The Silver Envelope

Fraternizing with the Enemy

Chapter Notes
TW: verbal abuse
see the end or the chapter for more notes
"I've left a little spell for you, under the tree!
But I'll admit, a tiny bit, that it's more for me!"
Kizzy Haart, with her blonde hair and sparkly green minidress, had finally taken the stage, entertaining the guests with a boppy Christmas song. Meanwhile, the golden flecks of starlight that were floating along the ceiling had turned into red and green sparkles, creating an festive atmosphere.
Hermione walked into the ballroom with freshly dried shoes after using a handy little spell when they'd got back to the terrace. She'd held onto Draco for dear life until the flying horses had finally returned them to the garden. Their silence had been a bit awkward since they'd landed and Hermione had detached herself from him, shaking a bit from the cold and the heights and the closeness with Draco.
With a sigh of relief, she spotted Ron near the front of the stage dancing with Johanna. Hopefully
that meant he would stay out of her way for a while
"Hermione! There you are!" said Ginny, rushing up to them as they walked in. Harry followed closely behind her, eyeing Draco warily.
"Yes! We just stepped out to try the sleigh before the line got too long," Hermione said. She thought her face might be a bit flushed from the cold. Or something else.
The truth was, once they had landed, Hermione had almost kissed Draco. The only thing that had stopped her was the sound of another couple walking up to the sleigh for their turn. And the strangest thing was, Draco seemed as though he might have been thinking about kissing her back, judging by the way he had been staring into her face as he held her close.
"You did that flying horse thing?" Harry asked, befuddled. "But aren't you afraid of hei-"
"We're going to go dance now!" Draco said, his voice carrying over the music and Harry both. He tugged Hermione away, shouting, "Join us if you want!"
Giggling and grateful that she had avoided Harry's question, Hermione let Draco pull her to the crowd of dancers. She felt giddy, perhaps because of the adrenaline spike from flying. Though she was not particularly good at dancing, she always had fun when there was a good song playing.
Ginny and Harry ended up joining them, dancing nearby. A few meters away, Hermione spotted a jolly Horace Slughorn tapping his foot and waving a champagne flute. Across the dance floor, George was twirling a laughing Angelina, causing her long braids to fan out as she spun.
She enjoyed the sight of all the dancers until she and Draco started to draw their eyes. In fact, the
more she looked around at everyone, the more they seemed to stare at her. More than one person looked confused by her choice of dancing partner. Hermione began to feel a bit self-conscious.
Then Draco's hands went around her waist, and all thoughts of other people dissolved.
The large hourglass that had been charmed to keep track of donations was overflowing with glimmering glass marbles by the time the clock struck midnight. Hermione had lost track of how long she had been dancing until Kizzy called attention to the time, announcing that she would be performing her last song of the night. A slow ballad began to play, and the floating stars above them shifted to a sentimental blue color, slowly blinking in and out to give the whole room a lovely twinkling effect.
Draco was rather an excellent dancer, Hermione admitted to herself. He'd effortlessly led her through every song of the night, switching dancing styles as easily as the lights above them. Now, Hermione felt her heart stutter as he brought her close for the second time tonight, one of his hands going around her waist while the other took hold of her palm. She gave herself over to his firm influence, allowing him to push and pull and twirl her around the floor. It felt wonderful to let someone else take the lead, knowing she could trust him to know what to do next. The way he manipulated her body with such steady confidence stirred something deep inside her gut that she couldn't name. Not to mention the way he looked at her while he did so. He seemed to enjoy controlling her movements as much as she enjoyed giving him control
Hermione was distantly aware that she shouldn't be letting herself think such intense thoughts about Draco, certainly not in front of Ron, wherever he'd got off to. But between the moody atmosphere and the intimate hold Draco had taken her in, she couldn't help it.

