Fierce and feisty

Dance Lessons

Herrmione sighed. It was lunch and the Headmistress had just announced the upcoming Ministry Ball in the Great Hall (A/N: That rhymes!) and as a result, everything was in chaos. It did look as if the students had, at last, moved over the stage of shyness and resentment that they had so harbored at the time of the Yule Ball. Everyone was asking everyone for partners. Ginny herself had got 3-4 proposals, which she had refused, breaking poor hearts. However, Hermione hadn't yet gotten a single worthy proposal. I do not count McLaggen's disgusting effort.

So, Hermione sat with a little book she'd issued from the library, half-listening to Ginny and Luna talking. She was on her last bite, and immensely interested in the book, when she got a tap on the shoulder. She could not tear her eyes away from the book, so she replied, "Yes?"

"Hi. Her..Hermione. U-um, how are you?"

Hermione looked up to see Anthony Goldstein looking down at her. She smiled warmly, "Absolutely fine, Anthony. I have lessons right now, I really must go or I'll be late. We will talk later?" She touched his forearm.

"Y-yeah." If she didn't know any better she would have thought that Anthony looked rather put out. "If you don't mind me asking, w-which lessons? Aren't classes over for the day?"

"Uh.. yeah. You know, the Ball? Well, I am having the opening dance with... um... Malfoy, and uh- McGonagall has asked me to attend dance lessons... with... him."

"What?!" Ginny shrieked. Oh great, she heard it too. 

"Yes, Ginny, and I'm getting late right now. You know what a git he is, he'll never let me forget that I, Hermione Granger, was late for something." She fake-pitched her voice for the last part. "So, I am sorry, I got to go. Lovely talking to you Anthony, bye."

Hermione walked to the Head Dorms portrait, and it opened for her to see Draco Malfoy, sitting comfortably on the couch in grey robes with a book in his hand. He looked up to see her, and his face broke into a smirk. Out of the 600 different, creative human expressions, this man has no variety.

"Hermione Granger is late for something," He shouted over the hole. Hermione blushed.

"Look, I was with-"

 "Hermione Granger! Wait!" She was cut off by Oliver Rivers, another student in their year.

"Yes," She paused for a moment, "Oliver, right?"

"Yes, yes. I was saying, w-will you, if it is totally fine with you and you already don't have someone, w-will you g-go-" He stopped before he could complete his sentence. He was looking weirdly at the portrait hole behind her. Hermione turned around to see Malfoy looking back at her with an indifferent expression, his grey eyes boring into hers. She saw something deep and dark in them, which she couldn't put her finger on.

She turned back to see Oliver Rivers running quickly down the corridor. Merlin knows what terrified him. Could it be... is there ink on my face again? No, probably Malfoy, with his inexpressive face.

"Granger? I would have really enjoyed seeing you stand there all afternoon, but I believe we have business?"

Hermione sighed frustratedly and entered the dorm. "Yes, Malfoy, I know. I am just wondering what's going on with stammering Ravenclaws and me-"

Malfoy scoffed. "You really don't know, do you?"

Hermione removed her Hogwarts cloak, and loosened her tie. She balanced herself on one leg while she got out her shoes, "What do you mean?"

"Granger, the guys were asking you to the Ball."

Hermione's eyes widened. Her mouth formed a big 'O' as she looked towards him. He'd said it as if it were something that obvious.

"WHAT?" She shouted and Malfoy's hands went back to his ears. She blushed again and continued in a lower tone, "Y-you are saying that they were really asking me out, to the Ball?"

Malfoy shook his head as he put his feet down on the floor, "You must admit, you're really not good at this thing. You are really a prudish bookworm, aren't you?"

Hermione sighed, "Yes I am."

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That wasn't the response one, anyone, looked for when they called someone 'prudish'. Does Granger even know the meaning of the word? For someone so brainy, she sometimes was crazy. 

She must have guessed what he was thinking, the silence had stretched out quite long. "What? I accept the fact that I don't really like to talk about some things. And don't look at me that way, I just feel... uncomfortable... and I admit it. I am a Gryffindor, after all."

Draco raised his hands in surrender. He was rendered speechless by her honesty. "Anyways, Granger, you have ruined your chance." At her groan, he continued cautiously, "Did you like them?"

Granger sat down beside him, oblivious to their proximity yet, and sighed, "It's just that I knew them, and it would have been easier to go with them rather than McLaggen. I like everyone. 'Like', I feel, is the wrong word to use in these things. I like them like I like everybody. I guess I've started to like you too; that does not mean I am romantically involved with you or something."

She began laughing weakly at the last part, but Draco only looked at her quietly. There was that gleam in his eye again, that passion of claiming something that was his. He took Granger's hand in one swift move and they both stood up. He flicked his wand in her direction and transfigured her shirt and skirt into a white pleated dress, and the tie into a small "HM" pendant.

Granger stared transfixed at Draco as he put his arm around her waist and took her other hand. He pressed their bodies, and still had that hard look in his eyes. 

"Get your posture straighter, Granger."

"I know that, I have done this before-"

"Well, you know, you'll need a lot more practice to do better than at the Yule Ball. You were fairly good at the time, but now you've gotten rusty. And if you are going to dance with me, you have to be perfect." Draco sneered, as he twirled her around. It was around ten minutes of waltzing and twirling and tripping and swooping, that the silence was broken.

"Is this the problem with you, or all Slytherins? One would believe you'd have changed."

Draco scoffed and chuckled. "There's a lot more to our House than only blood prejudices, Granger. You'd think that, wouldn't you? That leaving blood prejudices would mean difference in our behavior? What is wrong in asking for perfection?"

Granger cocked her head to the side and raised her head slightly to look into his eyes. A wave of warmth passed through her body from his gaze, and she shivered slightly in his arms. 

"I guess not," She whispered. Draco smirked, and clutched her waist tightly, moving his face down  so that their cheeks touched.

"Well, enough for today, pet. We'll meet tomorrow, 8 pm, Astronomy Tower." He whispered hotly in her ear. He moved away, but then pulled her close to him again by her hand. She looked up and blushed, and he smugly smirked down at her, "And don't transfigure the pendant to get that ugly colored tie. This suits you better."

With that, Draco went off in his direction, Granger standing in the same spot.