't I?" he added "I acted like he did in the story when he turned away the witch at the beginning. I was cruel to people, to you Hermione, simply because you were different" Hermione thought about this for a moment

"I suppose in some ways yes, but you are different, you just needed some help finding your way. We all need that at some point" she squeezed his hand, he smiled at her and draped his arm around her shoulders. She tensed for a moment before relaxing into the crook of his neck.

"So what happens when Gaston stabs him?" Draco asked looking back at the book

"Oh right the story" Hermione turned her attention back to the book "'Please don't go' Belle whispered hugging the Beast close, feeling a sense of dread as he lay still in her arms 'I love you' she cried, tears silently falling. Suddenly a bright light appeared and the beast was transformed before her very eyes. No longer a beast, he was human again-

"That's all it takes?"

"What?"

"Love, she loved him and he changed back into a person" Draco pulled at the hem on his costume "can love really change a person that much?" Hermione closed the book and turned towards Draco.

"I think love can do anything"

"Do you think it works the same everywhere?" he asked his cheeks suddenly red

"I'm not sure, but I suppose it could"

"Do you think that this, er- that um, well what I mean is... I might, if you do-

"Draco?" she asked hesitantly. He turned towards her

"I think I feel that way too" she whispered and pushing all her doubts and fears aside she leaned up and pressed her lips to his.

Draco's head spun as Hermione's lips found his. He had not been expecting the kiss. Yes, he had thought about kissing her more times than he could count, but now that it was happening he suddenly couldn't think clearly. It was everything he had been dreaming about and more. Her lips were so soft against his and he felt his uncertainty disappear. Nothing else mattered, just this moment and Hermione. His hand reached up slowly and cupped the side of her face, his finger tracing her cheekbone just to make sure she was real and not a figment of his imagination. She pulled back a moment later and turned away her cheeks scarlet

"I'm sorry" she whispered and he felt his heart sink

"Please don't be" he begged when he could find his voice "I'm not" he looked down suddenly scared that he had misread her all this time.

"You're not?" she turned her eyes filled with hope, he felt his heart start again, she wasn't sorry it happened, she was sorry because she thought he didn't feel the same way. He smiled and shook his head, taking both her hands in his

"No," he paused and looked into her eyes "I know I feel that way too"

AN: I will be posting a new chapter within the week. Thank you all for your patience, I know I don't upload nearly enough but life is complex and there is never enough hours in the day. Thank you for those who have stuck with me from the beginning. The pace is going to be picking up now!

Meg