Hannah Grace and the Dark Arts

~Chapter Six~

Year Four 

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" Draco caught Hannah as she was crossing the bridge on her way back to her dorm between classes.

"Can't you walk and talk?" she asked.

"Well not here," he said. "Follow me."

Sighing in frustration, she followed him. What could be so important that they couldn't just talk on the bridge? "What is it now? Honestly, if it's another question about your Transfiguration homework, I've helped you all I can."

He stopped walking when they reached the other end of the bridge, away from all the other people. Oh excellent, a private talk.

She flipped her braid impatiently over her shoulder. "What is it then?" She was eager to get back to her friends and discuss the next Triwizard Tournament challenge. 

Draco squared his shoulders and smiled at her.  "I was wondering if you would go to the Yule Ball with me?"

So not about the homework then. She had not been expecting that.

"Your mum set you up to this, didn't she?" was her first thought. "Oh, I can just hear her and Mum discussing-"

He cut her off. "No, I just wanted to ask you."

This time her jaw really fell open in shock. "Oh..."  She stood there, cheeks bright red and eyes wide as an owl's. "I thought you said the ball was a silly idea," she reminded him.

He shrugged.

She took a deep breath. "Well, Draco, I'm - flattered-" In the back of her mind she could hear him calling Hermione a Mudblood, and insulting Harry and teasing Ron about his family. His taunting laughter rang in her ears.  "-But, I'm already going with someone..." No use in being anything but honest. 

His face instantly fell. "Who?"

"None of your business," she said. "Besides, did you really expect me to say yes? After all you've done?"

"'After all I've done'? What do you mean?"

"What do I mean?" she scoffed. "Other than you being an absolute git ever since we started school? That little detail? Sorry, but I can't, I've already made a commitment to someone else, and even if I hadn't-"

"Potter or Weasley?"

"No."

"Who then?" he pressed.

"Doesn't matter! You'll find out at the ball. In the meantime, why don't you ask Pansy, I know she'd like to go with you."

Afterwards, Hannah must have looked rather shell-shocked when she joined her friends in the dining hall for lunch. She couldn't believe that he had the audacity to ask her when he was always much less than pleasant to her and her friends.

"I don't think it's all that much of a surprise that he asked her," said Hermione after Hannah recounted the event to them.  She continued to eat calmly until she realized three pairs of eyes were on her. "What? Am I the only one who's noticed?"

"Noticed what?" asked Ron.

Receiving only blank stares from Harry and Hannah, Hermione sighed frustratedly and set down her knife and fork. "I don't believe this, it's completely obvious."

"What is?!" cried Ron.

 "Malfoy fancies Hannah."

Only somewhat exaggerated, Ron promptly spat out a mouthful of water.

"Ugh, Ronald," Hermione chided disgustedly.

"Hermione!" Hannah hissed, casting a hurried glance around them to make sure no one else had heard.

"Are you mad?" cried Ron, wiping the table dry with the sleeve of his robes.

"No, I'm being perfectly honest." Hermione went back to eating.

"Bloody hell, Hermione! That's a load of–" Hannah spluttered, cursing in Italian. "Where'd you even get that idea?"

"Well Parvati, Padma, Ginny and I-"

Hannah blushed deeper.

"-Have begun to notice that he seems to act differently around you. And Pansy, I think she's noticed too. Seems jealous."

"There's nothing to be jealous about." Hannah cringed. She cast a quick and cautious glance over at the Slyterin table, then just as quickly looking away.  "Ugh..."  How was she even going to look at Draco now, let alone speak to him?

"Wait, so who are you going to the ball with?" Ron asked.

---------------------------------

"A Weasley!" Draco cried the night of the Yule Ball, when Hannah took the arm of one of the Weasley twins, he couldn't tell which one.

Hermione and Hannah had just turned heads arriving in the Great Hall arm-in-arm. The friends shared a hug before Hermione joined Viktor Krum and Hannah turned to George.

"Good evening, Miss Grace," he said, deepening his voice and dipping in a low bow.

She chuckled. "Thank you, and a good evening to you as well, Mr. Weasley." She took his hand and they immediately started dancing. 

By the end of the night, Harry and Ron ended up embarrassing their dates, the Patil twins, and Ron upset Hermione so much that he made her cry. It turned out that Hannah ended up having the most fond memories of the Yule Ball out of the four friends. 

(Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :))