“This whole thing is stupid,” Draco mutters to Blaise. “A ball, really?”
They're leaning against the wall farthest from the dance floor. The Great Hall had been transformed into a ballroom. Instead of the long four tables everyone eats at daily, they were circular tables with white tablecloths in half the room. The other half of the room is filled with students attempting what they think is dancing.
“I don’t know, Draco. It gives us something to look at.” Blaise’s gaze follows a fifth year as she walks past, her hair up and short dress showing off her legs. “Not a bad sight, for a Mudblood.”
“Save it for the showers, Blaise.” Draco looks around the room that's quickly filling up.
He spots Potter, with simple black dress robes and his hair still a mess. He completely ignores his date, one of the Patil sisters, a faux pas that makes Draco roll his eyes. He also spots the Weasley beside him in horribly outdated robes, treating the other Patil sister in the same manner.
Do they know nothing of proper wizard behavior at a ball or other esteemed event? The proper act and customs?
Merlin, some people don't get taught the proper wizard ways anymore.
Movement catches Draco’s attention at the entrance of the Great Hall and everything around him stops.
Brown hair pulled back into an elegant twist with cascading curls. Periwinkle dress draping around her slender figure, graceful in the breeze from other people entering around her. Eyes lined in kohl, lips glistening with gloss, cheeks red with rouge.
She’s the hottest girl he’s ever seen.
Hermione Granger.
She looks around, a bit lost. Draco assumes she’s looking for her friends. Her earrings in her ears gleam under the candlelight filling the ballroom. Draco thinks of his family’s extensive jewelry vaults, picking out the pieces he’d enjoy seeing on her ears, her neck, her-
What? What the hell is this? I don’t care about her.
Draco tears his eyes away from the girl before anyone can notice his fixation. He makes sure that his face is carefully blank, a cool mask that he’s used to donning. It doesn’t last long though as his eyes slowly find the muggle-born again.
"Mate, you're staring at Mudblood Granger."
A surprising flare of anger rises in Draco, and he has to stop himself from hexing Blaise, from telling him to shut the fuck up, from defending the person he'd gone to great lengths to bully himself. Now, he didn’t know why he'd ever be so mean.
It's just a little makeup, Draco, wake up.
“She actually cleaned up,” Draco tries to keep his voice mild. “I’m just surprised, that’s all. Didn’t know she had it in her.”
At that moment, a Durmstrang red-robed guy approaches Hermione, offering her hand. Draco wanted her to reject him, selfishly. He can’t go over there and take her hand, dance with her, charm her, so no one else should be able to either. The Drumstrang guy turns around and Draco curses to himself. Of course, it’s Victor Krum. Famous Quidditch player.
Just like Famous Potter.
Suddenly, he’s not in any kind of mood to be at a ball.
“I’m not dancing with any of this riffraff.” Draco pushes off the wall and straightens his dress robe, the most elegant one he owns. “I’ll see you in the dorm. Try not to wake me if you end up catching one.”
“Oh contraire, I will wake you up so you can hear all of my wonderful exploits,” Blaise winks and waves him away.
As Draco walks through the Great Hall towards the door, he passes Granger. She smells like lavender, spearmint, the tell-tale scent of hair potions, and just the barest hint of quill ink. He’s sure, if he smells an Amortentia tomorrow, this is what he would smell.
He almost turns around. He almost grabs her hand. He almost tries to take her out of Victor Krum’s arms and into his own.
Before, she was just a girl, friends with his rival. Unimportant except in the classroom when he fought for Top Student. Always in the background in the hallways, always in the foreground in the classroom. A nuisance at times. She’s irritating and smart, but never truly worth his time in thinking about beyond getting under Potter's skin.
Now, because she's like a girl he’s never seen, the hottest girl he’s ever seen.
He’s falling in love, falling in love…
With Hermione Granger.