When the final song finished, the stars signaled the end of the show by returning to their bright, warm light, and everyone in the room burst into applause. Kizzy bowed and thanked the crowd with a glittery shimmy. Flushed and jittery, Hermione let go of Draco and turned to clap as well, ignoring the hard thumping of her heart.
The party wound down, and Hermione found herself pulled into many handshakes and last-minute conversations with what felt like a hundred people.
Her feet were really starting to ache. As she shook hands with yet another Ministry co-worker, she
began to wonder where Draco had gone. The crowd had dwindled, and all that was left of the event were a few wizards who were methodically dismantling the decor.
In the corner of the room, she caught Harry trying to shake off Slughorn, a very tired and drunk-looking Ginny by his side.
"Harry, did you see where Draco got off to?" Hermione said.
"Er, I've got to say good night, Professor. It was nice seeing you again!" Harry said with a wooden smile, turning to Hermione with relief. "Um, sorry, did you ask where Malfoy went? Last I saw, he was with you."
"I think I saw him go out to the balc-nee," slurred Ginny, swaying a bit as Harry steadied her.
"The balcony?" Hermione said, confused. She bid the two of them good night, and Harry slowly walked Ginny to the entrance to apparate her home. Curiously, Hermione started for the balcony doors.
They had been closed when the party ended, but not latched yet. Hermione pushed one open and peeked out.
She almost had a heart attack when she saw what was going on.
Draco was there, jacket thrown to the ground behind him, wand drawn. A few paces away stood Ron in a similar stance, teeth set in anger. Behind him, a frightened Johanna was clinging to the balcony railing, eyes jerking between each of them.
"I know what you did, you slimy little coward!" Ron shouted.
And what exactly would that be, Weasley?" Draco sneered. "Donate to a charity? Gift a necklace to a friend?" He rolled his eyes. "How horrible I am! Might as well lock me up now."
"You took advantage of her!" Ron spat. "You manipulated her and turned her against me!"
Draco raised his eyebrows and smirked. "Oh, I see. You have it all wrong, Weasley. Slytherins just call that friendship
Ron sent a streak of light to Draco, but it bounced away uselessly, blocked by a swift move from Draco.
"YOU STAY AWAY FROM HER FROM NOW ON!" Ron shouted, spit flying from his mouth.
Hermione rushed forward, drawing her own wand from the pocket of her dress.
"Stop it, both of you!" she shouted.
"Don't worry, Hermione. He's just having a small temper tantrum. I've got this," Draco said drawled.
"Draco, leave him alone," Hermione insisted, reaching her hand out to him. "Please, just come with
me."
"You're taking Malfoy's side?" Ron hissed at her, aghast. "Are you serious, Hermione?"
"N-no, I..." Hermione stuttered, "I just want you two to stop fighting!"
"Let me handle this, Hermione," Draco said, but Ron shouted over him, stepping toward her.
"YOU LEFT ME FOR HIM?" Ron screamed, pointing his wand at Hermione this time. She took a defensive position, but her voice was small when she responded.

"No, R-Ron, please, you d-don't understand-"
"Just stop, Hermione! I know what you did! Malfoy's the one who sent the flowers! He's been after you this whole time! And you fell for it!" Ron screamed.
"Ron, no! I didn't-"
"You're a traitor, Hermione, admit it!" Ron spat. "A traitor and a slut!"
A streak of orange light hit Ron squarely in the chest. Ron tumbled to the ground and Johanna let out a shrill scream. Draco advanced on Ron, his face twisted in anger.
"Draco!" Hermione shouted, bounding forward and grabbing his arm to hold him back.
"Don't bother, Hermione," Ron growled, heaving himself to his feet. "This is what you wanted anyway!"
Hermione looked at Ron's face, pulled tight in an ugly grimace, and searched for words that wouldn't come.
She could cry. She could scream. She could hex him. But none of those seemed right. In fact, the fight seemed to have drained right out of her, drifting off like snow in the wind.
Anything she said would be turned against her. Anything she did to stop his cruelty would seem like she was taking Draco's side. Every possible response she could think of seemed pointless.
Standing there, all eyes on her, Hermione made a silent decision.
She turned around and went back through the balcony doors. As she made her way directly across the empty ballroom, the sharp clops of her heels echoing around her, she knew no one would follow her. Not even Draco.
By the time she had made it to the bottom of the steps leading from the large front doors of the estate, her cheeks were streaked with tears.
She twisted, her dress fanning out around her, and vanished.

Chapter End Notes
Now, for another surprise: a bonus chapter! Chapter 15 is a mini chapter from Draco's